Pastor Nathan examines Jesus’ comforting words to His disciples in John 14:1–3 on the night before His crucifixion. Grounding the sermon in both the upper room context and the book of Revelation, he highlights that heaven is ultimately about a person (God) before it is about a place.
The Storm Before the Promise
In John chapter 13, the disciples feel the weight of foreboding. Jesus has just announced that one of them will betray him, that Peter will deny him three times, and that he is leaving them. The clouds of darkness are descending — hell itself is mobilizing to crucify Jesus the very next day.
Into that excruciating silence, Jesus speaks three of the most comforting words in all of Scripture:
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms… I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also."
— John 14:1–3
Heaven Is God in a Place
The Big Idea
Heaven is not primarily about golden streets or fantastical scenery. Every vision of heaven in Scripture — Isaiah 6, Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation 4 — focuses on the throne and the One seated on it.
The center of heaven is God. The presence of God is what makes the place glorious.
What Scripture Says
Heaven is nothing less than the eternal dwelling place of God — where his unveiled glory shines forth and the redeemed live with him forever.
"In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
— Psalm 16
Heaven is a realm of unsurpassed joy, unfading glory, undiminished bliss, and unending holy pleasures. It is not a boring place — it is the real thing.
Jesus: The Comforter in His Own Grief
Ironically, Jesus is the one who is heavy of heart. In just a few hours he will go to Gethsemane, bearing sorrows we cannot comprehend. And yet, in the middle of his own grief, he turns outward — to comfort those around him.
Don't Be Troubled
The word "troubled" evokes churned-up, storm-tossed waters. Jesus says: be at peace. Refocus your gaze off the troubled waters and lift your eyes to God.
Believe in God, Believe in Me
Jesus equates himself with God — to believe in God is to believe in Jesus. The answer to a troubled heart is not a what but a who: God himself.
A Place Prepared for You
Jesus goes to prepare a place — not as a DIY project, but through his death on the cross, purchasing the keys of heaven with his own blood.
My Father's House: Rooms, Not Mansions
Full Access to the Family Home
The Father's house is an intimate, familial image. Ancient homes had varying degrees of sanctity — from the front door for strangers, to the living room for guests, to the dining table for friends, to the inner family rooms for the closest of kin.
Jesus is not offering outer-court access. He is giving the redeemed full access — into the family rooms, into the very inner sanctuary of the Father's home.
Heaven is described throughout Scripture as a country (Hebrews 11), a city (Hebrews 12), a kingdom (2 Timothy 4), and a paradise (Luke 23). But above all, it is home — a dwelling place with the Father.
Humanity Is Looking for a Home
The longing for a permanent home is written into the fiber of human existence. We were placed in a garden, created to walk with God in sinless perfection — but we were evicted by our own sin, made sojourners and pilgrims.
The Garden
Humanity created to enjoy God in Eden — then exiled by sin.
The Wilderness
Israel wandering, longing for rest and a place to call home.
Gethsemane
The King of Heaven weeps over the bride he is about to purchase with his blood.
The New Garden
Revelation 22 — the King and his bride united forever in a new paradise.
Even Elon Musk's drive to reach the stars reflects this ache — that humanity is destined for something more. He's not entirely wrong. But it's not out among the stars. It's with Jesus, for whom we were created.
Heaven Now vs. Heaven Later
Heaven Now
For the believer who dies today: "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." Jesus told the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise." The center of heaven, even now, is God.
Heaven Later — The Final State
Revelation 21–22 describes the fullness of what is coming: souls reconstituted with glorified bodies, brought into physical, face-to-face relationship with God. A new heaven and a new earth — the full, unveiled, unshielded glory of the Holy Trinity.
"Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be their God." — Revelation 21:3
What Heaven Will Lack — and What It Will Have
No More Curse
Genesis 3 undone. No more decay, decomposition, or death. The old order is gone.
No More Tears or Pain
No mourning, no loss, no heartache. No abusers, no injustice, no impurity.
No More Darkness
No night, no concealment of evil. Only light — refracting the full radiance of God's glory.
No More Temple
No separation. Full, uninhibited access to God. "The temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb."
Heaven will be a city 1,500 miles in every dimension — prodigious in proportion, representing the Holy of Holies in complete access to the throne room of God. People from every nation, every ethnicity, the redeemed — reigning with Christ forever and ever.
I Go to Prepare a Place for You
How can unholy people ever enter a place where nothing unclean shall be? Jesus answers: I must go and prepare. That preparation is the cross — his death purchasing the keys of heaven, his blood washing away sin, his resurrection granting his righteousness to all who believe.
"The gates of heaven are shut. I must open them — through my body, my death, my resurrection. I will ascend to my Father's side and intercede for you for all of eternity. It is finished. Enter into the glories of my Father."
Believe in Jesus
Heaven is for those to whom the blood has been applied. To believe in God is to believe in Jesus — you cannot have one without the other.
You Get Jesus
Not merely streets of gold — you get the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in all their unveiled glory. "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him." — 1 Corinthians 2:9
Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled
Heaven is the anchor for the believer in every turbulent sea — loss of a loved one, loss of a job, the daily weight of sin. The hope of heaven is not a license for passivity, but fuel to excite our obedience as we look forward to the life to come.
"Heaven is not a boring place. It is the very center of anything and everything that matters. It is the real thing."
Long for Heaven
The more you know God, the more you will long to see him face to face. Christians who do not long for heaven do not yet know God fully.
Trust in Jesus Alone
If you have not trusted in Jesus, believe today. He died for you — all you must do is trust. Pastors are available to pray with you and show you from God's word how you may be saved.
Worship in Everything
In heaven we will reign and cultivate the new creation — in arts, science, and every domain — for the glory of God, before his face, forever.
The Hope of Heaven