Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled - Part 2 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bratley, Jr. O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise! The worries of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace! This is LeSaire Bratley, Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. My Father is rich in houses and lands, He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands, of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold.

His coffers are full, He has riches untold. I'm a child of the King, a child of the King, with Jesus my Savior. I'm a child of the King. My Father's own Son, the Savior of men, once wandered o'er earth as the poorest of them, but now He is reigning in glory on high, preparing a place for the sweet by and by. I'm a child of the King, a child of the King, with Jesus my Savior.

I'm a child of the King. We'll be continuing the message today, Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled. With all of the troubles that have been encountered over the past months and a couple of years, surely the message is applicable to us. No doubt all of us have struggled with questions and doubts and fears, but Jesus said to His disciples when He was ready to go away, Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled. And may that message sink deep into our hearts today that we trust the Lord our God to see us through every difficulty we may encounter. If you want the program to remain on your station, you can help make that possible by donating to this work and writing us at Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217.

This is a five Sunday month, and so the need is particularly great. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 16, Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God, even our Father, which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. Where is this comfort coming from? From God our Father. So Jesus is here comforting His disciples.

And think about it. This is the night before His death. Now it is said earlier that Jesus was troubled. He was troubled over the fact that one of His disciples was going to betray Him. But rather than Jesus thinking totally about Himself, what He was facing, knowing something of the horrendous death that He would soon die on the cross, He's thinking about His disciples.

He loved them to the end. He knows that they're confused. He knows that they're hurting and is vitally interested in them. It should be a great comfort to you to know that in those dark moments when you may feel that nobody cares and nobody understands and that you're forsaken, that Jesus does care. He's promised never to leave you nor forsake you. So just as you believe in God, believe in Me, He says. In this He is affirming His deity. If He was just another man, if He was just a great teacher, if He was just a good example, this would have been totally out of place. It would have been blasphemy really to say believe in Me just like you believe in God but because He's the God-man.

You believe in God, believe also in Me. They had every reason to trust Him. They had seen Him change the water into wine. They had experienced that deliverance when they were on the ship at sea and were being tossed about and they thought maybe they would go down and Jesus comes and boards the ship and says, peace be still and the wind ceases to blow and there's a great calm and they come safely to the shore. They had seen Him feed five thousand plus the women and children out of the loaves and fishes.

They had seen Him give sight to a man that was born blind and raise Lazarus who had been dead for four days. Don't you think there's enough in that to say, yes, I believe. I believe Him.

They had every reason to believe Him. So He's saying if you believe in God, believe also in Me. In other words, you can trust Me in these difficult circumstances. Peter seemed to suggest that the Lord just didn't quite know what He was doing to say, I'm going away. That this is not what should be happening. That He must not be going away. But Jesus is saying, I know what I'm doing. Trust Me in these difficult circumstances.

And let us also trust Him in the midst of our troubles. You get to the place sometimes you can't understand. You say, I don't know what God is doing. I don't know why He's doing what He's doing. I don't know why He hasn't intervened. I don't know why He doesn't change these circumstances. Trust Him when you can't understand. He's assuring them that His departure, the fact that He's going away is not the disaster that they think it is.

Because He's going away to do something that will be for their benefit. And often that's the case with us. We're perplexed. We're troubled. Why has God allowed this situation to disrupt my life? Why am I having this sickness?

Why am I having this pain? But remember, the Lord is in control. And He knows what is for our good and welfare.

And has promised that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose. So faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is what prevents one's heart from being troubled. Let not your heart be troubled.

He doesn't say that and then give no support to it. As though you've just got to develop a mental attitude to say, I'm not going to be troubled. No. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in Me.

Trust Me. Understand that when you're perplexed and you can't figure it all out, I'm still in charge. I care for you.

I love you. I'm looking after you. And then the third thing we see in our text is heaven. Comfort is indeed found in looking toward heaven. It says, in My Father's house, the Father's house.

That's a wonderful expression. In My Father's house are many mansions. The Father's house, of course, is heaven. Heaven is referred to in several ways in Scripture. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 16 describes it as being a better country. It spoke of Abraham and others who wandered as strangers and pilgrims here. They were looking for a place where they might have a permanent abode.

They were wandering but they wanted to settle down. They were looking for a better country. Heaven is a better country than anything we could ever experience here. Second Timothy chapter 4 verse 18 describes it as being a heavenly kingdom. If you have a kingdom there must be a king and Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. There has never been a perfect king reigned on this earth. In fact, you look at the history of God's chosen people. And in Israel and Judah there were far more kings who were ungodly men and terrible failures than there were honorable men that led the people in the right direction.

