Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled
John 14: 1-14
Easter 5
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen. The sermon text for the fifth Sunday of Easter is the Gospel reading John 14. “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” These are the words of Jesus spoken to His disciples the day before He would die on the cross. On that night Jesus said that one of them would betray Him and that Peter would deny Him three times. He told them that He was going to leave them to go to the Father. At that point our Lord’s disciples knew that their lives were going to dramatically change. They were going to face great struggle and difficulty, and they knew that Jesus was going to depart from them. That is exactly what happened. The Lord Jesus died and rose from the dead and then forty days later ascended into heaven. The disciples did indeed find themselves visibly separated from the Lord. That is why Jesus told them before hand that they need not be troubled by this and that they can trust in Him. Our Lord assured them that He would be with them always and that they could call upon His name, and He would answer them. The disciples were comforted by the fact that Jesus would deliver them from this valley of tears and bring them to the place that He prepared for them in His Father’s house.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” These words of Jesus are also spoken to all of us. Like the disciples we have an idea of how we want our life to go. We think in terms of getting a good education, having a job that we like, getting married, having kids, living in a nice house, going on trips, and saving enough for retirement. We want our life to be successful and to have a positive impact upon others.
What we often find is that things don’t always go the way we want. Some us have a job that we don’t enjoy. Others want to get married but have not found the right person and thus remain single. Some have gotten married but tragically the marriage ended in divorce. There are those who can’t afford a house, don’t have enough money, or will have to continue to work long after they would like to.
Even if things have gone according to plan there is still the day-to-day struggles living in this fallen world. Tests have to be taken, bills have to be paid, repairs to the house have to be made, and obstacles that make our life harder are always getting in the way. Work needs to be put into marriage, children need to be discipled, and sacrifices have to be made. Health can become a concern at any time with sickness, pain, and serious medical problems. We face loneliness, disappointment, and guilt. And we have to live with the fact that we are getting older.
We experience the sadness of broken relationships and lost friends. We deal with our own failures and weaknesses, and struggle with our sins. And then there is death. We all have to face the death of loved ones. As time goes by, we will witness the death of our parents, our spouse, and sometimes even one of our children. And then of course we will also die.
That is why the words of Jesus our so wonderful to hear. They are words spoken to you. “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” As we listen to the words of our Lord, we are remined of the collect we prayed at the beginning of the service. “O God, you make the minds of your faithful to be of one will. Grant that we may love what you have commanded and desire what you promise, that among the many changes of this world our hearts may be fixed where true joys our found”.
True joy is only found in Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus describes Himself as the way and truth, and the life. Peter in our epistle reading calls Jesus the cornerstone. Before Stephen died, he was able to gaze into heaven and see the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
We look to the Lord Jesus and we trust in Him. We look to our Lord who died, rose, and ascended into heaven. We look to the Lord who will come again to judge all people. True joy is only found in the Lord who made us, redeemed us, and brought us into God’s eternal kingdom. Remember what He said. “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
As we wait to go to that place that Jesus has gone to prepare for us, we trust in Him. We call upon His Name in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. Again we go to the words of Jesus. “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” In other words we can call upon the name of the Lord and He will answer us according to His good and gracious will. We look to the Lord who is with us when we struggle, who comforts us, who guides us, and who is the source of our strength. We look to the Lord who blesses us and gives us eternal life.
Later in the service our five confirmands will confess their faith before God and this congregation. Many of you made the same confession at your Confirmation. They will acknowledge the gifts given to them at their Baptism. They will renounce the devil and all his works. They will confess their faith in the Triune God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They will confess that they will indeed hold to the Word of God and faithfully receive the Lord’s Supper. They will proclaim that they will, by the grace of God, live according to the will of God and to remain faithful to Him even to death. They will announce that they will remain steadfast in their confession even if it means suffering and death. They will confess their faith in Jesus by the grace of God.
To the confirmands: Your life is ahead of you. You will receive blessings and experience struggle. You will have accomplishments and disappointments. Your life’s plan will change and shift in unexpected ways. But know that the Lord remains with you. Hold on to His promises, call upon His Name, and remain in His Word. And remember always where true joy is to be found. It is in Jesus Christ the Lord. He has forgiven you and restored you. He has gone to prepare a place for you in His Father’s house. And He will return to bring you into His presence.
As you go and live your life remember the words of our Lord Jesus spoken to you and to all of us. “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” Amen.