Untitled Sermon

Defining Troubled

I think it will be helpful at this point to define "troubled." What does it mean to be troubled in the heart? Rather than read you a definition I want to frame your understanding of troubled with three words.1. Disturbance. We see this use of the word in . There was a pool in Bethesda around which the lame and sick would sit and wait. From time to time the otherwise peaceful pool would experience a disturbance or a "stirring up." Those around the pool believed that when the water was "stirred up" it had healing power. When Jesus questioned if one of the lame men wanted to be healed he responded like this:Read

​ ESV7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”

The word translated "stirred up" is the same word translated in , , . When Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled," he was saying, "Don't let the circumstances throw your heart into turmoil. Don't let it disturb your tranquility and peaceful state. It is going to be troubling. Don't let your heart be troubled.2. Uncertainty. We see this use of the word in . The early church had spread out from the Jews in Jerusalem to Gentiles in Antioch. The Gentiles had been taught the gospel and the believed it. They were settled in their minds on the gospel and their fellowship with the church including the Jews in Jerusalem. All was good... That is until some Jewish men entered into the Gentile church at Antioch teaching different doctrines. They called much into question concerning the gospel and the church at Jerusalem. Notice how a letter from the leaders in Jerusalem described the affect of these false representatives:Read

​ ESV24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions,

When the Scriptures speak of the heart being troubled there is the element of doubt. Our hearts were convinced of certain things but a change in circumstances causes doubts to arise concerning things on which we were once settled.3. Fear. We see this use of the term "troubled "in . We are told Jesus' disciples were reclining at table discussing the new information that Jesus had risen from the dead. John tells us they sat behind locked doors due to fear. Suddenly Jesus appeared in the midst of them saying, "Peace to you!" Luke tells us of their reaction:Read

​ ESV37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

Jesus identifies their frightened and startled state with the word "troubled." The same one he uses when he instructs the disciples not to be troubled in the heart.If we pull all this together, we can say that Jesus' words recorded by John have this aim: That His disciples would know peace rather that disturbance, confidence rather than uncertainty, and security rather than fear through the entrusting of themselves to Him and His Father.

To answer this we must begin in verse 19 of Chapter 13.Read

​ ESV19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.

Notice that Jesus claimed that he told them "this" so that after it occurred they would believe. We need to understand what Jesus is saying. To do so we must acknowledge what Jesus said and when He said it.1. What Jesus SaidIn verse 18 Jesus claimed something shocking. He said that the Scriptures will be fulfilled when one who ate his bread lifted his heal against him. This comes from , and the emphasis is on a close friend who betrayed the psalmist. Jesus many years later claimed that this psalm spoke of Him. He says, “The Scriptures must be fulfilled; one who is close to me will betray me.”In verses 21-30, John sheds further light on what Jesus meant by organizing these verses according to three statements made by Jesus. The first two give more detail into what Jesus was referring. The first two insights come in verse 21.Read

​ ESV21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”

First, we see the difficulty of what is about to take place. Jesus says, "One of you will betray me." The vagueness of Jesus' quote from psalms is made clearer. This is not just an acquaintance. This is not just another follower of Jesus. This is not even one who may have hung out with the crew from time to time. Instead, the betrayer will be one of the twelve. It will be one sitting around the table. It will be one on the inside, one who had been there from the beginning. One whose feet had just been scrubbed clean by the God man. This was going to hurt, so much so Jesus was troubled at the thought.Second, Jesus emphasizes the necessity and the certainty of it. He said, "One of you will betray me." [Emphasis on "will.”] It had to happen because the Scriptures had to be fulfilled. Satan had already put it in Judas' heart. God's plan was in motion. Betrayal would occur. It had to occur. (ESV)Third, Jesus narrows the focus even further and reveals the betrayer with pinpoint accuracy and preciseness. Look at verses 22-26Read When Jesus has announced "one of you will betray me" the disciple were bewildered. Who of them could it be? Peter motioned to John to ask Jesus to clear things up. So John, the beloved disciple leaned in so near to Jesus he is now resting some of his weight on the Lord. Jesus responds to John's inquiry- most likely only so John could hear- "It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread. when I have dipped it." John goes on to write for us that when Jesus dipped it he gave it to Judas Iscariot.Now that we know the contents of what Jesus said but we must also not, the timing of what Jesus said. Jesus Himself calls our attention to the timing of his testimony, he said, "I tell you these things now-before they take place!"

