There’s No Place Like Home
John 14:1-7
Abe turns to Sol and asks, “Do you think there’s baseball in Heaven?” Sol thinks about it for a minute and replies, “I dunno. But let’s make a deal — if I die first, I’ll come back and tell you if there’s baseball in Heaven, and if you die first, you do the same.” They shake on it and sadly, a few months later, poor Abe passes on.
Soon afterward, Sol sits in the park feeding the pigeons by himself and hears a voice whisper, “Sol… Sol… .” Sol responds, “Abe! Is that you?” “Yes it is, Sol,” whispers Abe’s ghost. Sol, still amazed, asks, “So, is there baseball in Heaven?” “Well,” says Abe, “I’ve got good news and bad news.” “Gimme the good news first,” says Sol. Abe says, “Well, there is baseball in Heaven.” Sol says, “That’s great! What news could be bad enough to ruin that?” Abe sighs and whispers, “You’re pitching on Friday.”
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jesus the Way to the Father
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Most of us are drawn to HOME. Our hearts long for home. Our persons need to call somewhere home.
Many stories exist about home and homecomings. One of my most favorite stories deals with a young girl named Dorothy, her dog Toto, Glenda, the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, Munchkins, and a Wizard. Oh, lest we forget the Wicked Witch, Flying Monkeys, and the Soldiers. This story makes you happy, sad, scared, and even a bit longing for your home as you watch the movie.
Some of you may have had the privilege to visit the Land of Oz on Beech Mountain in North Carolina. That was one of my favorite vacations with my granddaddy, granny and two cousins when I was ten years old. Walking the yellow brick road, seeing Dorothy and all the others in person was a great thrill for me.
Twenty-one years later, I would be with my wife Emily, and daughter Annah back in the same area only to find that the Land of Oz was closed and only opened for certain events. I had so much wanted to share the adventure of my childhood with my wife and daughter only find that it was closed. In a way, I longed for home.
The American novelist Thomas Wolfe wrote a novel that proclaimed You Can’t Go Home Again. But the stories of the human race are nonetheless replete with homecoming stories of people who did go home again, and in many cases, they recognized what home was really about for the very first time.
All of us can relate to having a special place or a special trip from our years on earth. Each of the special trips are made special by the memories created, the excitement lived, and the love shared. Home is one of those special places for each of us. Home is more than a geographical location, it is love because there is no place like home.
In our scripture reading today, Jesus begins by telling us “not to let our hearts be troubled”. Jesus knows that He will only be with the Apostle’s a short time longer. The scripture does not tell us this but I believe that the Apostle’s were beginning to feel something was going to happen. After all, in the previous verses Peter asks Jesus “where are you going?’
These men had spent three years of their lives with Jesus. Jesus spent time mentoring, and discipling the Apostles preparing them for their future. “Do not let your hearts be troubled; don’t be afraid.” Jesus says, “you know who I am and you know My Father”. I am going to prepare a place for you and there are many abiding places in my Father’s house.
In our Father’s house all who know Jesus have a room. A room that is wide as the heart of God. A room that is large enough to meet your expectations. In other words, what Jesus is saying to us is “Don’t be afraid, In this world, people may shut their doors upon you. But in heaven you will never be shut out.
Heaven is not just our far-off future home, but a place we can joyfully look forward to today. The Bible provides more than 600 references to heaven, and we can gain incredible joy and fresh vision for our lives on earth as we read and understand these passages. In the following excerpts from my messages, I point you to a handful of these Scriptures and answer 11 questions about heaven.
(For expanded video answers from Dr. Jeremiah, just click the link on an individual question).
1. Does Jesus Have a Physical Body in Heaven?
Just like we currently bear the image of Adam, we will one day bear the image of Jesus, and have a body like Him. Jesus tells us in Luke 24:39 that His body is real: “… handle me and see for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” Jesus’ body was real. And we will have a real body in heaven.
2. What Will Our Resurrected Bodies be Like?
The first thing Paul teaches us about our resurrected bodies in 1 Corinthians 15 is that it is not like our current body. Our current body is subject to aging, disease, and death. But our resurrection bodies are incorruptible. You will never get old nor grow tired. You will never suffer disease or age or death.
The concept of serving God in heaven reoccurs throughout the book of Revelation. For example, Revelation 7:15 says: “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them” (emphasis mine). I’m thankful, because I would struggle with a heaven where there is nothing to do. When we get to heaven, we will continue to serve God with the gifts He has given us.
4. Will We Know Each Other in Heaven?
Jesus in His resurrection body was real and his disciples recognized him. That’s the way it will be for you! It is unthinkable that in heaven we will know less than we do here. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but the but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” We will have a greater sense of recognition in heaven than we’ve ever had on earth.
