Gospel of John [16:33]. Cheer up, Christ has won!

Title: Gospel of John [16:33]. Cheer up, Christ has won!

 

 

JOH 16:28 "I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again, and going to the Father." 

 

JOH 16:29 His disciples said, "Lo, now You are speaking plainly, and are not using a figure of speech.

 

JOH 16:30 "Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God."

 

It is likely that all of us state our faith in His word long before we have a deep seated faith in it.

 

JOH 16:31 Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?

 

JOH 16:32 "Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

 

The scattering of the disciples is recorded in this gospel and so we will look into it when we get there. It was prophesied by Zechariah.

 

ZEC 13:7

"Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,

And against the man, My Associate,"

Declares the Lord of hosts.

"Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered;

And I will turn My hand against [al (preposition) - upon] the little ones.

 

The Father's hand was turned against the Messiah in our stead, whereas the Father's hand in grace was upon the little ones.

 

Though He will be deserted by all of them, He is never alone for the Father is always with Him.

 

The believer must come to recognize that he is never alone. The Trinity is always within and always in constant care and watch. Walk by faith and not by sight.

 

The good people in our lives, and especially the close relationships are wonderful blessings, but as is the case with all those who are written in the scripture and even Christ Himself, there will be times when we are alone or surrounded only by those who wish to persecute us. In these times the positive believer will eventually see clearly that God is there, for there is no other one to look to for comfort, and when He shows Himself to you, you will see a greater possibility of fellowship with Him.

 

In His prayer in Joh 17, the Lord does reveal their faith and that they did believe that everything Christ was came from the Father.

 

JOH 17:6 "I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word.

 

JOH 17:7 "Now they have come to know that everything Thou hast given Me is from Thee;

 

JOH 17:8 for the words which Thou gavest Me I have given to them; and they received them, and truly understood that I came forth from Thee, and they believed that Thou didst send Me.

 

Yet certainly He knew their weaknesses, but more important than weaknesses is faith. Christ knows that their faith will grow very strong in the future and so He prays as if it is already a reality.

 

Faith will eventually break weaknesses but weaknesses have no power over faith.

 

1JO 5:4

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world —  our faith.

 

Give faith a chance and look at your weakness as being on borrowed time. Maintain your faith because nothing can overpower it.

 

GAL 6:9-10

And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

 

This verse shows us that we shouldn’t sit around doing nothing, waiting for our faith to increase. We are always to perform divine good in whatever capacity we can, without weariness, knowing that our faith will increase and so we will produce even more fruit.

 

JOH 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

 

JOH 16:33 is the summary and climax of the Upper Room message. Why did He give this message? We began chapter 13 on June 20 2011.

 

Christ gave this message so that the disciples might have peace in a world of tribulation, which would only get worse in the CA.

 

Starting in chapter thirteen we discover His complete cleansing of our sins. He gives us the power to serve one another. He has given us His very love. He has returned to the Father in glory and is preparing a place for us and we will soon follow Him. In Him we have seen the Father. He is the way, the truth, and the life. We shall do greater works than Him as He unleashes His inheritance upon us. He has give us unlimited prayer to the Father in His name. He has given us His Spirit who will take of Him and the Father and show it to us. In Him we bear the fruit of the Spirit. He calls us friends.

 

Note the contrast between "in Me" and "in the world." In Christ there is peace; in the world there is tribulation. This is the position we need to claim; we are in Christ, and therefore we can overcome the world and all of its hatred within our own souls.

 

The darkness and hatred will always be in the world but they do not have to reside in a believer's soul. Adversity is inevitable but stress is optional. Through our understanding of our position in Him and by walking within the sphere of His love we can live on a much higher plane than the lies and hatred of the world while still functioning within the details of the world; not as monks or weirdos, but in faith, hope, strength, and love.

 

One writer defines peace as:

Peace: the possession of adequate resources. In Christ we have all the resources we need.

 

The soul is not satisfied with adequate materialism or the fulfillment of physical needs. God has made us in His image and the so the soul can only be adequately fulfilled through spirituality.

 

There is a desire for eternal things in the heart of every person.

 

ECC 3:11

He has also set eternity in their heart

 

Peace depends on an intimate relationship with Christ. Spiritual resources depend on a spiritual relationship "In Him."

 

In Jesus Christ we have all the resources that we need. But peace depends also on appropriate relationships, because spiritual resources depend on spiritual relationships. "In Me" is the key. In ourselves, we have nothing; but "in Christ" we have all that we need.

 

Every believer is either overcome or an overcomer.

 

1JO 5:4

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world —  our faith.

 

The world wants to overcome us; this is why Satan uses the world to persecute and pressure believers. The world wants us to conform; it does not want us to be different. When we yield ourselves to Christ and trust Him, He enables us to be overcomers. We must claim our spiritual position in Christ and believe Him for victory.

 

JOH 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

 

"take courage" - qarse,w[tharseo; always imperative] = be courageous; cheer up!

 

Other places this word is used, except for one instance, it is used exclusively by our Lord. Be courageous… cheer up!

 

MAT 9:2 And behold, they were bringing to Him a paralytic, lying on a bed; and Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Take courage, My son, your sins are forgiven."

 

To the woman who had been suffering from hemorrhage for 12 years.

MAT 9:22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." And at once the woman was made well.

 

To the frightened disciples who saw a man walking on water:

MAT 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

 

To Paul the night after he was almost torn apart in an assembly of Sadducees, Pharisees, and Romans:

 

ACT 23:11

But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, "Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also."

 

Be cheerful … He pardons all sin, His power heals all, His presence will comfort in the most fearful situations, and He has thoroughly overcome the world and its evil.