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January 28, 2022 2:00 am
When Jesus' public ministry was over in John 14, He shared the Last Supper with His disciples. In this message through John 14 from the series Expound: John, Skip shares how obedience to Christ enriches your life.
This teaching is from the series Pastor Skip's Top 40.
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Because he gives them a command to let not your heart be troubled. It shows us that we are in control of our emotions was I can't help I'm stressed out. Jesus would never give you a command that was impossible for you most his disciples. Today we continue our countdown scripts top 40 messages on the connect with Skip, I think YouTube channel in the number 21 Scott escapes message from John chapter 14, Skip sits down with you at this Last Supper, and shares how you can cultivate deeper and more satisfying relationship usually respects the creases Jesus path to the cross and set you on a trajectory fulfilling life in Christ year was 1962 trained in the space race only resident Kennedy turned down a strong claim. I believe that this nation should commit itself all night for this date is out landing a man on the moon safely to their three… Like of the cavity makes the rate full moon and whatever you do it in the next 10 year, and it can add safety with a man come safely back home. What an incredible thing to say when all of our faith. At that moment amounted to 15 minutes on the moon you hardcover resource for this month, receive your copy to $35 more to support this program to connect.com, 100 9288 connect with.com one 890 John chapter 14 to get into today's message. This section is called the room. I mentioned to you when we were together last and it's been a while so I'll refresh your memory that there are four major discourses that Jesus gave that are recorded in the Bible that America may have been more but before major speeches, discourses, teachings that Jesus gave in the Bible are as follows number one. The sermon on the Mount. Perhaps his most famous is Matthew five, six and seven. That happened in one setting. The second is the kingdom parable discourse. That's Matthew chapter 13 the kingdom of heaven is like the kingdom of heaven is like the sower and the seed parables the wheat and the tear parable.
Those are the kingdom parables of Matthew 13 so those are two discourses. The third discourse is the Olivet discourse and that is because Jesus was on Mount Olivet or the Mount of olives overlooking Jerusalem and gave a discourse on the end of all things. The last days. So Matthew 24, also recorded in Luke chapter 21 in Matthew 13. That's the third discourse this the upper room discourse is his fourth and I'm drawing attention to it because it is the longest of all of them in the most intimate of all of them. It's especially good for us because we are disciples of Jesus Christ.
Most all of us and so some of these things are so precious to our faith and this discourse the upper room discourse because it was given in the upper room at the Passover with Jesus by Jesus to his disciples, that's John 13 1415 and 16.
And if you want to even throw in the prayer of John 17 to his father is the most intimate and is the longest of all of them. What you need to know or lease remember because you probably already know from times before, is that this is not a public meeting this section. Here is a private meeting with the private meal.the public is shut out of this discourse Jesus public ministry is over. At this point is nothing more to say to the nation. That's because the nation has brought their gavel down on Jesus and has as a nation rejected him.
He came unto his own, but his own received him not. So the doors are shot and behind the doors.
It's a small group 13 men. Jesus and his 12 and what he has to share with them is so precious and so uplifting a little bit of context will help because as we get into chapter 14 the disciples by now are agitated, the restless there quite upset their troubled because though it's Passover. It's a time of celebration at the time of recollection. Jesus has shared some things with his men that makes them anything but happy and satisfied their nervous so far, Jesus has predicted he's going to die, not what they expected. Jesus has predicted he will be betrayed by one of them and then he broke up piece of the bread and gave it to Judas Iscariot and third Jesus has just announced to Peter even though Peter said though all may walk out on you. I will be the faithful one. He said will Peter actually three times tonight to deny me. So Peter, especially, but all of the disciples were trouble they were agitated they were nervous they were upset and so Jesus begins.
Let not your heart be troubled you believe in God believe also in me now you'll notice in verse one. Jesus gives a commandment. That's what it is. It's a commandment it's in the imperative mode. That's a command.
Let not your heart be troubled. It's a commandment.
