Securing Your Place in Heaven(Extension)—John 14:4-15
Talking to his friend, Harvey said, "Eddie. I just had a quarrel with my wife."
"Oh yeah," said Eddie. "And how did this one end?"
"When it was over," Harvey replied arrogantly, "She came crawling back to me on her hands & knees."
"No kidding? She really loves you! What did she say?"
"She said, ’Come out from under that bed, you gutless weasel!!!’"
Harvey supposed that he had a secure place at home.
We can be certain of our place in heaven.
Jesus explained to His disciples the means of experiencing heaven.
Jesus’ disciples know the secret of experiencing heaven.
How can Jesus’ disciples experience heaven?
5 secrets to securing your place in heaven.
3 secrets to securing your place in heaven are to Establish the...
1. Way
2. Truth
3. Life
A 4th Secret to securing your place in heaven is
Establish the RELATIONSHIP(:6-11)
Explanation:(:6-11)
:6— “...no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”
:7—““If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, & have seen Him.”
“Known”—ginwskw—Intimacy/Intricacy
:8—“Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, & it is enough for us.”
:9— “Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, & yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
“& yet you have not come to know Me”—Even with Jesus’ effort His intent not grasped.
Philip would know the Father had He intimately known Jesus.
Likewise we anyone knows the Father when they know Jesus.
:10—“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, & the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.”
Uncertainty regarding the Father is evidence of unbelief regarding Jesus as God & the Trinitarian(Tri-unity) nature of God.
Nature of God—Trinity—Separate personalities—Common mind/design/purpose
:11—“Believe Me that I am in the Father, & the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves.”
In the event that Jesus’ statements are unconvincing...
...Look at the evidence of His “works”.
Nature of Man—Relate to God
Mk. 12:28-30—In response to “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered...”“The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, & with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”
*Admit, Believe & Confess——The Relationship is with Jesus!
Argumentation:
Jn. 1:12-13—“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
*Rev. 3:20—“‘Behold, I stand at the door & knock; if anyone hears My voice & opens the door, I will come in to him, & will dine with him, & he with Me.”
Jn. 14:23—“Jesus answered & said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; & My Father will love him, & We will come to him, & make Our abode with him.”
Peace with God
Rom. 5:1-2—“Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; & we exult in hope of the glory of God.”
Peace of God
Illustration:
UPS Raleigh Hub—?Founder’s Day?/Hot Dogs—Snow Cones, etc./Personal invitation to myself & family/Public not invited/Heaven is for employees of heaven/Establish the RELATIONSHIP
Mat. 7:21—“ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.”
Application:
?Is you Established the Relationship with God that is necessary ?
?Is your Place in Heaven Secured?
A 5th Secret to securing your place in heaven is
Establish the WORK(:12-15)
Explanation/Argumentation:(:12-15)
:12—“ “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; & greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.”
“The works that I do”—Witnesses performed
“& greater works than these shall he do”
—Compounded—On a grander scale—Holy Spirit
Mat. 10:24-25—“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. “It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, & the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!”
“Because I go to the Father”—To send the Holy Spirit
Jn. 16:7—“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”
Jn. 15:26—“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me,...”
Holy Spirit—God Enables the believer
Jn. 14:26—“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, & bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
:13—“And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
“And whatever you ask”—Prayer solidifies God’s Work. —We call upon God thru Jesus directed by the Holy Spirit.
:14—“If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”
—Jesus performs the work thru you!
Gal. 2:20—“I have been crucified with Christ; & it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; & the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, & delivered Himself up for me.”
:15—“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
“Keep My commandments”—Which ones?
1)Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, strength
2)Love your neighbor as yourself
3)Make disciples of all nations
4)
*Unltimate Expression of “love” for God your Savior & Counselor.
Jn. 14:21—“He who has My commandments & keeps them, he it is who loves Me; & he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, & I will love him, & will disclose Myself to him.”
Jn. 15:10-14—“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments, & abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, & that your joy may be made full. ““This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. “You are My friends, if you do what I command you.”
Gal. 6:2—“Bear one another’s burdens, & thus fulfill the law of Christ.”
How can we live by Christ’s commandments?—Read the Bible, Fellowship with Christians—Retrain your conscience & Listen to His voice=Conviction
1Jn. 5:3—“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; & His commandments are not burdensome.”
*Admit, Believe & Confess——The Relationship is with Jesus!
Illustration:
My work at Carolina Rubber Hose/Industrial Rubber hoses/18yrs. old/I did work appropriate to the need/Never worried about losing job because of lack of performance/Christians don’t either!/Their WORK is Established
Application:
?Is your Work for God Established in Jesus?
?Is your Place in Heaven Secured?
Conclusion
Visualization:
Action:
5 secrets to securing your place in heaven are to Establish the...
Relationship
Work
Way
Truth
Life
CHILDREN’S— ‘Do You Know?’
Presented 06/17/01am to;
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 31797
