Take your Bibles and turn with
me to John chapter 14. The Lord had said four things
to His disciples that here cause their hearts to be troubled.
We know they're troubled because that's how He begins this verse,
let not your heart be troubled. Their hearts were troubled. He
told them, first of all, that one of them was going to betray
him, one of those who sat around the table. I don't know that
he hadn't said this on several occasions, but certainly they
picked up on what he said at that occasion when he gathered
them around the table and began to talk to them about this table
and what it represented, this supper. and broke that bread,
and he said, have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is
a devil? The hand of him that betrayeth
me is on the table. He's sitting right here, sitting
right in your midst. That'd trouble us, wouldn't it?
If God come in here, if Jesus Christ was here this morning,
and He is, but if He were here in person as I am, and He stood
up here, and He said, begin to break that bread, but He said,
now one of you whose hands on the table is a betrayer. One
of you is a devil. Would every one of us go out
here troubled? We'd be troubled. And then secondly, he told them
this. He told them, he said, every one of you is going to
be offended concerning me. You're going to be offended over
me, every one of you. What's about to take place in
my life and where I'm about to go is going to cause an offense. You're going to be offended.
And one by one, you're going to leave me, and you're going
to go your way. And then thirdly, he told them
this, the strongest one. Now, I'm reading between the
lines here. There is no verse that says Peter
was the strongest of the disciples. But he's always pictured that
way. And I think he was a man of large stature. You know, when
they pulled in the net that nearly broke, it was Peter pulling that
net up. He was a hefty man. He was a
fisherman. He was a bold man. He was outspoken. He said what come to his mind.
He didn't hide things. And he said right in front of
everybody, he said, they may forsake you, but I'm not going
to. And he said, yeah, you're the one. The strongest of His
disciples, He said, is going to deny Him three times that
very evening. And their hearts were troubled.
And then, fourthly, He told them this. He said, I must leave you
because where I'm going, you cannot come. You cannot go where
I go. Now, this is the story from the
very beginning. This is the story the Lord picks
up from the very beginning in the garden. Here is a place where
man cannot go. Man cannot redeem himself. He cannot do it. God must come
to him and slay the lamb and provide him with a covering.
He shows us that in the very garden of God at the very beginning. He confirms this at the altar
of Abraham. There is no other way to God.
And this way you can't make. You can't make. Only He can make
it. Only He can go there. There's
just one. That's what God's telling us.
He tells us that in the very beginning. He made provision
of this before He ever created the world. There's just one. Just one. In all of eternity
that can go where He's getting ready to go. Go before God. stand there bearing our sins
and satisfy God's holy justice." You think about that. You think
about where he was. He said, you can't go there.
You can't go there. I believe their hearts were flooded
with mixed emotions, grief, and fear, and shock, and unbelief,
and who knows what else. And what the Savior says to them
here is He says to comfort them, to give them some peace, to give
them some rest. And I believe if we look at it
closely, we'll find the same peace and rest that was meant
for them. Now here's how He begins here
in verse 1. Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in Me. Nothing, I want you to
hear me, nothing will ease the depression of heart and the fearful
mind better or quicker than a contemplation on the power and integrity of
God. It's faith in God. I don't care
how severe the trial. I don't care if you're staring
death in the face. There's nothing that'll calm
that fear, nothing that'll get you over that depression of heart
better than when this mind and this heart contemplates the integrity
of the God you believe in. We can rest in Him, can't we?
We can rest in Him. Nothing will ease it more than
that. In all of His trials, and there
were many, it says Abraham believed God. He believed God. Did he see the substitute? Christ
said he did. He rejoiced to see my day, and
he saw it and was glad. But I'm telling you, he believed
God. He believed God. Turn with me
to I Peter chapter 5. Now it says this about many of
the old patriarchs, many of the old writers of scripture. He said Moses esteemed the reproach
of Christ, greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, and that
Moses endured as seeing him who was invisible. But here in 1
Peter chapter 5, I want you to listen to what Peter tells. These
believers were scattered all over Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia. They were all over the place
out here in these little groups gathering together to worship
God. And many of them were going through conflicts and trials
and troubles. They were being persecuted, persecuted
by the heathens around them and the idolatry that was around
them and intimidated by their fathers and by their families
and by by groups and religious groups all around. They were
under persecution, and especially under persecution of the Jews.
