I Have Overcome The World

Would you turn with me to the Gospel of John, chapter 16, verses 25 through 33.

John 16:25–33

That's where we'll pick up our sermon series.

John, chapter 16, verses 25 through 33.

John 16:25–33

That's page 849 in the Pew Bible, if you want to follow along there.

Well, as we turn there to John 16, let me pray for us.

Father, we ask you this morning for your favor as we come to your word.

God, we know that in our own strength, in our own intellect, in our own wisdom,

God, we can't put all the pieces together.

So we need your help now, and we need your spirit to come.

Give us ears to hear, eyes to see, hearts to receive what you are telling us about yourself,

about your Son, Father, and about your saving purposes in the world.

We pray all this in Christ's name. Amen.

All right, let me read John 16, 25 through 33 for us.

Jesus says this,

I have said these things to you in figures of speech.

The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech,

but will tell you plainly about the Father.

In that day, you will ask in my name.

And I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf,

for the Father himself loves you,

because you have loved me, and I believe that I came from God.

I've come from the Father, and I've come into the world,

and now I'm leaving the world and going to the Father.

His disciples said,

Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech.

Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you.

This is why we believe that you came from God.

Jesus answered them,

Do you now believe?

Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come,

when you will be scattered,

each to his own home,

and will leave me alone.

Yet,

I am not alone,

for the Father is with me.

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.

So,

when a speaker,

or when a teacher gets up and says,

In conclusion,

at the end of a lengthy lecture or lesson,

what do you expect to hear next?

Now you might be thinking to yourself,

Wow, the preacher's done already,

he just said in conclusion,

this is going to be a short sermon,

all right.

No,

well,

when the speaker gets up and says,

In conclusion,

usually you're expecting some sort of powerful summary,

some sort of main point of everything that's come before.

Here comes the big takeaway,

the parting shot.

And what we have before us,

in verses 25 through 33 of John 16,

are Jesus' concluding remarks,

to what we've come to call his farewell discourse.

Remember,

these last few chapters of John,

are the words that Jesus spoke to his disciples in the upper room,

right before his arrest and crucifixion.

And these are his sort of concluding,

summarizing remarks.

Now,

what makes us think that,

what makes us think that these are Jesus' concluding remarks?

Well,

we see twice in this passage that Jesus says,

I've said these things to you.

And these things,

as he puts it there,

probably refer to the whole of chapters 14 through 16.

This is all of what he's been saying.

I've been saying all these things to you.

And at the heart of this conclusion,

in verse 28,

Jesus gives us a summary of his mission.

Verse 28 says,

I came from the Father,

and have come into the world,

and now I'm leaving the world,

and going to the Father.

Now,

we've seen this kind of language often in John's Gospel,

most recently at the beginning of chapter 13.

But what Jesus really wants to drive home,

in this conclusion,

isn't just what his mission is,

but what it achieves.

Notice in verse 25,

Jesus says,

the hour's coming.

And in verse 26,

in that day,

and then again in verse 32,

the hour's coming,

the day,

the hour.

This is how Jesus,

throughout John's Gospel,

has referred to the climax of his earthly mission.

The great event,

that's going to change history forever.

Something big is coming,

and now it's here.

The hour I've talked about,

Jesus says,

the day you've been waiting for,

all that my mission is meant to achieve,

it's all impinging right now,

right here.

So what is it?

What does it all achieve?

What benefits come to us,

as a result of Jesus' mission?

What has the finished work of Christ,

actually accomplished?

What reality has this new day brought about?

You know,

I wonder if many of us,

whether you're new to Christianity,

or whether you've been a Christian for a long time,

I wonder if many of us don't really grasp

the fullness of what Christ has achieved.

Now,

if you're new to Christianity,

or if you're here sort of exploring spiritual things,

we're really glad you came out this morning.

And if you've been around Christianity for a long time,

we're glad you're here too.

But you know,

could it be that all of us

need Jesus once again

to show us what

he's actually achieved for us

through his death and resurrection?

What if we're only getting like

10 or 20 or 30 percent of it?

I mean,

wouldn't that be a tragedy

to go through life

only seeing part of the picture?

What if the reason Christianity

hasn't really worked for you,

again,

whether you're totally new to the faith,

or whether you've been in the faith

for a long time,

is because

you're trying to ride the bicycle

with only one pedal.

Right?

It doesn't seem like a very smooth ride

when you're just sort of going like this.

Maybe we're missing something.

So let's look again.

Let's hear how Jesus brings

his discourse to a conclusion.

And what we see

is that the finished work of Christ

brings about

at least the things

that Jesus mentions here.

He mentions three things.

Three massive benefits

that flow to us

through his finished work.

And the first one

we see in verse 25.

And it is this.

