Deo Gloria
Sermon for May 10, 2020
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: John 14:1-12
Theme: Victory on the Only Path to Heaven
- Through Jesus we have comfort for our troubled hearts.
- Through Jesus we know the Father.
- Through Jesus we know the way to the Father’s house.
It’s a troubling time to say the least. The coronavirus continues to spread. People continue to get sick. Last week there were more than 4,000 new cases here in Minnesota alone. And people continue to die. It’s very unsettling. Though some businesses have been allowed to reopen, many are still closed and many people are still out of work. It’s very unsettling. Many people are struggling to make ends meet, to pay their rent, to pay their bills, just to put food on the table. It’s very unsettling. Many are feeling very isolated and alone. They can’t get together with their family and friends the way they used to. They can’t see their friends at school. Those in nursing homes and hospitals can’t have visitors. It’s very unsettling. The hearts of many in our country are troubled, including many right here at Trinity.
This morning our Savior Jesus calms our troubled hearts with words of comfort and assurance recorded in John ch. 14. And through it all he reminds us once again that we are victorious. Even in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic with all the challenges and struggles we face, in spite of all the things that can trouble our hearts, through him we are victorious, victorious on the only path to heaven.
The story we have before us this morning took place on the evening of Maundy Thursday, the night before Jesus died on the cross. Jesus was in the Upper Room with his disciples. He was well aware of the pain and suffering that lay ahead of him and the pain and heartache that lay ahead for his disciples. And he was trying his best to prepare them for it. Though he knew it would hurt, he didn’t spare their feelings. He wanted them to know, ahead of time, so that when it did happen, they wouldn’t despair. So he told them. He told them that one of them would betray him. He told Peter, in spite of his objections to the contrary, that he would deny him. He told them that he would be handed over to the chief priests and the rulers of the people and that he would be crucified. And on top of it all, he told them that he would soon be leaving.
As you might expect, the disciples were upset by such news. Their hearts were heavy. Their hearts were troubled. They didn’t want to see Jesus suffer. They didn’t want to see Jesus die. They didn’t want to see Jesus, their Lord and Savior, leave.
Knowing how they felt, knowing the sadness and fear and uncertainty that had gripped their hearts, Jesus gives them comfort. “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” he says. “Trust in God; trust also in me.” Such a simple solution! Such an easy remedy! “Trust in God; trust also in me.” The solution to our worries and our fears is trust. The remedy for our doubts and our griefs is trust, trust in God.
What is trust? Trust is a whole-hearted, unreserved reliance on something or someone. If you trust someone, you take them at their word. Whatever they say, you believe it, without question. If they say they’re going to do something, you know they’re going to do it. It’s as good as done. If you trust someone, you can tell them things that are close to your heart and know that no one else will ever find out. If you trust someone, you can loan them money and know for certain they’ll actually pay you back.
The first thing Jesus says to calm the hearts of his troubled disciples is “Trust in God.” Put your faith and confidence in God. Rely on him. Put your life in his hands. He won’t let you down. That’s his promise. If putting your trust in God seems too remote or abstract, then put your trust in me. Rely on me. Have I ever let you down? Has something I said ever not come true? Trust in me.”
Jesus says the same to his disciples today. In order to calm our troubled hearts, Jesus says, “Trust in God.” You and I don’t know what lies ahead, do we? You don’t know how long this coronavirus pandemic will go on. Some say it may be another year, maybe another 18 months. You don’t know. You don’t know how soon businesses will be able to reopen and things will get back to normal. You don’t know when stores will stop running out of toilet paper or when you’ll be able to get a haircut again. You don’t know. I don’t know either.
But Jesus does. And he says, “Trust in God. Put your faith, your whole-hearted reliance in him. He will not let you down. Listen to what he says in Hebrews ch. 13: ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’(v. 5). You can count on him. And you can count on me. What I say I will do. I will protect you. I will provide for you. I will be by your side through thick and thin. Believe it! Put your trust and confidence in God.”
A second thing Jesus does to calm our troubled hearts is tell us about the Father and the Father’s house. Twelve different times Jesus refers to our heavenly Father in these verses—12 different times. Do you realize how unique that is, how special that is, especially when you take a look at other religions arournd the world? Muslims don’t refer to God as their father. Allah is much too high, much too exalted to be called someone’s father. Hindus don’t refer to God as their father. Buddhists don’t refer to God as their father. But you and I do. Why? What gives us the right to call the almighty God of heaven our Father? Jesus does. Jesus has actually revealed him to us. That’s what he said, right? “Anyone who has seen me has see the Father”(v. 9) Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God.
