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WITH POWER AND GLORY 

Luke 21:27 NET.

“Then they will see the Son of Man arriving in a cloud with power and great glory.”

The prophets predict Christ’s advents.

Numerous prophets predicted many aspects of the birth and life of Jesus Christ.

• His virgin birth was predicted in Genesis 3 and Isaiah 7.
• He would descend from Abraham according to Genesis 12.
• He would descend from Isaac according to Genesis 17.
• He would descend from Jacob according to Numbers 24.
• He would belong to the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49).
• The timing of his coming was during the Roman Empire, according to Daniel 9.
• The killing of the children in Bethlehem was predicted in Jeremiah 31.
• His family’s escape to Egypt was predicted in Hosea 11.
• God would declare him to be his Son according to Psalm 2.
• God made him a priest of the order of Melchizedek, according to Psalm 110.
• He would begin his ministry in Galilee, according to Isaiah 9.
• He would be a prophet in Israel, according to Deuteronomy 18.
• He would have a ministry of healing and deliverance, according to Isaiah 61.
• His nation would reject him, according to Isaiah 53.
• He would enter Jerusalem triumphantly riding on a colt (Zechariah 9).
• He would be betrayed by a familiar friend (Psalm 41).
• He would be sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11).
• He would be accused by false witnesses (Psalm 35).
• He would remain silent at his trial (Isaiah 53).
• He would be beaten and spat upon (Isaiah 50).
• His suffering would not be for his sins, but for ours (Isaiah 53).
• They would pierce his hands and feet and side (Zechariah 12).
• Soldiers would gamble for his clothing (psalm 22).
• He would be buried with the rich (Isaiah 53).
• He would rise from the dead (Psalms 16 and 49).
• He would ascend to God’s right hand ((Psalm 68).

Some of the prophecies describe both Christ’s first coming and his second coming.

• “For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. His dominion will be vast, and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. He will rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness, from this time forward and forevermore” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
• “As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, seemingly insignificant among the clans of Judah — from you, a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, one whose origins are in the distant past” (Micah 5:2).

The New Testament picks up where the Old Testament left off. Jesus himself predicted his return numerous times. We examined many of those predictions when we looked at the eschatological discourse over several weeks this year. Today’s text is part of that eschatological discourse. It is in the context of Jesus answering the specific question of his second coming. The disciples had asked what would be the sign of his coming (Matthew 24:3). Jesus said that there would be many signs in the sun and moon and stars and that the world would be in distress, anxious over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves.

People will faint from fear and from expectation of what is coming because the powers of the sky will be shaken. There will be many signs, but these will not be preliminary signs. There will be signs that it is too late. That is why the world will panic.

The angels announce Christ’s advents.

The angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields and to Joseph, Zechariah, and Mary in the birth narratives of the Gospels. They also announced his second advent. They said, “This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

Jesus said that when he returned, “he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other” Matthew 24:31. He also said that “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne” (Matthew 25:31).

Whenever God does something significant, he brings his angels along. It is right for us to celebrate the miraculous birth of Christ. We should also herald the second coming because it, too, is a long-awaited event. Heaven itself looks forward to the day when the rightful heir takes back his kingdom from the one who stole it.

The stars announce Christ’s advents.

The wise men found a star in the sky and knew that it meant a new

king had been born. They followed the sign in the sky to Jesus. Signs in the sky will also announce the second coming. Jesus said that there would be many signs in the sun and moon and stars and that the world would be in distress, anxious over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves. People will be fainting from fear and from the expectation of what is coming in the world because the powers of the sky will be shaken.

Some think that it is human destiny to expand into the stars. They wonder if there is life on other planets and in other solar systems. Some think that our lives are controlled by the stars associated with the month of our births. They think that they can get wisdom by reading their horoscope every day.

The truth is there is a message that the stars have to tell us. It is an ancient message about the Son of God coming to earth. The star announced his first coming, and the stars will signify his second coming. But God’s wisdom is for those who look past the sign and pay attention to what it signifies. The wise men rejoiced when they saw the star because they knew that it meant a king had been born. They let the sign lead them to Jesus. That is what we should be doing as well.

The shepherds announce Christ’s advents.

