Let's open up our Bibles, shall we, and turn to John chapter 14 in your copies of God's Word. John chapter 14. Are we living in troubling times? We're going to be looking at three divine assurances in troubling times. We're going to read verses 1-6. from John chapter 14. Follow along silently as I read the Scriptures. John chapter 14. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. 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. 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. And whither I go, you know, and the way you know." Thomas said unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest. How can we know the way? Jesus said unto him, I am. the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me." A Christian man from China had a dream. And he dreamt that he had slipped into a great ditch. And that ditch represented sin. Buddha came along in the dream. And he said to this man in the ditch, come up halfway and I will lift you up the rest of the way. Then Mohammed came along and said, here are five pillars that will get you out. But then the man said, I tried to climb the pillars and I couldn't get out of the ditch. Then Confucius came along and he said, you're not really in that ditch. You're just imagining that ditch. Actually, you just think that you're in that hole. But still, I was in the ditch of sin. And then finally, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came and He saw this man's predicament and He didn't say a word. But he laid aside his regal robes and he got down into the ditch along with this man and his sin, in the muck and in the mire, and he lifted me up, the man said, out by his grace. The difference was his love and who he was. He was God who was willing to come down to our level to lift us up once again. Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes unto the Father but by me. Doesn't sound too politically correct by today's standards, does it? Sounds a little exclusivistic. But next time you get lost in a big city and you don't have a GPS, you tell me whether you want the person giving you directions to be specific. Next time you're facing surgery and it is a very complex, critical surgery requiring a board certified medical physician and you're looking for the best that you can find. You'll find out there's one way to do that surgery and it's the best way. And you will be concerned about exclusivity and the best way. You tell me that a doctor wants to cut you around your waist for some kidney stone and then say, but we can also do it laparoscopically. I think I know which way you would prefer. and you would want him to be very, very careful and very, very exact. You're in a snowy runway and you're going up on a 747 and you're concerned about your flight. You want all of the maintenance staff to follow protocol to a T, including de-icing, preparing the runway, following proper protocol with the tower, the control tower, because you want that done the right way according to the book. And yet all of a sudden when it comes to the matter of spiritual realities, all of a sudden we're supposed to have our brains in a bucket. And all of a sudden it really doesn't matter what you believe. It's kind of a laissez-faire philosophy. Truth is specific. Many times in my life I've been in a strange town and didn't know how to get to my destination. Of course, this is pre-GPS days, you understand, before I got my garment. Now I pack my garments and I pack my garment. Now, Melody, I'll tell you, I never get lost. One time I stopped for directions. I was pastoring in a country area and I was making some visits and it was humorous because when when Sarah Miller came back and visited we were talking about some of the rural areas of Indiana and we have gotten lost in some similar areas but you ever stop and ask a farmer for directions well son I'll tell you what you gotta do you gotta go to the third corn crib Then you make a right turn by the wheat field. And then you go down about, oh, about three miles, son. And then you'll see another red man barn. And you just make another left and go down the driveway, and you'll see it. You can't miss it. Yeah, right. How many people have ever told you you can't miss it? Did you miss it? You missed it. That's right. And when it gets dark, it's worse. You know, you go on visitation out there in the ministry and it starts getting dark at 530 and you find out how bad. And I don't even know that the GPS is at work out there. I mean, Garmin doesn't show corn cribs on the satellite system, you know. And the roads are, counting road, 345, 66. You know, CR 345, 66. Me? Long Island, New York, I'm used to 33rd Street and 4th Avenue. And, you know, road marks all the way. And you start talking corn cribs and silos, and that's another story. But, you know, I'm glad for people that'll sometimes do this. Has this ever happened to you? Oh, you need directions? Well, I'll tell you what, I just happen to be going in that direction, so just follow me in my car and I'll just point you right there to the expressway where you need to go. How many of you have ever had anybody do that for you? You feel good about that? That's right. And they just point you right in the direction and you're just going, even though you don't know exactly where it is. I'm glad for our Savior, who didn't just give directions, but He showed us how to go there. And He is preparing a