What did Jesus do?

He gave up heaven, loved me completely
and earned for me a share of God's inheritance.

To all who received him who believed in his name
he gave the right to become children of God.
John 1.12

What is Jesus doing?

He gives me my daily bread, loves me completely 
and shares with me in sweet fellowship.

The son of man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many
Matthew 20.23

What will Jesus do?

He will give me everlasting life, love me completely
and share with me the joys of heaven

I have come that they may have life and have it to the full
John 10.10

What should I do?

I should give him my heart, love him completely
and share him with others.
Love the Lord your God with all your hear t and with all your soul 
and with all your mind and with all your strength
and your neighbour as yourself. Matthew 22.37

John 13.33 - 14.14 John 14.15 -27 

You may have heard of the 'prosperity gospel'
teaching that suggests that if you trust in God
he will bless you 'real good' in material things
Abraham was a wealthy man the teaching argues and you should be too.
It is said that a pastor preaching this in the USA 
was actually sued by a disappointed listener
who argued he had been promised financial prosperity if he joined the church
and it had not happened.
The danger with that kind of prosperity gospel is that
in the end it is not the gospel of God, it is the gospel of greed.
Yes, the Bible promises many blessings
and we read of many being blessed in wealth and health
but we need to avoid the danger of desiring the blessings
rather than the giver of the blessings.

But John 14 gives us the real prosperity gospel
offered to people who did not have much money
nor did they have much hope or peace
and most of them died violently martyred for Christ.
But these people, the disciples, were able to live the rest of their lives
not with great financial wealth, nor always in tip top physical health
but with an amazing wealth of spiritual resources.
And what Jesus promised them he offers us also:

A HEART UNTROUBLED 
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me.'
The disciples were troubled 
by Jesus talking of going where they could not follow (36)
and by his warning to Peter that he would deny him
but in these verses at the beginning of c 14 so often read at funerals
it is put with great simplicity and great comfort:
Jesus is to be trusted to go ahead and prepare both the way and the destination
and then come back to lead us along the way to the destination.
To trivialise it almost, he is like a holiday tour guide
reassuring a pack of anxious tourists.
They don't know the way but he knows, 
he will go before them to arrange the accommodation and come back for them

Linked to the heart not troubled is PEACE as promised in v 27
'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.'
What is this peace which the world cannot give?
It's not the peace of the absence of strife or even tranquillity of mind,
the world has means of giving you those for a price, read the holiday brochures 
isn't that what they promise, a quiet secluded spot, nothing to disturb?
No, the peace of Christ has to do with completeness and wholeness.
It is that lovely Hebrew word Shalom - 
doesn't the very sound give you that sense of completeness and wholeness?
This means the same as 'salvation',
all the wholeness of being in right relationship God.
Now you can see why the world - humanity organised apart from God -
cannot give us this peace. 
Jesus is speaking of reconciliation with God
He is speaking of every wonderful benefit which comes out to us 
from his completed work of salvation
Shalom also means 'farewell' good bye
but it's not Anne Robinson's 'Good bye you are the weakest link.'
In that humiliating quiz show defeated contestants are voted off by the others
and told by Anne Robinson effectively to get lost.
Here Jesus says he is the strongest link
and even when he is gone they will 'fare well'
they shall have strength to withstand opposition and persecution.

A HOME WITH THE FATHER
'In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.
I am going there to prepare a place for you.'
'many rooms' simply means there is lots of room in the Father's house
the door is wide open you can be sure of a welcome.
Have you had that sinking feeling travelling away from home
looking for a bed for the night and every place has the 'no vacancies' sign out?
Or you have a booking but you're not sure it will be honoured
you begin to wonder if the landlady will be a dragon
and if you can pay the charges.
Jesus is saying to us it simply isn't like that to go the Father's house
even though it's a journey through death
we needn't be afraid, we won't be turned away
we will be home, secure, accepted. welcome
and because we are in the family life of God we may expect
ANSWERED PRAYER
13 'And I will do whatever you ask in my name,
so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 
14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. '
Do not children find their requests answered by their parents?
Isn't that part of family life - asking and receiving
always understanding that sometimes the answer has to be No
because what is asked may not be good at that time for the child.
That's why we are to pray in the name of Jesus.
"Praying 'in Jesus' name' means that we are praying the kind of prayer
that Jesus would pray if he were in our shoes. 
Those who develop this kind of attitude 
find themselves asking less and less for things.
God is interested in them too, but they are a side issue.
The reality of prayer
depends not so much on whether I get this thing or that thing,
but that God and I are agreed." S Hughes
This clearly means no selfish prayers for my own prosperity
regardless of what I really need and others need
and regardless of what God wants
answered prayer in Jesus' name and

