“Hope Hereafter and Here and Now!”
Scripture Reading
John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
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I. The Comfort Offered to the Dying
a. A peace for the dying
No other passage of Scripture has brought comfort to the dying than this passage and make no mistake it is when we are dying that we need comfort the most! Even those with the strongest faith often times need a word to help them as they complete their earthly passage. Dr. R. W. Dale, one of the great ministers of a bye gone era lay dying it is said that a horror of great darkness fell upon him. This man who had established the faith of many thousands during a lifetime of ministry now found his own faith failing him. Thankfully we have a record of his triumph. F. W. Borehand tells us the story;
“It was a sad, distressful night in the early stages of my illness, the doctor said. The house was quiet, all the members of the family having retired to rest. Soon after midnight I awoke in great pain, and a terrible distress crept over me. I was full of fear. I did not wish to disturb my wife and daughters; they were worn out with anxious watching; so I lay silently struggling against the indescribable horror of an unknown dread. When the conflict reached its worst it seemed as through Christ himself came, and, standing close beside me, said:
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
“That added the doctor, with a look in his face that was full of confidence and glorious hope, that steadied me, and I felt strong and safe in the love of Christ!”
These same words were read to Sir Walter Scott as he lay dying to which he replied “It’s a great comfort, a very great comfort!”
-- A.B. Simpson
Once my hands were always trying; Trying hard to do my best;
Now my heart is sweetly trusting, And my soul is all at rest.
Once my brain was always planning, And my heart, with cares oppressed;
Now I trust the Lord to lead me, And my life is all at rest.
Once my life was full of effort, Now ’tis full of joy and zest;
Since I took His yoke upon me, Jesus gives to me His rest.
b. A promise for the dying
The promise for us is that death does not have the last word. There is existence beyond the grave. This is a certainty and Jesus defines the nature of this life in the hereafter. There are many different teachings concerning life after death. One of the most popular is reincarnation that teaches that we live and die and are reborn in a new body over and over again until we reach a higher state of consciousness called nirvana or nothingness. This new body can be an animal or a human body. It is interesting to me that when you hear people talk about reincarnation they almost always are reborn in the body of some famous person, never a dog or a cat or something like that. This is a teaching that takes the individual from hopelessness to nothingness but Jesus offers us something better!
c. A place for the dying
The overwhelming majority of us will never see the inside of a mansion but we have that promise in this passage. There is “a place that is fairer than day, and by faith we can see it afar…” It is a comfort to know that the one who “made the worlds” has been at work preparing a place for almost 2,000 years for “those who love and serve Him.”
house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
“Let nobody suppose, however, that these monumental words were designed for the special comfort of the dying. Such an assumption would be the very reverse of the truth. They were first uttered by the dying for the special consolation of the living. The redeemer of the world was turning His face towards the cross, and was comforting the desolate hearts of His disciples.”
F. W. Boreham
II. The Consolation Proffered to the Living
When we walk away from the graveside and we’re left behind to continue our journey, is there something in this passage for us, those who must move on with life. The answer is yes!
a. The Walk
The disciples were have what we would call “separation anxiety” and Jesus, who not only promised a place for us He promises a “paracletos” or comforter to remain with us as we continue our walk through life.
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Those who know Christ are never alone. We may serve in a lonely faraway place isolated from those we love and who love us, but we are never, ever alone!
b. The Work
ILL - The other day I saw a man wearing a tee shirt which read "Jesus is Coming -- Look Busy" Of course, it was a statement of unbelief. But Jesus is coming, and we must not merely look busy, but be busy. Jesus said "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work" (John 9:4).
By the time that the disciples heard these words they had been working and serving almost non-stop. Jesus had poured his life into their training and the work of the ministry at times was difficult, draining and dangerous but the Lord speaks of a time when the work of ministry shall cease and His servants will rest. The writer of Hebrews declared that that “there remaineth a rest for the people of God…” We are to “work till Jesus comes” but there be a day when are labors will be over.
c. The Way
Finally, the Lord tells His disciples that His separation from them will not be final for he assures them that he will return and receive them “…unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know and the way ye know.” What was the way? Thankfully we have Thomas’s question in verse 5 and the Lord’s answer in verse 6. Jesus is the Way! There is no other.
In conclusion, if you are approaching the end of life or you are saying goodbye to someone, there is hope and help for all in these words from the Lord.
