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Zion Bread of Life Christian Church

Sunday, 17th March 2024

Be Secured in the Lord 靠主得安稳

As followers of Christ, we want to see things happen first before taking action, but true faith is that even when the doors are close and we can’t see anything, we still believe. Everyone will face challenges in our life.

John 14:1-7 “‘Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And 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. And where I go you know, and the way you know.’ Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.’”

Jesus knew it was time for Him to leave, and He knows everything about our life. At the Last Supper, Jesus knew the disciples were sad. Jewish people normally would feel happy at the Passover dinner as they were remembering and celebration God’s deliverance and protection, full of joy and grace. However, Jesus told the disciples “Let not your heart be troubled.” The disciples were sad because they knew Jesus was going to leave them, and they lost all their hope. They forgot that Jesus left to prepare for them. How to be secured in the Lord?

1. Do Not Worry but Trust in the Lord 不要忧愁 只要信主 (v14)

It’s easy for us to know in our mind to not worry, but it’s hard for us to act out. If we can’t believe in God, we must ask ourselves one question: Who are we? If we don’t believe in the Bible – the word of God, how can we call ourselves Christians and follow God? We Christians believe every word of the Bible, and this is our identity. It will be big problem for us if we don’t believe our identity. We call out to God, meaning that we have connection with Him. When we believe who we are, we will not need to worry anymore, just like how a child trust his parents. If you believe the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, you know who you are and know that you are connected to God, you will not worry.

2. The Lord Prepares for Us 主为我们预备 (v2-4)

We tend to do the opposite – we do lots of things to prepare for our Lord, and it’s hard for us to wait for the Lord to prepare for us. When we go to a restaurant and order the meals, we don’t go into kitchen to do the chef’s job, but will sit at the table and wait. Then when we pray to God for help, and receive His word from the Bible assuring us that He will make it happen for us, but why do we go ahead of God and do whatever we want? We do not believe God will prepare for us, because we see God smaller than He is, and suspect that if we don’t do anything, we may lose the opportunity we want. If you believe that God will prepare, we will not need to worry – whether it’s about our finance, our marriage, or our jobs. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean that we just lie down and do nothing while we wait for God.

3. Go to the Father through the Lord 借着主到天父那里 (v5-7)

Thomas was a real and smart person. He told Jesus that they did not understand what He was talking about. Jesus saw Thomas’ faith and courage to ask Him the question and his desire to know more about the gospel, so He replied to Thomas directly.

Through many generations, the Jewish people still did not know how to follow God…… They might knew there is a God, but did not really know who He is. Jesus’ answer (v6) to Thomas was also the answer to all the Jewish people. God is not the God who we can create and ask to follow us, and if we make this “God” to do what we want, we will lose true freedom. Jesus was talking about His life. He did not deny the Torah, but used the words from Torah to rebuke the devil, because He knew there is power in the word of God. What do we believe, the word of God, or our feelings? If we believe in our feelings, then we are not in the Way the Truth and the Life?? Without the word of God, nothing we do is meaningful. Only through Jesus can we go to the Father. Jesus came 2000 years ago to bring us away from this world and closer to God.

God has already said we are “very good” when He first created us, but we rely on the values we receive from outside and condemn the identity that God gave us, continually searching something better and never satisfied.

Only Jesus can take us return to the Father to restore the relationship that He intended for us and enjoy His abundance & security.