Several years ago, I had the privilege to teach through the Gospel of John in my Sunday school class, and that study, which took three years to complete, had a profound impact on me personally. And so whenever I have an opportunity to preach, I often find myself going back to John's Gospel. And so as we come to our time in the Word this morning, I want to do that once again. I would like us to look at a passage which is one of the most familiar texts in the entire Bible. It is John 14, 1 to 6. This is a part of scripture which is often memorized and you will often hear it read at funerals. It has always been a favorite text of Christians and there is much in it to encourage us. So even though it is a very familiar portion of scripture. I hope that when we're finished today, your hearts will be blessed by what we learn in this passage. So let's read it as we begin. It says, Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. For I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you're going. How do we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me. This passage contains one of the supreme promises for believers found anywhere in scripture. And that is the promise that Jesus is coming back for us. I don't know about you, but the more things I see taking place around me in this sin-cursed world, the more I look forward to that day. This is our great hope. And I believe that Jesus could come at any time. There is nothing that needs to happen prophetically prior to His coming. Everything is ready, the stage is completely set for Jesus' return, and with the rapidly deteriorating state of affairs in this world, our blessed hope is the soon return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But our hope in Christ's return is not just some pie-in-the-sky kind of thing. It's not only the anticipation of His return that brings us comfort during these difficult times, although that is extremely important to us, But we often find ourselves saying, yes, I know Jesus is coming back sometime, but in the meantime, can He provide some real comfort to me during the hours of deepest tragedy and the times of severest pain that I'm going through until He returns? Is my faith only a faith in the future, or is it a faith in the future which can give me comfort in the present? Well, the 14th chapter of John answers that question. This whole chapter is the promise that Jesus is the one who is giving us comfort. Not only that he's returning someday, but also that in anticipation of his return, there's comfort in the present. You might call this the comfort chapter, because the whole chapter deals with comfort. Throughout this chapter, Jesus not only promises his disciples that he'll come back to get them, but he also promises that in the meantime, he will send them another comforter, who is the Holy Spirit. So it's the comfort chapter, and our faith is not just a faith in the future, it is a faith in the future which gives comfort in the present. Now let me set the context for this passage. The words which Jesus spoke here are a part of his final address to the remaining 11 disciples after Judas had left to go betray him. This is his upper room discourse, the last directive, the final address that he gave to them prior to his death. And he knows that in a very short time, these 11 men's expectations are going to collapse around them into a chaotic situation that will be unimaginable to them. Their whole world is going to fall in all around them. It hasn't quite collapsed yet, but the pains have already begun. They're already hurting. They're bewildered. They're perplexed, they're confused, they're worrying, they're filled with anxiety. They've already been informed that Jesus is leaving, that their blessed and beloved master whom they love more than life itself is going away. As far back as chapter 11, Jesus had said, I'm going to Jerusalem, and Thomas responded, well, we may as well go and die with him. The one they loved more than their own life was leaving, and it would tear out their hearts to lose Him. And so Jesus, knowing what they're facing, anticipates their fear and brokenhearted sorrow, and He spends a great deal of time giving them comfort. As I said, this is the comfort chapter. In fact, Martin Luther called this chapter the best and most comforting sermon that the Lord Christ delivered on earth, a treasure and a jewel not to be purchased with the world's goods. As we study this passage, I want you to recognize the uniqueness of Jesus. Any other man placed in our Lord's circumstances, knowing he's about to be nailed to a cross, knowing every detail of what he is going to suffer, knowing he is about to bear the sins of everyone who would ever believe, knowing that he is about to be forsaken by his own father, knowing that he is about to be mocked and scorned and die a horrible death, any other man in that situation would have been preoccupied with his own problems. and would have been in such a state of uncontrollable despair and fear that he would never have been able to focus his attention on the needs of anyone else. But Jesus is different. Here is Jesus Christ, 100% divine, while at the same time 100% human. anticipating the most horrible kind of experience, and yet he is totally