Take Heart

John 16:33

John 16:33 NLT

33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Introduction:

This past week was yet another reminder that we live in an age of difficult days.

As we heard some of our Christian brothers and sisters in Afghanistan declaring that due to the Taliban now controlling the country they must prepare for the reality that their faith in Jesus would most likely cost them their lives.

And as we pray for them and our heart breaks for them as it should many of us can’t help but think about all of our fellow Christians around the globe that are martyred every year rather than deny the Lord.

In fact over 100,000 Christians per year are killed simply for being a Christian where they live.

This is hard for us to understand in America but the reality is that there are evil people in the world who seek to hurt or kill the Lord’s people.

This week we also can see people suffering from natural disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti that has shaken a country that is already in great distress following the assassination of it’s president and years of poverty. There are many of our Christian brothers and sisters in Haiti that desperately need our prayers as well.

Then if we look internally at our own country. There is no denying that we have serious issues here at home. There are the obvious ones from years of incompetent and dysfunctional politicians that over promise and are at times down right criminal and wicked trading the better good of the people for their own selfish gains.

Then we cannot help but see the constant moral decay all around us not just in America but also around the world. Wrong is being called right and right is being called wrong.

The devil is destroying countless people with his lies that convince people to turn from or deny God and instead indulge in sins of the flesh, the murder of innocent babies by abortion, greed, corruption, violence, sexual immorality and foolish pride all leading to more death and destruction and more broken and lost people. Said simply sin is rampant and hurting people are hurting other people. America and the world desperately need our prayers.

Then there are the personal circumstances that we all must deal with such as sickness, financial stresses, loneliness, depression, addiction and the list goes on and on.

For many of us we can see the events of the Bible unfolding before our very eyes and for some people it may cause concern or confusion. That is why beginning next week I will be starting a new sermon series about the end times to help clarify scripture that God’s word may comfort you during this season and the seasons to come.

Nonetheless, during these challenging days in which we live in if we are not careful then even the best intentioned Christian can look at the condition of our times and be discouraged or loose hope but this is not the will of God as we will see in today’s text.

And before we go any further let me just declare to you this morning that no matter what things may look like we still serve the all powerful, the all mighty, the Holy sovereign God of the universe in whom we can trust, in whom we can take comfort in and in whom does in fact make a way for His people despite everything that is going on in the world! Somebody give Him praise!

Jesus is About to Leave the Disciples

To provide some context for today’s passage of Scripture we must understand that Jesus is speaking with the Disciples at the Last Supper.

At this point Judas had already left to go and betray Jesus so He makes it a point to share some important points with them before His arrest.

There are several powerful lessons being taught from John 13:31 through John 16:24. Then in John 16:25 Jesus explains to the Disciples that the hour has come when they will be scattered and leave Him alone. There is no doubt that this comment hurt the Disciples as they loved Jesus and could not imagine abandoning Him in His time of need. But Jesus does not tell them this to discourage them but rather to encourage them

In verse 32 Jesus declares that though they scatter He is not alone because the Father is with Him. Furthermore in verse 33 He tells them the reason He explains these things to them is so they will have comfort in difficult times.

You see if you know what is coming than it helps to prepare for it. The sport of boxing is a great example of this. The athletes can trade countless blows with each other but often it is the one which they do not see that causes a knockout.

You see there will no doubt be moments in the near future when the Disciples will be asking themselves what in the world is going on and times when they feel alone and worse yet that they abandoned Jesus. But then they can remember His words that the Father is with Him and that Jesus does have victory no matter what it looks like. And because Jesus has victory so can they through Him.

Every Human Will Experience Trials and Sorrow

You see brothers and sisters every human will experience trial and sorrows here on earth.

It is just a fact because Jesus tells us so. In our humanity we can easily get caught up in the comparison game especially in these days of social media. It can seem as one person is hurting more because their pain is easily visible. But let me just let tell you there are moments when everybody hurts. I have been building all types of homes for all types of people from all types of backgrounds for over 20 years and I can tell you that just because someone may seem like they have it all together on the outside does not mean they really do. Every person will have challenges, trials and sorrow to deal with on some level in this world. Will some have more sorrow than others yes but that does not mean that everyone does not have moments of trials and sorrows.

