John 16:18-33: “Jesus Assures
His Disciples That In The World They Will
Have Tribulation But In Him They Can Have Peace For He Has Overcome The
World”
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study we looked at verses 5-15 of chapter 16.
1.1.1.
In that teaching, Jesus next spoke to His disciples
further about His plan to send the Comforter (Holy Spirit) to them after He has
left them and gone to the Father, and He told them that it was to their advantage
that that He go away for if He did not go away then the Holy Spirit could not
be sent to them.
1.1.2. Jesus told
His disciples that when the Holy Spirit is sent to them that He (the Holy
Spirit) will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and
judgment.
1.1.3.
Jesus told His disciples that He had more to tell them
but that they cannot bear it now.
1.2.
In our study today, we are going to look at verses
16-33 of chapter 16.
1.2.1.
It is now perhaps as little as two hours before Jesus
is arrested and tried and sent to crucifixion.
Jesus is with His disciples there in the upper room giving His final
discourse to them comforting them and preparing them for life after His bodily
departure from this world, continuing in the ministry and calling they were
chosen for, and dealing with all of the persecutions and trials that they will
go through as a result of serving Him.
1.2.2.
Jesus will seek to explain to His disciples the fact
that the Father Himself loves them and that they are the objects of His care
and devotion because they have believed in Jesus.
1.2.3.
Jesus will instruct His disciples that they can go
directly to the Father in their praying and that the Father will answer them as
they are coming to Him in the Name of Jesus.
1.2.4.
Jesus will tell His disciples that in this world they
will have tribulation but to be of good cheer for He has overcome the
world. We will discuss what Jesus was
referring to when He spoke of “the world” and His overcoming the world,
as well as how that as disciples each of us has been called to overcome the
world through our faith in Jesus Christ.
2.
VS 16:16-18 - “‘A
little while, and you will no longer behold Me;
and again a little while, and you will see Me’. Some
of His disciples therefore said to one another, ‘What is this thing He is telling
us, ‘’A little while, and you will not behold Me; and again a little while, and you will see
Me’’; and, ‘’because I go to the
Father’’?’ And so they were saying,
‘What is this that He says, ‘’A little while’’?
We do not know what He is talking about’.” -
Jesus tells His disciples about His coming resurrection that they will
not see Him and then again a little while later they will see Him
2.1.
Jesus
tells His disciples that in ‘a little while’ that they will no longer
see and behold Him, and then that again in ‘a little while’ they will
see Him again. However, Jesus’
disciples were confused at this saying because they could not grasp what
interval of time would be involved before they would no longer behold Him. They could also not comprehend how that a
little while would again pass, and they would see Him. Jesus was being too vague for them.
2.2.
Clearly, Jesus is telling His disciples ahead of time
that He is going to die and be buried, however a little while later (He has
already spoken of rising again in 3 days) He would be raised from the dead and
they would again see Him.
3.
VS 16:19-22 - “Jesus
knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, ‘Are you deliberating
together about this, that I said, ‘’A little while, and you will not behold Me,
and again a little while, and you will see Me’’? Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will
weep and lament, but the world will rejoice;
you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy. Whenever a woman is in travail she has
sorrow, because her hour has come; but
when she gives birth to the child, she remembers the anguish no more, for joy
that a child has been born into the world.
Therefore you too now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your
heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you’.” - Jesus tells His disciples that they will be
sorrowful when they learn that He has died but that they sorrow will be turned
into joy when He has risen
3.1.
Jesus always knew what was going on inside of His
disciples, and in this instance He knew what they were discussing among
themselves and wanted to ask Him about what He had just told them.
3.2.
Jesus tells His disciples that though ‘the world
will rejoice’ thinking that they have destroyed Him from the earth, that
they ‘will weep and lament’ when He is crucified and dies on the
cross.
3.3.
In the New Testament, the writers often spoke of this
thing that they referred to as ‘the world.’ The term does not refer simply to the people
that live on our planet but rather it speaks of an accepted ungodly philosophy
and morality that the majority of people on this planet adhere to. The term “worldliness” as the
scriptures describe it is another way of saying selfish and sinful living that
sets aside the desires of God and concentrates only upon doing those things
that please the flesh and the self life.
