John 14:1-6

Hearts today in this world are troubled. People don’t have certainty about their future, their finances, their families, even their physical fitness. The Lord Jesus does not want our hearts to be troubled. He has just finished telling His disciples that He will be leaving them. This is cause for much uncertainty for the future. Hearts began to be troubled as thoughts passively arose and took control of the minds of these disciples. The Lord loves His disciples and does not desire that their hearts be carried about by the storm of what might be. The cure for troubled hearts is to not dwell on what might or may be but rather what is spiritual reality. The Lord Jesus gives this imperative along with some helps to troubled hearts.

  1. Rest-1: Imperative to stop letting allowing yourself and heart to be troubled. Don’t let your heart be carried off with its own thoughts. Our minds need to be reigned in to truth and trust rather than tumult of thought. This is passive-the heart is being troubled by the thoughts. Trust then will take control of the thoughts and rest the heart. For the believer, we are to have a sober and controlled mind. Every thought is to be unto the obedience of Christ. The Believer is to take control of his thought life by believing in the Word of God. Troubled: agitated; movement of heart; commotion inside; lack of calmness and peace; disquietness; restlessness. God does not want believers to live in this place of uncertainty. He delights to give rest This rest is a choice as I trust in Who Jesus Christ is and what He says. The world today is completely troubled because they have no foundation of faith in Who Jesus Christ is and What He says. Therefore they have no certainty for the future and all they see physically is the only reality. That is not a good position for hope. They believer lives by a different reality. Phil. 4:6
  2. Reality-2: The reality is that God the Father’s House does exist, that in this house is a prepared mansion for every believer. There is eternal life after this earthly existence. Jesus Christ is in Heaven right now preparing a mansion for each of His children. This is a great rest to the soul. There is no eternal uncertainty for the child of God. He knows where he will be and what and Who will be there. We may not know all right now for the limited future upon earth, but we don’t allow what we see here physically to take control of our thoughts. An perspective beyond time will settle our hearts.
  3. Return of Christ-3: Christ promised that if He would leave, which He did that He would come again. What a blessed hope for the believer. This same Jesus Who ascended up out of sight beyond the clouds to the mansions of glory shall so come in like manner. The return of Jesus Christ for His saints ought to establish our hearts and remove anxieties. The believer ought stop thinking about what might be to what will be. This is the very promise of Christ. If we can place confidence in Who He is, we certainly must not separate confidence from what He says He will do.
  4. Reception unto Christ-3: all saints will be received unto Christ to be with Him forever. This is to take unto ones self. We will forever be present with the Lord. It is the will of God that all of His children be with Him for all eternity. Only those washed from their sin will have the ability to be received into Gods presence. All the lost will be separated from God for eternity. Paradise is what it is because Christ is there and the thief was promised that he would be there with Christ. He after all is the light and glory of Heaven. In His presence there are pleasures forevermore. God will show His people His kindness toward them through Jesus Christ for eternity. Let our hearts be established this day because we know we will be with Him. Thus even death for the believer is not cause for an unsettled heart for it is the doorway to the presence of Christ where we might lean upon His breast.
  5. Remaining with Christ-3: to be received into His presence is so that we might remain with Him for eternity. God desires to have fellowship with His people. He wants to dwell with His people. Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. Just as God tabernacles with His people in the OT by remaining upon the tabernacle within the camp, so in a far greater way He desires to abide with His saints forever. Hearts may be at rest this am because they have the promise that they will also be where Christ is. John 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
  6. Revelation-4-5 Believers are not left in the dark about the future. Sadly many times we live like the world and think like the world and let our hearts wander off after the fears of the world. We are given the revelation of Scripture which reveals to us where Jesus went and the very way to get there. Let us not forget to settle our hearts on what we have been given in Gods Word. We know because of its teachings what is spiritual reality. Let believers live by what we know and not by what “we know not”. Thomas is stirred up and not at rest in His heart because of unbelief in the Word of God. Let us learn to view the circumstances of this life through the revelation of Gods Word.
  7. Relationship-6: Jesus Christ is the Way the Truth and the Life. The only way to the Father is through Him. We must make sure that we have received Him, Believed upon Him. It is because of Who He is that a believer, by Him, can come to the Father. If I know Christ, I know the way, the truth, and the life. These three realities are that which keep the heart from being troubled The worlds hearts are anxious because they know not the way, the truth, or the life.

We are troubled in our hearts when we let our thoughts be out of control. Let us rest our hearts upon Who He is and What He says will be.

Luke 24:38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?

Believers have the peace of Jesus Christ which passeth all understanding given to them. Even though His earthly presence is not here, yet He has left His peace here. He also gives His peace to us. The peace of Christ is diametrically different then the peace of the world. The worlds peace is so temporal and shallow. Based upon the peace of Christ…believers are commanded to stop letting their hearts be carried around with anxious and agitated thoughts and to not let their hearts to be afraid.

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.