Comfort Comes
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Comfort Comes
Comfort Comes
1 “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.”
5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where You’re going. How can we know the way?”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
The disciples stood on the precipice of the darkest night of their lives and our Lord knowing that their hearts would be greatly troubled — spoke these love charged words:
Do not let your heart be troubled.
But how were they to do this the night before the Lord was betrayed, abused, tortured, and ultimately — crucified. How were they to be comforted when their whole world was going to collapse? Their beloved Master was going away. Their sun was about to set at midday.
It was already a very perplexing night. The Master was doing and saying strange things. He had done the unthinkable and took the place of a slave and washed their feet. He talked about one of them betraying Him. He no doubt filled them with great anxiety when He said He was going somewhere they could not go. He bewildered them when He predicted Peter would deny Him 3 times! It was all so confusing. And now, He tells them:
Do not let your heart be troubled.
Can you imagine?
Of course you can because most of you have been through something that troubles you greatly.
How do we ever get Comfort in times of trouble?
Well, our Lord gives us the answer:
Believe in God.
That is the Secret to Comfort. That is the basis of True Comfort — simple, trusting, childlike Faith in God.
If you’re discontented, worried, anxious, bewildered, perplexed, confused, agitate — if you’re in need of comfort the only answer is trusting God. This is the only thing that makes sense.
Because God is the King. You understand that all of this is His kingdom and He rules.
The Bible says, God is the King of Righteousness
He’s the King of Ages
He’s the King of glory
He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords.
And listen to me — that’s my King! Is that your king?
Listen, No means of measure can define His limitless love.
No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supplies.
No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing.
His enduringly strong, He’s entirely sincere, He’s eternally steadfast, He’s immortally graceful, He’s imperially powerful, He’s impartially merciful. He stands alone in Himself, He’s august, He’s unique, He’s unparalleled, He’s unprecedented, He’s supreme, He’s preeminent, He’s the supplier of strength for the weak, He’s available for the tempted, He sympathizes and saves, He guards and He guides, He heals the sick, He forgives sinners, He delivers captives, He defends the feeble, He blesses the young, He regards the aged, He rewards the diligent, and He beautifies the meek.
Do you know Him?
That’s my King!
Can you see why that simple instruction is the Key to Comfort?
You can trust Him. You can believe God. And when you believe God — You have no trouble in your heart.
Our Lord is saying 3 things about Trusting Him.
I. You can trust His Presence.
I. You can trust His Presence.
1 “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.
Believe in God; Believe also in Me.
Jesus puts Himself on an equal plane with God. In the Greek the statement is either imperative or indicative. That is it’s either a command or a statement of fact. From the context, the statement makes the most sense if the first half is indicative and the second as imperative.
You believe in God — That’s indicative.
Believe also in Me — That’s imperative.
In fact the grammatical structure is something like —
You believe in God; keep believing in Me. Your faith in Me must not diminish even though You will not see me. I will still be present.
Some have misinterpreted as a summons to saving faith. But Jesus is not calling the 11 to saving faith. They already believe in Him. It’s a linear verb form, meaning — “Keep trusting Me, even though I will no longer be physically present with you. Keep trusting Me just as you are trusting God.”
The message is to walk by faith and not by sight.
7 For we walk by faith, not by sight,
We all need this. We all need this, because like the disciples, we all live with conflict, with disappointment, with pain.
Whatever your trouble, whatever your difficulty, whatever anxiety or perplexity you’re struggling with, Remember this — the Lord Himself self is there.
Being physically present Jesus was hindered by the limitations of a physical body. But now, in heaven, He is with each and every believer everywhere.
7 casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.
You can trust His Presence.
In addition to the reassurance of His constant presence, Christ gave His disciples wonderful promises.
II. You can trust His Promises.
2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.”
John 14:2-
It’s important to notice first that He calls heaven — “My Father’s house.” This is His favorite way of referring to God — My Father. What an expression — My Father’s House. Father’s house was home, it’s where the family gathered. It is good and gives feelings of goodness to come home to my father’s house. It was always good to come home. It was good to go to my grandparents. I was always welcomed and was free to just go right in, take my shoes off and get something to eat. I got to watch cable TV!
This is what heaven is — our heavenly Father’s house.
The KJV has given the wrong idea —
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:2
Rooms is more accurate. In Jewish culture, when a son married, he seldom left the father’s house. His father would add another wing with a center patio or court for the entire family to gather and the son would rear his family there in his rooms. The idea is a single, glorious home with dwelling places to encompass the entire family of God. So we will dwell with God, not down the street or on the other side of heaven.
gives the dimensions of the heavenly city that indicate the enormity of size to room all the people of God. Heaven is huge, but the fellowship is intimate.
Revelation 21;
3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.
And Jesus goes on in verse 4 to say
4 You know the way to where I am going.”
Isn’t that comforting?
You know the way. That’s right. We always knew the way home.
John 14:2
2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.
What a reassurance to those frightened disciples those words must have been. As surely as He was leaving them, He was coming back for them.
And we can have complete confidence that He is coming back.
Did you know that Jesus is eager to return and claim His own?
24 Father, I desire those You have given Me to be with Me where I am. Then they will see My glory, which You have given Me because You loved Me before the world’s foundation.
Our Lord wants us with Him as much as we want to be with Him.
We know He will return someday. It could be today. But if not today, someday.
13 if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
And we can trust His promises and we say.
20 He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
Revelation 22:
You can trust His promises.
III. You can trust His Person.
III. You can trust His Person.
Can you imagine how bewildered the disciples must have been when Jesus told them he was leaving?
and then He adds,
4 You know the way to where I am going.”
We know at least Thomas was bewildered. They had completely resisted any idea of His leaving. Now they’re not certain of anything.
Thomas probably speaking for the rest.
5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where You’re going. How can we know the way?”
It’s almost like Thomas was saying, “We really don’t know anything past death.” It’s a good question: “How can we know the way?”
Jesus reaffirms them this time of everything He has said with the most profound statement.
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
The message was, “You don’t need to know how to get there, I’m coming to get you.”
The best thing in the world when you’re lost and do not know the way, when instead of a complex set of instructions, someone says, “Stay right where you’re at. I’m coming to get you.”
This is really what Christ did. He wasn’t telling them to follow Him, but that He was coming back to get them.
That’s why the death of a Christian is such a glorious experience. He promises to come get us and carry us there.
Augustus Toplady, who wrote Rock of Ages, knowing that he was dying wrote a friend these words:
“My dear friend, those great and glorious truths, which the Lord in rich mercy has given me to believe are not dry doctrines or mere speculative points. No. But, being brought into practical heart-felt experience, they are the very joy and support of my soul; and the consolations flowing from them carry me far above the things of time and sense.”
He added...
“Sickness is no affliction; no curse; death itself dissolution…O that I had wings like a dove, then would I flee away to the realms of bliss, and be at rest forever! O that some angel might be commissioned, for I long to be absent from this body, and to be with my Lord forever.”
An hour before he died, he appeared to awake from a gentle slumber — his last words were, “O what delights! Who can fathom the joys of the third Heaven? Praise God for His presence, and the shining of His love upon my soul. The sky is clear; there is no cloud; Come Lord Jesus, come quickly!”
And he closed his eyes.
You don’t need a map. Jesus says, “Trust Me!”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Everything Adam lost, Christ restored. Everything you need as a man or as a woman, Christ is. You can trust Him. You can trust His presence, His promises, and His person, for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.