Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 14:1
New King James Version

THE WORLD does well to keep up a cheerful, outward demeanor--to "drive dull care away" to the best of its ability. Nevertheless, there is great force and weight to the apostle Paul's words to the effect that 'the whole creation is groaning and travailing in pain together, waiting' for Messiah's Kingdom and its long-promised blessings to lift the curse of sin and death and to restore to mankind the smile of the Father's favor. (Psalm 30:5; Romans 8:22; Revelation 21:1-5; 22:3) Reason though they may, that there is no personal God -- that there is merely a blind god of nature, an evolutionary force, etc., nevertheless, deep down in the heart, men believe that there is a God. Almost unconsciously the mind attributes to Him Wisdom, Justice and Power -- but little of Love or sympathy with humanity and its frailties.

Root of All Trouble

This very intuitive knowledge of God is closely associated with many human troubles. As the root of nearly every trouble, perhaps deep below the surface, is sin -- disobedience to recognized principles of righteousness, and a fearful looking for of retribution, and uncertainty as to what it will mean. This is true, not only of many who profess to be Christians, but frequently true also of others who have made no profession, who have taken upon them no solemn vows of obedience. This troubled heart condition does not always show upon the surface. Sometimes the troubled heart is in the theatre to try to forget its troubles. Sometimes its owner is immersed in sinful pleasure-seeking, in endeavor to drown some haunting grief. Sometimes relief is sought through intoxicating liquors or narcotics; sometimes in suicide. Sometimes the troubled one is on the stage. One cannot surely know that the merry laugh and witty joke and cheery song do not come from a troubled heart. We are sure that they do, in many instances, for frequently those who have been indulging in merriment have committed suicide a few moments thereafter, leaving messages that their hearts had been severely burdened, while outwardly cheerful. We have much sympathy with these sorrow-laden hearts. As a race we are walking through "the valley of the shadow of death," day by day. (Psalm 23:4) On every hand we have reminders of this -- grief, disappointment, headache, heartache, etc. If we are measurably free from pain ourselves, yet have sympathy, we are pained in the interest of others. If none of our own dear ones has recently died, the great Enemy, Death, has laid hold upon the home of a neighbor, a brother, and he is bereaved and a reflex shadow falls upon our hearts; and further, the thought comes that our home may be invaded by the great Enemy which has already swallowed up twenty thousand millions of our race -- and that by Divine permission, because we are sinners -- and because sinners are unworthy of everlasting life. -- Ezekiel 18:4,20; Romans 6:23.

The Fear of Yahweh

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverb 1:7

In our troubles, we sooner or later realize the lack of human sympathy or, at least, its impotency. Feeling our helplessness, we instinctively look to our Creator. In the hour of trouble remarkably few doubt the existence of God. As Jesus said, "You believe in God." But as we look to the Almighty for protection and consider Divine Justice and realize our own weaknesses and shortcomings, the heart of man fails. How could he think that the Omnipotent One would have interest in or care for such a worm of the dust as he feels himself to be? (Psalm 22:6) How could Divine Justice look with any sympathy upon the course of selfishness which he recognizes stretches out behind him in full view of the All-Seeing Eye? "The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom," is the inspired Message. (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10) Surely many have this beginning of wisdom come to them at some period in their life's experience. But such a fear is the start of wisdom only when it leads the fearful one to greater carefulness of living and to a desire for the Heavenly Father's approval.

If this be the leading of the fear, it is indeed the precursor of, the leader to, wisdom.

As proper fear or reverence for the Almighty comes in, it acts as a restraint upon sin. It tends to make one more thoughtful, more careful, more wise, in seeking for a better way.

Come by the Restricted Way

How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.

