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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
March 3, 2019
The Promise of Heaven
John 14:1-6
Introduction
I am not sure there is anything more comforting than the presence of someone you love. No matter how bad you may feel from sickness, injury or emotional suffering, having someone with you who loves you eases the pain. Often, the loved individual does not even have to be physically present, just the thought of them and of being with them again in the future brings solace. How often that thought has eased the pain of soldiers wounded in battle. They would be going home and would be with their loved ones again. But many soldiers do not come home. For those facing death, comfort can be found in the promise of being with their loved ones again in eternity.
The promise of heaven is an important one. It has brought comfort to multitudes as they have faced death whether it has been on the blood-soaked battlefields of a distant land or lying in bed at home with the family gathered around and the final struggle with old age and disease is lost. The promise of heaven has also brought comfort to those left behind that death is not the final separation. That was the point of Paul’s comments in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 that those that had already died would not miss the rapture, but at the Lord’s return would actually be caught up before those that were alive and remained and all of them would then ever be with the Lord. It was this hope that enabled them to not grieve the death of their loved ones as did the pagans who have no such hope.
But there must be truth with the promise of heaven otherwise any comfort given in the present will be shattered by reality in eternity. As much as we want people to be comforted when they are troubled, the comfort of a false hope is cruel. How often I have heard people comment about someone who has died after going through a painful disease that they are “better off” and that now “they are no longer suffering.” I then inquire about the deceased’s faith and find out they were not followers of Jesus Christ. The idea of escaping physical pain may be a comfort for those in the midst of it and those watching the loved one suffer. It is an idea that is fueling the “right to die” movement that advocates assisted suicide and euthanasia as a medical option, something that has tragically become legal in seven U.S. states and several nations worldwide. But people are not animals that you kill in order to end their suffering. People have eternal souls, and if that person does not have faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, then death is the start of an endless suffering we can hardly imagine. Jesus gives us a glimpse of this in Luke 16:24 in describing the suffering of the rich man in Hades crying out that Lazarus might be sent to “dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.”
I cannot think of a greater tragedy than those who will stand before God to be judged and only then find out that they have based their life and hopes on lies and are now sentenced to eternal hell. Yet, that is the condition of those who have their hopes based in false religion and heretical versions of Christianity. You can believe whatever you would like and even be sincere in that belief, but belief is not what makes something true. Truth is that which conforms to reality, and the final reality will be the sovereign God judging His creation. Finding physical relief for the present is not nearly as important as finding true comfort for eternity. The truth and promise of Heaven is that comfort.
Context
John 13 records the dialogue and discourse that Jesus had with His disciples in the Upper Room on the night before He was crucified. During the course of the Passover meal, the disciples started arguing again about who was the greatest among them. Jesus rebuked them for it explaining again that greatness in God’s kingdom was about serving, not position and power. Jesus then washed their feet and told them to follow this example of humble service with one another. (See: The Final Passover, Part 1)
A little later during the meal, Jesus warned them about the betrayal which would soon take place. Jesus identified Judas to be the traitor, but the other disciples did not recognize it, for when Judas left to arrange for the betrayal, they thought it was to get something for Passover or to give something to the poor.
After Judas left, Jesus began to teach the remaining eleven disciples in what is known as the Upper Room Discourse. Matthew, Mark and Luke record that Jesus also used the elements of the Passover meal to institute a new meal of remembrance which we call Communion, The Lord’s Supper or Lord’s Table. This also would have occurred either soon after Judas left or after the first prediction of Peter’s denial in John 13:36-38.
Jesus took the Afikomen, the matzoh cracker, which had represented separation from Egypt and its paganism, and used it to represent His own body which would be given in sacrifice for them so that they would be separated from their old manner of life of sin. Jesus used the wine that accompanied it to represent His blood given as the price of redemption so that they could be forgiven. In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul describes its purpose is to “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” It is a remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice to purchase our salvation and reminder of His promise to return from Heaven to receive us to Himself.
