The Way, Truth and Life | Pastor Rick Wright | The Church at CW

Happy Sunday.

I hope that y'all are doing well this morning.

And uh it's been a good week.

It's been a busy week.

And uh yesterday, right in here, we had a group of men that sat through the 1613 Men's Conference.

Thank you to Barry Key for hosting and putting that on.

And uh we heard from Green Berets and football players and uh some really strong men on the topic of act like men.

And so, amen.

Barry had a lot of interest, and I want to tell you, Church, if you're interested in maybe seeing that again, we have access to it, and he'll be uh talking more about that.

But if you'd like to, uh we can maybe do that again.

I do want to tell you one more quick commercial of something that's up and coming because I spent two hours in a meeting with it this week, and if I spend two hours or something, I gotta tell you.

Um our connect groups are just around the corner, and I know that school and all that stuff gets going, and I don't want it to be too late for you.

Um, so I want you to begin thinking now.

There's over 10 right now.

If you're a leader and you're interested in hosting a group or hosting your home and you have not signed up, uh Richard self is uh Richard, would you stand up just a second?

I'm sorry, I didn't tell you I'd do this.

Richard is doing all the uh work and getting connected to the leaders.

We're gonna do a training at my house coming up soon for leaders.

But in September, that kicks off church wide, and that's how we bear one another's burdens.

We get into uh group together and discuss these sermons.

So don't let it be too late, and I'm done.

Cut the commercial, it's over.

Take your Bibles this morning and turn it to John chapter 13.

John 13 · chapter mention

We'll be looking at 13 and 14.

As you're turning there, have you ever had God do something in your life where you didn't understand what was happening at the time, and then later you understood?

Raise your hand if that's happened to you.

Okay, good.

I'm in good company.

Uh every year in July, I do a vision planning for our church for the next year, a sermon calendar, and then sort of our ministries, and then I just did it for 2027, but in uh July of 2025, I sat with the Lord and I began asking God what he wanted for our church for this year, and he led me to the opening of the year, our theme statement, Hold the Line.

And as of July, uh during that season, after Hold the Line, we were going to do the seven I am statements.

Well, in the end of February of this year, when war broke out in Iran, I was seeking the Lord in prayer, and he told me I was impressed to pivot.

And at the end of the year, I was going to do that first, second Thessalonian series, which is called Hope for the Hour.

And I share this to tell you that five weeks ago my mom passed away.

And I and this church, I was my mom's pastor, this church was my mom's church online.

She lived in Delaware.

And uh until her passing, just the way that God works, I thought I'm doing this Hope for the Hour series solely because of the conflict in the world.

But before my mom went to heaven, she heard about the resurrection hope of Jesus Christ.

She heard about heaven.

She got to hear one of her favorite songs, the Midnight Cry, which we haven't sung the whole time I've been here.

But we sang it before she went on to heaven, and she heard that to be absent from the body from Thessalonians is to be present with the Lord.

And I thought, that's really cool the way that God works things out when you think it's one way.

But not only that, I found myself stuck in an airport when I went out to make funeral arrangements with my sister and my dad.

I flew back here on a Monday, and y'all, I was frazzled.

Okay.

So I clicked on the uh ticket for 10 a.m.

to get back here to Birmingham.

Except for that a.m.

when I got to the airport, it was not a.m.

It was P.M.

So I found myself in the airport, and I got a lot of miles in that day, but I sat there and I began to plan out, I was to preach the funeral on Friday.

And so I began, God, you know, and I there's a couple of texts that most preachers will take to funerals because they're used to these texts, and I thought, God, it's my mom's funeral.

I want it to be special, I want it to be important, I want it to, you know, kind of be tailored to some things in her life.

And God took me to the passage that we're going to be looking at today.

And I believe God ordained for me to preach it then at the funeral, but in the way that He changed the schedule, I believe that it's ordained today that you're hearing this message now and not earlier in the year.

And so I believe God planned this date and you're here today, and there's no accidents with the Lord.

So let me pray and let's jump into this text.

Father God, we love you, and we're so thankful for your goodness and your grace.

God, we're thankful that you're sovereign in control.

And God, we don't need to be, and God, we can't be.

