The Sure-Cure For Troubled Hearts Series

The Sure Cure for Troubled Hearts John 14:1-7

We look again at Jesus’ teachings to His disciples from the Upper Room to the Cross from the book of John. We saw that Followers of Christ are to SERVE each other, even as Christ stooped to serve us: You DO the same. Last week we saw the Glory of God the Love of Christ, and that, we are not to avoid one another or tolerate each other, but to love each other as Christ has loved us. Jesus’ disciples are known by their love toward one another.

Today we read John 13: 36-John 14:7: 36 “Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going ?" Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later." 37 Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You right now ? I will lay down my life for You." 38 Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.

John14:1 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. (A Better translation might be: Do NOT be troubled. Let your heart BELIEVE in God, also in ME BELIEVE.) 2 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; “If it were not so, I would have told you; (rooms, mansions: In Jesus’ time, when a son got married, many times the Father would attach as living quarters onto the side of his home and the families would share a rear courtyard. Where is the house of Jesus’ Father? Heaven, where Jesus came from.)

1. Finding comfort in the Presence of Jesus

Imagine the disciples’ disposition at this point: They had been so proud and so selfish that they didn’t show love to each other and when it came time to wash each other's feet, they wouldn't do that…and Jesus finally did! They had wanted to show HIM love and then didn’t. Judas had just gone out into the night after Jesus pointed him out as the betrayer, Jesus had foretold His death, He prophesied Peter’s denial, and now He says He’s leaving: What are we going to do now? We’ve forsaken all to follow Him; They didn’t have to explain to Jesus how troubling all of this was because HE knew their hearts!

We know what it means to be “troubled”: It’s the opposite of being peaceful, calm, serene, at ease, or comforted. To be “troubled” is to have inward commotion which causes you to become agitated and restless. I’m sure Peter had a heart FULL of trouble with what Jesus had just told Him. Jesus’ own SOUL was troubled in John 12:27- "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour '? But for this purpose I came to this hour.” Then at the supper table, Jesus had said this in John 13: 21- “He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me."

Yet here Jesus turns His loving compassionate heart to THEIR sorrow, rather than toward His own and says: “Do NOT be troubled. Let your heart BELIEVE in God, also in ME BELIEVE.” To eliminate troubled heart syndrome, a sure cure from your present heart problems and anxieties is to turn to God in BELIEF, in Faith, and find comfort in the very Presence of Jesus. The presence of Jesus means the presence of God. Jesus puts Himself on equality with God: You trust in God whom you cannot see; Trust in me whom you CAN see…and KEEP ON trusting Me, even though soon I will NOT be visible.

Trust God. Trust ME. (Last week we looked at the Glory of God and the Glory of the Son!) Jesus is saying: “You can have full confidence in my presence when I am gone, just like you trust in me as the Son of God while IN your presence. Don’t be comforted by my POWER but by my PRESENCE, because MY Power is IN my presence. You already believe in God whom you cannot see; believe in Me NOW and when I’m gone, even though you can’t see me: Trust in the very presence of the living God.

Jesus had just predicted Peter’s impending denial of even KNOWING Jesus, but Peter later (In 1Peter 1:8) he would encourage other believers: “Though you have NOT seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.”

2. Trusting Jesus’ Promises

Look at the second half of verse 2: “For I go to prepare a place for you. 3 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. 4 And you know the way where I am going."