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Theology

I Have Prepared a Place for You

sermonindex Feb 23, 2014

Jesus says ” In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ” (Joh 14:2 ) Jesus has already prepared a place for us. Can I ask you if you have taken possession of that place and abide there? This place that the Lord went ahead of us to prepare, is a place in which we abide in and walk in. It takes faith to enter into this place, in the first verse of John 14 Jesus compels us to believe in Him. We must believe in the Lord, we must walk in trust and in faith, this is the walk of the Kingdom.

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (Joh 14:3) Brothers and sisters, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that way and truth and life is found in Him and in Him alone. He has called us to be where He is, this is the place of abiding, this is the place that the Lord has prepared for us. It is not a future event, although it will find its fulfillment then when we are raised in incorruption, it is a present reality. The Lord begins the chapter by telling us ” Let not you hearts be troubled.” This place that the Lord has prepared for us is not a troubled place, it is not a place that is filed with anxiety, it is a place of trust and of rest and of peace as we walk in the place and way that He has prepared for us. In this place we abide in His truth and as we follow His way and abide in His truth we are filled with His life.

And ultimately life is the proof , the fruit, the evidence of the place in which we abide. All those who abide in God , in that place which was prepared for us, will have the life of God in them and they will have it abundantly. Jesus walked in this place when He walked on the earth. Jesus did not say that He had come to show us the way, He said that He was the way. The way, the place of abiding, the place prepared for us is no place at all but is Jesus Himself, He is our place of abiding and in that place, in that perfect place, all fear is cast out. We must not be drawn away from this place, for Jesus is the eye of the storm and in the midst of the storms of life, there is perfect peace when we stay there.

Because of the nature of hurricanes, there can be no winds in the very eye, the winds revolve around the center and there is a place created at the very heart of every storm where its devastation cannot manifest itself. Now all around there can be madness and chaos, but at the very heart there is a place of peace, Jesus is our peace and this was His walk on the earth. he too was surrounded by trial and temptation. He incurred the wrath of men as He disrupted the established order of the day, He learned obedience through suffering, He was rejected and despised by men, all around Him there was a constant storm, but He abided with His Father and in that place He overcame the storms of life.

If you are where Jesus is and you abide there, you too will overcome the storms of life. They will follow you no doubt, they will surround you as you walk in Godliness and walk in the Spirit, but they will not destroy you and the life of Christ in you will manifest itself to the world and the world will be amazed at the life you exhibit despite the storms that surround you. It is because of the storms of life that the world is amazed at the life of Jesus in you. To Him who keeps us in His perfect peace, who stands with us through all the storms of life and preserves us in the very midst of them, to Him belongs all the glory.........bro Frank

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jenny1234 Feb 23, 2014

Well done FRANK I connected with here. Frank inside you Jesus is talking through you.

If you are where Jesus is and you abide there, you too will overcome the storms of life. They will follow you no doubt, they will surround you as you walk in Godliness and walk in the Spirit, but they will not destroy you and the life of Christ in you will manifest itself to the world and the world will be amazed at the life you exhibit despite the storms that surround you. It is because of the storms of life that the world is amazed at the life of Jesus in you. To Him who keeps us in His perfect peace, who stands with us through all the storms of life and preserves us in the very midst of them, to Him belongs all the glory.........bro Frank

D
davidc Feb 23, 2014

I Have Prepared a Place for You

Beloved brother Frank.
I too was greatly blessed by what you shared. Thank you.

I'm sure that it is far from your heart in sharing this to teach that Jesus' promise:

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (Joh 14:3)

has solely a spiritual fulfilment for those believers who walk in faith in this life. If that is the case, then you must believe that His promise :"I will come again" is either speaking about the coming of the spirit, or about his "going away" into death, and coming again to them after His resurrection.

You write in the second paragraph about this same promise:
" It is not a future event, although it will find its fulfilment then when we are raised in incorruption, it is a present reality." Surely our being raised in incorruption, at Jesus' second coming is yet future.

I was personally wounded by Budgie's recent polemic about the second coming, but did not allow myself to enter into his snare. But, if you are spiritualising such wonderful promises from the Lord, then I have to ask you as a brother to clarify what you wrote and bring a balance.

David

sermonindex Feb 23, 2014

Hi bro David,

You write...." Surely our being raised in incorruption, at Jesus' second coming is yet future."

Yes indeed brother, that is certainly a future event, I could have worded it better. Yet the spiritual reality of the Kingdom has already begun and it is this place that we find and stay there..............bro Frank

sermonindex Feb 23, 2014

Thank you for your kind words Jenny..........bro Frank

D
davidc Feb 24, 2014

Thank you for clarifying bro.

