I Have Overcome the World

What’s the greatest victory you’ve ever won? Maybe it was first place at a state competition in high school. Maybe it was winning the championship in highschool basketball. Maybe it was beating a sibling at something. Or maybe it was like my friend who somehow conquered the friendzone in college and married the girl who friendzoned him. These answers could be serious or silly.

To give you a second to think about your answers before I send you to your groups, I’ll share my example which is admittedly kind of silly.

1st Place Chemathon story from high school

Show medal.

John 16:33

Tonight, we’re going to be talking about victory and peace in the midst of opposition and the message is on one single verse and has one single point.

We’re going to be looking at John 16:33 so if you have your Bibles turn or tap with me there. I could probably read this verse before you could turn there, but I think it’s important that you see it for yourself.

Context

While you turn there, let me give you the context for what’s been happening up to this point

From chapter 13 through chapter 16 we see Jesus and His disciples at the Last Supper and throughout the Last Supper Jesus delivers what is called the Upper Room Discourse. Jesus is telling his disciples profound, loving, and important truths of what is to come soon after.

As an aside, I think this is incredible because of the timing of when we’re going through the passage. You can see God’s fingerprints all over this.

Jesus tells the disciples of his coming betrayal by Judas, he tells them that he will soon be leaving them and giving them the Holy Spirit. He also tells them that in the coming hours they will experience incredible sorrow but that their sorrow will turn to a joy that can never be taken away from them. This sorrow turned to joy refers to his coming crucifixion and resurrection. The disciples will be overcome with sorrow as their Teacher and Lord is brutally murdered, but their sorrow will fade as indestructible joy rises as Jesus will step out of the tomb with victory over sin, Satan, death, and all of the powers of Hell.

It’s after Jesus has told his disciples of all of these things that he closes with verse at hand. This is what Jesus says in John 16:33:

John 16:33

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

It is on this verse that we’re going to reflect tonight with one goal in mind: to figure out what it means that Jesus has overcome the world.

Defining “World”

To begin, I think we need to define what “world” means.

World does not mean merely the physical boundaries of earth. It means more than that. Many times, when the Bible talks about the world it speaks of the spiritual and cultural realities outside of God Himself.

Remember, Satan is called the “ruler of this world.” So the world is everything this side of glory, this side of Heaven, that is opposed to God in some way.

So when Jesus says He has overcome the world, He doesn't just mean that He now rules over the physical earth, but that He has defeated the powers and principalities of the world so that Satan and all cultural movements and rulers and more will ultimately bow to Him since He has overcome them.

Everything will ultimately bow to Jesus.

Jesus’ Victory Over Sin, Satan, and Death

So how did Jesus overcome the world? What is the primary way Jesus secured this victory? It was through his crucifixion and resurrection. At the cross, Jesus defeated sin, Satan, and all of the powers of Hell by absorbing the just wrath of God that you and I deserved for our sins. What’s more, three days after His death He defeated death itself by rising from the dead and setting into motion the total victory and redemption of the world. That’s the Gospel in a nutshell, that’s what we’re celebrating this Easter season, and that’s how Jesus primarily overcame the world.

Jesus utterly destroyed Satan at the cross. Satan’s power in this world is by tempting us to sin, pointing our attention to things besides God, and then accusing us for those things by pointing to the punishment we deserve for our sin. But When Jesus took our place on the cross and received the punishment we deserved for our sins, He disarmed Satan so that Satan no longer had any claim over us when we put our faith in Jesus.

Colossians 2:13-15 puts it this way:

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses..., God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

At the cross, Jesus defeated the greatest enemy to your eternal joy: your sin and the punishment it deserves.

Your greatest threat in this world is not a virus, it’s not another person, it’s not depression, anxiety, suicide, shame, or failure. Your greatest threat in this world is your very own sin and the punishment it deserves. We don’t hear that very often. Satan keeps that message from us so often, but he won’t get that victory tonight.

If you place your faith in Jesus that He is mighty to save and that He has defeated your sin at the cross, Satan has no claim on you anymore. If you place your faith in Jesus you can enjoy Jesus’ victory over the world.

Jesus’ victory over the world won’t seem like a big deal unless we understand the weight of our sin.

