John 14: Jesus' Invitation When You Don't Know What Comes Next

Introduction

The day before this service, the whole city of Perth was dressed in purple. Flags, houses, decorated cars: Fremantle Dockers supporters had taken buses and planes all the way to Melbourne for the grand final. The team fought to the end and lost. Pastor Lawrence of Hope Church Perth watched the game with his son, and that is where he starts: you can admire the commitment of those supporters. They don't just take an interest in their team, they identify with it.

That leads to his question: "What does it mean to follow Jesus all the way?" Following Jesus, he says, is more than admiring him, believing certain things about him, or applying what you read in the Bible. Jesus invites us onto a path for life.

This message, titled "The Invitation," is part of the series "The Way." It draws on John 14:1-14, one of the most important statements Jesus made about himself, and it speaks to anyone who doesn't know what will happen next.

Message Outline

1. Following Jesus Is a Way of Life

The Dockers supporters wore the colors, traveled far, spent huge sums, and rearranged their weekends to "be there and be counted." And next season they will believe again that this might be the year.
Life has its highs and lows too. The pastor asks: where are you on this journey? Will you give up or keep going?
The series highlights three aspects of the way of Jesus: being with Jesus (taking time to remain in him, with the Sabbath as a day set apart), becoming like Jesus, and doing what Jesus did, which is the theme of this message.
"Knowing Jesus is the beginning of the adventure," because God wants us to know him, to grow in him, and to become more like him.

2. When You Don't Know What Is Coming

The pastor describes familiar situations: a career crossroads, waiting for an answer to a prayer or a job interview, an unexpected health problem.
In John 13, Jesus tells his disciples that he is leaving and that Peter, one of his closest friends, will deny him. Their questions show that they understand neither who he is, nor where he is going, nor why he has to leave.
Jesus comforts these anxious disciples and shows them where to place their trust: "Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me."

3. A Destination and a Presence

First, Jesus promises a destination: the Father's house, where there are many rooms. He is returning to where he came from, and he will come back. He will not abandon his own.
Then he promises his presence. The ultimate promise is not only "I am going to prepare a place for you," but "that where I am, you may be there also."
"Salvation is not only about receiving Jesus into our hearts." There is the gift of eternal life, but what matters most is knowing who will be there to welcome us into our true home: Jesus.
In other words, we will be able to spend eternity with Jesus. "That is our hope as Christians."

4. A Secure Future Even Without the Full Map

Jesus doesn't necessarily give us a strategy or a complete roadmap. The temptation is to rely on ourselves or on how we handled a similar situation in the past.
Proverbs 3:5-6 offers a different path: "Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
The uncertainties are concrete: the single person wondering whether they will ever be able to buy a home in Perth, the one who fears artificial intelligence will make their job obsolete, the student under pressure to choose a path, the families hit by the cost-of-living crisis who hesitate between the familiar brand and the store brand.
Jesus doesn't promise that following him means we can live with a "she'll be right" attitude, or that we will understand everything that happens. He promises a future that is secure in him.
The pastor had sensed that this year would not be easy, and the church had chosen the theme "Thrive." While preparing the message, God reminded him of the hymn "Because He Lives": "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow."
Proverbs 16:9 confirms it: "A man’s heart plans his course, but Yahweh directs his steps." You don't need to know the whole route to trust the one who knows what is going to happen.

5. Jesus Himself Is the Way to the Father

Thomas asks the obvious question: "Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?" He expects an itinerary, like opening a maps app to see which road to take.
Jesus answers with a person, not a plan: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me."
It is one of the seven "I am" statements in John's Gospel, along with the bread of life, the light of the world, the gate for the sheep, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, and the vine (John 15).
Jesus is the way to the Father, the truth that reveals who God is and his plan for our lives, the life that comes from God. The destination is not only entry into heaven, it is access to the Father.
Philip understands no better: "Lord, show us the Father, and that is enough for us." Jesus answers: "He who has seen me has seen the Father." The pastor makes it clear: look at Jesus, not at me.
His compassion, his love, his holiness, his undeserved grace, and his willingness to go to the cross reveal God. "Jesus doesn't just teach about God." He makes the Father known, as he says in his prayer in John 17.

6. An Invitation for Every Generation

This invitation is for the youngest as much as the oldest. Attending a Christian school doesn't make someone a Christian, and having Christian parents doesn't replace the decision to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.
There is a difference between knowing things about Jesus and knowing him, accepting him, believing in him, and following his way.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death, eternal separation from God. But Jesus paid the price: "we don't have to stay condemned."
We cross over not because of what we have done or the morals we were raised with, however good, but because of who Jesus is and what he has done. "We don't have to live a life of defeat."

7. Continuing the Works of Jesus

Jesus surprises his disciples: "he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also; and he will do greater works than these."
Luke 4:18-19 describes those works: bringing good news to the poor, proclaiming freedom to captives and sight to the blind, setting the oppressed free, and announcing a year of the Lord's favor.
Prayer comes into play here (verses 13-14). When we align our prayers with God's heart and character, we can be confident that he will answer. And Jesus adds: "If you love me, keep my commandments" (verse 15), before promising the Helper.
Acts 1:8 promises power when the Holy Spirit comes on us. The work that began more than two thousand years ago did not stay in Israel, it spread across the nations, and "the work is not finished."
The pastor asks each person a question: if you're single, how can you strengthen someone in this season? If you're married, how can your home become a place where the way of Jesus is lived out? If you're a student, how can you represent Jesus where God has placed you?
He keeps praying over the sheets of paper written on vision Sunday, and every two weeks he prays with Fremantle pastors for one another's churches. "Keep praying until you see God move."
Members of the church are going out to serve: a leader invited to preach in India to pastors finishing Bible school, an occupational therapist involved in a medical mission, the pastor and a loved one invited to speak at a camp. "Hope Perth is never too small to make a difference where God leads us."

The message ends with two invitations: come back to God so that he can restore you and give you new life, or receive Jesus for the first time as Lord and Savior. The congregation then prays for one another, entrusting their worries about the future to Jesus.

Key Takeaways

Following Jesus is more than admiring him: it means identifying with him and walking his way, through the highs and the lows.
Jesus promises a destination, the Father's house, and above all his presence: "that where I am, you may be there also."
You don't need the whole map to move forward: you can trust the one who knows the future.
Jesus doesn't just point the way to the Father: he is the way, and whoever has seen him has seen the Father.
Believing in Jesus also means continuing his works through prayer, the power of the Holy Spirit, and witness where God has placed you.

Personal Reflection

What situation leaves you today not knowing what comes next: a job, health, housing, studies, finances?
In that situation, do you mostly rely on your past experience or on Jesus?
Do you know Jesus personally, or only things about him?
How can your home, your place of study, or your workplace become somewhere people see the way of Jesus?
For which situation will you keep praying until you see God move?

Verses Quoted

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Jesus promise in John 14:1-3?

Pastor Lawrence sees two promises here. A destination: the Father's house, where Jesus prepares a place. And a presence: "that where I am, you may be there also." What matters most is not only the place, but the one who will welcome us there: Jesus himself.

What does "I am the way, the truth, and the life" mean?

Thomas was expecting an itinerary, like opening a maps app. Jesus answers with a person: himself. He is the way to the Father, the truth that reveals who God is, and the life that comes from God. The destination is not only entry into heaven, it is access to the Father.

What are the "greater works" of John 14:12?

The preacher connects them to the mission described in Luke 4:18-19 and the power promised in Acts 1:8. The work that began more than two thousand years ago continues through believers: praying in line with God's heart, living out the way of Jesus at home, and sharing the good news where God has placed us.