We recently looked at the story of the shepherds again. When they learned from the angels that Jesus had been born, they left in a hurry to find him. After they met Jesus, they did not run back to their day jobs. They had to go into the villages and tell people about Jesus. We would do well to follow their example.

In fact, those of us who are shepherds of God’s flock today have it as our primary task to take care of his sheep. One of the major responsibilities we have is proclaiming the gospel to everyone. The next major prophetic event that will happen is the return of our Lord, and we must make sure that everyone is ready for that event.

The apostle Paul described himself as set apart for the gospel of God. Paul was capable of many things—things he could do—but he must do only one thing: get the good news out.

Jesus said that when he returns to this planet, its inhabitants will see him arriving in a cloud with power and great glory.” That will be the moment when the unbelieving world will be forced to admit that they have rejected the only truth that ultimately matters. They will see him. They will know for real that he exists. They will come face to face with the king of the universe and recognize that no matter what nation they live in, he is their king. But they will know that they have rejected their king. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. They will know that God had a wonderful plan for their lives, but they rejected that plan. They told God that they would not have his Son rule over them.

When he comes, it will be in a cloud. The angels’ prophecy will be fulfilled. Just as Jesus disappeared into the clouds when he ascended, he will return in the same way that he left. And everyone will see him – even those who pierced his hands, feet, and side at his crucifixion. Many live their entire lives today, actively ignoring Jesus Christ. On that day, no one will have the privilege of ignoring him. They will be calling for the mountains to fall on them to hide them from his presence. But there will be no hiding from him ever again. Adam and Eve tried to hide from God in the Garden of Eden. But when he came, they could not hide. When our Lord comes again, everyone will stand before him. He will decide their fate and reveal their destiny. Some will experience the destiny of permanent death in the lake of fire – the second death. Others will be welcomed into eternal life in his forever kingdom.

He came at first as a humble child lying in a borrowed manger. When he comes again, it will be with power and great glory. Those who welcome him into their lives today will share in that power and glory. No matter what lowly standards we live by today, every believer has a glorious inheritance bought and payed for by the blood of Christ. The Bible says that Jesus had to suffer many things before he returned to glory. We will also suffer many things in this life. But we will share in the glory of his return. On that day, and forever afterward, we will forget all our suffering because of the joy of the new life we will have. Our king will come and take his glorious throne. That day will be a glorious day for him and us.

As we celebrate the first Advent of Christ, we can also focus on the second Advent. His coming into power and great glory is a gift we can all anticipate. It won’t be under the tree this Christmas, but hopefully, it will come soon. Hopefully, we will all be ready.

GLORY TO ISRAEL 

Luke 2:32 NET.

“a light, for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

When Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to dedicate him, they encountered two prophets: a man named Simeon and a woman named Anna. Today we are going to focus on the prophetic statement that Simeon made that day. Simeon is described in this chapter as “righteous and devout.” Those two words say a lot. They speak of Simeon’s outward character and his inward loyalty to God. He was a man who did the right thing toward others and also stayed faithful to God and cultivated a close relationship with God. We would all do well to focus on those two things.

This chapter also says that Simeon had an expectation – a hope. It says that he was “looking for the restoration of Israel.” It did not elaborate on that statement, so we don’t know in what sense Simeon expected Israel to be restored. We know from history (including the history in the Gospels themselves) that Israel was a nation in captivity. Rome ruled an empire that expanded to include the known world at that time. All of Israel was engulfed in that empire. Caesar ruled over the whole empire and all the rulers of the various regions had their rulers who were subservient to Rome. When Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, they moved from one region to the next. Nazareth was part of the Roman Provence of Galilee. Bethlehem and Jerusalem were parts of the Roman Provence of Judea. Israel wanted to be free from Rome’s power. They had gained their freedom from Greece for a time under the Maccabees. But that freedom was short-lived. Perhaps Simeon was praying for and hoping for his nation to be restored to independence.

But since Simeon was a devout prophet of God, he hoped for more than that. His aspirations for his homeland were more than political. He wanted a spiritual restoration for Israel. Like the Old Testament prophets, Simeon longed for a day when his nation would truly be the people of God and foremost in proclaiming and living the word of God. Simeon was not just a player in the drama of the temple. He was tuned in to the power that the temple represented: the presence of God among human beings. This chapter says that the Holy Spirit was upon him. That was the best that any believer could expect before Pentecost. The Holy Spirit of God used him to declare the word of God to the people of God.