Lord, I pray that you would draw hearts to this text today.

Lord, help our hearts to be met with your presence.

God, I pray that we would find you here, Lord, and speak.

Every person here has need to hear you speak.

And I believe divinely, God, that this is a part of your plan that we're here today.

It's not a mistake.

And Lord, you have something to say to each and every person.

So, God, I pray, get me out of the way, and you speak in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So, in that vein, John 13 and 14, and John 13, you'll see you can go back to Luke 12 and find the text where it says, Jesus told the disciples to meet him in the upper room at the table.

First point I want you to see this morning is the table.

I don't know how your life looked up growing, looked like growing up, but ours seemed like it was lived around the table.

Um, my aunts would be at the table, my mom would be at the table, we were always at this table, we had meals at the table.

It seemed like a lot of problems were solved at the table.

It seemed like a lot of problems happened at the table, if you know what I'm saying.

Some of you do.

So it's no surprise that today one of my favorite things to do is to sit with my wife, invite people over, and we play board games, we have meals with people around our table.

We have connect group, and you know what?

We have couches, but somehow, somehow we always stay at the table.

And Jesus told the disciples, you know, it's near Passover, and he says, Meet me in the upper room around the table.

And at the table, letter A, I want you to see this, and then we'll read John 13, 4 through 6.

Jesus showed his humility.

Look at John 13, 4 through 6.

Now he rose from supper and laid aside his garments, took a towel, and girded himself.

After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.

Then he came to Simon Peter, and Peter said to him, Lord, are you washing my feet?

So at the table we see this humility.

I like the guy who once said, My humility is something that I'm so good at.

If I had any more, I'd be proud.

Jesus rose and he took off his outer garment.

This would be a little strange to have seen, took out off his outer garment, which left his undergarments, and began to take that garment and one by one wash the disciples' feet.

Now it was typical in the biblical East during that time for a servant, the lowliest servant of the house, to meet somebody at the front doors they were coming in because of their travels and bring a wash basin, and that lowly servant would wash somebody's feet.

But look at verse 13 in chapter 13.

He said, You call me teacher and Lord, and you say, Well, for so I am.

If I then, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also have to wash one another's feet.

So he says, not a lowly servant, not a nobody.

He says, You call me teacher and lord, and I am setting before you an example of humility.

He washed, think about it, foot after foot after foot, their leader, their teacher served.

And Philippians chapter 2, if you want to turn there for a moment, I want you just to see this progression from heaven to earth.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

Philippians chapter 2, verse 3 through 6.

Philippians 2:3–6

It says, Let nothing be done by selfish ambition or conceit.

But in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves.

Let each of you look out not for his own interest, but also for the interest of others.

Hear this.

This is Jesus as he's serving.

It says, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not consider it to be robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of bond servant and coming in the likeness of man.

So this Jesus rose from the table, took his outer garment, and he began to serve.

Jesus, who knew who he was.

How could he serve in this way?

He wasn't threatened by serving.

Insecure people seek recognition.

Jesus was never insecure.

Security says, I am here to serve.

And Jesus says to them later, and we're going to look at this statement throughout this text, I am the way.

That word, the way, is hodos, and it literally means the road.

He says, I am the road to heaven.

The road to heaven, church, hear me, it runs through Jesus Christ's humility.

If Jesus Christ never went through the kenosis, that's what Philippians 2 is talking about, when he emptied himself of his glory and descended to earth, Jesus in the most humbling fashion came.

So the road, the way, he says, I am the way, the road to heaven goes through his humility.

And we see Jesus' humility.

He's showing the disciples.

He has a few hours left with these people, and he wants to give them something powerful to see.

And his example there is this I'm going to serve you.

Take a look at the table in your mind.

Think about it for a moment.

Disciple by disciple, John the beloved has his feet washed.

Peter has his feet washed.

There's Thomas, who will later be called the doubting Thomas, feet washed.

Jesus took Judas.

Washed his feet.

He served the man, the very man who had planned his betrayal.

That makes Romans 5.8 good for me when it says, But God commanded his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

He didn't die for us because we did something to earn his death.

And he looks at Judas, what a moment.

Knowing.

And he's about to call it out in a moment.

And he brings his towel.