unconcerned at this point about his experience, but rather he is totally absorbed in the needs of his eleven beloved disciples, his friends, who were going to be shocked and ripped apart emotionally and mentally torn when it happened. Completely aware of everything that awaited him, feeling the weight of the awful load of sin that he is about to bear, Realizing that he is about to taste the bitter cup of God's wrath, he still took a primary interest in the sorrows and the fears of his apostles. And instead of being occupied with what was going to happen to him, he is occupied with them. That tells you something about the uniqueness of Jesus. He had just told them that he is leaving them and they cannot follow. He has even told their leader that He is going to deny Him three times before the first morning rooster crows. And so it is that their hearts are broken and full of sorrow, and Jesus displays His great love for them by being occupied with their sorrow rather than His own. And as these six verses unfold, they become the foundation for comfort, not only for the disciples, but also for us. If you ever get to a point in your life where you think all has collapsed around you and you've run out of escapes, and there's no longer any place where you can rest, turn to John 14, 1-6 and settle down. It is filled with comfort for your troubled soul. And what Jesus basically says is, trust me. Why does He say that? Because the basis of comfort comes out of trusting Christ. If you're discontent and you don't have any comfort and you're worried and anxious or bewildered and perplexed or confused and agitated, whatever it may be, the reason is you aren't trusting Christ. That's the reason. And so in these verses, Jesus says, I want you to trust three things. I want you to trust my presence. I want you to trust my promises. I want you to trust my person. And what you will find is that in trusting Christ, there's comfort. Because if we really trust Him, what do we have to worry about? What do we have to be agitated about? The reason the disciples were so stirred up is because they had begun to focus on their problems and they didn't seem to be able to put their trust in Christ. And so in these verses, he says to them and to us, trust me. That's what he says, and you'll hear it repeatedly. Trust me. Trust me. So notice, first of all, that he says, trust in Christ's presence. Trust in Christ's presence. Look at verse one. Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. The previous few days had been an emotional roller coaster for the disciples. They're now upset and anxious and distressed. And so Jesus tells them, stop being upset and start trusting me. You see, in the Greek language, he is not saying, do not start being troubled. No, what he is saying is, stop letting your hearts be troubled. He knows that they're already troubled. He's saying, stop doing that. Don't let your hearts be troubled any longer. You see, they were already emotional wrecks on the inside. They're already perplexed and filled with a whole spectrum of emotions. To them, everything seemed to be falling apart. All of their dreams and desires were unraveling. And the gloomy prospect of Jesus dying left them overwhelmed with fear. They had become fully convinced that he was the Messiah, but the only concept that they had ever had of a Messiah was that of a great conqueror, a kind of superhero, a sovereign ruling king. And their hopes had risen even higher when Jesus came riding into Jerusalem And everybody threw palm branches down in front and cried, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. But then they had heard him begin to talk about the fact that he was going to die. Just like a grain of wheat which is buried in the ground. And even though he said that just like that grain of wheat which dies, that he would bring forth much fruit, they were shaken and filled with sorrow because they really loved him. And the thought of losing him was unbearable. And not only that, there were also the theological implications. How in the world could they reconcile His death with Him being the Messiah? And how about them? I mean, what kind of a way is this to treat them? After all, they had forsaken all and followed Him, and now He's going to leave and go away, and when He does, He's going to leave them surrounded by enemies who hated both Him and them. It was all so strange. Nothing seemed to fit. A Messiah who's going to die, and there they are, stuck in a situation, hated by all of the Jewish ruling authorities, and considered fools by all the Romans. Where would their strength and resources come from? And then there had been the other events of that evening in the upper room. They had been shamed by their prideful refusal to wash each other's feet, which prompted Jesus to humbly do what they refused to do. And then they were perplexed, because Jesus actually said that one of them was going to betray Him, and they didn't know who it was, and they didn't understand why Judas left. And then to make matters worse, they just heard Jesus say to Peter, who was on the surface, the strongest of them all, that he's going to deny Jesus three times. Jesus read their hearts, because He knew exactly what they were thinking. He was well aware