The Holy Spirit had also given a particular message to Simeon about his own life and ministry. He had told Simeon that he would not die until he saw with his own eyes the Anointed Messiah of Israel: the Christ. Simeon had a calling to a particular ministry. That calling would continue until he fulfilled it. He would know when his ministry was complete by the sign that one day when he entered the temple, the Messiah would be there. Perhaps Simeon imagined a triumphant Messiah coming into the temple to take over and lead his people to glory. We don’t know.

We only know that Simeon was watching for the moment when he would see his savior face to face. That moment arrived, and Simeon did not miss it. Joseph and Mary came into the temple with a little bundle of joy. Jesus was 40 days old. Because Jesus was the firstborn male of Joseph and Mary’s family, he was to be formally presented to the Lord and redeemed according to this law. The ritual celebrated God’s deliverance of all the firstborn males from the destroying angel in Egypt. When the destroying angel saw the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of the Hebrew slaves, he did not enter those houses and take the lives of the firstborn males within them. The ritual celebrated that deliverance.

What Mary and Joseph did that day was to redeem the Redeemer ritually. They paid the price for their son, who would one day pay the price for everyone’s sons and daughters. The angels in heaven were watching.

Simeon was watching too. The moment he saw that child, Simeon knew that his life’s work had been completed. This chapter says that “Simeon, directed by the Spirit, came into the temple courts, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary according to the law, Simeon took him in his arms and blessed God, saying, “Now, according to your word, Sovereign Lord, permit your servant to depart in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.” It is in that context that we read the verse that is today’s text.

Simeon said that Jesus is a light shining from heaven to earth.

When all creation was in darkness, seen only by the creator, he said four words (actually two words in Hebrew): “Let there be light.” From that time on, God has been the one to bring light to the darkness.

One of the plagues in Egypt was a plague of darkness. Exodus 10 says, “The LORD said to Moses, “Extend your hand toward heaven so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness so thick it can be felt.” So Moses extended his hand toward heaven, and there was absolute darkness throughout the land of Egypt for three days. No one could see another person, and no one could rise from his place for three days. But the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.”

The theme of God bringing light to his people amid the darkness of unbelief runs throughout the Old Testament. When the Israelites traveled by night in the wilderness, God provided a fiery light to direct them all night long. Psalm 78:14 says, “He led them with a cloud by day, and with the light of a fire all night long.” Psalm 97:11 says. “The godly bask in the light.” Psalm 112:4 says, “In the darkness, a light shines for the godly, for each one who is merciful, compassionate, and just.”

Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would come and appear first in a particular region. He said, “The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious. In earlier times, he humiliated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but now he brings honor to the way of the sea, the region beyond the Jordan, and Galilee of the nations. The people walking in darkness see a bright light; the light shines on those who live in a land of deep darkness” (Isaiah 9:1-2).

Did you catch that? Isaiah predicted the exact region where the Messiah would begin his earthly ministry. It would be in the land where the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali were apportioned property. It would be the land that the Gentiles called Galilee. 700 years later, who shows up in the tiny village of Nazareth in Galilee? A carpenter’s son named Jesus. Simeon said that Jesus would be a light shining from heaven to earth. It would first start shining in Galilee.

Simeon also said that Jesus revealed God’s will to the Gentiles.

The prophet Simeon predicted that Jesus would have a ministry among the Gentiles. That, itself, was not unheard of. Many of Israel’s great heroes had a profound influence on the Gentiles and Gentile rulers. But Simeon predicted that God would reveal himself to the Gentiles through Jesus. You and I are in this place right now, declaring our love for God because Jesus did just that. He was the door for the sheep allowing sheep from other pastures into the fold. As Gentiles, we did not have a way to the Father. But Jesus came and proclaimed that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and that everyone and anyone can come to the Father through him.

Jesus revealed God’s love to the Gentiles. He said, “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him” (John 3:16-17). The Old Testament revealed that God loved Israel and rescued it from Egypt. Jesus revealed to the Gentiles that God loved us too. He loved us and provided for our rescue by sending his Son – not just to Israel, but to the planet, and anyone – Jew or Gentile – who believes in Jesus will not have to perish in hell but can be rescued and have eternal life.