Jesus begins the Upper Room Discourse with a new commandment that changed the standard of love for His disciples. The standard of love had been to love others as “you love yourself.” The new standard would be to love one another as Jesus loved them which is much greater in scope, depth, patience and length, and it would demonstrate to others that they were disciples of Jesus. (See The Final Passover, Part 2)
John records that Peter was still focused on what Jesus said just prior to giving this new commandment. Jesus was going away and they could not come where He was going. Peter asked Jesus where He was going and why he could not follow since he was ready to lay down his life for Jesus. This was a boastful statement which Jesus challenged and then told Peter that he would deny Him three times before the rooster would crow. As I mentioned last week, Peter would bring this up again when they left the Upper Room, so I will cover it more in depth then. However, this statement that Jesus was going where they could not come and Jesus’ institution of Communion in which the matzoh and wine would represent Jesus’ death leaves them unsettled. In John 14 Jesus comforts them as He teaches them about what He will be doing while He is away. These are truths that comfort us as well.
Jesus’ Comfort – John 14:1-4
1 “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “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. 3 “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. 4 “And you know the way where I am going.”
The hearts of the disciples were troubled, agitated, disturbed, disquieted, so Jesus begins with a command to “not be troubled any longer.” There had already been so much that evening that their hearts would have been filled with a mixture of thoughts and emotions. There would have been shame due to their earlier proud arguing with each other and Jesus rebuking them and then washing their feet showing humility, not pride, to be the key to greatness in God’s kingdom. They would have been perplexity about the prediction that one of them would betray Jesus, and there would have been sadness and unbelief at the idea that Jesus was going to die.
The basis of being able to comply with this command to stop being troubled of heart would be their belief in Jesus and the new knowledge that Jesus would be preparing a place for them and would return for them.
Belief in Jesus – John 14:1
The first source of comfort was their belief in Jesus. The disciples had been with Jesus for over two years. They had heard His teaching and seen His multiple miracles proving His authority over nature, demons, sickness, disease, and death. They understood His claim to be God’s son, deity in human flesh, and saw the predictions of the prophets fulfilled in Him. They recognized that Jesus was sinless and that even Jesus’ enemies could not bring a legitimate charge against Him. They heard Him forgive sins and teach the way to God with authority. They were in agreement with Peter’s confession in Matthew 16 on behalf of all of them that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the son of the living God. These men were troubled of heart, but they could take comfort in the words of Jesus because they were as sure as the words of God Himself for Jesus is God. That is the same trust and source of comfort that belongs to all who believe in Jesus Christ
Preparing a Place – John 14:2
The second source of comfort for them was that Jesus’ was preparing a place for them. This verse gives us a brief glimpse of what heaven will be like, but it is not the physical aspect of heaven that is stressed here. The emphasis is on who was preparing it and where it was located. The comfort of the verse is not in having “a mansion just over the hill top” as the old hymn goes, but that this dwelling place was in the Father’s house and that Jesus was making it ready for us.
Certainly there is an aspect to the idea of heaven being a beautiful and rich place that is attractive. Jesus’ description here that in His Father’s house are “many dwelling places” is also attractive. The KJV / NKJV translates this as “mansions,” but the word here, monhv / monā , means a place to abide or a room. The idea here is not that of independent mansions on estates, but of a huge housing complex with many beautiful apartments that Jesus is preparing for them.
Revelation 21 describes the New Jerusalem coming down. It has the glory of God and its brilliance is like that of a crystal-clear jasper stone (vs 11). It is the glory of God that illumines the city (vs 23). Its wall has twelve foundations with the names of the twelve apostles of the lamb written on them, and the wall is adorned with every kind of precious stone including jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth and amethyst (vs 19-20). The walls themselves are jasper and the city and its streets are pure gold, like clear glass – whatever that is (vs 18, 21). Its twelve gates are made from one single pearl each (vs 21). It is large, approximately 1,500 miles cubed (vs 16). To give you a rough idea of how large this is, it would be all of the United States from the Rocky Mountains and east, and it would be 1,500 miles high. It will make all our largest buildings and skyscrapers infinitesimal by comparison. But again, the comfort of Heaven will not be the wonder of its size or the richness of its adornments. It will be the fact that it is the house of God the Father and that Jesus is preparing a place there for you if your faith is in Him.
