John 14:1

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:1-3)

When Jesus' closest followers were thrown into anxiety, he gave them the antidote to a troubled heart: faith in the living God.

From Triumph to Trouble

When you read through the Gospels for the first time—especially Matthew, Mark, and Luke—it seems that the triumphal entry, which we celebrate as Palm Sunday, is the pinnacle of the story. Jesus comes down the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem, where the temple stood as the most prominent feature of the city. He's riding on a donkey, surrounded by multitudes who have come back to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover.

There's a sense of joy and anticipation. People sing words from Psalm 118—"Hosanna," meaning "save now," and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord"—and they break off palm branches and lay them before him. They are recognizing who he is.

You can be certain the twelve disciples were thinking, This is it. This is what the prophets foretold for centuries. He is the Messiah, and he is going to be crowned king in Jerusalem. No doubt they imagined themselves at his right hand—James and John perhaps angling for secretary of defense, Matthew the tax collector eyeing the treasury, Peter as prime minister. In fact, they had been arguing on the way about who would be the greatest in his kingdom. We can't fault them; that's probably where our minds would be too.

"One of You Will Betray Me"

But just a few days later, as he gathered with the twelve to partake of the Passover, the tune of Jesus changed drastically—from celebratory to somber. In John 13, in the midst of all that joy and anticipation, he says, "Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." That was like a bomb going off in the room. So shocked were they that they began to say among themselves, "Is it I?" John records that Peter, sitting at the end of the table, motioned to John to ask him.

Then, just a few sentences later, Jesus says, "Where I'm going, you cannot come." Peter asks, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answers, "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow me afterward." The disciples understood he was speaking of his death—we know this because Peter immediately responds, "Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for your sake."

As zealous as Peter was, Jesus knew what was coming. He turned to Peter and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied me three times." Before the sun came up, before the rooster crowed, Peter would deny he even knew him. And in Matthew 26, Jesus told them all, "All of you will be made to stumble because of me this night."

These were the men who, just days before, had walked beside him as the crowds proclaimed "Hosanna," assuming this was the inauguration of the king. Now he says, one of you will betray me, Peter will deny me, all of you will stumble, and by the end of this, I will die. John 13 is a somber and discomforting passage.

"Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled"

Thankfully, the story doesn't stop there. In John 14, Jesus continues:

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

After bringing this distressing word, Jesus looks at his disciples and says, "Let not your heart be troubled." The word for "troubled" means to be shaken and tossed aside. Don't allow yourself to be shaken up.

How many of you know that's a lot easier said than done? Have you ever had the fight-or-flight mechanism kick in—a near accident on the freeway, or an actual fender bender—and then you're supposed to calmly exchange information while adrenaline courses through your body? Telling yourself "calm down, don't be troubled" simply doesn't work. Physiology takes over. Jesus had just said something that immediately pushed his disciples into anxiety. They were perplexed and afraid. And in the midst of it he says, "Don't be troubled."

Faith in Jesus Dispels Fear

How is it possible to have peace in the midst of troubling circumstances? He says, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me." Faith in Jesus dispels fear.

Here's the important part. The faith Jesus calls for is not a one-time, past-tense belief. Many of you have put your trust in Jesus and can look back to a date, a time, and a place—a church service, an evangelistic outreach like a Billy Graham or Harvest celebration, or a friend who shared the gospel. Maybe you've even written that date down like a second birthday. Others, like me, put their faith in Jesus very young and don't remember an exact moment.

But since that time—whenever it was—you've experienced anxiety, fear, and perplexity. We all have. So you might say, "Maybe my faith wasn't true enough, or strong enough." But what matters about the faith Jesus describes is the wording he uses. It is active and present tense. It's not just something you draw upon from the past; it is faith right now, reaffirmed and activated in the present moment.

