Equipping Hour
I Have Cancer, Now What?, part 1
Audio
Introduction: Facing a Cancer Diagnosis
This morning I’m going to be teaching a lesson that doesn’t currently apply to most of you. It’s entitled “I Have Cancer, Now What?” Part of the reason I’m teaching this is because I have cancer. I found out a few weeks ago—a new diagnosis of prostate cancer. That’s now the third time in my life where doctors have walked up, handed me results, and said, “You have cancer.”
My son David has had five separate occurrences of cancer over the last 11 years, and I—like many of you—have had many close friends receive cancer diagnoses and even die from that. I’ve been deeply affected by cancer, but I know I’m not alone. Today, I’m teaching this lesson in hopes of providing a resource for those who find themselves facing that diagnosis. I know some of you here today are facing that diagnosis. Some of you may have cancer in your body and not know it. Many of you, I hope, will come back to this lesson in the future. I hope all of you take careful notes, preparing yourselves for that day when you might face this trial—or any number of trials. There’s nothing particularly special about cancer except that it tests our faith. It pulls away our strength in ourselves and makes us come to grips with what we actually believe about God.
If you don’t have cancer today, there’s a very high chance you will. It’s almost certain someone close to you will. Statistically, there’s a one-in-three chance you’ll have cancer in your lifetime. For men, a 41% chance of getting cancer—half of those are fatal. That means there’s a one-in-five chance a man might die from cancer, statistically speaking. For women, it’s around a 39% chance of getting cancer, and about a 17% chance of dying from it. I want to encourage you not to start thinking about cancer only once you get it. If you have it now, it’s critical that you begin to shepherd your heart to think rightly. That’s my goal today.
Let me pray because it’s a big task to offer a resource that someone might revisit when they get that diagnosis, or you do, and say, “I want to listen to that—there’s some truth, there’s hope, there’s comfort.” That’s a very high task, and I know I’ll fall short, but I’ll pray God helps me produce something helpful this morning.
Prayer & Our Greatest Problem
(Prayer) God, I pray for my words over the next 45 minutes or so. I pray they would be true—an accurate representation of You, the way You rule the universe, and how You relate to us in our suffering. I pray Your Holy Spirit would be active in me, guarding me from hypocrisy, and active in those who hear, whether it’s today or years from now, through a recording. I pray You get the glory. That is Your purpose in cancer and in all things—that You would be glorified. You will be. I pray this message tends toward that aim. In Jesus’ name, amen.
I want you to know that cancer—if you have it, or if you fear getting it, or any other way you might suffer or die—is not your biggest problem. Sin is. Sin is something every human being has and does. It’s against a holy God, meaning you and I have offended a holy, sovereign, righteous God. We deserve His eternal judgment because we have sinned against Him. We have rejected His rule. That’s a far worse problem—far more miserable and hopeless—than even the most hopeless cancer diagnosis. Apart from God’s grace, we rightly face an eternity of suffering that does not end. Cancer can only kill you; then, what is mortal for a Christian is swallowed up in life. Cancer and anything else in this world can only harm your body for a few years; then you face your biggest problem—or your only hope—God Himself.
Christ’s Suffering & Our Hope
My friend Matt Dodd stood up here shortly before he died. Many of you know him—he was a missionary to Papua New Guinea, my best friend for almost 20 years. He had lung cancer that metastasized to his brain, had a stroke, and the church cared for him well. He had a brief reprieve, then the drug failed, and he died. He once shared a testimony called “Four Truths to Sustain a Dying Man,” and he said, “I will never suffer the way I deserve, and I will never suffer as much as my Savior suffered for me.” He said he’d never get what he truly deserved because Jesus took what He didn’t deserve—my wrath, my punishment—on the cross. That truth sustained him as a dying man, and it’s sustained countless Christians throughout history. It’s the only truth that will sustain you through a cancer diagnosis or any trial—indeed, the only truth for your entire life.
We have offended a holy God and deserve eternal punishment. But God loved the world in this way: He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life with Him. If you are facing cancer or anything in life and you do not know God, if you have not turned to Him in faith and said, “God, I need saving—not just because I’m sick, but because I’m a sinner,” then do that. You can’t bring Him anything that’s pleasing in His sight. You need a Savior. If you come to God like that, He will save you. It doesn’t mean you won’t suffer or die, but it means that when you die and face God, you won’t face Him as Judge—you’ll face Him as your Father.
No Wrath Left in Suffering
1 John 3:1 says, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.” Christian, if you are His child, no matter what you are facing—cancer or anything else—there is no wrath left in it. You are not getting what you deserve. Jesus already got what you deserved. God has designed your cancer (and any other suffering) in love. He doesn’t merely use your cancer for good; He intends it for good. You may not know all His purposes, but I promise you they are right. Cancer is not your biggest problem, and your response must be, “I trust You, God.”
