John 14

John 14:1

The Texas Chauffeurs and Drivers’ Association’s “Driver of the Decade” was so excited about her commendation that she invited seventeen of her friends to accompany her to the award banquet. On her way there, however, she flipped the van she was driving, and, although no one was seriously injured, all seventeen of her passengers were hospitalized. Here the Texas “Driver of the Decade” was on her way to pick up her award, and what happened? She crashed. So, too, every one of us find ourselves going through times when it all comes down, when the roof caves in, when things fall apart. And the disciples were no exception. In the previous chapter, Jesus had told them that one of them would betray Him (Joh_13:21), that Peter would deny Him (Joh_13:38), and that He would leave them (Joh_13:33). “How can this be?” they must have wondered. They had left all to follow Jesus. But now it seemed as though it was all for nothing. We know the story. We know it has a glorious, happy ending. But if you put yourself in their sandals, you can see it must have been a moment of real intensity not only for the disciples, but for Jesus as well. Oftentimes we look at these events through the eyes of the disciples. But consider what Jesus was going through, as only hours after this He would be nailed to a Cross to absorb the sin of humanityand would remain as a Lamb slain into eternity (Rev_5:6). No wonder He prayed, “Father, if it be possible, remove this cup from Me” with such intensity that He actually sweat blood (see Luk_22:42-44). Here in John 14, in the midst of His Upper Room discourse, Jesus knew the hour of great difficulty was upon Him. Yet notice how He ministers to those around Him… Even in the hour of His own temptation and struggle, Jesus looked at His disciples with compassion. What a model for you and me. What an example for what we deal with daily. What a comfort to know that Jesus looks on medirty feet and alland His heart is full of compassion toward me. Jesus gives the commandment, “Do not let your heart be troubled.” And then He gives the way to obey it when He says, “Believe in God; believe in Me.” Belief being the singular key to a trouble-free heart, Jesus goes on to give the disciples five reasons why they shouldn’t be troubledand why we shouldn’t be troubled when things seem to be falling down around us…

