A sermon based on John 14:1-14, Rev. J. Orlando Flahn:
Our world is broken, leaving many of us feeling hurt, disappointed, and anxious. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in the U.S., affecting 42.5 million adults. Women are affected more than men, and rates are rising rapidly among young adults (ages 18–24). (Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAAhttps://adaa.org)
The U.S. has even been called “America the Anxious.” In a recent mental health poll, 67% of U.S. adults reported feeling anxious, exhausted, afraid, and even angry (Navigator, 2025).
Sadly, some of you here this morning may have taken, or may currently be taking, medication for anxiety or depression. I want to be clear that there is nothing wrong with seeking help in this way. I am not a medical professional, and I would never suggest stopping any treatment or medication without first consulting your doctor.
And I acknowledge that many factors contribute to why so many of us experience mental restlessness. However, regardless of the reasons, our hearts are troubled and our minds are restless, God invites us this morning—as His people—to find hope in His Word.
What are the key drivers of our troubled hearts and anxieties? Why does our nation lead the world in anxiety?
Well, Jesus’ message to us today may hold the healing or peace your heart seeks. Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be distressed….do not let your hearts be troubled…You believe in God; believe also in Me.” (NET)
For over 2,000 years, these words of Jesus have offered genuine comfort and healing to countless believers facing depression or anxiety disorders.
SI: A young man in our church once suffered severely from depression. He described feeling so isolated that he was completely alone. However, when he surrendered his life to Jesus and began to embrace His words, he started to experience healing and comfort from depression and anxiety. He shared that he gave all his fears, cares, and worries to Him and found peace in trusting Jesus.
While many things in our broken world can leave us troubled and restless, it is Jesus alone who holds the ultimate power to bring comfort and healing to our restless hearts and minds.
Background: The disciples were completely discouraged and anxious. Jesus had just told them, “I am going away” (7:34; 8:21; 12:8, 35; 13:33), “I am going to die” (12:32–33), that one of the Twelve would betray Him (13:21), that Peter would disown Him three times (13:38), and that Satan was at work against all of them (Luke 22:31–32). He also said that on the night He would be handed over to be killed, all the disciples would fall away (Matt. 26:31). That was a tremendous burden for them to bear—it began to weigh heavily on their hearts, and they became greatly depressed.
Consider their situation: these men had left behind their jobs and families to follow Jesus for over three years, convinced He was the promised Messiah. Only days before, they were filled with joy as Jesus entered Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowds.
But now, instead of talking about His expected earthly kingdom—where the disciples hoped to rule with Him—Jesus spoke of betrayal, being handed over to the Gentiles, suffering, and death. Anxiety gripped them at once, and their hearts were deeply troubled. It felt as if their world was collapsing—their dreams shattered, and their hope was gone.
Is your heart troubled? Are you feeling anxious or restless? According to today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus offers us three essential ways to find cure and comfort for our troubled hearts:
I. FAITH IN THE PERSON OF CHRIST JESUS WILL COMFORT AND HEAL OUR TROUBLED HEART (vs. 1, 4-11):
Jesus calls us this morning to place our trust in His divine identity and His intimate union with the Father. Trust Jesus—put your faith in who He is, especially when a crisis troubles your heart.
Everything about our walk with God depends on how we answer the important question Jesus asks: “Who do you say that I am?”
If Jesus truly is who He claimed to be, and who all of Scripture proclaims Him to be, then He is worthy of all our trust—offering real hope and comfort for our troubled hearts.
Jesus claims to be on the same level as God the Father when it comes to trusting Him. In verse 1, He says, “Do not let your heart be troubled. Do not let your hearts be restless and anxious. Since you believe in God, believe also in Me.”
Alexander Maclaren, the commentator, says: “What mere man could make such a claim, ‘You need to trust in God, and to the same degree, you need to trust in Me’?” (Expositions of Holy Scripture [Baker], on John 14:1, p. 257)
He not only claims equality with God the Father, but also declares Himself to be the exclusive way to the Father. Jesus proclaims, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus does not say, “I know the way to heaven and I want to point you to it,” nor does He say, “I am one of the ways to get there.” Instead, He boldly declares, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
ILLUSTRATION:
A missionary once hired a local guide to lead him across the vast African desert. After traveling all day, they reached the desert’s edge, where only endless sands stretched before them—no footprints, no roads, nothing to follow. The missionary, realizing the danger of being lost in such a place, began to panic. Sweating in the blazing sun, he anxiously asked his guide, “Where is the road?” With calm assurance, the guide replied, “I am the road.”
