The Place That Is Prepared

1. The Pain That Was Plagued

John 14:1 KJV 1900

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

Jesus says “ Let not your heart be troubled...”

We see from the outset that the disciples were very “troubled.”

Jesus does not have to ask them though… HE KNOWS!

In His final hours, His last moments… what is He doing? Comforting their hearts.

What are they troubled over?

1. Christ’s Imminent Departure - Chapter 12

Jesus dentifies Himself as the “corn of wheat” that must fall… He says this to signify His death.

This is very foreign to what the disciples have come to expect from Him.

They think He’s is about to initiate the “Kingdom.”

They thought this was all about to be wrapped up - and storming Caesar’s Palace.

They didn’t realize He had come to die - therefore… they are very troubled.

2. The Disciple’s Inevitable Failure - 13:21

They are troubled over the fact that one of them is going to betray The Lord.

Judas’s Betrayal

& Peter’s Betrayal

They are broken over their own sin...

One minute they are on the mountaintop and then… suddenly they are in the lowest of valleys.

Why? Sin.

Sin does that - robs your joy, peace, excitement.

It is easy for us to be troubled over sin.

“let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,” (Heb. 12:12)

Romans 7:24–25 “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”

3. Their Inconclusive Future

Now that Jesus’s departure is imminent, and their betrayal is inevitable, the future is inconclusive.

They do not know what the future holds… in fact, if they did, they would probably be a lot more troubled than they already are.

They are going to face the death of Jesus, persecution, pain, suffering, hatred, reviling. They are going to face imprisonment, they are going to face exile, they are going to face all kinds of trials.

Every single one of these mens (barring John) will die a martyr’s death. They will face crucifixions, beheadings, stonings… etc.

They thought they knew the future… Jesus just triumphantly entered Jerusalem - He’s about to reenact the kigndom - we are gonna sit on thrones - we’ll be on top of the world and eternity is about to kick into high gear. “We’re moving on up to the East Side - to a deluxe apartment in the sky.”

Yet, all of a sudden, the future is completely unknowable - everything is flipped on its head.

Suddenly, anxiety creeps in, uncertainty begins to roll around the hearts of these disciples.

How many can attest to that this morning? How many have had a phone call from a doctor that stopped you in your tracks? How many have had bills? ETC...

They were fretting over the future…how could they not?

BUT Jesus says… “Let not your hearts be troubled.” He begins to speak, and an aroma of peace begins to fill the nostrils of those disciples. John has his head on bosom of the Savior. Jesus doesn’t reprimand them or rebuke them. He reassures them.

“You believe in God, believe also in Me.” - He is saying, “Just as strongly as you held your faith in the kingdom God promised you, hold fast to the promises I am making you now.”

2. The Provision That Was Promised

John 14:2–4 KJV 1900

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. 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. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

Who’s There - The Father (v. 2)

“In my Father’s house...” - Jesus, as a message of consolation tells them about ascending to the the presence of His father and this will be their destination as well.

Typically this would not be an encouraging message - typically to think of going into the presence of God would be a fearful thing.

From the beginning of time - since Adam - entering into God’s presence was a sign of hidgement and wrath.

Think of Isaiah 6 1-5

Isaiah 6:1–5 KJV 1900

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: The whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

Think of Moses who, when beholding the presence of God was blinded.

Think of Uzzah who touched the Ark and died.

Think of the High Priest who risked death to enter into the Holy of Holies.

Do you see? Since sin was introduced in Adam, entering God’s presence has been a dreadful notion.

That is… until now.

Now Jesus offers it as a consolation. Now Jesus offers it as a peaceful hope for the future.

Now Jesus doesnt threaten the disciples with entering God’s presence, He reassures them of entering God’s presence.

Why? Because man is no longer forced to enter into God’s presence on his own accord.

See, if I enter God’s presence on my own, I am hopeless.

But now, man can enter through the vicarious death of Jesus Christ. Now, we have an “advocate with the Father.”

It is amazing that now it is not that we HAVE to enter into God’s presence, but we GET to enter into His presence.

Who It Is For - US (v.2)

Jesus has gone to prepare a place - and this place is prepared for us.