Jesus revealed God’s truth to the Gentiles. He spoke that truth to anyone who had ears to hear – whether those ears were Jewish or Gentile – it didn’t matter. He commissioned his apostles to launch their mission work starting from Jerusalem, but to expand into all of Judea, then into Samaria, and to keep going until they reach the farthest parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). The gospel message was to go to all the nations. The word “nations” in Matthew 28 is the same word in today’s text that is translated as “Gentiles.” You and I are in Christ because Jesus’ message and ministry were designed to reach us. It was not a cosmic accident. Jesus was never meant to be the exclusive property of one ethnic group. He is King of all kings and Lord of all lords. We are to send the proclamation over vale and hill that whosoever will may come to Jesus.

But Simeon also said that Jesus brought eternal glory to Israel.

In light of what we know about the universal nature of Christ’s gospel message and the universal scope of his deliverance, what did Simeon mean when he said that Jesus was for glory to Israel?

Paul addresses this question in his epistle to the Romans. He makes it quite clear that everyone is a sinner and needs salvation, and everyone can get saved only by repenting of their sins and putting their faith in Christ. So, salvation is not a particular gift to Jews. It is for everyone. So, Paul asks what advantage does the Jew have. Being a Jew himself, Paul could answer his question. He said that the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God (Romans 3:2). Before it was our Old Testament, it was their Hebrew Bible. It’s possible to become a Christian without the Old Testament, but those 39 books explain much of what appears in the latter 27 books.

Jesus himself said that “salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). The gospel message was first proclaimed in that cultural context, which makes the Jew more likely to understand its basic principles, provided those ideas are believed. Of course, many Jews rejected the gospel, and they are not going to be saved. God does not have two kingdoms. He is not going to save anyone just because of their ethnic heritage. He responds to one thing: faith in his Son.

So, why did Simeon say that Jesus would bring glory to Israel? Remember, when we defined the word glory, we noted that its opposite is shame. Jesus brought glory to Israel because theirs was the nation and culture into which God sent his Son. If he was to be born a man, he had to be born into a nation and live with a particular culture. Israel has the distinction of being the nation to which God sent his prophets. God sent salvation to the Jewish patriarchs. He sent his precious promises through the Old Testament authors by his Holy Spirit. “When the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the (Jewish) law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights” (Galatians 4:4-5).

God took this shameful culture, steeped in sin, and sent us his only begotten Son through them. His human ancestry was Jewish. God’s eternal kingdom is laid upon the foundations of the New Testament apostles (who were all Jewish) and the Old Testament prophets (who were all Jewish). Even though many things were shameful and wrong about Israel, God, in his grace, chose to glorify that nation by sending us our Redeemer from that nation. They had been longing for a Messiah who would come and ransom captive Israel. He came, and because God is not a respecter of persons, he offered redemption not just for Israel but for all nations.

So, Simeon was right on both counts. The baby boy that he blessed that day would grow up to be a revelation from God to the Gentiles and bring glory to Israel. All across this planet today, people from all nations and ethnic backgrounds are worshipping him and praying in his name. But there is a land which we call the holy land. It is a unique land because God sent us a savior and he walked and lived and preached and died and rose again in that land.

LORD GOD, thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for that nation through whom you have given us this great gift. Thank you that anyone can receive this gift, regardless of our ancestry. He is our gift from your grace. Amen.

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LOVE BY OBEYING  

John 14:15-17 NET.

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will obey my commandments. ¹⁶ Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever — ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides with you and will be in you.

I imagine that if you stopped everyone in this county and asked them if they love Jesus, the vast majority would say yes. We live in a world that apparently loves Jesus – billions of us. But how do you know if a person’s love of Jesus is genuine or not? That is where today’s text can help. It says that people who genuinely love Jesus are going to demonstrate that love. What’s more, it says that the way they will demonstrate their love for Jesus is concrete and easy to recognize. It says that genuine lovers of Jesus obey his commandments.

We have been studying the commands of Jesus here at Piney Grove for three years now. We isolated each command and examined it in its context to discover its full meaning and how it can be applied to our lives today. But that is the easy part. Jesus didn’t say “If you love me, you will learn my commandments. No, the way we truly demonstrate love for our Lord is to obey them. The Greek word is τηρέω, which means to keep. You keep a commandment by doing what it says to do or not doing what it prohibits. A commandment is a special message from God. But we can only keep commandments when we take that message and let it alter our lives. That is what it means to keep it. Once you encounter the commandment, if you had been breaking it, you repent of that rebellion, and you own it. From that time on, you are changed by that act of repentance.

We learned that Jesus gave many commands, and we have had to meet him at the altar regularly and deal with each one. The more we allowed the command to challenge us and change our behavior, the more like Jesus we became. The more like Jesus we became, the more love for Jesus grew inside us. We have discovered a more profound commitment to Jesus and a stronger appreciation for him with each trip to the altar. What Jesus wants is for us to learn the habit of letting him change us each time we encounter a command from him. We learn to love Jesus by obeying him and our love for him grows as we allow him to keep reviving us with his commands in God’s word.

In today’s text, Jesus identifies three ways that we can know if this process is really going on in our lives. We all want to be the real thing, not just people who appear to be obedient Christians. We want to be actually obedient Christians.

First, only obedient Christians truly love Jesus (15).

Jesus said that if we love him, we will obey his commandments. He did not say that if we put our names on a church membership list, he would accept that as a substitute. He didn’t say that if we had family members who were obedient Christians, we could be accepted on the basis of their obedience.

Love is loyalty. Lots of people admire Jesus and approve of his words. But that does not mean they love him. Jesus himself gave the evidence that would indicate if a person truly loves him. True love is a commitment. Since Jesus is a king, the kind of love he requires is the love of a loyal subject. Our generation has problems with that kind of love. They want a Jesus they can like, but not a Jesus whom they have to obey. They want the other Jesus. They want a Jesus who will accept them on their terms. They want to do what they want and get Jesus thrown in as a minor side-project.

The world wants Jesus without all those costly commandments. They want a baby in a manger, but not a prophet pronouncing tragedy coming upon the rebellious. They want a good shepherd as long as the shepherd does not mind them straying off on their own and getting into trouble when they want to. The only problem is that a good shepherd will not allow his flock to stray. He disciplines the unruly. The world doesn’t want a Jesus like that.

But those who genuinely love Jesus invite him to take control of their lives. They realize their need for him and are willing to do anything he asks them to do because they know obeying him is the only way they will ever know true freedom.

The world does not mind the idea of a Jesus who accepts them just as they are. They do mind a Jesus who insists on bringing them back into a relationship with his Father. That would involve change. They don’t want a Jesus who wants to change them.

Only obedient Christians can truly love Jesus because they are the only ones who want to be saved. Salvation is not possible without repentance, and repentance does not happen without change.

Second, only obedient Christians can accept the Advocate (16,17a).

Jesus used the word Advocate for the gift of the Holy Spirit here. The actual Greek word in verse 16 is παράκλητος. This word is variously translated in different versions as Helper, Advocate, Comforter, and Counselor. It speaks of a person who is called alongside another person to assist them.

The best way to understand how Jesus uses that title for the Holy Spirit is to keep in mind that Jesus intended the Holy Spirit to do what Jesus did while he was here on earth. He had a ministry of discipling and he gave us his Holy Spirit to continue that process after he ascended to heaven.

Jesus said that he was going to ask the Father to give us the Holy Spirit. We know from the Book of Acts that he followed up on that promise. The Holy Spirit descended visibly upon the obedient Christians in Jerusalem at Pentecost. Ever since then, the Holy Spirit has been available for all true Christians to help us grow in our faith and to empower us to disciple others. That is an amazing gift, and the fact that people still keep coming to Christ after all these centuries is evidence that He has not lost his power.

Now, Jesus said in verse 17 that the world cannot accept this gift. He is earmarked for only truly obedient Christians. It does not matter how much an unbeliever might want the Holy Spirit; they cannot have Him. The seven sons of Sceva in the book of Acts wished to use the Holy Spirit’s power, so they tried to invoke the names of Jesus and Paul to access that power. The demons replied, “I know about Jesus, and I am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?” (Acts 19:15). A man named Simon approached Peter and tried to purchase the Holy Spirit with money. But Peter said “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could acquire God’s gift with money! (Acts 8:20). There is only one way to accept the Gifty of the Holy Spirit. It is given to repentant, obedient Christians.

