We said last week that the fear of death is often composed of three elements, and we have considered the first of these –the fear of the physical act of dying. Today we look at the other two –the fear of finality and the fear of judgment. Christians have no need to fear that death is equivalent to extinction, for Lord Jesus has said: ‘I am going there to prepare a place for you …that you also may be where I am’ (v2-3). Dr W.E. Sangster tells how, as a young boy living in the heart of London, he went for a walk one day and got lost. A kindly policeman took him by the hand and led him to the police station. After waiting for what seemed like several hours in a dingy room, a stern officer came and took him down a dark passage where he saw his father waiting for him. Sangster said, ‘It will not be different, I think, when I die. At the end of the dark passage (of death) my (heavenly) Father will be waiting.’ Though we shrink in the frailty of our human nature from what some refer to as ‘the Grim Reaper’, death really has but one mission –to bring us into God’s more immediate Presence and give us an eternal place in our Father’s house (where there are many mansions) of which our Lord Jesus spoke about. So from hence do not fear death for it is not finality extinction for real human beings as many people thought rather it is a passageway for us to meet with our Lord Jesus! Finally, let us take the fear of judgment. Research conducted a few years ago showed that this fear of judgment is not as common as it was many years ago. Fewer people now attend Church, and those who do generally speaking, rarely hear a sermon on ‘future judgment’. No man or woman, however, who knows Christ need fear judgment. And why? Because, as Apostle Paul so beautifully puts it in his letter to the Romans: ‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’. In Christ, condemnation and finality extinction is in the past tense. This is the reason why every man must Endeavour to have Christ in him or her life by all means!

Now let us read John 14:1-14; Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me. 2 In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And [to the place] where I am going, you know the way. 5 Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way? 6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me. 7 If you had known Me [had learned to recognize Me], you would also have known My Father. From now on, you know Him and have seen Him. 8 Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father [cause us to see the Father—that is all we ask]; then we shall be satisfied. 9 Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? What I am telling you I do not say on My own authority and of My own accord; but the Father Who lives continually in Me does the ([a]His) works (His own miracles, deeds of power). 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the [very] works themselves. [If you cannot trust Me, at least let these works that I do in My Father’s name convince you.] 12 I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father. 13 And I will do [I Myself will grant] whatever you ask in My Name [as [b]presenting all that I Am], so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in (through) the Son. 14 [Yes] I will grant [I Myself will do for you] whatever you shall ask in My Name [as [c]presenting all that I Am].

In today’s gospel reading (John 14:1-14), Lord Jesus tells us something that we have heard numerous times, but that is always worth hearing again, and worth thinking about again: namely, that Lord Jesus is our way, and our truth, and our life. He is our Father and our God! Did you know that heart trouble is the leading cause of death in the world today? I'm referring to the medical kind of heart trouble. It is the cause of more than 7 million deaths a year, which accounts for 12% of all deaths. The most common kind of heart trouble is coronary heart disease, which is the failure of the blood circulation to the heart muscles, resulting in a heart attack. This may result either from the thickening of the coronary arteries or from a blood clot that blocks the flow of blood through them. Because of this many of us have been advised by our doctors to change our diet to low-fat and high-fibre food, and to change our lifestyle to include more physical exercise and better stress management. Some of us here may be taking cholesterol-lowering medicine. Others may have had 1 or 2 stents (a small metal mesh tube) inserted inside our coronary arteries to help keep it open or have undergone a heart by-pass operation. These are the remedies commonly prescribed for heart trouble; so heart trouble is not necessarily your thinking, even though thinking is one of the reasons for developing real heart trouble which is the failure of effective circulation of blood throughout the heart veins and muscles. Today we are going to look at a different kind of heart trouble - one that afflicts not our blood-pumping 4-chambered organ, but the very center of our being or personality which is the seat of all our emotions. This kind of heart trouble can afflict anyone - young or old, good or bad. Nobody is immune to it. Even our Lord Jesus was not immune to it. In our study of John's Gospel we have already seen 3 instances when His, Lord Jesus own heart was troubled. The first was in John 11:33 when Lord Jesus felt the sorrow of losing His good friend Lazarus. The second was just after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem when He told Philip and Andrew that His hour had come - referring to His fast-approaching death on the cross. According to John 12:27 Lord Jesus said, 'Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.' And the third time was in John 13:21 when Lord Jesus revealed to His disciples that one of them would betray Him. All these show that there is nothing wrong with having a troubled heart - it is part of life on this side of glory. What is important is how we deal with a troubled heart. For this, we need to make use of the right remedy which comes from the great physician, our Lord Jesus Himself. And since He