A few weeks ago, I sat on my couch growing in confidence that my Buckeyes might actually beat those dreaded Clauson Tigers. The Buckeyes led 16-O with less than 6 minutes to go in the second quarter. They had been dominant. They looked really good. As the it half logon to wind down, one of Buckeye's defensive players burst through the defensive line, sacked the Clonson quarterback and appeared to have forced the Tigers to give the ball back to the Buckeyes. I remember thinking this may work out!

To my horror, a penalty was called on the player who tackled the QB for Clemson. Not only did Clemson get a fresh start on offense, but the refs ejected one of our best defensive players. The punch to the stomach only worsened when the Tigers scored their first touchdown just a couple of days later. In the matter of moments. my soaring confidence and building excitement evaporated. A sick feeling invaded my adominal region. Thoughts such as, "Here we go again!" And, "How could I have been so foolish to get my hopes up?" filled my mind. Adversity struck and my confidence wavered.

When we come to this text, we find the disciples full of confidence and expectation. They are convinced Jesus is the Messiah. They believe He is the promised one. The thoughts of the coning Kingdon excited then. In their excitement they even argued foolishly over who would be greatest in the new Kingdom. Everything appeared in their minds to be moving in a favorable trajectory toward victory, triumph, peace and joy! They do not understand all Jesus has said but they are convinced He is LORD. They are convinced He will be victorious and they are confident they too will share in His Kingdom. This confidence and excitement was about to face serious challenges.

In just a handful of hours everything would change. Jesus would fall victim to Judas who betrayed him. Soon they would see the future king carried off in chains, stripped naked, beaten, mocked, and executed. So much they were confident of sitting around the table that night would suddenly seem questionable. How could the man who claimed to be life die? How could the exalted Victor be so humiliatingly defeated? How could the all-powerful one be bound by chains fashioned toy human hands?

We see the stripping away of confidence in the disciples on many occasions. Perhaps the most obvious example is seen in Peter who was prepared to die for Jesus go on to den, Christ not once but three times. At the LORD's Last Supper the disciples sat ignorant of the trouble. lurking around the corner ready to pounce on them. The difficulty, darkness, sorrow, pain, fear that they would know just a short time later sat tucked away in the near future.

Unlike, the disciples Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen. He saw the betrayal and all the horrors that were to follow with perfect clarity. His knowledge of the events troubled Him greatly. The thoughts of what would come stirred His heart up in grief, turmoil, anxiousness, and fear.

Jesus knew that very soon the same troubles that afflicted him would strike a blow to the faith of His disciples. He knew what lay ahead, and he knew that their faith would be tested like never before.

We find in this text Jesus humbly serving the disciples by fortifying their faith ahead of great difficulty unknown to them. Like one who prepares his ocean front home by covering windows with plywood, Jesus sought to strengthen the faith of the disciples just before crisis hit. This is Jesus" ain in this text. This is why He says what He says. We see this in verse 19.

Desiring to strengthen their faith, Jesus reveals his knowledge of what is to come.

First, Jesus reveals that he knows he will be betrayed. He does so toy quoting Psalm 419. Chances are you might have missed the significance of this but the disciples well verses in the psalms would have understood. Jesus was claiming that He would be opposed by one who was a close friend.

Second, Jesus revealed that he would be betrayed by one of the twelve. This narrowed the good of potential traitors from all those acquaintances and other followers Jesus knew down to the Twelve. We know there were others whom Jesus knew well. There was Mary Magdalene, Mary his mother, Lazarus and others. With his statement in verse 21, Jesus ratcheted up to tension in the room. He made clear that his knowledge about future events was not cloudy and vague. He was not just aware of some one one S one where who would betray Him. He knew it was one of the twelve. One whose toes he had just sanitized.

Third, Jesus revealed who of the twelve would betray Him. As you can imagine, Jesus' claim that one of them would turn on Him raised serious concern and intrigue. Who? Who could it be? Uncharacteristically, Peter chose to be silent. Instead of talking, he motioned to John who was sitting right near Jesus. John knew from Peter's gesture the he wanted John to ask the obvious question. Leaning in so closely some of his weight rested on Jesus, John asked, "who is it? who will betray you?" Jesus, speaking quietly enough only John could hear, revealed the identity of the betrayer,

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As the conversation developed, Jesus' prediction grew in specificity. Jesus said.

I will be opposed.

I will be opposed by someone close.

I will be opposed by one of my twelve.

I will be opposed by him!

John emphasizes the outlandish nature of Jesus' claim by including the clueless state of the other disciples:

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Clearly Judas gave no reason for the disciples to speculate the betrayer might be Judas. Most likely, he was well respected and highly regarded. After all he was entrusted with overseeing the finances. Additionally, his place at the table was near to Jesus. Many theologians believe that he sat directly to Jesus' left, a place of honor.