Did you bring your towel today?

Jesus is so different from the rest of the world that we're in.

The world today asks, who is serving me?

And Jesus said, Whose feet are dirty?

John 13, 17 would say this.

If you know these things, talking about his example, blessed are you if you do them.

He says this, church, humble service is rewarded by blessing.

The word blessed throughout scripture and in the Beatitudes means happy.

Who says, Pastor, I want to be happy today?

You know what Jesus said?

If you want to be happy, then serve.

He said, Blessed, happy are you if you will do them.

If you hadn't served in a while, you might be sitting here a little unhappy.

And I'm going to tell you, serve.

Find your humility.

Washing feet was a physical way that he could show the disciples that he loved him.

People see Jesus, church, in your humility.

Letter B, I want you to see this.

Jesus showed his heart.

If you start at verse 1 in John chapter 13, then we're going to jump to 33.

John 13 · chapter mention

This is important, just as a background as it starts.

Now, before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come, that he should depart from his world to the Father, hear this, showing his heart.

Having loved his own, who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

His heart, verse 33 through 37, he's showing this.

He says, Little children, see the endearment.

I shall be with you a little while longer.

You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, where I'm going, you cannot come.

So now I say to you, a new commandment.

Hear this, that I give to you.

This is new.

As I have loved you, you must love one another.

And by this, the whole world will know that you're my disciples, by your love for one another.

So Jesus showing his heart, having loved his own, it says to the end.

Now look at this word.

Remember the endearment.

He says, Little children.

He says, Little children, technea, and it's an endearment to express affection.

He says, Love each other.

It shows whose you are.

Jesus gave these answers that are coming about the way, but before he did, he gives them himself.

He spends time with them, he shows affection to them, he serves them, he washes their feet.

So we see how this relates to his statement, I am the way.

Interesting.

In the 1990s, there was a Christian contemporary song, and it had this lyric in it.

God will make a way when there seems to be no way.

Church, that is what John 3.16 is the answer to.

For God so loved.

Now see the heart, I'm tying to the heart.

For God so loved the world, he showed his heart, for he so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son.

The way, he sent his son that those who believed in him would have everlasting life.

And along that, with hours left for the disciples, he shows his heart.

Twenty-seven times in the four chapters leading to Jesus' death.

Do we see terms of love to describe how he feels to the disciples?

When Heather and I were dating, it was easy and often that I would travel three hours to go see her, because she lived three hours from me in Virginia.

And she would come see me three hours.

We would drive there.

And sometimes I would drive there so that I could see her for an evening.

And I would catch a nap, and I would get back up at 3 a.m.

and drive straight back home to work, window down.

Y'all know how it is window down, so I'm trying to stay awake and I'm driving, right?

Because love does crazy things.

And now Heather will say, Honey, will you run to Walmart for me?

And I'll go, didn't I just go there yesterday?

Couples, what once felt like a privilege now feels like a sacrifice.

Why?

We've lost our heart.

And by the way, I go to publics tons of times.

I do good, amen.

Over and over.

I just don't like Walmart.

Okay.

But it used to feel like a privilege, right?

How many of you got grown kids?

We'll call grown teen to grown.

Anything from teen up.

So if you know teen and up, before that, there was a time where you would walk through the door at home, and buddy, you would get loved.

I mean, bam, they came to you, right?

They came running to you.

The dog don't even run to me no more.

Right?

They came and they loved, but you remember a time.

I did want to boast in this and I'd share it recently when my mom passed.

The um the hour that I was sharing with the family, um, all that was happening.

Um, Weston wrote me a card.

And uh, here's the big card.

And um he didn't know what to do, right?

When somebody passes, we don't know what to do, we don't know what to say.

But this is what I understand about this that love, his heart said, I gotta do something.

And he says in this card, Dad, I feel horrible about what happened, and I know she's in heaven rejoicing at God's feet.

And he said, I feel really bad about what happened.

He said, if you need a hug, just call me.

I think a 13-year-old just taught me what needs to happen whenever somebody passes.

We don't know what to do, we don't know what to say, but I have looked at this card 15 times and went, hey, I didn't even need his physical hug.

But the thought that he wanted to give me something has soothed pain.

Because that's heart.