Coming Again – John 14:3
Jesus strengthens the comfort of this description with the promise that if He goes to prepare a place for them, then He will come again to retrieve them and take them there so that they would be with Him. That is the emphasis. They would be with Him. That is a promise that extends to all true Christians. Jesus will return to get us and take us to where He will be. That is the comfort of heaven that I talked about initially. It is being with the one that loves you the most. It is being in a place in the Father’s house with all those that are part of His family.
Of what value is it to live in a beautiful place if Jesus is not there and it is populated by the ungodly? Several of the Proverbs express this idea about the frustration the ungodly bring to life. Proverbs 21:19 for example, “It is better to live in a desert land, Than with a contentious and vexing woman.” Psalm 55 records David’s lament about the treachery done against him and how he would rather live in the wilderness in peace than to live in his palace in Jerusalem and have to continue to endure the hatred that was there.
The comfort that Paul brought to the grieving Thessalonians concerning fellow Christians that had already died was that all of them, those who had already “fallen asleep in Jesus” and those which “were alive and remained.” would all be “caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). If you have been adopted into God’s family by faith in Jesus Christ, then He is preparing a place for you in His Father’s house, and He has promised to come again to take you there to be with Him forever. But you have to know the way to Jesus.
The Way to the Father – John 14:4-6
Jesus reminded His disciples, “And you know the way I am going.” What Jesus was telling them was not something new, but as in any teaching situation, there are always those do not understand. In this case, it is Thomas that expresses the confusion.
A Confused Disciple – John 14:5, Thomas ^said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”
In every group there is usually at least one person that will ask the question everyone else is too afraid to ask. In that sense, Thomas is probably expressing the confusion that some of the other disciples also had. Remember, Peter had already asked Jesus where He was going (13:36). And in truth, if you are unsure of the destination of where a person is going, you cannot know the way to follow them. Thomas is asking the same question as Peter born out of a heart with the same desire as Peter’s. Thomas is also devoted to Jesus and does not want to be separated from Him. If Jesus is going somewhere else physically, Thomas wants to make sure he knows the directions to take. If Jesus is talking about the departure of His death, then how were they to follow?
Thomas and the other disciples should have understood what Jesus was talking about even though it is a veiled invitation. Jesus has talked to them about this before. In John 8:19 Jesus declared that “if you knew Me, you would know My Father.” In John 10 Jesus talked about His being the good shepherd who was the door into the sheepfold and who would lay down His life for his sheep. In John 12:26 Jesus talked about His coming death saying, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” He added in verse 36, “While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light.” Jesus went on to say in verses 44-50 that those who believed in Him believed in the Father who had sent Him and that He had come as the light into the world that everyone who believes in Him may not remain in darkness.
Jesus had just been talking about preparing a place in His Father’s house and that He would return to bring them there that they might be with Him. Jesus was going to His Father. They would come later through faith in Him. Jesus now responds with a statement that makes this very clear.
A Clear Statement – John 14:6, Jesus ^said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”
Jesus makes three statements about Himself and then makes the conclusion based on those facts. Jesus uses the personal pronoun to emphasize Himself and then in each of the statements He uses the article to distinguish Himself from all others. He is not A Way, but THE Way; not A Truth, but THE Truth; not A life, but THE Life. It is based on the exclusiveness of who He is that the conclusion is drawn that there is no other means by which to reach the Father.
Jesus is The Way. The word “way” (oJdovV / odos) is used for a road or a journey and hence is used metaphorically to represent a manner of life or the means to a destination or goal. That is the sense it is used here. Jesus is the means to a destination. For the vast majority of the world, Jesus is viewed as “a way,” but not “the way.” People often think of Jesus as a great teacher, or a good example of moral behavior, or even as the founder of a major world religion. But all of these fall short of what it means for Jesus to be “the way.”
Jesus was a teacher, even the Pharisees recognized that about Him. In Mark 12:14 they came to Jesus and said, Teacher, we know that You are truthful, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth.” Their thought was that Jesus was one of many teachers that taught the way of God in truth. But Jesus is much more than just a teacher of the way of God.