Identifying Our Fears and Enemies

So we’ve defined world and we’ve seen that the primary way that Jesus overcame the world was through his death and resurrection to atone for our sin and to defeat death. But we would be missing out on the fullness of Jesus’ victory if we limited its extent to just sin and death. Jesus’ victory over sin and death secured and ensured victory over so much more. Just as He told His disciples, Jesus’ victory over the world made it possible that they could have peace in any situation, no matter what comes. The disciples would go on to face fear, shame, persecution, anxiety, spiritual opposition, arrest, sickness, physical wounds, and more in the years following and yet Jesus says they could have hope no matter what came.

Before we can sense the true peace of Jesus’ victory we have to identify the biggest fears, anxieties, and obstacles that we’re facing right now so we can see how Jesus gives us hope in those things.

Group Question 2:

So what is that for you right now? What do you fear most right now? Is it job loss? Financial uncertainty? Fear surrounding contracting the virus? Fear about the health of family members? Anxiety and depression from isolation or the chaos of the news? Is it sadness at the loss of plans and milestones and celebrations like trips, graduations, weddings, gathering with family and friends because of the quarantine? Is it shame from sin that you habitually give into in this season? Whatever it is, whatever obstacle, fear, or anxiety feels the most invincible to you right now, talk about that in your groups and then we’ll come back together.

What is Bound up in Jesus’s Victory

Now that we’ve identified those things which seem most invincible and most threatening to use, we can truly begin to see the beauty of all that is bound up in Jesus’ victory over the world.

Jesus’ victory is incredible. He defeats his opponents in every possible way and at just about every possible angle. He even turns the very weapons used against Him into weapons He can use against His enemies.

For example, the Pharisees wanted to defeat Jesus in their day so they sent Him to the cross to die thinking that would ultimately defeat Him. Instead, Jesus’ death was the very way He would accomplish His plan, become king, and defeat the lies of the Pharisees. J.L. Reynolds describes this beautifully when he says this:

“When Christ uttered, in the judgment hall of Pilate, the remarkable words—“I am a king,” he pronounced a sentiment fraught with unspeak- able dignity and power. His enemies might deride his pretensions and express their mockery of his claim, by presenting him with a crown of thorns, a reed and a purple robe, and nailing him to the cross; but in the eyes of unfallen intelligences, he was a king. A higher power presided over that derisive ceremony, and converted it into a real coronation. That crown of thorns was indeed the diadem of empire; that purple robe was the badge of royalty; that fragile reed was the symbol of unbounded power; and that cross the throne of dominion which shall never end."

- J.L. Reynolds, "The Kingdom of Christ in its Internal and External Development" (1849)

Jesus overcame sickness and if healing doesn’t come in this life, sickness and death can’t steal our

Death is how we get to be with Jesus.

Jesus reminds us that not even death itself can steal our joy. No matter what comes, in the end it cowers in fear at the name and power of Jesus.

Jesus’ victory means He has given you the means to defeat the sin and temptation in your life. You don’t overcome sin by brute willpower. Maybe you can for a little while, but sooner or later you will lose the battle in exhaustion. You can only ultimately defeat sin and temptation through a superior joy and promise that Jesus offers. It’s easy to choose between two things when you love one of them way more. Jesus has promised you everlasting and perfect joy forever if you would fight sin and trust in Him. That promise is infinitely superior to

One day, God will turn even our shame into praise (Zephaniah 3:19). "Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth."

Not even your shame can overtake you with Jesus.

Loneliness

Jesus tells us He will be with us forever and He even gave us His Spirit to prove it!

Anxiety

Jesus has defeated anxiety’s claim on us by securing joy and stability for us in Him. Jesus is greater than any anxiety we might face and we can trust Him and his victory.

Philippians 4:6-7 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Purpose in Jesus

No longer must struggles of purposelessness prevail. Jesus has given you and I a life purpose of infinite worth for our own joy. He tells us in Matthew 28 that we are to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded us.”

Self-esteem (our worth in Christ shown by his death for us).

No longer must you struggle with self-esteem issues because Jesus has overcome them. When He gave up His life for you at the cross He showed you and the rest of the world just how valuable he thought you were, no matter what anyone else thinks. No matter what anyone else says, there is one who loves you and would do anything to show that love for you, including sending His very own Son to die on the cross for you.

Jesus has so claimed the victory that every single hard thing, every tragedy, every bit of sorrow, every unspeakable burt and disappointment will ultimately work for our good if we have Jesus, according to Romans 8:28. Every single moment of history is working for our joy.

