peace, a place , and a promise
John 14:1-4
Jesus had just finished the Lord’s Supper, and was speaking to the disciples. He was giving them encouragement, and telling them that He would be going away.
Peter had asked Him, " Lord, where are you going?" Jesus had told Peter that he could not go with Him.
Peter was asking " Lord, why can’t I go with you?"
WE will see from this text , that Jesus was telling them 3 things.
1. He was trying to comfort them, by offering them peace
2. He was telling them of a place where He would be going .
3. He was giving them a promise that He would be back for them.
John 14:1
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
I. PEACE. (verse 1)
LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED
Jesus was telling His disciples not to worry, not to fret, not to be troubled. He was giving them the assurance that they would need .
He knew that they would be persecuted, He knew that it wouldn’t be easy to live the Christian life, so he was giving them the assurance that
they would need.
He was offering them peace.
[illustration] There was a wealthy man who wanted to have a picture painted to show what it would be like to have perfect peace.
He offered any artist a large sum of money to paint a picture portraying peace.
There were many paintings , but he finally narrowed it down to 2. One of the paintings was a picture of a large wheat field, with the gentle breeze blowing , and the wheat waving as the sun shown brightly.
There was not a cloud in the sky. It was a picture that many thought the man would choose.
But the picture that he finally chose was a picture of a stormy sea, with the waves crashing against a huge rock, with the lightning flashing, and dark clouds in the sky.
But a closer look showed a small birds nest back in one of the cracks in the rock, and a birds nest with a small bird sitting on her nest.
They asked him why he chose this picture, and he replied.
" That is true peace, when you can be calm and focused when all the world seems to be crashing all around you.
This is the kind of peace that Only Jesus can give.
Jesus told His disciples in ’
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Jesus has promised us that He would be with us always.
Matthew 28:20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
2. PLACE ( VERSE 2 )
I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU
Jesus is telling His disciples, and He is telling us, that He has gone to prepare a place for us.
He has just told them that His Father’s house has many rooms.
Many people want to go to heaven for different reasons.
Some want to be able to see the streets of gold.
Some want to see their mansion.
I want to see my redeemer, my savior, the Lamb of God, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Rev. 22:5
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Just to think of eternity with Jesus.
A place where there will be no wars, no heartaches, no tears, no pain, no worry, no sorrow.
Jesus tells us that He has prepared that place just for us.
This is no imaginary place, this place is real, and we will forever be with the Lord.
TOGETHER AGAIN-----
TOGETHER AGAIN OVER YONDER
GOD’S PROMISE THE WAY IT WILL BE
NEVER AGAIN TO KNOW PARTING
TOGETHER AGAIN YOU AND ME
TOGETHER AGAIN UP IN HEAVEN
REMOVED FROM LIFE’S SORROW AND CARE
NO WORRY ABOUT A TOMORROW
TOGETHER AGAIN OVER THERE
TOGETHER AGAIN GLAD REUNION
HAPPY MEETING IN HEAVEN ABOVE
ONCE MORE I’LL BE STANDING BESIDE YOU
TOGETHER AGAIN IN GOD’S LOVE
TOGETHER AGAIN, I’LL BE WAITING
FOR THE DAY YOU WALK THROUGH HEAVEN’S DOOR
HOLDING HANDS IN THE MIDST OF GOD’S GLORY
TOGETHER AGAIN—EVERMORE
There is a funny story told by a Sunday School teacher.
It goes like this. I was testing the children in my Sunday school class one morning, to see if they understood the concept of getting to heaven. I asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?"
"NO!" the children answered.
"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?"
Again, the answer was, "NO!"
By now I was starting to smile. Hey, this was fun!
"Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked them again.
Again, they all answered, "NO!"
I was just bursting with pride for them. Well, I continued, "then how can I get into Heaven?"
A five-year-old boy shouted out, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD
3. A PROMISE (verse 3)
I WILL COME AGAIN AND RECEIVE YOU TO MYSELF, THAT WHERE I AM, THERE YOU MAY BE ALSO
He is coming back for His church, and if we don’t go home to be with Him before His return, He has given us the promise, that He will return for us.
[ illustration ] March 11, 1942. Corregidor, in the Philippines. I’m sure most of the WWII veterans in the congregation today can tell you what happened that day.
