Trust

"In My Father’s house are many rooms;

if it were not so,

I would have told you.

I am going there to prepare a place for you.

And if I go & prepare a place for you,

I will come back & take you

to be with me

that you also may be where I am."

A.

Beloved,

God gave many promises

both in the Old & New Testaments.

He promised the children of Israel

a land where there would be milk & honey.

It took a while for the promise

to be fulfilled,

but finally it was fulfilled.

He promised a Messiah,

& that took a long time.

But it, too, was fulfilled.

Jesus the Savior was born.

NowGod promises

that He is coming back for us.

Someday we’ll be with Him

forever & ever.

Sometimes we grow impatient,

but the scripture says,

"You can trust the promises of God.

This promise will be fulfilled, too."

B.

Saints of God,

the Bible uses a lot of different words

to describe heaven.

In one place it’s called "a country"

indicating the immensity of heaven.

In another it’s called "a city"

indicating a large number of occupants.

It’s called "a kingdom"

indicating that there is a Constitutional Administrative Executive Structure in place.

It is called "paradise"

indicating its beauty & desirability.

But here it is called, "My Father’s house,"

& that is another way of saying,

"It is home."

Beloved,

home

is a place where you

can be yourself.

Home

is where you can

take off

your necktie & kick off your shoes.

Home

is where you can say

what you are thinking.

Home

is where you’re

always accepted & loved.

You’re not just a guest.

You are a resident.

You live there.

That is home.

Jesus is saying,

"I’m going to take you to My Father’s house,

& it will be your home, too.

You’ll be a part of the family.

You’ll be home where you belong."

C.

He says,

"In My Father’s house are many rooms." The KJ version says, "many mansions."

We like that word.

But "mansion"

is not the best translation

of the Greek word Jesus used.

Probably the best is

"dwelling place" or "rooms."

You see,

the word that Jesus used

comes from the eastern custom

that when a son grows up

& gets married,

he brings his bride back home again.

And the father adds another room

onto His house for them.

Then when another son grows up

& gets married,

they add another room.

The house just keeps getting

bigger & bigger,

as the family stays together.

D.

"In My Father’s house,"

Jesus said,

"are many rooms…

I am going there to prepare

a place for you…

I will come back and take you

to be with me…."

We’re almost there, people.

Don’t become discouraged or fainthearted.

ILL.

a great singer by the name of

Marian Anderson

who was one of the most celebrated singers

of the twentieth century,

was once asked,

"What is the most memorable

moment of your life?"

When she answered,

she didn’t mention

the time she sang

before the president.

She didn’t mention

the time that she was invited to sing

before the king & queen of England.

She didn’t mention

when she sang before 76,000

people on Easter morning in Washington, D.C.

She said,

"The most memorable moment