Before Jesus gave farewell instructions, he showed his heart.

That's why chapter 14 is interesting that we're gonna get into.

And I want you to hold that thought.

Jesus shows his heart before he says something really interesting.

Go to chapter 14, second this morning, the trouble.

Publicly, thank you, Weston.

Chapter 14 starts with, let not your heart be troubled.

I would highlight that right now.

You believe in God, believe also in me, in my father's house, your 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 to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

And where I go, you know, and the way you know.

And Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you're going.

How can we know the way?

Letter A is this the disciples were concerned.

And the concern, I think, is legitimate.

Jesus makes a really complex remark if you look at the whole scene of what's happened.

He says, Let not your heart be troubled.

Do you know all that just happened?

First, the teacher got up and washed the disciples' feet.

That was awkward, that was different.

And then he went on to tell them some things that were all a little bit troubling.

He said, My betrayer is amongst us.

And they began talking to one another.

Is it me, Lord?

What do you mean?

A betrayer is amongst us.

And he says, That.

And then Peter says, I will go to the death with you.

I surrender all to you.

And he says, Before the cock crows three times, you are gonna deny me.

That's troubling.

Disciples are looking around at this speech.

What is he saying?

And then he tells them, during that time, I am going to a place.

And you're not gonna go.

That's pretty troubling.

And after all that, he says, Don't be troubled.

It's kind of like telling somebody to calm down.

You've seen this?

Have you ever heard somebody in your house yell it?

Calm down! You're like, just calm, won't you?

You're like, why don't you calm down a minute?

Troubled is the word terrasso, and it means like a ship that's at the ocean, and water is whipping through a storm around the ship.

Jesus says, He doesn't say, don't be troubled.

He says, Don't let your heart be troubled.

He says, Don't let your heart, I know people who can turn a text message that says, call me tomorrow when you get a chance, and they'll lose sleep all night over that.

It'll be a crisis, right?

What do they mean?

What does that say?

One lady said, Preacher, my biggest hobby is borrowing trouble from tomorrow.

And church, I am not, I'm not making light of your storm or trouble.

In the last two years, me and my family have been through trouble.

How do you let not your heart be troubled when it feels like The water is whipping all around the boat.

How in the world do you not let your heart be troubled when there is absolutely trouble?

This is not denial.

Jesus is not saying there is no trouble.

He's not saying there is never trouble.

Jesus was troubled at Lazarus' tomb, his friend, and was grieving at the thought of sin and death.

It troubled Jesus that Judas would betray him.

He doesn't say, don't ever have any trouble.

He says, don't let your heart, heart is the word cardia, and it means the emotion and seat and the will of a person, the very center of you.

He says, Don't let that be troubled.

Five weeks ago, I stood at my mother's casket and I preached this text to my family.

And I said, Don't let your heart be troubles.

Two lines, I'm supposed to preach this message.

Two lines into the eulogy reading names.

I began to cry.

And I thought for a second, God, I'm two lines in.

And I can't even say my mom's name, Patricia Wright, got me.

I know trouble, church.

I'm still troubled, church.

He doesn't say don't have trouble.

He says, don't stay focused on the trouble.

What did he say to Peter when he stepped out of the boat?

As long as Peter's eyes were on Jesus, he was walking on water, water that was splashing, water that was whipped up by a storm.

But when he stopped looking at Jesus, when the emotion center of his person stopped focusing on Jesus, trouble began to take him up.

I've learned a few things that I think I can pass today going through some trouble.

One is this, it's just practical.

Anchor your heart in a person, not answers.

When you're going through trouble, anchor your heart in a person, not answers.

There's been a lot of times in the last couple months, and really in the last over a year where I haven't had an answer, but I knew a person.

And I'm so glad and so thankful that I knew a person.

Anchor your heart in a person.

I don't know how to fix certain things.

But I know who does.

And I've got faith that he will.

And if he won't, I got faith that he'll hold me.

So anchor yourself to release tomorrow.

You can't do anything about tomorrow.

So release it.

Don't stay up all night.

Don't miss all that sleep.

Drink you some hot tea.

Take a melatonin.

I'm not supposed to say that in church.

Whatever you gotta do, get some sleep.