The Japanese forces were invading the Philippines, and on a day that marked the beginning of a dark chapter for the American and Filipino forces, General Douglas MacArthur prepared to leave, uttering what was to become probably his most famous statement: “I shall return.”
When he made the promise to return, many thought he was crazy. But his determination to free the Philippines from Japanese occupation would not be drowned by criticism and doubt.
Roughly 2 ½ years later, Gen. MacArthur landed once again on Philippine soil with the words, “People of the Philippines, I have returned!”
Jesus is coming back one day. :You can rest assured of that.
[ illustration ] A story is told about a meeting Satan had with his chief demons. Christianity was spreading rapidly and growing fervently, and they needed to devise a way to undermine the work. The arch deceiver called for suggestions.
“We could bring some more hypocrites into the church” said one.
“No,” said the devil, “the Christians realise that there will always be hypocrites, and are teaching each other to look to Jesus. That won’t work.”
“What about bringing in some fierce persecutions?” suggested another. “If we make being a Christian unbearable, they’ll run away for sure.”
“That might get some” agreed the prince of darkness. “But what we’ve found is that when we bring in persecution, the few that leave are replaced by dozens more who are convicted by the faith of those who remain. It’s not a successful enough campaign.”
Many ideas were suggested, discussed, and thrown out, when at last Lucifer turned to his council. “I think what would work best” he declared “is to make the Christians lose sight of the return of their God. Yes, I think that would work.”
“You mean, tell them He’s not coming back?” questioned one of the council.
“No,” replied Satan, “that would be foolish. If we told them He wasn’t coming, they’d see right through it. But,” he said, “get them to think He’s not coming for a long time, and we’ll make some progress. Remind them of how generations before thought He was coming back in their time, and it never happened. Make them believe that there are still too many things to happen before He returns – too many prophecies to be fulfilled – yes, that will lull them into thinking there’s still time. Don’t get them to forget it altogether – oh no; just get them to think about it in a distant, almost unforeseeable sort of way. Once we get them to believe that the return of this Jesus couldn’t possibly be as close as their Book says, they’ll stop concerning themselves with being ready. And that’s when we shall have them.”
The chief demons looked at each other and smiled, and then departed to fulfill their assignment.
These are 3 things that we should remember from our text.
Jesus tells us not to worry. He tells us that He is going to get a place ready just for us, and that He is coming back so that we can forever be with Him.
[ illustration [
Years ago, radio evangelist Charles E. Fuller announced that he would speak the following Sunday on “Heaven” and that it would also be aired over the radio.
During that week he received a letter from an elderly man who was very ill. Here’s a part of his letter: “Next Sunday you are to talk about Heaven. I am interested in that land because I have held a clear title to a bit of property there for over 55 years. I did not buy it. It was given to me without money and without price.
But the donor purchased it for me at a tremendous sacrifice. I am not holding it for speculation, since the title is not transferable.
It is not a vacant lot. For more than half a century I have been sending material out of which the greatest architect and builder of the universe has been building a home for me, which will never need to be repaired because it will suit me perfectly, individually and will never grow old.
Termites can never undermine its foundation for they rest upon the rock of ages. Fire cannot destroy it. Floods cannot wash it away.
No locks or bolts will ever be placed upon its doors, for no vicious person can ever enter that land where my dwelling stands, now almost completed and ready for me to enter and abide in peace eternally without fear of being rejected.
There is a valley of deep shadow between the place where I live in California and that to which I shall journey in a very short time. I cannot reach my home in the city of God without passing through the dark valley of shadows.
But I am not afraid, because the best friend that I ever had went through the same valley alone long, long ago and drove away all the gloom. He has stuck by me through thick and thin since we first became acquainted 55 years ago, and I hold his promise in printed form, never to forsake, nor to leave me alone.
He will be with me as I walk through the valley of the shadows, and I shall not lose my way when he is with me. I hope to hear your sermon on heaven next Sunday from my home, but I have no assurance that I shall be able to do so.
My ticket to heaven has no date marked for the journey – no return coupon – and no permit for baggage. Yes, I am ready to go and may not be here while you are talking next Sunday, but I shall meet you there some day