It’s the life that is all about me, myself, and I. There are many scriptures in the New
Testament that speak of ‘the world’ in this way, including :
3.3.1.
1 John 2:15-17, “15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If
anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and
the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father,
but is from the world. 17 The
world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will
of God lives forever.”
3.3.2.
2 Peter 2:20, “20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the
world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again
entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them
than the first.”
3.3.3.
1 John 5:19, “19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies
in the power of the evil one.”
3.3.4.
1 Corinthians 2:12, “12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but
the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us
by God.”
3.3.5.
1 John 5:4-5, “4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this
is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
3.3.6.
1 John 4:4, “4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome
them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
3.4.
‘The world’ that Jesus is speaking of here
though refers primarily to the religious leaders in
3.5.
Jesus tells His disciples that their ‘sorrow’
at the news of His death shall be ‘turned to joy’ and we know that this
will occur when they realize that He has been raised from the dead just as He
has promised them would happen.
3.6.
Jesus’ disciples will rejoice in the fact that their
Lord is alive after all, as well as in the salvation in which He has procured
for them, for in that day they will understand the fact that Jesus has
conquered sin, hell, death, Satan and the grave on that cross. Jesus’ disciples shall have the joy of the
Lord as a gift of the Holy Spirit, the product of their new found faith.
3.7.
Jesus compares the sorrow that His disciples will go
through after He dies to be like the sorrow that a woman in labor has. It is amazing how fast the anguish and sorrow
a woman experiences in labor disappears after her child is born and that new
little life she has carried is placed in her arms. There is such a radical transition at this
point that in spite of that horrible labor many women are even willing to
become pregnant again. It will likewise
be a quick turnaround from sorrow to joy that will happen in the disciples’
lives after they realize that Jesus has been raised from the dead and they have
received new life in Him.
3.8.
Jesus tells His disciples that though they will be
persecuted, ‘no one’ will be able to take their joy away from them.
3.9.
No matter how tough life can get for us Christians, we
can and ought to reflect on the fact that our Lord has once and for all
conquered sin, hell, death, Satan and the grave, and thus we can be overcomers
here in this life through Christ, plus our final state shall only be bliss one
day when we enter in to the eternal life which Jesus purchased for us on that
cross.
3.10.
We Christians also ought to remember and keep in mind
that Paul said, ‘If we have hope in Christ only in this life, we are of all
men to be most pitied.’ A Christian
faith without a hope beyond the grave would truly be futile and have not much
value. Thank God that is not the case
for Christians because of Christ and the price which He has paid on
4.
VS 16:23 - “‘And
in that day you will ask Me no question.
Truly, truly, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He
will give it to you in My name’.” - Jesus tells
His disciples that in the day that He has died and risen from the grave that
they will ask Him no question, but that if they ask the Father for anything He
will give it to them in Jesus’ Name
4.1.
The first
phrase of this verse has always been a bit problematic because we are not sure
which day Jesus is referring to when He speaks of ‘that day,’ nor why
the disciples would ask Him ‘no question’ at that time :
4.1.1.
‘That
day’ could refer to:
4.1.1.1.The day He is raised from the dead.
4.1.1.2.The entire era of the “Church Age.”
4.1.1.3.When we Lord returns for the church at the Rapture
(being caught up together with Him in the clouds).
4.1.1.4.During Jesus’ Millennial reign upon the earth.
4.1.2.
Likewise,
the reason for the disciples asking ‘no questions’ during that day could
be because:
4.1.2.1.They now understood what Jesus had been telling them
about dying upon the cross and raising from the dead and thus they need no
further explanation from Him about what He was referring to.
4.1.2.2.The earth in Jesus’ coming kingdom will be as full of
the knowledge of the Lord and the waters that cover the earth and thus Jesus’
disciples will have great understanding of the mysteries of God.
4.2.