This is an important point to realize because when we need to know that the Lord is not punishing us when bad things happen. As a Pastor part of my job is to share the Gospel and to provide spiritual counseling to people. When doing so a common remark people make is that if there was a God than why are they hurting or if God loves them then why did they or someone they love have to suffer.

The truth is that we are not in heaven yet and in this world everyone will have good times and bad times. With that being said our choices do have a significant impact on the quality of our lives meaning if we make bad choices than life will be much harder and if we make wise choices our lives will be much better. For example, learning the word of God and applying it’s principles to our live will breed success because God’s word is the ultimate in truth and wisdom.

However, for those who live in continual sin or those who reject the Lord they are missing out on many blessings the Lord wants to give them including everlasting life in paradise with Jesus.

My point here is simply that while yes the Lord will correct His people because He is a loving Father, He does not punish us by causing the difficult circumstances in life unless we reject Him and turn to the ways of the world or in some way our trials are part of His bigger plans and purposes.

Jesus’s Victory is Our Peace

Verse 33 is powerful because Jesus tells the Disciples that even though we will have many trials and sorrows we may have peace in Him and take heart because He has overcome the world.

You see while yes it’s true everyone will have times of sorrow and times of trials those times are temporary. Many of us including myself can testify of times that the Lord saved us, helped us blessed us and brought us through the trials to an even better more blessed place than we were before.

I literally cannot count the number of times that I have called upon the Lord for help and He has never failed me. Sure there have been times I didn’t get what I was praying for but then sometime latter it became clear that what I was praying for wasn’t best and He had something better for me. God is the greatest and we can trust Him in all things Amen!

And you may ask well what about the people that die or live a life of suffering in this world or those who are killed for the cause of Christ where is their victory?

Well let me tell you something they too will have their victory.

2 Corinthians 5:8 NLT

8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

Paul is teaching us to be absent with the body is to be present with the Lord which means that everyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ will share in His victory and heaven will be their home.

That is because Jesus defeated death, hell and the grave and paid the sin debt in full for all that put their faith in Him. As believers of Jesus Christ we have rewards that are so glorious they are beyond measure. Not only do we receive a pardon from our sins but we get to live in heaven with God and our brothers and sisters in Christ for eternity. Also while on earth we will receive many blessings including true love and true peace which can only come from the Lord.

Jesus gives us true peace, His peace which comes from the Holy Spirit and to receive the Holy Spirit a person must trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior and turn from a sinful lifestyle to a godly lifestyle.

The world cannot give you true peace. Money won’t give you peace. Physical beauty won’t give you peace. Friendship won’t give you peace. Relationships won’t give you peace. A great career won’t give you peace. There is nothing you can do to earn peace just like there is nothing you can do to earn salvation. Both are gifts from the Lord given by His sacrifice, His love and His grace because He loves us and wants us to be in Him as He is in the Father.

We can hear how passionately Jesus loves the Disciples and us as He prays to the Father in John 17:20-26

John 17:20–26 NLT

20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. 22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! 25 “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

Closing:

In closing today I just want to reiterate that no matter what is going on in the world, no matter what is going on in the lives of those close to you, no matter what is going on in you own life that there is victory in Jesus!

Yes there will be moments of trials or even sorrow in this world. But those times do not define us. Those times are not the sum of our experiences. Those times will be short lived compared to the wondrous blessings Christ has in store in this life and in heaven.

So take heart brothers and sister and freely receive the gift of God’s peace which can only be found through a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

If you are here today and you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior please come to the altar so we can pray for you and you too may have a new life in Christ.

If you are here today and you are a Christian but you do not feel God’s peace in your life please come to the altar so we can pray for you.

Remember saints that victory, peace, love and life are guaranteed in Christ Jesus! Somebody give Him praise in the house this morning!

Prayer