Jump Start # 1602

John 14:3 “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.”

  Our verse today reflects promise and hope. Something good was to come. These words follow the Lord’s sad prediction that Peter was going to deny Him three times. That must have been devastating to the whole group, but especially crushing to Peter. It’s one thing to think in a moment of weakness and fear a person might slip and deny the Lord, once, maybe. But three times? Unbelievable.

Following those sad words the Lord says, “Do not let your heart be troubled, believe”. Believe in God. Believe in Me.

There are three “I wills” that are built within our verse today.

I will come again. I’m leaving, but I’m coming again. This is a promise. This assures all of us that the Lord isn’t defeated at the cross, nor has He forgotten and left us on our own. He’s coming back.

I will receive you to Myself. The Lord isn’t finished with us. After a denial, one might think that Jesus was ready to toss us out and be through with us. If this was a job, we’d expect to get fired. If this were a sports team, we’d expect to be cut and released. If this were Facebook, here would come the “defriend” button. Not Jesus. I’m coming for you. I will receive you to Myself.

I will allow you to be where I am. Where’s that? Where was He going? Heaven. He’s coming back and taking us there. Jesus is allowing us to be with Him. I will. Not, I might. Not, I hope to. Not, I could, but I have to think about it. He already had. He already knew. I will. I will come.

One thing about the promises of God, He keeps them. You can count on them. Take those to the bank because they are going to happen. It’s just a matter of when.

I will—that’s God’s promise to us. Here we are, fumbling along, often not as strong as we ought to be. Sometimes we let other things get in the way of God. We forget to pray. We are too busy to read the Bible. We sometimes stay home when we ought to be at services worshipping. We’d think that God couldn’t make that promise until He did some quality inspections. You’d think that His promise would be based upon our record of goodness. But you don’t read that here. You don’t find Jesus saying, I will come and get you, if you never, ever deny Me again. I will come and get you if you can go a month without messing up. I will come and get you, only if you promise to be loyal to Me. He didn’t place those conditions. We would.

I will come. I will receive you. I will allow you to be where I am. I will.

Now, have you ever thought about what you will do for Jesus? Like a marriage, if the bride is the only one that is promising and saying “I do,” the relationship will fail. The groom must promise. The groom must “I do,” as well. That makes a relationship. That builds hope and trust.

Jesus promised. I will. What will you do?  Here is a list. It’s a start. It shows what we ought to be doing. It illustrates our love and commitment to the Lord.

• I will love you always, Lord.
• I will support your kingdom, Lord.
• I will not be embarrassed to be named one of yours, Lord.
• I will worship you with all my heart, Lord.
• I will walk with compassion and generosity, Lord.
• I will tell my friends about you, Lord.
• I will hold on to you, Lord, until you call me home.

I will. I will is more than a promise, it’s a dedication and a commitment. The Lord was committed to His people. The Lord invested in His people. The Lord loved and wanted His people. Our “I wills” are more than a promise. They, too, are dedication and a commitment. They will shape our choices and define our life. Everything will be shaped by our “I wills.” How we see things. How we respond to things. How we think. What we say. What we do. All of this is flavored and shaped by our “I wills.”

Jesus promised. Have you?

Roger