The Lord's Return Is A Promise

Beth and I were up in Wisconsin last weekend to help her parents winterize their home. We had a very pleasant drive, especially after purchasing some squeaky cheese curds. When we arrived in Sturgeon Bay, I saw a sign announcing a roundabout ahead and became immediately nervous. If you’re not aware of this diabolical disturbance, a roundabout is a circular intersection in which traffic moves around a central island in a counterclockwise fashion with entrances and exits branching off in multiple directions.

I grabbed the steering wheel with both hands and slowed way down. As I entered the confusing maze, it felt like other vehicles were veering toward me. I didn’t know what lane to use in this labyrinth of mayhem, so I just straddled the white line. As my heart raced, I nearly hyperventilated. I missed my exit and had to take a different route to our destination. Unfortunately, that involved another roundabout.

When Beth heard me finally take a breath when we exited this circle of death, she remarked, “Wow, you really get uptight in those roundabouts! I guess we’ll never be able to move to Wisconsin.” Maybe they need to install stop lights to make it easier to navigate through these inventions. I just learned there’s something called, “National Roundabouts Week” coming up later this month. I won’t be celebrating even if they serve cheese curds. I’m certain we’ll never move to Carmel, Indiana because they have more roundabouts (140 and counting) than any other city in the U.S.

I realize there are “roundabout lovers” out there but count me a hater. I’d rather have a clear path ahead of me than just drive in circles trying to figure it out on my own.

Turn to John 14:1-6 where Jesus laid out a direct path by making four promises to His stressed-out followers. He had just announced His departure to the disciples and had told them they wouldn’t be able to follow Him until later. This stirred them up.

Let’s stand and read together: “‘Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 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. 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.’”

Here's the main point: Because Jesus is faithful to His promises, we must be ready for His return.

1. A promised rest (1). The disciples were upset at the news He would be leaving, so Jesus looked at them with tenderness and said in verse 1: “Let not your hearts be troubled.” “Troubled” literally means, “to be stirred up.” On this 9/11 weekend, my mind goes back to the fear and anxiety in our country after the terrorist attacks 21 years ago. I also remember how churches were filled with people, at least for a few days.

The tense here means to “stop letting your hearts be troubled,” indicating they were already falling apart. The word “your” is plural as Jesus moves from talking to Peter to the entire team.

According to a 60-Minutes segment last Sunday, there is an epidemic of anxiety along with increased mental health issues in our country. The Surgeon General has called it an “urgent public health crisis,” particularly among adolescents and teens. CDC numbers show that even before the pandemic, the number of adolescents saying they felt persistently sad or hopeless was up 40% since 2009.

I recognize this is a complicated issue and the solution involves a multi-faceted approach, but let’s make sure hurting people know true peace is first found through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus offers His peace to those who give Him first place.

In the second half of verse 1, Jesus makes another claim to deity: “Believe in God; believe also in me.” He’s saying something like this: “You trust in God who is invisible; now it’s time to trust in me, even though I will be leaving you for a short time.” The only way to find rest during restless times is to trust in Christ.

2. A promised reservation (2). For those who know Jesus, death is not an eerie journey to an unknown destination. Believers are assured there is a place where all wrongs will be made right, where all imbalances will be balanced, where confusing roads will be straightened out. Look at verse 2: “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?”