16 – You have a place in the Father

John 14:2-9 KJV

“[2] 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. [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. [4] And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. [5] Thomas saith unto Him, Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way? [6] Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. [7] If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him. [8] Philip saith unto Him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. [9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

In this passage, the Lord Jesus reveals a journey and a destination. In verse 6 He said: “… I am the way … no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me”. The way to where? The way to the Father — the Father is the destination of the journey. Meaning, in verses 2 and 3, when Jesus said “… I go to prepare a place for you …”, He meant: I am going to prepare a place for you in the Father. But what does that mean? 

What does it mean to have a place in the Father?

To have a place in something means to have a portion of it as yours. For example, to have a place in a piece of land means to have a section of the land as yours. Similarly, to have a place in the Father means to have a portion of the Father as yours. How? By inheritance. Meaning, when Jesus said I go to prepare a place for you in the Father, He meant He is going to make it possible for you to be an heir of God.

Romans 8:14-17 explains this, saying: “[14] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. [15] For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. [16] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: [17] And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.”

An heir is one who obtains an inheritance. As such, in this passage, “heirs of God” means people who inherit God. That is, verse 17 is saying: if you are a child of God then you are a heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ; which means, you join the Lord Jesus to inherit a portion of God. We “join” the Lord Jesus to inherit God because He is the Firstborn Son of God who inherits all of the Father. So any portion we inherit, the Lord Jesus also inherits, but whereas He has 100% of the Father, we (as individuals) have a portion. It is only as a Church we can sum up to 100%. 

Speaking of Jesus, Hebrews 1:4 says “Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”. So the Lord Jesus inherits the Father, and as such, He has the glory of the Father, and that is why in John 14:9 He said “… he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father …”. That is the implication of having a place in the Father. You inherit His person and abilities as your new personality and capabilities, such that when anyone sees you what they are seeing is the Father. And this inheritance you have in the Father is what defines your purpose on earth. You are to use your inheritance to bless the world, just as Jesus exemplified when He came. He used His inheritance in the Father to change lives for good and to establish the Kingdom of God in the hearts of men.

Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus, thank You for making it possible for me to have a place in the Father by Your sacrifice on the cross. Father, help me to know what I have inherited from You, and help me today and everyday to access and express this inheritance. Help me to use the portion of You that is mine to bless the people around me, like Jesus did. Amen.