We were treated to a wonderful sermon this morning from a passage in the Gospel of John 16:25 – 33. The sermon focused on the words of Jesus in v33 ‘I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world‘.
Pastor Watts had two very simple points; i) what the passage does not say and ii) what it does say.
To anyone that is suffering or in pain of any sort I recommend this sermon. Suffering and pain are a part of living in a fallen world and there is no escape from these things. No matter how powerful you are or how much wealth you might have you are unprotected ultimately from pain and suffering. If you are a believer I pray this sermon will be a great blessing to you. If you are not a believer I pray you will bow the knee to King Jesus that the blessing of God may be upon you – and that you may have Hope in Christ.
Listen to or download the Sermon ‘Christ has overcome the world’ Here.
We ended the service by singing ‘Begone unbelief’.
1 Begone unbelief;
My Savior is near,
And for my relief
Will surely appear:
By prayer let me wrestle,
And he will perform;
With Christ in the vessel,
I smile at the storm.
2 Though dark be my way,
Since he is my guide,
‘Tis mine to obey,
‘Tis his to provide:
Though cisterns be broken,
And creatures all fail,
The word he has spoken
Shall surely prevail.
3 His love in time past
Forbids me to think
He’ll leave me at last
In trouble to sink;
Each sweet Ebenezer
I have in review
Confirms his good pleasure
To help me quite through.
4 Determined to save,
He watched o’er my path,
When, Satan’s blind slave,
I sported with death;
And can He have taught me
To trust in His name,
And thus far have brought me
To put me to shame?
5 Why should I complain
Of want or distress,
Temptation or pain?
He told me no less;
The heirs of salvation,
I knew from His word,
Through much tribulation,
Must follow their Lord.
6 Since all that I meet
Shall work for my good,
The bitter is sweet,
The medicine is food;
Though painful at present,
‘Twill cease before long;
And then, O how pleasant,
The conqueror’s song!
John Newton, 1725 – 1807
This version in Christian Hymns, 697.