Travel Plans

June 25, 2017                                             NOTES NOT EDITED
Travel Plans

John 14:1-14

Sermon-in-a-Sentence:  Jesus has promised to be with us on life’s journey and guarantee our safe arrival in Heaven.

I have great theological differences with the Catholic Church.  I would never suggest this path for someone who wants to honor Christ and live according to what God has revealed in the Bible.  That being said, I can appreciate the depth of devotion of the early Catholic servants, call them saints if you will.  Many were men of deep devotion to spiritual matters.  As I studied for my sermon this week titled, “Travel Plans,” I came across an interesting fellow called, St. Brendan the Voyager.  He lived about 500 years after Christ.  Ordained an Irish priest at the age of 26, St. Brendan became a “voyager.”  He sailed from Ireland to Scotland, Wales, France, and Brittany establishing monasteries.  Finally setting out on a seven-year voyage for Paradise.  His life is as much the matter of myth and legend as it is fact.  Stories of his life have parallels in Irish mythologies, as well as other famous stories like Sinbad the Sailor, and Pinocchio.  What attracted my attention is a prayer supposedly written by St. Brendan called, The Journey Prayer. 

God, bless to me this day, // God, bless to me this night;
Bless, O bless, Thou God of grace, // Each day and hour of my life;
Bless, O bless, Thou God of grace, // Each day and hour of my life.

God, bless the pathway on which I go;
God, bless the earth that is beneath my sole;
Bless, O God, and give to me Thy love,
O God of gods, bless my rest and my repose;
Bless, O God, and give to me Thy love,
And bless, O God of gods, my repose.

All of us are “voyagers.”  We are all on our respective journeys.  Nothing, absolutely nothing, matters more than to have God’s blessing upon our travels.  Without the blessings of God, our journeys are doomed to despair and difficulty and will never reach the safe harbor of Heaven.  Jesus has promised to be with us on our journeys and to guarantee our safe arrival into Heaven.  Let’s read about the Travel Plans Jesus has for our lives—John 14:1-14.

There are many issues to consider when traveling.

1.  The Destination (1-6; 7-14, esp. 2-3)

² In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you.
Every journey has a destination, even if you don’t have specific plan in mind.  Everyone is going to end up somewhere in the journey we call life.  The destination drives and defines the journey.  What exactly is the destination Jesus is pointing to in this passage, a final address before He is crucified?  Several clues are given in the text.

One, Jesus says believers are headed to “my Father’s house” (v2).  Two, Jesus calls a believer’s destination, “dwelling places” (2b).  Third, Jesus simply describes our destination as “a place” (3).  So, here’s what we know:  disciples of Jesus are heading to a place to dwell that is owned and operated by the Heavenly Father.  We call that place, heaven.  Now, when Jesus declared this encouraging news to the disciples, they responded with looks of confusion as evidenced by their doubt and questions.  Thomas, ever the doubter speaks for the others, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, and we don’t know the way” (v5). 

The Bible nowhere gives a complete description of Heaven.  Paul visited there and this is what he said,

² I know a man in Christ who was caught up  into the third heaven 14 years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don’t know, God knows. ³ I know that this man—whether in the body or out of the body I don’t know, God knows— ⁴ was caught up into paradise.  He heard inexpressible words, which a man is not allowed to speak.
The word, “inexpressible,” best describes a believer’s final destination.  Heaven is simply “beyond words” or as the NET Bible declares, “too sacred,” to put into words. 

Poets have tried to describe heaven.  

Peered I, up to the heavens. So stunned, I stood in awe.
His hand swept over East to West and this is what I saw...
A sight exposing every truth, that made me nearly faint.
A sight, that in a million years, no man could ever paint.

Emily Dickinson wrote 

I went to Heaven --'Twas a small Town --
Lit -- with a Ruby --Lathered -- with Down --
Stiller -- than the fields // At the full Dew --
Beautiful -- as Pictures -- No Man drew.

If Paul could not find words to describe Heaven, and even declared it “too sacred to put into words” (NET Bible), then I will simply leave the matter with what Jesus said.  Heaven, our destination, is a real place; a place we will live and dwell; and a place owned and overseen by the Father.  In fact, Jesus describes Heaven not as much as what it is or where it is, but “Who” is there.  It is the home of the Father. The entire second half or our reading today, verses 7-14, deal with “Who” will be in Heaven—the Father.  Jesus was going home to the Father, and promised we too would come home to the Father.

