A Cure for a Troubled Heart

John 14:1-3

¹Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

John 14:1-3 is like going to the Atlantic Ocean. When you take a dip, you hardly reach the surface. This passage is deep enough for scholars to dive in and never reach the bottom. Yet, it is shallow enough for babies to swim in and never drown. These words have visited more homes, hospitals, funeral homes, and cemeteries than any other passage in the Bible.

I have been a serious student of the Word now for about thirty-five years. I have spent major time in the Word. There are passages that are very dear to me that may not be dear to you. All of us have our favorite passage. There are passages that you can use once or twice; there are others you can use every now and then. Once in a while, you will run across a passage that seems to touch all. John 14:1-3 is such a scripture.

This passage seems to give you strength at the hour of weakness. It is like a pack of handkerchiefs; it dries tears. It is like an in-house surgeon; it mends broken hearts. This passage works when nothing else will work. It handles life. What a powerful piece these three verses are! They are power packed. They have great force behind them.

This passage is a head lifter. When other things seem to send you down stream, this passage will help you go upstream. It has a way of lifting heavy burdens. It has a way easing troubled minds. There is something in this passage that your medical doctor can't discover. There is something about this passage that you can get without money; that you can get without a price. You can be ignorant or you can be a professor, you can be rich or poor; learned or illiterate. It makes no difference because this passage will work for any person—regardless of race, creed or color.

A boy and his father were climbing up the side of a building. The father was at the twentieth story and the son wanted to climb up to his daddy. He got about half way up and looked down and became afraid. He said, "Daddy, I don't think I can make it. I'm nervous. It's too high." The father said to the son, "Stop looking down. Look up. If you look up, you can climb up. You can't climb up while looking down."

Have you been down? Are your burdens more than you can handle? You can't move up while looking down. Stop looking down! Lift up your head and see your help, which cometh from the Lord.

Our scriptural text opens with Jesus and His disciples sitting around a table. The disciples had just received bad news. It was time for Jesus to leave. He had been with them for over three years. He had been there to help with whatever their needs were. He was their supplier. If they were hungry, He supplied two fish and five loaves of bread. He fed everyone who followed Him and He rewarded the servants by giving them an extra basket. If His disciples ran into demons, He cast them out. If their mothers-in-law had fevers, He spoke a word and the fevers would flee. When they ran into a storm, He awakened out of a peaceful sleep, walked to the edge of the ship, said, "Peace be still" (Mark 4:39), and there was a great calm. Whatever their needs were, He could and would supply.

Jesus made the disciples look good because He lifted them up. When He found them, they were fishermen, farmers, tax collectors, publicans and sinners. He took nobodies and made somebody out of each of them.

Jesus majors in taking nothing and making something out of it. He lifts you up. Look at me, I was just a plowboy. He lifted me from behind a plow and sat me in the pulpit. He gives you sense. He takes the bend out of your back. He puts a smile on your face. He puts joy in your heart. He puts a glow in your eyes. He makes you feel like you are something. When someone says you are nothing, Jesus will shout, "You are a royal priesthood. You are a chosen generation. You are a peculiar people" (1 Peter 2:9). When others say you are nothing, He'll say, "You are my people, the sheep of my pasture (Psalm 100:3). When you feel like a nobody, Jesus makes you feel like you are really somebody.

It was time for Jesus to leave. The disciples heard that He was getting ready to go. He left a trail everywhere He went. He would make statements like:

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:32).

For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and on the third day he shall rise again (Luke 18:32-33).

Yet a little while I am with you and then I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come (John 7:33-34).

Jesus said, "One of you shall betray me." (John 13:21). They asked, "Who is it?" He looked at the one with his hand in the dish. Everyone who grins at you doesn't love you. Everyone that holds you doesn't mean you good. I have said many times that smiling faces tell lies.

I really don't understand why Judas would even attempt to sell out a man like Jesus and to sell him so cheap. Sometimes we've got a good thing and don't know it. Judas had a doctor, but had no idea he was sick. He was a sick man selling his only doctor for thirty pieces of silver.

We sell out God when we walk around with our heads down like we don't have a dime in the world after we have just told someone, "I'm a child of God and my Father is rich." We don't have to have anything, if we have a rich father. If your Daddy is rich and you know how to talk to Him, He will supply your needs. In Isaiah 40:31, He said:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.

