The Antidote to Anxiety

Well, we'll begin our time in God's Word this morning by reading our passage, and it comes from the Gospel of John, chapter 14.

John 14 · chapter mention

If you have your Bible with you, you can open it up. We'll be reading the first six verses.

The Gospel of John, chapter 14, verses 1 to 6. This is Jesus talking.

John 14:1–6

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in me.

My Father's house has 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, that you also may be where I am.

You know the way to the place where I am going.

Thomas said to him, Lord, we don't know where you're going, so how can we know the way?

Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

Many of these words of Jesus are quite familiar to us.

Some of them are often quoted or found in devotionals, such as verse 1.

Do not let your hearts be troubled.

Believe in God. Believe also in me.

Some of them are found in songs, such as verse 2.

My Father's house has many rooms, or as the old King James says, mansions.

If that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?

And some of these words are known to be among Jesus' greatest claims.

Verse 6.

I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

So if you've been following Jesus for a while now, you probably know these words quite well.

These words are all somewhat direct and straightforward.

And so often when we read them, we imagine Jesus speaking them right to us.

But I wonder sometimes if we have taken the time to reflect on how these words hit the men

that were seated around the table that night with Jesus.

It's the night of Jesus' betrayal.

The Passover meal has just been served.

The bread and the cup passed around.

Judas has already left the building.

And Jesus is giving his last words to his disciples before his arrest and execution.

There's been kind of an ominous tone to this night so far.

Jesus has been quite troubled, we heard earlier.

He's been speaking about his betrayal.

He's been hinting at his death through this symbolic gesture with bread and with cup.

And just now he has told them right before this, which we heard last week or a week before,

he will be with them only a little while longer.

He's about to go somewhere that they cannot follow him.

So I want you to imagine this morning that you are one of the disciples seated around the table with Jesus this night,

seeing and hearing these things.

What are you thinking?

Perhaps you're thinking,

what's going on here?

What are you talking about, Jesus?

Why are you so troubled?

A traitor among us?

Who?

You're leaving us?

When?

Like tonight?

Tomorrow?

Surely not while we're here in Jerusalem.

With all that's going on,

the disciples were deeply troubled that night.

Probably they were quite anxious,

having no clear picture about how things were going to unfold,

what was coming next.

And usually when trouble arose,

Jesus was their emotional rock.

I think about that time when there was a storm out on the Sea of Galilee

and Jesus was sleeping in the boat.

That was kind of a picture of how Jesus often was in the midst of trouble with his disciples.

He was calm.

He was cool.

He was collected.

Seemingly unbothered by the threats and the plots of the religious leaders.

As fearless as a man can be.

And he was always encouraging them.

But now even Jesus seems deeply troubled.

So if I'm sitting at the table with Jesus

and he's troubled,

I'm starting to feel a little unsettled.

And now you're telling us, Jesus, that you're going away?

You're leaving us all on our own?

Well, Jesus sees the anxiety and the unsettledness in their hearts.

He can read the confusion and the distress in their faces.

So he looks around the table

and he says these words,

Do not let your hearts be troubled.

Now, if that was all Jesus said,

these words might feel kind of cliche,

maybe a little empty.

I mean, how many of you have been in a situation

where somebody saw that you were worried

and they just kind of said to you,

Don't worry about it.

Just stop worrying.

Don't worry.

I mean, those words by themselves,

they don't really help a whole lot.

Whenever we hear that,

we're kind of waiting to hear

what the person's going to say next.

Like, why shouldn't I worry?

Do you have some good news for me?

Is there something you see in this situation

or understand about it that I don't?

Maybe you've got some timely wisdom

or encouragement for me.

I mean, I'm feeling anxious about things.

And oftentimes when we feel anxious,

it seems, to us at least,

that we're anxious for good reason.

So there's got to be more here than just,

Well, don't let your hearts be troubled.

Jesus isn't just saying,

Stop feeling that way.

It's not good.

It's bad for you.

There's got to be more.

What truth will Jesus speak

to put our hearts at rest?

To give us deep, inward peace

instead of anxiety

in the midst of this storm that's brewing?

Well, one of the things we often hear

from other people is,

Don't worry.

Everything's going to be all right.

Everything's going to be okay.

Nothing bad's going to happen.

Does Jesus say that?

No.