of their minds. He was able to be touched with the feelings of their infirmities. He could sorrow with their sorrows and hurt with their hurts. And it's kind of an interesting thing that they couldn't feel his pain but he could feel theirs. There's always room in his heart and there still is for the troubles of others. He feels their griefs just like they were his own. And so he kindly moves to comfort them. And all the time He's doing that, He knows that they're going to scatter and forsake Him. He knows that, but He still offers them comfort. And so Jesus says, friends, stop being troubled. There's the agonizing shepherd facing the cross, comforting the sheep who are going to be scattered and forsaken. And He gives them then the basis for their comfort. He says at the end of the verse, Believe in God, believe also in me. Now let me explain what Jesus meant by that statement. The word translated believe can also be translated trust. And it is often rendered as such in scripture. So it can be translated trust in God, trust also in me. Notice that Jesus placed himself on an equal plane with God the Father as an appropriate object of faith. In calling them to trust in God, Jesus was calling his disciples to put their hope in him too. Now this statement has two parts. Believe in God and believe also in me. When you read those statements in the Greek, they can either be read as simple statements of fact or as imperative commands. But it doesn't make sense to read the second statement as a statement of fact because they weren't trusting in Jesus at that point in time. They were scared to death and fearful of what the future held. So there are a couple of other ways to understand these statements that makes more sense. First, one possibility is to understand these statements as both being imperative commands. Commands to his followers that rather than being troubled, they were to trust in God the Father and in Jesus' Son. But another possibility, which I believe makes more sense, is to understand the first statement as a statement of fact, you already trust in God, and then the second statement as an imperative, trust also in me. So I think it's more likely that Jesus is saying, you already believe in God, so now believe in me. But the key point here is that Jesus is putting himself on an equal level with God the Father in terms of being one upon whom the disciples can place their full trust and allegiance during difficult times. The idea of believing here is not the idea of saving faith. He's not saying, believe in me and you'll be saved. They already believe in him at that level. He is saying, keep on trusting me. You trust in God, so trust in Me. Even when I'm no longer visible to you, keep trusting Me." But their faith was typically like that of Thomas, wasn't it? They had to see it to believe it. And they believed in Jesus. After all, He was standing right there. They had seen everything he did, but he was about to leave them and become invisible to the physical eye. So he's saying, just because I'm leaving, shouldn't mean that you fall apart. You don't see God, but you believe in Him with all your heart, and you should do the same with me. Back in Deuteronomy 31.6, Moses told the people of Israel, Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. King David wrote, When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. On another occasion he wrote, Those who know your name will put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. And now Jesus says to them, You believe in God and He's invisible. You believe in His love even though you've never seen Him. You believe in His care and yet you've never seen His hand that protects you. You have full faith in an invisible God. So I want you to also believe in me even though I'm not here. You can have full faith in me just like you have faith in God. Just because I'm not visibly with you shouldn't make a difference. over in John 20, verse 29, after Jesus had shown his nail prints to Thomas. He said, Thomas, because you've seen me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see and yet believed. The visible presence of Christ isn't the issue. That's what he's trying to get across. In Matthew 28, 20, Jesus said, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age. And when he said that, he was paralleling what God said about himself back in Joshua 1, 5, which was quoted in Hebrews 13, 5. I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you. So what he says to the disciples is, just because I can't be seen, don't let that bother you. You have full faith in an invisible God, so have full faith in me too. Look at John 16, 13 for a second. Jesus is telling them that He's going to send the Holy Spirit to them. And notice what He says the Holy Spirit will do. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come. And then in verse 14 he says that the Holy Spirit didn't come to talk about himself. He will glorify me for he will take of mine and will disclose it to you. He's saying the Spirit is going to reveal my words and teachings to you. He's going to point you to me. So the Spirit's ministry is to show us that Jesus is alive and to explain Him and His Word to us. Verse 15, All things that the Father has are mine, therefore I said that He takes of mine and will disclose it to you. The Spirit's ministry is to show us Christ. And so Jesus says here, listen, fellas, you believe in the invisible God. So believe in me too. And then he sends the Holy Spirit to live in them. And the Holy Spirit's ministry is to remind them that Jesus is still there, that he's alive. The ministry of the Spirit is to testify of Christ. The Holy Spirit's ministry is not one of receiving glory for himself by granting all kinds of miraculous gifts. His ministry is to point to Christ, not to himself. And so the first comforting awareness is to know that Jesus is alive and present, although we cannot see him. Eventually, Peter got it and understood this message because over in 1 Peter 1.8, a part of what we read in our scripture reading today, he says, And though you have not seen him, you love him. And though you do not see him now, but believe in him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. You know, I've never seen Jesus Christ and neither have you. But there is no one in existence who I trust more than I trust him. He is alive and he is as real for believers today as he was for those 11 disciples. How do I know that? Because the Spirit of God testifies in my heart continually that Jesus Christ lives. John 15 26 says the spirit of truth will testify about Jesus. So although I can't see him, I trust him. So the first point of our comfort then is his presence. Whatever your trouble, whatever your problems, whatever mess you're in, whatever anxiety or perplexity you're in, just remember that the Lord is there with you. But there's a second means by which we gain comfort from Jesus today. Not only do we trust his presence, but we also trust in Christ's promises. We trust in Christ's promises. Look at verses two and three. In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. This is an incredible comfort for the disciples and for all believers who come after them. Jesus now reveals that their separation from him would not be permanent. He starts by telling them, in my father's house are many dwelling places. What does he mean by that term, my father's house? He means heaven. It's just another name for heaven. As you study through the New Testament, you find that heaven is referred to by various terms. It's called a country, emphasizing its vastness. It's called a city because of the large number of inhabitants. It's called a kingdom because it is a place of order and structure where God is the king. It's called paradise because of its indescribable beauty. It's called a place of rest because they're the redeemed or free from the wearying conflict with sin, Satan, and the evil world system that hates those who love Christ. So it's called a country, a city, a kingdom, a paradise, and a place of rest. But it's also given this very personal title by Jesus when he calls it my Father's house. I don't know about you, but there's no place better than home. Back in 1987, during my career in law enforcement, I had the opportunity to attend the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. It's a three-month-long training school for mid- and upper-level law enforcement commanders. It's considered to be the premier training course that any law enforcement officer can ever attend, and it was a wonderful experience which benefited me tremendously in my career. But when I went, I left behind my wife, Marsha, who was pregnant, along with our two oldest children, who were only seven and four at the time. And after being there about three weeks, I and all 249 other guys in our class could only think of one thing, getting done and getting home. And we all loved that experience, but we all wanted to be with our families and all of the joys and comforts of home. And I know that those of you who were or are in the military and have been deployed have experienced those same feelings. Home is where I'm most relaxed and comfortable. That's where I can rest and relax and enjoy its blessings and comforts at the pace I wish to go. It's there where those are whom I love. And so when Jesus refers to heaven as my father's house, it's a very personal special term. It's his home as it were. It is where up until his incarnation he had spent all of past eternity in perfect fellowship and love with his father. And so that term carried a lot of meaning for him. And then Jesus says that in his father's house are many dwelling places. Now if you grew up using the King James Version like I did, you will recall that this verse in the King James calls them mansions. And if you're a person of a certain age here today, you may have even sung the old hymn, I've got a mansion just over the hilltop. But for modern English readers, that is a very misleading translation. It came about as a transliteration of the word found in the Latin Vulgate, mansiones, which is the plural form of mansio, which means dwelling. To someone who read Old Latin, it was understood that that word meant dwelling places. But the King James translators were heavily influenced by the Latin Vulgate and they merely transliterated the word mansiones into the English word mansions, an English word which originally meant nothing more than dwelling places or residences. But while the translators may