2.  The Travel Agent (1)

¹“Your heart must not be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in Me.  In other words, Jesus was saying, “Trust me, I’m God’s travel agent.  I’ll take care of all the details.”

Another issue with traveling is “making all the arrangements.”  On many trips of lesser significance and challenge, we might make the arrangements ourselves.  On more extensive travel, a wise person would seek out the services and assistance of a “travel agent.”  On our journey from here to eternity, Jesus is our “Travel Agent.”  Verses 2-3 show Jesus in the capacity of making all the arrangements for our travel to Heaven.

² In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. ³ If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.

In verse 33 Jesus said something very troubling.  It was one of many statements that troubled the disciples in the last few weeks of the Lord’s earthly ministry.  Jesus said in chapter 13, verse 33:

³³ “Children, I am with you a little while longer.  You will look for Me, and just as I told the Jews, ‘Where I am going you cannot come,’

Jesus was talking specifically about dying on the cross in ** days.  Peter, having no idea of the coming crucifixion, blurts out, “I will lay down my life for you” (13:37).  We know that Peter not only did not die for Jesus at that time, but he would even deny the Lord.  Jesus prophesied, “I assure you: a rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times” (13:38).  Not once, but three times!

What Jesus was trying to impress upon these disciples, and upon us as we read these words, is that travelling from here to heaven requires we trust completely in Jesus.  He is God’s “Travel Agent.”  He makes all the preparations.  When we try to plan our own travel in this life we fail as surely and miserably as Peter.

3.  The Accommodations (2)

Let me say another word about the “accommodations” we will have when we get to heaven.  While we don’t know everything about heaven, or even most things about heaven, we do know they will be properly “prepared.”  Jesus said, and I paraphrase, “By the time God calls you to heaven, by death or the rapture, I will have your room exquisitely prepared down to the heavenly mint on your pillow!”

I don’t usually stay in Five Star Hotels when I travel.  Our accommodations are usually more like Three Stains on the Sheet Motels.  In these motels you are more likely to find a bug on your pillow than a mint.  When my Mom died we travelled to McMechen, W.Va., the town where Charles Manson spent much of his childhood, and stayed in motel just down the road a piece from Mom’s house.  It was the Reilley Inn. 

Shari and I still laugh at the “slightly less than five star” accommodations!

Don’t worry about your eternal accommodations.  They are personally prepared by the Lord Himself.  Again, we can only talk in hyperbole and metaphor in trying to describe what is being “prepared” for those who travel this life with Jesus.  Paul says this:

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1Cor. 2:9).

In heaven, we will all live under the same roof and in the same dwelling as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  In the culture of Jesus, sons and daughters would occupy rooms in the family mansion.  Hence the words of the gospel song, “I’ve got a mansion, just over the hilltop.”

4.  The Directions (4, 6)

A very practical issue we must deal with in travelling is getting the directions.  We have already examined the confusion Jesus created when He told His disciples in verse 4:

“you know the way!”  They all scratched their heads in bewilderment because they felt they not did NOT KNOW THE WAY, but they didn’t even know the destination!  Jesus was creating a teaching moment. 

I know I’ve had a few teaching moments when I felt I was lost and driving in circles!

When Thomas speaks up and says, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way” (v5), Jesus answers with one of the most descriptive and instructive verses in the Bible in regard to His identity.  Jesus does not give an “informational” answer to the question of directions to heaven, but He gives a “personal” answer.  He says,

“I am THE Way.  I am THE Truth.  I am THE Life.  Nobody come to the Father except through me.” (v6).

The Way to heaven is not a religious path but a Redeeming Person.  There are not many ways to get to heaven.  There is only one way—Jesus.  Our pluralistic society that worships at the altar of diversity where as one Christian song writer said, “Nothing’s right and nothing’s right, it’s relativity divinve” (Barry Macquire), people do not like the Christian doctrine of Jesus being the only way of salvation.

But, He is.  It is as foolish to say all roads lead to heaven as it is to say all roads lead to Alaska. 

So, knowing the directions for our journey means knowing Jesus as Our Lord and Savior.  Jesus makes this clear using two very significant words in the Bible—”believing (vs1)” and “knowing (six times in verses 4 through nine).  Jesus then switches back to using the word “believe” twice in verses 10 through 11.  The word know in our English translations represents two synonyms in the Greek.

Both the Greek word for believe and the Greek word for know include the ideas of intimacy and intensity.  The Way to heaven is to follow the path of an intimate and intense relationship with Jesus Christ.

Neither the idea of believing or knowing refers simply to acquiring information about a person.  A person can know everything there is to know about Jesus Christ and “still split hell wide open” as an evangelist friend of mine likes to say.  It is not enough to know “about” Jesus.  A person must have had an intense and intimate encounter with Jesus in a moment of spiritual crisis in order to be saved and destined for heaven.

As one writer puts it, “there are many church goers who want all the benefits Jesus provides but none of the sacrifice.” (Idleman, Not a Fan). 

Jesus is the Way . . . the “only” way to get to heaven.  Jesus has promised to travel with us on this road of life and guarantee our safe arrival into heaven.  We just have to trust Him.

Heaven is our destination.  Jesus is our Travel Agent.  God’s provides the accommodations in His house; and Jesus gives us the directions—He is the directions.  But, what is the crowning jewel of any vacation.  For the Griswold family travelling in their 1979 Wagon Queen Family Truckster Station Wagon, the moment of sheer delight comes when they arrive—somewhat battered from a few detours—to the gates of Walley World (National Lampoon’s Family Vacation).  Not recommended because of crude humor and excessive nonsense).  For a believer in Christ, the crowning jewel of our journey with the Lord is 

5.  The Arrival Into Heaven (3)

Notice the certainty in the words of Jesus in verse 3:  “I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.”

This promise is why Jesus begins our reading today by saying, “Don’t let your heart be troubled!”  As a preacher said one time, “I am not worried about the future.  I’ve read The Book, and I know who wins.”

Our hope as believers in Christ is the promise of the Second Coming.  The Bible talks a great deal about the Second Coming.  Paul calls it “the blessed hope.”  Not just, “hope,” but “blessed” hope.  Titus 2:13 says,

¹¹ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ

After wandering far away from home and ending up on skid row living like a pig in a pig sty (literally), the prodigal son decides to go back to his home and ask for his father’s forgiveness.  This is a picture of a believer repenting of his or her sin and being saved, but it is also a metaphor for what happens when we arrive back home to heaven.  The Bible tells us that the Father scheduled a party!

²² “But the father told his slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe  and put it on him; put a ring  on his finger  and sandals  on his feet. ²³ Then bring the fattened calf  and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, ²⁴ because this son of mine was dead and is alive again;  he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate (Lk. 15:22-24).

The Book of Revelation also describes the Party God will be throwing one day called, The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

⁷ Let us be glad, rejoice, and give Him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself. ⁸ She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints. ⁹ Then he  said to me,  “Write: Those invited to the marriage feast  of the Lamb are fortunate!” (Rev. 19:7-9).

Jesus has promised to be with us on life’s journey and to guarantee our safe arrival in heaven.  Everybody’s journey is different.  It is the destination that finally unites all of God’s children with a glorious celebration in His eternal home.

As many of you know, I have been studying at McDonald's (or Chic Fil A) nearly every day for about 8 years. It reminds me why I preach in the first place.  Today, I saw a little girl. Well, she used to be a little girl. Now, she is a young lady. I've watched her grow up. She comes in with her Dad who always wears a Fedora Hat. She has autism and communicates with a briefcase-like device with programmable buttons. Usually I hear it say, "Diet Coke" signaling she’d like a refill. Her Dad is so very patient and loving. She is a bit unpredictable. She often startles the crowd if they haven't been around her. In fact, she startles me and I've seen her for years!

I watched her today. She is so happy. She always smiles. She is actually quite well behaved within her limits. I wondered today if she may have a relationship with the Lord that we "normal" folk cannot even imagine.
She is a part of "God’s world." That makes her a part of “my” world. I have never moved past, "Hi," with her Dad, but I pray someday I might. I'd just like to tell him what a beautiful daughter he has. I'd like to thank him for allowing her to bless my life over these last 8 years.

God created her and has a beautiful plan for her, just like all of us. Our journeys are not often without challenges of one kind or another.  I will never know what God's plan for her may be, but in a very, very, very small and insignificant way, I am a part of that plan as I pray for her and her family each time I see them.

They may never know I have prayed for them. They don't know I'm on the journey with them.  That is OK. God knows. God cares. God loves. God has travel plans for her, too. Maybe someday, I will get the opportunity to share God’s “Travel Plans” with them.

Life is a journey.  Don’t travel without Jesus.