We continue this week in the Series by Francis Chan, Jesus’ Farewell Message. This week we learn some vital concepts about listening, hearing and foundational truths that should not be just breezed over, but dwelt on.

Knowing Jesus is our path to peace, the way to know God, and the road to a full life. To know the truth of Scripture is meant to change our hearts, minds, and lives. Not just memorizing to show off or pass a test. Our lives should be changed. To feel peace in Christ when circumstances push us to anxiety and distress.

To spend time alone with God so that we can comprehend the fullness of his love and provision for us.

Think of one of your close friendships. What did you think of him or her when you first met? How has your perception of him or her changed over time?

There is a profound difference between knowing about someone and knowing someone personally. It is easy to know about a person—his or her likes, dislikes, favorite pastimes, etc. But knowing a friend personally, encountering his or her inner person up close, is completely different from knowing his or her favorite color.

It is easy to know about God, collect Bible trivia, and iron all the creases out of your theology. But knowing God, encountering his love for you, and experiencing the deep truths in Scripture is something completely different. It is also our true goal as Christians.

In this session, Francis walks us through the beginning of John 14, showing us the goodness of knowing God.

¹“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way to where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

⁸ Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

¹² “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. – John 14:1-14 ESV

Watch Session 2: Christ Reveals the Father (14 minutes).

When we read the Bible, we aren’t reading a list of facts, rules, or statistics about God. We are encountering him. God is speaking to us in Scripture. What does your time in God’s Word look like? Do you feel like the truths you encounter in the Bible translate into your everyday life? Why, or why not?

Francis made a point of reminding us that what you learn in this study is not knowledge for a test, but to understand the fullness of God’s love for you. If you were brutally honest, do you feel your knowledge of God is test knowledge or experienced truth? Why?

In the Upper Room, Jesus was spending one last meal with his disciples. John 14–17 is his last sermon, the last chance he had to share essential and life-changing truths with them before his crucifixion. The first deep truth he shared was a command to not be distressed. John 14:1–4.

Jesus’s command is not meant to brush off our anxiety. How do you feel when you are worried or afraid and someone tells you to stop worrying? What kind of advice or support from friends have you found helpful? What truths or reassurances does Jesus give to his disciples?

Jesus was about to be executed in a violent way, which he knew would distress his disciples. But he confronted and comforted them with truth: their current anxiety is not how the story would end. What makes you anxious? What negative future are you worried will become reality?

Our stories don’t end with our worst fears but in eternity with Jesus. Even when we are afraid, we can look forward in hope to God’s future for us. Think about your present worries. In what ways can a secure future with Jesus confront and comfort your anxiety? What does it look like for you to trust Jesus despite your current circumstances?

Even when we trust Jesus and know the hope he provides, we can still experience worry and anxiety. For many of us, we just want to know what to do. What is the first step toward security and peace? (John 14:5–6)

Jesus is the way to God. We don’t earn our way to God through good behavior or by being spiritually impressive. If we want to encounter God, we have to know Jesus. What do you think it means for Jesus to be “the way”?

Francis said following Jesus is not about having more things to do, but about knowing him. God will direct your path, but your best next step is to know Jesus more deeply. Does knowing God feel like an effective way to overcome your current challenges? Why, or why not?

The more we know Jesus, the more we will know truth and experience life as God intended. Even when chaos surrounds us, we can find peace and hope in Jesus. Where do you turn for peace and hope in times of chaos? What would it look like to trust God for his peace, hope, and truth in your current circumstances?

Trusting God can be difficult, especially if you think he is angry and vindictive. For some of us, even the title “Father” brings up negative thoughts. But Jesus reveals who the Father is to us in the scriptures we read and heard today.

Jesus is not a counterpoint to the Father. He is not merciful where the Father is always judgmental. If you recognize Jesus’s love for you, you have seen the Father’s love for you. In what ways do these verses challenge your perspective of God?

Francis said, “We learn about God the Father by listening to what Jesus says. We hear the gracious words out of the mouth of Jesus, and we go, ‘Whoa, that’s what the Father is like. He loves me. He doesn’t want my heart troubled.’” Do you believe the Father doesn’t want you to be distressed? How might your life be different if you trusted that he has a better plan for you?

Knowing and trusting God is essential, but how does knowing him meet our needs today? Some of us have immediate needs that need to be addressed.

Jesus has prepared a secure future for us, wants us to be near to him, and has a deep love for us. He also wants to help meet our needs. Often, we try to meet our needs through our power, but God wants us to rely on him for everything. What needs do you need to take to God?

Jesus answers our prayers so that “the Father may be glorified in the Son.” That means our prayers must be focused on glorifying God and not ourselves. What do you think it means to glorify God? In what ways can God be glorified through your prayer requests?

Francis started and ended this session with a plea: do not leave the truths you learn in this study in your small group. It is easy to leave this time and move on to all the pressing tasks of our day, forgetting the transformational truths God wants to share with us. Where can you get alone to meditate on the truths you have learned in this session? When will you spend time alone with God (without a phone or other distractions) to let these truths sink into your heart?

LAST WORD

If we are worried that the future is out of our control, we can rest in the fact that Jesus is preparing a place for us. If we don’t know the Father, we can look at Jesus to learn more about him. If we feel lost and don’t know what to do next, we can trust that Jesus is our way.

Our primary goal today is to know Jesus more deeply. Whether that means obeying a command we’ve neglected, believing in his sovereignty instead of our own wisdom, or simply praying and asking him for help, trust him.

Don’t let your knowledge of him turn into trivia; live by his words.