I tend to
think that the first explanation of each option is most likely. After Jesus was raised from the dead the
disciples no longer asked Him what He was speaking about when He told them that
He was going to return to the Father but then come again to them in a little
while. They soon understood that Jesus
had died and been raised from the dead and thus they didn’t need any further
explanation.
4.3.
The first
prayer promise that Jesus gives His disciples here comes as a result
of His upcoming death and resurrection.
At that time, Jesus promises that each one of His disciples will come
into a new relationship with the Father.
In that relationship they will not have to ask Jesus to do things for them, but rather they will
be brought into such a relationship with the Father that they shall have only
to ask the Father in prayer and they shall receive the things that they
request. The Father knows Jesus’
disciples and loves them because they love His Son, and therefore He will
answer their prayers and requests just as Jesus previously had done.
4.4.
We Christians ought to make full use of the privileges
which we have been entrusted by Jesus in the realm of prayer. We have been given some of the most
incredible promises for answered prayer for the sake of building Christ’s
kingdom, and we must be faithful and persevere in our prayer to that end. “Whatsoever” we ask the Lord in prayer
in Jesus’ Name and for His purposes we will be granted.
5.
VS 16:24 - “‘Until
now you have asked for nothing in My name;
ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full’.” - Jesus encourages His disciples to ask the
Father for things in His name and that they will receive those things in order
that their joy may be made full
5.1.
Jesus’
second prayer promise comes via a command to pray. Jesus tells His disciples to begin to ask the
Father directly for things in prayer in His Name and that by doing so they will
receive what they are asking for.
5.2.
Great blessing results from answered prayer for the
Christian! Jesus tells His disciples
that as a result of asking the Father in His Name for things and receiving
them, that their ‘joy may be made full.’
5.3.
We Christians need to realize that our joy shall only
be in the Lord and in the things of God.
Great joy is set before us if we will pursue the building up of His
kingdom upon earth. Likewise, if we try
to seek joy through the things of this world and our own flesh, we shall never
find true joy or peace.
5.4.
Do you really know the joy Jesus has promised you
through an active prayer life?
6.
VS 16:25-27 - “‘These
things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will speak no more
to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do
not say to you that I will request the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you
have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father’.” - Jesus tells His disciples that He has spoken
to them in figurative language to this point but an hour is coming when He will
tell them plainly about the Father and that at that time they will make
requests directly to the Father
6.1.
Jesus again tells His disciples that He has much more
to tell them but the present is not the time for Him to tell them these
things. He tells them that they are not
able to apply these things that He would like to tell them, and as a result He
must tell them things using ‘figurative language’ instead of being
direct and to the point concerning the further things.
6.2.
The gospel message as well as the living of the
Christian life must be understood by the disciples after He has first died and
raised from the dead. After those things
have occurred, then His disciples will be able to grow in their understanding
of Jesus and of their mission in this earth.
Without the Holy Spirit in the disciples lives their ability to see and
understand the things that Jesus is telling them is like that of trying to see
through a dirty windshield when you are driving. You can make things out but it is not clear.
6.3.
In three days Jesus begins to fulfill this
promise. The day of Jesus’ resurrection,
in Luke 24:13-45 Jesus began speaking clearly to two of His disciples who were
walking on the road to Emmaus about the scriptures and how they prophesied all
of the things that happened to Jesus in going to and suffering on Calvary’s
cross. Finally, when the three are later
eating dinner together the two disciples recognize Jesus and then He disappears
from their midst. After this, when those
two disciples were telling the story to the rest of the disciples, Jesus
appears to the group and shows them His pierced hands and feet and then it says
that He opens their minds to the scriptures.
6.4.
The third
prayer promise is that Jesus tells His disciples that after He has
raised from the dead that they will ask the Father in prayer in His name and
Jesus will not even need to ask the Father to do their requests since the
Father loves them because of their love for Jesus. This word of affirmation of the Father’s love
for them as well as the Father’s knowing that they love Jesus must have greatly
comforted Jesus’ disciples.
6.5.
Jesus will be His disciple’s intermediary to the
Father, however it is evident to see from these verses that Jesus is not
continually trying to intervene to stop the Father from carrying out wrath upon
Jesus’ disciples. Jesus is not the only
compassionate person of the Trinity. To
the contrary, the Father knows each one intimately and by name, and He has set
His affection on each of His children in this world.
