Troubles

One of the things that I have appreciated about Jesus is His realism. There are those who live - or try to live - as if life were separated into two spheres. There's the religious part of life. This is always described in bright and sunny terms. There is no darkness here. But then, there is the rest of life. This is where life is actually lived. This is the part that is filled with gray clouds and lots of question marks. For so many, religious life has this unreal, dreamlike quality. But Jesus isn't like that. He describes the religious life quite clearly. If you're going to follow Him it's going to be hard. You will need to say 'No' to so much that you could enjoy. And you need to get ready to suffer. That's what He meant by denying yourself and bearing a cross. The life of one of His disciples is going to be hard. And yet, Jesus was not a dark pessimist. Quite the opposite. He was all about joy and success and experiencing real life, the life of God. Listen to one place where He put these two, hardship and joyful success, together.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

This morning we're going to take a look at what Jesus said here. We're going to do that by focusing on some of the words that He uses.

First, there's 'tribulation'. If there ever was a church word, this is it. So, let's translate it. How about using the word 'problems'? 'In the world you will have problems.' That works well as long as you understand what kind of problems Jesus is talking about. This isn't about little annoyances. The word that He uses here has to do with things that press upon you, things that weigh you down. Jesus is talking about serious problems. Jesus is telling those eleven - and all of you - that life in this world, not just some part of life but the whole thing, is going to be hard.

That gets us to the next word, 'world'. This word has lots of meanings. Here, Jesus is referring to all of those who are against the God who created all of this. So, picture the world as an army – an army of all who fight against the Father. The book of the Revelation has several different images describing some of the members of this group: a dragon, a beast, a prostitute and others. This group is the source of those problems that Jesus' disciples will face. As long as you live in this world you will face problems, weighty problems. That’s what I mean by Jesus’ realism.

The next word shows up as two: 'take heart'. Jesus actually used one word, and that word can be translated in a few ways: be cheerful, be courageous, don't be afraid or as it is here, take heart. Note that it's a command. So, Jesus is saying that even though life is one long fight against the world and filled with problems, you are to be courageous as you fight. This might sound like something from a movie. The little band of soldiers is surrounded by a multitude that will, on the morrow, completely overrun their defenses and kill them all. But the leader of this little group stands up and exhorts his men to be courageous and fight on. He does this even though they all know it's hopeless. There is no way that they can win. They are all going to die. Is this what Jesus is saying? Are these just empty words to rally the troops in the face of impossible odds? No. Jesus has a reason for His optimism in the face of a very strong enemy.

And that reason shows up in the next word: 'overcome'. This is a word that appears in the book of the Revelation quite a bit. But there, it is always translated as 'conquer'. So, this is what Jesus is saying. 'Oh, yes, the armies of the world are arrayed against you. They will fight you tooth and nail. Your life will have plenty of problems, significant problems. But take heart, be courageous as you fight. After all, you are going to win. I've dealt them a death blow. Their final defeat is just a matter of time.' Jesus has given you a reason to be optimistic in the face of the battles. He has conquered. He has overcome the world.

But when did Jesus overcome the world? You know the answer to this. It was at the Cross. And how ironic. Jesus conquered the world at the exact moment that it appeared that the world had conquered Him. Jesus gained victory by losing - or at least by appearing to lose. This is a reminder that following Jesus is simply filled with things that can only be labelled as 'unexpected' and 'odd'. By dying Jesus has overcome the world and set it up for its ultimate destruction. Your victory is assured.

Our next word is 'peace'. Because Jesus has conquered the world He is able to offer you His peace as you face that world. And this is so important. Dealing with the world is hard. Remember that the problems that the world throws at you are not little things. They are weighty. Tribulation. Life just might come to feel like one very big storm with you in a very little boat. You're tossed all over the place. And your enemies work hard to take advantage of that. Doubts start to emerge. Your fears threaten to take over. And you begin to wonder whether you're going to make it. But Jesus offers hope in those kinds of situations. You can face all that the world throws at you with a calmness that others know nothing about. Peace. So, Paul writes,

… do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So, try to picture it. There you are, feeling the weight of the problems that have come at you. You are fighting the world with all of its schemes and trickery and rage. But you are not churning within. You do not fear. You are not doubting. You battle on with confidence and courage. You do this because you know that though the battle is long and it is hard - and there are times that really hurt - you know how it all ends. After all, Jesus has overcome the world. And He will finish what He started on that Cross. He will use you, His Church, to crush all opposition to His Lordship.

Now, I started out by talking about realism. Being a disciple of Jesus is all about realism. Have I been realistic in what I've told you? I'm thinking that all of you will agree that I've been realistic when it comes to battling the world and the weighty problems that it throws at you. That part, I'm sure, resonates with you all. But what about the part where I talk about enjoying Jesus' peace and dealing with those problems confidently and courageously? I'm guessing that that part might not sound so terribly realistic to some of you. Is it really possible for a Christian to live like that? The short answer is, 'Yes'. The longer answer starts with this from John's first letter.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

John is clear. Every Christian will overcome the world. You will conquer. And John tells us what the key to this victory is. It's all about accepting as true a basic fact of this universe, Jesus is the Son of God. That's John's way of summarizing all that the Gospel has to say about Jesus. Accepting that as true, believing it, will show as prayer and obedience. Before the battle you pray. You pray that you would be ready. During the battle you pray. You pray that you would be wise in how you respond to some particular attack. After the battle you pray. You pray thanksgiving for what the Spirit just did. Obedience is also necessary because the Spirit has explained in the Bible, in one way or another, how to deal with all the different kinds of attacks that you will face. If you would fight well and conquer, you will need to follow His instructions. Believing the Gospel will result in success. You will overcome the world.

Now, if I am going to be completely realistic there are two more things that I need to say. First, you won't win all the battles. There are going to be those times when the world will overcome you. Your faith wasn't up to the task. You gave in to unbelief somewhere. When that happens do two things. First, repent of your unbelief and come again to Jesus for forgiveness and for change. The fact that repentance is a theme of the Gospel means that the Father knows that you aren't going to win every battle. So, don't be harder on yourself than He is. After you repent, learn from what happened. Why didn't you win that battle? There was some moment when you could have won if you turned right instead of turning left as you did. What was that moment? Where was the unbelief? Learn from your defeats.

Here's the second thing that I need to say. Some battles last a long time. Who says that the world needs to attack you once and then give up on that front? The world doesn't easily give up. So, expect some battles to last a while. Some battles will last a lifetime.

However, in all of this, be optimistic. Rejoice. Jesus has overcome the world. You will win. Take that and apply it to some battle you are currently facing. Be optimistic. Rejoice. Jesus has overcome the world. You will win.