John 14:1-4 - Our Heavenly Home

John 14:1-4
¹ “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. ³ 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 you know the way where I am going.”

Message: Our Heavenly Home

Time: Throughout church history, Christians have consistently attributed this gospel to Jesus' disciple John, the brother of James, the son of Zebedee. John was one of the inner circle of Jesus' most trusted companions. It's most likely that John wrote his gospel while he was in Ephesus, and that he wrote it for an audience that lived outside Palestine, perhaps in Asia Minor. John appears to have had in mind members of a Jewish community who had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but who had continued to worship in the synagogue. John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing he was to confirm the belief that Jesus was both the Christ and the Son of God

What the Lord is Saying: Throughout the Bible, as I have mentioned, the theme is believing and living in faith. I was looking at many of the epistles and noticing that Paul first addresses people as bond-servants or saints and then tells them how to live. The idea is that he is speaking to an audience that has believed, that has faith and then he describes to them how they need to basically live better or get away with disagreements they are having over doctrine. But, the key ingredient that people everywhere have is faith. John's purpose in writing his gospel is mentioned in John 20:31 when he says, "these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name." John writes so that people will believe. Thus, people either believe or they do not believe in Jesus, in God. The only thing I know for sure is dying in faith means I live in the presence of God for eternal life (I John 5:11-2). 

In these verses of John 14:1-4 I see a little more detail of what Jesus promises for this eternal life. First, he re-affirms what is necessary and in verse 1 says, "Believe in God, believe also in Me." So what I know first of all is I must have belief in Jesus and God. The Greek word for believe is the same Greek word in both phrases. My belief in Jesus should mirror the belief I have in God.  I cannot separate the two. 

And then I see that Jesus is preparing a place for me (v. 2) and in this place I will be there with Jesus. He does not say it is a mansion, but he says it is many mansions. It is a place sufficient to receive the holy angels, your predecessors in the faith, and all that now believe. Jesus wants to assure his audience that this place people are going is enormous. And this place is a reality, otherwise Jesus would have told us otherwise. He promises it, so we know it will happen.

Promise: Only through Jesus can we pass through death into eternal bliss.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for giving us promises and thank you for assuring that those promises will come true. Thank you for so clearly showing me that I am to live by faith, not sight. Lord, draw people into this union where they are living by faith in you. Keep our eyes always focused on you. There are so many I converse with that acknowledge you, but do not trust you with their life. Round out their belief so that they believe in you completely. And there are others who believe you are a man, but not that you are God. Help them to see that you are redeemer and the life-giver. I pray that they would believe in you Jesus the same way they believe in God. Thank you for promising us a heavenly home and reminding me that I always have this future place that will be available to me, that I will move out of this present life, into that eternal home with you for eternity. I praise your name.