6.6.
There has been in the church throughout history a
hierarchy that has been accepted of channels that a person has to go to in
order to get to the Father. You first go
to a priest, the priest intercedes perhaps for you to Mary, Mary intercedes for
you to Jesus, and Jesus intercedes for you to the Father. It is convenient for the church to teach that
the church itself is the channel through which you have to go in order to get
to the Father. However, all of that is
negated by Jesus here as we see that He tells His disciples that they can even
go directly to the Father in prayer because the Father knows that they love
Jesus and that what they are doing they are doing in the Name of Jesus.
6.7.
Because we Christians have the assurance that the Father
loves each of us personally and delights in answering our requests prayed in
Christ’s name, we ought to be encouraged to pray and come to find great joy in
praying as God would lead us to pray.
7.
VS 16:28-30 - “‘I
came forth from the Father, and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again, and going to
the Father’. His disciples said, ‘Lo,
now You are speaking plainly, and are not using a figure of speech. 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’.” -
Jesus tells His disciples in plain language that He is going to leave
them and go to the Father and because He speaks so plainly His disciples remark
to Him that they know what He is saying to them and thus they don’t need to ask
Him any further questions about His plans to leave and go away from them for a
time
7.1.
This unveiling by Jesus of Himself to His disciples in
this teaching which extends from chapter thirteen through 16 has opened the
eyes and thus the faith of Jesus’ disciples.
7.2.
Jesus’ disciples now “know” experientially and
truly that Jesus came from God, that He truly knows “all” things. The disciples now feel no need to ask Jesus
deep questions concerning His origin.
8.
VS 16:31-32 - “Jesus
answered them, ‘Do you now believe?
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’.” - Jesus answers His disciples affirmation of the
things that He has said by telling them that they think they know these things
but that they will soon be scattered in all directions leaving Him alone
8.1.
As Jesus is revealing to His disciples the things that
are to come so as to build up their faith after those things come to pass, He
prophetically reveals to them that although at this moment their faith has been
strengthened through His word, that they will each one be scattered to their
own homes, and thus they will also deny Him.
8.2.
Jesus’ disciples believe and understand Jesus’ words,
the problem is that they do not understand themselves nor the severity of the
testing that they are soon to go through when Jesus is arrested, tried, and
crucified. They believe now but the
strength of their faith is very weak and they need the Holy Spirit in their
hearts and minds in order to grow in true understanding of Jesus’ words and the
scriptures in general. True
understanding and faith will come in a few days when the disciples are filled
with the Holy Spirit.
8.3.
Telling His disciples plainly of these truths this
will strengthen their faith even more after what He promises comes to pass and
they reflect back upon His words.
9.
VS 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’.” - Jesus tells His disciples that He has spoken
these things to them in order that they might have peace, in the world they
will have tribulation but they are to take courage for He has overcome the
world
9.1.
Jesus again reminds His disciples of the gift of His
peace which He had promised to give to them in verse 14:27. He tells them in this verse that He has told
them of all of these things (things related since chapter 13), so that they
might be able to have Him as their own possession and enjoy His peace. There will be peace in their lives as they
learn to abide in Him.
9.2.
In this evil world that is in rebellion against God
there will always be tribulation for a Christian, but walking in Him they will
have peace. The Greek word translated ‘tribulation’
here is “thlipsis” which is a word that is derived from the word “thlibo”
which means “to crush, press, compress, squeeze.” ‘Thlipsis’ means grievous affliction
or distress, pressure or a burden upon the spirit. This word was used for the pressure that was
exhorted upon grapes in the wine press to squeeze all of the juice out of them,
or when they placed olives between two heavy stones that ground and pressed
them in order to release the precious olive oil within them. Jesus promised that a “true” Christian
living in this evil world would experience immense crushing and grinding
pressure to conform to worldliness and the selfish and sinful lifestyles of the
people of this world. Going against the
world in serving Christ is very difficult and there is much oppression and
persecution we experience because of our faith.
9.3.