Jesus was also a guide. In fact, Zacharias’ prophecy concerning Him in Luke 1:79 specifically states that Jesus was given of God “to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Most people who think of Jesus as a guide also believe there are many paths to heaven. For them, the path that Jesus guides on is just one of many and Jesus only helps a person along the way. He points out the direction and assists in the journey. But that is contrary to Jesus’ claim to be “the way.” Jesus is much more than a guide into the way of peace.
Jesus was also an example. Even in our recent studies in John 13 we found that Jesus set Himself up to be an example of the humility He wanted His disciples to follow. Many people think of Jesus as an example of proper ethical behavior, but for them He is only one of many examples of the proper way to live. But Jesus’ claim here is much more than being an example of how to live.
Jesus is much more than someone who teaches the way, or guides in the way, or shows the way to live. Jesus says that He is The Way. The way to God the Father is not reached through having particular knowledge, or through walking a certain path of life, or by following the manner in which Jesus lived. It is not principle, force or example that brings us to God, but the person of Jesus Christ.
A pupil is educated not by the tools of education, but by the teacher that uses those tools to impart knowledge and wisdom. A guide points out the way so that you can walk to the correct destination, but in this case, the guide had to bring you to life and carry you before you could walk. You were dead in trespasses and sin, but through the work of the Holy Spirit you were made alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:1-6). You were saved by God’s grace and not by your own works (Ephesians 2:8,9). Jesus is a great example, but you are incapable of following it to the degree necessary to be able to come into God’s presence. You must be cleansed of your sin by Him first and given His righteousness which comes through faith in Him (Romans 3:21-26). Jesus is The Way. He is the only way.
Jesus is The Truth
Much of what has been said about Jesus being the way also fits with Him being the truth. He is not a truth, but THE Truth. Truth (aJlhvqeia / alātheia) is that which conforms to actual reality, and Jesus is the final reality. “. . . For all things were have been created through [Jesus] and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). Jesus is the truth because He is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and the “radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus is the revelation of God the Father, and so He is the dependable source of knowledge about the Creator and His will. He is the way by which man can know the God of truth (Psalm 31:5) who cannot to lie (Hebrews 6:18).
We live in an age when people no longer believe they can know the truth. They have been told so many lies and have told so many lies themselves they do not believe it is possible to know truth. Add to this the philosophical underpinnings of our post-modern society in which a person can hold two contradictory points at the same time and not understand the incongruity in it. Such people have lost the means to determine what is true for they do not even recognize the logical fallacy of a creed common among them that the only absolute is that there are no absolutes and they are absolutely sure about that. Truth has become relative in our day, but this is nothing new. Pilate asked that question in John 18:30 nearly 2,000 years ago – “What is truth?” The answer is here in John 14:6. Jesus Christ is the truth. It is the truth that sanctifies us, guides us and sets us free (John 8:32; 17:17). That truth is not an it, but the person of Jesus Christ. Any person that is serious about searching for truth will find that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of that quest.
Jesus is The Life
The word “life” here is zwhv /zōā which refers to the principle of life, that which is eternal as opposed to animal life (biovV / bios), the breath (pneu:ma / pneuma) or the soul (yuch /psuchā ). Jesus is the life because this life is in Him (John 1:4; 5:26). He is the source and giver of this life to those that believe in Him (John 3:16; 10:28;11:25). Jesus is the source of the light of this life (John 8:12), the words of this life (John 6:68) and came that we might have this life abundantly (John 10:10). In this life there is communion with God (John 17:3).
It has become common to find professing Christians who use Jesus’ promises to give life, and especially John 10:10 to give “abundant life,” to proclaim a type of life that is contrary to what Jesus is talking about here. Human selfishness is extremely good at justifying itself and even wrapping itself in the cloak of piety. Tragically, it is not just the health, wealth and prosperity preachers and teachers that do this. There are those even within the “conservative” Christian camp that fall for the lie that life in Jesus is somehow supposed to be one of protection from troubles, provision for your desires, positive messages for self-improvement, and gentle, sweet spoken corrections if needed.