I mean, if Jesus did say that to the disciples,

we might take that as a comfort

because Jesus is right about

what's coming down the line

a hundred percent of the time.

That would be quite comforting.

But most of the time

when other people say this to us,

you know,

everything's going to be all right.

We know that they're just trying

to make us feel better

or to ease our fears.

And maybe inside,

as they say that to us,

we're wondering,

Well, how do you know

that it's going to go well?

That everything's going to be all right?

What if my fears,

what if my concerns are reasonable?

What if there is some real

potential of danger here?

Something I should be worrying about?

No.

Jesus doesn't say

everything's going to be just fine.

Because the truth is,

God allows us

to go through things

that aren't always just fine.

Jesus is about to suffer

something terrible.

Something bad is about to happen.

And even though it will,

in the end,

it will all be fine,

in the meantime,

it's going to be awful.

It's going to be horrible.

It'll be almost unbearable

for the disciples.

So Jesus doesn't give them

some false hope.

Instead,

he points their attention

to the only thing

that can be their anchor

in the midst of the storm

that's coming.

Jesus says,

believe in God.

Believe also in me.

Now there's some variety

in the translations here.

You may notice this

in your Bibles.

Some have it as a statement.

You believe in God?

Believe also in me.

Others have it as a question.

Do you believe in God?

Believe also in me.

And some have it

as a kind of parallel commands.

Believe in God.

Believe also in me.

And unfortunately,

today it's not possible

to know which one Jesus meant

because in the original language

it could be either a statement,

a question,

or a command.

All of it is spelled

the exact same way.

Probably the Greeks

in John's day

would have understood

simply by the context

which it was.

And we're kind of left today

to guess.

My guess is that

Jesus is just simply

encouraging them

to believe in God.

That this is a command.

That this is a word

of instruction.

Just as he often did

when he chided them

for their lack of faith.

Believe in God.

What will set the hearts

of the disciples at rest

with the uncertainty

and sorrow

and grief

of the days ahead?

God will.

No thing

can give peace.

True peace,

a settled heart

will only come

through relationship

with God.

And so Jesus instructs

the disciples

to look to him.

And not just

to look to him

but to believe in him,

to trust him.

have you ever had

this experience before

where you're worried

about something

or maybe even

you're just worried

and overwhelmed

about everything

and you open

your Bible

and you start

to pray

and you begin

to read

and take to heart

the things

that you're reading.

Things about God,

things about you,

things about our world

and suddenly,

almost unexplainably,

it's like the worry

just lifts.

The anxiety

evaporates

and this deep

settled peace

sets in

to your heart.

all of a sudden

you come to see

that you don't need

to worry

about anything

because God

is powerful,

he's good,

he's in control

of everything,

he's directing

everything

for our good,

he loves us,

he knows

what we need,

he's watching

over us

and even

if he allows us

to go through

something

that's hard,

he promises us

in these pages

to be with us,

to carry us

through it

and we find

in these pages

assurance

that he never

breaks his promises.

We read

in these pages

that no matter

how it goes

in the short term,

in the long term,

we win,

we have victory

through Jesus,

everlasting life

with him.

I hope you've

had that experience

before,

I know I have

and it's such

a blessing.

The great

antidote

to anxiety

and worry

is simply

this,

believe

in God,

put your trust

in God

and Jesus

follows this

up with a

second word

of instruction,

he says,

believe also

in me.

We're going

to see this

more and more

in the verses

ahead here,

Jesus will

emphasize his

oneness

with God

the Father,

he will speak

to the disciples

in terms

which put him

on the same

level

as God.

Trust in

God,

he says,

trust also

in me.

Now,

what does this

mean for the

disciples?

Think about

their story,

think about

what they've

been through.

Jesus is

calling them

to count

as true

everything

that he has

been saying

to them

up until

now,

everything

they've come

to believe

about him

up until

now.

It's like

Jesus is

saying,

hold on

to that

faith that

you have

in me.

Believe

in me.

And why

is this

so important?

Because

from a

human

perspective,

everything

is about

to go

wrong

for Jesus

in the

next

hours.

By

tomorrow,

they will

see his

dead body

hanging on

a Roman

cross.

And the

temptation

to doubt

all that

Jesus has

said to

them over

the past

weeks and

months and

years will

be very

strong.

The majority

of the Jews

will be decrying

Jesus as a

blasphemer and

a fraud,

a man worthy

of death.