So what did Jesus reveal about God? That he is an amazing God, an eternal God, an all-powerful and all-knowing God, a holy God, a merciful God, and most of all, a loving God. Just a few weeks ago during Holy Week we were reminded of his tremendous love as we watched his Son carry that cross to Calvary and give his life in payment for our sins. What father would do that for others—for people who so often could care less, for people who ignore him and despise him and make fun of him? What father would have his son take their place and suffer the punishment they deserve? Our heavenly Father would. He would much rather have his Son die then see you die and spend eternity in hell. What an amazing Father we have! What a loving Father we have!
And isn’t that exactly what we need to hear in light of our present circumstances? Isn’t this exactly what we need to know and remember as deal with this coronavirus pandemic and our lives being turned upside down? We have a Father in heaven, a loving heavenly Father, who promises to watch over us, who promises to provide for us and care for us, who promises to be with us day in and day out until he brings us safely to his place in heaven.
That’s another thing Jesus mentions in these verses, doesn’t he?
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 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.(vv. 2-3)
Yes, there really is a heaven. There really is a place where God’s people go when this life is over to live with God forever. Jesus calls it the Father’s house. And that’s so reassuring, so comforting! You see, through faith in Jesus God has adopted us into his family as his very own children, so that means his place is our place too.
Jesus also tells us that it is a place with many rooms. The White House in Washington D.C. has 132 rooms. The Father’s house in heaven will have 132 million, billion rooms. Millions and billions of people will be able to live there. In fact, all God’s people will live there from Adam and Eve to Moses and David to Peter, James and John to you and me. There will be plenty of room for everyone.
Another thing we learn from these verses about that place is that there we will live with Jesus. Take another look at v. 3. There Jesus says, “I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am.” There’s a children’s song our children sang back when they were little. It goes like this: “Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace. I’m gonna see my Savior’s face, ‘cause heaven is a wonderful place. I wanna go there.” That’s what you and I will see in heaven one day: our Savior face to face. And that’s the way it will be for the rest of eternity. He will always be with us, and we will always be with him.
Of course, that’s not all the Bible tells us about that place Jesus is preparing for us. We know from other passages in the Bible that it will be a beautiful place, a place of breath-taking beauty—streets of gold, gates of pearl, walls of gemstone.
The Bible also tells us that it will be a place of endless peace and joy. Nothing bad will ever happen in the Father’s house. There will be no more layoffs, no more car accidents, no more cancer or heart disease, no more coronavirus. No one will ever die there. In fact, it will be such a wonderful place that Paul says that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to what we have to look forward to heaven.
And isn’t it good to know there is such a place? Isn’t it comforting to know that this life isn’t all there is, but there’s someplace better, someplace wonderful, someplace perfect, a place where we finally will be free from sin and all the awful effects of sin, a place where we’ll enjoy life as God meant it to be, in perfect peace and joy forever. Life in this world isn’t always very easy. We often have to deal with trouble and heartache and sorrow. But look at where it ends! Look at where it ends: in the Father’s house, with Jesus! So don’t let your hearts be troubled. Remember the wonderful place Jesus is preparing for you.
And lastly, remember how to get there too. Thomas wasn’t so sure how to get there, so he asked: “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”(v. 5)
And this was Jesus’ answer: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me”(v. 6). Contrary to popular belief, there are not many ways to get to heaven. There is only one door, only one path: through Jesus Christ. He is the way, the only way. You can’t get to heaven by being good or doing good. You can never be good enough or do enough good things to earn God’s favor. God demands perfection. And you and I—we fall far short of perfection. We sin every day, and because of our sins, we’ve forfeited our right to live with God in heaven. You also cannot buy your way into heaven. No payment is ever enough—not a million dollars, not a billion dollars, not a trillion dollars. No amount of money could ever pay off the debt of your sins. Likewise you cannot get into heaven by following some other religious leader, someone like Buddha or Mohammed or the Dalai Lama. There is only one way to get into heaven: through Jesus Christ. He is the Savior God sent into the world to live and die in our place. He lived the kind of life we should have lived, but didn’t—a life of perfect obedience to God and his commands. And he died on the cross to pay the penalty for all of our sins, so that we might be forgiven. And the Bible says that anyone who believes in him, anyone who trusts in him as their Savior, shall not perish but shall have eternal life.
So don’t let your heart be troubled. Put your trust and confidence in Jesus and his unfailing love for you. Remember that you have a Father in heaven, a loving Father who will watch over you and keep you in his care. Remember that you have another home, a glorious home waiting for you in heaven and that Jesus is your way to get there. Remember that through Jesus you will be victorious on the only path to heaven. Amen.