But God.....

Eph 2:6 hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

In Him

David

sermonindex Feb 24, 2014

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (Joh 14:3)

I am thankful that as Frank has written well that there is peace now Romans 5:1 living in Christ in the midst of this sin filled and hectic hurting world. Yet it is also true and glorious that He is coming back again to bring us unto Him. There is an eternal abode with our Master coming. Jesus Christ is coming back. This earth is not our resting place. the only peace we can have is to look at every circumstance in the light of eternity.

Colossians 3:1-3

3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

S
Sree Feb 24, 2014


Jesus walked in this place when He walked on the earth. Jesus did not say that He had come to show us the way, He said that He was the way. The way, the place of abiding, the place prepared for us is no place at all but is Jesus Himself, He is our place of abiding and in that place, in that perfect place, all fear is cast out.

Jesus has plainly stated the same in John 12:26. A verse which many who run after ministry have missed. That is why they are never able to have a perfect rest in their ministry. They are always anxious about losing ministry and in an effort to sustain their ministry they choose psychological practices.

John 12:26- If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

A servant must first follow Jesus and walk in his foot steps. This is what it means to abide in him (1 John 2). The beauty is while a disciple follows Jesus he is also able to be with Jesus. Jesus is the way and he is also place of rest. Something that a carnal mind cannot comprehend.

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Heydave Feb 24, 2014

Brother Frank, Thank you so much for writing this.
You don't know how much the Lord has used this to remind me of the importance of this place of abiding in Him. As you can see from my signature, I understand the truth about our being raised with Christ, but too easily we can forget and not live in this reality. It then just becomes an objective truth without a living reality.

Too often Christians think and talk on the things Christ has done in the past and the things He will do in the future (and they are surely very important), but live in the present as if we are detached from His life and are just hanging onto His promises from a distance.
His word and promises are always meant to lead us into the power of His divine life in us as 2 Peter 1-4 says.


I always took the scripture about Jesus preparing a place for us as just a future event (as most do). It is that ultimately, as has been said, but I never considered the aspect of this talking about being a present reality we can now live in. Looking at that whole passage in John 14 and Jesus' dialogue with the disciples we can see that Jesus develops this theme of sharing His life with us after the resurrection.

For example John 14:18-20

"I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also."

"At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you."

The previous verses 16 and 17 shows us that it is the coming of the Holy Spirit that brings the presence of Jesus to us and the reality of us knowing we are in Him and He is in us.

With all that distracts us in our daily lives it can be hard for us to live in this reality. However He has made this provision for us in Him by His spirit. Understanding that He has provided this is essential if we are to enter into this fellowship with our Lord.

'Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace'

God bless you Frank and thank you once again.

sermonindex Feb 24, 2014

Dear bro Dave,

You are the perfect reader :) I so wanted people to read John 14 after reading what the Lord laid on my heart and have the Holy Spirit open up the truth which you have identified. I could have written a small paperback on that subject alone but I think that is one of the problems that we face today, we have others do our thinking for us, whether it is pastors, teachers, authors and so on. The Holy Spirit is he perfect teacher/helper, he leads and guides us into all truth. You write..........

" It then just becomes an objective truth without a living reality."

Brother, you nailed it right there. Our walk with the Lord is a living reality. He has come to us, He did not leave us nor forsake us. He has called us to live the Kingdom life right here and now. We can only do that by abiding in Him and it radically transforms our life from objective truth living and mere mental assent to abstract truth, to abundant life living, walking by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is when we become a true witness to the power and reality of the risen Christ. God bless you brother...........bro Frank

sermonindex Feb 24, 2014

Wonderful, brother Frank.

The Life of Christ we share now, is our spiritual treasure that currently inhabits our "earthen vessels" (II Cor 4:7) I believe the "many mansions" speaks of the great expanse of His heart and Spirit towards us and opening wide His heart towards men, that all may be saved. There is room for all (though all will not come). The "mansions" are spiritual "dwelling places" (John 14:2) in Christ,NOW.

Are we going to get something more than what we already have spiritually? Many key off of the scriptures that speak of "rewards in heaven", crowns, and mansions. They are thinking about themselves and what they stand to gain, and not understanding the heavenly reality. There is nothing materialistic about rewards in heaven or mansions up above. I am not saying that we are not going to receive something more than what we already have in Jesus Christ because Jesus Christ now, within us is not limited or insufficient. So, what is the "extra" that we will be given?

"God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3). "All things belong to us in Christ, things present or things to come" (I Cor. 3:21-23). We "have been made complete" in Christ (Col. 2:10).