have understood that the word meant dwelling places as time went by, the meaning of the word changed to refer to a very large stately fancy home, something which the original word did not convey. Folks, let me just say heaven is not some gigantic real estate development with house after house lining streets of gold and when you get to the pearly gates St. Peter's going to be there with a golf cart to take you to your mansion. Now the idea here is taken from the pattern that was followed in Israel during biblical times in which a father would build a home and then would add on to that home with additional rooms for his sons and their families. In modern terms, the dwelling places might be seen as rooms within the Father's spacious house. The whole house belongs to everyone who lives there, but each one has his or her own room within that house. And one tidbit of good news, this is not some huge apartment building filled with sinners who irritate you with their loud music, drinking, squabbling and fighting. Now this is one huge sinless family living in the same gigantic home together, loving one another and enjoying the unlimited blessings of the home together. Now you might wonder, well how big is this place? I mean, it would have to be huge to hold all the believers of all the ages. Well flip over to Revelation 21 16 for a moment. John tells us exactly how big it is. And I think you'll see that it is more than adequate. He writes, Revelation 21 16, the city is laid out as a square and its length is as great as its width. And he measured the city with a rod 1500 miles. Its length and width and height are equal. Now what you have here is a gigantic cube in which the area of only one side would be equal to 2,250,000 square miles. As a comparison, the greater London area contains 606 square miles with a population of almost 9 million. That means that if you populated only the first floor of heaven with the same population density as London, England, you could put 33 billion people in there, which is over four times more people than currently live on the entire earth. And that's just the first floor. The best estimate available for all the people who've ever lived on earth since Adam and Eve is about 108 billion. But all those people are not going to be going to heaven. In fact, the vast majority will not be. And remember, heaven is also 1,500 miles high. So there's a lot of room in the Father's house for many, many dwelling places. The holy angels will be there also, but there's more than enough room for everyone. Now everyone wants to know what heaven is going to look like and just how spectacularly beautiful it will be. And John tells us in Revelation 21. It's just incredible. But I think the best part about heaven is not the physical description of the place. The best thing about heaven is found in Revelation 21 verses 3 and 4. Where it says, I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men. Now what's that? Who's the tabernacle of God? It's Jesus. Remember John told us back in John 1 14 that the word became flesh and tabernacled among us. So the term the tabernacle of God is a reference to Jesus. And John says, and He will dwell among them. That's us. And they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be any death, and there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain. The first things have passed away. In the Father's house, Jesus takes care of all of the hurts and the needs of His children, and He eternally drives them away. Listen, I don't know about you, but I'm ready. I am so tired of this sin-cursed world and the constant fight with my fallen human nature that I'm ready for the Lord to come and take me there. My Heavenly Father is there. My Lord and Savior is there. My home is there. My name is written there. My inheritance is there. My citizenship is there. And the great promise that Jesus gives to His disciples and all His children that He's going to come back and take us there. And there's never been an interior decorator or designer like Jesus. I would recommend you read all of Revelation 21 on your own sometime, but let me just read you a little bit of it. Here's what heaven's going to look like. Beginning in verse 18 of Revelation 21, the material of the wall was jasper and the city was pure gold like clear glass. Jasper is a gemstone which has several different colors, but it's generally an opaque orangey red. However, back in verse 11, John tells us that this jasper is crystal clear. And the gold which the city is made of is so pure that it's as translucent as clear glass. Neither one of those exists in this world, but Jesus made them and he uses them as building material. And then beginning in verse 19, The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth barrel, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacenth, the twelfth amethyst, And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each one of the gates was a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass." Can you imagine? All these precious stones are just foundation stones. I mean, the best foundation man can come up with is steel-reinforced concrete. But Jesus says that he's going back to a place that is so spectacular that precious stones are used as foundation