Overcome By The World
Or
World Overcoming Peace
Sunday March 26, 2023
Scripture To Consider:
“These things I have spoken to you in figurative language, but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”
“His disciples said to Him, ‘See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that you know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.’”
“Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’” John 16.25-33
Something To Consider:
Jesus admitted that He had been speaking to His disciples in figurative language or representing the truth by resemblance. Other versions use the terms proverbs or parables. Either way Jesus had somewhat veiled the truth concerning their relationship to God the Father.
But now He was ready to open the floodgate of revelation to them. Speaking of prayer, Jesus informed His disciples, those present and future, that they are to ask and pray in His name, in the name of Jesus. And that the time was coming when they would have full access to the Father in prayer through the name and atoning achievements of Jesus.
That day of course has come! The writer of Psalm 34.15 acknowledged; “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry [or prayer].” Are the eyes of the Lord upon us because of the righteousness of Christ in us? If so, His ears are also open to our prayers!
Something Else To Consider:
This access to the Father in prayer was attributed to the early disciple’s belief in Jesus and remarkably because of God the Father loving all those who love and believe in His Son, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus then followed up by saying, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Paul declared in Ephesians 2.14, “For He [Jesus] Himself is our peace.” Therefore, as believers abiding in Jesus, we are able to experience this world overcoming peace of God that surpasses all human understanding. Can we then claim that we have received this peace of Christ that passes all earthly understanding?
Paul went on to say in verse 15 of Ephesians chapter 2, that Jesus abolished the enmity between our sinful nature and God in His flesh, having died to create a world overcoming peace and a new means of access to our heavenly Father through prayer!
Paul closed his lesson on Christ our peace, with these words in Ephesians 2.17-18. “And He [Jesus] came and preached peace to you [to us] who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him [Jesus] we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” And that access point is in the form of prayer in and through the name of Jesus!
Something More To Consider:
The peace of Jesus is a world overcoming peace that all the tribulation the world and the enemy of our souls can create cannot disturb, diminish, or do away with. Jesus meant every word of what He had said earlier. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Being loved by the Father and believing in Jesus, grants to each of us world overcoming peace even in the midst of any and all tribulation, difficulty, or disaster that life may bring across our path. But in it all, Jesus is our perfect peace!
Psalm 37.11 affirms, that the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Psalm 37 is a psalm of world overcoming peace! When in doubt, when fearful, when oppressed by the enemy of our souls and threatened by being overcome by the world; reading Psalm 37 is of great help in a time of trouble.
The Psalm begins with these words, “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.” And the writer ends his world overcoming psalm of peace with these words forty verses later. “And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.”
A Few Final Words:
The bottom line for all of us is; if we are either overcome by the world, or we are overcome by the world, the overcoming peace of God can be found only in and through Jesus and what He has accomplished. Therefore, which will it be? Will we be overcome by the end time tribulation that is on the horizon? Or will we be overcome by God’s world overcoming peace?
None of us can escape the world’s taunting tribulation, but as true end time believers in Jesus, God’s Son, and our Redeemer, we are granted world overcoming peace and a precious promise of being able or allowed to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.
For according to Jesus, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, thank You for so loving the world by giving Your Son Jesus that we might have world overcoming and enduring to the end peace. Lead us to believing that Your Word is indeed a lamp unto our feet and a bright shining light unto our path as we follow Jesus and attempt to endure even unto the end. In Him Always, Amen!
According to Jesus 