Lesson Nine • A Place For You
Jim Aspin
1. Have you ever spent much time thinking about what Heaven is like?
People have a wide variety of ideas about what it will be like to be in Heaven, how to get there, what we will do there, and so on.
2. What have you heard from your friends, family, or culture about Heaven?
3. Does it really matter what Heaven is like?
The real question is, what does Jesus or the Bible say about Heaven? This week we are going to look at John 14:1-11, where Jesus is talking to His disciples about Heaven and how to get there.
John 14:1 says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” Please stop there for a minute. Jesus starts this conversation by telling the disciples not to have troubled hearts.
4. What does it mean to have a troubled heart? Is your heart troubled?
5. Why would the disciples’ hearts be troubled? (look back at John 13:36-38.)
Similar to the times that Jesus says, “Fear not,” He says, “Let not your hearts be troubled,” because you could be afraid or you could have a troubled heart. He always follows with encouraging words.
Read John 14:2-4.
One of my favorite things to hear is my wife say, “It is dinner time!” In the almost 27 years that we have been married, she has never said, “I am going to make dinner,” and then not called me to come to eat it when it was ready. Jesus is saying that there is a place He is preparing for His followers (Heaven) and since He is preparing it for them, then, of course, He is going to come back to get them to occupy it with Him.
6. Can you think of a time when someone did not understand what you were saying, even though it was easy for you to understand?
Perspective is always important!
John 14:5 continues, “Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’” Thomas gets a bad rap most of the time for the things that he says, but I have a feeling that he was just vocalizing what most, if not all, of the disciples were thinking. The disciples’ perspective was earthly. Jesus responds with an all-encompassing and encouraging statement.
Read John 14:6-7. Jesus is the way to Heaven. Jesus is the truth. Jesus is life.
7. Do you have a hard time trusting people, even the people that you are close to?
8. Who do you believe, even when it sounds too good to be true?
9. Is it hard to take Jesus at His Word?
Read John 14:8. The disciples were still not tracking with what Jesus was telling them.
10. Have you ever found yourself spending so much time around someone or something that you do not see important details about that person or thing?
Jesus now spells it out very plainly for them. Read John 14:9-11.
It is not recorded for us what the disciples’ response to this was, but I can imagine that some of them were like, “Woah, that is deep.” Maybe some were shaking their heads wondering what they just heard, and just maybe, some were starting to get a glimpse of who Jesus truly is.
Go back to the thought we started with regarding Heaven. There is a lot of discussion about what Heaven looks like and what we will be doing there. I want you to know first and foremost that you want to be there! There are passages throughout the Bible that give us glimpses into what it is like but the truth is, we really do not know the entirety of it. What we do know is, that it is amazing, it is more than we can comprehend, and above all, God is there! If Heaven were a cardboard box (it is not) and God was there, then it would be awesome! That is the point of going to Heaven. We will spend eternity with our Creator, the One who loves us so much, He sent His Son to die in our place so we can live with Him forever.
If you are not sure that is your eternal destiny, talk with one of your leaders tonight. They will help you make sure you know how you can be certain where you will spend eternity.
People have a wide variety of ideas about what it will be like to be in Heaven, how to get there, what we will do there, and so on.
2. What have you heard from your friends, family, or culture about Heaven?
3. Does it really matter what Heaven is like?
The real question is, what does Jesus or the Bible say about Heaven? This week we are going to look at John 14:1-11, where Jesus is talking to His disciples about Heaven and how to get there.
John 14:1 says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” Please stop there for a minute. Jesus starts this conversation by telling the disciples not to have troubled hearts.
4. What does it mean to have a troubled heart? Is your heart troubled?
5. Why would the disciples’ hearts be troubled? (look back at John 13:36-38.)
Similar to the times that Jesus says, “Fear not,” He says, “Let not your hearts be troubled,” because you could be afraid or you could have a troubled heart. He always follows with encouraging words.
Read John 14:2-4.
One of my favorite things to hear is my wife say, “It is dinner time!” In the almost 27 years that we have been married, she has never said, “I am going to make dinner,” and then not called me to come to eat it when it was ready. Jesus is saying that there is a place He is preparing for His followers (Heaven) and since He is preparing it for them, then, of course, He is going to come back to get them to occupy it with Him.
6. Can you think of a time when someone did not understand what you were saying, even though it was easy for you to understand?
Perspective is always important!
John 14:5 continues, “Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’” Thomas gets a bad rap most of the time for the things that he says, but I have a feeling that he was just vocalizing what most, if not all, of the disciples were thinking. The disciples’ perspective was earthly. Jesus responds with an all-encompassing and encouraging statement.
Read John 14:6-7. Jesus is the way to Heaven. Jesus is the truth. Jesus is life.
7. Do you have a hard time trusting people, even the people that you are close to?
8. Who do you believe, even when it sounds too good to be true?
9. Is it hard to take Jesus at His Word?
Read John 14:8. The disciples were still not tracking with what Jesus was telling them.
10. Have you ever found yourself spending so much time around someone or something that you do not see important details about that person or thing?
Jesus now spells it out very plainly for them. Read John 14:9-11.
It is not recorded for us what the disciples’ response to this was, but I can imagine that some of them were like, “Woah, that is deep.” Maybe some were shaking their heads wondering what they just heard, and just maybe, some were starting to get a glimpse of who Jesus truly is.
Go back to the thought we started with regarding Heaven. There is a lot of discussion about what Heaven looks like and what we will be doing there. I want you to know first and foremost that you want to be there! There are passages throughout the Bible that give us glimpses into what it is like but the truth is, we really do not know the entirety of it. What we do know is, that it is amazing, it is more than we can comprehend, and above all, God is there! If Heaven were a cardboard box (it is not) and God was there, then it would be awesome! That is the point of going to Heaven. We will spend eternity with our Creator, the One who loves us so much, He sent His Son to die in our place so we can live with Him forever.
If you are not sure that is your eternal destiny, talk with one of your leaders tonight. They will help you make sure you know how you can be certain where you will spend eternity.