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.”
Jesus mentioned these things so that, when the Holy Spirit reminded them of His words, they would have peace. He has overcome the world, even though we can’t see it yet. His peace will be beyond our understanding—Philippians 4:6ff. It will “rule our hearts” Col. 3:15.
The Kingdom of God is found in peace Romans 14:17; Jesus is our peace Eph. 2:14, and that peace keeps the unity of the spirit Eph. 4:3.
We have His peace because He paid the price for it. We must appropriate it through our faith in Him, trusting Him and learning how to walk in peace. We have a position to claim! That of the overcomer.
We have two choices in this world—either overcome it, or be overcome by it. We can either be Eyeores, accepting every circumstance as what the world is, “Oh, well, bounced again.” Or we can be victors, trusting God and having faith in His word, and experiencing joy in the midst of difficulty. I don’t think it’s very attractive to the Gospel to look like Eyeore.
Romans 12:21 says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” We can’t just let the sin and evil of the world get to us, we must do something about it—resist it and conquer it by the power of God.
John would later write “All that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. The world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he that does the will of God lives forever” (John 2:15-17.)
We have a choice to live like the world does—lusting after things, desiring things for image’s sake, and wanting things because everyone else has them—or we can do the will of God. We can overcome the world and all that is enticing us. 1 John 4:4 says “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” We have overcome all that is in the world.
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:3-5.)
His commandments are not burdensome. They aren’t hard. “Love one another as I have loved you.” Is that hard? Well, sometimes it is. But if we let Him help us by the Spirit, we begin to find that it isn’t hard. It becomes easy. “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and gentle of spirit, and you shall find rest for your souls.” Jesus wants to come alongside us and help carry the load.
This promise that Jesus made would be based on the fact that He has overcome the world. Chuck Smith says, “Jesus has defeated Satan through the Cross. The only power Satan can exercise over you now is the power you allow him. He has been dethroned, and any power he has is usurped power. When we, as children of God, come against Satan in the name of Jesus, on the basis of the Cross, he must yield to the authority of Jesus.”
Are you giving the enemy power over you through your lusts? The temptation to sin is hard to overcome, but we’re promised victory! Greater is he that is in you!
It’s not going to become easier to fight the battle over sin. It’s going to become more difficult. It may even become a battle unto death.
Revelation 12:10-11 “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Are you overcoming, or are you allowing the enemy to accuse you before God?
There is a sense that this victory is yours in the spiritual realm, while you are still unsure that you want it for yourself. Let me just warn you that this might be a limited time offer!
The blood of Jesus covers your sins. It was at the cross that Jesus, the Lamb of God, won this victory. The word of your testimony is that Jesus is your Lord, if you are submitted to Him and obedient to Him. This keeps the enemy from controlling you. Lastly, love not your life to the death. Are you living for Jesus, or for yourself? These three things overcome the enemy. If you are living for Jesus, believing the cross’s victory in your life, and have the testimony of Jesus, you can overcome.
How victorious are you feeling right now? Could it be that you need to take what is yours as God’s child, and apply it to your life?
For me, no sin is worth missing eternity; nothing in this world is to be compared to Heaven, and especially nothing less than Jesus is enough.
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