Every few nights, I am asked to give a sermon to a church full of people who live in a world that is so different from my own. When I realized that I was going to have to add “preacher” to my resume, I panicked a bit. Whenever I speak, I tend to use a lot of pop-culture references and a bit of sarcasm to make it interesting. These are two things that these brothers and sisters of mine have zero context for. Crap. So I prayed.
I began to think about some of the threads of humanity that are universal instead of cultural. One thing kept popping up: suffering.
So here, in a nutshell, is a transcribed version of my (a white girl from Southern California who is sad that her Disneyland pass has expired) sermon about suffering that I have given to incredibly and beautifully resilient residents of the rural villages of South-Central India.
How many of you have had some difficult things happen in your lives?
We have all had difficult things happen in our lives because, let’s be honest, life is hard. Everywhere you go in the world, there is pain and suffering and heartache. My team and I have travelled to many places in this world and we can tell you that nobody is free from that, no matter where you are from.
I’m going to start with a verse from John 16:33. Jesus says, ” In this world you will have many trials and sorrows, but take heart for I have overcome the world.”
This verse guarantees that we will all have suffering. It guarantees that life is difficult. Now if the verse just stopped at the part about the troubles that would be very sad. But it doesn’t stop there. Jesus goes on to tell us to “take heart“. In some translations it says that he tells us to “take courage” and to “be of good cheer“.
So he says to “take heart for I have overcome the world“.
Christ is telling us not to worry about our troubles, but to have courage because He has had victory over it. He has had victory over the world ful of troubles.
So you may be thinking to yourself, “Of course he is the one who had victory, he’s Jesus. He’s the son of God. He is God as man. But I am only human and I still have many troubles.”
Well here’s some good news. Are you ready for some good news?
This good news comes out of 1 John 5: 4-5. It reads, “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.”
So, in Christ, we share in his victory. Through our faith, his victory is our victory.
There are many in this world who do not have that hope in Christ. There are many in this world who live only in the first part of John 16:33. They are stuck in their troubles with their focus on how terrible everything is. They do not know or do not believe in the hope that comes with Christ. They are trapped in their pain or suffering or anger and cannot see past it.
And these are not bad people! These are beautiful people who Christ loves, just like you and me! Like I said before, life is difficult. But peace can come also when you know there is a Hope. It is easier to “take heart” to “have courage” and to “be of good cheer” when you know that you share in Christ’s victory of overcoming the world.
I’ve got another verse I wanted to talk about to hopefully be an encouragement to you brothers and sisters of mine. It is Romans 8:28: “For we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose.”
Notice that in this verse, it does not say that all things are good. Because, as we’ve talked about, all things are not good. Since sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, there has been evil and sickness and destruction. All things are not good.
BUT, we get some goof news from Romans 8:28. Because, in this verse, it says that God works all things together for the good of those that love him. All things. Even the most difficult things. We are promised that he is working them all out for our good.
Isn’t that good news?
So, if we trust in the Lord, we can have some peace in knowing that we share in Christ’s victory of overcoming the world. And we can have peace in knowing that God has promised to use all of the difficult things in our lives for our good and his glory.
So I want to encourage each and every one of you to “take heart” and “be courageous” in Jesus’ name.
Thank you so much for letting me share with you wonderful, beautiful people. It is an absolute honor.
Vandanalu! “
