Sermon Tone Analysis

That You May Believe and Have Life #39

John 14:1-14

 

In 1998, I was at a training conference for Pastors and was playing basketball on the first day.

A few minutes into the game, I went up for a jump shot and the Pastor covering me, my friend, Rodney Woo, stepped under me, my left foot came down on his foot, my ankle rolled and I heard 3 loud pops and crumpled to the ground in excruciating pain.

I knew what was happening.

As I was being helped into the van to go to the ER, I began to cry.

I know I’m supposed to be tough, but I began to cry.

One of the reasons that I was crying was because I had done this before, I knew what was coming, and I didn’t want to be on crutches.

I didn’t want to need something else.

I didn’t want to be needy.

I wanted to be tough.

But I knew what was ahead.

I have hurt this ankle many times over the years.

All the way back to May 1977, when I broke this ankle.

My fears were confirmed, I had a severely sprained ankle, worse than a break.

I spent the rest of the conference on crutches.

I went home with a balloon sized ankle and purple toes.

I spent a month on crutches, 3 months in Rehab and it was 11 months before I would wake up with out it hurting every day.

At the doctor’s advice, in the last 10 years, I have not played basketball or other sports without the use of a strong ankle brace or air cast.

And have not seriously injured it since.

\\ I have a weakness and it requires support.

Our problem is often that we won’t admit we have a weakness.

We won’t admit that we are injured, physically, emotionally, or spiritually

Or, at best, we admit it but we won’t get help, we won’t take up a crutch, we won’t get care and so we go on wounded instead of using what will help us.

Folks, there is nothing wrong with using a crutch when you are injured

Some of you are hurting today and you need to stop standing on your own two feet and lean on Jesus

Now, there is a time and a place for standing on your own two feet

There are people who try and lean on Jesus when he says “SOAR” …

But Jesus won’t tell you to “SOAR” when you have broken wings …

He will say “come to me … and I will give you rest”

I want to try and encourage you over the next several weeks with the Word of Jesus for his Disciples leading up to his arrest and crucifixion.

Well … we move back into our study of the book of John.

Jesus and his disciples has shared together a meal, he taught them about servanthood as he washed their feet.

Jesus sent Judas out to do what he knew he would do in betraying him.

Then Jesus gave them new commandments to love in the same way that he loves.

Why did Jesus call on his disciples to love each other deeply with a Christlike love?

He commanded it because he knew what was about to happen to them.

He knew he was about to die

He knew that they were about to be thrust into the difficult world of physical separation from him.

He knew that they were going to face persecution, rejection, beatings, and loss for their faith.

He knew that the anxiety of separation from him would rock them to the core …

He also knew what it was to walk in our flesh and blood

He knew the struggles and distress …

He knew what it was to be troubled …

 

In 1 John 3 John reminded his readers, /this is the message you heard from the beginning: we should love one another … do not be surprised if the world hates you … /

This World is hard … and yet Jesus was about to die, rise, again, and ascend to the Father.

Now, this is ALL great for us, but he knew the disciples wouldn’t understand it … so, remember what he said in chapter 13 … /where I am going, you cannot follow NOW, but you WILL follow later”/

And Peter asked /“why can’t I follow you now? /

 

So, knowing what they were going to face, knowing that he was leaving and they wouldn’t understand … Jesus continues to teach …

*READ 14:1-14*

Have you ever lost someone close to you, through death, and then you realized that they had been trying to prepare you but you couldn’t understand it because you couldn’t imagine anything so different as losing them.

You couldn’t imagine them not being in your life.

Well, like the disciples, we all get troubled by the difficulties of Life.

We all ask questions like, “how am I gonna get through this?”.

Or, “How can I possibly survive?”.

Well, with the disciples losing the physical presence of Christ, and with your struggles today, I want to talk to you today about “The Greatest Comfort” … 

 

Now we read a long passage and the most famous verse is verse 6; but most of what I want us to see this morning, we will see in the first four verses.

We have all needed someone in a time of uncertainty

We have all had a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold

We have all sought comfort, encouragement, and strength in different places.

Well, today, can you let Jesus take you by the hand

Can you rest your head on his shoulder

Can you find comfort in his words today?

Do Not Be Troubled

 

! *1.

Trust Me*

 

Trust … it’s one of those amazing things that is hard to get ahold of

 

The interesting thing is that Trust can’t be earned it can only be given.

You can be worthy of trust, but even then it still must be given.

Jesus said, /“you Trust in God, Trust also in me”/

 

The NASB and KJV say /“Believe in God, Believe also in Me”/

The Greek word here is one that John sure likes to use, it is /pisteuo = to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, to place confidence in; to trust in Jesus; to entrust a thing to one/

 

TRUST ME … Jesus says … Like you Trust God

 

There are so many in this world today that believe in a greater power, a God, but have yet to place their faith and Trust in Jesus.

Oh Trust Me, Jesus says

Creation trusts Father and Son …

Psalm 65:5 (NIV) /5 You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,/

 

Trust him because he is a foundation eternal

Isaiah 26:4 (NIV) / 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal./

Trust him because he is GOOD

Nahum 1:7 (NIV) / 7 The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.

He cares for those who trust in him,/

 

Trust him because there is room for all

Psalm 36:7 (NIV) /7 How priceless is your unfailing love!

Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings./

Because he cares for us

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) 7 /Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you./

Because everything you know about him says TRUST HIM

Psalm 9:10 (NIV) / 10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you./

He has delivered you before

2 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV) / 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.

On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,/

 

Jesus says TRUST ME …

 

Oh who or what are you trusting in today?

Jesus says … /“You know the way”/

Thomas said /“Lord we don’t know where you are going, how can we know the way”/

 

And Jesus responded with those most famous of phrases

 

/I am the Way/

/The Truth/

/The Life/

 

Jesus says /TRUST ME … /