John 14.1-3
Just before the walk to the Garden of Gethsemene from the Upper Room (Mark 14.15) with the words of chapter 14. Chapter 15&16 on the way, ended with these:
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Our souls can become troubled at times. Deep emotions can bring us down to a depth of distress and inward commotion where we can lose all perspective.
Satan perplexes the mind by suggesting doubts.
Doubts about our salvation, God, His Word, even our own personal revelations from heaven.
Anxiety can come take away the calmness of mind and soul.
Our imaginations can conjure up things that strike the spirit with fear and dread. We can imagine the worst scenarios happening in our lives. I think that is one of the reasons David wrote, Psalm 37:25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor their children begging bread.
1. There Are Things That Trouble The Heart.
to agitate, trouble (a thing, by the movement of its parts to and fro)
to disturb his equanimity, to disquiet, make restless, to stir up
Mark 4.35-41 describes this word trouble fully.
Our failures.
previous verses
Peter denied the LORD, they all fled after promising they would be with Him to the point of death.
Our fears.
Mark 4:40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
What are your secret fears? They are not hidden from the LORD.
Our lack of faith.
Matthew 17:19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
Our lack of faith can shock us at times.
Our pain .
Jesus told them He was going away. He was speaking about His death and ascension.
We miss people we lost.
The unknown future.
Stresses about money and health can consume us. We have today. We do not know what tomorrow may bring but whatever it brings we have Christ and he has us. The things Jesus had just said to them rocked their world to say the least.
They had left everything to follow Him. They thought He was going to restore the kingdom to Israel at this time. They saw themselves as governing officials. Now He is telling them they will all fall away and Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. He is telling them He is going to leave them. Troubling words, troubling thoughts
These words are...
2. An Anchor for the Soul
Believe in God
Believe in Jesus
Remember His Words
Follow Him
Remember that this world is not your permanent home.
We can forget this. The cares of this world can choke it out, steal our joy, trouble our soul
3. The Comfort of Christ John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Different word for trouble here from 14. 1
a pressing, pressing together, pressure
metaph. oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress, straits
These are things we have to contend with because of our walk with the LORD.
One of the reasons I like The Lord Of The Rings is that it points this out graphically.
There is pressure and straits that we encounter as Christians. Tribulation and affliction come to us as we serve the LORD. This trouble is more outward whereas John 14.1 is inward.
This Mother's Day... we remember growing up how our moms cared for us. We were carefree. We have a Father In Heaven Who see all, knows all and cares for us. Jesus is praying for us that our faith will not fail. The Holy Spirit has come to help us, to guide us, to lead us into all truth, to be with us forever.
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