But don't be stealing tomorrow away and worry.

Release it.

You can't do anything about it.

Three, worship while you're waiting.

While you're in the wait, while your heart is broken, and get alone with him.

Sing to him, scream to him, praise him, hurt with him, but get with him.

There's been many days in which my circumstances have felt unsettled.

And I had to decide this where's my heart gonna rest?

I want to tell you something.

I did not find peace because everything in my life has changed and gotten right.

I found peace because Jesus Christ has never changed.

My life circumstances have not all changed, but Jesus Christ, he said, This, I am the same yesterday, today, and forever.

James said, There's no shadow of variation in him.

He says, I am the Lord, I change not.

To Moses, he said, I am.

He didn't say I was.

He said, I am.

I am here.

I am the same.

Now everything in your life has an opportunity to change.

Your feelings may change.

Your job might change.

Your family might change.

You have finances and they might change.

Your health might change.

Your kids might change.

Your circumstances might change.

Your day might change, but Jesus Christ never changes.

Amen, church?

I found peace because he does not change.

Disciples were concerned, and then letter B, they were confused.

They were confused.

At verse twenty-two.

Disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom he spoke.

And when Thomas asked him in verse number five, he says, How do we know, Lord?

How can we know the way?

Philip asks him a question, Lord, show us the Father.

Is this sufficient for us?

They were confused.

They were perplexed.

Jesus said, Where I'm going, you can't go.

They've been with him on a three-year mission trip.

And he says, Boys, we're about to be done.

They've seen miracles, they've seen the feeding of the 5,000, lame people, blind people.

I mean, this has been the most fun mission trip in history.

And he says, it's about to be over, and you can't go where I'm going.

And Peter says, Whatever it is, I've surrendered, I give my life.

And he says, You're going to deny me.

Thomas said, I don't know where you're going.

Many of us ask this question, right?

Lord, what are you doing?

What are you doing in my life?

Maybe today you need to ask that question internally.

God, what are you doing?

Confusion comes from this place, right?

We think things like, Why can't I do this, Lord?

Why not this, Lord?

See, the expectation of the disciples was this earthly kingdom.

This Messiah was bringing an earthly throne.

And Jesus was talking about a heavenly one.

They expected a crown.

Jesus spoke to them about a cross.

They're confused.

I want you to notice a biblical pattern.

Abraham, God said, I want you to go to a land which I will not show you.

Is that confusing?

He said, I want you to get up and go.

And Abraham said, Where am I going?

And he said, just go.

No map, just go.

Okay?

Jesus some or God sometimes directs us in this way.

He said to Joshua, Go and cross a flooded river.

I want you to cross.

What?

Go cross a flooded river.

To Gideon, he said, I want you to fight over 30,000, whatever the number, crazy number of men, and I want you to dwindle your army first to 300.

What, God?

And he says these things.

An angel said to Mary, You will conceive the Messiah.

Do you think she said, What?

Me?

God.

This is what I mean to tell you.

Confusion is not the opposite of faith.

Unbelief is the opposite of faith.

You can be confused and still trust God.

Sometimes confusion is proof that God is leading you somewhere that you have not been before.

Somewhere outside of maybe your control.

Are you confused today?

I won't tell you it's okay.

Trust God.

The truth, thirdly.

Look at verse 6.

Thomas said, Lord, we don't know where you're going and how do we know the way?

And Jesus said to him, I want you to look at this and don't miss any of it.

I am the way, the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

We're going to come back to this verse, but he says, further, if you had known me, you would have known my Father also.

And from now on, you know him and have seen him.

Philip said, I understand this, Lord, show us the Father.

Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip?

He who has seen me has seen the Father.

So how can you say, Show us the Father?

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?

The words that I speak to you, I do not speak of my own authority, but the Father dwells in me, does the works.

Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, or else believe me for the sake of the works that you've seen.

So he explains to the disciples.

Thomas says, I you're going somewhere, I don't know the way.

Jesus said, I am the way.

I want to break that down for a second, okay?

This might get a little uh classroom feeling.

He said, I am.

That word, I am, is the word Jehovah, or we say Yahweh, and it means the existent one.

Eternity.

It speaks of God's eternity.

God is eternal.

