Where you belong. We’re in this series on looking at Jesus final words from the cross and it’s eternal impact. In the midweek services on Wednesday nights here, and I want to commend those to you, we’re looking at these seven words of Jesus from the cross. And this past Wednesday, Pastor Denton led us in the words of Jesus to the thief, a criminal, that died right next to him, but before they died he said, Thief, today you’re going to be with me. Jesus was welcoming this thief, a criminal, into an eternal home that Jesus had prepared. And that’s true for us. The eternal impact is that those words are for you and me also today. And we’re gonna be looking at where we belong. And I gotta say, a sense of belonging, if you don’t have it, you don’t know how much you miss it. Heard a story about a foster boy. Very common story for foster children. Bounced around from house to house, home to home, and every time he would start to feel safe, he’d be told he had to pack up his things and move again. And it’s not that he was a bad kid, it’s just that the families couldn’t keep the foster children for a long term. And so, one of these days again, it came along, he was on the steps of yet another house, holding his small, Well worn suitcase filled with just a few belongings that he had left in life. He’d learned to not get too comfortable. But there was something different about this home. As the woman of the household came out, knelt down, held him by the shoulders, looked him in the eye, and said, You don’t have to pack anymore. You’re home. You belong here. What a powerful moment. Because deep down, don’t all of us? want to know that we have a place where we belong, a home where we are loved and accepted. A place where we are welcome, where we belong, not because we’ve earned it, but simply because we are loved. Jesus knew that his disciples back with him then, and we his disciples, Today, we still have that same longing to belong. And so, I’m going to be reading just three verses in John chapter 14. If you have your Bibles or your devices, you can turn there with me. John 14, the first three verses. And these are spoken by Jesus to his followers the very night he’s about to be betrayed and then be killed the next day. But Jesus gives in these verses, I think, one of the most precious promises.
In all of the Bible. So, John 14, the first three verses, the words of Jesus. Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that 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. The Gospel of our Lord. Let me pray for us as we continue. Lord God, thank you for sending your Son. Jesus, thank you for being so aware of your mission and your followers that you knew the words they needed to hear that night and you know the words we need to hear this day. So come Holy Spirit. Open up our hearts to receive this word from Jesus and speak it anew and afresh to us the way each of us need to hear from you this day. I ask in Jesus name and for his sake. Amen. Dear friends, I want to bless you as we begin. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. As I had mentioned at our Wednesday service this past week, our Lenten service, we looked at these words of Jesus. Today, you will be with me in paradise. And Jesus was promising this thief, not just an afterlife, but a home. One where the thief, and actually all of us, In Jesus, find a place of belonging. It’s a promise Jesus makes of salvation for every sinner who turns to him in faith. And Jesus promises a haven where our deepest insecurities, they’re met under the shelter of God’s unwavering love. It’s an assurance that our own broken stories don’t exclude us. But rather, draw us closer to the heart of God and His grace. That no matter what regrets might weigh us down, Jesus invites us to step into the security, the forgiveness, the wholeness that He so freely offers. And so as we explore these, these 14, may they remind us that we too are promised to forgive and be now.
There’s no place like home. You know that movie that made that line famous, right? I think we all have that wonderful picture of home. When you hear the word home, what image comes to mind? And you know, I think for all of us, as we grow up, we all have our leaving home story. I mean, maybe you have a unique one, one that certainly is important to you. My story is that, for me personally, I never left home. Home. Left. Me. Here’s what I mean. When I was 18 years old, my parents embarked on a second career, sold the farm, became a pastor, and took off as missionaries to Africa, to Chad and Cameroon. When I was 18 years old, and my brother and sister were 16 and 15 each, and of all things, they made me the legal guardian of my siblings at age 18. Yeah, pretty ridiculous, right? But actually, well, so far it’s worked out. I mean, you see, we believe, God gave all of us, parents and children alike, the grace that we needed for this mission call on our parents life. Now, some may wonder how my parents could ever Leave their teenage children a continent away separated by an ocean and you know truth be told I’ve kind of wondered that myself Every now and then and my father and I we’ve spoken on this over the years. We spoke again yesterday So he knows I’m bringing this in the message here But while God’s oversight and his care were absolutely essential and present Throughout that whole season the most tangible thing that made that separation work was that our family, we were part of a larger church family, and we had a network of other families who kind of kept an eye out for us. Kids, you know what I mean? I knew that I had a place. There were people that I could count on that I could still call home. And to this day, I have meaningful relationships with those families who kind of adopted us in. Who took us in for holidays and had us over for evening meals and social get togethers. My brother and sister and I, we had people of refuge, people of overt care upon whom we could depend. And isn’t that what we all desire? That no matter what age we’re at, that we know that we have this place we belong. And that’s what we have in Jesus Christ. To those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. That’s what Pastor Susan led us earlier in our worship liturgy on. In other words, in Jesus, We are adopted into God’s family. You, in Christ, have a family, no matter what, in which you belong. And there may well be someone here, right in this room, right this very hour, who needs to hear this once again, that in Jesus Christ, you have a place that you belong. See, what great love the Father has lavished on us, the Bible says, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are. And yet, for many, I think especially as we get older, our, we end up as, as we age, have you ever thought about this? We end up saying goodbye to friends. to family, to parents, siblings, for some here, children. And with each year that we grow older, the more that we move, we lose people dear to us. And with each passing, we lose another sense of belonging. And nobody prepares us for this, so let me at least give you a heads up. As you age, it’s going to get more lonely. And if you live longer than most, you’ll be saying goodbye the most.