place for us. I would ask you to raise your hand if you're going through troubling times, but I really don't need to do that, do I? Because all of us are going through difficult times. You know, Martin Luther, commenting on John chapter 14, made the following statement. He said that this passage is the best and most comforting sermon that the Lord ever delivered on the earth. Now that's one man's opinion, you understand. But how great a comfort we have received from John chapter 14. How many sad, despondent saints have found comfort in the face of death, difficulties by reading John chapter 14. It's a treasure and a jewel not to be purchased with the world's goods. Three assurances. What are those assurances that we find in this passage of Scripture? Assurances that we can take home with us tonight and we can bank on because they are assurances that come from the mouth of our Savior Himself. Well, first of all, number one, you can trust His presence. You can trust His presence. In verse 1 it says, let not your heart be troubled. Now, I want you to know that Jesus isn't giving a, if you need this, theology. Actually, the Greek language reads this way, stop letting your heart be troubled. The construction of this passage is actually an admonition It gives evidence of the fact that he saw in the lives of his disciples anxiety developing. After all, the context of verses 36 through 38 give us a description of Peter's denial and trials and testings and a willingness to follow the Lord and lay down his life. And he's been admonished about the fact that he'll deny the Lord. And all of this anxiety. What is coming on? The long-anticipated Kingdom. Lord, You've told us that You're going to establish the Kingdom. and that You're going to rule and reign on the literal throne of David. You've told us that we're going to be co-regents with You in the Kingdom, ruling on the thrones right along with You. And now, Lord, You're talking about a change of plans where You're going to be crucified? You're going to be rejected? Lord, I don't understand. And there are things that come into our lives that sometimes don't make sense. Maybe that test report that you received doesn't make sense. Or perhaps that bill that comes out of nowhere, a tax increase or something that you weren't anticipating, that you just don't understand how in the world you're going to make it. or perhaps that pink slip that you receive when you had great expectations or a tremendous reversal in your investments and in your stock market and in your portfolio. But you know, we can always trust His presence. Stop letting your heart be troubled. Stop acting like the rest of the world. And we can do that. Sometimes we can listen to Channel 9 and listen to the talk commentators. You know, I've often wondered, what would it be like to be married to a talk show host? I'm not going to start naming names, but do you think they take all that negativity home with them? I bet they do. I bet they do. They probably bring all that negative home. And the poor wife is buried with all of that. And she probably says, tell me something good. The Lord says, hey, trust my presence. Trust in me. I'm the one that you need to be focusing on. Not the world events. In case you were wondering, I'm in charge. I'm the play director. This is going according to My plan. And in case you're wondering, I'm going to give you a safe delivery and I'm going to care for you. Stop letting your heart be troubled. Stop acting like people who don't know the Lord or don't know My promises that I've been giving you for the last three years. That's what the Lord is saying to these disciples. Then He makes the interesting statement, you believe in God? Believe also in Me." You know why? Because Jesus Christ was the Word. He came to deliver the exact message that God had. Jesus Christ came to reveal God and reveal His message. He didn't just send a prophet. He was the King in the flesh. And you know, He's still that today. He is still that today. And He backs up His words. Anybody can make a promise, but when it's the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, you can truly bank on that. Jesus Christ says, believe in God, believe also in Me. Why? Because Jesus Christ is equal in person to God. Because Jesus Christ is equal in power to God. because he is equal in purpose with God. There's no disagreement between God and Jesus Christ. That's why he says, if you believe in God, believe also in me. He's also equal in His presence. That's why the psalmist would say, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. You know, a little child finds great comfort in the presence of Mommy or Daddy present with them. They'll walk through a dark room, a dark yard, uncertain territory. They'll walk in a crowd of people that they would never think of walking into by themselves. But if Mommy or Daddy have their hand, that makes all the difference in the world. And the Lord tells us In the Scriptures, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." So we have the assurance of the Lord's presence. That's the first reason we can have peace in the midst of troubling times. Peace in the midst of troubling times. He is always with us. So, you have an unanticipated test result. Has the Lord deserted you? He's still with you. He's still guiding you. You have unforeseen circumstances come into your life. His presence is still