Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled
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18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present 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 things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
29 “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
Still in sermon series:
Recentered: Living a Christ-centered Life. (official image here)
A life centered on Christ is:
1. Defined by undivided love for Jesus Christ.
2. A life yielded in obedience.
3. Unaffected by the troubles of the world.
For us to understand how it is to live a life centered on the Lord Jesus, let us imagine what it is like living with Jesus.. so we are studying the disciples when they lived with Jesus.
Describe: they left everything for Jesus, their needs met, they were protected and safe, they were encouraged, wise guidance, most importantly, discipleship — their whole lives have become centered on Jesus.
But all of a sudden, the Lord is now talking to them about leaving — that they will be left behind.
This will cause panic, despair and fear. or reason to just quit — Jesus was just an episode in our lives, now we can go back to where we were — our old lives!
The Lord gave them the assurance in verse 18:
18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.
He will not leave us as orphans. This is true for us too. We should not feel alone, because you are never alone!
The world will not see Jesus but we will see Him. There is no escape from the presence of Christ.
we know when we die, we will be with the Lord (to be absent from the body…)
when we live until He returns, we will be with Him in glory.
This is the life centered on Jesus.
Even now, the Lord is with us through His Spirit that stays with us wherever we go.
“Because I live, you will live also” - this is eternal life,, Jesus is alive forevermore.
The Christ-centered life has a consciousness in all these things — we can be distracted.
20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Notice that Jesus was talking to His disciples, but He is also sending a message to us.. in the third person — he, not you..
Yielding to God. Love is the compelling reason why we yield to Jesus.
To ease a heart that is troubled, let it be bathed with the love of God.
“Little faith will take your soul to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your soul.” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon)
Now how do we bring these lessons to our present situation:
Talk about the developments in Israel, possible world war 3 scenario
Now are you anxious yet?
In the Christ-centered life, Peace is not promised, it is assured.
Life of the disciples.
Jesus’ words to His disciples
Questions
Troubles
Fears
Doubts
The Lord’s assurances: APEC
A.P.E.C.
Only Jesus can provide:
Answers
Peace
Encouragement
Confidence
Let not your heart be troubled. Jesus gives:
Answers to Our Questions.
We may not have all the answers at once.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.
The Spirit’s presence in our lives will give us the answers in bringing into remembrance the words of the Lord.
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 things that I said to you.
ALL things, what does it mean?
Things that are sufficient for you to live this day.
The Paraclete - The Helper, the One Who comes alongside to help.
Go to His Word for answers!
Let not your heart be troubled. Jesus gives:
2. Peace in place of Trouble.
27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
In the midst of trouble - not in replacement of trouble.
Shalom is a precious word to the Jewish people, it does not only mean the absence of war, or the absence of distress.
Shalom means wholeness, completeness, health, security, even prosperity in the best sense. When you are enjoying God’s peace, there is joy and contentment. But God’s peace is not like the “peace” that the world offers.
Godly Peace relies on the truth that Jesus is adequate.
Let not your heart be troubled. Jesus gives...
3. Encouragement Over Our Fears.
The true antidote to fear is encouragement. Courage is the opposite of fear and to encourage is to infuse COURAGE onto someone.
28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
Jesus leaving them is unimaginable to His disciples.
They left everything for Him.
What will happen to us?
Verse about leaving everything and getting more than what we had before here.
29 So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s,
30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.
Persecutions. May scare Christians!
What is the Lord’s promise?
“I am coming back to you.”
Explain “My Father is greater than I” - He is now back in a position of sovereign power.
Let not your heart be troubles. Jesus gives...
4. Confidence Over Doubt.
29 “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.
No reason to doubt.
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
The Enemy has no power over the Lord.
The Spirit of the Antichrist in the world.
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Anecdote on knowing the outcome
What is the basis of Jesus’ victory?
31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
As Jesus gave us the commandment, so we do. We have work to do.