Nobody prepares us for this, but it’s a, it’s a common experience across humanity. Which is why this promise of having a promise of being a part of God’s family is so important. It’s why being part of a church family now is so important. A local group, fellow believers in Jesus Christ. Who love God and love you. A people with whom you belong. And not even just part of a church family, but being a part of a small group. A smaller group with, within that larger church family, your own posse, your own pack, that you get to hang with, that you know, they’ve got your back. No matter what life throws at you. And the time to build those relationships, it’s now. It’s not when the crisis hits. That’s too late. Now is the time to get your posse in place. And we’re going to be talking more on that next week. The point I want to make here today is this. Is that in Jesus? Just like that boy with the foster mother. For us in Christ, you don’t have to pack anymore. You’re home. You’re where you belong. And so what does this mean for us today? What do Jesus words mean for us? How does his promise change the way we live? I want to explore a few ways that Jesus words bring us comfort, it brings us assurance, and purpose in a world Where so many can feel lost or forgotten or even rejected. The first is that Jesus understands your longing to belong. Have you ever had a season in life where you kind of just felt out of place? Maybe it was back in school when you didn’t quite fit in with the other kids. Maybe it was on your career path when you realized you weren’t advancing anymore. You weren’t with the in crowd. Maybe it was even in your own family, where the love and acceptance you craved always seemed just out of reach. Or maybe it’s now, when you might be feeling acutely alone in the world without friends. You know those feelings, they’re not new, it’s part of the human experience. And you know the incredible thing is, Jesus experienced that also.
Jesus felt that too. Think about his life. He was born in a borrowed manger. No room in the inn for him. Jesus was a refugee as a child. His family, they had to flee. to Egypt to escape the murderous hate of King Herod. Jesus was rejected by his hometown, the people who had known him the longest. refused to believe in him. Jesus was abandoned by his close disciples. The ones who swore they would never leave him ran when he needed them most. And Jesus was forsaken on the cross. As he bore our sin, he cries out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? If anyone knows what it’s like to feel unwanted, misunderstood or alone. It’s Jesus. But here’s the good news. Jesus didn’t just experience rejection. He conquered it. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus made sure that we would never be spiritual orphans ourselves. So when life makes us feel like we don’t fit, when friends disappoint, when relationships fail, when the world seems to shut us out, we can take comfort in this. We belong to Jesus. He knows our pain, and he’s already secured our place in God’s family. Jesus understands your longing to belong. Second, your home. is in the Father’s house. When Jesus says, In my Father’s house are many rooms, He’s not just talking about a future heaven. He’s talking about a present reality. There’s this dynamic in Jesus there. He is the kingdom that has come in, but it’s yet to be fully revealed. It’s a kingdom that is, is, and yet to be. And so when Jesus says, In my Father’s house are many rooms, yes, it’s a future that will be fully revealed when He comes to take us there. But it’s also one that we live in now. Now, by faith, and yet, in his body, the church, the moment that we put our faith in Jesus, we become a part of God’s household, his family. It means that we’re no longer outsiders trying to look in, but we are sons and daughters seated around the dining room table, heirs to the kingdom, members of the family. And what a household it is. Our Father’s house, it’s a place of love. No more rejection. No more second guessing whether you’re wanted. In God’s house, you are deeply, completely, eternally loved. In our Father’s house, it’s a place of security. And this world is unstable, isn’t it? Jobs come and go, relationships rise and fall, health fades. But in our Father’s house, your place is unshakable. Our Father’s house is a place of rest. No more striving, having to prove yourself. No more carrying the weight of expectations of others. In God’s house, you are at peace. But here’s the challenge. I think that, and it’s that the world offers us counterfeit belonging.
