1. Knowing Jesus is Knowing the Father (verse 7).
2. Seeing Jesus is Seeing the Father (verses 8-11).
3. Believing Jesus Leads to Greater Works (verses 12-14).

Every night in the life of a child, there is this moment, after being tucked into bed, when mom and dad leave the room, and turn off the lights. and the children are all alone. They know that it’s time to close their eyes and go to sleep. For many children for many nights, this routine goes on without a hitch. They fall asleep quickly, only to wake up in the morning, full of energy, ready to attack the day. But there are some times when they are scared. They are scared by the sounds that come in the night.

As a young boy, I remember some of those times when I was scared. Three times, particularly come to mind. The first time I remember was when I was probably 8 years old. I remember when I was convinced that there was a burglar walking in my room. Now, I shared my room with my brother. So, this “burglar” was walking in our room. I could hear his feet walking across the room on the carpet.

So, I went into my parent’s room, woke my dad from his sleep and told him about it. I said, “Dad, there is somebody walking in my room.” He told me that nobody was walking in my room, and that I should go back to bed. Well, I went back to bed, but I heard the sound again. And so, I went again to my parent’s room and told my dad that someone was walking in my room. Again, he sent me back to my room, telling me that there wasn’t a burglar in my room. Well, on the third time, he got up, and lay in bed with me. Sure enough, after a bit, I heard the feet of the “burglar” walking across the carpet. After listening for a bit, he figured it out by listening to the deep breathing of my brother who was sleeping. Each deep breath he took was interpreted by me as a burglar walking across the carpet.

I was scared, and my father’s presence was a help to me that night, and for all other nights when I heard my brother’s deep breathing in his sleep.

The second occasion, I remember being scared in the night as a boy, was when my parents were gone. I was probably 12 years old. For some reason, my grandmother was staying with us. My bedroom was in the basement of our house. It was a lonely and dark place. One night, I was convinced that there was a man in the basement with me! I don’t remember exactly what I heard that gave me reason to think such things. But I do remember being really scared.

And so, I hurried upstairs and went to her bed and woke her up and told her of the “burglar” in the basement. She tried and tried to assure me that nobody was in the basement. But I wasn’t about to go back down there. But, bless her heart, she got up from bed, and turned on all of the lights in the basement, and with me in hand, she proceeded to perform a security sweep throughout the entire basement. looking in every room, opening every door, and eventually convincing me that there was no burglar in the basement.

I was scared, and I needed my grandmother to hold my hand that night, to insure to me that I was safe, and so return to bed.

The third time that I remember being scared at night, I’m guessing that I was 14 years old. Again, I’m in the basement. This time, I heard the “burglar” walking on the floor above me! He wasn’t in the basement. He was on the main floor. This was a problem for me, as we had a two-story house growing up, and everyone slept on the second floor. And I wasn’t about to walk upstairs, and encounter the “burglar” who was on the first floor. I didn’t know what to do.

Fortunately for us, we had two phone lines in those days. And I called my parents, at like 2 in the morning. And I told them that there was a man upstairs, because I could hear him walking. As I remember, he expressed his doubt, but eventually made it downstairs to investigate. After spending some time downstairs, and listening to the sound of the burglar walking upstairs, he figured it out. It was an extremely cold night, and the furnace was working hard. As the warm air was pushed through the cold ducts, there was an progressive creaking in the ducts, approximating the sound of creaking floorboards of a “burglar” walking upstairs.

I was scared, and I needed my dad to help me that night, to insure to me that I was safe, and so return to bed.

These childhood stories of mine, being scared at night, needing the comfort of the adults in my life, are much of the same context of the passage of Scripture that we have been looking at in the gospel of John. So, if you haven’t done so already, I invite you to open your Bibles to John, chapter 14.

To orient ourselves, we are in the section of John called, “The Upper Room Discourse,” or “The Final Discourse.” in which Jesus is giving his last instructions to his disciples before he leaves the earth. Jesus has been with them for three years already, and he has taught them much. But now, he is giving his final words to his disciples.

The scene begins in chapter 13, with Jesus stooping to wash the feet of the disciples, giving us an example of service to following in his steps. Jesus then says that one of those at the table will betray him, we know that this was Judas, whom Jesus sent out to do the deed. Jesus then says that Peter will deny him, before the rooster crows, Peter will deny him three times.

Obviously, such news would have been very distressing to the disciples. That’s why Jesus says (at the beginning of John 14),

John 14:1
Let not your hearts be troubled.

