Help For The Troubled Heart

Help For The Troubled Heart

John 14:1

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Because of my job, I spend a great deal of time around sickness and death. When someone passes away there are countless lives who are impacted. When you encounter a family who has just lost a beloved mother, father or child there are many different emotions on display. You will see Anger, Hurt Distress, Denial, Disbelief, Grief, sorrow and sadness. Even when we have confidence that the deceased was a Christian and that their suffering is over...even when we know they are in the presence of the Lord, it can still be difficult to say goodbye.

When we encounter those who are grieving we want to make things better... we want to take their pain away. There is something inside of us that make us want to help their troubled heart. Trust me, I speak from experience... you cannot help the troubled heart, you cannot take their pain away, but there is One who can! and His name is Jesus.

Here in John 14 that is exactly what He does. When we hear these verses we automatically think about Heaven. And that is to be expected because these verses reveal one of the most clear promises of that wonderful place. In this passage Jesus promises His followers: A Residence, A Resting Place, A Return and A Reunion.

For the child of God there is much hope to be found in John 14:1-3. But we often overlook the context of these verses. Some tragic things have taken place in the lives of Jesus and His disciples. And if you read a little further you will find that this was only the beginning of many troubles that were to come. Often overshadowed by the glorious promise of Heaven is the fact that the Disciples were grieved....Their hearts were "troubled".

Back in Mark these very same men were in the midst of a literal storm. The wind was blowing. The waves were crashing, water filled the boat and the disciples were consumed with fear. While all of this was going on Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat. They woke Him up and said "Master, do you not care that we perish"? Jesus got up, went to the edge of the boat and said "peace be still and the winds ceased and there was a great calm".

Now these same men were in the midst of a great spiritual and emotional storm, and once again Jesus speaks peace! He looks to His faithful followers and says "let not your hearts be troubled". Maybe you are here today and you too are a follower of Christ who has a troubled heart. I would like to walk through these verses and show you the available "Help For A Troubled Heart"

* I would like to begin in verse 1 by examining:

I. THE SOURCE OF A TROUBLED HEART

In this world we all encounter and endure troubles. Jesus told us that this would be the case. But He also told us that through Him we could have peace - John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

The Apostle John gives us some added encouragement, He says in 1 John 4:4 "...greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."

In order to fully comprehend the Disciples trouble we must look back to the events of John 13. In the first few verses of John 13 The Lord girded Himself and began to wash His disciples feet. Shortly after He was finished He revealed the fact that one of them would betray Him. This devastated these men and they began to ponder who it could be. Eventually it became clear that Judas was the one. This must have been devastating to these men. Judas was one of them! He had been with them from the beginning. They had spent years together. They had a friendship. They even trusted him to manage the money. And while he was still with them, going through the motions and putting up a good front. He had already gone behind their back and made arrangements with the enemies of Christ to betray Him for 30 pieces of silver.

After these things Peter proclaimed that he would follow Jesus all the way, even if it meant death. And Jesus told him that before the rooster crowd he would deny Him 3 times. Obviously this weighed heavy on Peter's mind. Then after these things Jesus revealed that the time had come and that He was going away. Jesus would soon go to the Cross to die for the sins of mankind. What tragic news!!! What great trouble they faced!