This is one of the questions I hear most often. I can tell you, there are two occasions in the Bible where Jesus ate after His resurrection. One in Luke 24:42-43 and another in John 21:12-13. Based on our observations of Jesus’ new body, we can be confident we will eat in heaven—and without the negative effects of weight gain and acid reflux. We will be able to eat purely for our enjoyment and no longer for our sustenance!
Our God is not boring—how then can heaven be boring? Psalm 16:11 says “You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy, and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (emphasis mine). In His presence is the completeness and absolute explosion of joy! Heaven is God’s place and God is not boring, so I am confident we will not be bored.
The concept of purgatory says you can go to a holding place after death where you have the possibility of changing your eternal destiny. That is not true—purgatory does not exist. Whatever decisions we make about eternity will be made here and now on earth. You don’t get another chance. Today is the day of salvation.
Only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will go to heaven. Your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life if you “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead” (Romans 10:9). Jesus said to his disciples, “do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).
9. Is Hell Real?
Yes, hell is a very real place. When a person dies today, and they don’t know Jesus, their soul and spirit goes to hades. One day, according to Revelation 20:13-14, death and hades will be thrown into the lake of fire, the final and ultimate hell. Hell is real, and it is eternal separation from God and all His goodness.
10. Where is Paradise?
When a believer died in the Old Testament, their soul and spirit went to Paradise. And on the day of Jesus’ ascension, Paradise changed. Ephesians 4:8-10 says Jesus “led captivity captive” and took them with Him to heaven. He went into Paradise and took all the Old Testament saints and took them to heaven with Him.
11. Why Should We Learn about Heaven?
God has prepared a place for you to live for eternity. When we lose sight of that, we try to create heaven on earth. We can go to the extreme, spending all our money to buy the biggest house and get all the new toys. And there is nothing wrong with those things, but they will never compare to what awaits us in heaven. If we aren’t careful, we can end up replacing our hunger for heaven with cheap things that will leave us empty.
For more answers to your questions about heaven, check out Dr. Jeremiah’s book, Revealing the Mysteries of Heaven
The promise of glory. The promise of hope are found in the first 3 verses of the text today. Along with these promises, the scripture contains 4 absolute truths.
First we see the honesty of Jesus. (Explain)
Second, it tells us of the function of Jesus (Explain)
Third, it speaks to the ultimate triumph of Jesus (Explain)
Fourth, Jesus says “where I am there you will be also”. Heaven is where Jesus is. (Explain)
Many of us have either seen or placed yellow ribbons around trees. I bet some of us here remember the song made famous by Tony Orlando and Dawn in 1971. The lyrics speak of coming home.
I’m comin’ home, I’ve done my time
Now I’ve got to know what is and isn’t mine
If you received my letter telling you I’d soon be free
Then you’ll know just what to do
If you still want me, if you still want me
Whoa, tie a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree
It’s been three long years, do you still want me?
If I don’t see a ribbon round the ole oak tree
I’ll stay on the bus, forget about us, put the blame on me
If I don’t see a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree
Bus driver, please look for me
‘Cause I couldn’t bear to see what I might see
I’m really still in prison and my love, she holds the key
A simple yellow ribbon’s what I need to set me free
And I wrote and told her please
Whoa, tie a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree
It’s been…
During the Iran hostage crisis, the yellow ribbon was used a symbol of support for the hostages held at the U.S. embassy in Tehran. This symbolism began in December 1979, when the wife of the most senior foreign service officer being held hostage, tied a yellow ribbon around a tree on the lawn of her Maryland home. The ribbon symbolized the resolve of the American people to win the hostages’ safe release, and it featured prominently in the celebrations of their return home in January 1981.
The yellow ribbon saw renewed popularity in the United States during the Gulf War in the early 1990s. It appeared along with the slogan “support our troops”, in the form of yellow ribbons tied to trees, and countless other contexts. It often had the implied meaning of supporting the Desert Shield and Desert Storm troop deployments themselves and/or loyalty to President George Bush, and therefore became somewhat politicized. It appeared again during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq with similar meanings, most prominently in the form of a yellow ribbon printed on magnetized material and displayed on the outside of automobiles.
However the original meaning speaks of an ex-inmate in Miami, Florida who was on his way home following his release from prison. He had written to his wife to ask whether she would still want him back and if she did, to tie a (white) ribbon round the only oak tree in the city square.
The is no question that Jesus wants us to come home. Jesus tells us “you know the way to where I go”. Thomas asks Jesus How? Have you ever asked someone for directions and they tell you to follow them. They are the way for you to get to where you are going.
Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life”. Jesus does not leave us stranded. He shows us the way to our eternal home. A home where there is no more pain, no more sickness. A place where we will finally understand, there is no place like home. AMEN
A World of God's Love 
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