Heart Trouble

John 14:1-6

 

 

It's the #1 killer in America.  And it's the #1 killer, spiritually, of all mankind.  It doesn't have to be!

 

Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled..."

 

The Bible talks a lot about the heart, as in, the center of your being.  It is the fountain from which all your desires and actions flow.

Matthew 15:18-19
¹⁸ But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
¹⁹ For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

Before anyone commits the outward act of adultery they have the inward sin of lust in their heart.

[murder/hatred, stealing/covetousness, dishonest with others/with self, cursing/anger]

 

The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.

 

Proverbs 23:7
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:

You are nothing more/nothing less today than what you are in your heart. 

 

Your ticker may be fine today, but do you have spiritual heart disease?

Evil Heart - Genesis 6:5
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Fainting Heart - Genesis 45:26
And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not.
Hard heart - Exodus 4:21
And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
Hateful heart - Leviticus 19:17
Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.
Discouraged Heart - Numbers 32:9
For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them.

Proud Heart - Deuteronomy 8:17
And thou say in thine [proud] heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
Deceived Heart - Deuteronomy 11:16
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

That's just the first 5 books of the Bible! 

 

What is a troubled heart?  It is filled with anxiety, fear, dread, stress, and worry.  The circumstances of life feel like they pile on us, and we carry that burdensome weight.

ill.--just as carrying extra weight affects the heart in our bodies, shouldering burdens that we shouldn't affects each part of the body of Christ! 

 

In our text, Jesus has just dropped the bomb on His disciples - that He is going to be crucified and go away, and not set up His kingdom on earth at this time as they supposed.  This troubled their hearts.

 

He has just informed them that one of them will betray Him.  This troubled their hearts.

 

He even states that His most loyal follower will deny Him...and 3 times at that.  This troubled their hearts.

 

And Jesus says don't let your hearts be troubled.  And it's not just something you say.  Like, "Keep your chin up!"  It wasn't some pious platitude or pat on the back.  Jesus doesn't just tell them what to do, but HOW to do it.  How to NOT have a troubled heart.

ill.--we preachers are bad about telling people what to do but not giving them the practical, tangible ways to get into action.

        Jesus did it right!

 

The Cure for a Troubled Heart:

1.     A Strong Faith.

v. 1 

We all have faith. 

The atheist has faith that there is no God. 

The evolutionist has more faith than any of us! 

The farmer plants seeds in faith that they will germinate and become life.

We have faith that spring will eventually come!

The surgeon makes an incision, believing by faith that wound will heal.

You pay your insurance with faith that if the time comes, they will do what they claim.

Your President makes promises and you have faith that...ok, bad example.

 

Right now you put your faith in a pew.  You exercise faith each time you flip a light switch!  I sit down for breakfast and have faith that my wife didn't put arsenic in my eggs.  Granted, some of you guys have more reason to worry about that!

 

Human achievement hinges on faith:

Columbus set sail in faith that there was a new world out there.

Thomas Edison never gave up even after hundreds of failed filaments, believing that eventually he would find one that would work, and then 'ding' ... what a great idea!

 

Some claim they would get saved, but don't have enough faith.  Bill Nye said he doesn't possess the faith to just believe a book.  Yes he does!

Romans 12:3
...according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

It's not about how much faith you have...it's about the object of your faith. 

v. 1          Our faith object is God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ. 

The Jews believed in God, Jehovah, of the OT.  And even these disciples He's talking to thought of the Father more as God - the Creator, the One Who spoke to Abraham and Moses and King David.  But they are not yet fully computing the fact that Jesus is not just God's Son, and not just 'a' deity, but is God Himself!  [Word was 'with' God / but not Word 'was' God.] They needed to realize that they can put full faith in Jesus as their object of faith.

 

It's about the object of your faith, not the amount of faith you have...

ill.--you can have faith that the universe came to be from an explosion, including human consciousness and self-awareness, and that's a whole lot of faith, but it's misplaced in a poor object.

 

ill.—would you walk out on the lake this winter?  If I walk out on the thick ice, fearfully, I don't have much faith, but that's ok, because the object of my faith is secure!

 

When we talk about a strong faith, realize it's not about quantity but quality of faith, and that quality is found in its object.  Jesus is worthy of our faith! 

Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;   [starter gun / finish line]

Why is faith in Jesus the cure for a troubled heart?

Because He is uniquely qualified.  As the God-Man, He offers us the best of both worlds.  As a man He understands our circumstances, knows how we feel, and understands pressure and temptation, as well as fleshly weakness.

"He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin."

        He understands what causes our hearts to be troubled! 

On the other hand, as God, He has the power to do something about it!

 

Jesus knows the problem, and He IS the solution!

 

He began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life.

Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the Living Water.

Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest. Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King.

Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons.

Jesus wept, yet He wipes away all our tears.

Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world.

Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd.

Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death.

He is my light in the darkest night, My comforter in harrowing times,

My friend when I am alone, my strength when I am weary,

and my guide when I've lost my way.  And He is the cure for a troubled heart!

 

Jesus is the object of my faith! 

 

ill.--a dad worked on his roof.  He asked his son on the ground to bring him a hammer.  He picked it up and climbed up four rungs of the ladder, halfway up, then froze.  He couldn't move.  He looked down and was afraid of falling.  He began to look up, but would feel dizzy.  His dad said, "Look at me, and keep climbing."

        "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith"

 

1.     A Strong Faith.

 

2.     A Secure Future.

vv. 2-4     Now He's talking about heaven.

Heaven is a real place. 

It's as real as our world, but it’s a world apart.  It's not just a state of mind.  We will have glorified bodies there, and they will touch down in a real place. 

 

My future is secure, and when you know that, it makes the journey down here easier. 

 

Heaven is a certain promise.

Romans 8:18
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Life can be tough.  I won't minimize your hardships, and I'll thank you to not think my life is a piece of cake either.  But I can tell you that it's a lot easier to carry your cross down the road in this life when you KNOW that road leads to a far better life.  [way of the cross leads home!]

2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

ill.--a woman lost her daughter to cancer.  It was heartbreaking.  Soon after, she was taking a train to California to see her other daughter.  Going down the tracks the engineer noticed something lying across the tracks.  He slammed on the brakes.  Everyone was terrified they were about to derail and die as the cars leaned forward, rocked side to side, and metal screeched…all except for this lady.  Through the skill of the engineer they stopped before hitting the obstacle.  Someone asked her, "Weren't you scared?"  She said, "No, I'm on my way to see my daughter.  I also have a daughter in heaven.  I figured, either way, I'm going today to see my daughter!"

 

It makes a difference when you have a strong faith, and you know that your future is secure.

 

The Bible refers to heaven as a country [vastness], a city [population], a kingdom [order], but my favorite reference to heaven is that it is called home.  "In my Father's house..."  And it doesn't have to be a mansion.  The word 'mansion' is abode, or rooms, as in 'abiding places.' 

        And the Father is what makes it home.  And home is where our heart is.  They say home is where, when you go there, they have to take you in.  It's where you are treated the best and complain the most.  Why?  Because you feel 'at home' to do so!  [no complaining in heaven]

 

a strong faith, a secure future...

 

3.     A Stable Foundation.

vv. 5-6     The 2nd law of thermodynamics is cited in science.  Things are winding down, losing energy, etc.  Things aren't getting better, but worse.  And so it is with our world, spiritually.  Everything that is not nailed down is coming apart, and the devil is pulling up nails as fast as he can.

        We need a stable foundation!  If not, we are in trouble physically, and the same is true spiritually.  If we don't have a stable foundation, we will be troubled emotionally...in our heart!

 

And Jesus is the sure foundation upon which to build your beliefs.

        Jesus doesn't just teach the way to heaven or point the way to heaven...He IS the way to heaven!  Jesus doesn't direct us to heaven...He TAKES us there! 

 

ill.--My wife needs to make it to a place across town she's never been.  How does she get there?  GPS?  No, she doesn't like that lady's voice.  Man directions, using South-south west, and 'turn 50 yards before the 7th traffic light?  Nah!  She wants her kind of directions.  Do I go toward the water tower?  Where is it from Wal-Mart?  Which lane should I get into?  Should I turn at that crack house?  What color is it?  Is it colonial, country, or Cape Cod?

 

Jesus doesn't just tell us the way, He literally takes us all the way!  Now, for Him to be THE way means that excludes all other ways that people believe.  This is not politically correct, and I am labeled as narrow minded.  But the Bible says narrow is the way, and there's one door and only one, so all would be wise to be so narrow minded as to narrow it down to the truth...the right answer!  Truth is always narrow.  Error is broad. 

        What is 1 plus 1?  The narrow answer is 2.  It's also the right answer.  But how many wrong answers could you give?

 

I'm not being judgmental to say non-believers are going to hell.  I'm just agreeing with God, Who, by the way, is the ONLY ONE who can get us to heaven. 

 

As a sinful man in a sinful world, what amazes me is not that there's only one way to heaven, but that there's any way at all!

 

"I am the way" - without Jesus there is no going.

"I am the truth" - without Jesus there is no knowing.

"I am the life" - without Jesus there is no living.

 

That's a stable foundation!

 

If you have a troubled heart, Jesus will heal it.  A strong faith is not about you, it's about Who you place your faith in.  And then your future is secure, no matter what happens, your road leads home...which is built on a stable foundation, standing on the promises of God.