It tells us that if we just make enough money, we’ll finally feel secure. The world tells us that if we gain enough followers, we’ll finally be valued. It tells us that if we can just find that right relationship, we’ll finally feel whole. But all of these things can be taken away in an instant, can’t they? Jesus offers us something better. A belonging that cannot be lost. No matter what happens in this life, no matter who comes or goes, your place in the Father’s house In Christ is secure because your belonging isn’t based on your performance. It’s based on Jesus promise Jesus understands your longing to belong your home is in the Father’s house and Third you are called to extend this belonging to others There are people all around us like that foster child carrying invisible suitcases people who’ve been let down left out We’re told that they don’t belong. And what an incredible opportunity and privilege we have to reach out to them in Jesus name, with God’s love, to invite them to a family, to invite them home. Because you see, Jesus didn’t just prepare a place for us. He calls us to fling wide open those doors of belonging and home for others. This means welcoming the lonely. Who in your life needs to hear, you are loved, you are wanted, you belong here? It means loving the outcast. Who in your circle of people that you know and bump into, feel like they don’t fit? Who’s been overlooked? It means making room at the table so we can begin prayerfully to know that others need Jesus, His love, and a place to belong. I’m glad to tell you, we’ve already raised 25, 000 in just two weeks. Let’s keep going so we can be a part of God’s family. Our prayer, our goal, is to try to see a new site within two years, by our 50th anniversary, April 3rd, 2027. And Lord willing, another site by 2030. To, in the Lord, could we double the number of people who know Jesus and know that they belong? That’s our prayer. And the numbers are in God’s hands. We are called here to make disciples. Jesus will build His church, but that’s our goal. There’s a saying that says, if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go with a team. I don’t know if you were a track and field person growing up, but if you were, were you a sprinter or a long distance runner? There’s kind of, it’s one of those two kinds of people in the world, sprinters or marathon runners. And life, it’s much more like a marathon, isn’t it? Long, grueling sometimes. Marked by unexpected hills, painful setbacks. And if you’ve run long distance, moments when you wonder if you can keep going on. And some days life, the weight of it, the grief, the disappointments, the loss, it can feel overwhelming. But scripture remind us that what we experience now, those challenges, it’s not the entire story. We looked at this in a Roman study a couple weeks ago. In Romans chapter 8, Paul writes this to the Church in Rome, I consider that our present sufferings Okay, the challenges in life are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
In other words, we need to see our present challenges and struggles, our present suffering, in light of a greater glory yet to come. And that’s a bold statement. Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory yet to be revealed. They’re not even close. In other words, whatever we endure in this life, no matter how heavy, no matter how heartbreaking, will one day be swallowed up in a glory found in Christ Jesus so great, so breathtaking, that if we could see it now, we wouldn’t hesitate to press on. That’s how Jesus pressed on in His passion and on His cross. The Bible says in Hebrews 12, For the joy set before him, he, Jesus, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. In other words, Jesus fixed his eyes on what was yet to come. The victory, the restoration, the joy of redeeming you and me. He saw past that excruciating suffering that he went through, to the grandest of all glory. And because of that, he didn’t give up, the Bible says. And neither should we, because yes, the best is yet to come. Of what God has waiting for us, it would take our breath away. So my dear friend, whatever you’re facing today, don’t lose heart. Keep running, persevere. The Bible says fix your eyes on Jesus because one day, and sooner than we think, the pain will be gone, the struggle will end, and we’ll step into the kind of joy that makes every hardship worth it. The best is not behind you, it’s ahead, and it’s beyond anything. You could ever imagine. Join me in prayer. Lord Jesus, thank you for reminding us that in you, we, we never have to keep our suitcases packed. We don’t have to keep looking over our shoulders for rejection. You’ve prepared a home for us, and you will come back again and take us there to be with you. Till then, fill our hearts with such a deep sense of your presence and your love that we can’t help but receive it and then share it, especially with others who feel outcast or weary or forgotten. And may your promise of belonging anchor our life and our souls, assuring us that we are forever held in your loving embrace. I ask this, Jesus, in your precious name and for your sake. Amen.