It is a present tense. It is as I mentioned in imperative in the mode the mood but it's a passive voice so what it means is Jesus is saying I want you to stop an action that you're already doing. You are already troubled. You are already agitated not stop stressing out that would be a probably pretty accurate translation stop stressing out. I know you're stressing out stop putting into it so he gives that command was disciples. Let not your heart be troubled. Let me throw something out at your because he gives them a command to let not your heart be troubled. It shows us that we are in control of our emotions so because I can't help I'm stressed out man I can help it stop. Jesus would never give you a command that was impossible for you to keep. So with the commandment comes the capability to keep the commandment because Jesus gives it and he knows all men. The Bibles so he says to you, and I stop being agitated, stop being trouble. Stop stressing out. How could he do that. Are there any reasons that he gives why or how what the basis is for that.
Yes, there are three reasons you can apply these to your life. Number one because of who you know number two because of where you will go and number three because of what he'll show. I put them in that order. So you could easily memorize them. First of all because of who you know. Notice what he says let not your hearts be troubled you believe, or you trust in God, believe or trust also in me. You think the disciples had any reason not to trust Jesus as he been trustworthy so far. Up to this point. Whenever there was any need.
Couldn't they just lean on Jesus and he was there in amazing ways. When there was no food for the multitude. Jesus fed the multitude when the storm is get overwhelmed about Jesus calmed the storm when Lazarus died, Jesus raised in the life that's amazing. Let not your heart be troubled, you trust God, trust also in me because of who you know you know God by faith.
You know me you've lived with me for 3 1/2 years. Trust also in me is the first reason, second reason because of where you go first to my father's house are many mansions if it were not so I would've told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Did you know that the Bible speaks a lot about heaven. I know you knew that. But you know how much the Bible mentions it 532 times. It speaks about heaven speaks about a lot, but please notice here how Jesus refers to heaven where you'll go where I'll go because of your faith in Jesus you trust God you trust Jesus, you're going to have it.
He speaks of it relationally, not locationally but relationally because of my father's house and he says in my father's house are many let listen this literally rooms. I know it says mansion because of a unfortunate translation from the Latin Vulgate from Greek into the Latin Vulgate in the English so it says mansion so I know you. You've always thought that there is to be like this Hollywood drive along the driveway and maybe statues on the side of you. Perhaps I don't know, then this huge mansion in doesn't disappoint you when it says in my father's house there are rooms in fact a most accurate translation apartments.
I know you all know I hate that thought I meant I was making on that mansion. Hey don't hold her. It's good to be pretty awesome. I wouldn't I would take God's apartment over the devils mansion any day. Just saying right okay so so in my father's house are many apartments many rooms now. A little background and again not II could go on and I could take out words but I do want to get to the communion so in the Middle East. In ancient times. Think of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the patriarchs, they live in, and house they live in what tent so when their kids grew up and they married and had kids you know they did, they just added on to the 10th room in another room for more kids and another in the they would take the stance you'll see in the Middle East. These sprawling tents that are just divided by sheets of tent material. So in that one family tent. There are many rooms. It keeps going. So with that motif and mine from the Middle Eastern Way of thinking in my father's house there is room for you. There are many rooms and he can make more and more and more, but now I want you to think of this verse in terms of what you know about the future where you go you going to heaven, but when you die, what will that be like will you be in the presence of God and we could come up with certain details about what happens can be like, but if you think about way into the future after you die and go to heaven or you get wrapped in and have and eventually after a thousand years on this earth on in the millennial kingdom. You know this earth is to be destroyed right completely destroyed and got to make a new heaven and a new earth, so the new heaven and the new earth Of very particular oddity to them.
There's a city capital city of the new earth called new Jerusalem. See I knew you knew all this stuff, but what's odd about the new Jerusalem is it's its own planet because in the book of Revelation, John sees a vision of the new heaven and the new earth, and he says I saw ablation 21 new Jerusalem, coming out of heaven made by God, prepared by God coming toward the new earth and then he wanted to know how big it was because obviously was pretty large, and the angel measured it and told them the dimensions.
It's 12,000 furlongs in all directions is a perfect cube so it's with its breath and its height are 12,000 furlongs for about 1500 mi.³ or 2,250,000 mi.², or a city 15,000 times the size of London, England or about the size of our present moon. So think about moon but not a sphere, a cube coming toward their pre-while the scientist named Henry Morris put pen to paper and he said a city that size with those dimensions could safely take on 20 billion inhabitants.
Listen to this and that's only designating 25% of the city for dwelling places. If you took the square mileage that I just gave to you that would safely and easily allow 20 billion people to live, occupying only 25% of it allowing 75% for public works streets, parks, whatever. And I would give each of the 20 billion inhabitants of that city. A cubicle block 75 acres on each side. That's how big it would be now. I am also believing that in our eternal state in the resurrected body.
