Text: “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:1).
What kind of life do you think Jesus wants us to live? Does He want us to be worried and uptight? Does He want us to dwell on things that will probably never come about? Does He want us to waste our time feeling sorry for ourselves? Does He want us to complain about what we don’t have? I don’t think so.
When we are worried and deeply concerned about such issues, we cannot be at peace with ourselves, with anyone else, or with God Himself. There is a story about a paralyzed man who finally found the answer to his troubled heart.
Story: “For Tired Nerves”
A man, paralyzed by many anxieties and worries and unable to sleep at night, was so tired in mind and body that he was ready for anything. When he was at the last gasp, he met a Christian friend who told him that if he would only pray about it all, he would find some relief.
That night he prayed for the first time for years. He told God everything about himself. And while he was praying he fell asleep. When he woke up hours later he knew he had found his cure. He told his doctor: “I just tell Jesus about my worries. I turn them all over to Him.” The doctor replied, “If all my nerve patients would only to that, I should be a poorer man.”
----Rev. F. H. Pickering
You and I waste much time thinking and worrying about what might happen and what we can do about it. Jesus has given us the solution to our problem more than once. In His Word, He talks to us about a lasting peace, a perfect place and a promise that cannot be broken.
Prior to the words of our Scripture Reading, Jesus told His disciples “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified” (John 12:23). He used the illustration of the grain of wheat.
Wheat was something common and they knew it was planted in the ground and then at the right time and under the right conditions it would spring forth from the ground and could be cut and processed for human use.
If the wheat was not planted it would not produce much grain. In other words, it had to fall into the ground and die or it would not benefit anyone. By the same token, the person who loves his worldly life and does nothing concerning his spiritual life is like the grain of wheat that is not planted in the ground.
The grain of wheat planted in the ground serves God by becoming food for His children. The person who follows Jesus and humbles himself to the status of servant shows forth love and will be honored by the Father. Serving Jesus raises us to an honorable level or position in His kingdom.
As Jesus talked to his disciples, and told them about what was going to happen, His heart became heavy. In fact Jesus said, “Now My soul is troubled and what shall I say? ‘Father, Save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour” (John 12:27).
Jesus knew the crucifixion was not far away. He knew the suffering He would go through. He could feel the pain and agony that would go through His body. He dreaded the thought because He was human.
Any human being facing this ordeal would do anything to get out of it. We are fortunate and lucky we do not have to face what Jesus faced. Man was responsible for what was to happen, but Jesus had so much for love for us that He was willing to accept all the suffering and pain.
We do not have to go to the Cross because Jesus went in our place. We don’t have to shed our blood because He shed his for each one of us. We don’t have to feel the agony of the nails being driven into our hands and feet because He took our place.
Jesus doesn’t want us to live troubled lives, but instead He wants our hearts to be at peace. He doesn’t want us to worry about what will happen to us after this earthly life is over or where we will spend eternity. He promises us that we will spend eternity with Him. He said, “...where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3).
Jesus then said, “Father, glorify Your name.” And at that very moment, like thunder, God spoke and said, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again” (John 12:28). The disciples and the other people who heard these words really did not understand what had just happened.
What would you have thought if you had been standing in that crowd? Would you have said, “Oh well, I guess it was thunder or I did not hear what I thought I heard? No big deal, it was probably just my imagination.” Would you have really believed it was God speaking and looked to Him in worship and praise?
Would you have been like some people and believed it was a miracle that an angel of God had spoken to Jesus? Miracles have happened in the past and they happen today. I believe the voice of an angel can be soft and tender and I believe it can also be rough and thundering. I believe that angels sometimes just make their presence known. Listen to this story experienced by Reverend John G. Paton and told by Billy Graham:
Story: (Quoted from: Angels, Angels, Angels, God’s Secret Agents by Dr. Billy Graham)
“The Reverend John G. Paton, a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands, tells a thrilling story involving the protective care of angels. Hostile natives surrounded his mission headquarters one night, intent on burning the Patons out and killing them.
John Paton and his wife prayed all during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see the attackers unaccountably leave. They thanked God for delivering them.
“A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Jesus Christ, and Mr. Paton, remembering what had happened, asked the chief what had kept him and his men from burning down the house and killing them.
The chief replied in surprise, ‘Who were all those men you had with you there?’ The missionary answered, ‘There were no men there; just my wife and I.’
“The chief argued that they had seen many men standing guard – hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords in their hands. They seemed to circle the mission station so that the natives were afraid to attack.
Only then did Mr. Paton realize that God had sent His angels to protect them. The chief agreed that there was no other explanation. Could it be that God had sent a legion of angels to protect His servants, whose lives were being endangered?”
These angels didn’t say a word, they were just present. They were present because God knew the Paton’s hearts were troubled because of the present danger. He wanted to give them peace, protection, and comfort.
When Jesus talked to the disciples about what would happen to him, their hearts were also troubled. Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32). Jesus was trying to convey to the people that this is the way He would die. He would be nailed to a cross and the cross would be lifted up for all to see.