Jesus says,

the first thing

that my finished work

is going to bring to you

is at last

clear knowledge

of God the Father.

Let me read verse 25.

Jesus says,

I've said these things

to you in figures of speech.

The hour is coming

when I will no longer

speak to you

in figures of speech

but will tell you

plainly about the Father.

So up to this point,

Jesus has been trying

to teach the disciples

using what he calls

figures of speech.

Metaphors,

stories,

parables,

hyperbole.

And at times,

it's all seemed

a little enigmatic.

It seemed a little cryptic

at times.

Figures of speech.

You see,

Jesus knew

that his disciples

wouldn't really understand

all that he had

to tell them

until his hour

had come.

And again,

in John's gospel,

Jesus' hour

is the hour

of the cross

and the resurrection.

But once Jesus

accomplishes that work,

the figures of speech

will finally

become clear.

And Jesus himself

will then

be able to speak

to them plainly

about the Father.

We read in the book

of Acts

that after his resurrection,

Jesus spent 40 days

with the apostles

and with those early disciples

teaching them

about the kingdom of God.

And one of those times,

one of the first happened

on the road to Emmaus.

You remember that story

from Luke 24

when Jesus met

two downcast disciples

who were heading

out of Jerusalem.

They thought that

Jesus was the Christ,

but then they had

watched him get crucified

and who had ever heard

of a crucified Messiah?

So they were discouraged

and downcast.

But Jesus,

the risen Jesus,

meets these men

and walks with them.

And they don't recognize

him at first.

And as they're walking along

and they share with him

what they've been thinking

and what they've been feeling,

the risen Jesus says to them,

don't you see,

was it not necessary

for the Christ to suffer

and then to enter

into his glory?

And then the gospel of Luke

says,

beginning with Moses

and all the prophets,

Jesus began to interpret

to them in all the scriptures

the things concerning himself.

In other words,

after his death

and resurrection,

Jesus starts teaching them

plainly about the Father

and about the Father's plan

and how it has all been achieved

through his own death

and resurrection.

Because now that he had died

and risen again,

the full knowledge of God

could be had.

So let me put this another way.

You and I can't really have

a clear knowledge of God

apart from the cross.

Jesus could have tried to tell them.

In fact, at times

he did try to tell them.

But until the disciples

saw the cross

and met the resurrected Jesus,

only then did it all make sense.

Only then could Jesus'

plain words finally hit home.

And it's the same for us.

You and I can't really have

a knowledge of God

apart from the cross of Christ.

Do you want to know

the wisdom of God?

Do you want to know

the mercy of God?

Do you want to see

and understand

the justice of God?

Do you want to grasp

the goodness of God?

Then friends,

you have to look

at the cross.

John Stott,

the 20th century English

pastor and writer,

once said,

and I'm paraphrasing here,

he said,

you know,

in a world of so much suffering,

he said,

I wouldn't even believe

in the existence of God

if it weren't for the cross.

But in light of the cross,

in light of the fact

that God enters

into human suffering

and doesn't remain distant

or uninvolved

or unaffected

by the world's suffering,

in light of the cross,

John Stott says,

now I can actually believe

in a God at all

because we see

that God is there

and that he is merciful

and that he is just

and that he is wise

and that he is good.

The Old Testament

is filled with prophets

through whom God spoke

and through whom God showed us

what he was like.

But the crucified

and risen Jesus

is the true

and better

and best prophet

who is able

through his own person

and work

to speak to us

plainly

and openly

and clearly

about who God is.

No one else could do that

the way Jesus can.

We don't need to guess

or to grope

or to hope

that maybe one day

we could possibly figure out

what God is like.

Jesus has come

and he speaks to us

plainly.

Isn't that good news?

Now by a way

of quick application

where do we find

this plain speech

of Jesus today?

Where do we go

and get it

if we're interested

in reading it

or understanding it

or hearing it?

Is there any record

of what Jesus taught

the apostles

after his resurrection?

Or has it been

sort of lost

in the hands of history?

Well friends

this is the good news.

The apostles

didn't just teach

and preach

the message

that Jesus gave them.

They actually

wrote it down.

When you read

the New Testament

you aren't reading

a document

that was written

like hundreds of years

after the fact

in some sort of

long historical game

of whisper down the alley.

No.

You're reading

the accounts

of the eyewitnesses.

You're reading

the letters

of the apostles themselves.

And as we saw

a few weeks ago

in verses 15 through 16

of chapter 16

Jesus himself promised

that the Holy Spirit

would be at work

in those apostles

making sure

that they taught

clearly and truthfully

all that Jesus

had taught them.

So friends

whether you're new

to the faith

or whether you've been

in the faith

for a long time

if you want to hear

the plain words

of Jesus

about who God is

and what God's plan

is like

read the apostolic witness

that is the New Testament.