This phrase really governs much of what he says in the Upper Room Discourse. Just like a parent, who meets a child scared of the sounds in the night. who seeks to comfort the child, Jesus is doing his best to comfort and help his disciples, that they might not be troubled in their hearts, as they think of him leaving them.

The core of his message to them comes in the next phrase,

John 14:1
Believe in God; believe also in me.

As I was a child, scared of the burglars, I needed to believe what my father told me. I needed to believe that my grandmother told me. So also these disciples, scared and distressed as they were to face their lives without Jesus, they needed to believe in Jesus. they needed to trust in him.

Jesus had their best in mind. In verses 2 and 3, we see that Jesus telling his disciples that he is going to prepare a place for them, and will return to bring them to this place.

John 14:2-3
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? 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.

Down through the ages, these have been comforting verses for many believers, especially at funerals. Yesterday was John MacArthur’s memorial service. I was able to carve out the time to watch it. These verses were quoted on at least two occasions, as a family and church (and the world) grieved the loss of a father, a friend, and great preacher.^[1]

Jesus is saying, “I will come and bring you to myself. You will be with me. And all will be well.” And when you believe this, it can bring great comfort to your soul. Jesus continues to give these disciples reason not to be troubled in their souls.

John 14:4-6
And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

In other words, Jesus is indeed the only way to the Father. He comforts these disciples by telling them that they are on the right path! that in believing him, they will indeed come to the Father along with him.

And then, we pick up our passage, which begins in verse 7, and carries down through verse 14. Let’s read these verses now. Jesus begins by saying to the disciples,

John 14:7-14
"If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 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’? 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. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

“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. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

The title of my message comes from verse 10, where Jesus asks the disciples, “Do you not believe?”

This is the core of the gospel of John. John has relentlessly called us to believe in Jesus. That’s what John says at the end of his gospel (John 20:30-31) He has written that we might believe in Jesus, that we might have life in his name. And once again, we see Jesus with the question coming straight to us: “Do you not believe?”

This is the core of where these disciples would find comfort as Jesus leaves them for a season. They would find comfort in believing in his words. Particularly, they would find comfort in the person of Jesus. And we will find Jesus saying some incredible things.

Look at what he says in verse 7,

John 14:7
If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.

1. Knowing Jesus is Knowing the Father (verse 7).

Now, we may have been around the block long enough not to be surprised by such a statement. “Of course, knowing Jesus is knowing the Father.” But consider how strange this would be if I would say it about myself! Listen to it: "If you had known me, you would have known my Father also."

If I say this about myself, it is arrogance! It is blasphemy! To say that in some sense, I am the manifestation of God upon the earth, should cast me far from this church! But this is the claim of Jesus: that he is the manifestation of God upon the earth! When you know Jesus, you know the Father! This is a clear declaration of the deity of Jesus. He is God incarnate! That he is God walking upon the earth!

There are many in our day and age who will deny the deity of Jesus. Just yesterday, some Jehovah’s Witnesses came to our door. I was out, but they dropped off a card, inviting us to a “Free Bible Course.” The Jehovah’s Witnesses will deny the deity of Jesus, claiming that Jesus is merely an angel. Oh, to be sure, they would claim, he’s Michael, the archangel, the highest of all angels. But they would still say that he is an angel.

But let me ask you this, would any angel say, "If you had known me, you would have known my Father also." No! Angels are sent from the throne of God, to tell people a message about God. That’s what the Greek word, “angelos” means. It means “messenger.”

We see this in the Christmas story: Gabriel, the angel, came with a message to Mary (Luke 1:26-38), “You will bear a child.” Gabrial, the angel, also appears to Joseph (Matthew 1:20-21), “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” We see this at the resurrection: When Jesus raised from the dead, an angel appeared to the women at the tomb, telling them, Matthew 28:5 “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. Matthew 28:6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.” Angels are messengers of God!

So, an angel might come and say, “If you had known my message, you would have known the Father.” But that’s not what Jesus says. He says, "If you had known me, you would have known my Father also." This is my point: "Knowing Jesus is Knowing the Father (verse 7). That’s why Jesus can say “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Jesus is the way to the Father, because knowing Jesus is knowing the Father (verse 7).

All of this really begs the question for all of us this morning: “Do you know Jesus?” “Do you know that knowing him is to know the Father?” “Do you know that his will is the Father’s will?” “Do you know that a relationship with Jesus is a relationship with the Father? Jesus is the word became flesh. We are to believe in him! We are to know him.

Then Jesus gives this strange phrase in verse 7,

John 14:7
From now on you do know him and have seen him.

