Jump Start # 3322
John 14:1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.”
The troubled Jesus was telling His disciples not to be troubled. Three times in the earlier chapters, Jesus is said to be troubled.
· Jn 11:33 when Jesus saw the weeping sisters of Lazarus, he was deeply moved in spirit and was “troubled.”
· Jn 12:27 “Now My soul has become troubled…”
· Jn 13:21 “When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit…”
The troubled Jesus telling His disciples not to be troubled. What Jesus was experiencing was the coming betrayal and death. Knowing what was happening troubled Him. But for the disciples, the words of Jesus ought to bring comfort and hope. The promise to be with Jesus would drive out the fear that might come their way.
Do not let your heart be troubled…great words for us to focus upon.
First, the “do not” part, means that there is something that we can do. We can keep our hearts from being troubled. This is not beyond our control. We are not riding in the backseat of life and are taken where ever life takes us. No. We are in the driver’s seat. We cannot stop what happens on the outside, but we can certainly keep the outside from coming inside. Do not let your heart be troubled. In the great sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “Do not be anxious.” Much too often we allow the winds of adversity to direct our moods, attitudes and behavior. We say, “We can’t help it.” Jesus says otherwise. Yes, you can help it. You don’t have to be miserable. You don’t have to be grumpy. You don’t have to be negative. You don’t have to complain about everything. Those things are choices. We must stop hiding behind what happens to us as an excuse for poor attitudes and sour spirits. Do not let, powerful words.
Maybe if we spent less time with the news and more time with the Word, then a peace and calm would fill our hearts. The peace of God surrounds our hearts and protects us, is what the Philippians were promised. We choose what we will focus upon. We can see all that is wrong or all that is right. We can see what needs to be fixed or we can see what blessings we have. We can pout and be upset or we can be thankful. Our choice. Let not your hearts be troubled. The circumstances are not what troubles our hearts, but rather, it is ourselves that trouble our hearts by focusing upon the things that are troubling.
Second, unlike the Lord who walked alone to the Cross, we have the Lord with us. Our verse today leads to this great promise, “I will come again and receive you,” and, “where I am there you may be also.” Together with our Savior. Together with the One who loves us so much. Together with the One who has done so much for us. Jesus has done what no one else ever could.
Why be troubled? You have the Lord. Take it to the Lord in prayer is more than the words of a hymn, but they are the means to settle our hearts and give us the peace that God wants us to have.
Third, our passage today, builds upon faith. It’s much more than, “don’t be scared.” “Don’t be afraid.” Don’t be troubled, because you believe. You believe in God. You believe in Jesus. Faith and troubles don’t work well together. The greater the faith, the less the worry, fear and troubles. The less the faith, the greater the troubles.
The best way to deal with troubles is to build your faith. A strong faith sees through the storms. A strong faith realizes that God has opened the doors of prisons, shut the mouths of lions, conquered strong armies, parted seas, stopped the sun, and sent food from Heaven. Now, He might not do those things to you personally, but He is the same God that has. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.
Gloom and despair ought not to be the things we carry in our hearts. They lead to a faithless worship and a doubting of God’s goodness. Troubles will chase us, but we do not have to be troubled. We do not have to be conquered by the things of the world.
Let not your heart be troubled…believe. That’s the answer. That’s where we need to get to.
Roger