Don’t be troubled. Love Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

“Heart trouble is the commonest thing in the world. No rank, or class, or condition is exempt from it. No bars, or bolts, or locks can keep it out. Partly from inward causes and partly from outward causes – partly from the body and partly from the mind – partly from what we love and partly from what we fear, the journey of life is full of trouble. Even the best of Christians have many bitter cups to drink between grace and glory. Even the holiest saints find the world a valley of tears.” The great Anglican bishop J.C. Ryle wrote those words over 150 years ago and they are as true today as they were when he first penned them. If I were to ask you to name a few things that are troubling your heart these days, I can’t imagine that it would take you long to name them. Heart trouble is the commonest thing in the world, even for Christians. 

 

In John 14, the Lord Jesus’ now eleven disciples are troubled in heart. In fact, heart trouble is the banner that flies over our chapter, and Jesus has something to say to us. And He says it at the beginning of the chapter and the end. John 14:1, the Lord Jesus says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” At the end of the chapter he says something similar, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). And that brings us to the big idea of our passage this morning and it’s nearly the same big idea as last week: Don’t be troubled. Love Jesus. Now, as I said last week, when our hearts are troubled, most of us don’t find it helpful when someone says to us, “don’t be troubled.” Thankfully the Lord Jesus provides us with six beautiful reasons to not be troubled. Six promises to all who trust and love him. We covered three last week and we will cover three more this week. Don’t be troubled. Love Jesus. Why? 1. The Holy Spirit is in you (vv. 15-24) 2. The Holy Spirit teaches you (vv. 25-26) 3. Jesus gives you His peace (vv. 27-30). 

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS IN YOU

 

The Lord Jesus’ words to his disciples in John 14:18 remind us why the disciples are troubled in heart. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” The Lord Jesus has just told his disciples that he is going away – the cross is coming the next day – and where he is going they cannot now come. And they feel like orphans. It’s hard to imagine a worse feeling. They feel like hopeless children bereft of their parents; alone, afraid, vulnerable. Some of us feel that way this morning. Like Orphans, forgotten even by God. In Psalm 13, King David describes the troubling experience of feeling orphaned and forgotten by God himself. “How long O Lord, will you forget me forever. How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me.” Some of you feel that way today. You feel alone and forgotten, even by God.

 

And Jesus’ word to you is, “don’t be troubled because if you love and follow me, then the Holy Spirit is in you and you’re never alone. John 14:15-17 – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. If you receive and rest in Jesus alone for salvation, then the Holy Spirit of God lives in you. Ephesians 1:13 – “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit…” Are you troubled in heart, like an orphan? Jesus says, “don’t be troubled, the Holy Spirit is in you. God in you. You’re not alone.” I want to press in here just a little more.

 

Why is having the Holy Spirit in you so comforting when you feel distant from or forgotten by God? When you feel like a spiritual orphan? Let me show you. Romans 8:15-17 – For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. The Holy Spirit is in us believers who feel like orphans to help us experience the truth that we’re actually adopted sons and daughters of God. He lives to whisper in your ear, “Don’t be troubled. Don’t shrink back in fear despite your many sins and trials. You’re not an orphan. You’re not alone. You’re an adopted child of God through Christ alone.” What a Helper He is! Ask Him to whisper the truth in your ear. “You’re no orphan. If you trust Jesus, you’re an adopted child of God and nothing will separate you from his love in Christ.” Not only did God give His Son to adopt us as sons and daughters. He also gave his Spirit to help us experience the assurance that we are his sons and daughters. Don’t be troubled. Love Jesus. First, because the Spirit is in you and second because…

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT TEACHES YOU

 

For Jesus’ eleven disciples, part of the experience of feeling like orphans probably included not knowing what to do once Jesus went away. It’s very troubling when you don’t know what the next step is. Don’t be troubled. The Holy Spirit that is in you also teaches you. You’re not left to figure out your next step on your own. John 14:25-26 – “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 

 