with you. The Holy Spirit is still indwelling you. Now look at verse 2 for the second assurance that we have in troubling times. We can trust His presence. It will always be with us. But secondly, we can trust his promises in troubling times. They don't change. How many times have we seen changes in our insurance policies? Changes in our homeowner's insurance? Changes on IRS regulations? Changes on housing association fees? Changes in automobile policies and rates and on and on and on the list goes. But the Lord has given to us His promises. What are the promises? Look at verse 2. In my Father's house are many mansions. The word translated mansions is the Greek word monai, which means dwelling places. The Lord left heaven's mansions and occupied a manger so that you might someday be able to occupy a mansion. He says there are many mansions. Thank the Lord that He's making and preparing a place for us. The word dwelling places, interestingly, or the word mansions, is the word moni, and it's found in one other place in the New Testament. Just one other place. And it's so interesting where it's found. If you slip down in this chapter, down to verse 23, you'll notice that Jesus makes this statement. If a man loved Me and will keep My words, My Father will love him and we will come unto Him and make our moni with Him." That's the word translated, mansion. Did you know that you're a mansion? You're a temple. A holy temple. That's right. When the Lord comes into your life, He begins a transformation process that is beautiful. And I've seen that transformation and have seen God's work in many of your lives as you've grown and responded to the Word of God. It's almost as if the Lord is saying, I want to promise you that I have a mansion for you up there, so I'm going to start building a little mansion in you as an earnest, as a token of the fact that I'm going to bring you to the full mansion up in heaven. And the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit is spoken in Romans 8 as an earnest until the adoption of our bodies and the completion of our glorification. So think of it this way. God doesn't make junk. I'm a mansion because of who indwells me. Now some of us are mansions of more ample proportions than others. But the truth of the matter is, you're somebody special. And the Lord is making you conformed to the image of His Son. We can trust His promise. Notice it says, one house, many mansions. We better get along together, and we better learn how to get along together, even down here. Because first of all, we have that little mansion within us, the dwelling place, the moni, verse 23, as well as verse 2. But we're all going to be dwelling in the same house. So therefore, we better start getting used to living with each other and enjoying each other's company. Now, I realize that you're not going to have your sin nature anymore, and that'll make you a little easier to live with. But you know what? I won't have mine either. And I'm looking forward to it. Believe it or not, I'm looking to spend eternity with you. I'm looking forward to it. I'm enjoying you now. You know, I really am. I love you all, brothers, sisters in Christ. You're part of my family. And I'm part of your family. And we enjoy one another. And just think of how much better heaven is going to be. And then with the rest of the entire family, that has gone on to be with the Lord. I'm looking forward to meeting some of your loved ones that I got to meet and to know and seeing them again in health. I'm looking forward to it. Linda, I'm looking forward to seeing Earl again. He's going to be in heaven. I'm looking forward to seeing Mrs. Lieber again. Having some good conversation with Brother Otto. So many others that we wish we could have gotten to know better. What a reunion that's going to be. One house. But you know, there'll be a little privacy too, because it says, in my house, singular, are many mansions. I don't know that they're going to be necessarily condos, but they're going to be subdivided dwelling places that we're going to be able to serve the Lord in. You know, the psalmist said that his desire was that he would dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I wonder what some Christians are going to do that hate going to church. They hate being with God's people. People that claim to be Christians, they want to hang around with the devil's crowd. And they feel comfortable. They say they're saved and they feel comfortable with the dirty jokes by the water cooler and the break room. Just hanging with the wrong crowd. They don't want to be with God's people. fellowship around the Word of God. You know, if you don't love and have a thirst for the written Word, how are we going to have a thirst for the living Word? Certainly, we're looking forward to that time. This place that is spoken of in verse 2, in my Father's house are many mansions. It's also called that great holy city. Revelation chapter 21 and verse 2. And that great and holy city is going to descend downward upon the earth someday. That city that the Lord is preparing is going to come down. And if you look at Revelation 21, we obviously can't camp there and talk a lot about it, but in Revelation 21, verse 2, it says, I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. Notice, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. You know, one of the joys of being a pastor is