John 14:2

The key to keeping your heart from being overwhelmed in sadness and depression is to remember that you have a home in heaven. To those who doubt the existence of heaven because no matter how far we travel in space, we have yet to locate it, consider the following: The distance between the electrons and the nucleus of an atom being proportionate to the distance between Pluto and the sun, all matter on this earth is comprised of ninety-five percent spaceleaving plenty of room for an unseen dimension to coexist with the material world we presently perceive. Flanked by enemies, Elisha prayed that the eyes of his servant, Gehazi, would be opened. When the Lord did so, Gehazi saw a mountain full of angels previously invisible to him (2Ki_6:17). Could it be that when Paul said we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Heb_12:1), he meant that they are literally surrounding us? Is this what Jesus meant when He said the kingdom of God is within us (Luk_17:21)? Stay tuned for more information. We’ll know the answer when we get to heaven. When Jesus says, “I go to prepare a place for you,“He is not speaking generically, but specifically. Jesus is preparing a place for you specifically. Think through this. What do you enjoy? What has God built into your being? Whatever it is, know this: Jesus is preparing a place for you to fulfill the elements He’s woven into the fabric of your personality uniquely and specifically. Jesus is what makes heaven heaven. Heaven A Topical Study of Joh_14:1-3 No doubt the disciples were deeply distressed, for there in the Upper Room Jesus began to inform them of the troubling news that one would betray Him, that Peter would deny Him, and that He would leave them. Yet, as the room fills with confusion, Jesus looks at His disciples and says, “Let not your heart be troubled. Heaven is the key.” According to an April 24, 2000, Washington Post article, 88 percent of all Americans believe in a literal place called heavenan important statistic because imagine what our society would be like if we didn’t believe in heaven… A society that didn’t believe in heaven would be obsessed with youth. It would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to look, stay, and feel young through plastic surgery, diets, and exercise programs. A society that didn’t believe in heaven would spend billions of dollars on life support systems to delay facing an unknown future. In a society that didn’t believe in heaven, crime would soar without fear of eternal judgment. The theology of a society that didn’t believe in heaven would be based upon the here and nowon health and prosperity. Wait a minute. We are that culture, because although our generation gives lip service to the idea of heaven, we do not live out the reality of heaven. Why isn’t Heaven a reality? I suggest the following reasons… Ministry There is tremendous pressure in the ministry presently to “teach to the times,” to “scratch where it itches.” “No one wants to hear about heaven,” we are told. “Preach to people here and now.” Accused of being old-fashioned because he always preached on heaven, a classic English preacher gave this response: “While everyone is preaching to the times, may not this poor soul speak for eternity?” Such is my feeling. Let others talk about cultural relevancyI desire to be a voice for eternity. The Bible speaks of heaven 557 times; it’s a fundamental, foundational truth. Society Ours is the first generation to teach that, materially, one can have heaven on earth. “Your life will be perfect if you use Arrid Extra Dry,” we are told. And, although we fall for this pitch time and time again, each time we do, we rediscover that nothing on this earth is substantial, that nothing this side of eternity can do more than whet our appetite for heaven. Has your soul ever been stirred simply by watching the water cascade down a waterfall? Has your heart ever been overwhelmed by the beauty of the sun setting into the ocean? Have you ever been moved to tears by the “Hallelujah Chorus”? I suggest these are feelings common to man. And I suggest that what they rekindle is a vague, foggy, misty memory of a place called Edenwhere there was no sin, no sorrow, no disease, and no death; where man walked with God in the cool of the day, and where things were right. When such a memory stirs within me, I feel like a frog that has been cursed. I’m waiting for the prince to come and kiss me before I “croak.” And that’s where our society is. We know there has to be something more because our experiences with true beauty and with true reality are always so fleeting. “What happened to the waterfall experience?” we cry. “What happened to the sunset? What happened to the “Hallelujah Chorus”? Why do they elude me? Where’s my prince?” Good news! Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, is a frog-kisser. How do I know? Because in the moment of confusion, He says to us, as He said to His disciples, “Don’t lose sight of the big picture. The solution to your confusion lies in a single word: heaven.” As always, Jesus was right, for whenever we consider the ramifications of heaven, our confusion turns to clarity, our despair to delight, and our fear to faith. The Perspective of Eternity Believers are sometimes accused of being so heavenly-minded that they’re no earthly good. The Bible, however, teaches just the oppositethat we won’t be any earthly good until we are heavenly-minded because, as Paul points out, “if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (see 1Co_15:19). This one who was shipwrecked, beaten, imprisoned, starved, stoned, and left for dead declared, “If there is no heaven, then life is miserable.” Perhaps it was his proximity to death on so many occasions that prompted him to write, “Set your affections on things above” (see Col_3:2)for once Paul experienced even a taste of heaven, nothing else mattered to him except to run the race, to win the prize, and to live with eternity in view. The Puzzle of Prosperity Suppose you’re waiting to board a flight to Portland, Oregon, and the pilot walks in, saying, “You are going to have the flight of your life. Smooth sailing all the way! I guarantee we won’t hit one pocket of turbulence. You will have quadraphonic earphones, an Epicurean experience with a seven-course meal, and your choice of first-run movies. There’s only one problem: We haven’t figured out how to land. We’ve tried it a thousand times, and everybody diesbut while you’re in the air, I promise your flight will be smooth and your experience fulfilling.” At this point, a second pilot enters the boarding area, saying, “I can’t promise smooth sailing. In fact, from here to Portland, you’ll no doubt hit some bumps and you might even have the ‘urge to re-gurge.’ However, we have a perfect landing record, and we will get you to your destination safely. Guaranteed.” Which plane would you board? To some, the question itself poses a problem, for, like David, they feel envious of the foolish when they see the prosperity of the wicked (Psa_73:3). What’s the answer? It is found in the sanctuary of Godfor it is there that David understood that although the wicked were experiencing smooth sailing presently, they were headed for hell eternally (Psa_73:17-19). The 1991 Oakland/Berkeley Hills fire consumed million-dollar homes, leaving nothing. “I not only lost my house, I lost everything,” an elderly man was quoted as saying. “My life’s savings were in cash, which I kept in my home. My wife and I were very careful all of our years to save our money. We were saving for a rainy day, never counting on a fiery night.” Listen, gang, for the unbeliever, life on earth is as good as it gets. But for the believer, life on earth is the worst it gets. The Promise of Productivity Most people have the idea that heaven is sort of like a long, Sunday afternoon napplucking a few strings on a harp, eating a grape or two now and then, lounging around on a white cloud. Not true, for in heaven you will be able to experience to the fullest extent the desires of your heart. Maybe you just love music, but you don’t really have the gift to do a lot with it. When you get to heaven, you can own a choir! You can sing gloriously to your heart’s content. Maybe your love is gardening. In heaven, the grass really is greener. No weeds! Or maybe you’re a people person. The people you know here, you’ll know there. Won’t our bodies be changed? Yes, but look at Jesuswhen He came back from the dead, although He walked through a wall, Thomas still recognized Him immediately (Joh_20:28). As for those in heaven we haven’t yet met, nametags will be unnecessary, as it seems we will instinctively know people there. Why do I think this? Because on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus didn’t say, “Peter, James, and John, I’d like you to meet Moses and Elijah. Moses and Elijah, say ‘Hi’ to Peter, James, and John.” There were no formal introductions, yet Peter, James, and John knew intuitively that it was Moses and Elijah talking to Jesus (Mat_17:4). Productivity like we’ve never known awaits us in heaven, where we will rule angels, govern cities, and manage the universe (Rev_22:5). The Reality of Relativity The source of the greatest frustration of people presently is the lack of timewhich is why we constantly find ourselves saying, “Where did the time go?” or “My kids are growing up too fast,” or “There’s so much I want to do, but I can’t find the time.” Do the birds complain about the air in which they fly? Do the fish complain about the sea? Only man complains about his environment because it is one in which he doesn’t belong. Time frustrates him because he is made for a timeless eternity C. S. Lewis said it best when he wrote, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” The fact that, according to Ecclesiastes, there is no past, present, or future in eternity means heaven is a continual “now.” How can this be? Ask Albert Einstein. His “theory of relativity” has more to do with eternity than he probably could have guessed, for in propounding that when one travels at the speed of light, time stops, he validated the fact that, because God is Himself light (1Jn_1:5), in His presence, time ceases. Thus, if timeman’s biggest frustration on earthis nonexistent in heaven, we can be sure every lesser frustration will be obliterated as well. Heaven will truly be absolutely, wonderfully, and incredibly perfect. “How can it be perfect if those I love are still on earth?” some ask. If you put a glob of peanut butter at one end of a shoebox, ants at the other end, and a maze in between, you would see the ants begin to wind their way through the maze, journeying toward their celestial peanut butter glob city. You would see it all: the beginning, the journey, and the end. But they wouldn’t. All they would see is the next wall in front of them. So, too, those in Heaven see the whole thing unfolding simultaneously. Not only are events occurring concurrently, but from their perspective, we are already standing beside them in eternity. Still others are concerned about the people who won’t be in heaven. How can it be heaven if I know people I care about aren’t there? they wonder. Concerning the Amalekites who were hassling the people of Israel, the Lord said, “I will destroy them and remove their memory from your minds” (see Deu_25:19). The psalmist picks up the same theme when, in six occasions, he talks specifically about the “blotting out of the names of those who are against God.” Thus, I suggest you will not even remember the people who are not saved. The Answer to Inequity Heaven is the place where we will at last have all our questions answered. Why was this person born severely retarded? Why was that person born to starvation? Why wasn’t this person healed when we prayed in faith? Why was that baby allowed to be conceived only to be aborted? Why, why, why? Psalms 139 tells us that all of our days are written in a book. Could it be that the “book” is what science now calls the DNA genetic codethe strand wherein is packed all of one’s characteristics, appearance, and entire being? So much information is crammed into the DNA genetic code that it would fill one hundred volumes of an encyclopedia. Consequently, could it be that even if a baby is aborted or born prematurely, his or her genetic code will be fully revealed and realized in heaven? “Hang on,” Jesus said. “It’s not over yet. The first will be last; the last will be first; and the score will be settled.” The Response to Opportunity Maybe you’ve had opportunity to hear Jesus say, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,“but you have rejected Him. God will honor your choice. You’ll be allowed to go where you want. But know this: Hell is not a party. It’s a place of eternal weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth (Mat_8:12). But for you who have taken Jesus up on His offer as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, congratulations! You’re going to heaven! So, let not your heart be troubled. Get ready. Get packed. Get set. We’re going home!