But listen to what he tells these people. He says in verse 6, Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may
exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He
careth for you. There is nothing that will soothe
that persecuted mind, that offended spirit, whatever it is that troubles
you. Nothing will soothe that more
than this. He careth for you. You think
about the sovereign God. He thinketh. David said, He thinketh
on me. The God of glory sits and thinks
about me. Oh, that will take these troubles
away. And Christ said, you believe
in God, believe also in Me. Now, He had not yet gone to the
cross. They didn't understand the cross.
The disciples didn't understand it. They didn't understand it
until He took the Scriptures and opened them to them after
His resurrection and showed them this glory. But Christ hadn't
gone to the cross yet. He had not yet suffered under
the wrath of God. He had not yet been laid in a
tomb or raised. He had not yet ascended into
glory. He was not yet seated at the
right hand of God. And their faith in Him as God's
Messiah, as the Mediator, was weak. They didn't understand
it. Their vision was shrouded. by religious tradition. They grew up under that Jewish
religion that contemplated and thought about the kingdom of
God as the nation of Israel, and that that kingdom was an
earthly kingdom, had an earthly king, that God would anoint a
man like David or Solomon, and He'd raise him up into power
and seat him on that throne, and God's providence would order
all things and put all things under his feet. And they would
return again to that glory that they had under Solomon and that
peace, that earthly kingdom. That's what they had in their
head. And they're hearing things contrary to that, hearing things
that they don't understand from the Lord about this kingdom.
And He's telling them over and over about this kingdom, what
this kingdom, what makes this kingdom up. But they're still
weak. They don't understand. They don't
understand. It was not their faith in God
that was weak, but their faith in Him they did not understand
and enter in completely into who He was as God's Messiah and
Mediator, still laboring under the concept of those earthly
kingdoms and temples and ceremonies. And Christ Himself... Now hear
what I'm saying. I'm not saying that these men
were ignorant, although they were, But Christ Himself had
participated in temple worship and in these ceremonies. He observed
these ceremonies. He went to the Passover. He did
these things because under the law He was required to do those
things. And He came as our representative
and their representative. And He was working out a righteousness
for us as our representative. And He had to obey that law in
every jot and tittle, even baptism. John said, I've got need to be
baptized of you. I'm not worthy to unloose your
shoelaces, let alone baptize you. And he said, suffer it to
be so for now. Suffer it to be so. Because it's
expedient for you and I that we fulfill all righteousness.
And so he did. And he attended those things.
But his attendance of those things, they misunderstood. by his attendance
to these things that he was ratifying these things and not bringing
these things to an end. They were just unclear about
his Messiahship. But here he would have them to
know that he and the Father were one. You believe in God, that
is, as you believe in God, believe also in me. Do we believe that? I wonder sometimes when I read
these things and contemplate these things, I don't just stand
here and preach to you things. I apply these things to myself
and ask myself this question. Do I really believe the living
God appeared on this earth, flesh
of my flesh, bone of my bone, walked on this earth as a man,
and as a man died on the cross, was buried, raised from the dead,
and as a man ascended to the right hand of God. And there's
a man at the right hand of God in whom dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily." Now here's what he's telling these disciples.
You believe in God the same way you believe in Him. I'm God, that's what he's telling
them. I'm God. How much do I believe that, and
to what degree have I entered into His Messiahship? Well, I'll
tell you this, if I entered into it to the extent that I ought
to, I should never have a worry, because that's why he's telling
them this, to calm that troubled heart. Listen to this in John
17 too. He prays to the Father, Glorify
Thy Son, as Thy Son has also glorified Thee. Now listen, verse
2, John 17, 2. As Thou hast given Him power
over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many
as Thou hast given Him. God handed Him all authority
and power over everything that is. handed it into His hand to
accomplish our salvation. Everything. Everything. Listen
to this, Colossians 2, verse 9. Paul is telling this to the Colossians
to give them some assurance and to calm their troubled minds. They are in a time of persecution
and he gives them this as a hope as a hope set before Him. And
listen to what He tells them here in Colossians 2, verse 9. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him, which is
the head of all principality and power. And then back in Colossians
1, verse 17, it says, He is before all things, And by him all things
consist, and he is the head of the body, the church, who is
the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things
he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that
in him should all fullness dwell." He said, you believe in God,
believe also in me. All the fullness of the Godhead
bodily standing in their presence. Do I really believe that? I ought never to have a care. I
ought never to have an anxious thought. I don't care what the
account reads at the first of the month. I'd never have a care. If God spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely
give us all things? What's he going to withhold?