material. And each of the gates to enter into the city is made out of one huge single pearl. Verse 22, I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. There's no need for a special place of worship, because God the Father and Jesus are there in the city, so the whole city is a place of worship. Verse 23, And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. Just think about that. The light of God's glory will be the only light that is needed to light up the whole city, and it will be brighter than the sun, sparkling through all of those jewels and gemstones and translucent gold streets and buildings. Verse 25, its gates will never be closed. The only reason to close the gates of a city are to protect the inhabitants from invasion by evil forces, but no evil can enter God's presence. So there's no need to close the gates. And verse 27 verifies that for us. It says, and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. What a city! a transparent golden city with walls that are clear like diamonds but with the color of jasper and huge white pearl gates with the Lord's glory flashing through all the colored jewels and forming a spectacle of dazzling beauty and absolutely no sin or evil or defilement of any kind. Don't you wish you were there now? And all of us know somebody who's already there. Can you imagine what they're experiencing? Let's go back to our text in John 14 and see what Jesus says next. He says in verse 2, if it were not so, I would have told you. In other words, listen guys, trust me. I've always told you the truth. There's plenty of room in my father's house. I'm not just saying this to try to make you feel good about my leaving. And then he says, for I go to prepare a place for you. Now that doesn't mean what many preachers and teachers have said through the years. I've heard a lot of preachers say that this means that Jesus is up in heaven working on a major construction job, getting heaven ready for people to go there, building places for all of those who are coming to faith in Him. And so far He's been working on it for over 2,000 years and He still isn't complete. And they'll say, just think how beautiful heaven will be when it's finally finished. All this time and it still isn't ready. Jesus is still working on it. When He's finally done, then He's going to come back and get us. I imagine many of you have heard that Many of you probably think that's what Jesus meant when he said that he's going to prepare a place for us. That's not at all what Jesus meant. First of all, since God predestined all of the elect and eternity past before the foundation of the world, he has always known exactly how many dwelling places are needed in heaven. Secondly, remember that when John gave us the description of heaven in Revelation 21, the city was already complete. And third, because He is God and infinitely powerful, as illustrated by His creation of the entire universe in only seven days, then designing and creating the heavenly city is no problem for Him either. Remember, He created the sun, the moon, and all the stars in the universe in only one day. And the most recent estimate is that there are 10 billion galaxies composed of 1 billion trillion stars. And he did it in one day. So preparing the heavenly city only took him an instant. So then, what does Jesus mean by his statement, I go to prepare a place for you? He meant that he was going to the cross. And thus, by his death and resurrection, he would prepare a place in heaven for his disciples. None of them would be worthy of entering His heaven apart from faith and His death for their sins. And it was by His resurrection in which He conquered death and then by His exaltation as the conquering Savior that He made a way for them to be able to follow Him to heaven. And in Hebrews 6 20 we're told that Jesus is our forerunner who goes before us and so He has gone before us to show us that we also will follow Him. That's how He prepared a place for them and for us. It's as if he said, I go to the cross to prepare a place for you. Jesus didn't use those exact words, but that's what he meant. And then he continued in verse three with the second part of the promise. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there you may be also. He says, listen, I'm not only going to prepare the way for you to get there, but then I'm going to come back. and get you and take you there, and I'm not going to send a substitute in my place, I'm going to come and get you myself. Now some of you may wonder about that little word, if, at the beginning of the verse. That does not mean that there's a possibility he won't do it. In the Greek, what's known as a third class conditional sentence, which changes the nature of that little Greek word to give it a temporal sense, which is better understood as when I go, or after I go, or since I go. So there isn't any doubt about whether he would go and prepare a place for his disciples. It is a statement that assured his disciples that he was going to do it. Jesus is saying, I'm going away to make a way for you to follow me, but don't panic, I'm coming back. It may get dark, it may get scary, it may look like I forgot, but I'll be back. Trust me, trust my promise. I'm coming to get you and you'll be