John 16: 25-33
“Bad News from the World, Good News from the Word”
One day, when the great theologian Karl Barth was speaking to a group of
young seminarians, he told them take your Bible and take your newspaper, and
read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.'" Barth was saying this
because he knew each time we listen to the news, watch the news, or read the
newspapers, we will find more bad news. The news can easily scare us and make
us not want to get out of bed. There is news about wars and rumors of wars, news
about people getting shot almost every day, children getting kidnapped and held
for years, gas prices and food prices going up, children getting bullied, and the bad
news goes on and on.
Jesus knew there was bad news in the world. From the day Adam and Eve
disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, bad news began because everybody since
then was born with a sinful nature. Jesus knew that with this sinful nature, people
will become self-centered, families would fight one another just as Cain killed
Abel; Jesus knew that the powerful would oppress the weak just as the Egyptians
did to the people of Israel. But Jesus came to bring Good News so that we would
not feel hopeless and think there will be no end to our misery.
When Jesus started telling people about the Good News, he spoke mainly in
parables. The parables Jesus told were earthly stories with heavenly meanings.
But on many occasions, the disciples did not always understand the parables like
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the parable of the sower in Luke chapter 8 and mark chapter 4, so they came to
Jesus for explanations. Jesus promised the disciples a time when he would no
longer speak in parables but will tell them plainly about God and how much God
loves us as a loving father cares for his children.
Before he prayed for them, Jesus told the disciples, “I am telling you these
things so that in me you may find peace. In the world you will have trouble and
tribulation, but take heart, cheer up, I have conquered the world.” This is indeed
Good News from the Word of God to help us deal with the bad news we receive
each day from this sinful world. Jesus was honest and straightforward with us. He
didn’t promise us our lives will be free of challenges and difficulties. He didn’t
promise us an easy road or smooth sailing. He made it clear that in this world we
will have trouble and tribulation, that there will be bad news, but he gave us hope.
Jesus has already conquered the world. We have the victory already and so we can
face any challenges the world may throw us.
Veterans’ Day is on November 11th. This is a day that reminds us we
do not live in a perfect world. We live in a world where selfishness and greed for
power can lead to anger, violence and war. Jesus did warn us in Matthew 24 that
there will come a time when we will hear the noise of battles close by and the news
of battles far away. He told us that countries will fight each other, and nations will
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rise up against nations. A philosopher once said, “All that is necessary for evil to
triumph is for good people to stand by and do nothing.” We don’t know what
would have happened if Hitler had been allowed to expand his control around the
world. But thank God for the brave men and women of the armed forces who
could not stand by and let Hitler destroy 6 million Jews. They stepped up and
sacrificed their lives to stop Hitler.
A popular country singer wrote the words of a song which read, “All gave
some; some gave all.” This is true. Everyone gives something in times of crises.
Those who work in the factories, those who take care of the home, those who pray
for the soldiers and welcome them home, all gave some. But there are those who
lost their limbs, other body parts, their minds and even their lives. These are the
ones who gave all. Their service was a sacrifice on the altar of love for God and
country. We salute all veterans.
JR Martinez is a veteran of the Iraq war. One afternoon, while on patrol,
their Humvee hit a land mine. There was an explosion and Corporal was burned
over 40% of his body. After 32 operations he is not the same but he has a positive
attitude. Today he is a motivational speaker and helps to raise money for other
veterans. He was even a contestant on the TV show, “Dancing With the Stars.”
Corporal Martinez reminds us all that war demands a sacrifice that makes some
give their all. Veterans like J.R. Martinez reminds us that freedom truly is not free.
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God knows that freedom is not free. When we were lost in sin, controlled by
the devil, and captives to evil, God sent his only begotten son to die on the cross
for our redemption and salvation. Jesus entered the world of bad news and gave us
the Good News of salvation. The bad news is that we were all on our way to hell,
but the Good News is that Jesus has opened the gates of heaven so that through
faith in him, we will have salvation and live with him forever. He has given us the
victory.
Jesus has won our salvation, but the enemy wants to steal it away from us.
We must fight to keep it. This is the spiritual warfare that we must engage in each
and every day. Our enemy is Satan who is trying to steal our joy, kill our
happiness, and destroy our relationship with Christ. Satan wants to bring division
within families, strive between friends, and confusion in the minds of our children.
In 1 Peter 5:8 we read, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to destroy.”
The Good News is that we have spiritual weapons to fight back against the
devil and his tricks. In Ephesians 6:14-16, Paul told us how to fight back against
the devil and his temptations. He wrote, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth
buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with
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your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition
to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming
arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.”
The hymn, “Onward Christian soldiers” reminds us we are soldiers of Christ,
fighting his battle against our enemy the devil. This hymn is a part of the tradition
of the church with words that remind us that we are soldiers of Christ: “Onward
Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before;
Christ the royal Master, leads against the foe, forward into battle, see his banner
go; Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going
on before.”
There is a poem that describes how we can overcome evil with good and
how we can respond to bad news with good news. This poem was found on the
wall in Mother Theresa’s home for children and it reads like this:
People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
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If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Be good anyway.
Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People need help, but may attack you if you try to help them.
Help them anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.
In this world, you will have trials and tribulation, you will have challenges
and crises, but cheer up, Jesus has already conquered and overcome the world.
Jesus has already given us the victory so let us fight to keep what we have been
given because the devil wants to steal it from us. Be strong. Each time you think
the news on TV and in the newspaper is so bad, remember Jesus gave us Good
News. May this Good News always give us hope that we have won already, that
we will not be defeated and that we have the victory, amen.
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