I don’t know exactly what that means. But I do know that somehow in the relationship between Jesus and the disciples, there was a change at this moment. Jesus was revealing himself to the disciples in a greater way that ever before. This is how it is with God, the more you know Jesus, the more you know God.

And so, I would encourage you to know your Bibles! As you read your Bibles, you will read about Jesus, and you will come to know God in greater and greater ways!

Let’s move on. 

2. Seeing Jesus is Seeing the Father (verses 8-11).

John 14:8-9
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 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.

I trust that you can see here how my second point derives from text. Philip says, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." My point is this, "Seeing Jesus is Seeing the Father."

This would be an crazy thing for me to say. Picture me saying this about myself: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." That’s blasphemy, unless it’s true. And, of course, it is true with Jesus. Seeing Jesus is seeing the Father.

This isn't what an angel would say. An angel wouldn’t say, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." No, an angel comes with a message to "seek the Father," not “look at me!”

So, have you seen Jesus?

Now, of course, seeing Jesus is a bit different for us that it was for the disciples. John would later write in his first epistle:

1 John 1:1-3
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ

The disciples could see and touch Jesus. The disciples heard the words in their ears from his mouth. That’s not our situation. We can’t see him. We can’t touch him. He is at the right hand of God right now, praying for us. All we can do is believe in what we know about him. All we can do is believe in what the disciples told us about him! This is where Jesus goes next.

John 14:10-11
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.

Here we find Jesus urging Philip (and the disciples), to believe in him, to believe that he was sent from the Father, to believe that the Father was in Jesus and to believe that Jesus was in the Father.

I love how Jesus gives them some objective things to believe. He says (in verse 11), “believe me or else believe on account of the works themselves.” In other words, Jesus is pointing the disciples to all of the works that he did.

Do you remember the works that Jesus did? In John, chapter 2, Jesus turned the water into wine. In chapter 4, Jesus healed the royal official’s son. In chapter 5, Jesus healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. In chapter 6, Jesus fed the 5,000 and later walked on water. In chapter 9, Jesus gave sight to a blind man. In chapter 11, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead!

Jesus says, “Don’t just believe my words. But look at what I have done. And believe in me on account of these works that I have done. These works testify to what I am saying! What I am saying is true: Seeing me is seeing the Father!”

This is the argument of the gospel of John. "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:30-31).

John is telling us that same thing that Jesus told the disciples. You can believe the words of Jesus, that Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus, or you can believe on account of the works of Jesus (verse 11). So, John writes his works for us to believe!

Regarding the signs that Jesus did, they demonstrated his power and miracle-working ability. The only way that he could have done these things is if God was with him, and in him, working these things in his life.

So, do you see Jesus? Oh, maybe not with your eyes as the disciples did, but with your heart, as you see and trust that John’s words are true. Seeing Jesus in indeed seeing the Father. Seeing Jesus work shows that Jesus is in the Father!

Let's move on to my final point:

3. Believing Jesus Leads to Greater Works (verses 12-14).

I know that I lost my parallelism in my points, but I just couldn’t make it fit.

Anyway, my point surely captures the heart of what Jesus says.

John 14:12
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.

That is an amazing statement! If you will believe in Jesus, you will do the works that Jesus does, and you will do greater works! Greater works that Jesus?

First of all, Jesus is talking with the disciples, and not to us. So, you need to be careful in simply applying these things to us.

Did the disciples do the works that Jesus did? Yes! Let's begin to think about this beginning with the signs recorded in John. Jesus healed a lame man in John 5. In Acts 3, we see Peter and John heal a lame man at the temple gates. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead in John 11. In Acts 9:36-42, we read of how Peter raised Tabitha from the dead. Also, in Acts 20:9-12, Paul revives Eutychus, possibly from death.

When you go outside of John to the other gospels, you see that the apostles healed the sick as Jesus did. You see them casting out demons as Jesus did (Acts 16:16-18). You see them teaching boldly, though untrained (Acts 4:13). The disciples did the works of Jesus.

But do you see the disciples doing “greater works” than Jesus? Well, not greater in kind, but greater in scope.

When Jesus died, he had 11 close disciples, who he trained personally. After Jesus was raised, he appeared alive and well to a group of 500 people. We don’t know how many of these believed. After Jesus ascended into heaven, we read in Acts, chapter 1, that there was a meeting of 120 people. We are hard pressed to see anywhere in the Scriptures that the number of genuine followers of Jesus was much above this.

