THERE IS HOPE AND VICTORY IN JESUS
John 14:1-14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 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. 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. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?” Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I wil do it.
I am going to prepare a place for you. 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. II Corinthians 15:35-58 tells us what death will be like for the Christian. Death for the Christian is a great victory that takes place in a twinkling of an eye. We go from perishable to imperishable; dishonor to glory; weakness to power; a natural body to a spiritual body; from the likeness of earthly man to the man from heaven. We don’t have to worry about finding heaven or Jesus. At our last breath Jesus will come to take us to be with him for evermore. It will be our great reward to be able to be with Jesus and be his Bride for all eternity.
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust in me. We certainly live in troubled times, but since Adam and Eve there have been troubles. At times they seem like there is no hope, and we just want to give up. But there is one that is greater than all our troubles, and that is Jesus. Jesus is God as the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit are God. Jesus has proven to us that we can trust him. He is faithful in our covenant with him. There is no problem or situation that is too much for Jesus to not overcome. Romans 8:31 tells us that if God is for us who can be against us. Whether it is Satan, the powers of darkness, the evil of this world, or them all combined at once, they can not overcome the Lord. The Lord knows what they are thinking before they even begin to do something. They are defeated and always will be. This is why at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord.
When we became a Christian, Jesus took up residence in our heart along with the Holy Spirit and the Heavenly Father. (Rom 8:11 & Rom 8:9 & John 14:20 & John 14:23) We don’t have to worry or fear, because the Godhead loves us and is faithful to help us. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus. No amount of good works, sacrifice or even desire can make us acceptable enough to go to heaven to be with the Heavenly Father. Jesus is the only way, and certainly not just a way. We can be well assured that by trusting in Jesus we will go to heaven when we die. It doesn’t depend on us, but rather on what Jesus did for us. His righteousness and holiness is more than enough to provide all we need.
When we look to Jesus, we see a reflection of the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. Colossians 1:15 says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Hebrews 1:3 says, “That the Son is radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” While we can not see the Heavenly Father or the Holy Spirit, we have Jesus to see them shining through.
Jesus will do whatever we ask in his name. This is not meant to be some sort of magical incantation. It is the name of association and authority that we are associated with in the spiritual realm. This is not something that we can use to make God do something that he doesn’t want to do. We can say, “In Jesus’ name a million times and God will not do it if it goes against his nature, character or will. We don’t use Jesus name, we are associated with Jesus through his name.
There is so much good news in Jesus, and his great victory for us. Let’s be determined to keep our eyes on Jesus, and know that he loves us, and will never leave us or forsake us. There is hope and victory in Jesus!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us so much. You are such a wonderful God and Savior. Please help us to always love, glorify and bless you and never be a curse to you. We ask this in your holy name.