So when a troubling situation comes—and it will, for no follower of Jesus is exempt—we need to reaffirm our faith in that moment. Anyone who claims Christians never face trouble has either never read the Bible or doesn't understand it. When trials come, we remind ourselves: I believe in Christ. And that simple statement means we believe in a Christ who is alive, not dead—who is in heaven, seated at the right hand of glory. We have not trusted in a relic or a monument, but in the living Lord Jesus Christ.

The Peace That Surpasses Understanding

How do we activate that faith? One way is prayer. The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:6-7:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

"Be anxious for nothing" is a command—and I'm sure we all fulfill it perfectly all the time. "Supplication" simply means a request for supply: give me what I need. And thanksgiving is always giving thanks for what you've already received, reminding us of God's past faithfulness.

We trust that God knows what he's doing and has a plan. He sees and understands things I don't. Yet in my walk with Jesus, he has never spoken in a still, small voice to explain, "Don't worry, in six months this is going to work out this way." I'd like it if he did, but that hasn't happened. What I have found, though, is that when I reaffirm my faith in the living Lord Jesus, bring my requests to him, and give thanks for all he has already done, his peace—which surpasses my comprehension—comes and guards my heart and mind.

People who do not know that peace can only look on and say, "I don't understand how you're doing this." And you say, "I don't get it either, but God has given me his peace which surpasses understanding." It's an awesome witness, because those who have not entered into that peace through Jesus cannot understand it.

Hope of Heaven Brings Comfort

Distressing things will come—that is a certainty in a fallen world devastated by sin. But Jesus reminds his disciples to believe. Believe what? "In my Father's house are many mansions"—some translations say "dwelling places" or "rooms." Jesus is saying there is room for you in my Father's house, and I'm going to prepare a place for you and come receive you to myself. Hope of heaven brings comfort.

Paul says very similar words in 1 Thessalonians 4. Beginning in verse 13:

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.... For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout... and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

There are many interpretations of this passage about end-times things, the rapture of the church, and the second coming. We don't have time to get into all of them today, but a few things are plainly made clear. First, those who die believing in Jesus are with him in heaven. Second, when you die, you will be with him and them. Third, one day Jesus will return and raise up those who are alive and remain, together with those who have already died. Fourth, once we are with the Lord, we will always be with him and with one another forever. That's why Paul concludes, "Therefore comfort one another with these words." This is good news—and good news in the Bible is what we call gospel.

The Gospel Is the Way of Comfort and Hope

That's exactly where Jesus goes next. In John 14:4 he says, "And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas responds, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" I'm so glad Thomas asked it. I imagine Jesus grinned, and then he said:

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)

The gospel leads us into the way of comfort and hope. If you're lacking hope and needing comfort, I have good news for you: it is available through Jesus Christ because of what he did 2,000 years ago. Jesus died for our sin—all our failures to live according to God's righteous and perfect standard. But he didn't just die; he was buried and rose again three days later, and his resurrection proves his death was enough to deal with all our failures and bring us into his joy forever. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

The hope the Bible describes is not wishful thinking—not like buying a Powerball ticket and saying, "I really hope I win." This is Bible hope, an absolute certainty.

Is It Narrow-Minded?

Some people struggle with Jesus' statement in John 14:6. We live in a time when a growing group rejects religious affiliation entirely. A recent Pew Research study found that 23% of Americans now belong to no religious group—they're called the "nones." Many of them dislike Jesus' claim as narrow-minded and exclusive. And you may get an honest question from a coworker or family member: "Do you really believe Jesus is the only way to heaven? That sounds so exclusive."

Well, Jesus did say narrow is the way. I understand that some have a hard time with it. But here's the thing: if it is true that there's only one way, is it really narrow-minded to say there's only one way? If it's true that there's only one path, then it would actually be loving and gracious to tell you so.

Someone may ask, "How could he possibly claim to be the only way?" Many people could make that claim—the question is whether they can back it up. Jesus says he is the only way from this life into the next, and then he dies on a cross and rises from the dead, seen by more than 500 witnesses. The better part of them went to their own deaths—crucified, burned, beheaded, thrown to wild beasts—because they believed he rose, and they never recanted. The tomb is empty. If anybody has credibility to make such a claim, he does.