I remember, though thankfully not too well, the six months I had Burkitt lymphoma and was near death multiple times. Many in this church cared for me, especially my wife. The suffering was real—pain I can’t describe, brain swelling, body aching, horrible weakness. I remember lying on my side, in bed, too weak to turn over, fears swirling: “What if I die? How will my family be provided for? What if I don’t die, but have to face complications long term?” Sometimes I couldn’t even finish the questions. The simple statement that sustained me was, “God, I trust You.” If you’re facing a cancer diagnosis, say those words: “God, I trust You.”
God’s Sovereignty & Good Purposes
We should study God’s Word and know His love, sovereignty, and trustworthiness so that reflex—“God, I trust You”—is immediate. Every week at Grace Bible Church, when we take the bread and cup, we remember the cross. We remember God’s sovereignty and goodness—irrefutable evidence that God intends even the worst evil for good. Acts 4:28 speaks of the crucifixion as gathered men doing what God’s hand and plan had predestined to take place. Genesis 50:20 shows Joseph telling his brothers, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” Lamentations 3:37 says, “Who has spoken and it came to pass unless the Lord has commanded it?” If God is that sovereign—able to predestine even the evil of the cross—He can surely intend the pain of this fallen, groaning world (like cancer) for His good purposes.
We know some of those purposes: to prove your faith, to prepare you for eternity, to break you from self-reliance. He has countless others. You don’t have to know them all; you can just say, “God, I trust You.” His love is not absent in your suffering. You must trust that your cancer comes from a heart of love if you are His child.
If you’re not sure He’s your Father, turn to Him. Trust Him not just with cancer, but with your eternity, saying, “I know my sin is my biggest problem; please forgive me.” Like the thief on the cross, who turned to Jesus right before he died and was saved, you can be reconciled. Then you can know this cancer or whatever you face is for your good. If God is infinitely holy, infinitely good, and totally sovereign, then what’s happening to you right now is exactly according to plan from the One who should make the plans. So trust Him.
Pursuing Treatment & Trusting God
Some people respond to “I have cancer” by saying, “I’ll just trust the Lord,” and not pursuing treatment. There’s nothing particularly right or meritorious about doing something foolish and saying, “I trust God.” You can—and should—pursue treatment, learn about your cancer, and make informed decisions about your care. On the other extreme, there’s a danger of trusting in doctors, chemo, or odds in a way that leaves out trust in God. Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” John Piper, in his short work Don’t Waste Your Cancer, notes that the world gains comfort from calculating survival odds, but Christians should trust in God.
The point is: David still used horses, chariots, and swords, but he didn’t trust them. Likewise, you can research your disease, choose the best doctors, and still trust the Lord and give Him glory. It’s not godly to refuse to “fight” your cancer, nor is it right to obsess over the odds so that you lose sight of God. If your reading about survival rates makes you panic instead of pray, or if you relax because the odds look good instead of continuing in prayer, you may be trusting the treatment rather than the Lord. Learn what you can, pursue wisdom in your medical care, but do it in a way that, whether you live or die, you trust in God and give Him the glory for the fight.
Testing & Proving Your Faith
Cancer is a testing of your faith. Do you truly trust that God is who He says He is? He intends every trial to prove your faith. He’s the Author and Perfecter of our faith, and trials reveal the genuineness of what He has created in us. That’s why Romans 5:3 says, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” James 1:2 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…” because the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, so you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
This isn’t mere positive self-talk. It might hurt terribly. But the Christian can have a joy the world can’t have, because what we want most is God’s holiness in us. We want Christlikeness. Trials achieve that. These light, momentary afflictions prepare an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. They’re not worth comparing to what will be revealed to us and in us.
When God pulls away your strength, as cancer often does, you can boast in your weakness, because He’s proving that your strength and hope are in Him. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul pleaded for his thorn to be removed, and Jesus said, “No, my grace is sufficient for you; my power is made perfect in weakness.” When you have no strength, you’re at the end of yourself, and you can say, “God, I can’t do this. I trust You.” That’s the miracle of faith that He created in you. When I’m weak, then I’m strong, because Christ is my strength.
Looking Ahead & Conclusion
We’re coming to the end of part one. Next time, I want to talk about how you cannot grow weary—because the threat of weariness is real. We’ll look at Hebrews 12 and how to avoid becoming fainthearted. We’ll talk about embracing help from others, how friends and the church body can practically come alongside someone with cancer, what kinds of words and deeds are most helpful, and the perspective of eternity.
Let’s pray. God, thank You for this morning. Thank You that whatever we face—cancer, a car accident, sickness, even prosperity—You have sovereignly ordained it for our good. You are our loving heavenly Father, and You use these things to accomplish exactly what You desire. It is best. I pray for us as we go out and have opportunities to serve and love one another. Give us eyes off ourselves, to see the good works You prepared beforehand for us to walk in. I pray You’d be glorified in the preaching of Your Word today, and that we’d listen well. In Jesus’ name, amen.