with me. Now when Jesus said that, he's talking about the rapture of the church, not the second coming. How can I say that? Because in the verses which deal with the second coming, we always see that he is coming to earth to judge and establish his kingdom. And in Matthew 24, 30 and 31, it tells us at the second coming, the angels gather in the elect. But here Jesus says, he will personally come and gather his children. At the second coming, the elect return with Christ as he sets up his earthly kingdom. But here he promises to return to take his children home. So between this rapture event and the second coming, the believers of the church age will be in heaven celebrating the marriage supper of the lamb and receiving their rewards while the tribulations taking place on earth. And then Jesus returns in judgment and kingdom glory and the saints will return with him. So again and again in the gospels, we see that Jesus has told his disciples that he wouldn't forsake them, and now he reminds them again. So then we've seen that they and we are to trust his presence, and we are to trust his promises. Now, third, they and we are to trust Christ's person. Trust Christ's person. Look at verses four through six. And you know the way where I'm going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you're going. How do we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. Back in John 7 33, Jesus had already told them that he was returning to the Father, so he expected them to know where he was going. But by now, their minds are so rattled by everything that he has said in the previous few minutes that they're not sure of anything. And so Thomas vocalized their perplexity when he says, Lord, we don't know where you're going, so how do you expect us to know the way? It's a pretty good question. Jesus has said, I'm going to the Father. Now he says, you know the way. And what Thomas says in response is, Lord, our knowledge of everything stops at death. You're telling us that you're going to die and go somewhere. We don't know what happens after death. We don't know where you're going to be. So how can we know how to get there? And then in verse six, Jesus makes the sixth I am statement that he has made in John's gospel. He basically says, so you don't know the way? Well, let me tell you, I am the way and the truth and the life. In other words, guys, you don't need to wonder about how to get there because I'm the way to get to God. You don't need to worry about how to get there. And when Jesus made this statement, He is making the most outrageously exclusive statement about himself that you will find in scripture. The definite article V is present with each of those nouns which he uses to describe himself. He is the one and only way. He is the one and only truth. He is the one and only life. He is saying there is no other way, no other truth, no other life than that which is found in him. That means all other religions which claim to tell you how to find your way to heaven by some means other than Jesus Christ are all wrong. Now we need to look at each one of these descriptions of himself that Jesus gave to Thomas. First he starts by saying, I am the way. A way presupposes two points, a beginning point and an ending point. In this case, it's the way from man's total ruin and sin to God the Father. Man is alienated from God because man is a slave to his sin, and he is completely and utterly lost in it. This is called the doctrine of total depravity. It doesn't mean that man is as bad a sinner as he can possibly be, but that every part of man's nature is completely stained by sin. His thoughts, his motives, his desires, his actions, his inactions. Every area of man's nature is enslaved to sin, so that he is constantly sinning or planning to sin. And just as a slave has no way to gain his freedom apart from the actions of another to free him, so too man has no way out of his sin apart from the action of the Holy Spirit to draw that man to Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way out of that sin because he's the only one who provided a satisfactory, a sufficient payment for sin. He provides the only way by which man can be reconciled to God. He is the way of reconciliation to God. Second, Jesus says he's the truth. He didn't say, I've come to tell you the truth about God the Father. Nor did He say, I've come to point to the truth about God the Father. No, He said, I am the truth. I and the Father are one. He who has seen Me has seen the Father. And what do we learn about God from Jesus? We learn that God is a person. He's not an impersonal force. He's a person with the full traits of personality and who desires to communicate with people and wants them to know Him. We see that in Jesus. We also see in Jesus that God is holy. We don't see His holiness in creation, at least not in a clear way. We see that there is a creative God who is infinitely powerful, but we don't see His holiness clearly defined. But in Jesus we see a holy God, one who is set apart from us by His lack of sin, who is righteous in every way. And then we see in Jesus that God is a God of mercy and love and compassion. He cares about the impact of sin in our lives. with his resulting sickness and death. He pours out mercy