Some will be

saying,

look, if he

really was the

Messiah, this

would never

have happened

to him.

if he

really was

the son

of God,

he'd be

able to

save

himself.

So this

is the

moment of

testing.

This is the

big question.

Will the

disciples hold

on to their

faith in

Jesus through

all this?

Or will

their faith

in him

wither and

die as

they watch

this unfold?

Believe in

me also,

says Jesus.

You're going

to have to

simply trust

me through

all this.

Those of

you who

have had

children or

have spent

time with

young children,

perhaps you

found yourself

saying words

like these

to your

kids.

Just trust

me.

the worry

in a

child's

heart can

sometimes

gush and

flow with

such strength.

What about

this,

mom?

Dad,

what about

that?

What if

this happens

to our

family?

And on

and on

it can

go and

come.

And you

find yourself

saying those

words,

trust me.

As

parents,

we've lived

a few years

longer than

our children

have.

We know

how things

go.

We have

experience.

We know

when the

fears and

the anxiety

of our

children are

so far

beyond the

realm of

possibility

that it's

just simply

not going

to happen

that way.

But no

matter how

hard we

try to

reason with

them,

sometimes we

simply come

to that

moment in

the conversation

where we

just ask

them to

trust us.

To just

lay aside

all those

worries and

fears about

a situation

and to

accept what

we tell

them about

what's going

on.

What are

we doing?

We're calling

our kids to

take their

eyes,

off of

the endless

uncertainties

and instead

to just put

their eyes

on us.

Someone they

know who

has been

there,

who has

been through

that,

who understands

how this

works.

Just trust

me,

says Jesus.

Believe in

me.

Even though

you can't see

what's coming,

even though

your feelings

and your

thoughts will

betray you,

believe in

me.

Remember the

things I

said.

Remember the

things I

did.

As surely

as you can

trust God

to look after

you,

you can

trust me.

Believe in

me,

says Jesus.

All the

things I said

to you,

they will all

hold true,

even through

the storm

that's

coming.

Well,

how about

you this

morning,

today,

here?

Do you

have some

anxieties,

some fears,

some worries

that have been

gnawing away

at you?

Certain trains

of anxious

thoughts that

keep coming

back,

that have

been troubling

you over the

past days,

maybe weeks.

We may not

be in the

exact same

situation as

the disciples

were that

night.

I mean,

they were

about to

live through

arguably some

of the

most soul

wrenching,

sorrowful

trouble

imaginable.

But did

God fail

them?

Did

Jesus

fail

them?

If God

could bring

them through

their time

of trouble,

can he not

bring you

through yours

and me

through mine?

If Jesus

promises to

them held

true,

even though

they watched

him die,

before their

very eyes,

will his

promises to

you and

me not

hold true

as well?

I believe

Jesus would

say these

very same

words to

us today

about whatever

troubles,

whatever anxieties,

whatever worries

are rising in

our own

hearts.

Do not

let your

hearts be

troubled.

Believe

in God.

Believe

also in

me.

now we

come to

verse

two.

Very

familiar,

precious

words.

He says

to them,

my father's

house has

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,

that you

also may

be where

I am.

Finally,

here comes

the specific

truth that

the disciples

have been

waiting for,

the truth

that will

undo their

anxieties

and settle

their troubled

hearts.

What are the

disciples worried

about here?

Well,

as we've

seen,

there's lots

of things

going on

that they

could be

worried

about,

but one

of the

specific

things

that they're

worried

about

is Jesus

leaving

them.

Glance

back up

to verse

33 of

the previous

chapter.

Jesus

says,

My children,

I will

be with

you only

a little

longer.

Where I

am going,

you cannot

come.

And it

was Peter

who asked

the Lord,

Lord,

where are

you going?

Verse

36,

and Lord,

why can't

I follow

you now?

verse 37,

and now

it's Thomas

expressing his

concern.

Lord,

we don't

know where

you're going,

so how can

we know

the way?

This is a

big deal

for the

disciples.

They've been

with Jesus

for the

past three

years now,

following

him everywhere

he goes,

traveling with

him,

living with

him,

eating their

meals with

him.

By now,

some of

their lives

and what

they were

doing before

this,

their jobs,

all of it's

kind of starting

to fade into

the background.

They've been

part of this

incredible

experience.