David said, "Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread" (Psalm 37:25). Paul said, "But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

I receive fringe benefits for working for the Lord. When I am sick, He heals me. When I am down, He lifts me, when I am weak, He gives me strength. When I don't know my way, He's the way, the truth and the life. When I need someone to talk to, He's my walkie talkie.

The thing I love about talking to Him is I don't have to pay any long distance fees. I can talk to Him all day. And when I get tired of talking, I can leave the phone off the hook and come back and pick up where I stopped. For all this, I repay Him by simply saying, "Thank you, Jesus! Hallelujah! I praise Your holy name!"

The news of Jesus' leaving left the disciples upset, nervous and baffled. Jesus looked at them and saw them sitting around Him with their heads hung down. What was so amazing was that Jesus on the way to Calvary. There was a spear waiting for Jesus' side and a crown of thorns waiting for His head. He was the one who was going to be tortured, beaten and whipped until blood ran from his back. You would think that someone would have been encouraging Him. He turned to His disciples and said, "Let not your heart be troubled" (John 14:1).

God deals with the heart and the emotions of man. When our emotions get out of whack, nothing else works. If our hearts are messed up, we do not think straight. When our hearts get messed up, our feet do not move right, our ears do not hear right, and our hands do not work right. When our hearts are troubled, sleep will not come. We could have filet mignon and no desire to eat when we have a troubled heart. We might own a Rolls Royce and not feel like driving. We may have a big screen television in the house and not want to watch TV. We may have a phone in every room and not want to talk to anyone. We may have a newspaper in one hand and a Bible in the other, and not want to read. We may get on our knees and be unable to get a prayer through. Our friends may want to talk, but we don't want to talk to anyone because of a troubled heart.

We can buy medicine over the counter for everything but a troubled heart. We can get aspirin for a headache, Doans' Pills for a backache and Rolaids for gas. But when it comes to the heart, we cannot find anything over the counter. We can go to the doctor and he will send us home unable to find anything wrong, but we know we are hurting somewhere.

In Revelation 3:20, God said, "Behold I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him." If you are strung out on drugs, people can't help you if you won't let them. You may be in church with the Word going forth, but the Word will do you no good, if you do not let it work on you on the inside.

When people are hurting, they should remember at least three things. First, don't curse whatever you are hurting over because when you curse it, you will get angry. When you get angry at something, it lingers. Secondly, don't nurse it. If you nurse it, you become attached to it. That's why it is difficult to get nursing babies out of the house. They become so attached to their mamas that a babysitter can't keep them. They know the babysitter doesn't have what mama has. Thirdly, don't rehearse it. When you rehearse something, it's like scratching a scab off of a wound that is healing; it just makes it start bleeding all over again.

Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled" (John 14:1). We must admit, there is a lot around that can trouble us. We would have to be almost blind not to see the things that trouble us. Everywhere we look, there are strange things going on. We hear strange things and we dream about strange things. If you believe in God, do not let your heart be troubled. The word believe comes from the word meaning "trust."

I like the way an old preacher described how God works. He said God came from nowhere, stood on a platform of nothing, reached back through nowhere, caught something while standing on nothing, slung it into existence, and the sun started shining, the moon started glowing and the stars began to glitter. The preacher said that God painted the sky blue without using a stepladder, took an eternal brush and painted a rainbow in the sky, and then took the rainbow and threw it over the shoulder of a dying storm. God gave the hyena its laugh, the dog its bark, the worm its wiggle and the bee its buzz. He tied a bow tie around the turkey's neck. He whispered into the ears of the wild geese, told them when to leave the north pole, and then gave them landing rights down south. He put stripes on the zebra, spots on the leopard and taught the kangaroo how to hop. One day He walked down to the middle of nowhere and spoke heaven and earth into existence. Every time He spoke, something happened.

We trust God so much that we don't look at the ground to see if it will hold us. We simply walk on it. We build our homes and factories on the ground. We don't worry about running out of food; we just continue going to the market pulling it off the shelf. While we're pulling it off the shelf, God is restocking. Like restocking the shelves in the store, He restocks our strength. At the end of the day, we wonder how we made it. We are tired and worn out, but early in the morning, when we get up with new strength, we can make another day.

Jesus said if you believe in the Father, if you trust your heavenly Father, then you should trust Me. Jesus was saying He is as much God as the Father is. He said, "I'm the only one you know who is as old as his daddy. I'm older than my mother." He said, "Ye believe in God, believe also in me" (John 14:1).

John 14:2 says, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." Here, heaven is called a house, but heaven is also called a city. In the Bible, heaven is called a country, a kingdom and a paradise. It is called a country because of its vastness; a city because of its huge population; a kingdom because it is in order; and a paradise because it is a place to rejoice.