to be up front in a wedding. And I get to see it all. And I see the groom beside me. And then I see the bride coming down the aisle. And I like to look at the bride's eyes. And you know, I like to look at the groom's eyes. And boy, they're just fixed on each other. And you could just see the bride gliding down the aisle. And what a joy, what a joy is there of anticipation. And, you know, if you could read their minds, well, Pastor John, hurry up and get this over with. No. They enjoy it. There's been a lot of work that's been put into it, you know. But the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven. This place that the Lord has been preparing for us. Let me tell you something. it is top-notch. When it comes to what God does, He does the best. Some of you have worked in the resorts and in the beautiful places where men's hands have touched landscaping and buildings and all of the beauty. You've gone on cruises and you've been places where everything was perfectly manicured. It's going to pale When we see that great crystal city coming down, prettier than any bride that ever walked an aisle. And there's going to be that tremendous city coming down. And the Lord's preparing that. And you know what? He's preparing it for you. Little old you and little old me. It's prepared for us. And the Lord is a God who loves us and He delights in giving gifts unto His children. We can trust His promises. Now, let's look at some of those promises. In verse 2, we have the promise of His Father's house. You know, Jesus told us, I'm going to make you heirs of everything that I have. Donald Trump? He's a pauper! compared to what the Lord has. And you're an heir to everything that the Lord has. And He promises us His Father's house. In His Father's house. I mean, it makes you feel like Mephibosheth coming to King David's table. You know, here you are slobbering and you can't even handle yourself. And you're brought in the presence of the King. And you're taken in as a family member. What a grace is ours that we can just relish in. When you go home and your plumbing leaks, and you've got carpet stains, and it just seems like maybe the roof is leaking, or this isn't working, or that isn't working, comfort yourself. The best is yet to come. We have the promise of the Father's house. But then we have another promise that the Lord gives us in uncertain times. And that's the promise of His return. Look at verse 3. I'm coming back. You know, I look and I think of individuals that have comforted themselves with the return of someone. I think of wives and children that say goodbye. to their father who's going overseas, perhaps to the Middle East or to Afghanistan. And there are goodbyes. Sad to say, sometimes the return is not what was anticipated. Sometimes there can be a return, but it's in death and sorrow and heartache. And we need to have a renewed appreciation for the sacrifice Freedom is not free. And we need to be thankful for those that have paid the ultimate price. And we need to realize that there are families that continue to pay that price in the absence of ones who have given their lives. But our Savior gave His life, but He transcended death. Because in Him dwells immortality. and He's going to make good on His promise. I will return. That's even better than MacArthur. I will return. And it says, if I'm going to prepare a place for you, I'm not doing it in vain. I have your name by the placemat. You go to a wedding You see names and everybody's name. There's a place for them to sit. Everything is organized. Our Lord has prepared a place for us. And He says, I want you to know that I'm not doing this just for the fun of it. I'm doing it for you. And I have it in mind for you. Then He says, you have been My intimate. I have told you all things that I have received of My Father. And if it weren't so, I wouldn't be telling you this because I don't lie. I'm not a man that I should lie, he says. If it weren't so, I would have told you. Count on my word. You have the promise of my return. I go and prepare a place for you. And then he says this in the promise of his return. I'm going to come again. Now this is not the coming of the Lord in judgment to establish His kingdom. No judgment is found here. Our Lord, yes, will come on the end of that great campaign of Armageddon where His feet will touch upon the Mount of Olives. And it will break in twain and He will come And there will be that great battle. And He will decidedly establish His kingdom and vanquish His foes. But here in this passage, He comes down in a cloud. His feet do not touch the ground. He comes for His saints. Not with His saints. For His saints. We are the ones that are raptured up as His bride to meet Him in the air. And He says, I will come again. I go and prepare a place for you. And as we said this morning, heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. Are you prepared for the sound of the trumpet? If Jesus were to come tonight, Before you pillow your head on the bed, do you have Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost assurance in your soul that you are ready and that you would meet the Lord in the air? Would you be with your mom? Would you be with your dad? Would you be with your brothers and sisters? Would you be together in heaven? Is all well with your family? Are you ready to meet the Lord? Are you prepared? He says, I'll come again. and