October 8, 2017 Dr. Jim Cecy Dining With Jesus: Lessons from the Upper Room “The Remedy for a Troubled Heart” (John 14:1-6) Introduction: As we come to Chapter 14 we are presented with the tender heart of Christ as He comforts us in all our afflictions, reminds us of our heavenly abode, declares who He His and His ultimate purpose for coming and as He provides the ultimate relief from the pains of life this earth offers. “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 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. And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

I. The Human Condition Job 5:7 “…man is born to trouble as sparks fly upward.” John 14:1a “Do not let your heart be troubled…” John 14:1a Jesus, the fully human Son of Man, is very well aware of the human condition. He is the Suffering Messiah who was fully acquainted with pain and grief. We have a sympathetic High Priest in Jesus Christ, One who understands the full spectrum of human pain!

II. The Heavenly Cure John 14:1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” Command #1 “Do not let your heart be troubled…” (John 14:1a) “You are going to have trouble this side of heaven. Don’t let it destroy your heart! Let your heart be at ease.” Command #2 “Believe in God…” (John 14:1b) If we want to handle life’s challenges we need to “keep on believing...keep on trusting…keep on placing our confidence in God (i.e. the God of the Bible...” “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth…” (First line of the Apostle’s Creed) Command #3. “…believe also in Me (Christ)…” (John 14:1c) In the same way that we need to have in our hearts detailed information about the character of God the Father, if we want to keep our hearts healthy in the midst of trials, we must also place our continuing faith, confidence and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. #1. How big is our God? #2. How great is our Savior?

III. The Holy Confidence John 14:2-4 “In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 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. And you know the way where I am going.” Promise #1: We have the assurance of living with the Father in Heaven John 14:2 “In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” Troubled people aren’t looking for beautiful mansions; hey are looking for heavenly rest! I Corinthians 2:9 “Eye hath not see, nor hath ear heard all that the Father has in store for those who love Him.” John 14:2 “In My Father's house are MANY dwelling places” (Folks, there’s room in the Inn!) John 14: 2 “…if it were not so I would have told you..” Promise #2: We can expect the return of Jesus for His followers John 14:3 “If I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to Myself…” Promise #3: We will have fellowship with Jesus for eternity in Glory John 14:3 “…where I am, there you may be also.” There is no better definition of heaven than “the place where Jesus is.”

Promise #4: We have been given the knowledge of the road to salvation today John 14:4 “And you know the way where I am going.” know = “oida” = intuitive knowledge — confirmed in their hearts by the Holy Spirit of God. .

IV. The Human Confusion John 14:5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” The world says: “The WAY cannot be known. TRUTH cannot be comprehended. LIFE after death cannot be guaranteed.”

V. The Healing Christ John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” 1. “I AM the way…” Jesus is the way to eternal life in heaven, the road to joy and fulfillment on earth and the journey to peace with God in our hearts 2. “I AM...the truth” In AD 30 Pontius Pile exclaimed, “What is truth?” (cf. John 18). One modern philosopher spoke of truth as “the scarcest commodity in the universe.” Jesus is not saying “I know the truth” nor is He just saying “I can lead you to the truth.” He is saying “I am the truth.” — the ultimate reality, the bureau of standards by which all truth is measured, the ultimate revelation of the truth of God to man and the final authority on all matters that trouble your human hearts. I don't just know the answer. I am the answer!” -We can know the truth and the truth can set us free. (John 8:32) -When Christ makes us free w will be free indeed (John 8:36) 3. “I AM...the life” • “I AM the One who gives you quality of life (John 1:14) • “I AM the One who gives you eternal life (John 3:16) • “I AM the One who gives you abundant life (John 10:10) • “I AM also the Creator—the One who gives you biological life (Col. 1:15-17) Jesus Christ is not just the source of life; He is LIFE itself. When we trust in Him we are born-again (John 3:16), walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4), and become brand new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17) “The WAY can be known…the TRUTH can be understood…LIFE can be experienced…BECAUSE…I AM the way, the truth and the life. To know Me is to know the WAY to heaven. To know Me is to know the TRUTH on earth. To know Me is to know abundant LIFE forever. And there is absolutely no other way... John 14:6b “...no one comes to the Father but through Me” Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation IN NO ONE ELSE; for there is NO OTHER name under heaven that has been `given among men, by which we must be saved.” I Timothy 1:5 “For there is one God and ONE mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus...”

Conclusion: It is in these times of trouble where the condition of our faith truly shows. One cynical philosopher once said, “You scratch a Christian and you will find a pagan.” So what can you know for sure? Why not make sure today!

Discussion Questions: 1. What are the things that trouble your heart the most? 2. How does your belief in God help you face those challenges? 3. How do the promises of eternal life with the Father, the return of Jesus to the earth, fellowship with Jesus in glory and the knowledge of the way to salvation today encourage your faith? 4. Why do people have difficulty accepting that faith in Jesus Christ alone is the only way to a right relationship to the Heavenly Father? 5. What did you learn most from this passage?

© 2017 Dr. James M. Cecy, Campus Bible Church, Fresno, CA 93726 | www.campusbiblechurch.com