Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled
Text: John 14:1-11
Core Idea: We don’t have to be troubled in our hearts because Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Our destiny is secure because Jesus made a way where there was no way. Then let us faithfully continue the mission that He has given to the church with confidence and courage knowing that we are secure in His hands.
INTRODUCTION
Good afternoon, Lighthouse. It is delightful to see you. We’ll take a break from the Book of James today and look at the Gospel of John – following the curriculum that the Tugboat ministry is going through. So, please turn your Bibles to John 14:1-11. And I will invite Kai to the front – and he will read the passage for us.
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? The words I say to you I do not speak on My own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, who is doing His work. 11 Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”
Thank you, Kai, for reading the passage for us. And children, I hope you enjoyed the video. Let me start by giving you the context. The passage that we read is actually part of the longest piece of Jesus’ teaching we find in the Bible. In John 13-17, Jesus takes the opportunity to train His disciples so that they will be prepared to represent Him and continue the mission that He has started. In one sense, this was His private training session for His disciples. Now, what makes this even more significant is the fact that this all took place around 15 hours before Jesus was put on the cross. Jesus knew that His time was coming to an end. So, knowing this, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples – teaching them what it means to have the heart of a servant. Then He shared that He would die but rise again, that one of His disciples would betray Him, and that Peter of all people would disown Jesus in the face of hardship. Jesus’ death, Judas’ betrayal, and Peter’s denial – these were the things that were about to happen. Then you could imagine how discouraged, anxious, and troubled they must have been. That’s how Chapter 13 ended. But Jesus was not about to leave them in this state. Listen to what He said in John 14:1, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” He was basically saying, “There’s no reason to be scared. There’s no need to be disturbed. Trust Me. Believe in Me.” And He gave them three reasons why they can have confidence and courage even in their distress.
· BY KNOWING OUR DESTINY
· BY KNOWING THE WAY
· BY KNOWING A PERSON
1) BY KNOWING OUR DESTINY
Verse 2, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” Now, I want to clarify what this means because it can cause a little bit of misunderstanding. The word “rooms” in Greek literally means “dwelling places” – which is why KJV decided to translate it like this, “In My Father’s house are many mansions.” And as a result, it has become very common for Christians to think of heaven as a place of many mansions – and they talk about how the faithfulness of our service will determine the size and the quality of our mansions. But, unfortunately, that’s not what Jesus was saying here – He simply wanted to communicate that there’s plenty of space for everyone. The focus was not on the lavishness of heaven (how there’s going to be a big payday when all of us will receive these big, beautiful mansions) but on who they will spend eternity with. Jesus said in verse 3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” What makes heaven beautiful and desirable is not the mansions that we get to live in – it’s the fact that we will be with Jesus forever, that we get to be where He is.
Now, in light of their troubled hearts, why did Jesus take the time to talk about heaven? How does knowing our destiny help us overcome the challenges of life and carry out His mission in this world? How does talking about the future help us in the present? Because Jesus knew that reminding them of what was to come (their destiny and their future joy) would give them hope for today. Pastor Tim Kerr defines “hope” in a very simple way: “the guaranteed better future that God promises.” And it’s this hope that will give us the power to move forward even in the darkest moments of our lives and help us remain faithful in our discipleship because the meditation of this promised future joy becomes our present joy. Let me explain. Let’s say that you decided to go away somewhere in a month for your vacation. And even though you’re not there yet, just thinking and talking about all that you’ll be doing there would get you excited and provide strength to get through your day now. And in the same way, that’s exactly what Jesus wanted to do for the disciples as well. In fact, we know that this moment did transform them because history tells us that all the disciples except one were persecuted and martyred for their faith. Despite the cost of following Jesus, they all persevered because they were certain that what awaited them was worth their pain – the meditation of their destiny gave them hope for today. Then brothers and sisters, if we want to remain faithful in our walk with Him, we should also remember the glory that awaits us – the joy of being with our Savior forever because this will comfort our troubled hearts and give us the strength to persevere today.
Now, if we’re honest, for most of us, the problem is not that we intentionally deny this truth – but it’s that in the busyness of life, we live thoughtlessly. Because we are focused on the endless needs and events of life (those urgent things that press us every day), we fail to live up to what we say we believe. This beautiful truth that’s meant to encourage us, motivate us, and give us hope gets lost in the burdens that distract us. So, we fear when we should have courage, we are easily disappointed when we should be content and grateful, and we lack motivation when we have all the reasons to press on. I won’t lie – it’s so much easier to live for the present. In the intensity of daily life, it’s natural for us to lose sight of the future. But this should not be. Jesus reminded the disciples of this glorious destiny not as a distant and abstract theology but as something that should transform how they live their lives every single day – and that should happen with us as well. Again, this is not to say that we’ll never experience hardship in life. No, it’s possible to lose something incredibly valuable to us, lose someone we love dearly, be forced to let go of our dreams and ambitions, or see our plans crumble as life takes us to unexpected places. But in all circumstances and seasons, we can let go of our anxieties, fears, and worries of today because we know how this story ends.