The people did not want to hear or believe this because the teaching in the Old Testament that they were used to hearing stated: “His seed (the seed of David) would endure forever” (Psalm 89:36). God did send the Messiah, who was from David’s lineage, and the people reasoned that he would be on the throne forever.
In addition to this, Isaiah said, “He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (Isaiah 9:7). This is why people thought Jesus would rule and not die.
Maybe the people only believed what they wanted to believe. I say this because Isaiah indicated in another passage that the Messiah would suffer. I believe it must have been very difficult for people to understand how someone else could suffer for the sins of mankind. There are people today who do not understand this concept or idea and therefore are nonbelievers. There are still people who are dead to sin.
We are believers and know our Savior. We have the privilege of looking back in history and viewing what happened and that it happened as written in God’s Word.
Jesus did come and as Isaiah wrote, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (Isaiah 53:5-7).
The disciples, as well as all the other people around Jesus, who heard him talking about his forthcoming death obviously did not understand the words of the prophet Isaiah. Some people chose not to believe although Jesus had performed many miracles in the presence of these people.
Isaiah prophesied this would happen. He said, “He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn – and I would heal them” (John 12:40). All God was doing in this prophesy was confirming the choice that some of the people had made. The same thing happens today. There are people who have chosen to live life their way instead of God’s way and no matter how hard or how much we witness to them concerning Jesus as the “way, the truth, and the life,” our words are ignored fall on deaf ears.
The night Jesus and his disciples celebrated Passover in the Upper Room, Jesus did several things. He washed the disciples’ feet, He identified His betrayer, He gave a new commandment, He predicted Peter’s denial, and He instituted the Last Supper.
He washed their feet to teach the disciples that if they were going to follow Him, they must become humble and willing to serve others. If they wanted to serve God, they must serve in a way to honor God.
There are people today who call themselves Christians, but are not willing to become humble servants. The way of the world is to be served instead of being a servant. A good leader is willing to work with those being led and willing to do the same work as those being led. A good leader does not consider any Godly task beneath him or her.
Jesus is not walking the earth any longer, but His mission is to be carried out by each one who calls themselves Christian. We are to serve God by serving all people, regardless of race, color, creed, denominational status, social status, or any thing else.
Jesus then identified the one who would betray Him. He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me” (John 13:20). The disciples did not expect Jesus to say something like this, so they were taken back a bit. All the disciples were very close to Jesus and they were very close to one another. Jesus had hand-picked each one of them. Why would Jesus make such a statement?
Jesus identified Judas Iscariot as the one who would betray Him. Jesus knew that Satan had already entered the heart of Judas. Jesus said, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it” (John 13:26). Scripture states that he gave the dipped bread to Judas and said to him, “What you do, do quickly” (John 13:27).
Then Jesus went on to issue a new commandment. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). The commandment was new in the sense that the love we extend is the love of Jesus. Our love should shine forth telling the world that we are true disciples of Jesus.
Jesus made a statement which in essence said “I am going to leave you, but you cannot come with me now.” Brave Peter asked this question: “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward” (John 13:36).
Peter went on and made this statement: “I will lay down my life for Your sake” (John 13:37). Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen concerning Peter, so he told Peter. “The rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times” (John 13:38).
There are so-called Christians in this day and age who are like Peter. What they say and what they do are two different things. We say we are Christians, but when the time come to witness for Jesus we back off. When we get into a situation where our faith is being questioned, we become troubled. We become troubled in our heart because we are like Peter. We talk big, but we don’t follow through with positive witness. I am not criticizing or pointing fingers, but what I am saying is that we are all like Peter at times.
Jesus was troubled this particular night. He knew what was on the horizon, but He still loved us. He instituted the Last Supper.
Jesus stood up from the table, took some of the bread on the table, gave thanks and said, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). After He had given the disciples the bread, He picked up the cup from the table, gave thanks, and said to them, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28).
Each time we eat the bread and drink the juice we are remembering and honoring Jesus for what He did for us. We should recall his death and the promise that He will come again.
Conclusion:
When we consistently stay in touch with our Lord, we will not forget Him. We will remember what He did for us, what He taught us, and the manner in which we should live.
When we live according to His Word, place our faith and total trust in him, extend His love to the whole world, we will have peace in our hearts. When He told the disciples, “Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me” (John 14:1), He is also telling us the same thing. There is no reason in the world why we should ever have a heavy or troubled heart.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He doesn’t want us to worry about anything. He doesn’t want us to be burdened by things we can’t do anything about.
He doesn’t want us to be worried about family, money, food, relationships, or anything else. We are to bring these before him and He will take them off our shoulders and give us peace of mind and peace of heart.
Once we have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior we do not need to worry about where we will be after this earthly life is over. That is why He said, “In My Father’s hour are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). Our place in His mansion is secure. No one can take it away from us.
Lastly, Jesus makes a promise to us. “I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3).
Jesus has promised all of us eternal life with Him. Everything is under control. We have nothing to fear. Jesus is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is the way to the Father, He is the truth of God, and He gives us life.
Amen.