We are uh we are human beings now.

We're gonna be in eternity one day.

But he says, I am.

When Moses was told, Who am I gonna tell the Pharaoh has sent me?

He said, Tell him, I am.

It seems like a fragment to us.

What do you mean, I am?

He says, I am, meaning I am the eternal God, the existent one.

So when he says, I am, Thomas said, I don't know the way.

He says, I am eternity.

I am eternity.

Get it?

I am the eternal one.

I am the way.

And the way literally means the road.

I am the road to eternity.

He says, I don't know the way.

He says, I am the road to eternity.

That's where I'm going.

And we have become in this life dependent, right?

When we drive.

How many of you?

GPS, first thing, right?

You're going down to the Dollar General.

Well, we should plug it in.

The other day we were driving to the Vestavia Movie Theater, of which I've been probably a dozen times, ten times, I don't know.

And we came up on the turn.

There were some road construction cones, and Heather goes, Well, there goes the turn.

And I looked at her and I looked at the cones and I pulled right through those construction cones and I thought to myself, hero.

And she thought, illegal.

We were coming off of a cruise, and we were in Miami, and the phone GPS, it wouldn't cut on.

I began to panic internally.

I thought, this next turn that I make without the GPS is Russian roule.

I might drive right to Cuba.

I don't know what I'm about to do.

I do understand I can't do that, folks.

Some of y'all are wondering what's wrong with me.

But is there a worse feeling than feeling lost?

Feeling lost is a feeling of defeat.

Feeling lost makes you feel tension.

Feeling lost means you're without direction.

You feel sick.

And Jesus said, Thomas, Thomas, if you have me, you have the way.

Do you understand this, Thomas?

He says, Me and the Father, Philip, we're one.

If you've known me, you knew the Father.

And if you know me and the Father, you have with you the way.

Heather's great at directions.

I'm so glad.

She usually does all that, plugs things in.

And if she's not on a trip with me, that GPS, I'm gonna look at two miles down the road, I'm gonna find out, right?

He said, if you have me, you have the way.

Did you know this?

Christianity, before it was ever called Christianity, was called, anybody know?

The way.

In Acts, it was called the way.

This life and the next church are a one-way street.

And Jesus is telling Thomas this.

Now, some people that you come across believe a lot of things about direction and the what happens when your life is over.

Some people believe there is no afterlife.

Some people believe eventually everybody just gets there.

Some people believe if your good outweighs your bad, then you got a pretty good shot to make it, and God might let you in.

You know what I believe?

I believe in the Bible.

And I believe everything in this book is either all true or it's all a lie.

And I believe that it's all true.

So when it says Jesus is the way to heaven, my good works aren't gonna make it.

Somebody else's salvation is not gonna make it.

When I stand before God, he says, Did you know me or have you never known me?

I'm gonna tell you, I knew you because I knew this.

And I believe it.

Some people don't believe that.

Jesus did not say, now, Thomas, there are ways.

He said, I am the way.

Jesus spoke honestly about direction.

And I'm gonna talk about heaven in a moment in the last point, but Jesus spoke honestly in the Bible about hell.

Hell is a direction, it is a direction of rejection.

When you reject what God has done through Jesus Christ, then you accept the one way to a real place called hell.

Now God gave an answer.

The cross is God's answer.

Jesus Christ, through the cross of Christ, is God's answer.

Jesus died, so no one would go.

So the great tragedy isn't that hell exists.

The tragedy is that people reject the one way.

Let's talk about how Jesus explained destiny.

Let her be.

I want you to turn to Revelation 21.

Look down there at verse 1.

John had this vision.

He said, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.

Also there was no more sea.

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, picture it from God, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the heaven saying, Hear this.

Behold the tabernacle, highlight, circle that word.

The tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people.

God himself will be with them, and every, or he will be with them and be their God, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

There shall be no more death, sorrow, crying, no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

Then he who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.

So Jesus talks about the destiny of those which he was trying to explain to Thomas that I'm going to prepare a place for you.

And that place he talks about in that passage.

There are many mansions, there are many rooms.

And if you did a study of it, heaven is a big place with many rooms.

You go through this Revelation 21, it talks about a city four square.

It talks about it.