on those who believe in him and on those who don't. He willingly came to die for those who were his enemies in order to make them a part of his family. So we see that Jesus reveals the truth about God to us. He illumines our minds with truth about the Father and so we know what we must believe about sin and salvation through his Son. Third, Jesus says that he was the life Here we see that He is the means by which man is regenerated to new life. Fallen man is dead in trespasses and sin, but Jesus is the one through whom sinners are raised to new life, a life which is everlasting and then are granted eternity in heaven with God in all of His glory. So Jesus is the means of regeneration. So to sum it all up, in this simple statement in verse 6, Jesus says He's the answer for every problem man has in terms of his relationship to God. Because man is alienated from God, enslaved to his sin, an enemy of God, Jesus is the way of reconciliation. Because man is incapable of understanding who God is and how to get to Him, Jesus is the truth who illumines man about God and salvation. And because man is completely and utterly dead in sin, Jesus is the life who regenerates that dead heart and grants eternal life. Verse 6 is one of the most powerful statements in all of Scripture about who Jesus is, and it is absolutely and completely exclusive. There is no one else like Him. The postmodern belief that there are many paths to religious truth is a satanic lie. Jesus alone reveals God and no one who rejects his proclamation of truth can legitimately claim to follow God. That's what Jesus said himself there at the end of the verse. No one comes to the Father except through me. All other religions and human schemes by which man is supposed to find their way to God are nothing more than lies from the father of lies himself. But because Jesus is the truth, he alone can make that statement and thus Anyone who rejects him has no hope of ever reaching God. Going back to the context of our passage, let me ask you a question. Do you trust Jesus in death? Every one of us is facing death. Unless Jesus returns within the next 100 years, every person in this room will die. But Jesus told the disciples, don't worry about what's going to happen when you die because I've prepared the way and my father's house has plenty of room for those who trust in me. Are you longing for that day? You look forward to the day when you'll be with Jesus? Are you like the disciples who are sitting there all perplexed and befuddled saying, I have no idea what happens after I die? Or are you saying, I trust in him, but I'm afraid to die. There's no need to be afraid. Jesus says, do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. And he promised to come back and get his children. So for those who trust him alone, there's nothing at all to fear. And he says, trust me, because I am the way and the truth and the life. I'm the way to the Father. Everything is found in Jesus Christ. He is everything we need. Everything Adam lost is regained in Christ. So trust His presence, trust His promises, trust His person. No matter how bad your circumstances may look, whether it's illness or death or persecution, no matter what, there's comfort in Him because you can trust in Him. If you're here today and you've never placed your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, please don't walk out of here today without doing that. Because to be indifferent or noncommittal about Jesus Christ is to reject Him. The one who is the only hope for eternal life to reject Jesus Christ is to choose eternal punishment in hell. If you'd like to talk about receiving Christ, some of our elders will be up front after the service. Please come and speak with one of them. I would love to explain to you how you can have a personal relationship with him. Father, thank you for these comforting words from your son. They're exactly what we need to hear in these dark days. We're a needy people. A people who find ourselves failing to trust Jesus' promises as we should. A people who often neglect the truth that you'll never leave us or forsake us. Lord, we ask that you would, by the power of your Spirit, help us to sink down deep roots of trust and reliance on the promises that Jesus has given us. Increase our faith in the blessed hope of Christ's return for us. And until that day comes, Help us to recognize that He has assured us that we don't need to worry or be anxious about either our present or our future because we can trust Him to take us through the difficult times and circumstances we face. Father, I pray that everyone here today comes to full realization that Jesus Christ is the only way, the only truth, the only life. He is the only means by which anyone can come to you. May every one of us see in Christ the perfect sacrifice for our sins. The one who conquered death so that we might have life. The one who will return to take his children home to be with him. The one who will someday return in righteous judgment to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Thank you for this time we've had to look into your word today. And we pray all of these things in the name of our only Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, whom we eagerly await. Amen.