We Give Comfort

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)

God has comforted us through the gospel—and He gives us that comfort to give away to a troubled world.

From Triumphal Entry to a Somber Upper Room

When you first read through Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the triumphal entry seems like the pinnacle of the gospel. Jesus comes down the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem, with the temple as the most prominent feature of the city. He rides a donkey, surrounded by multitudes who have returned for Passover. They sing from Psalm 118, "Hosanna"—save now—"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," laying palm branches before Him.

His twelve disciples surely thought, this is it. This is what the prophets foretold for centuries. He is the Messiah, He will be crowned King in Jerusalem, and He will establish His kingdom. We will be right there at His right hand. No doubt they imagined themselves as His cabinet—James and John pushing for secretary of defense, Matthew the tax collector thinking secretary of the Treasury, Peter perhaps prime minister. After all, they had been arguing on the way about who would be greatest. 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, gathered with only the twelve for the Passover meal, the tune changes drastically—from celebratory to somber. In John 13, in the midst of all that anticipation, He says, "Most assuredly I say to you, one of you will betray Me." That was like a bomb in the room. So shocked were they that they began asking among themselves, "Is it I?"

Then He says, "Where I am 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." They understood He was speaking of His death—we know this because Peter responds, "Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake" (John 13:37). As zealous as Peter was, Jesus turned to him: "Most assuredly I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times" (John 13:38). In Matthew 26 He says to them all, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night."

The last half of John 13 is a somber, discomforting passage. Thankfully the story doesn't stop there. It would be a bummer if, after telling Peter he'd deny Him before sunrise, Jesus simply said, "All right, guys, let's go." But of course it continues.

Faith in Jesus Dispels Fear

After bringing this distressing word, Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled." That word for troubled carries the idea of being shaken and tossed about—don't allow yourself to be shaken up. That's easier said than done. Have you ever had a near-accident on the freeway, the adrenaline surging, and someone says, "Just calm down"? Physiology takes over. Jesus had just pushed His closest men into instant anxiety—and then says, "Don't be troubled."

But He doesn't stop there: "You believe in God, believe also in Me." Faith in Jesus dispels fear. Here is the important part: this faith is not a one-time, past-tense belief. Many of you can look back to a day, time, and place when you believed—perhaps at a service, an outreach, or through a friend. I put my faith in Jesus very young and don't remember an exact moment. Either way, since that time you've experienced anxiety and fear. Does that mean your faith wasn't real or strong enough?

No—because the wording Jesus uses makes clear this is a faith that is active and present-tense. It is something I reaffirm and activate right now: I believe in Christ. So when a troubling situation comes—and it will; no one is exempt, and anyone who says Christians don't experience trouble hasn't read or understood the Bible—we reaffirm our faith in that moment. And what does that statement mean? It means you believe in Christ who is alive and 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.

Activating Faith Through Prayer

How do we activate that faith? Scripture suggests one way is prayer. Paul writes:

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. (Philippians 4:6-7)

"Be anxious for nothing" is a command. Supplication simply means a request for supply. 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, that He's sovereign and has a plan. Yet in my walk with Jesus, He has never come in a still small voice during a crisis to explain, "Don't worry, in six months this works out this way." I'd like it if He did, but that hasn't happened. What I have found is that when I reaffirm my faith in the living Lord, bring my requests with thanksgiving, and remember His consistent faithfulness, His peace—which surpasses my understanding—guards my mind and heart. Onlookers say, "I don't understand how you're doing this," and you say, "Neither do I, but God has given me His peace." Those who don't know that peace cannot understand it, and that makes it a powerful witness.

Hope of Heaven Brings Comfort

What does Jesus tell them to believe? "In My Father's house are many mansions"—many dwelling places, many rooms. There is room for you in My Father's house. "I go to prepare a place for you... I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." Hope of heaven brings comfort. When we reaffirm our faith and remember that He is alive, in heaven, preparing a place for us, there comes a peace and comfort from God.

Paul speaks similar words in 1 Thessalonians 4:

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... 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. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

There are many interpretations of this passage regarding the rapture and the second coming, and we don't have time for them all. But the main sense is plain: first, those who died 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 those who remain to be with Him and those who have died. Fourth, once with the Lord, we are with Him and one another forever. So Paul concludes, "Comfort one another with these words." This is good news—and good news in the Bible sense is gospel.

