“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
Do you ever find yourself looking for the easy life?
Do you convince yourself that life would be easier in someone else’s shoes. The fact is Jesus never promised us an easy life, in fact he warned us that we would have trouble. Look at these verses in John 16. He took great lengths to prepare his disciples for the days ahead. He knew that hardship would come and he didn’t want them to be caught off guard and feel overwhelmed by what would unfold. Instead He wanted to reassure them that nothing takes God by surprise and rather than reacting in panic and fear they can experience peace in the midst of the storm. So what is this peace that Jesus promises us. It’s not a worldly peace of comfort or an emotional high. This peace is a rest born out of a confidence and trust in the Lord’s work. When Jesus gives his disciples this advance warning about future trials he does this for their benefit. He is enlightening them to the fact that God has a greater plan, and He is calling them to “hold fast” to the promises in the word, just like we see how the heroes of faith are commended in Hebrews 11 when they stand firm in the face of trial and they continue to move forward in faith.
Today we can walk with an inner peace, despite what is going on in our external world. We can have strength and courage today because we know that Jesus has overcome the system of this world and the schemes of the enemy. The joy that we hold onto comes from knowing that Jesus has the ultimate victory and nothing in this world can undo His work. Notice that He says : “in me you may have peace”…. It is a possibility, it is something we can choose but we will only receive it through Him. We are required to stay connected to the Vine. We need to remain in Christ. This peace is conditioned on our ability to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and to remain in His love. Then we will find this assurance and rest. Jesus speaks forth what He is going to do as if it has already happened. Before He makes His way to the cross and pours out His life he sees the work as complete. It is because of this that he can exhort us to “ take heart’, or “be of good cheer”, as some translations write. You see we find victory through our conflicts and struggles through Jesus’ ultimate victory over sin and death.
We need to remind ourselves daily that He has put his overcoming Spirit into our weakness and He has filled us with His victorious life. We have His strength to overcome and His authority over the powers of darkness. Even though there maybe times we feel like the wind is howling all around us and is bending our branches by its force we must remember that we are firmly planted and that our roots are anchored in the soil of his love. As we stay connected to the vine as Jesus explained to his disciples we will see that we have an unshakeable hope and a confidence for the future. No matter what battles lie ahead we can walk towards them knowing He is faithful and we will be more than conquerors in Christ!
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Who Do You Say I Am Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2020