“Farther Along” was a song quite popular in the church when I was a boy. Church has changed quite a bit over the last six decades. Much of the focus in the early to mid-1900s was on Heaven. Today we still sometimes sing about Heaven, but the focus these days seem to be more on the here and now. One popular Christian joke that circulated a few years ago about people, who thought so much about Heaven went like this: “They are so heavenly minded, they’re not much earthly good.”I’m not sure that Jesus would agree with the shift in thinking away from Heaven. I think Heaven was on his mind quite a bit.

Jesus taught his disciples (and us) 3 things we need to know about Heaven: that (1) it’s a comforting hope, (2) it’s a physical place, and (3) it comes with a personal guide.

Jesus knew that his time was short. Later that night the betrayer and the enemy’s crowd will come for him. Not only would Jesus face a trial. He knew that his disciples would face the trial of their lives. Many of them would scatter in fear. What advice did he have for them?

What is the answer for a troubled heart? Belief! And not just in God, but also in Jesus. The really interesting thing about where Jesus takes this conversation is that he immediately transitions from talking about himself as a person to talking about himself as a place. Heaven. Heaven is where Jesus is. Believe in me. Believe where I will be. Believe that you will be there with me. Believe that I will not leave you here. I am coming back again for you so you can be with me. Believe in God. Believe in me. Believe you will be there with me.

Believe in Heaven. That’s the answer to the troubles you face today. The answer is not to live a better life here. The answer is not just “suck it up and stop complaining.” The answer is to change from your focus on your troubles today in this life to your focus on your life in Heaven with Jesus. Whatever trouble you may be experiencing now will feel less burdensome when you consider your future with Jesus in Heaven. So don’t allow your hearts to be troubled.

When Jesus talks about Heaven, he has a different vocabulary than most of us. We tend to think of Heaven as sky with clouds and angels and harps. But that’s not the idea we get from Jesus at all. When he talks about Heaven, it is real. It’s physical. It’s a location. It’s a place. We tend to think about our lives now as more physical with less spiritual emphasis. We do the exact opposite when we think of Heaven. We often consider it all spiritual and ethereal without much consideration of the physical. But the Bible is quite clear. We will receive new bodies:

So this Heaven we hope for is a physical destination suitable for our physical (and spiritual) bodies! The Bible talks about a New Heaven and a New Earth! Here (back in John 14), Jesus gives us three descriptions.

Heaven is not just any place. It’s God the Father’s place. That’s really important for us to understand for two reasons. First, this is where Jesus comes from. Before his birth as a baby in the Bethlehem manger, Heaven is where He lived - with God the Father. The two of Them were in relationship together going back to eternity past. So when Jesus talks about “My Father’s house,” there is an intimacy involved. There’s familiarity. It’s not only His Father’s house, it’s Jesus’ home too! This is where Jesus will return to and he tells his disciples (and us also) that we will be going to Jesus’ home, His Father’s house. Jesus is not speculating about what this might be like. Jesus knows.

The second reason this “Owned by God the Father” idea is so important to us is that we will be staying in HIS HOME. Not the servant’s quarters. Not the guest house. Not the hotel down the Golden Avenue. No! We are staying with God and Jesus at their personal home! God’s home will become our home! God invites us to live with Him where He lives!

Heaven is a spacious place! Lots of room! Lots of rooms! Room enough for everyone who follows Jesus. This might be even more challenging to think about than the physical reality of Heaven. Earth is a world of economy - of limited resources that have to be divided up. The more people, the fewer resources per person. Not so in Heaven. There is plenty of room and plenty of resources. Not a place of limitations, but of many!

This new Heaven is designed by Jesus. He laid out the blueprints. He chose the materials. He figured out the proportions. The engineering is like nothing else you have ever experienced. But it is more than just advanced beyond our technology. It is also prepared specifically for each one of you! Remember that God designed each of you with unique gifts and personalities. In the same way Jesus has designed your place with you in mind! I’m sure that there will be a ukulele hanging on the wall for me. Mary Kay will have place that will be near her brother John, who will be completely healthy and happy. Eddie will have a place right next to the sports arena.