Jesus tells His disciples to “take courage” (or
“be of good cheer”) because He has ‘overcome the world.’ Jesus tells His disciples that He has
overcome the principalities and powers of the spirit world which rule over this
world, and thus He can and will break through that grievous affliction and
distress in their lives and give them His peace and victorious living for Him. There are a number of scriptures that reveal
the fact that Jesus did in fact ‘overcome the world’ that we spoke of
before which is in the power and control of Satan, including :
9.3.1.
Colossians 2:13-15, “13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our
transgressions, 14 having
canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which
was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the
cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities,
He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”
9.3.2.
Hebrews 2:14, “14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He
Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had
the power of death, that is, the devil.”
9.3.3.
Ephesians 6:12, “12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this
darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”.
9.4.
Jesus speaks to His disciples in this verse, as if His
work upon the cross is already complete.
Knowing that He is the sinless Lamb of God is now going to be crucified
for the sins of mankind, Jesus sees Himself as having already overcome the
world. Jesus will not have completed
that task though until the moment He is raised from the grave.
9.5.
We Christians also need to take courage for we serve a
victorious Lord who has conquered every enemy that we could ever have! We can and ought to be courageous warriors
for Jesus who has already won our victory through His cross!
9.6.
I found a
devotional on the internet written by a guy I have never heard of named Phil
Ware, and I liked the following that I read from it, “The power of the world, the realm controlled by
Satan, was defeated when Jesus accepted his Father's will to go to the Cross.
He broke and defeated the power of sin and death. He brought life and
immortality to light. He insured that death would not have the final say. So in
the middle of sorrows and trials, we can take heart and have peace. Not because
things are easy, but because the hard things of this life are temporary and are
preparing for us an eternal glory. Our peace is not in the absence of strife or
troubles, but in Jesus and what he has done to make our future sure!”
9.7.
All the powers of darkness flee from before Jesus and
there is no wall so great that His praying disciples cannot break through it
for the building up of His kingdom.
9.8.
In “My Utmost For His Highest,” Oswald Chambers
has written the following :
The typical view of the Christian life is that it
means being delivered from all adversity. But it actually means being delivered
in adversity, which is something very different. "He who dwells in
the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling . .
." ( Psalm 91:1,10 )— the place where you are at one with God.
If you are a child of God, you will certainly
encounter adversities, but Jesus says you should not be surprised when they
come. "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I
have overcome the world." He is saying, "There is nothing for you to
fear." The same people who refused to talk about their adversities before
they were saved often complain and worry after being born again because they
have the wrong idea of what it means to live the life of a saint.
God does not
give us overcoming life— He gives us life as we overcome. The strain of life is
what builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength. Are
you asking God to give you life, liberty, and joy? He cannot, unless you are
willing to accept the strain. And once you face the strain, you will
immediately get the strength. Overcome your own timidity and take the first
step. Then God will give you nourishment— "To him who overcomes I will
give to eat from the tree of life . . ." (Revelation 2:7 ).
9.9.
We Christians need to be careful to always abide in
Jesus’ peace by simply letting Him be Lord as we serve Him with all that we
are. There is peace in any kingdom only
as Jesus sits upon the throne of the kingdom, and there will only be peace in
our lives as we give up and let Him be God and Lord of our life!
9.10.
When we
come to the Lord in the midst of our tribulations and trials that we go
through, the Lord doesn’t always take away the tribulation. He doesn’t promise in scripture that He will
always take away our difficulties and trials.
Sometimes He allows a tribulation to stay in our life because it is
performing a great work in us, and when we come to Him He will give us victory
in the midst of that tribulation. This
is what Paul described happening to him in 2 Cor. 12:1-10 when he told the
story of his praying three times for healing from some affliction which he
described as a “thorn in the flesh” which the Lord was unwilling to heal
him of because this affliction and weakness caused Paul to be strong in the
Lord, “1 Boasting
is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and
revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a
man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of
the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I
know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know,
God knows— 4 was
caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not
permitted to speak. 5 On
behalf of such a man I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast,
except in regard to my weaknesses. 6 For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I
will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no
one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,
for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in
the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it
might leave me. 9 And He
has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for
power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather
boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with
insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s
sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” The Lord
might not take away that tribulation from us and what really matters is not
whether or not he takes it away from us, but rather our attitude in the midst
of that tribulation. It does not require
faith to serve and worship the Lord if He removes all of the difficulties from
our lives. Do we give thanks to the Lord
and obediently look to the Lord for His strength, help, and hope because of
that crushing tribulation and trial? If
we do so and forsake sinful ways we will have His ‘peace,’ which is one
that surpasses comprehension in our hearts and lives.
