Participants:
Series Code: ILL
Program Code: ILL230011S
|
00:14 Praise the Lord, everyone.
00:15 Welcome to Imperative Life Lessons. 00:18 I'm Pr. Ryan Johnson. 00:20 Have you ever heard of Impostor syndrome? 00:24 The Oxford Dictionary defines it and the persistent inability 00:30 to believe that one's success is deserved or has been 00:35 legitimately achieved as a result as one's 00:38 own efforts or skills. 00:39 In essence, it's the feeling that a promotion is not deserved 00:44 or that one is not qualified to serve in a particular 00:49 position or to be a part of a particular family. 00:53 And this feeling can be crippling in the extreme. 00:56 I wonder when we get to heaven will any of us suffer from 01:02 imposters syndrome, knowing that Christ has brought us through? 01:07 Will any of the redeemed be unable to sing and shout 01:11 the victory, knowing that we don't deserve to be there? 01:15 Well, to be honest, I'm sure we'll sing and shout the 01:19 victory with no problem at all, but this still raises a 01:22 very interesting issue about whether anyone should really 01:27 be in heaven, seeing as everyone is a sinner according to 01:33 Romans chapter 3 verse 23. 01:35 Let's examine what Christ says about that, 01:37 but first, let's have a word of prayer. 01:39 Father in Heaven, Thank you for going to 01:42 prepare a place for us and then giving us a right 01:45 to be there. Save us. In Thy Name we Pray. 01:48 Amen! and Amen! 01:50 A lot has happened in the weeks leading up to the events of John 01:55 chapter 14. In John 11, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead 02:00 A miracle that seals his faith with the Pharisees. 02:03 In the 12th chapter of John We have the wonderful 02:07 celebration dinner where Simon the former leper and Lazarus 02:12 the newly raised are present and in John 13, the disciples 02:17 share the Passover supper with Jesus. 02:19 This is where Judas is exposed and Peter is chastised 02:23 and then a lot happens after John 14, Jesus introduces 02:27 the Holy Spirit in chapters 15 and 17, He's betrayed in 18 02:32 He's crucified in 19, In three days He rises and chapter 20 02:38 is in the 14th chapter, though and we are given what I call 02:43 The Promise, the words to which we cling to the world 02:49 marches forward to ruin. 02:53 Jesus had stated that He would be betrayed and delivered up 02:56 to be killed, and this news coupled with the departure 03:01 of one of their own, Judas, troubled the disciples. 03:04 Where had Judas really gone? And would Jesus actually 03:09 leave them? Things had been going so well, 03:13 I mean, what are the Palm branches and the 03:17 cleansing of the temple? Did that not indicate that 03:20 Christ would soon rise to power rather than fall to 03:24 His death, and if not, what would become of them? 03:29 They had invested everything in Him for He was the Christ, 03:33 He was the Messiah. He was the Son of God wasn't He? 03:38 Jesus knew their hearts of course, but I imagine that 03:44 they're consternation even showed upon their faces 03:48 as they sat in the Upper Room together. 03:51 One empty place still warm from Judas having so recently 03:56 been there, Jesus addresses them in John chapter 14 04:02 and verse one. He says... 04:36 Amen! At one of my previous churches, we lost a 04:41 beloved brother, I talked about him, Ron Mackey, 04:44 so in addition to some other things, I had this verse, 04:48 this one, John chapter 14 verses 1 to 3 printed on the wall 04:55 to the right of the sanctuary entrance, why? 04:59 So that when our hearts are troubled, we too may be reminded 05:04 that Jesus will return to receive us unto Himself. 05:07 In fact, I urge you, dear friend to write this promise 05:11 upon your heart, maybe even put it on your refrigerator 05:16 or on a sticky note on your car. 05:18 For Christ's words are as uplifting today as they were 05:22 two millennia ago, when He spoke them to His disciples. 05:26 Let's examine the passage, firstly, Jesus states to not let 05:32 our hearts be troubled, I like this phrasing because it 05:35 recognizes the difficulty of this world and 05:38 the presence of trouble. 05:39 For instance, He does not say Peter, don't trouble your heart 05:43 but rather, don't let the enemy trouble you, Peter, 05:47 for I know that it is difficult. 05:49 Now the word troubled is terraso meaning to agitate 05:55 or to tremble or shake so literally don't be shaken 06:00 friends Jesus says, it's almost saying Peace be still, 06:05 He goes on, You believe in God, believe also in me. 06:09 And that may be the most important part of the verse 06:13 and it clearly gives to us the authority of Jesus Christ. 06:16 Here is the nature of the word He speaks, 06:20 you believe in God, believe in Me, hear this word for it is 06:25 His word, Jesus, tells us that He speaks with divine authority. 