It's like 144,000 stories up.

Check my math.

Go play with it.

I messed around with this, okay?

And so I'm, but it talks about this big place, four square, and it's a beautiful place.

It goes on in Revelation 21 after this and talks about what it looks like and the beauty of heaven, the blessing of heaven.

We just talked about there's not any tears, there's not any pain.

Can you imagine?

Not one more day where you wake up with a sleep-related injury.

Not one more day of needing to see a chiropractor or a masseuse or seeing a doctor, not one more ailment, not one more diagnosis, not one more day.

Heaven is a place of blessing.

And he says, I go to prepare a place for you.

Now, why?

I need you to get this.

This is the heartbeat of why I can be in a storm and my heart can be focused on a person.

Why?

Why do you go to prepare a place?

He says, So where I am, there you may be also.

The emphasis, even though the place is beautiful, even though the place is great, even though the place is blessed, the emphasis isn't the place, it's the person that is in the place.

Jesus doesn't simply prepare a place, he prepares a destiny.

Look there, I said, highlight this verse three.

It's important.

He said, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men.

What's that mean?

He's saying, God Himself will be with them.

The fulfillment.

The Bible begins this way: In Genesis, God is walking with man, and by revelation, God again is walking with man.

Our relationship was severed in Genesis because of sin.

In John 1, 14, he says this, and the word became flesh and dwelt.

That word dwelt is tabernacled.

He came back and tabernacled among them.

Right?

He just says, the tabernacle of God will be with him.

He says, the word came back, was born and dwelt among them.

And then we see this in Corinthians, he says, that you and I, our body, is the temple, tabernacle, temple of the Holy Spirit of God.

And so in Revelation 21, as you finish the chapter, I want you to look at verse 22.

It's interesting.

After all this beauty is spoken of.

Interesting little phrase.

But I saw no temple in it.

For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

You see, Old Testament tabernacle had barriers.

A priest could only go into the Holy of Holies.

And then there's veils.

And then when all of that has been torn, John sees this picture.

He says, There's no temple.

There's no tabernacle.

There's no need for a building.

When you live in the presence of the builder, you have no need for the building.

John saw a vision of heaven on earth.

And what heaven on earth is where I want you to get, because it's the same now.

Heaven on earth is God with men.

And it's the same now.

You can live for everything else and miss this truth.

Heaven on earth is God with men.

So when you can find in your walk with God now a place of worship with God, that's heaven on earth till it becomes heaven on earth.

When you can find purpose in your job or your work or your school.

Heaven on earth is where God meets and works through you.

And you're in his presence now.

You don't have to wait till heaven.

It's now.

And he says, one day all of it's going to be gone, every barrier.

And heaven on earth is going to be heaven on earth.

And that means God on earth.

You see, God wants to dwell with his people.

Jesus went to prepare a place.

We spend our lives preparing, don't we?

How many of you preparing for retirement?

How many of you preparing for vacation?

You better get it in.

School's coming.

Preparing for your career, students.

Preparing for your sport, students.

Preparing for college.

Some of y'all are really good preparers.

You already got next year's vacation on the calendar.

Raise your hand.

I know my people.

How many of you have bought Christmas presents already?

You're gonna forget where you hit it.

We're preparing.

I've got a hundred and fifty canned goods in the garage.

If it all messes up, I'm gonna eat my pea.

We're preparing.

Are we preparing our hearts?

Why do we prepare for anything?

Why do we prepare?

Preparation reduces stress, it gives confidence, and ultimately we have better results when we're prepared.

If heaven's greatest joy one day, hear me, is being in the presence of God.

Being prepared for that day means right now on earth, the greatest joy is being in the presence of God.

So shouldn't we be preparing by walking with Jesus now?

Are you doing that?

Are you preparing?

I want to tell you something.

Heaven is not going to introduce one person to Jesus.

It'll be a relationship that has already been started, that's been worked on, that's been prepared.

You're not going to wake up one day in heaven and go, oh, this is what I heard about.

I'll choose this now.

Heaven is a result of what's already been happening in your preparation.

Maybe you're here this morning and you haven't prepared for that.

I want to say this.

Today is the day of salvation.

Now is the acceptable time of salvation.