understands perfectly what it feels like to be troubled in His own heart, His remedy is bound to be most effective to deal with this kind of heart trouble that we are talking about. We have already reached the stage in the Gospel of John when Lord Jesus was at the Last Supper with His disciples, and was sharing His final moments with them. Lord Jesus knew that He was going to be crucified the next day. He had told them that He would have to leave them soon, and naturally, this made the disciples feel quite fearful and anxious. In their hearts the future seemed very uncertain. There were many questions. Why did their master have to leave them? Why could He not stay with them longer? What will become of them after He is gone? I think most of us are no strangers to questions of this nature in life. They tend to trouble us most when there is an unexpected turn of events just like the one we are experiencing in this nation and even in the whole world at large. Perhaps the person you depended on a lot suddenly has to leave you for work overseas for a few years, and you wonder how you will cope with life without him around. Perhaps the company that you have been working in so comfortably and securely for many years merges with another and suddenly your post becomes redundant, and you find yourself having to sink or swim in a highly competitive job market to provide for your family. Or perhaps a member of your family is diagnosed to have an incurable cancer. In all these situations the question that troubles us is 'Why must this happen? Why can't things just remain the way they have been?’ Whenever you feel as if the walls of your life are closing in on you and there is no way out, you must apply to your troubled heart those tender words of comfort which Lord Jesus gave to His disciples in John 14:1. He said ' Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me. Look also at v.27 where Lord Jesus says almost the same thing, 'Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ What does it mean to 'let not our hearts be troubled'? It means 'Stop being troubled in spirit. Set your heart at ease. Keep on believing. Keep on trusting in the Lord. Keep looking up to Him. Don't give up hope.' After saying this, Lord Jesus gave His disciples 3 things that would help them to stop being troubled. And they can be a great source of encouragement to us:

We see this in v 2 & 3, where Lord Jesus said: '2 In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.’ If you ever feel discouraged because you have no permanent home in this world, please remember this: Lord Jesus has promised to provide you with a permanent home one day - in His own heavenly home. At the time that Lord Jesus lived in Israel, it was common for closely-related families to live together under one roof as one extended family. As the sons of the family grew up and got married, additional rooms would be added and prepared for them and so the house got bigger and bigger. The son who was going to get married would assure his bride that after he has got their room in his father's house all prepared and ready, he will come and take her to live with him on their wedding day. Do you see where this principle was taken by our Lord Jesus Christ to give us a word of promise since we are all His bride! In this passage, we see Lord Jesus doing the same thing. He promises the disciples that He is going back to prepare places for them in the many rooms or mansions of His father's house. Lord Jesus is like the groom promising His bride that He will come to take her to live with Him after He has prepared their apartment. Isn't it exciting and encouraging to look forward to the time when Lord Jesus will return and take us to heaven to live with Him forever? What makes heaven such a wonderful place is that there will be no more sorrow, nor tears; nor more pain, no more suffering and no more sin. But the most attractive feature of all is that we will be together with our Lord Jesus forever. Look at v. 3 again: '3 And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.’ Lord Jesus will be there not just in Spirit, in the way He is with us now, but in Person, fully perceptible to us. And we will find our greatest delight in just being with Him and talking with Him. One hymn that expresses such a desire for heaven is entitled, 'Over the Sunset Mountains.' It was composed by John Peterson and goes like this: 'Over the sunset mountains someday I`ll softly go into the arms of Jesus, He who has loved me so. Over the sunset mountains heaven awaits for me. Over the sunset mountains Jesus my Saviour I`ll see.' When Peterson took his new hymn to the song publisher, the publisher listened to it and said, 'We would like to use it, but we have one suggestion. Can you take out that reference to Jesus and enlarge a little more on heaven?' Peter said, 'Heaven without Jesus? Unthinkable!' He took back his manuscript and went to another publisher. The point is this: Lord Jesus is what makes heaven Heaven. Heaven is so heavenly only because He Lord Jesus is there. What happened to Peter is also what is happening in almost all our Churches, our homes, our families our nations and some of our public places today, where Lord Jesus have either been consciously or unconsciously removed! And people forbidden to talk about Lord Jesus! Doesn't it comfort you now to know that no matter how bad things may become in this world, you will one day be with Lord Jesus in a wonderful home and with a better life that is waiting in heaven for you? Doesn't this give you the security you need to cope with any losses you may have to endure here for a while? Now you can say, 'So what if I am not so well off in this world? So what if I have to lose everything now? My ultimate future is completely assured by Christ. I am on my way to heaven. And nothing, absolutely nothing at all can ever change that.' This might sound just like a mere consolation, but one thing is sure, and that sure thing is that these words come from One Who cannot lie, One whose words are yes and Amen! So He is sure and must do exactly what He has promised that He will do for us and