This statement is the sixth of Jesus’ seven “I am” declarations in the Gospel of John (6:48; 8:12; 10:9, 11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1), each one a powerful claim to His deity.
LLUSTRATION: R. C. Sproul points out that the idea that all religions are equally valid is logically impossible. If every religion were valid, then Christianity would be false—because Jesus claimed to be the only way to God, which eliminates all other ways, excluding all other paths. So, either He was right, or He was wrong. Sproul concludes, “If He was wrong, then Christianity has no validity at all. If He was right, then there is no other way.”
Philip, one of the disciples, said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus replied in verse 9, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?”
QUOTE: Leon Morris, the NT scholar, states (p. 644), “These are words which no mere man has a right to use.” Jesus is the visible representation of the invisible God……Paul writes, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”(Col 2:9)
APPLICATION: In times of difficulty, God the Father may seem distant or even absent, and His invisibility can make trusting Him a challenge. In those moments, look to Jesus, who was tempted in every way as we are, yet remained without sin (Heb. 4:15). Jesus reveals the Father’s tender mercies to us.
II. HOPE IN THE PROMISE OF CHRIST WILL COMFORT OUR TROUBLED HEART (vs 2-3):
In verses 2-3, Jesus says, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
APPLICATION: Two of our children attended school in the South, so we made frequent trips and regularly booked a local hotel. We loved staying there—it offered a warm environment, delicious food, a swimming pool for the kids, friendly staff, and excellent service. Over time, the place became a second home to us. However, on one trip, our visit was so rushed that I forgot to make a reservation. Assuming they knew us well, I thought I could arrange it upon arrival. But I was mistaken. When we arrived, every room was booked.
Here, Jesus makes two promises that are certain because He is the truth. First, Christ is making an eternal reservation for us in heaven—heaven is a real place, and truly, this world is not our home. We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we will take nothing out of it.
Second, Jesus promises to come again and receive us to Himself, so that where He is, we may be also. When Christ returns, or when we die and go to heaven, we will be reunited with our loved ones who have gone before us.
This hope of an eternal home with Christ serves as an anchor for believers, providing comfort and healing amid earthly trials and disappointments. When we feel out of place in this world, or when we experience rejection or loneliness, we can take comfort in knowing that a permanent home is being prepared for us—a place where we are fully known, fully loved, and fully accepted.
III. CONFIDENCE IN THE POWER OF CHRIST TO ANSWER PRAYER WILL COMFORT OUR TROUBLED HEART (vs 12-14):
Jesus is saying to us, “Prayer works! In My name, great things still happen.”
In verse 12, He says the disciples will even do greater things than He did because He is going to the Father…
Dr. Tasker explains that Jesus’s “departure to the Father, so far from ending his influence on earth, will mean its continuance under wider conditions and with the results rendered possible by the power of effective prayer” (Tasker, p. 166). Kenneth O. Gangel also notes that Jesus’s ongoing influence is demonstrated through the power of prayer (John, vol. 4, Holman New Testament Commentary, 266–268).
In verses 13 and 14, we find one of the great promises of prayer in the Bible. Jesus says, “And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it.” Jesus answers prayer to bring glory to the Father. Therefore, our prayers must seek to bring glory to our heavenly Father.
Why Do We Struggle to Expect Miracles? Mike Leake (https://www.biblestudytools.com)
You get a phone call from a friend you haven’t seen in a while. He’s ecstatic, breathless as he tells you, “You won’t believe what happened to me since we last talked — I was miraculously healed of my migraines! I asked God to take it away, and since then I haven’t had a headache in months!!”
I think if we’re honest, many of us pray for God to do miraculous things, but we like to hedge our bets and add disclaimers. In one sense, that’s right and proper. We ought to adopt a posture of deference to His sovereignty. We approach God knowing and understanding that He knows best. We don’t approach Him as if He were a genie or a divine butler responding to our beck and call.
Yet, there is a way in which my children expect me to respond to their needs. They know that I love them, and they reasonably anticipate that I’m going to show up for them. I think we ought to have that same kind of expectation of the Fatherly care of God. Even if it means that our “help” requires something extraordinary.
But we don’t tend to think this way anymore when it comes to God doing extraordinary things on our behalf. For one, we live in an age of skepticism. Modern culture often dismisses the supernatural, giving deference to science and reason. This is the water we swim in. Add to this real experience of hurt and disappointment, and you’ve got a recipe for distrust. Throw into the mixture a few news stories of charlatan preachers claiming “healings” and it’s understandable that our gut reaction is a bit of skepticism when our friend says, “I was healed of my migraine!”
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