A PLACE HIGHER THAN SORROW

My message today is called “A Place Higher Than Sorrow.” Many people live in sorrow in 2024, without hope for the future. What I will share today can help show you an open door. Remember, in Revelation 3:8, Jesus told the Church of Philadelphia: "See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; you have only a little bit of strength, and you've kept the testimony of my name, and you've kept my word as best as you can." The promise of going through that door was stability and strength, only provided by the presence of God. I hope you believe in the Lord today and are shown a way out of despair and brought into a place of strength.

Recently, a friend called me and said he decided to live in gratitude. He told me he leans negative, so he went outside one day and said, “God, help me be thankful.” At that moment, he could see the incredible beauty of God’s creation—the trees, grass, and birds. It made him think of God blessing his ministry, marriage, and family similarly. Before my friend knew it, he was weeping. He said something came into his heart that wasn’t sorrowful. Those were tears of joy about how good God has been to him. He decided to be as thankful as possible for the rest of his life.

That conversation sparked something in me, and I wondered: How thankful am I for the things around me? Our natural tendency can be to focus on the here and now and the immediate future. Sometimes, none of those are pleasant, and the prognosis for change is not good. Maybe your family situation is at a standstill, or your employment is in jeopardy. Perhaps you don’t like where you’re living, or you don’t have a place to call home. Sometimes, people are sick, and their health looks bleak. Focusing on the bad is easy. We don't naturally have a disposition to be grateful.

Psalm 77:3 says, “I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.” Complaining can spiral into despair, where you don’t see a way out. The Apostle Paul shows us that we can train our thoughts to lift the heaviness before it settles on our hearts. In Philippians 4:6, he says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” We can't pray with thanksgiving unless we believe that God is good and He has hope and a future planned out for us. Until we understand the incredible depth of our redemption and what it has purchased for us in eternity, our prayers will lack gratitude. Even when our natural circumstances are poor, we can still thank Jesus for His sacrifice on the cross.

Philippians 4:7 says, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” God says inner peace for you has nothing to do with your feelings, thoughts, or circumstances. There's an incredible calm available to you that only God can give. Verses 8 and 9 show us how: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Paul tells us we can win this battle of the mind. He told Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” As Jesus Christ once told us, we can understand that we have an eternity ahead of us with God and that we are safe and secure in His hands. In the book of Romans, Paul says no matter what comes against me, be it a mountain, valley, or hill, whether it's a principality or a power or things present or things to come, I am loved by God through Christ Jesus. Nothing can separate us from the Lord’s incredible love.

It is so important to train our thoughts. I'm getting older—I’m 70 years of age now—and I'm starting to suffer little things here and there in my body. Focusing on my aches and pains throughout the day would be easy. However, I make a conscious decision not to. I choose to live on the side of victory because the Bible tells us that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, who loves us. I'm already on the victory side, even before the battle begins.

The Thessalonian Church experienced intense hostility toward the gospel of Jesus Christ and active persecution against those who followed Him. Paul writes to these precious saints who were still there and afraid because of this new persecution. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18, he says, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Paul doesn't say to the Thessalonians, “‘Vengeance is mine,’ says the Lord!” Although that is true, Paul instead takes them into a place deep in the future. He tells the Thessalonians to comfort each other by focusing on their eternal reality instead of present circumstances. Not making this choice drags down many people, especially when the “now” is unpleasant. Maybe you are the only person in your family who knows Jesus, and a lot of heat comes your way at gatherings. Perhaps the hostility of those outside God’s Kingdom destroys you in the workplace. Paul doesn’t say, “It will be better tomorrow.” He takes us to the day when the Lord’s trumpet will sound.

An archangel will shout, and you will rise in the air and be with Christ forever. Be comforted by focusing on that reality. You must understand that your pain, sorrow, and difficulty in life, love, and family are temporary. All of these things will pass away. You are an eternal being—that’s a long time to be with Christ. No matter what today brings, there is a place coming that's higher than the sorrow troubling your heart. Focusing on our forever with God is how we begin to give thanks this Thanksgiving day. Our circumstances may never change, and the pain may not go away. No matter your trials, God will lift you from this earth to spend eternity with Him.

If you or a friend, family member, or stranger is suffering, remember Paul’s words. Resist the urge to put a Band-Aid on a hatchet wound and say, “Everything will be okay.” Instead, look at the Lord's more profound truth. Encourage each other with the knowledge that you will be safe and secure next to Christ forever. Heaven is praiseworthy just thinking about it! Jesus told his disciples in John chapter 14:1–3: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

The disciples had finally found their Savior, and Jesus suddenly told them He was leaving. Facing such an incalculable loss, they were fearful and confused. Similarly, even when we know Christ, our hearts can be troubled by the uncertainty of the future. No matter what kind of job, family, or home you have or don’t have today, please know there is construction going on right now in Heaven, and a mansion is being prepared with your name on the door. You will have an eternal family there. Heaven is more real than your daily life's sorrow and troubles.

John, the beloved disciple, was in prison because of his faith in Christ. Surrounded by cold stone and impossibility, despair was an easy choice. It would make sense to be angry at Jesus. After all, John’s head was on Jesus’ chest during the Last Supper, and Christ told him He loved him. Now, the man is 80 years old in prison. What kind of reward is that for believing in a Savior? John wasn’t looking at the situation that way.

In Revelation 21:1–3, John says, “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’ And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.’”

John says his present environment is not his eternity. We can all choose that same point of view. If you need hope today, I want to challenge you with all my heart to start giving God thanks for the things purchased for you on Calvary's cross 2,000 years ago. Thank you, God, for your love, which is so rich and powerful that it can never be taken away. My brother and sister, something so marvelous is coming that we can give thanks now. We'll be grateful that we did not give up our hope but chose to believe and trust our Lord. My prayer for you today is to let God minister to you because it will be worth it all the day we see Christ. I love you, and God loves you so much! Stay strong; we're going to be home soon. I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving.