House of Hope Online

July 14, 2024

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Last week we discussed how to seek the staff of the Lord for guidance in our lives and we closed with the fact that the staff will ultimately lead us to the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise from John 14 that He will come and receive us at the Rapture.

John 14:

 1 ¶ “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

 2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

 3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, [there] you may be also.

 4 ¶ “And you know the way where I am going.”

There is something very special about a place prepared for you.  We have been visiting our children and their families this summer and it is a great feeling to know they have prepared a place for us to stay while we visit.  In Pelham, AL, at our oldest son Will and daughter-in law Emily’s home, my grandson Liam gives up his room so we can have a place.  His brother Aiden shares a room with Liam to accommodate our visit.  Our son Anthony gives up his master bedroom for us, and our third son Jon in Chicago takes it a step further by providing a bottle of water and a piece of chocolate on our pillows.  In Huntsville, AL our daughter Laura and son-in-law Ralph provide the water and a bowl of chocolate pieces.  This is one instance where the parents do not mind a little sibling rivalry.

But my point here is that it is so special when someone prepares a place for you for free and wants you to feel comfortable and welcome.  A hotel room has the same effect, but you must pay for that.  Jesus prepares our place and does not charge us.  He has already paid our cost to stay in His Father’s house, and He is looking forward to receiving us, so we feel comfortable and welcome.  He is preparing that place for us now!  It is an act of love!  He wants us to feel welcome, worthy, and loved in His Father’s house!

So, receive that into your spirit.  We will not feel out of place in Heaven.  We will have a room, rent-free and mortgage loan-free, without any other costs of living. 

All Expenses Paid

Here is Jesus’ welcoming promise of the water of life without cost.

Revelation 22:

 16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.”

 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

Let the one who is thirsty come and take the water of life without cost.  There is a cost to our salvation, but Jesus paid it, so it is free to us when we bow down to His Lordship over our lives. We can take the water of life without cost. 

1^st Thessalonians 4 explains, when Jesus returns to receive us on the day we call the Rapture, it will be an all-expense paid flight with Him.

1^st Thessalonians 4:

 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.

 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of [the] archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.

 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. (NASB)

So, the dwelling place is free, the flight is free, and better yet, the travel costs cover the round trip because we will return to the earth seven years later with Jesus at the end of the tribulation to rule for 1,000 years.

Revelation 19:

 11 ¶ And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it [is] called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

 12 And His eyes [are] a flame of fire, and upon His head [are] many diadems; and He has a name written [upon Him] which no one knows except Himself.

 13 And [He is] clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.

 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white [and] clean, were following Him on white horses.

We are the armies in heaven referred to in verse 14.  We will return with Him on a free flight to watch as He defeats the kings of the earth and their armies who gather at Armageddon as prophesied in Revelation 16:16. We will then reign with Jesus for the 1,000 years leading up to the Great and Final White Throne Judgement and the establishment of the new Jerusalem and the new heaven and earth.  Thus, we will be with the Lord for all eternity.

Do Not Fret

And so, the point of today’s word is to take comfort in knowing that Jesus has prepared a place for us.  It is something that can become lost in our consciousness as we address the necessities of our busy lives.  We tend to focus on our worries and may forget the promise of His preparation.

For example, next month, I am scheduled for medical testing which could lead to heart surgery.  It is hard to imagine what September will be like for me.  I do not like to think about it.  Will my heart valve be healed?  Or will I be in physical therapy following surgery?  It weighs on me and tries to steal my joy.

Maybe you have a different issue that is front and center.  Perhaps you are stressed by the evil in this world or some other personal challenge.  Whatever is on your mind today, take some time to follow the advice of King David from Psalms 37:

Psalms 37:

 7 ¶ Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

The Hebrew word for “Rest” in verse 7 means to cease, forbear, hold peace, quiet self, be silent, and wait.  Let us not strive in our own strength.  Let us not fret over evil doers.  May we forbear in peace as we wait patiently for the promise of His presence.

Closing

In closing then, where should our focus be as we await these wonderful promises of the Lord?  In 1^st Corinthians 15, Paul encourages us to remain steadfast and immovable in the Lord as we contemplate the immortality Jesus provides us.

1^st Corinthians 15:

 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.

 55 “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?”

 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;

 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 58 ¶ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not [in] vain in the Lord.

We are soon to transition from perishable bodies to imperishable bodies, and therefore, death has no hold on me.  Death has no sting for the redeemed.  Thanks be to God for our victory through Jesus.

In verses 54-55, Paul was referring to Isaiah 25:

Isaiah 25:

 8 He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.

 9 ¶ And it will be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

Let us rejoice in our salvation.  As we wait for Him, let us abound in the work of the Lord by encouraging others to accept Jesus Christ in their hearts for their salvation.

Romans 10:

 8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART” –that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,

 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved;

 10 for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

 11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

Praise God!  Let us pray.

Father God, thank You for the place that Jesus is preparing for us.  We praise You for our imperishable bodies and we confess the scripture that death therefore has no hold on us, and no sting for us.  Thank You for Your perfect end time plan for us.  Help us to remain steadfast, immovable as we share the Gospel with others.  Help us, Lord, to take comfort in knowing there is a place for us with You for all eternity.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.