Let not your hearts be troubled
Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled
(John 13:31–14:6)
By the grace of God and by the Spirit’s unction
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
— John 14:1, KJV
My dear hearers, the Lord Jesus Christ—He who is very God of very God, He who spoke the worlds into existence—utters these tender words to a trembling flock of eleven. The betrayer has gone out into the night; the shadow of the cross now looms near; and yet, our precious Lord does not speak of His own agony but ministers to the hearts of others.
O, what love is this? What Shepherd is like unto our Jesus, who—knowing the whip, the nail, the mockery, and the tomb—stills His disciples’ fears with the balm of eternal truth!
I. The Shadow of Sorrow and the Promise of Peace
The hour was dark. The air heavy with dread. The Lamb of God was soon to be offered. And yet, our Lord speaks not of despair but of comfort:
“Let not your heart be troubled.”
O sinner! O saint! Are your hearts troubled this day?
Have you forgotten who speaks these words? He who walks upon the waves and commands the wind—Peace, be still! He bids you believe:
“Ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
O, what union is here! Christ proclaims Himself equal with the Father, for He is the brightness of His glory, the express image of His person (Hebrews 1:3). Believe in Him, dear soul.
You believe in God’s power—believe in Christ’s mercy.
You believe in God’s justice—believe in Christ’s blood that satisfies it!
II. A Cross That Shook the World
My dear hearers, men have often marked time by the tremble of cannon fire or the ringing of rebellion. The world has known days of thunder, hours of change, moments of upheaval—and they called them monumental.
Yes, history remembers the shot heard ’round the world, fired at Lexington Green—April 19th, 1775.
Many remember the hammers falling on the Berlin Wall—November 9th, 1989.
The sky turned black over Pearl Harbor—December 7th, 1941—“a date which will live in infamy.”
Then came the smoke and steel of September 11th, when the towers fell and the world stood still.
Yet even these days now fade into hashtags and forgotten headlines.
O, how fleeting is man’s memory! How soon we forget!
Who still marches on Armistice Day—November 11, 1918?
And what of that sound that rang out in Sarajevo?
A single assassin’s bullet—June 28th, 1914—took the life of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie.
Who remembers his last words to her, printed in every newspaper on earth?
“Sophie, Sophie, don’t die—stay alive for our children.”
That shot changed the world.
But who tolls the bell for them now?
They once shouted, “Remember the Maine!”
They once cried, “Remember the Alamo!”
But time forgets. The bells grow quiet. The headlines fade.
My great-grandmother once wrote in her diary—I still have it:
“The Lindbergh baby was kidnapped today. What a terrible thing.”
It shook a nation—yet it is forgotten by most today, save for the historians.
Presidents have fallen by bullets—Lincoln, McKinley.
Giants have burned from the sky—The Hindenburg.
“Oh, the humanity!” they cried.
My grandfather’s brother watched it fall from the sky in Lakehurst, New Jersey.
And now he too is gone.
And still—who marks those days?
We celebrate July 4th, but even that birth of a nation is dated by something greater.
Our very Constitution is measured from the manger—1776 Anno Domini, in the year of our Lord.
All these events shook the world, my friends.
But they did not divide time.
But There Was One Day…
One day when the sky turned black at noon.
One day when the earth did quake.
One day when God was manifest in the flesh and crucified upon a tree.
Can you hear it? Can you feel it?
The heavy iron hammer in the hand of a Roman soldier…
Each blow ringing out like the death knell of a world condemned.
All as those He came to save cried:
“Crucify Him! Crucify Him! We will not have this man to rule over us!”
Each spike driven not just into flesh—but into eternity.
Time itself began to bend.
“Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” — 1 Peter 1:20
“Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.” — Ephesians 1:4
Oh, this fullness of time!
“They pierced my hands and my feet.” — Psalm 22:16
The bell tolls. The nail and hammer meet.
The first chime of the clock of decision—for whom the bell tolls.
BANG! The hammer’s blow chimes against that holy hand of God.
