John 14: Looking Forward to My Father's House

At the last supper, the apostles were very concerned about Jesus leaving them and what they were supposed to do in His absence. Their first cause for alarm was Jesus’ announcement that one of them would betray him (John 13:21). The second was his declaration of his departure to a place they could not go to (John 13:33).

As our loving God, Jesus recognized their hearts were troubled: (14:1-2) and he encourages them by declaring that in His Father’s House, there are many mansions. Or, in Heaven, there is plenty of room for all believers to join Him when they exit this earth.

But even for believers that have the assurance of a Heavenly home, we don’t really look forward to the end of this life. The circumstances of death, our lack of experience with exiting this world for Heaven, the silence and distance between ourselves and loved ones that have gone on before us all rob the promise of eternal life of the excitement we think it really deserves.

But how all that fear melts away when we consider Heaven as “My Father’s House”!

Can you remember your childhood in your Mother and/or Father’s house? Not all childhoods were the same, but if you had a fond childhood, you can remember not having any worries or cares like you now have in adulthood. You had all your needs met and felt very secure. As you flip through pictures of yourself when you were four years old, look at the activities: playing, eating, getting and giving hugs, opening presents or petting an animal. You had no responsibility to provide meals, income, fixing things broken in the house, keep a schedule or pay bills. And your health was probably a lot better too!

Chapter 14 is a continuation of the conversation started in Chapter 13 where we find Jesus addressing the Apostles as “little children” in v.33. Christ had a great concern for them as a parent does for their children.

And Jesus reminds these grown men that he calls “little children” of that simple, worry-free childhood, that is similar in some sense to eternity in our Father’s house, a blessed homestead for the family of God forever! No schedule, worries, no responsibilities, no deadlines.

I watch my four year old and six year old playing around the house – they have no cell phone alarm ringing to tell them what they need to do, they don’t know the pressure of finances, health concerns, they don’t know what the President is doing, they don’t understand how wicked this world really is. I don’t mean to humanize or trivialize our Father’s House in heaven, but it certainly is a much simpler and uncomplicated eternal life believers have to look forward to.

Those simple childhood days on earth may be long past, but believers can look forward to their renewal in a far greater form in Heaven where no evil can come to us, all wants are supplied, the battle with sin and the flesh is over and we’ll be “Little children in our Father’s House” forever more!

II Kings 4: A Mother's Faithfulness

In II Kings 4 we are introduced to a mother with great faith. Her husband was older and they were unable to have children. But because of her faithfulness, God gave her a son.

Apparently, the boy had some kind of aneurysm and he died at a young age while sitting on his mother’s lap. What a tragic event. But like the death of Lazarus, God allowed it to bring glory to Himself! If nothing bad ever happened, God could not receive glory for the miracles he performs.

Certainly her heart was grieving that God could allow her to have the son and yet now took the son away for apparently no reason. It would be entirely understandable for her to ask “Why God?”, to become angry with God, and ask “Why is God toying with me?” and perhaps even doubt the existence of God.

But this was no ordinary mother: This was a woman of magnificent faith! Her faith was....

... Proven by her actions. She placed the boy’s body in the house on the bed. This was not the place to put a body to be prepared for burial. Why then did she do this? She expected the boy to be raised from the dead!

....Proven by her respect for authority. Even though this is a desperate time and she needs to get to Elisha for help, she still asks her husband’s permission to go see the man of God.

...Proven by her faith during adversity. Notice, her husband had to ask why she was going to see the man of God. He didn’t know the boy was dead! Remember, when the boy fell ill, he sent him home to his mother, not knowing the fatal outcome. And she doesn’t give him the reason for the trip to Elisha. Her faith that the boy will walk again is so great that not even the look on her face betrayed the fact that her only son, given by a miracle, died in her arms just moments before! God give us mothers with such faith today!

...Proven by her faithfulness to God. Consider the husband’s question: Why are going to see the man of God today? It’s not new moon or Sabbath, those feast days of the Lord when she would go to the assembly and Elisha would lead the people to hear the word, pray and praise God. He well understood that she faithfully attended the times of worship.

...Proven by her concern for her child. She fervently desired to do whatever she had to do to ensure her child lived again. That meant getting to Elisha quickly so she told her servant to drive the cart quickly and don’t slow down for the bumpy ride. She was willing to become uncomfortable and inconvenienced for the sake of her child. She did not see her children as an obstacle to her desires.

The Lord rewarded her faithfulness yet again and the child was raised from the dead.  Hebrews 11:35 Women received their dead raised to life again...

II Samuel 11: Preventing Adultery

Benjamin Franklin was not only one of the founding fathers of the country, but was also a printer and inventor. He was a wise man who could identify problems and propose a solution.

Fires were a dangerous threat to Philadelphia, where Franklin lived. So in 1736, he organized Philadelphia’s Union Fire Company to fight fires and teach people how to avoid having a fire in their home in the first place.

