Take Heart, Jesus Has Overcome The World(From our 9-15-24 Worship)

West Side Church of Christ - Elkton Ky

Watch The Video Version Here: https://youtu.be/0vn4GCY-lFo

Transcript:
Have you ever had a hard day?

October the 20th of 2013 was a hard day for a a Decatur, Georgia native named Antoinette Tuff. Turns out she was going to be named pretty correctly, or the last name at least. Before we talk about October the 20th, I need to tell you about all the days that kind of led up to that. You see, October the 20th 2013 was gonna made was gonna be made harder and better because of all the hard days that Miss Antoinette had been struggling with up to that point.

She had a child with several, several development, developmental problems and several health problems that went, went along with that. And they had struggled for years. through all the health struggles that went along with that. Then, right before this day in 2013, when she went to work, her marriage had fell apart and her husband left after 33 years of marriage.

She was left with a home and with a child to take care of. And on top of everything else, with only one income, She was several months behind on the mortgage payments. She was worried that she was going to lose her home and didn't know what was going to happen. All of those things were swirling around in her mind as she stepped into her office at, at a, um, a school there in Decatur, Georgia.

Had about 800 students in it that morning. But that morning, a man named Michael Brandon Hall Stepped into that school with an AK 47 and enough ammunition to change the community forever.

But on that day, there would be no school shooting. On that day, there would be no loss of life because it's Mr Brandon walked into the school with his rifle ready to do an evil, horrible and atrocious thing. The first thing he did is he went to the office. And there he come into contact with Antoinette.

And Antoinette did something that was incredibly brave. Some might have thought it was foolish. But she began to talk to Michael. And I want you to hear her own words. About this young man who, who was coming to do something evil. Listen to what she said. Okay? I could see the pain on his face. He was a hurting soul, and I felt that

I just kept telling him it was going to be okay.

I understood what he was going through, dealing with depression and feeling alone. I told him about my own struggles to let him know that he wasn't the only one.

You see, for about 35 40 minutes, Michael Brandon Hall was inside that school with an assault rifle and he did fire a few shots out the door towards police. But the more Antoinette talked to him, the more he began to calm down. She was able to get 911 on the phone and become an intermediary intermediary between him doing Michael and the police.

And after I'm sure what seemed like an eternity, Michael laid his rifle down and laid that on the ground and surrendered himself to police.

You see, the things that she had been through in her life, even though I'm sure, you know, maybe when this first started, she's thinking, of all, of all things that's been going on in my life today, we've got to deal with this, right? You imagine. But all those hardships she went through in her life. Allowed her to build a bridge to a soul that was hurting.

And because of that bridge, she was able to stop an unspeakable evil.

I don't know why good people have to suffer. I wish that you didn't have to suffer. I, I wish that you never had to feel any pain, but I, I just know, I know that you will. I know that if you haven't been through it yet, that you will. I mean, the last few days have just reminded me over and over again. I went to the which Spring Hill Tennessee yesterday and went and said goodbye to a christian sister who left three daughters and a husband.

Her husband was a is a preacher there and a mentor of mine and they're hurting. There are people who are dealing with sickness. They can't diagnose it. They don't know what's going on. We've heard the cancer word far too much here lately. Why do these things have to happen to good people?

I mean, I know the answer. I know the answer. We live in a fallen and broken world. I get it. But if you're like me, even if your mind knows the answer when it's When it's you that's hurting, when it's your loved one that's hurting, your, your heart don't want to buy it. That's just not good enough. It's not good enough.

So what do you do? How do you, how do you struggle? How do you, how do you hang on? I want to try to maybe answer that question this morning by looking at one of the most stressful pieces of scripture that I can imagine. And when I say stressful, what I mean by that is We're going to try to put ourselves in the place of those that were going through these things and And I think For the apostles and for Jesus, this is one of the most stressful Pieces of scripture that there is But I also know I also know that in those pages In this book My time The God has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness or things that can that can help us when we're the ones struggling when we're the ones sorrow.

So if you got your bibles, go with me. Go into john 16. I know I got john 14 on the screen. I'm gonna get there in just a minute, but we're gonna go toe pull the lesson this morning out of john 16. You john 13 to 17 is is To me one of the most stressful parts of the scriptures because if you imagine the Apostles and Jesus going through this moment This is right before Jesus is about to be arrested and carried off and sent to the cross In John chapter 13 Jesus begins there by washing the Apostles feet and you know what?

They don't get it Peter bless his heart. He says you're not washing my feet Yes, Peter, I've got to wash your feet. Okay. Well what give me a bath in wash all of me No, honey, you don't get it. I'm just just let me wash your feet. He watches their feet. Then he tells them, well, somebody's gonna betray me. What do you hang on a minute?

We're just trying to absorb this, this feet washing lesson. And now somebody's gonna betray you. What do you mean? Is it me? Is it me? The room is just a buzz with activity. Then he says the new commandment I give you that you love one another's. I've loved you. What do you mean? Hang on a minute. You want us to love everybody.

What about the guy that's gonna betray you? I don't want to love him. And then Peter and his betrayal. I mean, it is an emotionally charged moment. And that's why John 14 1 Jesus tells him, Let not your hearts be trouble. Believe in God. Believe also, believe also in me. Why did he tell him? Let not your hearts be troubled because their hearts were troubled.

That's why he told him that

you see Jesus here at the last hour is trying to pour into them everything that he can, all the last little lessons and teachings, and we're going to pick up in the middle of Chapter 16 in just a moment, but I need you to see what it is that Jesus says they're going to deal with. Verse 20, truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice.

You will be sorrowful. You see, the greater context here o...