Finally, only obedient Christians can possess the Advocate (17b).

Jesus went on in today’s text to explain just how his apostles were going to receive this Advocate. He said that He already resides with them and will be in them. The Holy Spirit was not absent from the world before Pentecost. But He came to work his power alongside[1] those whom he decided to bless. After Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was still capable of showing God’s power alongside others. But he could also work through obedient Christians because at Pentecost he came inside.[2] them.

Thus, the Holy Spirit has two ongoing missions. He is the Advocate for every believer, assisting them in learning and putting into practice Christ’s commands. He is also the empowerment that enables every believer to proclaim the gospel to the nations.

He is available to you and me. If we need more wisdom to walk according to the commands of our King, the Advocate is there for us. If we need the power to fulfill the great commission, the Holy Spirit is in us. Jesus told the watching faithful that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). That same Holy Spirit is provided for us, to accomplish the same mission. He is also available to help us obey our King.

LORD, we acknowledge what the Scripture teaches. The Holy Spirit is within us. Empower us through your Holy Spirit to be obedient to our Master and, by so doing, to show that we love him.

[1] Greek παρά.

[2] Greek ἐν.

TRUST ME 

John 14:1-6 (NLT).

¹ “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. ² There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? ³ When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. ⁴ And you know the way to where I am going.” ⁵ “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

I come to today’s passage with fear and trembling. As a preacher of the Gospel, it is my responsibility to open the word of God and explain it. The most challenging texts of Scripture to properly preach are not the obscure texts buried in the lesser-read books of the Old Testament or the Book of Revelation. No, the hardest texts to preach are the ones that everybody knows – the ones they have read many times, memorized, and made into their life verses.

Such is the case with this text from the Gospel of John. Supposedly, everybody knows what its words imply. So, I have the unenviable task of coming to today’s text and explaining it. Some who hear or read my words will be offended by what I say because it will seem like I have insulted their long-cherished beliefs. Others will write me off as a fool, trying to explain away something that is all too obvious because of my false beliefs. Others will be just confused.

If we are not careful, we will read things not the way they really read but how we think they read. For example, the road sign that says, “WHAT I IF TOLD YOU—YOU READ THE TOP LINE WRONG.” Just a casual glance at the road sign, and we will read it, “WHAT IF I TOLD YOU.” We automatically make the sign say what we are used to seeing. A similar thing is happening to these first six verses of John 14.

So, to understand the meaning of today’s text, we have to try to get rid of the presuppositions. Those are the distractions that are already in our minds. We need to eliminate the presuppositions and attempt to read the words of Jesus as if we had never heard them before. That’s what I’m going to try in today’s message.

First, let’s look at what Jesus commands (1).

We have spent the better part of three years now looking at the commands of Jesus as they appear in the Gospels. Jesus gives two commands in verse 1, a negative and a positive command. The negative command is “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.” This is not a general command. It relates to a particular context. To understand why Jesus tells his disciples not to let their hearts be troubled, we need to go back to the bombshell that he had just dropped, as recorded by John in the previous chapter. Jesus had revealed to his disciples that he was going somewhere that they could not come. He said, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later” (John 13:36).

So, the experience that the disciples will have that potentially might trouble their hearts is the Master’s absence. Jesus is going away, and his followers will not be able to follow him there. They followed him throughout Galilee, Samaria, Perea, and Judea, but they would not be able to follow him when he returned to his Father.

Instead of letting their hearts be troubled by that reality, Jesus commands them to trust God and trust him. They may not understand why they will not be ascending to heaven when he does, but they do not need to understand that. All they need to do is trust God and trust Jesus. Many things have happened in our lives that we did not fully understand. Even years after they have happened, we are still confused by them. But if we are wise, we learn to trust God even in those things that we cannot understand. That is the kind of trust that Jesus is commanding in today’s text.

I warned you that today’s text has often been misunderstood and misread. In order to fully understand what is there, we need to carefully erase what people think is there but is not really there.

Let’s eliminate what Jesus does not promise (2-3).

Jesus speaks of room in his Father’s home. A long tradition of English translation has Jesus promising mansions. This can be traced back to Tyndale, who used the word “mansion” to translate the Greek word μονή here. Back in Tyndale’s time, the word mansion just meant a place to stay. That was an excellent word to translate μονή in Tyndale’s time. Unfortunately, in today’s English, a mansion means something different. It means a colossal gigantic residence that is expensive and impressive. That’s not what μονή means. It is related to the verb μένω, which means to stay or remain.