Matthew 7:14

Jesus addressed the words of our text to Jews who, under the instruction of the Law given by Moses, had learned of divine righteousness and the divine requirements of all those who would come into harmony with Him. They believed in God. They recognized his justice. They were desiring to be his people; they had heard of Jesus; they had traveled with him as his disciples. In a general way they believed in him. To a large degree they accepted him as the promised Messiah, and yet they found it difficult to express a fullness of faith. We would like to bear home upon the hearts of these the very message that Jesus gave to those who heard his voice: "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me." Hear him saying to us today, You already believe in the Creator and his Justice. You already desire to draw near to God. You have heard that he has sent his Son into the world. You have heard that this is a manifestation of his love and sympathy for you. You have heard that while you are condemned as imperfect, as sinners, as unworthy of eternal life, divine provision has been made for your recovery through the redeemer. As you believe in the Father's justice which condemned you and which justly holds you at a distance from him as unworthy of his favor, so now believe also in me. Believe that the Father has sent me. Believe that it is his love for you that prompted the sending. Believe that his love is as strong as his Justice. Believe that his justice and love will co-operate for your eternal comfort and blessing, if you will accept the divine terms.

Losing Our Heart Troubles

The Father knows your heart troubles. He wishes the burden to be there until you shall appreciate its weight -- until you shall be ready to cry to him that you are sin-sick, weary, troubled, and above all, hungering and thirsting for righteousness and desiring reconciliation to him -- the smile of his face. He has not waited for all of this to take place before making provisions for you. He has anticipated your needs, your longings, your necessities. He has already provided the redeemer, who is mighty to save. If divine justice is exacting to the last degree, believe that divine love, as represented in the redeemer sent of God, is equally exhaustless, boundless -- sufficient for all your needs. If you will accept of this, the divine arrangement through Christ, your heart troubles may be at an end. You will still have troubles in the flesh, weaknesses, aches and pains, but your heart will be joyful and happy in a fellowship divine with the Father, through the Son.

How to Get the Peace

Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1

Ah! says one, "I have heard of God and of Jesus and of the invitation to reconciliation, but I don't know how to proceed. To whom should I go? How can I gain a hearing in my case to obtain the blessed assurance, Your sins are forgiven; go and sin no more. Which church must I join? To what priest must I confess?" If you are such a person who is asking these questions like these out of of sincere heart, we rejoice with you that you have come into the condition where you are seeking and knocking for the opening of the storehouse of divine favor, because "He that seeketh shall find, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Continue, then, to seek and to knock, and very soon the blessings will be yours. See, first, whether or not you are seeking the proper blessing. You want forgiveness of sins that are past. You want the assurance of Divine love and care. You want the Heavenly Shepherd to take you for one of His sheep and look after your interests, both temporal and eternal. If so, good. You are seeking the very thing that God is pleased to give. Many are seeking something else -- seeking to have some of self-will and some of God's will, some of sin and some of righteousness. They seek in vain until, in purity of heart, they seek that which God is willing to give. All of God's gifts are by grace (unmerited favor). None of us could claim them on the grounds of justice or merit. We cannot keep God's perfect Law, not because it is too exacting, but because we are fallen due to Adam's sin. We were born in sin, brought forth in iniquity; in sin did our mothers conceive us. (Psalm 51:5) Be our wills ever so strong, our flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41) The Divine arrangement of this Gospel Age is adapted to this very condition and is open for the honest-hearted, the sincere penitents, the ones fully determined for righteousness. You need not come to any earthly priest, but as the Master said, go to the Father, in secret, in private. (Matthew 6:6) Go not in your own name, or merit, or worth, but in the merit of the Redeemer. (Acts 2:38; 1 John 3:23) Go Scripturally, claiming Him as your Advocate and appealing in His Name for the forgiveness provided by Divine mercy -- to cover all the sins of the past and provide for all the imperfections unwillingly yours for the future -- even to the end of the way. (Romans 3:25; James 5:15) Coming thus, Jesus becomes your Priest, your Advocate with the Father. "We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous." (1 John 2:1, King James Version) "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16, New King James Version) What will you say to your Father as you present yourself in the Name of Jesus, do you ask? In prayer tell Him that you are sick of sin and desirous of his righteousness; in every way tell Him of your appreciation of the glorious qualities of his character and of your desire to be as much conformed to that character as possible. Tell him that you know you have nothing worthy of his consideration, except the merit of Jesus to be imputed to you through your faith in his blood, which will be the covering for your sinful condition. (Romans 3:25; 4:23,24) Tell Him that you present your all thus justified by faith, that the merit of Christ may be imputed; that you desire to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) -- to be faithful till death to Him (Revelation 2:10), to His Message in the Bible and to all who are in the Way with you, following in the good way to the Kingdom.

