God's Answer to Troubled Hearts (John 14:1-14) (2025/02/20)

God's Answer to Troubled Hearts (John 14:1-14) Living Life 2025/02/20 Daily Devotional Bible Study

 

God's Answer to Troubled Hearts

 

 

It's always interesting for me to hear what my children are doing.

You know sometimes they're off skiing but like my son this coming weekend he'll be up in a place here in California called Mammoth Mountain and it's it's a favorite ski place.

n fact it was the place his mother and myself took Scott to be able to learn to ski 

and he's going up with some friends up into the Mammoth area this weekend.

So entertainment and events like that.

Now my daughter 

her husband they live in the Washington area and they have with some friends gotten together and they would go to a place that has escape rooms.

I don't know if you're familiar with that 

but what they do is they have aimed that they go in and they need to discover the ways to get out of the room 

you know to escape from the room 

and and what that room is filled with all sorts of little nicknecks and boxes and Chester drawers and things that will have CLUES in it to lead them along to the answer on how you get out.

And that's one of the fun things that they do for entertainment.

Oh I'm I'm John Smeiser and

it's good to be with you. Again it's always a joy to share God's word through living life.
And I thank you for being those who are faithful to CGN TV 

and support not only by your gifts and ties but also by your being part of the people who receive the messages 

and they have a great desire to share God's word with you.

And let's listen to day as God's word. John Fourteen will be read for us

 

 

God's Answer to Troubled Hearts

 

 

God's Answer to Troubled Hearts

 

John Chapter Fourteen Verses 1 to Fourteen

1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"     6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

 

 

as we see here in this passage it opens up

with Do not let your hearts be troubled

Christ talking to his disciples You're familiar with where they're at now because you've been studying along It's in the upper room see this is called this portion of Scripture 13 and 14 is called the Upper room discourse.

And so in this room 

Christ is going to share some important messages for the disciples in their ongoing ministry of life.

And one of the challenges he starts off with here in verse one is

Do not let your hearts be troubled 

Folks I must tell you there's things that trouble me 

things that are external you know like political issues world events catastrophes 

wars and rumors of war all those things trouble me 

but then there's those things internally that trouble me.

I know you're aware I'm getting older and so some of the body functions and the issues of getting older are sometimes troubling.

I wonder what it might be that you're troubled by.

It might be relationships it might be work 

I don't know where it is 

but here it is You know Jesus in the discourse is gonna start off and say 

do not let your hearts be troubled 

Don't do that 

and what's the reason you believe in God?

Believe also in me. 

Now you're familiar with this portion as it's been read for us 

and he lays out areas of life and death that we don't need to worry about.

You know the unknown things that we have day to day but the unknown things of are the end of our life.

Those are sometimes very troubling. And Jesus in this passage talks about don't don't let it cause you to be troubled.

And down in verse three and it says 

Oh He says let's do verse two It says at my father's house there's many rooms for not so I would have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you.

And if I go verse three and prepare a place for you I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

One day in my life I expect to hear a voice John

John Come on up your place is ready 

and I'm looking forward to that that I'll be in the presence of God that I don't have to be troubled by all of the circumstances of earthly life.

And this is the promise that he gives us he's going to prepare a place for us.

Now I love this next a little bit here when Jesus was questioned about by Thomas about well we don't know where you're going or how to get there.

And Jesus and I listened to a pastor just recently say this is the most uneccepted statement in today's world.

What 

what do you mean? It's an unacceptable statement it says Jesus answered 

I am the way the truth and the life.

No one comes to the father except through me.

See in our culture today there's oh you have to be tolerant you have to accept everything.

And here as a follower of Jesus I'm pretty pretty committed that Jesus is the only way.

Now quite often you'll ask me 

well well how can that be?

Because

what about the people that never heard the name of Jesus in the Old Testament?

Or how about the people who have never heard the name of Jesus who live in the rural areas or the jungles of our present day world?

They haven't heard the name of Jesus so how can they be required?

I am the way the truth and the life no one comes the father but by me.

Well folks there's gonna be Adam 

I believe is gonna be in heaven 

Abraham Isaac and Jacob I believe is gonna be there 

and I believe that even President Carter who just passed away is gonna be there.

Now the former people that I spoke of may not have known the name of Jesus.

President Carter did he followed he taught he was a Sunday school teacher in the South and he knew that Jesus was the only way.

But the Pigmy in Africa that may not have heard the name of Jesus or the native Cannibal in Papa New Guinea
As their lives are changed in missionary share or they live 

the life they will go to heaven in a relationship with God through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross 

and he is the only way even though they don't know the name of Jesus 

in their hearts God has written his law and do they accept it?
Do they believe it? In Romans Chapter two verses fourteen 

and fifteen it talks about those whose conscience that inward
nudging of the Holy spirit in their life either to follow the things that are written on their hearts or not that's how it's Jesus in the work he did on the cross that makes it possible for them to go to heaven.

 

 

 

 

The last three verses in today's passage are very important.

Here in verse twelve it says Fairly very truly I tell you whoever believes in me 

will do the works I have been doing and they will do even greater 

greater things because I am going to the father and I will do whatever you ask in my name 

in my name when I consider what I pray for how I speak to people 

I'm like an embassador speaking in the name of Jesus.

What is it he would have be said to this person

what encouragement 

what advice it's the things that he would say 

that's my desire to speak to them 

in his name is according to his will and according to his desire for each of our lives that's how we pray in Jesus' name.

Let's pray 

 

 

Lord God we thank you 
that in your name, in your plan in the way that you have us designed to move and be here on Earth 
as ministers, as messengers, as EM ambassadors of the good news.
Lord, may we be following you?
May we consider? It's not about our abilities
it's the abilities you may have given us that we use for your glory.
So Father, we thank you that you've promised that there's a place for us and when it's ready, you'll come and take us to be with yourself.
Father, I pray you would bless those who listen to day and put into practice these very things you've given to the disciples in the upper room in your precious name.
Amen.