“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.”
–John 16:33
Can you imagine how hopeless life would be if Jesus had simply said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart”?
No, Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world”!
For some people, if fact, a lot of people, their greatest fear is dying. But what’s so magnificent about the Lord Jesus Christ is that he even overcame death! The Lord Jesus took on death and beat it, and he rose victoriously over it.
As 1 Corinthians 15:57 says, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This means, as a follower of Christ, you have victory over death, yes, but it also means so much more than that. It means you can victory over anything that goes on in this life as well. You have victory over your fears, your failures, your future… everything!
Yet, you know, even as I say this today, I know that you may be shaking your head and saying, “No, no, no, Pastor, you just don’t understand. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let go of this fear in my heart.”
If so, I have wonderful news for you today. It may not happen tomorrow, it may not happen next month, but through the power of Jesus Christ working in your heart and life, you can let go of that fear.
And like I said, it’s not because of your power, but because of his power working in and through you.
Maybe, as a way to begin letting go of that fear, it would help if you took what Jesus said in today’s verse and personalized it. Perhaps your prayer would sound like, “In the world I’ve had tribulation, but I’ll take heart because Jesus has overcome the sexual abuse in my past.” Perhaps your prayer would be, “I’ll take heart because Jesus has overcome my addiction.” Or even, “I will take heart because Jesus has overcome my cancer.”
Being a Christian means that you can face the future with courageous faith, that you can live each day not as a victim of terror and fear but as a victor. It may be a time for tears in your life today, but praise God that through Christ Jesus it doesn’t have to be a time for fear!
BEING A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST MEANS YOU VICTORY OVER YOUR FEARS, YOUR FAILURES, YOUR FUTURE… EVERYTHING!