Referring to fire prevention, Franklin coined the phrase, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” There’s a lot of wisdom in that statement. It’s much better to spend an hour cleaning up flammable materials and treating fire with respect rather than being lazy and suffering the loss of family members and a home because of a fire that could have been avoided. If even possible, recovering from such a devastating event can take years.

Likewise, it’s much better to take certain measures to remove temptations in our lives and understand how to avoid sin than suffer a fire of sin that can destroy our lives and families. It’s better to consider these things than be lazy and suffer the consequences of sin for years to come.

In II Samuel 11:1-5, we read of the adulterous affair between King David and Bathsheba, the wife of one of David’s faithful soldiers. There are many lessons to learn from these events and David’s response to them that help us understand how to prevent committing adultery in particular and sin in general.

1. Stay busy doing right. David should have gone to war, but stayed home. Had he led his troops like a king should have, he would not even been home to see his neighbor in a state of undress. Instead, David was lounging around the house with nothing to do. This is called “idleness”.

Sodom fell into its sin because of idleness: Ezekiel 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her.... The Lord warns young women of being idle instead of attending to the needs of their family: 1 Timothy 5:13-15 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some are already turned aside after Satan. When we become idle, we give Satan, our adversary, an opportunity to pull us aside from doing right.

2. Don’t create opportunities for the Devil to work. I remember playing soccer in high school and one of the younger players on the opposite team got confused and drove the ball down the field in the wrong direction and scored on his own goal.  We laugh at how foolish that is.  But how many times do we hurt ourselves by the same lapses of judgment?

David created the environment and factors necessary to tee himself up for his own fall.  He scored on his own goal. Not only did he avoid doing right by not going to battle, but he went looking to see what he could see and when he saw Bathsheba, he “enquired” of her.  He wasn't satisfied with just looking, he wanted to know all about her.  And when he found out she was married, he was too far down that road to let that hinder him! 

We live in a society that has little respect for marriage vows.  A woman was at a coffee shop and a male employee ten years her junior was hitting on her.  She said she was married.  He replied, "Happily?"  "For better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer" before witnesses and God just doesn't mean much to many spouses.

And Bathsheba was bathing in plain view of the neighbors! Her lust for men to notice her created an opportunity for Satan to destroy her marriage. Both David and Bathseba created the environment needed for Satan to work. Ephesians 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.

Men need to make a covenant with their eyes: Job 31:1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. The internet has led to the fall of many marriages either through online relationships or pornography. Both should be avoided.

Women should dress and behave in a way that does not attract ungodly attention from men. It is probable that Bathsheba knew men might be watching her bathe while her husband was out of town in the army. She was immodest and it would cost her her husband and a child. 1 Timothy 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety.... Proverbs 11:22 As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair [attractive] woman which is without discretion. A fair or attractive woman should not be flirtatious, lacking discretion in our behavior towards men. Proverbs 2:11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.  If discretion will preserve and keep you, what will indiscretion lead to?  Some women believe they have the “right” to dress any way they want. That demonstrates a spirit of lust, selfishness, naivety and a lack of wisdom. It is not a godly attitude.

3. Remember, Satan is stronger than you. Our power comes from Christ, not ourselves. 1 Timothy 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. When we get lifted up with pride and think we can flirt with sin an immoral relationships and not let it affect us, we’ll fall into Satan’s trap. Satan will use that prideful spirit to lead you to the place where you can’t resist temptation. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Look to the Lord as your source of strength, not yourself: Ephesians 6:10-13 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

David only saw Bathsheba and then pursued what he saw. How different Joseph behaved when Potiphar’s wife actively sought to seduce him every day he went to work!

Genesis 39:7-12 And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

Notice the integrity of Joseph. To commit an adulterous act with his boss’ wife would betray the confidence his boss had in him. Further, it would be a sin against God. Christian, do you care about what God thinks of you? She was trying daily to wear him down and seduce him. But he didn’t even want to be with her. Finally, she saw her opportunity when no one else was in the house.

The biggest difference between Joseph and David was that Joseph fled temptation but David pursued temptation. NOTE: If we want to remove many opportunities for immoral behavior, avoid being in private places with members of the opposite sex that are not family relations. That may sound archaic, but if we’re honest and can use some wisdom for just a moment, it would eliminate a lot of tempting situations. And avoiding those moments is a lot easier than you might think if you’re willing to try. But if you’re not willing to even try, you might want to question your own fidelity to your spouse and to God. We need to make up our minds to flee when Satan lays his trap before us. Remember, Satan is our enemy and he’s stronger than we are.

4. Cultivate a thought life focused on Christ. When we are busy in the work of the Lord, our focus is on Christ and not ourselves and not hidden desires of the heart. We’ll sin a lot less if we spend more time in the Bible, more time in prayer, more time in church and more time witnessing! Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

I hope these things will encourage you to remove temptations from your life and pursue godliness.  An ounce of prevention could save your marriage.