Sermon Nuggets Thur Oct 9
Theme: Hope
Verses- John 16:29 Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.
30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God."
31 "You believe at last!" Jesus answered.
32 "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
A time of Peace
It is hard to see when we are in the midst of difficult and turmoil how situations could possibly work themselves out. But to the believer God wants us to know the truth of Romans 8:28. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
There are people who are carrying weights of trouble 10 times of anything I have experienced. I know that. I also know that Jesus carried weights of trouble 1,000 times greater than anything you are carrying. I believe that. In faith there is peace.
Jesus told them trouble will come upon them so they might have peace in Him. What did He mean? I believe He told them about their disloyalty before it happened so that they would know that it will not come as a shock to Jesus when they are disloyal. It won't make a difference to His love. Peace is ours. I believe He told them these things so they would know He understands completely when we grieve and when we are faced with trouble. Such experiences do not mean God is not working in our lives, but indeed He is.
Peace isn't the absence of trouble or turmoil in this world, but it is the presence of the Savior in our troubles. It is the calm confidence that God is still on the throne. It is the realization that trouble will not defeat us. It is the confidence that peace will rule in our lives and in our hearts. In Christ there is a day when all this trouble will be over. Just like having a baby he says. Peace and joy follow pain and sorrow, and it is worth it.
After the Russian cosmonauts spent 211days in space, they suffered from dizziness, high pulse rates, and heart palpitations upon their return. They couldn't walk for a week, and were undergoing therapy for atrophied muscles and weakened hearts. At zero gravity the muscles of the body begin to waste away because there is no resistance. To counteract this a running suit laced with elastic bands was utilized. It resists every move the cosmonauts make, forcing them to exert their strength. It worked. Years later astronauts found when they had resistance their muscles were strong and prepared them for recovery back into the earth’s atmosphere.
The easier our life, the weaker our spiritual fiber, for strength of any kind grows only by exertion. Peace follows trouble, and sometimes is only experienced as a result of trouble.
There was one thing we realize with all the people who saw the resurrected Lord. No one stayed the same after seeing Jesus alive. When Jesus showed the wounds in the upper room appearance he simply said, "Peace be unto you."
We think peace comes from knowing the right things. But peace comes from knowing the right person. If we can just know the right things, we think, we'll be in control, safe from harm. But knowledge does not mean control. Knowledge doesn't protect us. Peace comes not from knowing the right things but from knowing Jesus and trusting Him for the future.
“And in this world you will have tribulation but be of Good cheer I have overcome the world”, Jesus said. After trouble there is peace.
Pastor Dale
