Take Heart—I Have Overcome the World

Transcript

0:37

Welcome back to Beyond Sunday, and thanks for joining me on day nine for our anchored in God's Promises series. You do not have to do these in order, so if you picked up on day nine and thought, oh, I'm behind. These are just scriptures every day. I hope these moments together. Have become part of a rhythm for you, a quiet space in your day to remember what's true and unshakeable. Today's promise is one of the most comforting and most honest statements Jesus ever made to his disciples. It's found in John 16, verse 33. I have told you these things so that in me, you may have peace in this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world. Let's start with the honesty of this verse. That's not what we always want to hear, but it's what we need to hear. Following Jesus doesn't mean avoiding storms. It means knowing who's in the boat with you. Sometimes we get discouraged because we assume that trouble means we've done something wrong or that God's forgotten us, but Jesus says trouble is part of the journey. It's not a detour. It's expected. And he is not warning us to make us afraid. He's preparing us so we'll know where to turn. Jesus offers something. This world can't peace in the middle of pain. Notice he doesn't say, in a perfect life, you'll have peace, or once your situation resolves, then you'll be okay. He says, in me, you may have peace. That means peace isn't the absence of problems, it's the presence of Jesus. It's knowing that no matter what's happening around you, you are securely held by the one who is above it all. It's peace that comes from trusting the end of the story, even when you're in the middle of the struggle. Jesus then gives a clear instruction. Take heart. In other words, don't give up. Don't let go of hope. Don't live like you've lost. This phrase is both comfort and command. It's Jesus calling his disciples and you to courage and not courage based on their ability or outcomes, but courage grounded in his victory when everything around you feels like it's falling apart, you can take heart, not because you're strong, but because he has overcome, and this is the anchor of the whole promise that I have overcome the world. Not that I will, not that I might, but that I have. Jesus says this before going to the cross. But he's already declaring victory because he knows what's coming. He knows sin, death, and darkness. Don't get the final say. And if Jesus has overcome the world, then whatever you're facing today doesn't have the last word. The diagnosis, the conflict, the fear, the failure, it doesn't win. He does. That means we live from victory, not towards it. We walk through trials knowing that our savior already holds the crown. I once met a man named Carlos who was battling cancer, and I visit him during a treatment week, and I'll never forget what he said. He looked up from his hospital bed and said, I used to think that peace was the absence of this, but I now realize it's having Jesus right with me in the middle of it. I don't know what's gonna happen, but I'm not afraid anymore. That's what John 1633 looks like in real life. It's not denial, it's defiance not of reality. But of hopelessness. So here's your challenge today. Think of something that's weighing on you right now. Something uncertain or difficult or painful. Write it down, then write below it. Write this promise. But take heart. Jesus has overcome the world. Let that truth be louder than your fear today. Let's pray. Jesus, thank you for being honest with us. You never promised an easy road, but you promised to walk it with us, and more than that, you've already overcome the darkness. Help us to take heart today, not because we're brave, but because you're victorious. Let your peace rule in our hearts and anchor our minds. In your name we pray. Amen. That's it for today. If that promise reminded you that you're not fighting alone and you've thought of someone that feels that way. Shoot them that verse real quick. Remind them of the truth of the gospel and I'll see you here tomorrow for day 10 of anchored in God's promises.