If you don't know him, I want to beg you, know him now.

Don't wait.

Jesus said, I go to prepare a place for you.

He was not telling the disciples of his construction business in heaven.

He wasn't saying, I'm going to build you mansions because I'm the G C up there.

Listen to what he was saying.

He was saying, after this dinner, I go to prepare.

I'm going to prepare.

I'm going to die.

I'm going to be buried.

And I'm going to rise again.

That is all the preparation that's ever been needed.

That one day you can live with me in heaven.

I'm going to prepare that place.

And I'm going to give my life so that you would be there.

I'm going to give all of this blood of my body.

I'm going to give all of the beatings.

I'm going to take all of the cross so that you could be in heaven with me one day.

The only prep work that goes on now is through the work of the Holy Spirit preparing people that will say yes.

Jesus has done everything.

There's many people who haven't said yes.

I want to tell you, you can't wait for life to be over to be prepared.

Church family, his presence is available right now.

The same Savior who promises a place where his eternal presence is invites you now to come into his presence.

And maybe you haven't been there in a while.

That's okay.

But it's not okay to stay out of it.

It's okay if you've been confused, if you've been concerned.

It's okay that if you've been in a storm and your heart's been troubled, it's not okay to stay there.

He's done everything for you and he says, now come.

Come to me.

Let me walk with you.

I'll give you the abundant life.

Come to me.

The last time that I talked to my mom, she was on the phone and she was.

But I would call her and she would say things as she got kind of feeble over the years, and I'd just ignore them.

But she got on this little tangent and she said, she said, sometimes, Rick, I'm just ready to go see Jesus.

And she started getting specific.

She said, I'm ready to see my mom.

I'm ready to see my dad.

She mentioned her brother who died when he was two.

And I hadn't heard her talk about him in years.

She said, I'm ready to see my brother.

And I was kind of just background noise in her.

Okay, okay.

And I did what I always do, I make a joke, because when something's real serious, it makes me feel better to make a joke.

And I said, Oh, that's great, mom, just not now.

And that's kind of how it went.

Um, but I thought about that later.

And I think God was letting me hear that my mom was ready.

She was just ready.

I don't know why she needed to bring all that up, but she was ready.

And what I was brushing aside on Tuesday night came to fruition on Friday.

My mom opened her eyes.

And she's in the presence of Jesus, and she's healed.

And I want to tell you this.

I think you're here today, and it's no mistake of the timing that you hear this.

I think God orchestrated that.

My mom entered eternity because she was prepared.

It wasn't because she was a good wife, or because she loved her family, or she had worked hard, or she cared for people.

Mom was ready and telling me she was ready because she went to an old revival in the 1980s, just before I was born.

And she went down, the man said, Will you accept Jesus as your Savior?

And she gave her life to Jesus.

And because she did that, now mom had all kinds of ups and downs spiritually, but she meant that.

And because she meant that, she was prepared to meet with Jesus.

John 14, 6, church says, Jesus said, not ways.

He said, I am the way.

I want to ask Christians this and then I'm going to give an invitation.

Christian, are you walking closely now with the one that you're going to spend eternity with?

Can you enjoy his presence forever if you're not enjoying it today?

What are we doing?

This is delight.

This is perfect.

This is peace.

This is worship.

What are you doing with your life?

You have the opportunity right here, right now, to live and to live in abundance.

Don't miss it.

Would you bow your heads and close your eyes this morning?

Church family.

Maybe today your prayer isn't.

If you're a Christian today, maybe your prayer isn't, Lord, save me.

But maybe you need to say, Lord, steady me.

There is a storm.

Sometimes everywhere I look, it feels like there's a storm in my heart.

Or I've been through it and I feel tired.

Pastor, let me be honest.

It's just been a struggle.

I've been in trouble or around trouble.

Maybe your prayer today needs to be this.

God, I trust you for eternity, but I need to trust you for tomorrow.

God, I trust you.

Maybe you need to come this morning and lay down what you've been trying to carry on your own.

Lay it down and anchor your heart once again to the one that can walk you through it.

I'm going to ask you to stand to your feet and I'm going to pray in a moment.

And I'm going to tell you this, Church in Honesty, with heads bowed and eyes closed.