Let your heart not be troubled - John 14

Let's your heart not be troubled - John 14
Text : John 14

Ps Renny Khoo

9 July 2017

Chapter 14 began in v1 and ended with v27 both verses exhorting the disciples - “Do not let your hearts be troubled”. In our present context, are we troubled by family crisis, no end to some existing challenges, relationship problems, financial worries, work pressure or situations with no solutions that we learn to live with it. We are troubled because we are fearful of insecurity and uncertain about the future. Likewise, the disciples were troubled because in the previous chapter, Jesus said that he is going to a place where they will not be able to follow. They were perplexed, for they have left everything and followed Jesus. They cannot understand where they have gone wrong. They cannot fathom why Jesus will want to leave them. Jesus in respond calmed their troubled heart by the following assurances in v2 – 8.

1.  Assurance of our Final Home

Where is Heaven ? 

 A place, a country, a kingdom ?

Heaven is a real place not a product of religious imagination. It is a place where God dwells, Jesus sit on the right hand of the Father. Heaven is described as a kingdom in 2 Peter, inheritance in 1 Peter, a country Hebrew 11, a city and a home. In John 13 to 17, these 5 chapters with the word “Father” appeared 53 time and usually in the phrase of “my Father’s house.” John 14: 3 clearly states that He will return for His people. He is going to the Father and He is the only way to the Father. Heaven is a real place, loving and exclusive place but it is also inclusive, and is open to all who believe. Those who trusted in Jesus Christ will be there.  

The way home does not lie in a pathway, programme or manmade processes but through a person call Jesus Christ. He is not someone who points the way but He is the Way, the truth. The only way to heaven. No amount of good works or endeavour will get us to heaven. Only Jesus and He is coming back for those who believe and love Him.

The question now is “Do you KNOW this person” for the way to heaven is through a person.

A call to trust God for God cares for us and has our best interest at heart. He knows us better than we know ourselves. So when we trust God, we will not have a troubled heart. There is a correlation in knowing and trusting for when we know God, we can also know how we can trust God. Trusting God is a journey, as knowing God is a progressive journey. So we should examine ourselves if we know our God personally, relationally and experientially. Do our believe affect our lives and how we live it? Do we do the will of God out of obedience and have we grown in loving God. Have we got a testimony to share of our experiences in God?

2. Provision of a Helper 

Apart from the Spirit of God, we cannot live out our Christian lives. We must know who the Holy Spirit is. He is called the Advocate or Parakletos, - Helper or Comforter. He is someone who is called alongside to assist. The Holy Spirit do not work instead or in spite of us but always work in us and through us. He strengthens us to face life bravely and to keep on going. He does not rob us of the responsibility or make it easy for us to give up. We are comforted for strength in our inner lives to face all adversities. We need to guard our response to adversities that we do not develop a “Bean Curd” reaction where we cannot take any criticism or correction. Our inner lives must be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to produce a positive response. As we struggle as illustrated in the Mount Kinabalu climb, the role of the Holy Spirit is to point and guide us in the right direction but we need to put in the effort and do our part.

He is also known as the Spirit of truth where he is the Spirit inspired word of God illuminating the Word so that we may understand the word of God. Thus no excuse for negligent on our effort to study the word of God. We need to be keeping the word of God through our obedience to it. The call intimacy with God through corporate prayer to pray against temptation, breakthrough, empowerment of the Holy Spirit, discipline and to be accountable in our lives.

Counselling - Latin word Come alongside to Help

Comforter - Sometimes Counsellor has to help them to break it or weaken their dependency on certain things. It may not be always comforting but strengthening.

Comfort is to strengthen to move onward and brace for future.

3.  Gift of peace

God’s peace is not based on the world’s resources but depends on our relationship with God and our spiritual adequacy in Christ all receive in faith. God’s peace is peace in spite of trouble or trials for through Jesus, we can truly say, let not my heart be troubled for He has conquered the world - John 16:33. 

Questions for reflection and response

1. Trusting God is a journey of knowing God. Share how you are growing in your trusting/knowing God. What are some obstacles in fully trusting/ knowing God.
2. Share your experiences of the Holy Spirit as your helper/comforter/advocate. 
3. How do you understand peace" in times of trouble? Share (if any) of such experiences

I like the blue hue hovering at the backdrop of church yesterday. It reminds me of the blue ocean.

My Personal Reflection :-

Heaven is certainly a place worth to prepare for before our arrival. I have been reminded, now that we all could afford to travel and to see more of the world with budget airlines and budget hotels, we spend a lot of time preparing for a trip, be it alone or with family or friends. I think Holy Spirit is grieved to see that more than half of the Christians do not spend enough time to prepare for their homeward bound trip to heaven. 

Like a trip ill-planned, many Christians would be shocked to realise that they have not prepared enough for this heaven trip and it is to return home to a place where we have not been.