Daily Living the New Life

Those who have acted upon the above directions of Yahweh's Word and who have thus been accepted by the Father and begotten of the Holy Spirit, are then new creatures in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10) To them "old things have passed away. Behold, they have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17; see also Romans 6:6; Ephesians 4:22; Colossians 3:9) Their souls should not be troubled, because they have passed from Divine disfavor to Divine relationship, as sons of God through faith in Jesus (Galatians 3:26) -- and "if children, then heirs; heirs of God," (Romans 8:17) "Abraham's seed and heirs according to promise." (Galatians 3:29) The apostle indicates our goal is to have a perfect faith. (1 Thessalonians 3:10; Hebrews 6:1) Those who reach this blessed state with full faith in God and Jesus are no longer heart-troubled. They will have troubles from the world, the flesh and the Adversary, but through them all they have rejoicing -- "The peace of God, which passes all understanding" ruling in their hearts. (Philippians 4:7) But the end is not yet. The body has been separated from the will. The will has become identified with Christ and represents the new creature, which will not be perfected, and in its new body, until the resurrection. Meantime, as the Apostle teaches, the flesh, still weak due to sin (Romans 6:19; 8:1-3), must be considered and treated as an enemy because of its weakness, its fallen condition. -- Romans 7:18; 8:6-8. p align=justify>A struggle, a battle, must go on continually to the end of the course. "Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10; See also: 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Corinthians 6:1-10; Ephesians 6:10-17) The faithfulness of the new creature, the will, will be judged by its loyalty to the Divine will and its strenuous endeavor to keep the body in submission (1 Corinthians 9:27; Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5-10) -- to be dead to the flesh and to the world and to be alive to the will of God. (Romans 6:11; Matthew 7:21) Every day should make us more alive as new creatures and more dead as old creatures.

Scriptures Misunderstood

At the present time we have millions that in no sense of the word are called by the Lord, and therefore have had no opportunity of responding to that call. Added to this are billions who have lived and died without ever hearing of the Lord Jesus. With the thought that has prevailed for centuries that these uncalled billions are doomed to eternal suffering, the hearts of God's people have been very sorely troubled, and infidelity has been very greatly assisted into a denial of everything pertaining to Christian faith. All agree that it would be very unreasonable for the Creator of those billions to expose them to the danger of eternal suffering, and not give them the slightest opportunity for hearing of the only terms of salvation from it.

But when we get the correct, the Scriptural view of the matter, we see that the penalty upon those billions is, "Dying thou shalt die," (Genesis 2:17, King James Version, marginal rendering) and that in this particular they are not different from their fathers, who were under the same curse, or sentence of death -- the Adamic condemnation, for in Adam all are dying. (1 Corinthians 15:22; see also Romans 5:12-19) We see from the Scriptures, too, that our Lord Jesus, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man -- to be witnessed in due time. -- Hebrews 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:6.

Jesus, therefore, tasted death for all the present billions now blinded by Satan, and for all their forefathers, yes, all the billions who have died and are now dying in Adam. He has given the ransom-price for their sins as well as for ours, the Church's, and resultant blessing must come to them as well as to us. (1 John 2:2) The coming blessing is a rescue from the sin-and-death conditions in which they were born -- an opportunity for rising out of those conditions of degradation, up, up, up to all that was lost through Adam's disobedience, and full participation in perfection. This work of Divine Grace, we see, is to be accomplished for the world during the "age to come" (Hebrews 6:5), when Christ and the elect Church will constitute God's Kingdom (Daniel 7:22,27; Luke 12:32; 22:29; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 1:5; Hebrews 12:28; James 2:5), with power and great glory for the blessing of the world. (Genesis 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Galatians 3:29) Until then, the selection of the seed of Abraham continues to go forth: "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19) "Repent, and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." -- Acts 2:38.

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THERE are great truths that pitch their shining tents,
outside our walls, and though but dimly seen
in the gray dawn, they will be manifest
When the light widens into perfect day. (Proverbs 4:18)

Edited from Overland Monthly sermon

Last Update: June 11, 2004.

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