We have judging from how Jesus was able to travel in his resurrected body from one place to another instantaneously. That will be able to move not only horizontally but vertically so just wanted to throw that it's fun to think about it in terms of in my father's house there are many rooms.
Can't wait to explore and that's only the capital city. Nothing is said of the new earth, and the new heaven so we can have a lot of fun finding out what that's all about.
Verse three I know I'm taking the time and 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 know that's the third reason the reason you shouldn't be troubled is because of who you know because of where you'll go. And because of what he'll show you I'm in a go and prepare a place for you. Heaven is a personalized place your room, your apartment, your mansion is gonna be personally he's making something for you is preparing a place for you. I always love to think of it I did two funerals yesterday and I was love the thought that you know a night when I go out of town or when my wife goes out of town and I'm home.
If I know she's coming back.
I want to prepare a place for him to clean it up and make it nice so so it's a nice surprise when she comes on site while you were clean. How did that happen. So I try to prepare it. Now my preparation might be a couple hours, maybe even a day if I have a day off to do the Jesus made the promise 2000 years ago. I'm leaving to prepare a place for you.
Can you imagine what this place must look like. If he's been working on that mansion of yours for 2000 years now. I will theologically concur that perhaps Jesus when he said I'm going to prepare a place for you was simply speaking of the cross. I'm in a make a way for Yama to prepare a way for your place for you by allowing you to go there by me going to the cross and being the sacrifice to allow you to get to heaven he could simply mean that or he could mean I'm personally going to make something for you or could all be what he means by that. That is what he'll show I go to prepare a place for you and if I go I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. You probably should write in your notes or in the margin of your Bible. First Thessalonians chapter 4 of first Corinthians 15 both passages that speak of what Jesus spoke of first or hinted at first and that is the rapture of the church. He is talking here, not about coming to the earth to judge the earth and set up his kingdom. Revelation 19 but he's saying I'm to come back for you to get you and Paul tells us that will happen at a different time then when he comes the second time the second coming all the way to the earth to set up his kingdom all the rapture of the church. This is the first hint ever since Jesus spoke these words, the churches had what Paul called the blessed hope, the blessed hope of Jesus return for us. He could come at any moment he could come before the end of this Bible study Jesus is coming soon. I'm excited about that. You know, as I look around at the world. I don't have hope in any politician or political party on not holding my breath thinking is can be changed in four years I never caught a politician break change enough to satisfy my heart. I'm looking for Jesus to take every politician say move over here doing it wrong. Let me show you the ropes. Verse four where I go you know in the way you know Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way Jesus said to him, I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. I love Thomas. You know he's probably the only honest guy in the bunch. Maybe a few of them picked up on it because after Jesus did say where I'm going.
You know, and the way you know but at least one of them didn't and I was Thomas and he wasn't the kid in class ago. I have no idea with the teacher same times in my my head right look like and write notes down, I got is good. He's the kid's sixes had about I have no clue what you just said where are you going if you know you're going. How can we know I get there, and I'm glad he said that because he opened the door for Jesus to give the answer which is the gospel in a nutshell, I am the way the truth and the life. So I know Thomas had flaws. Thomas had a? For brain. He was always questioning things, why, how, so here? For brain. But Jesus was in the process of turning the? Into an! It at the end before the ascension into heaven. Thomas will be at the!
And after Jesus goes to heaven. Thomas will carry the gospel to India and share his faith to transform the nation. But he's questioning this Jesus that I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me know hold it right there. That sounds very narrow, doesn't it does not sound awfully dogmatic. Have you ever been accused of being narrowminded, raise your hand if you have.
I get accuses that all the time. In my line of work people so you are narrowminded not. I'm thinking all the time. You have no idea how narrowminded I am your close minded because I when I received Christ. He close my mind I was open before that and then he made sense and shut the book and it is dogmatic.
It's dogmatic as Jesus was dogmatic. He said this in the sermon on the Mount. He said enter into the narrow gate. For broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter therein. But narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life and there are you find now he says no one comes to the father but through me.
That eliminates every other belief system. Believing in him.
That's 21 message messages come to its from his series expenditure message and more skips teaching as well as folding sermons are anywhere any time on any device.
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