They've found

the Messiah,

God's chosen

king for

Israel,

and they've

been following

with great

anticipation,

waiting to

see how all

of this

will unfold,

how God

will restore

the kingdom

to Israel.

And what's

more,

they've been

there through

all of the

tensions that

have been

rising between

Jesus and

the religious

leaders,

tensions that

are now at

a breaking

point.

And you're

telling us

now that

you're leaving

us?

That you're

going away?

Well, no

wonder they're

feeling troubled

in heart,

worried,

anxious,

unsettled.

But now

Jesus gives

them the

truth that

they need

to set

their hearts

at rest.

My

Father's

house has

many rooms.

If that

were not so,

would I have

told you that

I'm 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,

that you

also may

be where

I am.

What is

the overall

truth here

that will

set their

hearts at

rest?

The truth

is that

even though

Jesus is

going away,

even though

Jesus is

leaving,

there's a

purpose.

And there's

a promise

that he will

return and

that they

will be

together again.

First, the

purpose.

Why is

Jesus leaving?

for what

reason is

he going

away?

Jesus

says, I'm

going to

prepare a

place for

you.

And if

I'm there

at the

table, I'm

imagining all

kinds of

questions rising

in my own

mind, things

the disciples

might be

thinking of,

questions like,

well, what

kind of

preparations?

What needs

to be prepared

there in

that place?

What kind

of place are

you talking

about?

where is

it?

And

unfortunately,

Jesus doesn't

elaborate in

detail on

every one of

these questions.

He doesn't

say what kind

of preparations

need to be

made.

He doesn't

say what

needs to be

done there

to prepare

this place

in the

Father's

house.

And so

we're back

to just

trust me,

believe me,

there's work

that I need

to do to

make things

ready so

that there's

a place for

you in my

Father's house,

says Jesus.

But then

with that

purpose comes

a promise,

a wonderful

promise.

Jesus says,

if I am

going to

prepare for

you a place

in my

Father's house,

then most

certainly I

will come

back and

take you

to be with

me so

that you

also may

be where I

am.

So the

disciples are

worried that

Jesus is

leaving and

the truth

that will set

their hearts

at rest is

that he's not

leaving forever.

I will

come back

and I

will take

you to

be with

me.

This won't

be the end

of our time

together,

says Jesus.

Oh, it's

been a sweet

past three

years for

these men

to be on

the journey

with Jesus,

to do life

together with

Jesus so

closely.

But know

this, says

Jesus,

this is not

the end of

our time

together.

I must

go, I

must make

preparation,

but I

will come

back and

you will

be with

me again.

Like this,

close,

personal

relationship,

fellowship,

just like

we've had.

It will

go on

when I

return.

So there's

so much

here that

the disciples

don't

understand,

that they

can't see

of the

future.

future.

But Jesus

gives them

a purpose

for his

leaving and

a promise

to trust

that will

carry them

through the

storm ahead

and that

will hold

them for

the rest

of their

lives.

God

will

do it.

What about

us today?

Even though

we live

2,000 years

later,

even though

we haven't

been with

Jesus like

the disciples

have,

I hope you

know that

this purpose,

this promise

is for us

as well.

you know,

some days

when we

look out

at our

world,

or when

we read

what's going

on in

the news,

it's all

too easy

to become

anxious,

to become

troubled in

heart,

to get

unsettled.

But we

have not

been left

alone.

And we

have hope.

Jesus

has gone

away,

yes,

that he

has promised.

I will

come back

and I

will take

you to

be with

me.

And so

no matter

what goes

on in

our world,

we can

take hold

of these

words for

ourselves.

Do not

let your

hearts be

troubled.

Believe

in God.

Believe

also in

me.

I'm

coming

back for

you,

says

Jesus.

Amen.

Come,

Lord

Jesus.

Come.

Let's

pray.

Amen.

Lord,

this was a

long time

ago that

you said

these things.

And it's

hard for us

to be

patient.

But I

pray that

our faith

would not

waver or

fail.

I pray

that today

each one

of us

in our

moments of

testing and

trial,

in the

troubles that

come our

way,

I pray that

each one

of us

would find

peace

in you,

in your

promise

to be with

us and

to return

for us.

thank you

that we

do not

have to

go this

life alone

and that

we have

such

wonderful

hope to

look forward

to for

all eternity

with you.

May your

name be

glorified.

Amen.

Amen.