| Overcoming
Adversity(Listen to Jesus)Introduction:I. Open your Bibles to John 14 and in
just a moment we will read the first four verses. In this passage under
consideration, we find Jesus in the upper room with those who would be His
apostles. Jesus has revealed some very troubling things to them. He told them
that one of them was going to betray Him. This would agitate their minds and
cause them to wonder just who it would be. He told them that He was going
away and that at that time they would not be able to follow Him. He even told
them that Peter, one of His prominent disciples, was going to deny Him three
times. These things would greatly disturb the apostles and cause their hearts
to be heavy and very troubled.II. Now, the feelings the disciples had at that
time are not foreign to us are they? We have all had feelings of anxiety. We
have all been confused and confounded by the perplexities of life. We have
all had troubled hearts. But no one can bring us more comfort than Jesus. No
one can fix our problems or relieve our pain better than the Son of the
living God. Now, in our text Jesus, being aware of the feelings of His
disciples, gives them words of comfort and consolation (Jn. 14:1-4).These
words of Jesus are universal in application for the people of God. And may I
say to you that they are not only words of affection and care, but they also
serve as an admonishment as well. No matter what the circumstances of our
lives may be, we are not permitted by God to allow our hearts to be in a perpetual
state of anxiety. And the fact of the matter is, to do so is not only not
necessary, it is not even practical. Someone has said, “in times of
drought, grief doesn’t produce any rain.” Listen to me: A troubled heart
has never solved any problem or put an end to any predicament. Instead it
causes us to linger and loiter in the mess we find ourselves in without any
attempt to come up with a solution. So Jesus says don’t that. Don’t allow
yourself to abide continually in a state of depression. Now, I’m not saying
that it is sinful to be troubled from time to time. Even Jesus Himself was
troubled at times. But I’m saying to you, don’t get settled in a state of a
troubled heart. There’s too much glory ahead of us to allow ourselves to do
so. There are too many blessings awaiting us to constantly be in sorrow.
Someone says, “but how can I prevent myself from having a troubled heart.”
Well, in our passage for today, Jesus teaches us how to triumph over a
troubled heart and therefore overcome any adversity that invades our life.
The only question is, “Will we listen to Jesus?” Do you want to know how to
defeat all the problems and perplexities, and all the pain of life? Listen to
Jesus!Overcoming Adversity: Listen to Jesus |
