Here’s what I think I know about you:
You have trouble knowing who to trust.
I think we’ve all experienced this. Many if not all of us have a real problem with trust.
We have a problem trusting leadership, trusting people in authority, trusting the news, trusting politicians, & the list goes on…
And if someone has earned your trust & if for any reason they’ve failed you or broken your trust, then it is really hard for you to trust them again, isn’t it?
In a world where it’s increasingly difficult to know who you can count on, trust may be our greatest commodity.
[Tweet “In a world where it’s difficult to know who to trust, trust may be our greatest commodity.”]And it’s because we’ve become so jaded, so slow to really trust people that I think… if we’re honest, we have a hard time trusting God.
Trusting Jesus When Things Go Sideways…
In John 13 Jesus is sitting in an upper room with his closest followers. They are there to take part in eating the Passover meal. Before they begin to eat, Jesus stands up from reclining at the table & begins to wash the feet of everyone in the room.
Now, He shouldn’t have done this. This wasn’t his place. This job was a dirty job, reserved for the lowest man on the totem pole. But Jesus does it to demonstrate His love for them & how they ought to love each other & serve each other. Jesus demonstrates that no job is beneath him & that there’s nothing He wouldn’t do for his friends.
Immediately after this, while they are sitting there eating, Jesus predicts that someone would betray him. There’s tension in the room because everyone is wondering who it could be. And then Judas stands up & makes an early exit.
Then Jesus predicts that someone else would deny him. This time the person is Peter who ironically declares that he’s ready to die with Jesus for Jesus. And Jesus has to set him straight & speak the truth in love & say, no… actually you’ll deny even knowing me.
When What You Think is About to Happen
& What Actually is Going to Happen
Are Two Different Realities…
What I want you to see is that these disciples, these closest followers of Jesus are beginning to clue in to the fact that this story isn’t going in the direction that they thought it was headed in.
They had in mind since the days when they were little boys that one day Messiah would come much like Moses & deliver them from their current oppressors. They truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah & that they had found him.
They even had arguments over who would sit on his right & who would sit on his left when he came into his glorious kingdom. But all of a sudden, it looks like the way ahead is taking a different turn than what they had expected. They had left everything to follow Jesus because they believed that in following Him they would reign with Him.
But it’s beginning to dawn on them that what they thought, what they had imagined & what’s about to happen are two total different realities.
It’s into this confusion, into this new reality, into this moment that Jesus says these words…
Don’t let your hearts be troubled
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” John 14.1
Don’t let your hearts be troubled? Really?
Jesus, this isn’t working out like we thought it would. Tensions are heating up. People want to kill you. Seriously? How could we not be troubled?
I don’t know about you, but this kind of feels like good news to me. Its encouraging to know that these guys could literally be physically in the presence of Jesus for three years, could literally be in his presence now and still be worried. It’s possible to be in the presence of Jesus & still be worried.
[Tweet ” It’s possible to be in the presence of Jesus & still be worried. #IAM #Jesus”]Some of you think that if you struggle with worry that you are somehow less spiritual. That you have some kind of faith problem. But that simply isn’t true. You can literally worry in the presence of Jesus. You can be troubled in his presence. He can handle it.
And He will remind you, don’t worry. Don’t be troubled. Even if like these guys, even when you figure out that life isn’t going the direction you thought it would. Even when you realize the road ahead is going to be different, going to be harder than you thought, don’t be troubled.
Because life with Jesus in the presence of Jesus means that you can follow Jesus no matter what’s around the next corner.
And if you’re worried, if you’re troubled, there’s no better place to be than in His presence. The reason not to be troubled is directly tied to where your trust is located.
[Tweet “The reason not to be troubled is directly tied to where your trust is. #IAM #Jesus “]Trusting Jesus with a Cross Ahead
Then Jesus says… “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14.6
Jesus knew in this moment exactly what was ahead for Him. He knew exactly what would happen in just a few hours as He would be handed over to the authorities. As he would be put on trial, falsely accused. And he would be spit on, beaten, made to carry his own cross. He knew the way ahead for Him would be extremely difficult.
And I think this raises an important question for you to consider today.
Do you trust Jesus?
Would you trust Jesus knowing there’s a cross ahead?
[Tweet ““I am the way, the truth, and the life.” – Jesus”]Will you trust Jesus with the full knowledge that following him doesn’t exempt you from suffering?
The original disciples of Jesus did not live a pain free life. They did not get a pass on human suffering. They were not exempt from the troubles of this world. In fact, all except one died a martyr’s death.
Those closest to Jesus would suffer most for Jesus. But those who followed Jesus & suffered for Jesus with Jesus were transformed into his image. Their lives looked like Christ.
[Tweet “The original disciples of Jesus did not live a pain free life.”]Is this true for you & me?
Will we trust Jesus enough to suffer so that we might be transformed into the image of Jesus?
Here’s the good news, we follow Jesus who is all too familiar with suffering. And if you’re hurting, He’s there. He’s present in your pain. And He will use your pain to transform you. To make you more like Him.
Do you trust Him to do that?
May we look to Jesus who it the Way, the Truth, & the Life. And may we find him there in the middle of our present pain. And may we trust Him, the One who has gone before, to see us through.
