Let Not Your Heart be Troubled R1701

God has an encouraging word for you and me today, through the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, as we head to the book of John, chapter 13.

Let not your heart be troubled. That's today's topic with Dr. Don Wilton, as we open God's Word together on the encouraging word. Dr. Don is a well-known seminary professor, pastor, and more, and today, let him be your teacher.

And now, Dr. Don Wilton. I just am so proud and grateful for each one of you and for the way in which you love on one another. Thank you for what you mean to one another, and I bless you today in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Right now, you're here and you're worshiping the Lord, and you've done something for somebody else, and nobody else even knows it, and I just bless you in the name of the Lord together. I want you to open your Bibles to John, chapter 13. I led our people together at the foot of the cross. It was an amazing time.

These are images that are indelibly impotent in my heart. We celebrated the Lord's Supper, and I suggested through God's Word that what Jesus was saying is, gather your must, people. We must. In America today, it's the only place we need to be at the foot of the cross, and little did we know last Sunday morning what this week would bring. Did any of us know that? No?

We didn't know. Do you know what's coming up this week? Tomorrow? What are you facing? What are you dealing with?

I love you today. There's a broken heart on every pew. There are so many people not waiting to have a troubled heart. You got it. You're in it.

It's happening. And for some of you, you've got no idea what's going to happen tomorrow. But Jesus knew this. And so, beloved friends, I'm just sharing with you from my heart today because God wants to bless you. He wants to bless me, and he takes us to where we need to be. God's going to take you to where you need to be right now, in your circumstance.

We're actually still in the upper room. We are just moments away from when Jesus would go to the cross and then leave the disciples in their hearts on their own. At the Lord's table, Jesus taught them about coming to the foot of the cross. And he said, you've got to do this, otherwise you're on your own.

He designed the church to have every problem laid at the feet of Jesus, not at the feet of the world, at the feet of Jesus. I've been around sorrow and grief. We all have. Many of you have been there.

We're all going there. Jesus knew that. And Jesus had been with his disciples. They had done a lot together. He was their strength.

He was their go-to. And now he's telling them, in just a minute, I'm leaving you. And this is what happened. I'm in chapter 13 of John's Gospel.

And I'm just going to begin reading at verse 33. These were children. Sorry, can I just say something? These were grown men. See what he called them? These were fully mature grown men who thought they could handle everything.

Perhaps especially Peter. I got this. I know all the answers. I'm never going to let you down. Nobody's going to mess with me.

I got it. And Jesus looks at them. He says, little children, yet a little while I'm with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, and so now say also to you, where I am going, you cannot come. A new commandment I give to you, little children, disciples, believers, the church, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

You are also to love one another. By this will all people know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another. So Peter, here he comes, says, Lord, where are you going? Jesus answered him, where I'm going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward. Peter said to him, Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you. Jesus answered, will you lay down your life for me, Peter? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

Let not your heart be troubled. You believe God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you that I go and I am preparing a place for you. And I will come again. If I go, I will come again and I will take you to myself that where I am, there you will be also.

And you, you know the way to where I am going. As I listened to podcasts from Mike Bickle and read commentaries and cried out to God this week in how to minister, what to say. God took me straight to this passage.

Let not your heart be troubled, Jesus said. What was the setting really involved two things? Number one, that Jesus was leaving this world. And secondly, that they were staying in this world. I think God wants us to see that. Jesus was leaving this world and these believers were left behind. They were staying in this world.

Now watch this. Jesus knew what they were about to face. Just like he knows with you and me. Jesus knew that. He knew that they were going to have troubled hearts.

And he knew that troubled hearts produce fear. Produce guilt. Produce shame.

Questions that can't be answered. Produce torment. Tragedies produce torment, friends. What could I have done differently?

How did this happen? Why did I not speak up? What was I thinking when I sinned? Trouble. Jesus didn't say you might have trouble in your heart.

He said, I know you. The anguish of a troubled heart. Maybe today it's right there. It's financial, it's family. It's how you're living right now. Maybe it happened 40 years ago. You've lived with a troubled heart. It's the reality of this world. This week alone in our lives.

I'm just mentioning every time I mention something, there are hundreds of others. Troubled hearts. Here's Jesus meeting with these men and he refers to them as little children. Isn't that tender? A father putting his arms around his children.

