Lessons Jesus Taught His Disciples
Lesson Two • A Place for You
Pastor Philip Piasecki
In the spring of 2021, my family and I had the incredible privilege of beginning construction on our brand-new home. Personally, I got to be heavily involved in many aspects of the build. I was able to oversee the project, even jumping in to build or fix things when there was a need. There were days when we got to see so much progress, each day it slowly turned from a house into our future home. I spent a lot of time out at the house, which many times meant I was spending a lot of time away from my family. As much as my son loved playing with all the nails and scrap lumber, a construction site really is not the best place for a three and five-year-old. However, every time I left them to go work on it, I was filled with so much joy because I knew that one day I would be bringing them to it for them to move in and actually live there. In November of 2021, that became a reality. We got to move into our dream home. The look on the kids’ faces as they explored every room made all of the hard work and hours spent on it totally worth it. In the midst of it I could not help but think of the joy that Jesus must have known; that even though He had to leave this Earth, He was doing it to prepare a place for all of us to be with Him again one day.
1. Do you often build things? If so, what? What is your favorite thing you have ever built?
John 14:1-4 says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
2. Do you think it was easy for Jesus to leave His disciples?
3. Why did He have to leave?
At this point in the Gospel of John, Jesus is still preparing His disciples for what is to come. He knows that after His death and resurrection He was then going to ascend to Heaven. This was going to be difficult for His followers to understand, He had just died, risen, and after 40 days of being back with them, He was going to leave again, this time until eternity. However, unless He left them, He could not do what needed to be done. Jesus prepared a place for us by going to die on the cross, going through death just as we will go through death, and just as He was raised into eternity, we will be raised into eternity with Him.
4. What do you think the significance is of Jesus saying, “In my Father’s house are many rooms?”
In 2 Peter 3:9, we read, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
I absolutely love the thought of these two verses going hand-in-hand. Jesus describes His Father’s house as having many rooms, and then in 2 Peter 3:9 we read the truth that the Lord does not wish that any should perish, but all should reach repentance. When Jesus describes His Father’s house this way He is describing a place that has room and is open to all people. The only prerequisite for entering the Father’s house is that you believe in the Gospel. People for centuries, and for centuries to come, will try and construct an eternity that is exclusive. They push one that requires works, achievements, social status, the forgiveness of men, and the list could go on and on.
5. How is it encouraging and meaningful to you to understand that the Father’s house has many rooms?
6. How should this impact the way that you live your life?
I believe that we should daily be trying to fill up the rooms in the Father’s house. I want it to be our desire as a church that none “should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” I believe we should burn for that as believers, and it should impact how we live our lives each and every day. Please never look at someone and count them out as hopeless. I have been guilty of looking at someone who is so caught up in the depth of their sin that I start to believe there is no chance they will ever give their lives to Christ, but every person on this Earth is one moment away from their lives being forever changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
7. Do you ever find yourself thinking that maybe there is no room in the Father’s house for certain people?
John 14:3 adds, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
8. Do you ever feel like an outcast or left out?
This life can be lonely sometimes. We try to live in a community with people but it is not always easy. Many times it can get pretty messy; we can feel like no one wants to be around us or hang out with us. However, I hope that we can find encouragement in what Jesus says in verse 3, “That where I am you may be also.” Think about the incredible fact that where Christ is, He wants you to be with Him also. That is such a simple idea, but with profound ramifications in our lives. God loves each and every one of us so much that He wants to spend eternity with us. I hope that when you find yourself being beaten down by the circumstances of life you, can be encouraged by the thought that the Lord desires you to be where He is. He wants a relationship with you here on this Earth, but He also wants to have you in eternity with Him.
Of course, just from these few verses of Jesus talking to His disciples they become quickly confused (just like we so often do).
John 14:5-6 continues, “Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” I love how Thomas just honestly lets the Lord know, “Hey, we have no idea where You are going.”
The beautiful thing about the Father’s House is that He clearly makes it known how to get there. There is no hidden secret, no confusing directions, it is straightforward. Jesus tells us that He is the way. The only way is through Him. This is one of the most controversial things that Jesus says in all of Scripture. He makes it clearly known that there is no alternative route to the Father. Many people want to say all religion is just different roads to the same place, but Jesus vehemently stands in contradiction to that thought. We are not able to get to God unless it is through Jesus. People have tried and tried to come up with different ways to the Father’s house, and all other roads lead to a dead end.