I believe it! That settles it, so it is left for us to do exactly what He says we should do to avoid heart troubles otherwise our hearts will continue to be troubled and be in trouble! This comforting thought can remove any fear or anxiety you may have about your immediate future if you believe in Lord Jesus. It will stop your heart from being so troubled by your circumstances, and will give you the strength to go on with life and make the best of what you have at present not minding what your past was because you have after all sincerely confessed and have continued to confess all your past and present sins, life mistakes and errors and have asked our Lord Jesus to help you not to go back to those sins and life errors again. But this is not the only encouragement there is. Let us go on to see the second encouraging thing that Lord Jesus mentioned to His disciples: II. Our Privilege to Know God, through Jesus (vv.5-11): Whenever our hearts are troubled, its always encouraging to know that there is someone we can turn to for help. And the best person who can help us is God Himself; Lord Jesus Christ. But this assumes that you can find God, and people throughout all ages and nations have always been trying to find God and know Him, but without success. And how can anyone turn to God for help in time of need when he does not even know Him yet? This is where the big problem lies and which is why Lord Jesus treated it with emphasis to His disciples so that they and even us may know the great importance of knowing Him the way He ought to be known! This is where we can see now how privileged we all are. Those who believe in Christ have the wonderful privilege of knowing God and of being helped by Him. Let us read vv.5 & 6 '5 Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way? 6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.’ Verse 6 is one of the most important verses in the whole Bible. As one commentator put it, this verse, 'is the ultimate foundation for a satisfactory philosophy of life.' This verse is also the greatest revelation that Lord Jesus ever gave about Himself in the Gospel of John. Notice He did not say, 'I'll show you to the way to the Father.' He said, 'I AM the Way.' He did not say, 'I'll teach you the Truth that you need.' He said, 'I AM the Truth.' And He did not say, 'I'll give you life.' He said, 'I AM the Life.' No one can make such awesome statements about himself truthfully, except our Lord Jesus Christ. So this is why we have to believe in Him, trust in Him, rely on Him and allow Him to be in us and us in Him! Otherwise nothing in life will work out for you the way God wants it! And because He is the way, the truth and the life, He is the only means of reaching the Father. There is no other way to God but through Him. But today there are many who claim that there are other ways to God besides Lord Jesus, and that we cannot be so narrow-minded as to say that Lord Jesus is the ONLY way to God. They get angry when they hear those words, 'No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.' To them it is extremely offensive and intolerant to make such a claim as this. But the claim remains forever and ever and cannot change! What can you say to those who tell you that you are too narrow-minded to say that Lord Jesus is the ONLY way to God? You can use this analogy: If you were to mail a letter to a friend but you put any house address on the envelope, can you expect it reach him? Obviously not. How then would you know which address to use? Only by getting it from your friend. No letters can ever reach him except those that are sent by this address alone. In the same way how can we come to God unless He Himself has told us how we can reach Him? And since God has revealed that He can be reached only through His Son, Jesus Christ, can there be any other way to God? Sometimes, we just have to be realistic about the issues of life, and the only way to be realistic is to Believe and Do exactly what God says and not what man thinks and says! Therefore it Cannot be True that there are many ways to God. In Matthew 7:14 God's Word says, 'strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.' No matter what others may claim, the truth that you and I must be fully convicted of in our hearts and minds is that there is only ONE way to God - that is through our Lord Jesus Christ. When we say that, we are not at all trying to be unkind, proud, bigoted or narrow-minded. We are not saying that we are better than people in other religions who are very sincere or devoted in their own faiths, but we are merely stating with all humility what God Himself has so clearly revealed in His Word - that no one can come to Him, except through Jesus Christ. Let us return to our passage and find out why this is so. Look at v.7 onwards '7 If you had known Me [had learned to recognize Me], you would also have known My Father. From now on, you know Him and have seen Him. 8 Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father [cause us to see the Father—that is all we ask]; then we shall be satisfied. 9 Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? What I am telling you I do not say on My own authority and of My own accord; but the Father Who lives continually in Me does the ([a]His) works (His own miracles, deeds of power). 