These little children gather here. And he just, in the middle of this, Peter walks up and says, obviously I'm not included in this because I've got all my bases covered. Jesus just drops a bomb on him. No, Peter. So Jesus gave a command. This is a command. This is not a suggestion, folks. This is not try this if you want this. This is a command in the text.

And the command really carried a twofold emphasis. First of all, he says, you believe in God. Now, if you go back and you study that, you believe in God. You do believe in God. These were Jewish followers of Jesus.

They believed in God, the God of the Old Testament, for sure. He said, you do, you already believe in God. You believe in God. I want you to really get this, folks, this is deep theology.

He turns to them, he says, that's not good enough. You must now believe in me. You're listening to Dr. Don Wilton, our teacher here on The Encouraging Word. Please don't go away. He'll be back to complete today's message, Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled, in just a moment. But Dr. Don wants you to know we're here for you. We'd be happy to pray for you at 866-899-WORD anytime. That's 866-899-9673. Or connect with resources on that phone line or on our website, tewonline.org.

That's where you'll discover great resources like this. What an incredible privilege to be the friend and pastor of Dr. Billy Graham for so many years. That's why I have just written Saturdays with Billy. This is not a biography. It is my experience with this most precious man who has changed my life and the lives of thousands of people around the world.

You want to get a copy right now, Saturdays with Billy. That's just one of many great resources you'll find on our website, tewonline.org. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Do you believe in God? It's like almost a picture of America today where probably pundits and people would say, you can go to many people in America and say, do you believe in God and many people, oh yeah, I know, I believe in God. Jesus gave a command to these people. He said, you believe in God.

Okay, you do. They were Jewish converts. They believed in the Genesis God, the Abrahamic God.

They believed in the God of the Jewish covenant. But God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, the Lord Jesus, that whosoever believes in him would not perish but would have eternal life. And so the command that he gives is twofold. You already believe in God, but you must believe in me. Jesus knew.

They didn't quite get it. What Jesus was saying to Peter and to those disciples was, in just a minute, I'm gonna leave you. I'm giving you gold here. I'm telling you where to go because you will live this life with a troubled heart and unless you take your belief in every way into the heart of Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, you're not going to know what to do with your trouble. You are going to stumble. You are going to sin. You are going to hurt. You are going to suffer tragedy and suffer loss. You are going to suffer rejection. You're going to experience shame. You are going to carry guilt.

You're going to make bad and poor decisions. What Jesus wanted to give to them, this unbelievable, undeserved gift, he wanted to give to them three things. He wanted to give to them assurance. He wanted to give them confidence. And he wanted to give them peace. Troubled hearts will rob you of assurance and of confidence and of the peace that only God can give to you.

How do you ever get over these things? God's word tells us in Micah chapter 7 and verse 18 that God delights in giving us mercy. Let me share with you the grief of a father's heart. And number two, let me share with you the beauty, the rock, the anchor who is our good and loving Lord Jesus. That is exactly what Jesus was saying. Let not your heart be troubled because God delights in giving mercy. Jesus knew us. That's why he came and took upon our flesh.

He experienced everything of our flesh. Even to the point of the cross, we're in the Garden of Gethsemane, he said, my heart is troubled. Oh God, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. Let not your heart be troubled.

You say you believe in God, you must believe in me. Perhaps Jesus knew that trouble when we experience perpetually this anguish, this trouble in our hearts, that the greatest thing we can do is to run to him. But Jesus understood that the worst thing we can do, and trouble makes us want to do this, is to run from him. Trouble, anguish, tragedy, these things that churn, that hurt, wrong decisions and issues with our families and failures and sin. That causes us to run from Jesus. And we end up making our decisions for ourselves.

This is the way we're going to deal with this. And what Jesus was saying is wrong. Run to me.

I'm the one. So Jesus comes to the disciples and he places everything that he says here on four bedrock truths. He says, let me help you understand this. And he gives them four bedrock truths.

Number one, you are anchored in him. He says, in my father's house. Why did Jesus say that?

Most of my life I've just simply considered he's talking about heaven. He's telling us everything that God has done for us has been done. It is built. It is finished. I have built the house, the foundation, the walls, the rooms. Everything is taken care of. That's the first bedrock truth in your trouble. Base everything on the fact that you are anchored in him. What he has done is complete. This is the all sufficiency of Christ. Number two, you are secure in him.

