Calming the Turmoil Within Text: John 14:1-14 Series: Gospel of John [#21] Pastor Lyle L. Wahl April 6, 2014 Introduction The children s book titled The Hating Book opens with a little girl saying I hate, hate, hated my friend. When I moved over in the school bus she sat somewhere else. When her point broke in arithmetic and I passed her my pencil, she took Peter s instead. Ask her, my mother said, ask your friend why. But I wouldn t, I couldn t, I d rather die. What if she would say, Oh, please just go away. You re ugly and dumb. Being with you was never fun. Oh, I hated my friend. After some more churning turmoil inside, the little girl finally decided to do what her mother suggested talk with her friend and ask her why. You ve been so rotten, she said. Why? She looked as though she d cry. It s you, she said. Last week when I wore my new dress, Sue said Jane said you said I looked like a freak. I did not! I said you looked neat! She looked straight at me for a while, and then we both began to smile. My friend said, Hey, maybe tomorrow we can play? Oh yes, I said, OKAY! I didn t hate her anyway. I wish it were tomorrow. 1 Little children, young people, adults we all know about churning, depressing, eve terrifying turmoil within. Whether someone else thinks it is minor or major, the turmoil can tear us apart. This morning we come to a part of John s gospel that is familiar to many of us, a scene that opens with the disciples in deep inner turmoil. Jesus shows them and us some steps to start calming the turmoil within. Setting the scene of the turmoil. Before we get to that, we need to set the scene for this turmoil. Last week we looked at extravagant worship from the first part of chapter 12 worshiping God with lavish, over the top love and devotion, humility and giving. The middle of the chapter recounts Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Pastor Jared will speak on that next week, which is Palm Sunday. In the last part of chapter 12 Jesus talks to His disciples about His death, His
leaving them, and that His soul has become troubled (27). For the last three years these twelve men had followed Jesus, believed in Him, looked forward to Him establishing His kingdom. Their world came crashing down on them and turmoil built up in them as they listened to Him tell them that He must be lifted up, or be crucified. They probably agreed with the crowds who said this doesn t make sense! The Messiah is to remain forever! In chapter 13 Jesus continues to prepare His disciples for His death as they share the Passover meal together. One of you will be betray Me, He told them. Imagine the shock and stomach churning that set off. But there was more. When Jesus tells them they cannot come now where He is going, Peter says Why not? I m ready to die for you. Jesus said, Really? Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning you will deny Me three times. How devastating those words must have been to Peter, and to all the disciples since Peter was the strong, bold one. Those are the last words before we read Jesus saying, Don t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me (NLT). The disciples were shocked, confused, worried, fearful. Jesus knew their troubled hearts, and so moves to give them some steps to start calming the turmoil within. Jesus knows our hearts, our trouble. His truth here will help us take steps to start calming the turmoil within. Steps to start calming the turmoil within. The first step is to trust in God, to personally, directly trust God in that turmoil. Verse 1. If you are looking at the pew Bibles it reads, Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me (NIV). Another version puts it this way, Don t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me (NCV). The sense seems to be Don t let your hearts go on being troubled; trust God the Father! Also trust Me! Be clear on what Jesus is not saying. He is not saying, I know this is tough, but smile, be happy! Nor is He saying You haven t really believed in me yet. Believe and all will be well. The disciples had placed their faith in Christ as the Messiah, as their Savior. Back in chapter 6 Peter told Jesus on behalf of the group, We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God (69, NIV). Yes, the disciples had taken that step. But now turmoil had crashed into their hearts, was settling in and taking control. Jesus names their problem. They are to recognize the turmoil and face it, not ignore or cave in to it. Jesus did not tell them to take it on with their own positive thinking or doubled efforts. The first thing they were to do was to trust God in their turmoil, to trust God for dealing with their turmoil. Jesus told them that since He is God they can trust Him just as they trust God the Father. Drop down to verse 7. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. Philip said, Lord, show us 2
the Father and that will be enough for us. 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? Don t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work (7-10, NIV). Philip, of course, knew that the one he was talking to was Jesus of Nazareth. He knew and believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Holy One of God. But Philip and the others did not know Jesus as fully they could have, and would after His resurrection. Philip with his troubled heart wanted to actually, physically see God the Father so they could be sure all would be right. As he and the rest realized that Jesus is God and all they needed to see, that they needed to trust Jesus and the Father, then they could move to experience God calming their troubled hearts. So what does that teach us when turmoil floods our hearts? First, make sure that you have placed your trust in Jesus as your Savior, and so you know your sins are forgiven, you are accepted by and know God. Jesus makes a clear statement on this, verse 6, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. We need this truth as people today say All you need is love, all you need is sincere faith in whatever you believe to be right with God. Follow your own path. We need this truth as people tell us we hope the Christian message is true but we cannot really know if it is or not. Again Jesus tells us, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. John wrote in another place, Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life (ESV). The disciples had already taken that step of trusting, relying on, believing in Jesus and Jesus alone not their background, good works or religion. Question: have you done that? If not, why not? If not, why not now? Then it teaches us to recognize and face the turmoil. When turmoil shows up, we might try to put it off. We might feel guilty and defeated, After all, Jesus says, Don t let your heart be troubled. Jesus is telling us to not let our hearts go on being troubled, to stay in a troubled state. So recognize it for what it is. Next we should consciously decide to trust in God to calm the turmoil, telling Him we are trusting Him in this, asking Him to give us His perfect peace that goes beyond our ability to understand, 2 asking Him to show us what to do, and then do it. Another step to calming the turmoil within is to trust God s promises to us. Go back up to verse 1. Do not let many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me 3