9.11.
Because
Jesus has overcome the world (the evil one) on the cross, He is able to make us
also be overcomers (of the world and the sinful attitudes and lifestyle of this
world) even in the midst of tribulations.
We can go against the current of this world in rebellion against God
like that salmon that swims against the current as it goes upstream to
spawn. We can serve and worship the Lord
and live the kind of god-fearing life that He wants us to live through Christ,
and not succumb to the ungodly lifestyles of worldly people in our world. In the latter part of Romans chapter 8 Paul
wrote that “in all of these things [the difficulties and trials of life] we
are overwhelming conquerors through Him who loved us.” Look at what Jesus in His letters to each of
the seven churches promises to the Christian who is an overcomer in this evil
world :
9.11.1.Revelation 2:7, “7 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is
in the Paradise of God.’”
9.11.2.Revelation 2:11, “11 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’”
9.11.3.Revelation 2:17, “17 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the
hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the
stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’”
9.11.4.Revelation 2:26, “26 ‘He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds
until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.”
9.11.5.Revelation 3:5, “5 ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will
not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My
Father and before His angels.”
9.11.6.Revelation 3:12, “12 ‘He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God,
and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My
God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down
out of heaven from My God, and My new name.”
9.11.7.Revelation 3:21, “21 ‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My
throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”.
10.
CONCLUSIONS:
10.1.
Let me
tell you the story of an oyster as it floats in the sea. One day a grain of sand gets under the shell
of the oyster, and causes it pain as it sticks in the flesh of the oyster. There are three reactions that the oyster
could have to this grain of sand. He
could :
10.1.1.A) Shake his
fist as if it were at God and say, “Why should this grain of sand come into my
shell? I have been a good little oyster
all my life, why me? All this talk of a
God of love is rubbish. I will throw
away my faith.”
10.1.1.1.Yet, the oyster is still left with this grain of
sand.
10.1.1.2.This reaction would be very understandable, but the
oyster does not do this.
10.1.2.B) He could resist
and decide to fight and be almost in denial that anything is wrong with him,
asking, “What trial or tribulation?”
10.1.2.1.“I will cope by remembering that the darkest part of
the night is before dawn.”
10.1.2.2.This would be very commendable, but the oyster does
not do this.
10.1.3.C) The oyster
is an idealist and a realist and realizes that there is no point in complaining
about things or denying them: He
surrounds the sand with a milky liquid, the milky liquid becomes a plastic, the
plastic becomes a solid and the solid is a pearl, which is a thing of beauty
and value wrapped around a piece of sand.
10.1.3.1.When the Bible says in Rev. 21:21 that we will enter
heaven through pearly gates (remember oysters were an unclean animal for the
Israelites), this is more than a metaphor.
We enter heaven, which is the real presence of God, through gates
bedecked with pearls. Each pearl
(created by an irritant) is a heartache, a problem, an illness, a challenge
that drove us to our knees and made us realize that we could not live our life
without God.
10.1.3.2.When there on our knees in prayer we find God to be a
very present help in times of trouble.
10.1.3.3.Our very rewards in heaven shall in many ways be based
upon our reactions to the difficulties and tribulations in our life.
10.2.
Are you willing to face every difficult tribulation
and trial in your life like the oyster and the grain of sand and allow that
thing to produce in you a good work, the very character of Christ in all of its
beauty?
10.3.
Are you an overcomer because Jesus Christ first overcame
the world? If this is true then you will
also be enjoying His peace. Do you know
His peace truly?