July 14, 2024 - How to Overcome Intimidating and Overwhelming Situations - Pastor Paul Vallee

What are the things that deeply trouble us as human beings? The things in life that we cannot control, reversals in relationships, difficult financial situations, poor health, uncertainty, and ultimately death are all great causes for distress and anxiety. We wonder what our earthly future will hold for us. Will we experience good or will evil come our way? Jesus now explains to His disciples that He is about to leave them, and they cannot follow Him. Jesus has warned Peter that he would deny Him, and all the rest would abandon Him. They have given up everything to follow Jesus and have lived in anticipation of God’s kingdom being realized, as an earthly kingdom. This message of Jesus’ departure is shocking and troubling. They are struggling to grasp what Jesus is saying to them. Denial is often our response to unpleasant realities. Jesus now speaks words of reassurance in their crisis, which was necessary to move their lives forward. This was not just an answer to those handful of followers over two thousand years ago, but Jesus is also addressing the ultimate challenges that we all face, the issues of future uncertainties, and death itself. How can we find the right response to life’s most troubling events? How can we overcome the most dire, intimidating, and overwhelming experiences in our lives? Here in John 14, we will discover the hope and comfort that we find in having a relationship with God.