You see the comfort in these things? You see what I'm trying
to tell you? He tells them, you believe in God, believe also
in Me. I'm here at God's... I'm not
only God standing here before you, but I'm here to accomplish
the will of God. You believe in Him, believe also
in Me. Why is He here? Because our sins
demanded it. Holy justice demanded it. And
in my stead, He is going to go to this cross and tread the winepress
of God's wrath alone. Do you believe in God? Believe also in me. All right,
let's look here in verse 2. In my Father's house are many
mansions, If it were not so, I would have told you. I go. Now, you remember what he told
him? He said, now, where I'm going,
you can't come right now. You can't follow me where I'm
going. But here's why I'm going. I go to prepare a place for you. That's why I came. That's what
I'm doing. That's where I'm going. I go
to prepare a place for you. And I say this to you when your
heart is depressed, and you're doing the best you can do, but
things just ain't going the way they ought to go. Maybe spiritual
things are not lining up just right. Maybe you're having some
problems and some doubts. You're confused, full of worry,
troubled, troubled. Think on this. God Himself has
taken up your calls. God Himself has taken up your
calls, fulfilled every demand that God required of you. Everything. I just can't do that. It's already been done. It's
already been done. He knew you couldn't do it. That's
why He came. Every demand that God required,
He fulfilled Himself. And ascended back into glory
by the merits of His own person. You stop and think. I am not
talking about taking some change out of the bucket. I am talking
about according to the riches of His glory. How rich is that? What is the total of that? Infinity. According to the riches of His
glory, He prepared a place for you. Huh? For you. We're not just heirs
with a little interest. The Scripture said we're heirs
of God. And joint heirs with Christ. Man, I'll just sit and think
on that and nothing else. Just sit and think on that. Think
of the glory of what Christ has purchased for us. He said, I
go. This is why I came. This is what
I'm doing. This is where I'm going. I'm
going to prepare a place for you. Is there a more comforting thought
than that? I can't prepare it. I've tried. It lasts about two
hours. clinching your fist, and setting
your jaw, and making decisions, and, well, I'm going to do it
this way. No, you ain't. No, you ain't. But he can, and he
did. He did. Now, don't go off the
deep end when you look at this word mansion. Let me give you
a couple. Back in Armenian religion, we
used to sing a song about living in a cabin in the corner of glory
land. How disgraceful is that to the
sacrifice of Christ? I know we'd be satisfied, we'd
be satisfied with that, but that's not what that majesty purposed
and that's not what that majesty and that sacrifice and those
riches provides. Mansion has to do, it doesn't
indicate degrees in heaven, you know, some of them living in
shacks and some of them You think what I'm saying is ridiculous.
I'm telling you, I've been there and heard it preached. You're
sending up material right now to build that place where you're
going to live forever. You sure are, but it ain't up.
It ain't up. If you're sending material, you
needn't worry about that. You needn't worry about that.
Talking about living in shacks. That man who just gets by, he's
going to have a shack. He comes to church, but he don't
really get involved. Well, he's just going to have
a common house. And then that man, like these apostles, they're
going to live in the mansions. That's what religion teaches.
That's ridiculous. Grace is the great leveler. What God bestows on Christ, He bestows
on you. Now, you just let your mind go
as far as it can go with that. That's what kind of a mansion
he's talking about. All those who enter into the
kingdom of God enter in on the same basis, the righteousness
and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture says being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that's
in Christ Jesus. What this word mansion means
here is prominent place. You're going to have a place
in glory more prominent than the angels. He took not on Him
the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham. It's the angels
with folded wings that stand back and look and ask, who are
these that stand before the throne? Go over to the book of Revelations
and read it. They stood there, the elders
and the angels and those who've been with the Lord from who knows
when, standing there. knowing who God is, and seeing
these men and women, a number that no man can number, standing
before the throne, dressed in these white robes, standing,
looking God, looking right at the throne. Who are these? Even the servants. stood there
with their eyes covered and their feet covered before the Lord.