In fact, we’ll begin to see even death differently. Listen to what George Herbert said, “Death used to be an executioner, but the gospel has made him just a gardener.” Death was an executioner in that it represented finality – everything good came to an end. But what do gardeners do? They plant seeds and those seeds become flowers. They bury something in the ground only to expect life to come out of it. Then, in the same way, all death can do to Christians is make them infinitely greater than who they are now. In Christ, death simply represents a new beginning. This is so important because it means that Christians don’t have to face death with dread or indifference but face it with confidence and courage knowing that death doesn’t mean separation but a reunion. Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:55, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Do you know what he’s doing? He’s taunting death – he’s literally making fun of death. How can he do that? Because he knows that Christ has defeated death – our greatest enemy. Then brothers and sisters, I invite you to think about your destiny daily. Meditate on where you’re headed. And let that future hope give you strength for today because nothing (even death) will be able to take away this joy in our hearts.
2) BY KNOWING THE WAY
Of course, having a place prepared wouldn’t be of any value unless we know how to get there – the preparation that Jesus makes will be absolutely meaningless unless we’re able to get there. So, that’s exactly why Thomas asked this in verse 5, “Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” Now, we need to carefully think through this question because it actually exposes the default mode of the human heart. Thomas was essentially saying, “Jesus, as much as heaven sounds amazing, we actually don’t know how to get there. So, tell us the direction and we’ll just meet You there – we’ll find our way there.” Now, doesn’t this sound a lot like us? We know that we’re saved and justified by grace alone. We know that we’re loved by God, not because of anything we have done but solely because of what Christ has done. But we live as if the rest of our faith journey depends on our work, our obedience, and our faithfulness. In one sense, our walk with Christ becomes purely work-based – “Just tell us what to do and we’ll do it. We’ll find our way to heaven.” No wonder our walk with God often becomes incredibly burdensome, confusing, and exhausting. This is true because many of us don’t really know what it means to keep in step with the Spirit. And as a result, we live as if everything is dependent on us. Now, don’t get me wrong – we definitely have work to do. We cannot be passive about our faith – we must intentionally run the race. But we must also remember that our salvation doesn’t rest on our obedience but ultimately on the powerful and active work of our God. Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.”
Then how does Jesus respond to Thomas? Look at verse 6. First of all, He doesn’t say, “Why are you asking Me? Ask God.” He doesn’t say, “I can point you to the right path, but I can’t help you beyond that. You have to do it yourself, but I’ll certainly be cheering for you.” But this is what He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” He was basically saying, “Do you want to know how to get to heaven? Do you want to know how you can be with God forever? I am the way to God – I will get you home. I am the truth that you can depend on – I will not let you down. And I am the life that has defeated death – I will safely carry you to your destiny and nothing will stop Me from doing that. In Me is the life that you’ve been longing for all your life – in Me is the life that you desperately need. So, believe in Me. Trust Me. Turn to Me. Have a relationship with Me because I am what you’re looking for – there’s no other way.”
Now, we live in a culture where this kind of claim is considered incredibly offensive and hateful because people believe that there are many different ways to God. Now, I could spend the rest of this time debunking this argument. But let me just share the conversation that Pastor David Platt had with a Hindu and a Muslim in Indonesia. They said to him, “I know that we have different paths that lead to spiritual fulfillment – but we’ll all end up in the same place.” And Pastor David responded, “Well, let me see if I understand right. It’s almost like you picture God at the top of a mountain and we’re all at the bottom of a mountain. And I can take this path up and you can take that path up, but in the end, we’ll all end up at the same place.” They both got a huge smile on their faces and said, “Exactly. You finally got it. That’s exactly what we’ve been trying to say.” So, he looked at them and said, “Then let me ask you one simple question. What if the God at the top of the mountain decided that He was going to make His way down the mountain in order to bring us up the mountain Himself?” And they said, “That would be wonderful.” So, he said, “That’s exactly what the God of the Bible did through the person of Jesus Christ. It’s not about us trying to find our way. Jesus said to us, ‘I am the way.’” Jesus said in verse 3 of our passage, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” Jesus confidently declares that He alone is the way. He wasn’t apologetic or embarrassed to say this – He was confident and clear in His words.
Now, remember that these words weren’t spoken to non-believers but to His disciples – especially those whose hearts were troubled. This is important to note because it means that Jesus said these words not for the purpose of apologetics but for the purpose of comfort. Then how does knowing that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life help us overcome our fear and anxiety? Because it shows us that God made a way for us where there was no way. Many people ask, “Why is there only one way? Why didn’t God provide many different paths?” But the more important question is not, “Why is there only one way?” but, “Why is there any way at all?” I say this because the Bible makes it clear that the wages of sin is death but we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 6:23; 3:23). We have disobeyed God and we’ve all been separated from Him. And even though the only way to be brought back to God’s presence was for the price of our sins to be paid for, we had no means of doing that – we were bankrupt. We had no hope. But Jesus was saying here, “You do have a way. In fact, I am the way. Walk with Me and I will take you home.” Brothers and sisters, none of us is strong enough, wise enough, and disciplined enough to find our way to God – which is why He had to come down and take us home. Philippians 1:6 says, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Our future is secure in Christ – despite our failures and flaws, He will carry us home. Then let your hearts be comforted knowing that He is the way, the truth, and the life.