Take your trouble, be absolutely certain you're not only anchored in him, but you are secure in him. Why? Because Jesus went to the cross. That's what he was saying to them.

Just a little while, I'm going to leave you. We know exactly what happened. Jesus took upon himself. He died to secure the anchor of his house that is built.

No wind can blow it over, no tragedy, no trouble, no perplexion, no deep sorrow. You come to him, you have an anchor, you have security. The third anchor truth that he was laying before them is you are never alone in him. You're never alone.

Why? Yes, he was there in person and he was about to leave them, but he was telling them, I've reminded you when I leave, you will have the indwelling power and presence of my spirit in you. I'm sending the comforter.

I love that word today. When I go, my spirit is going to come upon you and he will fill you from head to toe. The comforter, the paraclete, he's going to come alongside you 100% in every dynamic of your trouble. And then to boot, he says, not only is my spirit in you, you're never alone because you will have my spirit, but you're never alone because you have the promise of my person. I am coming back personally to get you personally. So what's the fourth bedrock truth?

Let me just give them to you again. These are critical because Jesus tells us the bedrock truth of our troubled hearts. We are anchored in him. We are secure in him. We are never alone because of him. And fourth, we are eternally taken care in him. How do you describe a family talk about a heart wrenching loss of a little daughter and punctuated perpetually with her completeness and oneness with Jesus in heaven?

As little as she was and that we too will see her and be together forever and forever. What an anchor. When you anchor yourself in the Lord Jesus Christ, what Jesus was saying to these disciples as he left them in this troubled, troubling world. He knew it. He knew what they were going to face.

He knew about the opposition. He knew about death. He knew about the tragedies. He knew about the struggles. He knew about all the issues, the pain, the headaches, the surgeries. He knew. He knew.

He knows. And he's saying to them, little children, when you're anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will have everything needed to overcome all your troubles. And what Jesus was saying to them is, I need you to know something.

I am going to keep my word to you because I am the way, the truth and the life. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21, for our sake, for our sake, God made him to be sin for us. Who knew no sin so that we might be made the righteousness of God for our sake?

For me, for you in our trouble, in our tragedies, in our perplexions, in our questions. What Jesus was saying, yes, you will be heartbroken, but you will still praise him and you will have peace. Is it possible that through this, there are people who will come to know Jesus?

Is it possible that in a tragedy and the trouble like this, that there's someone right now who's saying, I want to know this Jesus? You say, how do we do this? How do we not let our hearts be troubled? Let me give you some thoughts. Number one, wherever you are today, my friend, align your mind with Christ. Make that decision right now. Take your trouble and align your mind with Christ. That's what you're doing right now. Number two, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you.

Do it right now. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. Number three, release your opinion, your perspective to God. Like Peter, Jesus was saying to him, Peter, back off, stand down. Stand down, Peter. Stand down.

Let me. Number four, read and quote scripture. Number five, pray without ceasing.

I'm praying for you, but you pray. Number six, lean on spiritual friends. And then number seven, trust God to let you not be troubled. And how we are praying for each of us to trust God to let our hearts not be troubled. You've heard Dr. Wilton as he's been teaching and preaching from the pulpit.

Now as he steps into the studio, open your heart to what he would like to share next. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner, and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today I repent of my sin, and by faith I receive you into my heart. In Jesus' name. My friend, I welcome you today into the family of God.

This is exciting news. Welcome to the family of God. I'm confident some of you were praying along with Dr. Wilton moments ago to give your life to Christ, or rededicate your life to Jesus. Know that Dr. Don would love to pray for you, and put some free resources in your hands that will help you grow in your faith. If you'll call and share your decision at 866-899-WORD, we'll send these free resources out right away. Again, call us at 866-899-9673, and we would love to pray with you and pray for you.

Dr. Don would love to pray for you. We also can connect on our website as well, where you'll find tremendous resources like the new one about the book of martyrs and the ultimate sacrifice. Again, it's all on our website, www.tewonline.org. And while you're there, be sure and sign up for the daily Encouraging Word email from Dr. Don. It's all there at www.tewonline.org.