For the JOHN 14:1-4 PODCAST, click here
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” ~ John 14:1-4
The Apostle Peter vowed to love Jesus to death, and the Lord Jesus knew that Peter would fail at his attempt. As a result, Peter learned that with God, failure isn't the opposite of success.
Aware that the religious community wanted to kill the Lord Jesus, the disciples were troubled. This is why the Lord Jesus says in v.1, "Do not let your hearts be troubled."
The disciples were confused and discouraged by the sudden exodus of Judas. More than that, they were petrified of losing the Lord Jesus.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled." These words were not just for the first disciples, there are meant for you and me. There are times when the Lord's will includes some scary moments for us. It is during these times that our faith is shaken, which is a good thing, because this is part of the process of the development of our heart's ability to see and trust God.
On the heels of such, our vision of the Lord is honed and developed. And, as a result, we discover that we can trust in the darkest of moments in a God who is true to His promises. We discover that we have no need to fear, for the Lord will deliver us from all that frightens us. Think of it, what option do we have but to trust Him.
We are told that the number one mental disorder for women and the number two for men in the U.S. is linked to anxiety. Some say the United States is now the most anxious nation in the world. Stress-related ailments are at an all time high. Yet, there is a positive side to this reality.
When fear has gripped us, we are in the position to turn to the Lord Jesus, much as it did these early disciples. They had left all to follow the Lord Jesus, and now, it looks pretty disheartening. The presence of anxiety is unavoidable, but the prison of anxiety is optional. They say, "Ninety percent of life is how we respond to the ten percent that happens to us." The trials are inevitable, but we do not have to be shackled by them. Trials are the green lights of life which God allows or causes to get us to run to Him. The question is, "Do we run to Him and do we stay with Him?" One day, we will be relieved of this choice.
In John 14:1, the Lord Jesus places Himself on an equal plane with our Father in heaven. And, in v.2, He begins to reveal to His disciples the things that had been kept secret since the foundation of the world. The Lord Jesus is saying, "I have come to correct the erroneous concepts, the false thinking that have held you hostage. There are many rooms in my Father's house and they are being built for you."
The word in Greek for "rooms" appears but twice in the New Testament, here and in v.23, where we read, "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." Each room will be the dwelling place of God.
Yeah, I have a hard time wrapping my brain around that, too. He is saying, "we will never be alone, and that which we have frantically been trying to find to satisfy us all of our lives, His presence, will be with us for eternity." God desires to be our dwelling place. And, one day, will come this reality. On that day, there will be no separation. And, our anxieties will puff into inexistence.
In v.3, we read, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." The Lord Jesus is comforting these, His first followers, knowing that He is about to die. His death will not be the end, just the beginning, because He did return and He will forever indwell His followers through the work of His Holy Spirit.
Finally, in v.4, the Lord Jesus says, "You know the way to the place where I am going." In our text today, we have seen contrasted what we once thought was the way: Our good efforts earning God's favor. Good luck with that! As this passage so subtly shows, the way is the Lord Jesus, Himself. It is by His life, death, burial, and resurrection that we are made right before our all righteous God. The Lord Jesus is our way to God.