The life that Jesus gives is contrasted to being dead in sin. It is a life in which slavery to sin is broken and righteousness is the new master for our old self dies and we are raised to walk in newness of life with Him (Romans 6). The purpose of this life is to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). The trials and troubles of life, which can include health and financial problems, become one of the means by which God matures us (Romans 5:3-11; James 1:2-4). Jesus tells us to expect to be persecuted for our righteousness and quest to live for Him (Matthew 5:10-12; John 16:33). Hebrews 12:4-11 leaves no doubt that God will chasten those that belong to him, and 1 Corinthians 11:30 includes sickness and even death as part of that.
The life that Jesus gives to His followers is not one of ease and filled with the pleasures of this world. It is a life of godliness filled with joy that transcends circumstances in which comfort is found by faith in Jesus and His promises for both this life and for eternity. He is so powerful that He works all things together for good for those that love Him and are called according to His purposes. Even our suffering ultimately has a good purpose in the sovereignty of God. And even death, which remains our enemy in the present, is not one we have to fear any longer for Jesus has won the victory by conquering the grave and promises eternal life to us.
Jesus is the Only Way to God the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and because of that, His proclamation that “no one comes to the Father but through Me” is absolute. Jesus is the only way to God the Father. There is no other means by which you can be reconciled with God and forgiven. There is no other path by which you can avoid being judged and condemned for your sin and cast into eternal hell. Anything that is not in harmony with Him is a lie. Anything outside of Him is death.
I like the way that William Hendriksen describes this dynamic. When Jesus reveals God’s redemptive truth which sets men free from the enslaving power of sin, and when he imparts the seed of life, which produces fellowship with the Father, then and thereby He, as the way (which they themselves, by sovereign grace, have chosen), has brought them to the Father.”
It is an absolute truth that NO ONE comes to the Father except through Jesus. You either come to God through the person of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, or you do not come at all. You cannot be brought to Him through the false gods of other religions. You cannot reach God through religious rituals or good works no matter how diligent and pious you may be in performing them. You cannot come to God because of a religious heritage received from your ancestors or society. The only way to God the Father is through God the Son. Jesus put it this way in John 1:12-13, “12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
The world hates true Christianity because of the exclusive nature of this truth. Those that urge tolerance as one of the highest goods have no tolerance for those who proclaim Jesus Christ. Why? Not just because of pride and not wanting to admit their error, but more so that if Jesus’ claim is true, then He will hold them accountable for their sin, and they do not want to give up their sin and submit to Jesus. It is sin, selfishness and pride that block people from knowing the truth, finding the way and receiving life from Jesus Christ, but there is no other means of salvation. That is why we must be proclaim Christ to others even if persecuted for it. We are to be humble, gracious and loving to tell them of Jesus’ claims and flee from the wrath to come.
Jesus, our Captain, sails the good ship Hope across the oceans seeking to rescue all that would be saved. We come alongside other vessels and warn them that they are sinking and their only hope is to come aboard with us. Some ignore us. Some curse us and continue with their party. Some bring out their guns and fire upon us. But there are always the precious few that recognize the danger, heed the call, and climb aboard to join our Captain’s crew. What ship are you on? What will your final destination be? Safe on Heaven’s shores or lost forever?
Sermon Notes – 3/3/2019
The Promise of Heaven – John 14:1-6
Introduction
The presence of someone that _________ you is a comfort
The promise of ____________is a comfort when dealing with death
A promise must be actually __________or the comfort received will be shattered by reality
There is no greater tragedy than having a _____________________of heaven
Context
Jesus and His disciples are in an upper room celebrating _______________
Jesus has rebuked them for their pride and washed their feet as an example of _______________service
Jesus predicted one of them would ___________Him, but they still did not suspect Judas even when he left
After Judas leaves, Jesus begins the Upper Room Discourse and establishes ______________- a memorial
Jesus begins the Upper Room Discourse with a new commandment to ___________as He had loved them
Jesus’ Comfort
– John 14:1-4
The hearts of the disciples were ____________- and there were many reasons for them to be disturbed
The basis for them to obey the command to stop being troubled was their _______in Jesus and His promises
Belief in Jesus – John 14:1
The disciples recognized Jesus’ identity as God in human flesh and so __________Him as they did God
Preparing a Place – John 14:2
The emphasis is that Jesus is preparing a place for them in the ____________house
The Father’s house has many __________/ apartments
The New Jerusalem will be a ______________ place – ornate and large – Revelation 21
Coming Again – John 14:3
The emphasis is that they would be with _____in Heaven – a comforting promise to all who believe in Jesus
A beautiful place has little value if it is filled with the ___________(See Proverbs 21:19; Psalm 55; etc.).