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the [very] works themselves. [If you cannot trust Me, at least let these works that I do in My Father’s name convince you.] Please take careful note of what Lord Jesus said here. Philip's request to Lord Jesus seemed to be good and reasonable enough: 'Show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.' After all isn't that what Lord Jesus had come to do in this world? But Philip was expecting to see something more, not just a plain human form that lived, talked, ate and slept like everyone else did. He wanted to see some special material image or the likeness of God Himself. But all that he saw when he looked at the outward physical appearance of Lord Jesus was a mere man, like himself. And so it is with us today, all the divine stories we hear about our Lord Jesus life on earth always sound how can in our ears, we don’t believe it sincerely nor do we rely or trust in it and as such we do not reap the divine benefits of the promises that the Word gives to us, too bad! Let us sincerely believe! Lord Jesus then told Philip that He had been showing them the Father all along, not in His outward appearance but in His words and in His actions, and in fact in His whole personality. God was being revealed in the whole personality of Christ. The personality that Lord Jesus has is really God's personality, and more so since Lord Jesus is God Himself. And only that personality can ever be an accurate representation of God to man. And although you may look through all of the pages of your Bible and not find a single inspired drawing or picture of what Lord Jesus looked like, you will find instead the full divine personality of Christ revealed in the Words He spoke and the Works He did that are recorded here. No one else who has ever lived ever had such a personality, spoke such words or did such works because no one else was God’s own unique, only-begotten Son. When you understand this truth, then you will understand why there can be only one single, solitary, authorized, means of knowing God and having a personal relationship with Him. It is only through Lord Jesus that anyone, man, woman and child can ever know God personally, and have access to Him. But once a person has found that way of access, he has found for himself the best Ally, Friend and Companion that this life can afford. There is no greater source of encouragement for facing life's difficulties than to know God Himself personally. He is everything that we need for every kind of need. And when you have this personal relationship with God through Christ, then you also have a new life and power within you to do great things for Him. This brings us to the third and final encouragement that Lord Jesus mentioned to His disciples:

Whenever we are fearful about an uncertain and difficult future, we will also usually feel quite powerless to do anything because our state of fearfulness is having a negative grip on us. Setbacks in life often leave us feeling very weak and unable to move on. But now we can keep on going, as we discover that through Christ we can actually be strong and empowered enough to face all the challenges of life. Let us look at v.12: Lord Jesus said, '12 I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father. 13 And I will do [I Myself will grant] whatever you ask in My Name [as [b]presenting all that I Am], so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in (through) the Son. 14 [Yes] I will grant [I Myself will do for you] whatever you shall ask in My Name [as [c]presenting all that I Am].’ Here Lord Jesus was telling His disciples that His leaving them was not going to make them weaker, but instead it would make them stronger and even more effective than they were before. This is because the prayers they make in Christ's name will be used of Him to accomplish great things which they could never do on their own. Prayer is a useful resource that every Christian has in times of need, and it is really the most powerful resource you have. James 5:16 tells us that '16 Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].' I am sure that many of us here can testify of times in our lives when we saw our prayers answered in marvelous ways, bringing God's power, provision, protection and guidance into our life experience. Lord Tennyson wrote: 'More things are wrought by prayer than this world dream of.’ When our motive for praying is to glorify God, our moments of despair and weakness are transformed into moments of strength and boldness. One illustration of this may be found in the book of Acts. Let us turn our Bibles to Acts 4. In this chapter Peter and John were arrested and imprisoned. This was the first persecution that the apostles faced. They were brought to be condemned by a judicial body, which finally released them after giving them a stern warning to stop preaching Christ. When Peter and John returned to the Church and reported what had happened, they may have felt quite fearful about the beginning of persecution, and so they all prayed together fervently. This prayer begins in v.24 'And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said' Now look at v.31 to see what happened after they prayed: 'And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they all had things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.’ Can you see how greatly encouraged they were as a result of praying? There are tremendous opportunities for us to do great things for God. And these become revealed and manifested only as we pray. And you should apply this yourself. If you feel down this week for any reason, because of some sickness, some disappointment or some problem you face, don't be paralyzed by fears or feelings of helplessness. Find a place where you can be alone; get down on your knees and pour out your heart to God immediately. And you will soon notice a great difference. You will find comfort and assurance as you pray, and even more so if you also meditate on a portion of God's Word like our text, John 14. And then, as you entrust all your cares and problems to the Lord, you will find the strength and courage you need to go on, and to take whatever necessary steps you should take. And you can be confident that God will work out all things well. As we come to the end of our message let me summarize what we have learned from God's Word today as the remedy for troubled hearts. Through the words of comfort Lord Jesus gave His disciples, we have seen that we can be encouraged and strengthened by the security we have of our eternal home in heaven with Lord Jesus. We can also be encouraged and strengthened by our personal relationship with God through Lord Jesus, and God is the best help that anyone can have in times of need. And finally we can be encouraged and strengthened through prayer to be strong and to do great things for Lord Jesus. May the Lord take these words and help us to apply them for His glory.