Time stands still. Heaven weeps. Hell trembles.
And now the final blow—those holy feet, nailed with the hatred of man to that old rugged cross.
This is the Cross heard around the world—not by ears alone, but by souls.
He could have called legions of angels to rescue Him…
“Can a woman forget her sucking child…? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” — Isaiah 49:15–16
With the nails of Calvary!
From that moment, time itself was torn in two—bending under the weight of the world’s sin.
Hear it!
The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world!
Today, we are inundated with fictional superheroes—mimics of ancient idols and false gods.
Thor. Odin. Thanos. Superman. Galactus.
False gods dressed in pixels. Digital idols paraded before our children.
And yet—they cannot save.
They are distractions.
They are blindfolds—meant to hide the One who, when lifted up, would draw all men unto Himself.
“Look and live!”
Not to Hollywood’s idols…
But to the One upon the cross.
They mocked Him:
“If thou be Christ, come down from the cross and we will believe.”
But the Omnipotent did not descend.
He endured the cross.
The greatest Hero of all.
B.C. — Before Christ
A.D. — The Year of Our Lord
Now the scoffers rename the ages:
B.C.E. they say — “Before the Common Era”
C.E. they mutter — “Common Era”
But the calendar is not theirs.
It is His.
The bell still tolls.
And the blood still speaks.
“Better things than that of Abel.” — Hebrews 12:24
“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.” — Hebrews 10:12
Let the nations forget their monuments.
Let the kings fall.
Let the newsprint fade.
But let this stand—
Christ died for sinners.
Time bent beneath Him.
And the bell of mercy still rings.
And friend—time means nothing to the blood of Christ.
For when you come to Jesus, time bends again.
Your sins are placed upon a cross from 2,000 years ago—
And that blood reaches into this moment and cleanses you now.
The Apostles’ Fear and the Savior’s Assurance
Poor Thomas cries, “We know not whither thou goest…”
Peter boasts with his lips, yet denies with his tongue.
And Jesus declares:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” — John 14:6
They did not understand.
They would soon scatter.
They would soon hear those nails ring out and hide in fear.
And yet… Jesus gave them comfort.
“Fear not, little flock.”
There is no other way.
Christ is all.
Come by the Son—or come not at all.
IV. A Promise from On High: The Holy Ghost Will Come
“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” — John 14:18
“But the Comforter… shall teach you all things.” — John 14:26
He is not a force or a mist.
He is God the Holy Spirit—sent from the Father and the Son, to indwell and seal the believer.
Let your heart be troubled no more.
V. The Hatred of the World and the Fellowship of Christ
“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” — John 15:18
“They hated me without a cause.” — John 15:25
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” — 2 Timothy 3:12
What happened to Christ was for our sins—but it is also an example for us.
Be of good cheer.
He has overcome the world. — John 16:33
VI. The Weeping That Shall Turn to Joy
“Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” — John 16:20
We are not walking to a tomb—we are walking through one.
The tomb is empty. The Lord is risen.
VII. A Personal Appeal
“Do ye now believe?” — John 16:31
“With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” — Romans 10:10
Come, dear soul.
Christ is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life.
Final Invitation & Call to Salvation
If you are lost, come to Him by faith—He is calling.
If you are troubled, lean on Him—He is sufficient.
If you are weary, find rest in Him—He is the Shepherd of your soul.
“Let not your heart be troubled…”
“…be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33
Final Word: A Clock That Will One Day Stop
Time bent around the cradle.
It shuddered at the cross.
It staggered at the empty tomb.
But one day—it will stop.
“And time shall be no more.” — Revelation 10:6
In that moment, the last bell shall toll.
The final hour shall strike.
And only one thing will matter:
What did you do with Christ?
Scriptures Used (KJV):
John 13–16; Romans 10:9–13; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 10:12; Hebrews 12:24;
John 3:36; Philippians 4:6–7; 1 Peter 5:7; Acts 17:6;
Isaiah 49:15–16; Psalm 22:16; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 10:6