9. Why do you think Jesus saying, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” is controversial?
10. What are some other ways you or others try to get to the Father?
However, there is so much hope in these verses as we have studied them. The Father’s house has room for all, so let us live in a way that tries to bring each and every person with us into eternity that we can. Jesus wants to be with us in the Father’s house, so let us be encouraged knowing how much He really loves us. The way to the Father’s house is clear, so let us be encouraged knowing that we can understand how to have salvation and that we can know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we are following the right path.
1. Do you often build things? If so, what? What is your favorite thing you have ever built?
John 14:1-4 says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
2. Do you think it was easy for Jesus to leave His disciples?
3. Why did He have to leave?
At this point in the Gospel of John, Jesus is still preparing His disciples for what is to come. He knows that after His death and resurrection He was then going to ascend to Heaven. This was going to be difficult for His followers to understand, He had just died, risen, and after 40 days of being back with them, He was going to leave again, this time until eternity. However, unless He left them, He could not do what needed to be done. Jesus prepared a place for us by going to die on the cross, going through death just as we will go through death, and just as He was raised into eternity, we will be raised into eternity with Him.
4. What do you think the significance is of Jesus saying, “In my Father’s house are many rooms?”
In 2 Peter 3:9, we read, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
I absolutely love the thought of these two verses going hand-in-hand. Jesus describes His Father’s house as having many rooms, and then in 2 Peter 3:9 we read the truth that the Lord does not wish that any should perish, but all should reach repentance. When Jesus describes His Father’s house this way He is describing a place that has room and is open to all people. The only prerequisite for entering the Father’s house is that you believe in the Gospel. People for centuries, and for centuries to come, will try and construct an eternity that is exclusive. They push one that requires works, achievements, social status, the forgiveness of men, and the list could go on and on.
5. How is it encouraging and meaningful to you to understand that the Father’s house has many rooms?
6. How should this impact the way that you live your life?
I believe that we should daily be trying to fill up the rooms in the Father’s house. I want it to be our desire as a church that none “should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” I believe we should burn for that as believers, and it should impact how we live our lives each and every day. Please never look at someone and count them out as hopeless. I have been guilty of looking at someone who is so caught up in the depth of their sin that I start to believe there is no chance they will ever give their lives to Christ, but every person on this Earth is one moment away from their lives being forever changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
7. Do you ever find yourself thinking that maybe there is no room in the Father’s house for certain people?
John 14:3 adds, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
8. Do you ever feel like an outcast or left out?
This life can be lonely sometimes. We try to live in a community with people but it is not always easy. Many times it can get pretty messy; we can feel like no one wants to be around us or hang out with us. However, I hope that we can find encouragement in what Jesus says in verse 3, “That where I am you may be also.” Think about the incredible fact that where Christ is, He wants you to be with Him also. That is such a simple idea, but with profound ramifications in our lives. God loves each and every one of us so much that He wants to spend eternity with us. I hope that when you find yourself being beaten down by the circumstances of life you, can be encouraged by the thought that the Lord desires you to be where He is. He wants a relationship with you here on this Earth, but He also wants to have you in eternity with Him.
Of course, just from these few verses of Jesus talking to His disciples they become quickly confused (just like we so often do).
John 14:5-6 continues, “Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” I love how Thomas just honestly lets the Lord know, “Hey, we have no idea where You are going.”
The beautiful thing about the Father’s House is that He clearly makes it known how to get there. There is no hidden secret, no confusing directions, it is straightforward. Jesus tells us that He is the way. The only way is through Him. This is one of the most controversial things that Jesus says in all of Scripture. He makes it clearly known that there is no alternative route to the Father. Many people want to say all religion is just different roads to the same place, but Jesus vehemently stands in contradiction to that thought. We are not able to get to God unless it is through Jesus. People have tried and tried to come up with different ways to the Father’s house, and all other roads lead to a dead end.
9. Why do you think Jesus saying, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” is controversial?
10. What are some other ways you or others try to get to the Father?
However, there is so much hope in these verses as we have studied them. The Father’s house has room for all, so let us live in a way that tries to bring each and every person with us into eternity that we can. Jesus wants to be with us in the Father’s house, so let us be encouraged knowing how much He really loves us. The way to the Father’s house is clear, so let us be encouraged knowing that we can understand how to have salvation and that we can know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we are following the right path.