06:30 Reading on... 06:36 Peleus and Moneta, many abodes, numerous living spaces, 06:43 plenteous lodgings, if it were not so, I would have told you 06:50 I go to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare 06:54 a place for you, I will come again and receive you 06:58 unto myself that where I am, there ye may be also. 07:03 Christ has ever wanted to dwell with us, but we've 07:07 pushed him away, huh? 07:09 In the Garden of Eden, in Genesis chapter three 07:12 He was walking in the cool of the day to be with Adam and Eve 07:16 but due to the shame of their sin, they hid. 07:20 In Exodus chapter 25 and verse eight, God says... 07:29 And then Israel pushed them away. 07:31 Isaiah chapter 59 and verse two states... 07:44 God reaches to us, but we pull away, how tragic? 07:50 But in John 14, Jesus promises that we shall be together 07:55 in gory. The separation will be removed and as 07:59 Revelation 21 states, God Himself will be with them 08:04 and be our God. Yes! Thank you, Jesus. 08:07 I can't wait, I know you can't. 08:09 So this friends is Christ's promise 08:13 spoken on the night of His betrayal and on the eve 08:18 of His crucifixion. 08:19 Powerful words for the troubled heart, but did you notice 08:24 something? Christ says that in the Father's house 08:29 are many, many mansions. There's space in the house of God, 08:36 yet Jesus states that He must go to prepare a place 08:43 in the house of God. 08:45 Even though there is space Christ must prepare a place. 08:53 The word place in the original Greek is topos, which means, 08:59 a place where one can settle a locality, but it can also mean 09:04 an opportunity. Christ makes an opportunity for us 09:10 Wow, that means that though there is space in heaven 09:14 we didn't necessarily have a in place heaven, 09:18 though there's room, we didn't have a right to be there. 09:23 Christ had to go and make a way. 09:27 Here's a little illustration. Some years ago, my parents 09:31 came to town to visit Anissa and I. 09:33 Okay, that wasn't completely accurate, they actually came to 09:37 the grandkid's Anissa and I just happened to be the kid's 09:41 parents, it's all about the grandkid's you know. 09:42 But seriously, when they came to visit, my mother rented a 09:48 big white SUV Hybrid thingy, which was a very popular 09:52 vehicle at the time. 09:53 So, we would drive over to the hotel where mom and dad 09:57 were staying, we'd leave our car and then the entire family 10:02 would ride around in the big white SUV Hybrid thingy. 10:05 One day, we trooped over to a buffet, and we enjoyed a meal 10:11 as a family, Amen, and on the way out of the restaurant 10:15 I stopped by the restroom while my family went 10:19 on to the vehicle. Now upon exiting the facilities, 10:22 I walked out to where a white SUV Hybrid thingy 10:27 was waiting. Going to the front passenger's side, 10:31 I opened the door, and I hopped in, and the first thing I noticed 10:37 was how quiet it was in the cabin, now as the father of 10:41 two small kids things were constantly rowdy and boisterous. 10:45 But it was super quiet, so I looked up from where I'd been 10:49 texting on my phone, and I met the blue eyes of the man 10:54 in the driver's seat, he was terrified, and I glanced 10:57 behind me to see two little blond girls are almost fainting 11:01 with fear. Oh No, I had jumped into the wrong vehicle. 11:05 So, making my apologies, it's like I am so sorry, 11:08 I hastily exited, and I found my family is in a completely 11:12 identical vehicle behind them and they are all just laughing 11:16 hysterically. And I am sure those people in the other car 11:20 are going to be telling that story until the end of time, 11:22 I know I certainly will. 11:24 But I want you to notice what happened, there was room 11:28 in the vehicle, but I had no right to be in the vehicle. 11:34 There was space inside, but I had no place inside. 11:40 It appears that there is a difference in one's ability 11:45 to fit somewhere, and whether or not they fit somewhere. 11:51 Are they supposed to be there? 11:54 Let's look at a Biblical example in Revelation chapter 12 12:00 we see an account of the beginning of the great battle 12:05 between good and evil, between God and Satan. 12:08 Let's read this account beginning in verse seven... 12:13 It says... 12:22 Now, think not about laser beams or whatever else 12:26 the heavenly host may have used in order to fight. 12:29 The fact is that in heaven where there should be 12:32 perfect harmony, war broke out. And what is war? 12:37 War is a class of ideologies and this case, the way of the devil 12:42 verses God who is the way, the truth, the life, 12:49 these two sides fought, but the dragon lost. 12:54 Look at verse eight, it says... 13:19 Did you catch that? The dragon did not prevail 13:23 and had no place in heaven there was still room for him 13:28 in heaven, but he lost his right to be there. 