Calming Words For Troubled Hearts

“Calming Words for Troubled Hearts.”

John 14:1-6

To be troubled is a human reaction to adverse conditions. Trouble comes into our lives in almost endless variety. And yes, they even come in the lives of people who are completely surrendered to the Lord. Sometimes we bring these troubles on ourselves by bad decisions or through violating what we know that the Word of God says. But sometimes the trouble comes from outside. It may be a physical illness that strikes you or someone you love. Your trouble could be from the loss of a loved one or the loss of our job, or even uncertainty about the future.

As the Lord looked at His disciples, He knew what was going on in their minds and hearts. He knew how disturbed and upset they were and He not only knew what was causing it, but He also knew the remedy. It could be that many of us today also have troubled hearts, fearful hearts and are also disturbed and upset because what is going on in your life.

The disciples were upset and fearful becausethey were very much afraid of what the future held. They knew they were in danger and so their hearts were deeply troubled as they gathered in the Upper Room with Jesus. They were afraid that they were all about to die, afraid that they along with Jesus were going to be executed by the Jewish religious leadership. A fear that was not unfounded!

But beyond their fear for their own physical well-being there was a deeper fear. Jesus had been talking about leaving them and this literally struck terror into their hearts. They had a deeper fear that they might survive death, but it would mean that they would have to go on living without Jesus, and this was an unbearable thought. They could not feel His pain but He could feel theirs.

It is into this atmosphere that Jesus spoke the words found in John 14:1-6, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. (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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (4) And where I go you know, and the way you know.” (5) Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” (6) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (NKJV)

With His disciples (minus Judas who had departed) gathered around Him, with the Cross looming over Him and His own departure near at hand, the Lord sought to encourage His Disciples with a number of truths that would be vital to their peace of mind, as well as their ability to carry on their mission to a lost world.

But before we begin examining the text we need to recognize that everything that the Lord shares in these verses is based upon a relationship with Him. He is talking to them as believers and everything that is shared applies only to believers. I have often used the 23rd Psalm as a text for funerals, but when I do I add that twenty-third Psalm was written by Kind David and was written from the perspective of one who enjoys a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life. The promises that are made in the 23rd Psalm only apply those who can say “the Lord He is my Shepherd.” In the same way what Jesus says in John 14 is written to those who have already established a relationship with Jesus as the Savior and Lord.

In today’s text we find five reasons why we should not be troubled.

First, You Need Not Be Troubled Because We Know Jesus. (v. 1)

“… you believe in God, believe also in Me”

The words “let not” in verse one, convey a truth that I have overlooked though I have read and even preached this text many times. With the words “let not” Jesus conveys the truth that the disciples (and we as believers today) could do something about their problem. They held in their own hands the remedy to the heart trouble. It was possible for them to either continue allowing this to happen or choose not to let it happen.

According to the Greek text Jesus was not saying, “Don’t let your heart start being troubled” but rather He was saying, “Stop letting your hearts be troubled.” He was recognizing that His disciples were in fact were troubled in heart and He was urging them not to continue in that state. The Lord is calling His disciples to deal with their fears! It has been said that Faith and Fear cannot reside in the same heart.