that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going (NIV). Jesus had told them He is leaving them, that is why they are in turmoil. Here He explains part of why it is better for them that He is going rather than staying: He is going so to prepare a place for them and He will come back and get them to be with Him. Jesus death and resurrection prepares their place with Him in heaven. Jesus death and resurrection prepares your place, my place with Him in heaven. What could be better than this? But what does that have to do with calming their present turmoil? First, Jesus assures them that He is not abandoning them. Then Jesus helps them take the long view, keep the end in view of being with Him forever to gain perspective and courage. We sometimes go through long periods and difficult circumstances because of what s at the end, the goal. People, including many here, choose to go through years of apprenticeship, technical school, university to reach the goal of having a trade of profession. In the Old Testament, Jacob worked hard for seven long years to gain the right to marry Rachel. But then her deceitful father substituted his older daughter. So, even though cheated, Jacob worked hard for seven more long years to marry Rachel. Fourteen years! 3 He did that with the end in view. The apostle Paul had the goal, the end in view when he wrote, I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (ESV). Keeping the end, the goal in view that God promises us will enable us to look to God, to trust Him and His promises, to see Him calm the turmoil within. A third step that Jesus gives to calm turmoil within is to pray. Drop down to verse 13. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it (13-14, NIV). Don t sit and fret. Don t rely on your own ideas and abilities. Pray! Pray regularly, consistently about it. 5 But, some ask, what about all the times I prayed for something and God didn t do what I asked Him to do? God does not give us all His truth about prayer or any subject in one place in the Bible. We have to combine the truth from across the pages of the Bible to find that truth, to find the whole picture. As we do that with prayer we see that, among other things, the Bible tells us that prayer is subject to the will of God. So His will rather than our own is to be our focus in prayer. The model prayer which Jesus gave says, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 6 Then John writes, This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 7 Then prayer must also be in line with the Word of God. In the next chapter of John s gospel Jesus tells us, If you abide in My, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (v. 7). God s never contradicts God s Word. So we are to 4
follow God s directions through Paul in Let the word of Christ richly dwell within us. 8 As well, prayer must be in the context of fellowship with God, and in obedience to Him. In chapter 15 again, If you abide [if you remain] in Me (v. 7). James tells us that The effective prayer of a righteous man [one living rightly with God] can accomplish much. 9 And one more for now is that prayer must flow from sincere faith. God tells us through James that when we pray for wisdom to know what to do, how to figure things out, we must ask in faith without any doubting. 10 God provides prayer to work in ways that we don t understand to calm the turmoil that rises in our hearts. Conclusion Long ago a man searched for the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied him, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. Many artists submitted paintings. When the day came to announce the winner many beautiful, peaceful scenes were on display. The second place and winning paintings were covered. A judge pulled the cover from the second place painting revealing a mirror-smooth lake that reflected lacy, green birches under the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed peacefully. Peace. The man who set up the contest uncovered the winning painting himself. The painting surprised the crowd. A turbulent waterfall crashed down a rocky cliff. The crowd could almost feel the water s cold spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. In all of that a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the turbulent waters. A little bird had built a nest on that branch. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she displayed peace that transcended all the turmoil around her. 12 We all have times when turmoil shows up and churns away. Jesus tells us Don t let your heart continue to be troubled. Don t let that trouble dominate your heart. Trust Me with that situation, to be your good Shepherd to guide and calm you. Come to Me, pray. I will give you My peace which goes beyond your ability to understand that will guard and keep your heart. 13 Thank God that He can and will calm the turmoil you experience. Bring yourself and whatever is churning inside you to Him now. 5
1 Charlotte Zolotow, Illustrated by Ben Shecter. The Hating Book. New York: HarperCollins, 1989. 2 Philippians 4:7. 3 Genesis 29:15-30. 4 Romans 8:18, ESV. 5 On continual prayer, for example, see Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17. 6 Matthew 5:10. 7 1 John 5:14-15. 8 Colossians 3:16. 9 James 5:16. 10 James 5:15. 11 James 1:6. 12 Adapted from Berit Kjos. A Wardrobe From the King: 8 Studies on the Armor of God. Wheaton, IL.: Victor Books, 1988, pages 45-46. 13 Philippians 4:7. 2014 Lyle L. Wahl Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NCV) taken from the New Century Version. Copyright 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 6