So, Jesus is assuring his disciples that there are many rooms in his Father’s house. But what does he mean by his Father’s house? This is another phrase people tend to misinterpret. The only other instance in John’s Gospel where Jesus mentioned his Father’s house was when he was cleansing the temple. He said, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” (John 2:16). John commented on that experience. He said that after seeing Jesus’ passionate tirade against those who abused the temple, the “disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.” The temple was God’s house because it represented God’s presence on earth. When Jesus assured his disciples that there was plenty of room in his Father’s house, he was not telling them that they would go to heaven. He was telling them that when God came back to earth, they would have a place in his kingdom.

Jesus could not have been promising the disciples heaven before his return, because this very text gives us the timetable for the promise’s fulfillment. Jesus says first that he is going to make a place ready. That’s step 1. What does the Bible say about heaven during step 1? It says, “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven — the Son of Man” (John 3:13). That tells us that heaven is populated by a total of one human being: Jesus himself.

Then Jesus says he’s coming back again to take them to be where he is. That’s step 2. Step two (our uniting with Christ) does not begin until Jesus returns and sets up his kingdom on earth. Jesus’ promise during this stage is that he will take his disciples to be with him where he is. But where is he? When Jesus returns to earth he is not coming temporarily like he did last time. He is coming to take his permanent throne as king of kings and Lord of Lords. So, Jesus absolutely and categorically does not say what so many read into this passage. He does not say that believers go to heaven at death. He does not say it in this text, nor does he say it anywhere else.

What did Jesus say happens to people when they die? When his friend Lazarus died, he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. But I am going there to awaken him” (John 11:13). Death is a period of unconsciousness that can only be compared to natural sleep. That state of unconsciousness will not change until Jesus wakes up the sleepers and causes them to rise from the dead. That does not happen when we die. It occurs at the return of Christ!

Finally, let’s focus on what Jesus does promise (2-6).

First as a student, then as a pastor, then as a soldier, then as a missionary, then as a student again, then a missionary again, then as a pastor again—I have lived all of my adult life in temporary places. I have to admit a bit of envy of those who own their own homes. I have problems relating to the idea of a permanent residence, but I understand the desire for a personal home.

The disciples of Jesus had been moving around with him, and they probably wondered if they were going to do that for the rest of their lives. Jesus promised them many μοναὶ. It would have been especially significant for these disciples at this time to know that although Jesus was leaving them when he returned, it would be to set up permanent digs.

When you remove all the extraneous elements of this passage, it reads like this: “Trust me…I will come again.” It’s not about mansions in heaven. It’s about Jesus coming again. It’s about his promise of permanent digs for us with the Father in Christ’s kingdom forever.

Jesus is promising access to a relationship with the Father starting now. He did promise to return to take them to be where he is, but that is not heaven either. When he returns, he will take his place as the rightful king on earth. When Jesus told his disciples that they knew the way, it was because they had come to know him. What they had not realized was that by coming to know Jesus, they had come to know the Father as well. Everyone who has put their trust in Christ already knows the way to the Father. Jesus is the way. Our destiny is sure not because we are going somewhere when we die. Our destiny is sure because we put our trust in Jesus.

Jesus came to his disciples that day, and he had some bad news and some good news. His bad news was that he was going away, and the disciples could not follow him. The good news was that his trip to heaven would not be permanent. He was going, but he was coming back. He had two missions on earth. He fulfilled his first mission by coming to earth to die on the cross as the Savior. Mission accomplished. He has another mission which has yet to be accomplished. He must reign over the earth supreme over all its rulers. He is coming again, not as a baby in a manger but as a warrior on a white horse, riding out to conquer. He will destroy all his enemies “because he is Lord of lords and King of kings” (Revelation 17:14).

The result of Jesus’ second mission is that he will make all things new. Then, the whole earth will once again be fit for the Father’s presence. When Jesus promised his disciples plenty of room in his Father’s house, he was predicting this great event. When all evil is destroyed, and there is no longer an enemy, even death will be destroyed. Then, we will have access to God’s presence for eternity.