The Gospel Is the Way of Comfort and Hope

Jesus says in verse 4, "And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas replies, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" A good question—and I'm glad he asked it. I imagine Jesus grinned and said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

The gospel leads us into the way of comfort and hope. If you lack hope and comfort, I have good news: it is available through Jesus Christ. He died for our sin—all our failures to live according to God's righteous and perfect standard. He was buried and rose again three days later, and His resurrection proves His death was enough to deal with all our sin 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." This biblical hope is not wishful thinking—not buying a Powerball ticket and hoping to win—it is absolute certainty.

Is the Only Way Narrow-Minded?

Some struggle with John 14:6. A recent Pew Research study found that twenty-three percent of Americans now claim no religious affiliation—the "nones." Many in that group dislike Jesus' exclusive claim. A coworker or family member may honestly ask, "Do you really believe Jesus is the only way to heaven? That sounds so narrow-minded."

Well, Jesus did say, "Narrow is the way." But consider: if it is true that there's only one way, is it narrow-minded to say so? Wouldn't it actually be loving and gracious to tell you the only path? Anyone could claim to be the only way; the question is whether they can back it up. Jesus says He's the only way from this life to the next—and then dies on a cross and rises from the dead, seen by more than five hundred witnesses, the better part of whom went to their own deaths, crucified, burned, disemboweled, thrown to wild beasts, never recanting. The tomb is empty. If anyone has credibility to make such a claim, He does.

He made seven dynamic "I am" statements in John—the door, the gate, the bread of life, the living water, the resurrection and the life—all pointing to one truth: I am the only way. People were shocked and upset. To the woman whose brother died He said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live" (John 11:25). Anyone could utter those words, but He substantiated them by dying and rising—and He foretold it, telling His disciples repeatedly He would be crucified and rise the third day. And He did.

The Abiding Comfort of the Spirit

But there's more. In John 14:16, Jesus says, "I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Helper"—the King James says Comforter—"that He may abide with you forever." By the gospel we have the abiding comfort of the Spirit. This is a classic text for the doctrine of the Trinity: one God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. While no single verse states the word "Trinity," passages like this imply it. Here the Son prays to the Father, who 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" (v. 17).

What an awesome promise. The trouble and crisis we experience in this world is merely temporal, and something greater waits with God in heaven. And not only do we have a promise to hold in our hearts—we have the abiding presence of His Spirit, who is with us and dwells in us. If you are a Christian today, the Holy Spirit of God dwells in you—the Spirit of truth, the Helper, the Comforter.

The Promise of His Return

"I will not leave you orphans," Jesus says in verse 18. "I will come to you." In Christ we have the promise of His return. He has promised to prepare a place, to give us His abiding Spirit, and not to leave us alone but to come back for us. 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 begins with "Let not your heart be troubled" (v. 1) and returns to it (v. 27). Between those bookends lie all the promises that lead us into this peace, grace, and comfort. Because of His grace through the gospel, we have received hope, comfort, and the abiding presence of God by the Holy Spirit.

We Give Comfort Because We Have Been Comforted

So what should we do with this peace, grace, and comfort? Paul writes:

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. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

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 return to receive us forever. Therefore, having been comforted, we are to comfort others—and I suggest we do so by the truth of the gospel.

There are countless troubled people in a broken world: at your work, your school, next door, in your family—living without hope. But if you follow Jesus, you have absolute certainty that He will come and receive you. We have received His comforting grace to give it to others. In this series, "We Give," we've considered giving thanks and giving mercy; today we give comfort, because we have been comforted by God.

Among all the gifts, cards, and good food you'll give this season, the greatest thing you have to give—if you follow Jesus—is the comfort of the gospel of grace. Every week brings opportunities to meet hurting people in distressing situations, and there is no better moment to share His goodness. "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." That hope of eternity brings rest, peace, and joy even through our trials. So this Christmas, if you have experienced His comfort, give it out freely—you have freely received; freely give.

Closing Prayer

Father God, I thank You for Your grace, this great gift we are reminded of every Christmas—the gift of Your Son. We thank You that You came not to condemn the world but that the world through You might be saved. Lord, I pray that this 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.

It may be that some here this morning don't know this comfort, who haven't yet put their trust in Jesus and so haven't experienced this grace, comfort, and joy. If that's you and you want to receive the comfort and grace of God for salvation—a free gift received by faith—would you pray with me 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, save me from my sin, and help me to turn to You by faith and walk with You from this day forward. In Jesus' name, amen.