receive you. That's the word. Take you alongside. Some of you are afraid of heights. Don't be afraid of heights. Some of you go to Disney and you go up some other places. They have these rides and elevators and chutes and all of this and you're afraid of heights. The Lord said, I'm going to take you alongside. You don't even have to be afraid. I'm going to be right alongside with you. And I'll take you to heaven. That's going to be a trip. You can't get to heaven by a rocket, by the way. I believe that heaven is in a totally different dimension that can only be entered by death or rapture. You could take a rocket and travel the duration of a thousand lives and you could never travel fast enough or far enough to be able to get to heaven because you must go through that veil of either death or rapture, supernaturally, as a believer in Christ. But he says this, don't be afraid, because where I am, you're going to be there too. You know, sometimes parents have all kinds of plans for their kids on vacation. And they talk to their kids, we're going on vacation. And we're going to do this and this and this and this. And the kids say, Mommy, Daddy, all I want to know is that I'll be with you. Wherever you go, I want to be with you. And I know I'll have a good time. And that's what the Lord says. You're going to be with Me. I'm not going to leave you. That where I am, there ye may be also. And you know, wherever the Lord is, there's going to be happiness and safety and fulfillment and so shall we ever be with the Lord. The promise of His return. I want to share with you a couple of other promises that the Lord gives us. He gives us, in verse 12, a promise of greater works. Now this is mind-boggling. The Lord tells us that we're going to be able to do greater works than even Jesus Christ had done upon the earth. Now, how can that be? Notice what he says in verse 12. "'Barely, barely, I say unto you, he that believes on Me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do.'" Then it's explained. Why are they greater? because He goes to His Father. I believe that verse 12 can be explained in three ways. And I know the Charismatics, they have a lot of fun with verse 12. But I believe that we are in the greater works phase as representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth. And let me explain how I mean by that. There's three ways, and they all begin with the letter E. Okay, so you can grasp onto the greater works. Number one, the reason why our works are considered greater by the Lord is, number one, first letter E, the extent. Did you know that all of Jesus' miracle and travels was centered right in Palestine? And really, when you look at the extent of His travels, they were very, very, very minimal and minuscule compared to the travel that you see Brother Bulkowski or Brother Feghali or some of you as business people. that will put down a cup of coffee in the morning on your desk, travel somewhere on the other side of the country and come back and late at night finish drinking that cool cup of coffee. It's amazing the way people travel today. And the world is getting smaller and smaller and smaller. But why are we in the greater works phase? Because of the extent of our ministry. Christ occupied in His ministry the area of Palestine. The Lord has given to us the great commission to go into all the world and represent the Lord Jesus Christ. And in the extent of the ministry, we have a world-wide scope. But keep in mind, we have the promise of His presence. We have the promise the presence of His promises. But why, secondly, are we in the greater works phase? Not only as to the extent of our ministry, and we can have that kind of extent, even in a little chapel like this, preaching to a congregation our size, through the media and technology available to us, we can exponentially magnify our ministry to touch locations and areas and lives that we could never imagine. Just this last week I've gotten a flurry of emails from India listening to our our radio and also our strength for today and and the Sunday preaching and such it so happens that in southwestern India there are several families that are using our messages to listen to home Bible studies and conduct home Bible studies. Portugal used to had a big colony in southeastern India and they see the name Pereira and they go well that's Portuguese origin Let's listen to this guy. And before long, there's that influence there. And there are places like that listening to the message. But the extent of our ministry, not just Palestine, but unto the uttermost parts of the world. We support missionaries that are representing Central Florida Bible Church across cultural barriers. And you know, he who stays by the baggage, by the stuff, also receives a reward. And because of your sacrificial giving for missions, those missionaries that come back in the month of October and report to us and share with what God is doing, you're a laborer together with God in that area. And you'll receive part of that reward. You've been a rope holder. So therefore, we're in the greater works era because of the extent of our ministry. Secondly, the effect. We're in the greater works era because of the effect of what the Lord is doing in our lives. Look at the majority of miracles that Jesus did. The calming of the Sea of Galilee. The feeding of the 5,000. Well, since Jesus calmed the Sea of