13:31 He was cast out, rebellion has no place with God. 13:36 Okay, so how does that apply to us? 13:40 Well, look at Romans chapter three and verse 23, it says... 13:52 Every one of us has sinned against God, we have all 13:57 rebelled, messed up, transgressed and gone astray 14:01 and what should be the result of our having fallen? 14:07 Look at Romans chapter six and verse 23... 14:11 Here's our place, this is what we deserve. 14:17 It is death. 14:20 That's what we should be given. 14:25 Death. 14:28 Eternal separation from God because sin has no right to be 14:34 in God's room. It's painful, it's depressing 14:38 but the text is not in there, it says... 14:48 Even though we had no place with God, 14:50 Jesus prepared a place even though we had no right 14:54 to God's room, Jesus gives us a right, this is His gift to us. 14:59 And when He spoke this to His disciples saying He must go 15:03 to prepare a place, He knew it meant that He had to go 15:07 to Gethsemane, go to the Chamber of Annas and Caiaphas 15:11 the halls of Pilate, the court of Herod, the end of the whip, 15:14 the point of the nail up on the cross, down in the grave, 15:18 up in victory, on to glory, just so you, yes you, 15:24 could have a place with Him, so I could have a place. 15:31 So imagine with me, the hour is late, 15:37 and society has lost its mind, the world is in a chaos 15:44 like never before, seven plagues have ravaged the earth 15:49 God's people have been tried by literal and figurative fire. 15:54 Every prophecy has been fulfilled, every prediction 15:57 has come to pass, and as it says in Galatians chapter four 16:01 verse four... 16:09 But this time it is not a helpless babe that comes, 16:12 not a man who walks the dusty roads on foot 16:15 but the conquering Son of God whose chariots burn with glory. 16:21 All people feel a deep rumbling in the ground 16:24 great ripples grow to tidal waves and trees bow to the earth 16:31 and what is rapidly becoming the greatest shaking this planet 16:36 has even known. 16:37 But unafraid of the tumult God's people look eastward 16:42 and are not surprised, yet are faith with joy as they see 16:48 a cloud approaching on the horizon. 16:51 It is not very large at first, just about the size 16:55 of a man's hand if he holds it out before himself. 16:59 Thunderings and lightnings rip the heavens as the cloud 17:05 grows to a great size and fills the cosmos. 17:08 The blue of the sky flees to the north and south 17:12 like a rolled-up parchment leaving everyone looking into 17:16 the black vacuum of space from which neighboring stars 17:20 appear to fall, these great meteors it seems 17:24 have followed the heavenly party to earth 17:27 the spectacle inspects the globe and every eye on earth 17:32 see's for themselves. Buildings are falling, 17:36 great stones are hurled into the air, fire rages 17:40 on a planetary scale, it is as if nature itself is completely 17:45 mad, people run aimlessly, trying to hide from the pure 17:50 piercing light issuing from the heavens. 17:52 The light almost sings it is so bright, it drives men mad, 17:59 it pushes women to mindless terror, but there are few 18:04 who, by His grace, you and I and others praise God, 18:08 who are comforted by the scene gaze longingly into the light 18:13 straight into the white beams. 18:16 And our eyes find joy as we acclimate to the brightness 18:22 we discover thousands and thousands of bright and burning 18:27 beings who raced through the heavens, some swooping toward 18:31 earth. They do not look like ferries, they look like warriors 18:35 their wings slice the air, the sounds like blades cutting 18:39 silk and soon the earth quiets, the screaming has stopped, 18:46 the rumble is but a sigh in the bowels of the earth. 18:49 And though we know what is coming, our knowledge can 18:52 not stop the tears as the sound of a holy, holy wind instrument 18:58 a trumpet rises in volume and is sustained for which seems 19:04 like eternity. There is silence and it sounds again 19:09 before it has completed its second call the earth 19:13 bursts forth in various places with beautiful beings 19:17 coming forth, they are smiling and praising God. 19:21 A few are met by the heavenly warriors and are embracing 19:26 and they fly together toward the light, so many from 19:31 forgotten graves and overgrown cemeteries'. 19:33 People whose resting places were under malls and suburbs 19:38 yet, who had not been forgotten by their creator. 