The Way To Heaven Series

Text: John 14:1-6 (NKJV)

1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you 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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

4 "And where I go you know, and the way you know."

5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"

6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Opening Prayer

Walkthrough:

Verse 1:

There are two calls that Jesus gives to His disciples in verse 1:

(A) Call to peace -- do not have a troubled heart.

Jesus is One with the Father

(B) Call to believe in Him -- believe also in Me.

Interestingly, this phrase can be rendered, "Do you believe in God? Believe also in Me."

It’s more likely that the grammatical use was as it is in most translations, though -- "You believe in God, believe also in Me."

The disciples are about to go through a very hard time of testing. Their discipler will be put to death for a time, and it’s clear that many of them greeted this with joy or even full understanding.

We see from Jesus’ statement here that Jesus is NOT the Father. In verse 7, He continues and states that if you have seen Him, you have seen the Father. Jesus never states that He IS the Father. He consistently prays to Him, addresses Him, and mentions Him outside of Himself. However, Jesus is clear that He is the very express display of God. He is God in the Flesh. He is fully Divine.

Colossians makes this clear -- if you would, turn to Colossians 1:12-22. This is Paul’s exposition on the Father providing the Son and the ultimate preeminence and Divinity of Jesus --

Colossians 1:12-22

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

So we see from this passage:

- The Father has made us partakers of eternal inheritance (1:12)

- The Father has delivered us from darkness and has brought us to His beloved Son’s kingdom (1:13)

- We have redemption and forgiveness of sins through Jesus’ Blood (1:14)

- Jesus is the display or image of the Invisible God (1:15)

- Jesus is the Preeminent one over all Creation ("firstborn" does not refer to literal birth here)

- Jesus was the Creator (1:16)

- Jesus was before all things (1:17)

- All things consist because of Jesus (1:17)

- Jesus is the Head of the Church (1:18)

- Jesus is the Firstborn from the Dead (1:18)

- All the fulness of God dwells in Jesus (1:19)

- Jesus brings us to peace with God through His Sacrifice (1:20)

- We as sinners only have hope through Jesus (1:21-22)

And in the John 14 passage, we see Jesus showing Himself as Divine, yet not God the Father.

Verse 2:

Jesus prepares a place in Heaven for those of the household of faith.

"Many mansions" - Characterized by affluence, prosperity, riches.

Heaven has many areas described by John as ’Pearl’ and ’Gold.’ Given the abundance of precious jewels and gold in Temple construction, among other things, he likely knew quite well what materials they were, though it is very likely that he saw better substances than what we have here on this planet.