John 14:4

If there’s ever a bone of contention people want to pick with believers, it’s exclusivity. “You’re too narrow,” they say to us. “I don’t mind you believing what you believe, but don’t say it’s the only way.” We don’t say thisit’s Jesus who declared it. Call me narrow if you wish, but Jesus is the One who said, “Narrow is the way which leads to life eternal, and broad is the path that leads to destruction,” (see Mat_7:13). In His wisdom, the Father kept the way to heaven very exclusive, knowing that if there were ten ways, there would be fifty counterfeits and it would be all the more confusing. “Neither is there salvation in any other,” Paul would say, “for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (see Act_4:12). Period. Case closed. Understanding the naiveti of people, God said, “I’m going to keep it real simple. There’s only one Way"making His not an act of exclusivity, but of love.

John 14:7

Not only do we have the hope of heaven, but we know the nature of the Father. “Show us the Father,” Philip said. “That would help.” Is “Where is God?” your cry in troubling times? Jesus looked at Phillip and said, “You know the Father already because you’ve been with Me. He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” The trend in our generation is to blame our parents for our present perversions, problems, depressions, and difficulties. Such thinking has also infected the Christian community wherein believers are saying, “I can’t relate to the Father because my earthly father ignored me, abused me, or abandoned me.” I think that’s bogus. The issue is not a matter of understanding one’s earthly father. The issue is one of understanding Jesus Christ. If you want to know the nature of the Father, study the Son. The character of one’s earthly father is immaterial. The sole issue is Jesus, for in seeing Him, we see the Father.

John 14:12

In addition to the hope of heaven and an understanding of the nature of the Father, we have been given the privilege of prayer. We have the privilege of asking in Jesus’ name for anything of which we have need. “I have a hard time with that,” you say, “because I’ve asked for a lot of things in Jesus’ name that haven’t come my way.” Gang, asking in Jesus’ name is not simply attaching the phrase, “In Jesus’ name” to our prayers the way a trucker closes his calls with “Ten-four, good buddy.” No, asking in Jesus’ name means asking in harmony with His character and His personality, for the Name speaks of nature. “Show me Your glory, Lord,” prayed Moses. So after hiding Moses in the cleft of a rock, the Lord passed by and in proclaiming His nature to Moses thereby revealed His glory and proclaimed His name (see Exo_34:6-7). If I’m praying, “Lord, she’s been really mean to me. Sic her!” or, “Lord, what I really need is a new Cadillac so I can make everyone jealous,” I’m not praying in the name of the Lord no matter how many “In Jesus’ name’s” I attach. Is what I’m praying for full of mercy and goodness? Is it in line with the personality of Jesus? That’s what it means to pray in His name.

John 14:15

We have also been given the comfort of the Spirit. The word translated “Comforter” is parakletos, referring to someone “called to one’s side.” With His disciples, Jesus was limited in that He could only be in one place at one time. That is why He would say, “It is expedient for me to go away that the Comforter might come (Joh_16:7). The Comforter is One who will heal your hurts, still your storms, and supply your needs.”

John 14:26

Although sometimes comforting involves correcting and convicting, the Spirit is not a buzzard who circles over us waiting for us to fail that He might come and pick at us. Nor is He a screeching hawk who makes a lot of noise, striking fear in the hearts of everyone around Him. Neither is He a hummingbird who flaps His wings incessantly, yet makes no progress practically. The Spirit is a dove (Mat_3:16)known for His gentleness, beauty, and purity. Truly, He is a Comforter in reality.

John 14:27

Finally, we have been given the peace of Jesus Christ. Even though I might not understand what’s going on, I have a peace that bypasses my brain and permeates my heart. I might not know why things aren’t working out, or why things are coming down. But in the midst of it all, Jesus offers me His peace.

John 14:29

“Don’t let your heart be troubled,” Jesus said. “Believe in God. Believe in Me.” Therefore, I can either drown in doubt or I can choose to say, “Thank You, Father, that I’m going to heaven. Thank You that I can know Your nature because I can see it in Your Son. Thank You that I can talk to You freely because of the privilege of prayer. Thank You for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Thank You for the peace you give to me in Jesus Christ. In obedience to Your command, Lord, I will not let my heart be troubled.”

John 14:31

To you who are down in the mouth, down in the dumps, and troubled in spirit, Jesus would say, “Don’t be! Believe in God. Believe in Me. Arise and let’s go out in ministry.”