Sermon Outline Title: The Best is Yet to Come – Promise of Heaven
Bible Text: John 14:1-6
Theme: The Comfort of Christ’s Promise of Heaven
Big Idea: When life feels uncertain, remember the promise of Jesus — He is preparing a perfect home for His people, and He alone is the way to it.
1. A Troubled Heart Meets a Tender Promise (John 14:1)
a. Jesus’ disciples had followed Him faithfully for three years, leaving behind their homes, families, and livelihoods.
b. Then He told them He was going away, that one would betray Him, and that Peter would deny Him three times.
c. Their hearts were crushed and confused, unsure what the future held.
d. Into their fear and discouragement, Jesus spoke words of comfort: “Let not your heart be troubled.”
a. The same Jesus who calmed the storm now calmed their hearts.
b. Life can leave us discouraged and disheartened, but His promise still stands: there’s a better day coming for the believer.
c. Even when we can’t see what God is doing, we can trust that He’s preparing something far greater than we can imagine.
2. A Message of Hope and a Place Prepared (John 14:2-3)
a. Jesus gave His disciples — and us — a promise of heaven: “In my Father’s house are many mansions.”
b. He said, “I go to prepare a place for you,” meaning heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.
c. Every trial here reminds us that we are not home yet. Heaven is our true country; our citizenship is there (Philippians 3:20).
d. We are not earthbound people trying to reach heaven — we are heaven-bound people passing through this earth.
a. God’s people may live in shacks here, but they will dwell in mansions there.
b. Even the grandest homes of earth will seem like tents compared to the glory of heaven.
c. As 1 Corinthians 2:9 reminds us: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard… the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”
d. Heaven will be a place of beauty, joy, and perfect peace — the Father’s house where His children will rejoice forever.
3. A Mansion for Every Believer (John 14:3)
a. Jesus promised, “I will come again and receive you unto myself.”
b. That means every believer who dies in Christ is immediately with Him — absent from the body, present with the Lord.
c. Our loved ones who’ve gone before us already have their place in the Father’s house.
d. There will be no more sorrow, sickness, or separation there — only reunion and rejoicing.
a. Many of us have family waiting in heaven — parents, children, and friends we long to see again.
b. For the believer, death is not goodbye — it’s simply “see you soon.”
c. Heaven is home, and Jesus Himself will welcome us there when our work here is done.
4. A Question Asked and a Clear Answer Given (John 14:4-6)
a. Thomas said, “Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?”
b. They didn’t yet understand the full plan of salvation — but Jesus gave them the answer in one sentence.
c. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
d. This is the most exclusive and inclusive statement in Scripture — all are invited, but only through Jesus.
a. Jesus is the highway to heaven — there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
b. Jesus is the roadway to redemption — He is our Redeemer, who paid our sin debt and reconciled us to God.
c. Jesus is the freeway to forgiveness — His mercy is free, His grace is unearned, and His salvation is available to all who believe.
d. Jesus is the pathway to peace — the peace that passes all understanding, the calm assurance that our souls are secure in Him.
Illustration / Example:
When I was a boy about seven or eight years old, we had an outhouse behind the barn about seventy-five yards from the house. I still remember those cold nights and long walks. But I can tell you this — the mansions Jesus is preparing for His people will make the White House in Washington, D.C. look like that outhouse I remember. That’s how much greater heaven will be than anything we’ve ever known on earth.
Alliterated Main Points:
Promise – “Let not your heart be troubled.”
Place – “I go to prepare a place for you.”
Presence – “I will come again and receive you.”
Path – “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Peace – The assurance that heaven is our home.
Conclusion / Invitation:
No matter how good this life has been for you, Jesus saves the best for last. Nothing we can have here compares to what waits in heaven for those who love Him. If your heart is troubled, remember His promise — He’s preparing a place for you, and He will come again to take you there. The only question that matters is this: are you ready to meet Him?