19:42 And do you recognize a few? Of course you do. 19:44 We crane our heads upward at a number that we could 19:49 never state. But what is this now? 19:53 We are rising too, the world that has held us for so long 19:57 has no hold on us now and we rise together to meet 20:01 our Lord in the air. Frozen there in time with Jesus 20:07 ahead and the earth below that old song comes to mind 20:12 The World Behind Me, The Cross Before Me, 20:16 no turning back, no turning back. 20:21 Seven days, we travel getting re-acquainted and witnessing 20:26 to the world when at last we reach the mighty 20:29 towering gates of heaven, we arranged, we are arranged 20:33 so that we will enter through one of twelve. 20:35 And in we go to a life that we could have never imagined 20:40 the light from God's throne, the beauty that only sinlessness 20:45 brings and we see Jesus, our Jesus, our Savior, 20:50 the nail prints still in His hands, the thorn scars 20:55 still in His head, and He smiles at us...It's the most beautiful 21:00 thing we've ever seen and we've seen the cosmos... 21:04 Babies are placed in mother's arms, sons embrace fathers, 21:08 great-great-grandparents meet their distant children. 21:12 Let me ask you, friend, do you feel imposter syndrome? 21:20 Do you feel as though you shouldn't be here? 21:25 Walk with me to the river of life, listen as our feet 21:31 click on the golden streets, the river flows from the throne 21:35 but we're going downstream, let's go this way. 21:38 I want to show you something, ah, there, there, 21:44 that great big tree with one half of the trunk landing 21:49 on one side of the river and the other on the opposite side. 21:53 You know this tree, it's the Tree of Life, no, I don't 21:59 fully understand this tree, but I know that we lost access to it 22:04 when we sinned in the garden, now it's right there. 22:07 We pluck, but before we eat of it, listen to this verse 22:16 from Revelation chapter 22 and verse 13... 22:47 No imposter syndrome friends, for by God's grace we 22:52 have a right, we have a right to the Tree of Life 22:56 we're supposed to be here. 22:58 We have a place in God's space, Jesus prepared a place for us. 23:04 No, we aren't deserving, no, we didn't earn it, 23:08 no, but Jesus gave His life so that we may be here 23:12 He interceded so we could be here. 23:15 He made a way just as He promised so long ago 23:19 In John 14, and I can't wait to see you there, I can't wait 23:25 to see Him there, He gave all so we could be there. 23:31 Let's make a pact, you and I, can we do that? 23:39 to take our place in God's space, to take our right 23:49 in all of God's room. 23:54 After having journeyed like that. 24:00 it almost breaks the heart to have to come back to 24:05 the present doesn't it? 24:07 But I want to talk about the present, we're not there yet 24:13 but that's alright, it's coming, but maybe 24:18 you've experienced something that I've experienced. 24:21 You get up in the morning and you look in the mirror 24:28 and you see the sinner, you think about how you used to be 24:39 or maybe you are heartbroken because you aren't 24:45 God's grace, but you ought to be, and in times like that 24:51 the devil pulls up a chair beside you, and he whispers 25:00 in your ear, look at yourself. 25:03 Look at who you are, what makes you think 25:11 you deserve to get to the kingdom? 25:17 What makes you think you ought to be there? 25:21 Look at yourself. And he begins to pull out the records 25:25 you did this, you said this, this is who you are, 25:29 this is your identity, what makes you think you have a right 25:34 to even hope to be in the kingdom? 25:38 And you know what? If we listen to that 25:42 and we stay in that space, it will break our hearts. 25:47 And it will discourage us to the point that we don't even try 25:53 any more. But Jesus said, hey sister, brother, 26:01 let not your heart be troubled, don't be shaken, 26:08 ye believe in God, you can believe in me. 26:13 In my Father's house are many mansions, if it wasn't so, 26:18 I would have told you, and then He says, 26:22 I'm going to prepare a place for you, I am going 26:32 to make it so that you have by my grace He says, 26:38 a right to be there. 26:41 Jesus is making a place for you and me, and when the devil 26:49 says that stuff in your ear, you can say as Jesus said, 26:54 get behind me, Satan, I know what I used to be 26:58 and I know by God's grace what I ought to be, 27:01 but the Lord is still working on me. 27:04 And He is going to make a place and while I don't deserve 27:07 to be there, by His grace, I'm supposed to be there. 27:12 Supposed to... And you march your way on into the kingdom 27:20 by His grace, because by His grace, He has made a place. 27:27 Father in heaven, You've already made a way, 27:32 stay with us and help us stay with you. 27:37 until we get there, and thank you for what you've done 27:41 In Thy name we pray. Amen. 27:44 You know God has plans for you, walk with your hand in His 27:48 and He will lead you to His destination. 27:50 May He bless you. 27:51 And as always, friends, Be Encouraged. |
Revised 2025-10-22