The "gain" that Paul speaks of is not something added onto the Life of Jesus Christ, but is the cessation of physical form which hinders us in many ways that a glorified body can't and won't. The flesh will not antagonize us or constrain us anymore.

He is our exceedingly great reward. (Gen 15:1)

We will not be in "acquisition mode" in heaven for the eternal life of Jesus Christ is the reward of the inheritance. (Col. 3:24)(Heb. 11:26).

sermonindex Feb 24, 2014

Amen Just-in,

That was the very Scripture I was studying in relation to John 14.

2Cor 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

This treasure, this knowledge of the glory of God in the face of the Lord Jesus is our strength in the midst of our lives that are constantly challenged for His sake. And this " knowledge," is not a head knowledge , it is an intimate knowledge that comes from being where He is, abiding in Him. Praise the Lord, when we do that, we can walk in victory, walk in Kingdom power. And the comfort which we ourselves receive in the midst of trials and tribulations, we can comfort and encourage others with all to the glory of God...............bro Frank

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psalm1 Mar 16, 2014

I am a little perplexed that the greatest event since Jesus resurrection is about to happen,namely,the gathering of the bride by the groom,and his body (bride) seems oblivious.

The intimacy of Jesus and his family on earth is the backdrop of Jesus words concerning his return for his bride.

Our clue here is not only the promise so conspicuously compared to the Hebrew's Groom/bride dwelling/room but his reference to the wine.
" I will not drink of this wine again until I drink it anew with you in my fathers kingdom"

Why does heaven have to mean something besides heaven
Why does place have to mean something besides place?
Mansions,when looked up,really mean mansions.
Could it be a possibility that what Jesus said,is what he meant?

It is not hard at all.

Jesus said he would go to heaven where there are mansions and he would prepare a place for us in heaven.He said we will sit with him at table and drink wine in heaven with him as the disciples did.

Imagine that! A testimony of a gathering....to heaven,for a promised gathering by him as his bride.!!!

B
budgie Mar 19, 2014

It is interesting to note that when you look at all of the gospels that the kingdom of heaven and kingdom of god is in most places given in parables as being an earthly kingdom and even a kingdom within our very souls

We even pray Your kingdom Come your will be done on earth as it is heaven.

We are in this world but we are not of this world, the Kingdom of God is being established on earth and in us and soon Christ the King will return and reign on this earth as the King of the Kingdom for a 1000 year period

Jesus is the King of Kings

It says in Revelations at the blowing of the 7th trumpet that the Kingdoms of this world will be the Kingdoms of Christ

We will drink at the table with Him
Where He exists we will be

T
TMK Mar 19, 2014

While I absolutely believe the second coming is future and that we will spend eternity with Jesus, there are a couple of points about this passage:

"In my Father's house"-- never once in scripture is the Father's house synonymous with heaven. It is always the temple.

"Mansions" is an awful translation-- it is much better translated "rooms" or "dwelling places."

How did Peter describe the new covenanat "spiritual house?" What makes up that house and where does Jesus dwell there?

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psalm1 Mar 19, 2014

Heaven is where Jesus is.
He said there were "mansions" there.(dwellings)
He said in the same sentence he was leaving but would return and where he was going is where the dwellings are.

There was also an ark on earth in the temple,and another in heaven in it's temple.
2 arks,2 temples.
So many spiritual things,and earthly things exist simultaneously.

P
psalm1 Mar 19, 2014

"that the kingdom of heaven and kingdom of god is in most places given in parables as being an earthly kingdom"

Not that I am aware of.
It says the kingdom of God(referring to where his throne is....namely heaven),"CAN BE COMPARED TO....."

Not an earthly kingdom.

It even says in heb 9 Jesus carried his blood,to heaven.
And in acts he departed to heaven (raptured)

T
TMK Mar 19, 2014

Psalm1... Jesus is in heaven but he also resides in Christians.

If you can tell me where else in the bible that "God's house" refers to heaven please show me.

Do you believe that Jesus went to heaven when he ascended and built mansions for each of us? Well maybe so... He was a carpenter after all.

But I do know that he has prepared us, his church, to be many dwelling places which combined create a temple of living stones.

T
TMK Mar 19, 2014

By the way the same word "mone" poorly translated as mansion in the passage under discussion is translated "abode" in v 23 of the same chapter.

It is my understanding that in old English the word mansion derived from a term that meant simply a dwelling place.

P
psalm1 Mar 19, 2014

The groom will soon gather the bride.
All end times MUST pass through this prism.

The Jewish wedding groom first built a room onto his fathers house.when finished,the father gave him the nod to go fetch his bride.The marriage was consumated,she bled,and they stayed in the room a period of time.

The similarities are to profound to dismiss.

It is without a doubt,a pretrib rapture.

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