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!
In this life we all have troubles. Many of you are facing great difficulty as we speak. But if we are honest with ourselves, our problems are petty compared to what Peter, James, John and the rest of the Disciples were dealing with.
> The Disciples hearts were not troubled because of a rebellious child
> Their problem was not a strained marriage
> They were not stressing over bills that they could not pay
> They were not focused on the declining economy
> They were not troubled because of a bad day at work
> They were not concerned because of a bad report from the doctor.
I am not making light of any of these troubles, but they pale in comparison to what these men were enduring at this point and time. These men were extremely distressed at the thought of being separated from their Master. They longed to be with Him and did not want to be away from Him.
Maybe you are "troubled spiritually". You may not realize it, but your trouble comes from the fact that you too are away from your Master. But the difference between you and the Disciples is the fact that you have made a conscious choice to be away from Him. And this distance has brought trouble into your life. I want you to understand that Jesus sees your trouble and He cares!
* Notice with me:
II. THE SYMPATHY FOR A TROUBLED HEART - v1
The words "let not your heart be troubled" show us that Jesus knew of their trouble. And it shows us that He cared about their trouble. In fact, He cared enough to address it and to speak comfort to them! These men had just learned that their Lord, Savior, Master and Friend was going to die. And their hearts were "troubled"
* Troubled {G} (tarasso) - this means to agitate, to stir up, to render anxious or distressed. The picture is of the sea being stirred up when driven by stormy winds.
Jesus may be omniscient but anyone who saw these men at that moment would have known that something was wrong! When someone is really "troubled" they don't have to tell you, you know it just by looking at them. Facial expressions are a universal language of emotion. The look on our face conveys happiness, sadness, anger fear, and many other emotions.
At this moment, the Lord's disciples were experiencing Fear, Uncertainty, Distress, Grief, Sadness and many other emotions. But Jesus loved them and He began to speak words of comfort and encouragement. He told them of a greater plan. He spoke of a brighter day and a better place. He also gave them the promise of "another comforter" (the Holy Spirit). And He assured them that they would see Him again. In this entire chapter you will see that Jesus had compassion and sympathy for these men. It was His desire to encourage and strengthen them.
If you are here today and you have a "troubled heart" Jesus cares about you! And Jesus is the only one who can help your troubled heart. Down in verse 18 Jesus gave the Disciples a promise. And this promise applies to us as much as it did them. Notice - John14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Comfortless - {G} (orphanos - or-fan-os') an orphan, that is Fatherless or parentless.
An orphan is neglected, and left to wander about in obscurity and darkness alone and uncared for. Jesus is telling His followers that we are not alone... and we will not be left alone! Simply stated HE CARES ABOUT YOUR TROUBLED HEART!!!
* Jesus doesn't just have sympathy for those who are troubled, He has a solution for them! Notice:
III. THE SOLUTION FOR A TROUBLED HEART - "ye believe in God, believe also in me."
Many times we encounter individuals who are hurting. And we have sympathy and compassion for them. And we would do anything we could to help them. But we do not have the power or resources to solve their problem. Jesus has all the power and resources at His disposal!!
* So what is the solution for your troubled heart?
A. TURN TO JESUS - "believe also in me.:
Earlier we saw that the "source" of the trouble in the hearts of the disciples was the thought of being separated from their Master. Could it be that your trouble comes from the fact that you have been separated from your Master. We know that He will never leave us or forsake us. But maybe you have walked away from Him! Perhaps you are in the midst of a spiritual storm so to speak, Your heart is heavy, You are filled with uncertainty, Your life is consumed with fear, You have lost your joy. You are living in rebellion, You are suffering the consequences of your sinful condition . Maybe you have encountered the chastening hand of the Lord. The answer for your trouble is to return to the Lord. You must turn from where you are and TURN TO JESUS!
* It doesn't end there... there is another step in this solution for your troubled heart.
B. TRUST IN JESUS "believe also in me"
In order for the disciples troubled hearts to be comforted...In order for them to have peace they had to trust in Jesus Words.
They had to believe Him:
> When He said that He was going to prepare place for them
> When He said that there were many mansions in His Father's house
> When He spoke of a reunion
> When He said that He was coming back for them
> When He said that He would not leave them comfortless
> When He said that He would send the Comforter to them
And before you will ever receive "Help For Your Troubled Heart" you too must trust in His words! No matter what your trouble is in this life it is only temporary. We are strangers and pilgrims simply passing through this world. You may have problems on every side, you may be overwhelmed and discouraged and your heart may be consumed with trouble. If you are saved you can rest in the fact that you have a friend that will stick closer than a brother. You have a Savior Who went to the Cross and died for your sins. He went to prepare a place for you. In His Father's house are many mansions...He is coming again one day...He will receive you and where He is you too will abide!
And while you remain in this world of trouble, He will not leave you comfortless....HE WILL COME TO YOU!!
To the Christian I ask, is your heart troubled? If so, Jesus knows about it and He cares! And He has the solution:
1) Turn To Him
2) Trust In Him
To the lost man I ask, is your heart troubled? If so, Jesus knows about it and He cares! And He has the solution, in fact He is the solution!
a) Turn To Him
b) Trust In Him
Accept His great offer of salvation today! If you will, you will experience peace that you never could have imagined! Regardless of your circumstance or situation... THERE IS HELP FOR YOUR TROUBLED HEART!
