The Master's Plan

OUR TEXT: John 14:1-4

John 14:1-4: (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. (4) And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know….

STRESS:

Notice all the I’s and you’s in these 4 verses!

• E.W. Bullinger, in Figures of Speech in the Bible notes: in John 14:1-4, “The repetition of the pronouns ‘I’ and ‘you’ emphasizes the fact that nothing is to come between the Lord and the hearts of His people, so that His promised return may be the object ever before them” (E.W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech in the Bible, 263).

SPECIAL MUSIC: In My Father’s House- John 14:1-2

LET’S BEGIN IN John 13:21: (21) When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me …. NOW in Verse (26) Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

SETTING: Upper Room Discourse: Defined as: “… Jesus’ last words to His disciples, and those words are meant to comfort them and prepare them for what is to come.” (gotquestions.org).

To obtain a full understanding of John 14:1-4, we must go back to at least John 13:21… now let us look at a dialogue between Peter and Jesus … beginning in verse 33

(33) Little children [idea of deep affection and concern], yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

• Jesus is getting ready to depart (Olivet Discourse)

o We find in verse (36) Peter asking Jesus “Lord, whither goest thou”?

o Jesus, response in the same verse (John 13:36) was: Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.

o Peter replied in verse (37) … “Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.

o Jesus responds in verse (38) with “Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied [deny utterly] me thrice.

This brings us to our desired text of John 14

• So, it is with the following mindset (a predicted betrayal from Judas Iscariot and a threefold denial from Simon Peter) in which we are introduced to John Chapter 14.

o Jesus is leaving his beloved disciples.

o Peter (and the disciples are wondering where Jesus is going, and they want to come).

o Jesus said they could not immediately follow Him but could later.

o Peter wants an explanation and says he will lay down his life for Jesus!

o Jesus rebukes Peter with an omniscient knowledge that Peter would deny Christ 3 times.

We are now able to look at Christ’s words in Chapter 14 with more insight and clarity; and we are like the disciples in many ways so let us look and maybe make some applicable applications in our lives today!

VERSE 1: Let not your heart be troubled [agitated and stirred]: ye believe in God, believe also in

me.

Luthi speaking of the disciple’s mindset: “They have followed Jesus, burning their boats, and blowing up the bridges behind them, so to speak…. And now He [Jesus] has disclosed to them that He was about to go where they could not follow Him as yet” (Luthi, 1960, 184).

o They had left family, friends, livelihood.

• Ye believe in God, believe also in me: 2 Corinthians 5:19: to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

VERSE 2: In my Father's house are many mansions [dwelling places or abodes]: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

• HISTORICAL NOTE: “Mansions, monai, came into the AV and RV through the influence of the Vulgate mansions, which can mean ‘stations’ or ‘temporary lodgings’ where travellers may rest at different stages in their journey [Tasker]. (Guzik, David. Enduring Word Commentary. John 14).

o Monai is only used 1 other time in the NT: John 14:23- Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode [monai] with him.