Jesus so turns Satan’s weapons against him that every hard thing Satan throws at us to turn us from Jesus is used by Jesus to help us love Jesus more in the end.

If God can take the worst evil ever seen and turn it for the greatest good the universe has ever experienced, He can redeem anything we experience in this life.

There is no excuse to be a pessimist as a Christian. In fact, pessimism is down right sinful in light of what Jesus promises.

We have infinite hope in the victory of Jesus.

Romans 8:31-39 sums up all of this beautifully

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

More Than Conquerers (Miss Mary Story)

I’ve told this story before, but Miss Mary embodies this for me.

In light of all of this truth, we must conform our mind and emotions to the great truths of victory we have in Jesus.

Our emotions and feelings are not an accurate guide to our true standing and peace in Christ. Jesus reminds the disciples multiple times that tribulation is coming but that all will be well in Him. He does this because he knows the fear the disciples will feel soon after (even to the point of denying him and abandoning him) and he wants them to remember the confidence they should have in him. Our job in the Christian life is to conform our feelings to the realities we have in Christ. We can have peace no matter what comes because of Jesus. We need to conform our emotions to that reality.

Group Question 3:

Why can it be so hard to sense Jesus’s peace and victory? What truths about the gospel and Jesus’ victory do you most need to remember to help you sense Jesus’ peace right now? What about Jesus gives you the most hope right now?

Trusting in Victory Even When It’s Hard to See

Jesus does not promise us comfort and easy times in this life. In fact, He tells the disciples and us that we should expect the exact opposite. Even in our verse for tonight He says this when He tells the disciples that they will have tribulation in this world.

If we only believe we have peace with Jesus if we have comfort and ease in this life we will never find real and lasting peace with Jesus. We will believe He has lost to the world.

No, the peace that Jesus brings is one that allows us to endure the storm and sleep in peace in the boat during the storm just like Jesus did.

The peace that Jesus brings helps us have joy and peace in Him even when the world around us doesn’t feel like a victory. With Jesus on our side, no matter what comes, we can know that peace is ours because Jesus’ promises are sure.

We see a beautiful illustration of this with Winston Churchill just after Pearl Harbor during World War II.

Winston Churchill, in 1941 (with 4 years left in the war) after being woken up in the middle of the night and hearing about the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

This is from his biography:

“In two or three minutes Mr. Roosevelt came through. "Mr. President, what's this about Japan? "It's quite true," he replied. "They have attacked us at Pearl Harbor. We are all in the same boat now."

"...to have the United States at our side was to me the greatest joy. I could not foretell the course of events. I do not pretend to have measured accurately the martial might of Japan, but now at this very moment I knew the United States was in the war, up to the neck and in to the death. So we had won after all!...We had won the war. England would live; Britain would live; the Commonwealth of Nations and the Empire would live...How long the war would last or in what fashion it would end no man could tell, nor did I at this moment care. Once again in our long Island history we should emerge, however mauled or mutilated, safe and victorious. We should not be wiped out. We should not be wiped out. Our history would not come to an end...Hitler's fate was sealed. Mussolini's fate was sealed. As for the Japanese, they would be ground to powder. All the rest was merely the proper application of overwhelming force. No doubt it would take a long time. I expected terrible forfeits in the east; but all this would be merely a passing phase. United, we could subdue everybody else in the world. Many disasters, immeasurable cost and tribulation lay ahead, but there was no more doubt about the end...Being saturated and satiated with emotion and sensation, I went to bed and slept the sleep of the saved and thankful”

Andrew Wilson's comment on the quote: "That's you and I between the resurrection of Christ and the death of death. Great toil and tribulation lie ahead, but there is no doubt about the end. That means you and I, being saturated with emotion, can go to bed and sleep the sleep of the saved and thankful because the war has been won by somebody else."

From Andrew Wilson's 2013 Catalyst Festival Sermon (Meeting 1) on 1 Corinthians 15

Death's fate is certain. Satan's fate is certain. Death and pain and suffering will be utterly destroyed and ground to powder.

At even the darkest moments where all looked lost in Jesus’s story (the cross and his death) he was overcoming the world.

Maundy Thursday

Now we’re going to move into a time of remembering what Jesus did at the cross to overcome the world by watching PV’s Maundy Thursday service together.

It’s only 10-12 minutes long, but it will be a meaningful time to reflect together. Part way through we will pause to pray and reflect together in our groups again.

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