His prediction seemed unlikely and irrational to those in the room, but John made sure to record that it was both precise and accurate. We see this in verses 27630

Jesus’ Intent

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The weight of what took place in this verses can hardly be overstated. The betrayed looks his betrayer in the eye and says, "Go do it quickly." John Han says, Innodiately, he went out." Jesus was right. Judas the betrayer was on the move. In just a time, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus' prediction will be proven true. The disciples will know the accuracy of Jesus' knowledge well they behold Judas' betraying kiss.

The Truth:

To see the truth about Jesus in the text we need a quick lesson in OT theology. In :L, we learn that there is one God who spoke all of creation into existance including mankind ulon God created to know, display, and enjoy Him. Sadly man sinned. Through sin, they fell under the wrath of God who darkened their understanding and knowledge of Him. Rather than knowing ad worshipping the One True God, man in their ignorance began to fashion gods of their own imaginations. As a result, man worshipped nearly every thing but God.

In an act of mercy and grace, God chose Alorahan a worshipper of my false gods to toe his own. He chose to break through the darkness lay revealing himself to Abraham and Abraham's descendents as the One True and Living God. He called Abraham and all his children to forsake the other gods and turn to Him. He claimed, "There is no other god besides me!"

If you are familiar with the OT, you know that the Israelites struggled often to put away the false gods and believe the One True God. Throughout the history of the Jews we find God constantly calling his people away from the false gods to himself. Often his call to trust and believe him is accompanied by a convincing argument. This argument is stated nowhere more clearly than Isaiah 4611- 13.

Jesus’ Argument

In verse 1-7, the One True God calls Bel and Neloo false gods familiar to the Israelites. He emphatically points out their inability to act. They have no power. They are nothing more than Lourdes on the backs of their worshippers. All who worship Nebo and Bel are foolish and will be greatly disappointed when neither are able to rescue them.

In verses 8-13, God says, "I am different! I am unique!" He says,

Jesus’ Puts Himself on Trial

"I am God and there is none like me. I am God and there is no other." This chain is astounding and it gets even better because he goes on to tell us what makes him distinct. He tells us what separates him from all other looings!

He says, "I declare the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done!" There it is. There's the difference. Unlike anything created, God can stand at the beginning and tell you what will take place. He knows. This is a talent only He possesses. God says, I have drawn a line in the sand, on one side is everyone else. They are creation. Amon, then are angels, demons, men, women, false sods and all else that was made. They know not what tomorrow may bring. On the other side is me. I am the Creator. I know it all. I know every unexpected mishap, every delay in traffic, the tiring and destination of every missile, the speed and path of every hurricane, the height of every man, the life span of every fruit fly, the number of hairs on your head, the good, the load I know it all! I know it so well and with such precision that I can declare it long before it happens!

Hopefully the point of our text in is becoming increasingly dear. Jesus was not simply making sure we knew he was not caught off guard by Judas' betrayal. He was laying a foundation on which His deity could be confirmed. The people were to discern a false prophet from a true prophet on the truthfulness of his prophesy. There was one important question for a prophet. Did what he say would happen actually come to pass? This was the test Jesus put loofore his disciples. He says I am telling you now ahead of time clat will happen, so that when it does Occur you will know I am sent of God.

Jesus’ Vindication

The knowledge of God is surely impressive. But it is an unfortunate reality that marry Christians, I would even say most Christians in my life, settle for a God who simply knows everything. I don't mean that it a way that takes away from the awesomeness of God's omniscience. This is truly amazing.

But, it is unfortunate that many of us while acknowledging his knowledge never learn or worse yet reject what God reveals lies loohind His knowledge. Have you ever wondered how God knows everything? How is it that He can say today chat will happen tomorrow? Often these kinds of questions are left to the philosophers, but surprisingly this difficult question is answered plainly in the Scriptures. Not only is it made plain lout it is also made central to the Christian faith. We find this answer in our text from Isaiah 4610-11. God says, "I declare the ad from the beginning" and here is how," My counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my purpose."

Hero is what God is saying, "I can tell you what will happen tommorow because I have a plan for tomorrow andI will accomplish it. Not just some of it. Not just some resemblance of it. No, I will accomplish all my purpose!" I think we can be confidant that this is what Godis saying, because He says it very plainly in verse K

Truth Statement

"I have spoken and I will do it!"

Do you see? Underlying God's knowledge of all things is his work. He alone knows all things because He alone can will and plan and do without failing in the smallest- of details. The whole point in the OT of God declaring to his people ahead of time what would take place was to demonstrate His sovereign rule and divine governance of all things they experience.

OT Examples of God foretelling what would take place