You look at the pages of history and see how many disasters there have been because wicked dictators rose to power and brought great pain upon the people over whom they reigned. Isn't it wonderful to know that Jesus Christ is the king that we adore, worship and follow. And that heaven is a heavenly kingdom. Revelation chapter 21 and the second verse describes it as being a holy city. So you see heaven is a real place.

It's not just something mystical out there in the sky somewhere. It is a heavenly city to be inhabited by multitudes. And then he says, In my Father's house are many mansions. Which literally means many dwelling places. Revelation chapter 21 of the third verse describes it this way. After speaking of that heavenly city in the second verse, verse 3 says, And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. That's the wonderful thing about this city, God dwells with them. Now we come here this morning and sing hymns of praise to the sovereign God of heaven and to our glorious King Jesus Christ.

We lift up our voices in prayer and believe that the God of heaven will hear us because we come through Jesus Christ the mediator. You feel that God will be with you and by divine providence care for you in the days ahead. But think about being in the city where He is indeed present.

And it's a situation which will never be disrupted and never be changed. You will live with Him forever dwelling in that city. And furthermore, your room, your suite that you will have to dwell in is reserved. Then times that I've been traveling on a preaching trip and I was reluctant to make a reservation ahead because I didn't know just how far I would get.

I wanted to make as much progress as I could because when my work is done, I'm content when I've still got appointments to fill, but when I preach the last sermon, I want to come home. And I head in that direction and I'll tell you it's disappointing when it's a cold rainy night and you drive up to the motel and they say, do you have a reservation? No, I was just, well sorry to tell you, there's no room.

That's disheartening. Now there have actually been times that I had a reservation and they said there's been a mix up. We don't have room for you, but we'll make arrangements for you to go to another motel down the road. But I want to tell you, God's children have a reservation that is confirmed and it tells us in the book of 1 Peter chapter 1 that your inheritance is reserved for you in heaven and since Jesus Christ is keeping track of the reservation, there won't be anybody turned aside and said sorry, we're full up.

There's been some mistake in the paperwork, you don't have a reservation. If you're one of His, you have a place, a dwelling place reserved for you in heaven. An old song said, Lord build me a cabin in the corner of glory land. Friends, that's not what Jesus taught here.

There's not going to be any little shanties over on the edge of town. You're going to be dwelling in a room prepared for you by Jesus Christ. And then the assurance that He gives. The question is often asked, is there life after death? Is that something that people have just developed as kind of an escapism to make them feel that yes, we can hope for something better when this life has ended.

Is that a reality? Job chapter 14, the 14th verse, the question is asked, if a man die, shall he live again? Will there really be a resurrection of the body? Over the past 65 years, I've preached a lot of funerals.

I've preached the funerals of little babies, of children, teenagers, young adults, soldiers, old people, even families. And many a time I've stood to the side of the grave and read from 1 Corinthians chapter 15. That though the body is sown in weakness, it's raised in power.

Sown in dishonor, it's raised in glory. But one day I was walking back to my car after reading that text. And the thought crossed my mind, what if it's not real? I've been taught that from earliest childhood. I've been reading that scripture. It's a comfort to believe it. But what if it's not real?

What if it means that all these bodies I've seen lowered into the earth have just gone back to dust and that's the end? We may have our momentary doubts, but Jesus deals with that here and gives us assurance. The words out of Jesus' own mouth, if it were not so, I would have told you. I haven't just led you along.

I haven't just tried to nurture you so that you felt good about the situation. I'm telling you the truth. Jesus Christ is the truth personified. So out of the mouth of Jesus, He says, yes, there is life after death.

Yes, there is resurrection. Yes, you're going to be with me someday. A place for you. A place prepared by the Lord, especially for you. I'm going to prepare a place for you.

So I know He's preparing a place for all of His family. But it says a place for you. A Christian home is a place where you feel loved, you feel accepted, you feel secure.

You may have many unpleasant situations to deal with in the workplace, in the schoolroom, among people from a variety of backgrounds that you encounter in life. But when the day's work is done, you want to get home. If you've been away on a trip, if it's a business trip and you've traveled far, or even a trip for sightseeing, and it may all have been interesting, but you get back and just that old expression, there's no place like home.

After being many miles and seeing many things, I'd love to come home. Well, for God's children, you have a home. But no matter what you may have encountered here, how difficult your home life may have been or may have been continuing even to this time, when you understand you have a place. You have a home where sometimes, someday, you will go and abide forever. And it will change your whole outlook while you're here.

