John 14:1-3 – Don’t Be Troubled – Bible study

John 14:1-3 Dont Be Troubled! Jesus spoke some alarming and heartbreaking news in verse 3. He told the disciplesyet againthat 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. Dont 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. Lets 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 Gods 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 Makers 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. Dont 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 Jobs 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 Gods 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 deatheven 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. Dont feel you have to resent their description of our heaven. a. It is a crutch and I am happy to have it. b. I dont 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 Gods power is to be available for our pleasures and desires. 2. It is not. 3. Gods 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 Gods. 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. Gods 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 names sake b. God did not tell us to count it all joy to be vindicated for His names sake c. God did not tell us to count it all joy to be healed for His names sake d. He said count it all joy to SUFFER for His names 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 dramanot life, drama. c. I dont 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 problemsat 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.