A comfort in grief is the promise of being with the loved ones again when Jesus ___________
The Way to the Father
– John 14:4-6
A Confused Disciple
– John 14:5
Thomas’ question is similar to Peter’s in 13:36. ___________are you going? What is the way to get there?
Though somewhat veiled, Jesus had talked to them about this _______- John 8:19; 10:7-18; 12:26,36,44-50
A Clear Statement – John 14:6
The articles distinguish Jesus’ _____________as they only means to come to the Father
Jesus is The Way – (oJdovV / odos) Jesus is the ____________to a destination
He was a ___________(Mark 12:14), a __________(Luke 1:79) and an __________(John 13:15)
More than a teacher, guide or example, Jesus is ____________to God, for only He can cleanse you from sin
Jesus is The Truth – truth (aJlhvqeia / alātheia) is what conforms to _________________
Jesus is the ___________________- Colossians 1:14-17; Hebrews 1:3; 6:18; Psalm 31:5
Post-modern society is so full of lies it that it cannot discern __________and denies that truth can be known
Truth sanctifies, guides and sets you free (John 8:32; 17:17) – those seeking truth will find _____________
Jesus is The Life –
zwh /zōā – the principle of continuing _________, not biology (biovV /bios) or breath (pneu:ma/ pneuma)
Life is in Jesus (John 1:4; 5:26), He is its ________(John 3:16; 10:28: 11:25), its light (John 8:12), its words (John 6:28), and gives it abundantly (John 10:10) which grants communion with God (John 17:3)
This life does not give promises of protection from all trouble or provide for ___________desires
This life is in contrast to being dead in ________. Its purpose is to make you like Christ in righteousness
This life becomes more _______through troubles and trials, expects to be persecuted, & is chastened by God
Jesus is the Only Way to God the Father
It is an absolute truth that ________________comes to God the Father except through Jesus Christ
The world hates Biblical Christianity because of the _______________of Jesus’ claim
Sin, selfishness and ______block people from knowing the truth, finding the way and receiving life in Christ
We proclaim salvation in Christ seeking to _______people from their sinking ships – regardless of cost to us
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Count how many times the word “heaven” is mentioned. Talk with your parents about what heaven is like and how to know you will go there.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. What has already occurred during the Passover meal prior to John 14:1? Why does the present of someone who loves you a comfort when facing troubles and trials in life? How does the promise of Heaven comfort those who are dying? Those whose loved one has died? Why must the promise and its conditions of it be true for it to be of actual value? What happens if it is a false promise? When does true suffering begin for the wicked? What is the context of John 14? What is Jesus’ command in John 14:1? How would their belief in Jesus bring comfort? How does Jesus’ promise in John 14:2 bring comfort? What is Heaven like according to John 14:2-3? What description is given of it in Revelation 21? What is the attraction of heaven? What is the comfort of going there? Would heaven be a wonderful place for someone that does not love Jesus? Why is Thomas confused? What should he have known already? What does Jesus mean by His statement in John 14:6? How is He the Way? How is He the truth? How is He the Life? How do the various religions claim a human can go to heaven and be with God? Are their claims true? Explain. How does Jesus enable a person to go to God the Father without fear of condemnation? Are there any other means apart from Christ by which a person can be saved from their sin? Is it arrogant to proclaim this truth? What attitude should Christians have when proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ? Why does the world hate Biblical Christianity? What keeps people from knowing the truth, finding the way and receiving life from Jesus Christ? Would you go to heaven if you died today? Why should God let you into heaven? Are you trusting Christ or something you can accomplish yourself? Memorize and meditate on John 1:12-13.
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