I'm here just for a short time. There may be discord in the home where I'm living, but I'm thinking about that day, I'll be in a home where there is perfect tranquility and accord. I'll get along with everybody there because they're going to be transformed just like I am. And there'll be no sin, and there'll be no jealousy, and there'll be no harshness, and there'll be no unkind words, there'll be love forever. It's a place where you'll be with Jesus. You've been taught about Jesus. Reviewing the words of Jesus, singing about Jesus all your life. And when you arrive home, you'll see him.

Fanny Crosby penned these words, Some day the silver cord will break, and I no more as now shall sing. But oh the joy when I shall wake within the palace of the King. And of course, and I shall see him face to face and tell the story saved by grace. And I shall see him face to face and tell the story saved by grace. Some day my earthly house will fall.

I cannot tell how soon it will be. But this I know, my all in all, has now a place in heaven for me. If we can say that today, it changes our perception of our earthly troubles. It's a place where we will see Jesus face to face. It's a place where we will live with the redeemed family.

The question is sometimes asked, will we know each other there? Genesis chapter 49 verse 33, And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed and yielded up the ghost and was gathered unto his people. I've always thought that's the sweetest deathbed scene anybody could imagine. Calls his family in, blesses his sons, says goodbye, pulls his feet up in the bed and goes to heaven.

I guess all of us wish we could die that way. Lord just gather in my family and let me tell them goodbye and then go on home. He said he was gathered unto his people and that expression is used over and over again in the Old Testament. Gathered unto his people. Some interpret that to mean that he was buried where they were, but that wasn't the case with many of these patriarchs. Gathered unto his people, to those that had already gone on. When the little baby died that was born to David and Bathsheba, David wept.

David was in deep grief. But when the child died, he washed his face, ceased his mourning, and said I can't bring him back, but I will go to him. There's nothing wrong with anticipating a reunion with those little babies that died that you loved so much.

Those children that may have gone on to the other side. Certainly heaven is not depicted as just being one big family reunion. And you can get sentimentalism in the way and miss the fact that Jesus is the focus of attention. But it is true there's going to be recognition in heaven. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James and John were there and Moses and Elijah put in an appearance and nobody had to introduce them. They knew who they were.

Oh, I've had people want to argue that point. Oh, I think on the resurrection we won't know anybody on the other side. I tell you, the thing that gives me joy to anticipate the resurrection is that I'm not going to just come up out of the grave some big blob not knowing who I am. I'm going to know who I am and who other people are.

It's going to be a joyous occasion to be united with the redeemed family. And then he says, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also. I'm going away. Let not your heart be troubled.

You don't understand it I realize. But I'm going away to prepare a place for you and then I'm going to come back and get you. And you're going to be where I am. 1 John 3, 2 says, Beloved, now are we the sons of God and it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. It didn't just say, I will be like Him. We will be like Him. And every one of His children we will be like Him.

All the family of God together. 1 Thessalonians 4.17 says, Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Sometimes I hear people say, well you know I just don't like change. You know it doesn't matter whether you like it or not, change is a part of life. Things are continually changing. But here's coming a day when there will be no change in this situation.

So shall we ever be with the Lord. Won't be an announcement someday, well it's all not to come to an end. All good things have to come to an end. No, this is a good thing that will not come to an end.

Everything goes on forever. To those who are believers in Jesus Christ, I can say today, let not your heart be troubled. Whatever your trouble may be now, Jesus is with you.

He promised that. He promised that He will not forsake you and when life ends you have an eternal home in heaven. No matter what you might lose here in earthly possessions, you have an inheritance that's incorruptible, undefiled and fadeth not away. If you're not a believer, I must remind you that it is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment. Without Christ, you will be condemned at the judgment. But today, if you see your sin, you see your need, there's hope. Jesus came to save sinners and He says, come unto me.

What a difference to know when you're dying, I'm going home rather than to go into the darkness of eternity lost. You believe in God, believe also in me. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. Savior, I come to Thee, on Thee I come. Thou art my hope and Thee, Jesus my hope. Jesus says to His disciples who are in great distress as they contemplate the fact that He is going away.

But He says, you believe in God, believe also in me. So I would say to you today who may be struggling knowing that you are a sinner and you need salvation. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and then you can find the comfort of this text. Let not your heart be troubled.

I hope you will write us till next week at the same time. May the Lord richly bless you all. I am so free, strength for each day. Thou knowest of my care, Jesus my King. Thou knowest the grief I bear, to Thee I cling. Savior, I come to Thee, be Thou my light. Upward my footsteps lead, out of the night. Into the heavenly day, bright with thy love, lead me, O Lord, I pray. O Word of God.