Galilee, there have been many, many other storms that have taken place. With the feeding of the 5,000 and His ministry, there were people that hungered again within the next day. But the effect of leading a soul to Christ giving the gospel to someone where they receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior. That is an eternal effect. And yes, Jesus did introduce people to the Father. And the woman at the well, the woman taking an adultery, Nicodemus, countless people that we've studied in the Gospel of John. But we can too, and we're in the greater works phase because the miracle of the new birth. We have a part in that. Not that we can save anyone. But we are laborers together with God. We are mouthpieces of His grace. And when you share the Gospel, whether it's with a little child in Sunday school, or a junior church, or a teenager, or an adult, between the services, you may huddle off somewhere to give them the Gospel, or at the office, or wherever you may be. You know what? You are taking part in an eternal change that is taking place in that person's life. Because that person heard the Gospel from you, and you gave them a tract and they got saved and received Christ as Savior, whether immediately right there or later on. Maybe you were in the sowing stage of the whole thing. But the point is, if that person receives Christ, there's a change in their ownership, They are no longer a child of the devil. They're a child of God. There's a change in their destiny. No longer bound for hell, but bound for heaven. There's a change in other people that have contact with that person. Perhaps children that are yet in their loins that will be born and also hear the Gospel and be saved. And the effect goes way beyond something that would have been just a one-time miracle or a raising of Lazarus. Yes, that was stupendous, but you know Lazarus had to die again. We're laborers together with God. Let's get excited about what gets God excited. Let's get excited about what's really important in the local church. Not whether or not we got the color carpet that we wanted, Or whether we got a hymn sung that we wanted, or I didn't get my favorite number picked or whatever. But the big thing is, hey, let's get excited about telling other people about the Lord Jesus Christ. The promise of greater works. Thirdly, we have greater works because of the extent, because of the effect. But how about this? We're in the greater works stage because of the enablement. because of the enablement. Look at it this way. For Jesus to do a miracle, that's a great thing. But when Jesus uses filthy, hell-deserving sinners to do His work, that's a greater work because it's more of an expression of grace. That God would take a lost sinner like we have been, save us, and then use us to honor and glorify the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, we're in the greater works phase because of the enablement that God gives us. The angels look at us with great interest, it says in Peter's epistles, because angels don't know what it means to be saved by grace. They don't understand what it means to be the objects of God's redemption as humankind's are. And they look at us with great admiration. And it's amazing to them that God would even use us. So we're in the greater works phase. All I have to say to you tonight is this. Let's keep our eyes on the big picture. Let's not micromanage. our lives to the degree that we look at one little segment and we let that little segment of concern so freeze us and just cause us to just seize up like an engine where we no longer are functioning and moving. Let the free flow of the oil of the Holy Spirit keep our machinery operating. Keep your eye on the big picture. Don't be concerned about, Lord, how am I going to get through this week? How am I going to take care of this? How am I going to take care of that? He has given unto you and to me all things that pertain to life and godliness. Let's keep our eyes on the big picture of God's grace. We're going to be looking next time we get together. We have our missionaries coming. But we do have a week of break time where we'll be returning to this chapter. We're going to look at another promise the Lord gives us. The promise of answered prayer in verse 14. But we'll stop here. And let's just rejoice in the God of our salvation. And let's keep on serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray together. Father, we thank You for Your goodness towards us. Thank You, Father, that You are the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. And Lord, that we can be used by You for the greatest of works is beyond our understanding. Even the angels admire Your grace and Your work, the extent, the effect, and the enablement that You provide for us. Father, I pray that we would live our lives in such a way that we would be cleansed vessels fit for the Master's use. Lord, I pray that you would even speak to young people's hearts here in our midst, and out of our flock, call young men and women in the greater works phase to go around the world with the Gospel, using every available means, both home and also abroad to share their faith. And Lord, may we see a great, great work of faith, even from this small little church, Central Florida Bible Church. May we see champions for Christ arise in service for you. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.