Sermon - Rogate 2021 - John 16:23-33

"Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles" by Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1255-1319

“In the world you will have tribulation.” Ain't that the truth! The world is filled with tribulation! Especially lately it seems everything is all mixed up and confused, just one big mess. Globally, the world is rather tumultuous. We sometimes get under the impression that things will always be as they are currently, as if the days of war are long past us and couldn’t come again. But Christ prepares us: “You will hear of wars and rumors of war. See that you aren’t troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet.” 

Nation will always rise up against nation, kingdom against kingdom; they will rise and fall. Just as nations have always conquered other nations and taken their land, the same will one day happen in our land, it’s inevitable unless Christ returns first. Not only is our world broiled up internationally, but within our own country there is much unrest.

Things have not been well among us for decades, but more recently we’re starting to reap the fruits of our nation being unwell. Mass killings are regular occurrences, drug, alcohol, and pornography addictions are common, broken families are the norm, and more and more people are turning away from the true God and turning to the occult. 

Personally, within our own individual lives, there is even a great deal of tumult. The aforementioned issues which plague our nation as a whole often plague our own private lives. Dear Christian, whatever your problems, Christ has overcome them, and He promises to hear you when you cry to Him. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Every trouble and tribulation has been overcome by Christ! Jesus came from the Father and entered the world in order that He would overcome the world. Jesus is the Son of God who took every trouble and tribulation upon Himself by taking our sins upon Himself. Those sins, those troubles, are forgiven in the atoning flood of Jesus’ blood.

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” By faith we have overcome every tribulation since Christ has overcome them on our behalf. As Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.” So indeed, through Christ, we have peace.

The great weapon that we have been given to combat suffering and tribulation is prayer. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, He will give it to you… Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” Because there is never any shortage of trouble in life, God has given us a great tool against Satan: He’s given us prayer.

What a powerful tool against suffering prayer is! You heard Jesus: Whatever you ask of the Father in Jesus’ name, He will give it to you! Do you remember throughout Jesus’ ministry, people would approach Him and ask for healing, and what did He do? He healed them! “Lord, if you are willing, heal me.” To which He’d reply, “I am willing. Be healed.” Even for things which seem rather mundane, like needing more wine at a wedding feast, Jesus’ mother told Him what was needed, and He provided!

God is our Father who loves us and loves to answer our prayers. Jesus assured us of this: “For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” From the Father’s heart flows forth boundless love for His dear children entangled in the tribulations of this world. God loves to answer prayer. 

No request is beneath Him. He already knows our hearts better than we do, and He interprets our petitions even when we’re unclear. So why should we be embarrassed to ask Him for that which we most need or desire? When a baby cries to her father to change her soiled diaper, does not the father submit for the sake of his beloved child? Should she ask for the simplest and most silly things, the father, out of love, fulfills her requests; no trouble is too small. Likewise with our heavenly Father, no trouble is too small for Him who loves to answer prayer.

Elsewhere Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Not only does God richly bless and provide for those who pray to Him, but He even commands that we pray to Him. When Jesus says “Ask, and you will receive,” that’s a command from God. God has ordered us to pray. While we tend not to like commands, this is a command that should give us great joy! Because God orders us to pray, that means that God will answer our prayers.

Furthermore, our prayers are powerful! If our prayers were only as powerful as we who ask the prayers, then of course our prayers would be nothing. But instead our prayers are precious, holy, and pleasing to God because He has commanded us to pray and promises to hear us. Our prayers are as powerful as the One to whom we pray! 

For that reason, prayer is no joke and it shouldn’t be treated as child’s play, although a child’s prayer is just as powerful as St. Paul’s prayers. Prayer has the power to move mountains. What do you think has stopped or quelled the plans, purposes, murder, and riot of the world? What do you think has stayed Satan from crushing the Gospel? What do you think has kept the church on earth from being utterly wiped out? Do you think it’s because we humans have accomplished so much? That we people have figured out peace and security? That we are so good at battling the devil with our man made tools? No! Of Course not! It was the prayer of a few godly people standing in the middle like an iron wall for the Gospel! 

Prayer is so utterly powerful because God backs up our prayers with His might and authority. A simple Christian prays, “Dear Father, Thy will be done,” and God answers, “Yes, dear child, it shall be so, in spite of the devil and all the world.” When we pray, the Almighty God answers.

What a shame then that we spend so little time in prayer. And why? Probably because we figure we’re too busy to pray, we have more important things to do. We’d never get everything done if we just prayed all the time. But what a devilish lie! We can labor our whole lives long and never accomplish as much as a simple Christian who prays without ceasing. “If the Lord does not build the house, it is useless for the builders to work hard over it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” The Lord accomplishes all things, and without prayer we will accomplish nothing.

So it often is that the Lord forces us to pray. He knocks our legs out from under us and brings us to our knees. When God makes us feel the distresses of this life, when He shows us the tribulations of this world, then we Christians know how to pray. God requires that we weep, lament, and fall on our faces begging God to take away our troubles. It’s not that God doesn’t know about our troubles, but that we don’t recognize them nor see that God is the one who answers all of our troubles.

Therefore, let my words to you this day be encouragement to see your troubles and believe that Jesus Christ has the power to answer your troubles. Every one of us should form the daily habit, starting today whatever our age, to pray for all our daily needs, no matter how small or great. Dear Christian, whatever your problems, Christ has overcome them, and He promises to hear you when you cry to Him.