These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
One thing that is sadly missing in many sermons today is the practical application of God’s Word to living our lives. Don’t get me wrong, there is lots of great preaching out there, but many Christians come away from great preaching feeling like they really did not learn anything specific about how they can overcome the issues they struggle with in their daily life. Instead, they come away from great preaching thinking they just have to try harder.
In today’s Scripture verse, Jesus described to His disciples how He would be leaving them, but would send the Comforter to be with them. The Comforter, God the Holy Spirit, would live inside of them and convict them of sin, and righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-15). Jesus added that the Holy Spirit would guide them in all truth, show them the things to come, and testify of Jesus by bringing things to memory at a later time when they would write the Scriptures (John 14:15-26). Finally, Jesus explained that He and the Comforter were one and the same and that He would live in us: “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (John 14:18-20).
Because Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the same (1 John 5:7, KJV), He could tell them in today’s verse that when they encounter tribulation in the world to “be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” The fact that the God the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us the moment we trust Christ as our Savior, assures us that the power that Christ had to overcome the world is inside us too. Practically speaking then, because Christ lives in us and has overcome the world, we have overcome the world too (Ephesians 1:12-14; 1 John 5:1-5).
Because Christ has overcome the world, we have eternal life (Revelation 2:7). Because Christ has overcome the world, we have salvation from death (Revelation 2:11). Because Christ has overcome the world, we have our names written in the book of life (Revelation 2:17). Because Christ has overcome the world, we have received the Holy Spirit (Revelation 2:26-28). Because Christ has overcome the world, we have the eternal security of our salvation (Revelation 3:5). Because Christ has overcome the world, we have been made part of the church (Revelation 3:12). Because Christ has overcome the world, we will sit with Him in His throne in glory (Revelation 3:21; Matthew 19:28).
As Christ overcame tribulation on this earth, we should rejoice and have good cheer because we have the power to overcome the tribulation on this earth (Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 4:4-9; James 1:3-5). No weapon can prosper against us, no power of darkness can overpower us, and no evil we encounter in life can overcome us (Isaiah 54:7; Colossians 1:9-13; Romans 12:21). Therefore, let us take up the entire armor of God so that we can live as overcomers (Ephesians 5:10-18).