The Gospel of John records seven dynamic "I am" statements—"I am the door," "I am the bread of life," "I am the living water," "I am the resurrection and the life"—all pointing to one simple truth: I am the only way. In John 11:25 Jesus tells a grieving woman, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." Anyone could utter those words, but he substantiated them by dying on the cross and rising again—just as he had foretold his disciples repeatedly.

So faith in Jesus dispels fear and brings the hope of heaven leading to comfort, because he is not in a tomb still in Jerusalem. I've been there several times, with a group just a few weeks ago. It's still empty. He's risen.

The Abiding Comfort of the Spirit

But that's not all. In John 14:16, Jesus says, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever"—the King James calls him the Comforter. By the gospel, we have the abiding comfort of the Spirit (capital S).

This is a classic verse for the doctrine of the Trinity. Christians believe there is one God who exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Though no single verse says "this is the Trinity," many passages imply it, like this one—the Son prays to the Father, and the Father sends the Comforter, "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you" (John 14:17).

What an awesome promise. The trouble we go through in this world is merely temporal, and something greater waits for us with God in heaven. Someone may say, "You actually believe that?" Yes—because a man died and rose from the dead, the one who says these things. Not only does Jesus give us that promise to hold in our hearts, but he gives us the abiding presence of his Spirit, who not only dwells with us but in us. If you're a Christian today, the Holy Spirit of God dwells in you—the Spirit of truth, the Helper, the Comforter.

The Promise of His Return

Jesus goes further: "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:18). In Christ, we have the promise of his return. He has promised to prepare a place for us, to give us the abiding presence of his Spirit, and not to leave us here as orphans, but to return.

This gives wonderful peace. In John 14:27 he says, "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." Notice the bookends: John 14:1 begins with "Let not your heart be troubled," and John 14:27 returns to it. Between those bookends are the words that lead us into the experience of this peace, grace, and comfort.

We Have Received Comfort to Give It

So what should we do with this peace and comfort? Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

How is the Christian comforted by God? By the resurrection of Jesus, by the promise of our future resurrection, by the abiding presence of the Comforter, and by the promise that Jesus will one day return to receive us. And how do we comfort others? By the truth of the gospel.

There are a lot of troubled people in a world broken by sin. They go to work with you, go to school with you, live next door to you, are your friends and family. Many are living without hope. But if you are a follower of Jesus, you have absolute certainty that he will come and receive you to be with him for eternity. We have received his comforting grace in order to give it to others.

In this series we've talked about giving thanks and giving mercy. Today we talk about giving comfort—and we give it because we have been comforted by God. Among all the wonderful things you'll give this holiday season—gifts, cards, things to eat—the greatest thing you have to give, if you're a follower of Jesus, is the comfort of the gospel of grace. There are opportunities every week to share his goodness with people who are hurting. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Freely you have received; freely give.

Closing Prayer

Father God, I thank you for your grace, this great gift you've given to us, which we are reminded of when we celebrate Christmas every year—the gift of your Son. Jesus, we thank you that you came not to condemn the world, but that the world through you might be saved. Lord, I pray that that truth residing in our hearts would come out of our lips this season. For how shall they hear without a preacher—someone to simply tell the good news of your grace? We thank you so much for your grace, Lord.

It may be that as we stand here this morning, you don't yet know this comfort. You haven't put your trust in Jesus, and so you've not experienced this grace and joy. If that's you and you want to receive the comfort and grace and forgiveness of God, this free gift that we receive by faith, pray with me right where you are: Dear Jesus, I recognize that I need you. I have not lived up to your perfect standard, but I thank you for your grace. I ask that you would come into my life, that you would save me from my sin, and help me to turn to you by faith and to walk with you from this day forward. In Jesus' name, amen.