Here is the BEST PART of Heaven…

The best part of Heaven is that Heaven is where Jesus will be. We will be with Jesus in Heaven. I don’t know how to reconcile the entire concept of the largeness of Heaven with the intimacy that we will experience with Jesus. But somehow both will be true. This is very personal for Jesus. He tells us that he is going to prepare a place. But also He is coming back for us. For one purpose: to take us to be with Him! This is where the hope comes from. This is the hope we hold. When our challenges are many, our trials seem endless, and our hearts are troubled, we should focus our thoughts on the certainty of our future with Jesus, our forever future in Heaven. This is the great promise from Jesus’ Himself. If we believe in Jesus, then we believe in Heaven!

Jesus is the key! Literally. He didn’t just give the promise of Heaven. He is the key to Heaven.

If we allow ourselves to think of this verse in exclusionary terms, we miss the whole point. Imagine someone handing you the key fob to a brand new $100,000 truck and giving you permission to use the truck for whatever you need.“Here’s the key fob - Enjoy the new truck!” Then imagine you respond: “I don’t want to use that key fob!” We’d say you’re missing the point of the brand new truck! I’ll happily take the truck along with the key fob!

There is no Heaven without Jesus! Jesus is more than just a key fob! The Presence of Jesus in Heaven is what makes Heaven… Heaven! The truck analogy would be better stated this way: You not only get Jesus as the key to your new truck, but you get Jesus to come along for the ride and explain how it all works. How perfect! The very designer and chief engineer is going to be with you to help you enjoy your new place to the max! What a great deal! Jesus explains this with three perfect words:

Modern trucks and cars come with their own built-in GPS systems that provide directions to get to where you want to go safely and timely. Jesus is way ahead of his time! He tells us that this Heaven He is preparing for us comes with it’s own GPS system too. But it’s not a computer or a map. It’s not Siri or Google or Waze. It’s none other than Jesus Himself! Jesus is the way!Imagine you stop and ask directions to a place and someone says, “Hey I know the way. I live there. And I’m heading there right now. Just follow me.” Would you count your lucky stars? Can you imagine responding, “no, I want to find my own way?” Jesus is not only the designer of Heaven, but He is also your personal guide. He’s coming back for you. Jesus says, “Follow me. Do the things I do. Live the way I live. Love the people I love. Go to the places I love to go to. Be generous the way I love to be generous. Then you can’t miss it! Heaven… and I… will be right there! I am the way!”

Jesus is also the truth. You can absolutely count on Him to give you the straight scoop. If He makes a promise to you (like I’m going to prepare a place for you and then come back for you), you can absolutely count on him to do just as He says! In this world of half truths and misleading statements and hidden agendas and secrets and obfuscation of facts, Jesus is the truth. His way is the way. And…

Jesus, who began his ministry explaining to Nicodemus that “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” ends his teaching ministry with his disciples explaining that He is the life. Good thing too! Because with all our knowledge, with all our technology, with all our understanding, we don’t know how to create life out of nothing. At best - when all the conditions are just right - we can sustain life for a while - with limitations. And eternity? As they say in NY: Fahgettaboutit! Jesus was here at the beginning - The WORD - speaking everything that is - into life. And Jesus will be here at the end - The LAMB - the source of eternal life in Heaven!

Conclusion - Heaven! What a comforting hope! What a great physical place to look forward to! With Jesus - our great designer and guide. We cannot think too much about Heaven. We cannot dream enough about it. The hope of Heaven changes everything about our life in the here and now of Earth. Because everything we do now on Earth impacts our then in Heaven. The direction we set for ourselves in this life is the direction we continue in the next life. There is no pain, no trouble we can experience in the here and now that will be comparable or even remembered in the glory of the Heavenly life to come. Amen!