John 14:1-3
Don’t Be Troubled!

Jesus spoke some alarming and heartbreaking news in verse 3. He told
the disciples—yet again—that He was soon to be leaving them. This was
not a new message. Since John 12, John had been recording the events
which occurred on the night of Jesus’ arrest. This then, is the last
few hours of Jesus’ life and we know from the other gospel accounts
that Jesus often spoke of His betrayal, arrest, and death. However,
this time, the disciples appear to have actually heard what Jesus
said.

That night, Jesus went on to tell them that things would hard for
them.  (Remember, all of this was spoken at the Last Supper.)

John 16:20  Verily, verily, I say unto you, That
ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall
rejoice….

John 16:32  Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now
come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to
his own….

Scattering signifies that a force will break up the disciples and
move them in different directions.

Yet, here, in chapter 14, Jesus told them:

John 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled….

    a. That is not just a comfort.  It is a command.
    b. Don’t be troubled, agitated, stirred, distraught.

Why? Jesus gave some reasons why the disciples could and we can face
the lonely and difficult time of His departure without troubled
spirits. Let’s note a few of them.

I. Because He is coming back.

John 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again, and receive you unto
myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

    A. The same Jesus who warned us that He was leaving also promised
        us that He would return.  And He will.
    B. This is not an abandonment.
        1. It is a temporary separation.
        2. That means Jesus’ departure was with purpose.
    C. Have you ever asked yourself why Jesus left?
        1. God does not do anything without a purpose.  What was
            God’s purpose in departing?
        2. Three thoughts came to my mind.
            a. He left to prepare a place for us.  That did not take
                long!  I will talk more about that later.
            b. He left to give individuals a chance to decided.
                (1) During Jesus’ absence, each person gets to
                     decide whether they will accept Jesus or not.
                (2) This is OUR decision and Jesus’ departure leaves
                     each individual completely free to make his or
                     hers own choice.
            c. He left to give every Christian an opportunity to
                shine.
                (1) There is no doubt God wants every Christian to
                     serve Him, but by leaving, we have the
                     opportunity to shine or not as we choose.
                (2) Never will we have an opportunity to make as many
                     choices for God as we have right now!
    D. We should not feel forsaken, abandoned, or forgotten during
        this time without Him for it is with a purpose and it is soon
        to come to an end.

II. \\#John 14:9-11\\ Because He left us knowing the Father.
    A. By us I mean Christians.
        1. We now can have a relationship with God Almighty!
        2. You and I can be the Maker’s pet if we want to.
    B. We, Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, are the first to
        ever be able to have such a relationship.
        1. Why be troubled when such a daunting task is ours?
        2. Don’t focus on the troubles.  Focus on the opportunity.

III. \\#John 14:2-3\\ Because He left to prepare a place for us in
      heaven.
    A. Do we understand just what that means?
        1. The word "heaven" is used 313 times in the Old Testament.
        2. To my knowledge, all 313 times the Old Testament heaven is
            a reference to one of three places.
            a. It is the place of the earthly fowl (our sky).
            b. It is the place where the stars abide (our universe).
            c. It is the place where God and some of His special
                creations live.
        3. However, I do not know of a time in the Old Testament
            where heaven is referred to as a place man can go to or
            live.
            a. In the Old Testament, they always talked about going
                to the grave.

Ge 42:38 (Jacob)  And he said, My son shall not
go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he
is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way
in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my
gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

Psalm 88:3  (David) For my soul is full of
troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the
grave.

Job 5:26  (Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends,
speaking to Job)  Thou shalt come to thy grave
in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in
in his season.

            b. Sometimes the word translated grave mean to the dirt
                grave and sometimes it means to the pit, as we might
                think of hell.
            c. The Old Testament saints had little to no concept of
                an afterlife of good living.
            d. They figured they just had to put up with whatever
                came their way until the resurrection, then God would
                give them an eternal place to live on the earth and
                in God’s kingdom.
        4. But Jesus preached that His followers could and would
            follow Him all the way to heaven itself!
            a. For example:

Mt 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt,
and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

            b. But no place in the gospels is that truth clearer than
                right here.
                (1) "I am going to heaven and when I get there, I am
                     going to build a mansion for you."
                (2) "One day I will return (personally) to get you
                     and to take you to heaven to live with Me."
    B. For the first time, heaven ceased to be just the place where
        God lives.  It became the place where WE will live too.
    C. There is no wonder that our hearts should not be troubled.
        1. Christians have a difference place to spend eternity,
            heaven.
        2. From the remainder of the New Testament, we find out that
            we do not go to some pit after death to wait for a
            resurrection and then go to heaven, but we get
            transported there immediately upon death—even before the
            resurrection!
    D. God doubters call heaven our "crutch."
        1. Absolutely.
        2. Heaven is our hope because we live in a broken body that
            cannot be fixed, on a broken world and with fragile and
            often broken relationships.
        3. Don’t feel you have to resent their description of our
            heaven.
            a. It is a crutch and I am happy to have it.
            b. I don’t think less of the fellow with a broken leg who
                hobbles with a crutch.  I gave him credit for doing
                what he has to do to keep moving.
            c. That is why God gave us heaven.

IV. Because He left us the promise of great power via answered prayer.

John 14:12   Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that believeth on me, the works that I do shall
he do also; and greater works than these shall he
do; because I go unto my Father.
13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that
will I do, that the Father may be glorified in
the Son.
14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will
do it.

    A. We need to understand the power that God has left us.
        1. Some mistakenly think God’s power is to be available for
            our pleasures and desires.
        2. It is not.
        3. God’s power is available to do what God has called us to
            do and to withstand what God has called us to withstand.
        4. God never promised power…
            a. …to deliver us from our enemies or God’s.
            b. …to vindicate ourselves.
            c. …to heal whomever we might choose.
            d. God certainly did not promise power to make ourselves
                rich or comfortable or to make our lives easy.
    B. God’s power is ours to do what God wants and to withstand
        whatever God wants us to withstand for whatever length of
        time God wants us to do something and to withstand something.
        1. We must all manner of self-glorification out of our heads.
            a. God did not tell us to count it all joy to be
                delivered for His name’s sake…
            b. God did not tell us to count it all joy to be
                vindicated for His name’s sake…
            c. God did not tell us to count it all joy to be
                healed for His name’s sake…
            d. He said count it all joy to SUFFER for His name’s
                sake.
        2. The power is not ours to use on ourselves but ours to help
            us accomplish His will in our lives.
        3. We need to spend less time focused on the power and more
            time focused on the work.
        4. Only in doing that can we find the power in prayer and
            the power from God that many desire.

V. Because He left us with the Holy Ghost.

John 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he
shall give you another Comforter, that he may
abide with you for ever;
17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world
cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither
knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth
with you, and shall be in you.

    A. Who is the Holy Ghost?  He is God the Spirit who has come to
        live inside of us!
    B. He is there to comfort.
        a. If that is His job then there must be something happening
            to us for which we need comforting.
        b. Some struggle so with drama—not life, drama.
        c. I don’t say much about it, because I realize that these
            people have an emotional problem and I want to be
            sympathetic, but people like that know little of true
            problems.
        d. If they had to wear the boots that some people have to
            wear, I suppose they would do something very foolish.
        e. I have seen people with the Holy Ghost live a life that
            defies human courage and strength and bear up as though
            they carried no burden at all.
        f. I say, "Amen" to the Comforter and the good job He does.
    C. He is there to guide.
        a. Now on that one, I can attest do!
        b. I have watched the Holy God me and others to do and to be
            what they could do or be.
    D. Why be troubled when you have Someone like God to infill and
        direct you?

VI. Because He left us peace.

John 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I
give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I
unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.

    A. Every Christian as a well from which to draw.  It is the well
        of peace.
    B. Take note, God does not give us a well into which to dump
        our problems.
        1. Many times, we have to keep the problems—at least for a
            time.
        2. But we can pull out of the well of peace all we need until
            the flame of trouble is extinguished.
    C. This is ours.

With these six gifts, we can endure whatever we must and still not be
troubled.  Friend, take Christ and go for it.

<OutlineIndex>  <Close Window>