Jesus told the disciples that He was going away. If I had been there, I would have asked Him where He was going.

"Are you on your way to Bethlehem?"

"I've already been there."

"Are you on your way to Galilee?"

"I've been there."

"Are you going to Jordan River?"

"I was baptized there."

"Are you going to Nazareth?"

"That's where I came from."

"Are you going to Bethany?"

"I've already healed Lazarus."

"Tell me where you're going."

"I'm on my way to a city called heaven and I have children who are on their way there too. I'm going to prepare a place for them."

Is that good news? Is it good news to know that one day we will be there? Isn't it good news to know that one of these days we will all be in that city where wickedness will cease from causing trouble, where the weary will be at rest, and where every day will be Sunday and the Sabbath will have no end?

Some people say, "When I get ready to go, I'm going to walk right in and sit right down." Others say, "I'm going by way of chariot." Someone says, "I'm going on the morning train because the evening train might be too late." Someone else says, "I'm going to catch a flight, fly away and be at rest." I'm going by way of the ship called the Old Ship of Zion. I like the ship because Jesus is the captain.

Notice God said, "I'm going away to prepare a place for you, and if I go, I will come back again." Now, there are some things the Lord does and other things He will send folks to do. When He was ready to lead Israel out of Egypt, He sent Moses. When He was ready for Israel to march across Jordan, He sent Joshua. When He was ready to build His temple, He sent Solomon. When He wanted a man with a vision, He sent Isaiah. When He wanted us to have patience, He sent Job. When He wanted us to be baptized, He sent John the Baptist. When He needed a preacher, He sent Paul.

When He was ready to save mankind, He said, "This job is too big for them. I don't won't to send Moses because he may get angry before he gets to the last saint. I don't want to send Solomon because a pretty woman might get his attention. I don't want to send David because David's too busy blowing his horn. I have to go myself." He said, "I'll come again and receive you" (John 14:3). Isn't that good news? That is good news because one of these days—I don't know when or where—He's coming back.

I'm reminded of a young man who was in a war. He stepped on a mine that blew off part of his body. When he came home, half his face was gone, one of his legs had been blown off and part of his arm was gone. Before he went into the service he was a beautiful, handsome young man, but when returned, his family couldn't stand to look at him. When he walked in, they walked out. They didn't spend any time with him. He embarrassed them. They wouldn't let any friends come over.

One day, the young man said, "Mama, Daddy, and Brother, sit down. You have been ignoring me. I'm glad to be here and you act like you don't want me around. Tell me what's going on?" They said, "Well son, we're embarrassed that half of your face is gone, part of one arm is gone, and you have only one leg. We don't know how you can stand it yourself." The young man said, "Is that what's wrong with you? Let me tell you what happened. When I stepped on a mine, I thought it was all over for me. I was lying there drowning in my grief, but a light came from heaven and a voice came down, saying 'Son, I saved you and I kept you. One of these days, I'm going to give you another arm. One of these days, I'm going to give you another leg. One of these days, you will have a brand new face.'"

Have you ever been down so low that you couldn't tell anyone? Have you ever wanted to talk, but your mouth wouldn't open? Have you ever been in a situation where it felt like your heart was being turned one way and then another? I will let you in on a secret: Hold on a little while longer, help is surely on the way. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psalm 30:5). I dare you to hold on! It may get dark in your room, but Jesus will be a light along your pathway. If you are broke, don't worry about it. He has money for you. If your family walked away, hold on. He will be your mother, your father, you're your sister and your brother.

Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled" (John 14:1). You do not have to go through life with your heart heavy with worry, hurt, sorrow or fear. You do not have to walk around feeling all alone. You do not have to carry your burdens all by yourself. You have a heavenly Father who cares about everything that happens to you. Your Father has many mansions and your Brother is preparing a room in one of those mansions just for you. I know this is true because Jesus said, "If it were not so, I would have told you" (John 14:2). Some day, you will be running around with Jesus in your Father's mansion.

Don't let your heart be troubled. Let it be full of joy. Jesus said, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11). Don't let your heart be troubled. Let it be filled with peace. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). Jesus came to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death; to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:79). It may be dark right now, but joy is coming in the morning. You don't have to wait until morning to shout. You can sing right now: "This joy that I have, the world didn't give it to me. The world didn't give it and the world can't take it away."

—Cure for a Troubled Heart, A