This is an amazing notion, that the God of Heaven has gone to prepare us a place.

When we enter into the glory of Heaven, we will not enter it as pilgrims.

We will not enter it as strangers, or aliens. We will not be foreigners to that Holy City -We will enter it as heirs of the promises of Christ.

We will enter that city as Sons and Daughters of God. Why? Because He prepared it for us.

Throughout all of Scripture, God always prepares a place before He taken His people to it.

He will never take you somewhere He hasn’t prepared for you.

In the beginning God planted a garden, THEN put Adam in it. God did the same for the Children of Israel before entering Canaan. Deuteronomy 6:10-11

Deuteronomy 6:10–11 KJV 1900

And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;

God prepares the place for His people. We see Jesus here, not relegating this task to His Angels. He isn’t entrusting the saints of old with this. No, He, like the Holy Carpenter, in the city “Whose builder and maker is God.” - Jesus Himself prepares us a place.

* Story about Pop. * “He’s prepared me a place...”

Who Can Get There - Those Who Know The Way (v. 4)

Jesus says here, “You know where I’m going, and you know the way to get there.”

The simple answer to this question of who gets to accompany Jesus into the place He has prepared for His own is this: Those who know the way.

No trick questions, no slight of hand. You simply just need to KNOW the way.

The only question remains is the one Thomas asks in John 14:5 “Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?”

You may be asking the same question here this morning: Preacher, wow I sure like what you are saying, but how do I get there?

3. The Path That Was Prepared

John 14:6 KJV 1900

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Before Adam sinned in the Garden, He had a threefold relationship with God. AW Pink says, “He communed with God in the cool of the day (Way), he knew God through and through (Truth), and he possesed spiritual life (Life.)

Yet, when Adam sinned and gave way to Satan, man’s threefold relationship with God was completely severed.

Man had lost his way (lost in sin), he did not know God (he exchanged the truth of God for a lie (Rom. 1), and man was dead (dead in trespasses and sin. Eph. 2:1-3)

But thanks be unto God, that (Romans 5:8) “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

The Way

Oh hear me this morning, the distance between you being lost in your sin and having peace with a Holy God - is the man who died an old rugged cross.

When we could not walk in the way, we we could not go the distance, Jesus did it for us. To enter into God’s presence requires complete and total sinless perfection and when I fell short of God’s glory - Jesus walked the way for me.

The Truth

Adam trusted the Devil’s lie - Satan had convinced Adam to trade God’s Tuth for His lies.

Ephesians 4:18 “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:” - This is what sin has done.

It is what made Pilate ask in John 18, “What is truth?”

Friend, truth is not found in a newspaper, or on Fox, or CNN. It is not found in a philosophy and its not found in a religion. Truth is found in one place and it is in the man The Lord Jesus Christ. John said is John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

If you are going to find truth, you will only find it in the darling Son of God.

The Life

In Jesus Christ, and Him alone is found LIFE - and not just this temporal life that you and I experience today.

Jesus offers eternal life. He offers a life that is everlasting.

In sin, we are dead - we are literally bound for death.

We sin, and live for sin. We continue ina path of unrighteousness toward God, heaping punishment and judgement on our heads.

We will not know life apart from the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is through Jesus alone that we find true life. When we come to Him we are like the prodigal in Luke 15:24 “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”

Or John 5:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

Conclusion

John 14:6 “...no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Now, Jesus uses very specific language. NO MAN can come to the Father EXCEPT by me.

You, nor I, nor anyone else who has ever lived will enter into the glory of God and enjoy Heaven for an eternity UNLESS you have put your faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone.

Hear me well this morning, if you are relying on baptism to save you - you will not see Heaven. If you are relying on church membership to save you -you will not see Heaven. IF you are relying on your good works to save you - you will not see Heaven.

God is no respecter of persons, He does not care who your dad or mom are, He looks only at the heart.

And He will measure your eternal destiny based on one fact: John 3:36

John 3:36 KJV 1900

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Simply believing on the Lord Jesus Christ who came, lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death, and rose again from the grave.

He invites you now, to come and lay it all at His feet, put your faith in Him, and be saved forevermore.