This is an amazing promise. The promise has a specific application to the apostles to whom it was originally given and a general application to all who love Jesus. Let’s start with what this promise meant first for the Apostles. When Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would teach the Apostles all things and bring to remembrance all that he said, we find a foundational piece for what Christians call doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture. This doctrine says that the entire Bible, down to the very words were breathed out by God. Christians do not believe that the New Testament was written by men who were doing their best to remember what Jesus said years after he died. Nor do we believe that the New Testament books were written by men who were figuring out their ideas about God and Christ as best they could. No, we believe that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to guide the authors of the NT into the true meaning and significance of the revelation they received from Jesus and divinely guided the authors to remember it perfectly so that their writings provide a true revelation of Christ. In 2 Peter 1:21 we read, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit of God is your teacher and has given you God’s word, the Bible. You’re not alone or left to figure out how to live for God’s glory on your own. What is troubling your heart? Is it your sins? Is it your circumstances? Is it your future? Is it your present? What is it? Whatever it is, you’re not alone to figure it out. The Holy Spirit – your helper and teacher – has given you the Bible. Your teacher has given you a completely sufficient revelation so that you can know God through Jesus Christ and glorify and enjoy him forever. Your teacher has given you a perfect masterpiece in the Bible. Are you overwhelmed by your sin, the Bible will give you assurance. Are you overwhelmed by pain, the Bible will teach you to pray in pain. Are you in need of wisdom, the Bible will make you wise. Read it, study it together, hear it each Lord’s Day, and ask your Helper to help you love Jesus, the Hero of the Bible, and because you love him, to obey him. You’re not on your own to figure out how to glorify and enjoy God. Your teacher has given you his love letter, the Bible. Do you want to experience less trouble in heart? As David Mathis says, “take steps to remove or keep yourself from whatever is keeping you from the Bible.” This may be nothing more than app limits. 

 

Now, I imagine that some of you are thinking, “that’s all well and good, but I can’t really understand the Bible.” That brings us to the general application from Jesus’ promise to all who love Jesus. The general promise is what Christians call the doctrine of illumination. Inspiration is not the same as illumination. The doctrine of inspiration says that down to the very words, the Bible is breathed out by the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of illumination describes the work of the Holy Spirit in helping Christians understand the Bible. John 14:25-26 – “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Not only do you have the Bible, the author lives within you and He is a master teacher. So, no matter what is troubling you, go to the Bible and ask the author, who lives in you, to illuminate the Bible to your heart. Ask him to teach you all things for life and godliness as you read. And if you’re not particularly troubled, open this love letter that God has written to you about His Son. Ask His Spirit to help you understand it and plant your life obediently in it. You’ll never be alone to figure it out. Don’t be troubled. You’re not alone. The Holy Spirit is in you and He is your teacher. 

 

JESUS GIVES YOU HIS PEACE

 

I kept the last two points relatively brief because Jesus’ words of peace are so glorious, so unique and so needed. John 14:27-31 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here. During his last evening with his disciples, Jesus promised his peace to all who love him. Our Lord knows our troubled hearts and he promises peace, and since he is risen he can deliver on the promise. Now let’s take a closer look at the peace that Jesus gives.

 

The first thing we notice about Jesus’ peace is that it is peace in the midst of a storm. As Dr. Tony Evans puts it, “He is not promising the absence of a storm. Anyone can be at peace when nothing is wrong. Rather, he promises peace in the midst of a storm. He’s talking about peace in the midst of tribulation—at a time when you shouldn’t have any peace. This, of course, doesn’t come from the world.” It takes exceptional and supernatural peace to be at peace in a storm. That’s the kind of peace that Jesus promises.

 

Next we notice that Jesus contrasts his peace with the peace that the world gives. He gives peace, not as the world gives. The peace that the world gives is essentially negative. The peace the world gives is mere tolerance or an end of hostilities. That’s not the peace that Jesus gives because the peace that Jesus offers is first peace with God. Our sin makes a separation between us and God and Jesus died to take away our sin and bring us to God in perfect peace. And when you have peace with God, then you open yourself up to experience more and more of the peace of God. And his peace begins to, slowly but surely, guard your heart and your mind from being deeply troubled. The world is always changing. Circumstances rise and fall. But Jesus’ peace is different. His peace is peace with God, which leads to the peace of God. His peace is rock solid. Jesus’ peace can even live on in his physical absence. Jesus is going away to the Father, but even that confirms our faith and increases our peace. 