And these men and these women are standing there before God,
standing there before the throne with their eyes wide open, looking,
looking full into that glory. Who are they? Who are they? That word mansion has to do with
prominent place in glory. You, all believers, are going
to occupy a prominent place. What is that place? I don't know. I can't give you the particulars
of it. They occupy a prominent place in glory, not because of
any special quality in them, but because of the merits of
Christ our Redeemer. And He does not send an angel
to do this work, but Christ Himself declares, I go and prepare a
place for you. Now you think about that. We
thought it was something to watch him bend down and wash Peter's
feet. He said, I go to prepare a place for you. Not a tent, not some temporary
dwelling place, but a mansion. And also that word mansion means
plenty of room, plenty of room. He's not talking about this little
tiny space. He's talking about infinite room. Now look here at verse 3. 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. I'm not
just going to prepare the place and then walk back and forth
over the banisters of heaven and wringing my hands and crying
my eyes and hoping somebody is going to accept what I did. Nothing. What he purchased, he's going
to have. He's going to have it. I will return. It's his leaving. Here's what I want you to see.
It's his leaving that assures his return. There is no assurance apart from
Christ going to the cross. There is no assurance apart from
Him taking that sacrifice by the Holy Spirit of God into the
holiest of all. It has to be done. But if it's
done, I'll come again. I'll come again. Without His
going to the cross and going to the tomb and going into glory,
we've got no hope of life at all. The only hope that God has
ever set before this world is the doing and dying of the Lord
Jesus Christ. That Scripture I quoted for you
a few moments ago over in Romans 3. Let me read all three verses
of that to you. Romans 3 beginning with verse
24, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus whom God has set forth, to be a propitiation
through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for
the remission of sins that are past." What in the world is he
talking about? He's talking about Old Testament
believers. He forgave their sins, now watch
this, through the forbearance of God. And this same grace,
and this same justification, and this same Christ, The Christ
who would come is what God set before Him, that same propitiation. Abraham trusted the same propitiation
that I do, rested in the same Christ. And he says, verse 26,
to declare, I say it this time. He declared it then by the forbearance
of God, and now that it's accomplished, he said he declares the same
thing again. His righteousness, that He might
be just and justifier. You see why I'm saying it's always
been the hope. It's not a new hope. It's always
been the hope. And He said, if I go prepare
this place for you, I'll come again and receive you unto Myself,
that where I am there you may be also. I must go the way of
the cross. God cannot wink at sin. He cannot
simply forgive sin. Sin must be paid for. has to
be paid for. Justice demands it. He said,
the soul that sinneth shall surely die. And there's no hope of heavenly
rest apart from satisfied justice and perfect submission to the
authority and will of God. No hope. But I have that in Christ. I have it in Christ. Christ prayed
if it be possible Let this cup pass from me. He knew that cup
wasn't going to pass from him. And he knew it wasn't God's will
for that cup. Well, why did he pray that way?
So that I would understand it. That's why. My high priest prayed
that prayer before God that I might enter in to what this thing is
all about. And he said, nevertheless, not
my will, but thy will be done. As His going away was expedient,
so is His return. What the Lord has purchased in
His redemption must be delivered into His hands. Salvation is
a wondrous thing. I think sometimes we stand back
and we want to declare these things like a college professor
or something who is proud of what he knows He just likes to
take those young kids and intimidate them with what he knows. And
we stand up and say, and we don't really understand what we're
saying. We don't really enter into the glory and majesty of
it. Oh Isaiah, I tell you, he said,
I'm a man of unclean lips when he really saw, when God unveiled
that glory to him. And he was a prophet. He said,
I'm a man, I ain't worthy to be. Daniel, Job. I can go on and on. John, out on the Isle of Patmos
fell down before him like a dead man. He's coming back. He's coming
back. Whether I go, he said, now listen
to this, verse 4, whether I go you know and the way you know.
And Thomas said, Lord, we know not whither thou goest. And he
didn't. He didn't, but he did. He didn't, but he did. He said, we don't know where
you're going. We don't know the way. What did the Lord tell him? I am the way. To know me is to know the Father.
Do I know Him under perfection? No. No. But what I know of Him,
I know of the Father. Do I trust Him under perfection?
No. But I don't have to. He is my
perfection. It's just that I trust Him, if
I trust Him that much. He said, though your faith be
as a grain of mustard seed, He'd say, that mountain, get out of
here. That mountain moved.