There’s something powerful about being in the middle of history as it unfolds. As we slowly emerge from one of the most bizarre seasons many of us have ever lived through, Pastor Josh White reminded us that God has given us exactly what we need to navigate not just this crisis, but every crisis that will ever come our way.
Remember: Only in Jesus Will We Have Peace
The opening lines of John 16:33 set the stage for everything Pastor Josh wanted us to hold onto as we transitioned back toward in-person worship: “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.”
Peace is one of those words we use casually — “have peace,” “just be at peace” — but what does it really mean from a biblical, spiritual standpoint? Pastor Josh turned to Scripture to answer that question.
“Peace is the tranquil state of a soul that is assured of their salvation through Christ and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot.”
— Romans 5:1; Romans 8:6; Romans 15:13
That kind of peace isn’t found in a vaccine, a political outcome, an economic recovery, or any other circumstance of this world. Pastor Josh was direct: “Every year depending on the year, a COVID-19 vaccine is not the savior our world needs.” True, lasting peace comes only through a relationship with Jesus Christ — by faith in what He accomplished on the cross and what He will accomplish in the future.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”
— Romans 5:1-2
Our faith in Jesus gives us peace with God. We are no longer His enemies, no longer objects of His wrath because of our sin. Through Jesus, our sins are forgiven and we have peace with God.
Remember: In This World We Will Have Trouble
The second thing Jesus tells us in this passage is uncomfortable but necessary: “In the world you will have trouble.” Pastor Josh walked through a sobering exercise — imagining what it would be like to live through the 20th century as a sequence of trials: World War I, the Spanish Flu, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and on and on.
“Imagine you were born in 1900. On your 14th birthday, World War I starts and runs until your 20th birthday — 50 million people died in those two years. At 39, World War II begins — 75 million people perished in the war.”
The point wasn’t to minimize COVID-19 but to put it in proper biblical perspective. Scripture uses the word tribulation in two senses: a specific future time called the Day of the Lord (the worst time in human history outside the Flood), but also in a generic sense for any trouble we go through in this life. COVID-19 fits that broader definition — it’s real suffering, real disruption — but it’s a drop in the bucket of what humanity has always faced and will continue to face.
“God allows us to go through tribulation and trouble in this life so that we don’t put our hope in this life.”
That truth should actually bring immense comfort. When we understand that this world is not our home and that trouble is the normal state of affairs for believers, we stop expecting the world to deliver what only heaven can provide.
Remember: Jesus Has Already Overcome the World
The climax of the message rests on the final phrase of John 16:33 — “but take heart, I have overcome the world.” The Greek word translated “overcome” means to conquer, to be victorious. And Pastor Josh reminded us that Jesus has already won decisive victories:
“Jesus has already conquered sin. Jesus has already conquered death. And in the future, Jesus will conquer our common enemy, Satan.”
Because Jesus has already won, we can live our lives in peace knowing that we too are victorious — not because of anything we’ve done, but because of what He has done and continues to do on our behalf.
“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?”
— 1 John 5:4-5
Romans 8 closes the loop on this truth in one of the most encouraging passages of Scripture:
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all — how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
— Romans 8:31-37
That’s God’s perspective. That’s Jesus’s perspective. We are more than conquerors — not barely surviving, not just getting by, but overwhelmingly victorious — through Him who loved us.
A Challenge to Remember
As the church began the slow process of returning to in-person worship, Pastor Josh left everyone with a simple but profound challenge: as you remember these weeks and months of disruption, remember what Jesus has said. Remember that in Him alone is peace. Remember that this world will always bring trouble. And remember that because Jesus has already won, we can face anything this world throws at us — and come through it victorious.
“Help us, Lord, to share this message of hope with the world around us.”
Amen. May we be a people who remember — and who share that remembrance with everyone around us.
Scripture References
- John 16:33 — Jesus’s promise of peace and victory
- Romans 5:1-2 — Justified by faith, we have peace with God
- Romans 8:6 — Setting the mind on the Spirit is life and peace
- Romans 15:13 — The God of hope fills us with all joy and peace in believing
- Romans 8:31-37 — Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ
- 1 John 5:4-5 — Faith is the victory that overcomes the world