 

But it’s Jesus’ final words in the passage that seal our peace. John 14:30-31 – I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here. Jesus’ peace is greater even than the schemes of the Devil. And that’s because the Devil has nothing on Jesus. James Boice, the late Pastor at Tenth Presbyterian down in Rittenhouse Square explains these verses, saying, “…There was no sin in Christ for Satan to latch onto like a handle. He would do his best to destroy Christ. But Jesus would slip through Satan’s grasp just as He had earlier slipped through the most hostile crowds. So shall we if we are in Christ. We cannot say, as He did, “For the prince of this world comets, and hath nothing on me.” He has plenty in us all. But if we are in Christ, then we may stand with Christ and achieve the victory.” Jesus’ peace means even the Devil and your sins can’t condemn you. They were defeated by Christ. You’re forgiven. You’ll never come under judgment. Don’t be troubled. Jesus is your peace.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Friends, Jesus promised you peace. Have you entered into it by faith? Are you enjoying it? It’s a promise that we must take hold of each day by faith. Isaiah 26:3 – You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Concluding story: Peter walking on water. He only sank when he took his eyes off Christ. 

 

The final and ultimate reason why we will not let our hearts be troubled is because for those who love Jesus, he gives us peace by the Holy Spirit. John 14:27-31 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Jesus is going away to the Father, but he is giving us his peace. We are not orphans who have to fret as though we are alone and without help in this world. Jesus gives us peace and that’s why he has the audacity to tell you not to let your heart be troubled or afraid. What is this peace that the Lord Jesus gives to all who love him? Well, it’s not peace like the world gives peace. The world’s peace is an absence of trouble, which is no peace at all. I love the way that Dr. Tony Evans puts it, “He is not promising the absence of a storm. Anyone can be at peace when nothing is wrong. Rather, he promises peace in the midst of a storm. He’s talking about peace in the midst of tribulation—at a time when you shouldn’t have any peace. This, of course, doesn’t come from the world.” The peace that Jesus gives is not the peace the world gives, peace that demands peaceful circumstances. In fact, soon in John 15 the Lord Jesus will teach his disciples that the world will hate them, then in John 16 he teaches them that in this world they will (not might) face many troubles, and then in John 17 Jesus teaches them that his plan is not to take them out of this world. As NT scholar Andreas Kostenberger writes, “Rather than extracting them from danger (cf. 17:15), Jesus, through the Spirit he would send, offers his followers poise and resolve in the midst of discomfiting circumstances.” We live in a “discomfiting” time when the world calls what is good and beautiful “ugly,” “backward,” and “hateful.” We live in a time when the world calls what is wicked “wonderful.” And our greatest danger isn’t even what is out there, it’s what is in here. The sin that still dwells in our own hearts. And the peace that Jesus offers is not the false-peace of extraction from this world or immediate eradication of sin from our hearts. 

 

The peace Jesus will give to us is the peace that comes only through his cross. He is going away to the Father through the horror of the cross. At the cross Satan will mount every attack on Jesus, but as Jesus says, the ruler of this world has nothing on Jesus. We have a perfect, sinless Savior. And he is going to the cross as our substitute. He will take away our sin, our enmity with God, and our eternal judgment. And then he will pour out his Spirit on us so that we will believe in Him, enjoy a peaceful relationship with God forever, and have a daily experience of God’s love that can give us poise even when our hearts are troubled. 

Question: what is troubling your heart? Whatever it is, you can say to your heart the words of Jesus. “Don’t be troubled within me.” Why? For those who love Him, Jesus has not left us alone in our troubles. He with with us by the Spirit, he teaches us by the Spirit, and he gives us peace by the Spirit in the midst of all storms.