AN ANSWER TO BEREAVEMENT A FOREVER FRIEND LIFE IN CHRIST
18 'I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 
19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.
Because I live, you also will live. 
20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, 
and you are in me, and I am in you. 
Is not this simple and profound
Christ with us, Christ in us
the only true comfort when loved ones have died and we are desolate
It is so well put in the hymn
'Hallelujah, not as orphans are we left in sorrow now;
Hallelujah! He is near us. faith believes nor questions how.
Though the clouds from sight received him when the forty days were o'er
shall our hearts forget his promise 'I am with you evermore''

Wonderful promises! Wonderful prosperity! 
Don't you wonder that more people don't revel in such spiritual wealth?
Well there are requirements.

I don't want be like that super fast voice on the radio at the end of bargain offers
that mutters 'terms and conditions apply' 
What Jesus offers he offers freely, we cannot earn it or achieve it
but there are requirements arising from what Jesus offers

JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY:
6 "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.'
If John 3.16 be true 
that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son
must it not follow that through him and him alone is the way to God? 
In an age of many spiritualities when people think they can be a la carte
or pick and choose, pick and mix various ideas and approaches
we need to be clear that we only come to God the Father through his son Jesus
the true and living way.
It is only through Jesus that we can get God into focus.

LOVE EXPRESSED IN OBEDIENCE
15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. 
But this is not a religious experience without moral consequences. 
Love and obedience are necessary 
for the continued enjoyment of the Father and the Son
and for the reception of his revelation. 
21 'Whoever has my commands and obeys them, 
he is the one who loves me.' He who loves me will be loved by my Father, 
and I too will love him and show myself to him." 
23 "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. 
My Father will love him, 
and we will come to him and make our home with him. 
If we do not love Jesus with the love that is expressed in obedience
how can we expect the Father and the Son to make their home with us?

It should comfort us deeply that God is within us
but it should also deeply disturb us.
How can a holy God live side by side with the profoundly unholy things 
that we know also live within us? 
God wants change as he comes to us.
He does not come to us to fulfil our agenda but his Security, yes., cosiness no. 

Obedience is an expression of love:
what would you think of a family where the children said they loved their parents
but never did what they were asked?

Until about 30 years ago perhaps 
people would have talked about responding to Jesus in terms of obedience
you went to church because it was your duty, you said your prayers, 
you kept the 10 commandments because that was what you had to do.
That was harsh and heavy.
Today many of us have gone to the other extreme; 
we prefer to describe our response to Jesus in primarily in terms of love
we speak of a relationship and often of an experience of love
Do you see how we have reacted 
from one danger of a one sided legalistic slave mentality danger
to a one sided emphasis on love
which can make us self indulgent and overly emotional in our life and worship?
But when obedience is understood as the outworking of love
and love as the expression of obedience 
we avoid a harsh burdensome religion and a sloppy love talking spirituality
instead we can have a rich faith
centred on Jesus expressed in loving obedience enjoying these blessings
A HEART UNTROUBLED PEACE
A HOME WITH THE FATHER
ANSWERED PRAYER
AN ANSWER TO BEREAVEMENT A FOREVER FRIEND LIFE IN CHRIST

Help us Lord to receive each of these wonderful blessings
as we receive Jesus Christ by faith
We bring you our struggles wherever each of us has the deepest need
whether a troubled unpeaceful heart?
a sense of not knowing the Father, a fear of not being welcome in his house
our frustrations of prayer not answered because we are not in tune with Christ
of being desolate and alone
Our struggles to obey God because we do not love him fully
Our failures to love him because we will not obey?
Give us the comfort and counsel of the Holy Spirit
to lead us into the truth of Christ