Be of Good Cheer
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Intro:
Intro:
Good evening.
This evening I want to go to John chapter 16, and we are going to look at a very encouraging verse found in verse 33.
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.”
3. What an optimistic verse, right?!
4. What I want us to do tonight is I want to think about this verse in context of what happens right before Jesus says this, and right after Jesus says it, and come away understanding the magnitude of the confidence and optimism that we should have knowing what Jesus overcame on our behalf!
Context Pre-John 16:33:
Context Pre-John 16:33:
If you were to read John chapters 15 and 16, you’ll read about the follower:
Jesus teaches in John 15:1-8 that He is the true Vine, and His followers are the branches, and that branches that don’t bear fruit will be cast into the fire.
In John 15:9ff Jesus talks about abiding in Jesus’ love, describing God’s love for Jesus His Son, and how Jesus in turn loved us.
How do we abide in Jesus’ love?
He tells us in v. 10 - “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
But Jesus doesn’t end there — If you look at John 15:11, you’ll see the connection between loving Jesus, keeping His commandments, and the JOY that comes with it — “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
Everything that Christ asked us to do … is for our benefit!
Jesus continues in this section with some other famous statements, including:
“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” - verse 12.
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” - verse 13.
and “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” - verse 14.
In John 15:18ff, Jesus gets really frank when He teaches: “If the world HATES you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you!”
Jesus goes on to explain that we are not of the world, so the world does not love us.
We need to consider that the next time we are tempted to cozy up to and want to be just like the world.
Jesus also talks about in v. 20 that if the world persecuted Christ, it would also persecute us.
And then in John 15:26-27, Jesus promises the arrival of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Who would guide the apostles into all truth (John 16:13).
Moving on to chapter 16, and Jesus continues talking very frankly about difficulties that will come for Christians — He mentions:
Christians being put out of the synagogues (v. 2),
People killing Christians, thinking they were doing it in service to God (v. 2),
The fact that Jesus is mentally preparing them for this now because the time would be coming for them soon, and that they would need to remember back that Jesus warned them about it (v. 4).
And then in John 16:5ff Jesus explains that He is going to have to go away from them to the Father in heaven, of course alluding to the fact that He is about to die on the cross.
In verse 6 he mentions the fact that sorrow was filling their hearts.
He explains that Jesus still had many things to say to them, that they could not bear them now (v. 12), but that the Spirit of Truth (the Helper, the Holy Spirit) would guide them into all truth (through the process of inspiration).
In verses 16ff, in explaining that in a little while they would no longer see Jesus, and then a little while would pass, and they would see Him again, Jesus in verses 21ff uses the figure of a woman in childbirth — He explains how labor pains are so difficult, and yet when the little child is born, it makes it all worth it!
And then in verses 25ff Jesus explains that He was using figurative language to teach them there, but the time would come when He would not teach them using figures, but would teach them in plain language.
With all that said, I want to hone in on the few verses leading up to John 16:33.
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.”
7. When we think of this big overview we have mentioned thus far from John chapters 15 and 16, what is the main message?
a. The disciples are going to have to remain in the Vine and bear fruit if they want to be saved.
b. Jesus will be shortly going away, but He’s not going to leave them without help - He’s going to send them the Helper/the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit.
c. And He explains that they are having to go through some difficult persecutions, but it will be well worth it!
8. With that in mind, we again read the words of John 16:33 - “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!
9. Question?
a. Had Jesus literally already overcome the world in the sense that He had already accomplished everything?
b. Well, no — It isn’t until John 19:30 that we read these words … “IT … IS … FINISHED!”
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
c. So what is Jesus saying when He says, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world?”
d. He’s saying that it is AS GOOD AS OVERCOME … Because Jesus was confident and KNEW that He was going to accomplish what He came to accomplish!
10. ** And brethren, if Jesus could look forward to His cross in CONFIDENCE, surely we can look backward to the cross in confidence, too! **
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God!
Context Post-John 16:33:
Context Post-John 16:33:
We want spend as long on this section as we did on the section prior to John 16:33, but just know this … After John 16:33, we come to John chapter 17, where Jesus prays in the Garden!
Who does He pray for?
Well, He prays for Himself (verses 1-5), that God the Father and God the Son would receive the mutual glorification that God intended before the foundation of the world that would be received by Jesus dying on His cross on behalf of mankind!
In verses 6ff, Jesus prays for His apostles — He prays that they would be one (unified) (v. 11), and that they would be sanctified by the truth of God’s Word (v. 17).
And in verses 20ff, we find that Jesus prays for US too when He says: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word” (that’s us!).
And a huge part of Jesus’ prayer for us? “That they all may be ONE” (unified), which He mentions 5 more times in this section! (Must be pretty important!
Well, after chapter 17, we know the rest of the story — Chapter 18, Jesus is betrayed and arrested, Peter denies Jesus 3 times, and Jesus appears before Pontius Pilate.
Chapter 19, Jesus is crucified and buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, but in chapters 20 and 21 we read about the resurrected Christ!
Application:
Application:
Now, tell me we can’t be of good cheer, because we CAN!
Cheer up sleepy, Christian! (Bonus point if you thought of the Monkees song from the 60s when I said that!)
We need to AWAKE from the doldrums of life if we are down and discouraged, and we need to realize that we OF ALL PEOPLE have reason to be of good cheer, to look forward to the end of life, to be OPTIMISTIC because our Savior Jesus Christ overcame the world!
And when He overcame the world, we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS right alongside Him through Him Who loved us (Rom. 8:37)!