But then, in Acts, chapter 2, when Peter preaches on the Day of Pentecost, some 3,000 people repented and believed! Two chapters later, we see that the number of those who believed was 5,000! This far eclipses anything that Jesus did, numbers-wise in his ministry.

I do believe that this is the what Jesus was thinking when he said, "greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father." I say this because of the last phrase, “Because I am going to the Father.”

As we will see in weeks to come in the Upper Room Discourse, that Jesus speaks about going to the Father, so that the Holy Spirit will come.

John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John 15:26-27
But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

John 16:7
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

When the Holy Spirit would come, he would convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). This is what we see the Holy Spirit doing on the day of Pentecost. He convicted the people hearing of sin, righteousness and judgment. In fact, so much so that Luke records in Acts 2:37 that the people were “cut to the heart” after hearing Peter preach. So they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Peter told them to repent and be baptized, and about 3,000 followed his counsel.

That was far above anything that Jesus did, even though he taught thousands at times. It was only when the Spirit came that he convicted the hearts of sinners to repent and believe in the gospel. In this way, the disciples did “greater works” than Jesus.

The Holy Spirit didn’t stop working. You read the book of Acts, and the gospel spread all about Judea and Samaria and Galatia and Bithynia and Asia and Macedonia and Greece. When you read church history and you see that the gospel has spread even to the ends of the earth. That’s the work of believers through the power of the Spirit. And the Spirit is still working today! That means that the Holy Spirit has been working for more than 2,000 years. We can see that the Spirit has “greater works” than in the days of Jesus.

Do you want to do greater works than Jesus? Then PRAY! Pray that the Lord would use you to greater works! I say this because this is exactly where Jesus goes with his thoughts.

John 14:13-14
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Here is a great invitation to pray! The invitation is vast! 14 "If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it."

Now, we naturally come to think of how this doesn’t exactly work. We think this, because we have asked for things from the Lord that we have not received. Even good things, like health of a dying loved one, but the Lord has failed to answer the prayer. We have prayed for financial provision, but he Lord has delayed the job. We have prayed for safe pregnancy and healthy children, but a child is born with a terminal disease. We have prayed for safe release of hostages, but they are killed anyway. We have prayed for the end of the war, but it seemingly never comes.

I think that the key is in the limiting phrase in verse 13, "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." The promise here in answered prayer, is that God will answer the prayer, so that the Father will be glorified in the Son. If this isn’t happening in prayer, then the prayer won’t be answered.

A great example of this is Paul’s prayer for the “thorn in the flesh” to be removed (whatever it was). Paul longed for it to be removed, that he asked several times. But God said to him, “No.” “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). And Paul concluded, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). This is the way that Paul was glorifying God through Jesus.

So as we pray, realize that this is what is limiting our answers to prayer: God's glory. You may think that your request and the coming answer is reasonable, as Paul did. But God may say, "No, I have another plan that will glorify me."

My encouragement to you is this: let God determine how he will glorify himself. You can ask of him to go greater works, and let God determine how to answer in accordance with his glory. Pray for the gospel to go forth. Pray for the Holy Spirit to come and convict and reprove and correct. Pray for you to be God's mouthpiece. Then, let God limit the answer to your prayer for some reason. In other words, let God say, "No" to your prayers.

Perhaps you are not even asking. James says that you do not have because you do not ask (James 4:2). What a shame that would be, to not have simply because you didn't ask. If God gives the promise here in verse 14 of granting any request that is in his name for his glory, and you aren't even asking? Let us ask. Let us allow God to say, "No" to our prayers for greater works.

So, I return to my title, which is the big question of application to our text, "Do you not believe?" "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not believe?" Have you seen so much about Jesus in the Bible and you still don't believe? Let's believe that Jesus is God in the flesh and the knowing him is knowing the Father and seeing him is seeing the Father. And let us believe that in believing him we will follow in greater works that Jesus is talking about, perhaps even conversions of others through your words, that only Christ can do anyway.

So, I also return to when I was scared as a child. I was troubled in my heart. What did I need in those moments? I needed to believe my dad. I needed to believe my grandmother, that the burglar is not in the home. Sadly, I didn't just believe. I needed proof. It was only after I had the proof that my heart was satisfied.

In some regards, we see the same thing with the disciples. They weren't believing. They were scattered after the death of Jesus. But when Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to them and gave them proof through seeing his wounds. It's then that they believed in Jesus and were transformed to give their lives in service to him.

Do you not believe?

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on August 24, 2025 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] You can watch the memorial service here.