Let not your Hearts be Troubled—Jesus Reveals Surprising Things about the Father

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Speaker: 
Andrew Fountain
Date: 
Sun, 2020-03-01
  • As he faces the most horrific death that any human faced, Jesus feelings are instead for his disciples, deeply caring for them.
  • But what is even more surprising is that in this act of selfless empathy, Jesus is revealing to us the heart of the Father.
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Sermon Outline - Let not your Hearts be Troubled—Jesus Reveals Surprising Things about the Father

View or download the handout of the structure of the passage here.

John 14 – Let not your Hearts be Troubled

  1. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.
  2. In my Father’s house are many rooms. Otherwise, I would have told you,
because I am going away to make ready a place for you.
  1. And if I go and make ready a place for you,
I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be too.
  1. And you know the way where I am going.”
  2. Thomas said, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
  3. Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
  4. If you have known me, you will know my Father too.
And from now on you do know him and have seen him.”
  1. Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content.”
  2. Jesus replied, “I’ve been with you so long and you still don’t know me Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father!
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
  1. Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me?
The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative,
but the Father dwelling in me performs his works.
  1. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me,
    but if you do not believe me, believe because of the works themselves.
  2. I tell you the truth, the person who believes in me will perform the works that I am doing,
    and will perform greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
  3. And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
  4. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Translation by Andrew Fountain

Goal:

  • To take in the care and empathy of Jesus
  • To feel empowered by the relationship we have with the Father

Plan for today

  1. Let not your heart be troubled
  2. Actually getting a glimpse of God himself
  3. Another (exciting) reason not to be troubled
  4. What Jesus is saying to us

Structure of John

1–12
”Book of Signs” 		13–21
”Book of Glory”

John 13–21 “Book of Glory”

13 A meal with the disciples

14–17 New Teaching
      from Jesus
      to the disciples
18–20 Arrest
      Crucifixion
      Resurrection

21 A meal with the disciples

Last Time: John 13 - A meal with the disciples

Summary of
”the Book of Glory”

  1. Just before the Passover Feast
    Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father.
    Having loved his own who were in the world,
    to the end he loved them.

John 14–17

  1. Let not your heart be troubled
  2. If you show me love (follow my teaching), then I promise you the Spirit
  3. You only have strength to do this if you are joined to the vine
  4. You are connected to the vine by loving one another as I loved you
  5. Hate, the opposite of love
  6. The Spirit of truth is coming and will guide you into all truth
  7. In a little while (This hurt will hurt no more) Sorrow→Joy
  • Jesus commits the diciples to the Father in prayer

Three other times “troubled’ is used

  • 11:33. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the people who had come with her weeping, he was troubled in spirit and greatly distressed.
  • 12:27. “Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say? Father, deliver me from this hour’? No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour.
  • 13:21. After saying these things, Jesus was greatly and visibly troubled in spirit, and testified, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”

The heart of God

  • God values unselfishness because he is unselfish
  • God puts the needs of those he loves before his own needs

Thomas à Kempis 1380–1471

“Follow thou me. I am the way and the truth and the life. Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living. I am the way which thou must follow; the truth which thou must believe; the life for which thou must hope. I am the inviolable way; the infallible truth, the never-ending life. I am the straightest way; the sovereign truth; life true, life blessed, life uncreated”

Plan for today

  1. Let not your heart be troubled
  2. Actually getting a glimpse of God himself
  3. Another (exciting) reason not to be troubled
  4. What Jesus is saying to us

What Jesus is saying to us

  • Believe v1, 10, 11 & 12
    • Jesus never expects anyone to make a “leap of faith”, simply trusting with no evidence
    • That is a modern misunderstanding about faith.
  • Jesus says—look at the evidence. It’s fine to want evidence.
    • God has designed our brains to be rational—he doesn’t want us to suddenly become irrational when we become Christians
    • Jesus wants to comfort them and says “look at all the stuff you have seen with your own eyes!”
      • That is pretty good evidence that I have God’s power in me!
    • So I urge you, if you are not a Christian, then look at the evidence!

Goal:

  • To take in the care and empathy of Jesus
  • To feel empowered by the relationship we have with the Father
  • Jesus wants to speak to you in three ways

Troubled Heart?

  • Your name is already on the door, right next to Jesus
  • The Father is like Jesus: gentle, compassionate and unselfish.
    Determined to root out hate and injustice
    He is not a critical parent!
  • You have a mission! Greater works that Jesus.
    God is with you as you do this.

Updated on 2020-03-01 by Andrew Fountain