3) BY KNOWING A PERSON
Jesus told the disciples not to be troubled because there will be a place for them in heaven and that He Himself is the way to that place – all they needed to do was trust Him and follow the way. But Philip may have felt like that wasn’t enough – all those things felt too distant. He needed something for himself now. So, he said in verse 8, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” He was essentially saying, “Jesus, it’s hard at times to live for God when He feels so unreal and so far away. So, can I just see God right now? Can I have an actual sight of God? Can I just have some kind of supernatural experience – a vision? Because if I do, that will be enough for me. I won’t need anything else. If I can just see God for myself, I’ll do whatever You ask me.” Now, aren’t we just like Philip? We also say to God, “I know I’m saved by grace. I know that I have a home in heaven. But life is so hard that I’m always tempted to give up. So, show me a vision. Let me feel the power of God. Let me see a miracle. Let me hear the audible voice of God. Do something that will undoubtedly prove that You are with me because that will be enough for me. I won’t ask for anything else. I’ll do whatever You ask me.” But Jesus knew that that wasn’t going to be enough. In fact, that’s exactly what He saw in the crowd. These people witnessed incredible miracles take place right in front of their eyes – they saw the sick being healed and the demon-possessed being liberated. But many of them ended up being swayed by the religious leaders and shouted out, “Crucify Him.”
We often don’t realize how fickle our hearts are, but Jesus did – which is why He didn’t just say, “Of course. Let Me show you the Father.” But instead, He said this in verse 9, “Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me?” He was basically saying, “Philip, I’m offering you something greater than a vision, something greater than a supernatural experience. Those things may be powerful, but they’re only momentary. Instead, I’m offering Myself to you – and we can have a real, personal, and intimate relationship. I am the way, the truth, and the life. So, get to know Me. Study Me. Walk with Me. I am what you’re looking for – what you truly need.” Then how does this truth comfort the troubled hearts? Because it shows that Christianity is not an abstract theology but a person – it means that Christianity is not an empty religion but a vibrant relationship. He will speak to us, and we can speak to Him. We can cry with Him and He’ll be there to comfort us. We can share our successes and He’ll celebrate with us. When we’re lost, He’ll guide us. When we’re in need, He’ll provide. Brothers and sisters, when life gets tough, when everything feels so burdensome, when we feel like giving up, what will comfort us is not an abstract truth but a friend who will sit with us, cry with us, encourage us, and pray for us. Jesus is that friend – and He’s offering Himself to us today. Then let me ask you, “Do you know Him? Do you have that friendship with Jesus? Are you growing in a relationship with Him?”
Then how is this possible? How can we have a relationship with Jesus and God since He is holy, and we are sinful? Look at verse 7, “From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” Why does He say that things will change from now on? What’s about to happen that’s going to make a difference? The crucifixion. When Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for us, He wasn’t talking about starting a construction project – He wasn’t talking about laying down the foundation, putting up the drywall, painting, and getting everything tidy so that it will be ready for us to live there. No, He was talking about the cross. Like I said before, the place would be meaningless if we can’t get there – and because of our sins, we were banned from entering that place. Just as Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden, we too were unable to enter that place. In fact, we’re told that God placed an angel with a flaming sword to guard the place where He is (Gen. 3:24). But this is why Jesus had to go to the cross. On the cross, the flaming sword fell on Jesus. He was punished for us so that we would be set free, be forgiven, and be made right with God the Father. Jesus was cut off from the Father, Jesus became homeless, Jesus’ heart was troubled so that we wouldn’t be. Where there was no way, Jesus paved the way.
Then, friends, I invite you to trust Jesus today. Salvation doesn’t come when all our questions are answered, when we see miracles take place before our eyes, but when we take the hands of Jesus and follow Him. When Eli was younger, as we walked around the neighborhood or drove around the neighborhood, I would ask him from time to time, “Do you remember our address? Do you think you can find your way home?” And even though we’ve walked that same path and driven around the same street many times, he would say, “No.” But what he didn’t do at that moment was scream in panic – “Oh no, I don’t know the way back home. What am I going to do? How am I going to get home?” No, he was at peace. Why? Because he was with me. He knew that not only did I know the way, but he was certain that I would do everything I could to take him home. In the same way, brothers and sisters, may you find peace in Christ today. He is the way, the truth, and the life – and He will lead us home when the time comes. Trust Him today.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, we don’t have to be troubled in our hearts because Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Our destiny is secure because He made a way where there was no way. Then let us faithfully continue the mission that He has given to us with confidence and courage knowing that we are secure in His hands.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) How does knowing our destiny help us overcome the challenges of life and carry out His mission in this world? How does talking about the future help us in the present?
2) What does it mean that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life? How does knowing this help us overcome our fear and anxiety today?
3) How is your walk with Jesus today? How is He speaking to you today? What are some challenges? Share honestly with one another.
4) Is your heart troubled today? If so, take some time to share why and spend some time praying for each other.