There it is.

The plain speech

of Jesus

given through

the apostles

for us.

Read the New Testament.

Read it with others.

Wrestle with it together.

Ask the Holy Spirit

for help.

And always read

with the cross

before you.

And then we can enjoy

this first great blessing

that Jesus has won for us.

A clear knowledge

of God.

But that's not all.

The finished work

of Christ

doesn't just bring

the clear knowledge

of God.

It also brings

the direct love

of God the Father.

And we see this

in verses 26 and 27.

Let me read those verses again

and let's look

at those verses again.

Jesus says,

In that day,

that is after Jesus'

death and resurrection,

in that day

you will ask in my name

and I do not say to you

that I will ask

the Father on your behalf

for the Father

himself loves you

because you have loved me

and I believe

that I came from God.

Now multiple times

in the last three chapters

and if you've been here

this summer,

you know as we've been

walking through

John 13 through 16,

multiple times

in the last three chapters

Jesus has spoken

to the disciples

about prayer.

And the next chapter,

chapter 17,

actually is Jesus' prayer

for his apostles

and for us.

And we're going to get to that

in the next few weeks.

So Jesus has talked a lot

about prayer in this section.

And in particular,

he's talked about praying

in his name.

That is on the basis

of all that he's done.

But here,

Jesus wants to clarify something.

He wants to clarify

that asking in his name

does not mean

that Jesus has to sort of

go to the Father

on our behalf

as a sort of go-between

in our prayers.

Jesus is saying,

no, it's not like sort of

asking your manager

to talk to their boss

to see if you might

maybe get that new computer

you need at your desk.

No, as a result

of what Jesus has done,

Jesus himself says

we now have direct access

to the Father.

Why?

Jesus says,

because the Father himself

loves you.

Do you see, friends,

because of the cross,

because of how

simply,

the simple,

sheer magnitude

of the cross,

you don't need

a go-between.

You don't need

Mary

to take your request

to God.

And you don't need

saints

to take your request

to God.

Listen,

Jesus says,

you don't even need

Jesus now

to take your request

to the Father

on your behalf.

He has so fully

and utterly

forgiven all of your sins.

Jesus says,

so fully and utterly

turned away

the wrath of God

from you

that you are free

and welcomed

and loved

to bring your request

directly to the Father.

When we come,

as the end of verse 27 says,

to love Jesus

and believe that

He came from God,

we have

the love of the Father.

loving Jesus

and believing

that Jesus

came from God,

this ushers us

into the unmediated

love of God the Father.

Now, of course,

it's also true

that the love

of the Father

precedes,

comes before

our love of Jesus

as well, right?

John 3.16

has made that

abundantly clear

to us in our series

of John, right?

God's love comes

before

our ever-loving Him.

We love

because He

first loved us,

but when we embrace

the love of God

in Christ by faith,

it's as if then

the love of the Father

doubles back again,

wave upon wave

of love.

God loves us

first in Christ.

We respond

by loving Christ

and then the love

of the Father

washes back over us.

And this is a love

that welcomes

all of our requests.

You know,

the priests

in the Old Testament

would mediate

for the people of God.

The priests

would bring their sacrifices

and bring their requests

to God

on the people's behalf.

But don't you see

that the crucified

and risen Jesus

is the true

and better priest,

the priest

to end all priests.

He has accomplished

a reconciliation

so full

and so final

that we can come

to the Father

with utter liberty

and make all our desires

and all our requests

known.

And the Father listens,

and the Father delights

in you

and you have

his full approval

because of what

Jesus has done.

Isn't it true

that so many of us

are living,

whether consciously

or unconsciously,

for some kind

of approval?

We're so anxious

to be liked

and accepted.

Often we end up

saying or doing things

that we don't even

necessarily maybe

agree with at the time

because we want

to really be accepted

and we want

to really be liked.

But friends,

look at the new day

that Christ has opened up

for you

and for me.

You don't have to live

for the world's approval

anymore.

You can lay that down

and you can rest

in the only approval

that really matters,

the love of God

the Father.

And here's the thing,

when we stop

needing the world's

approval,

then we can actually

begin truly loving

the world

in grace and truth.

No longer are we worried

whether people like us,

now we can be concerned

about how we can truly

be salt and light

in the world

for the world's sake,

that they might see

the love of the Father

through us.

So the finished work

of Jesus brings

a clear knowledge

of God the Father

and the direct love

of God the Father.

But the third thing

Jesus mentions

and the last one

we'll talk about

is that it brings

the victorious peace

of Jesus' Son.

And this is verses

28 through 33.

Let me read this paragraph

again and let me invite

you to follow along.

Jesus says,

I came from the Father

and have come into the world

and now I'm leaving the world

and going to the Father.

His disciples said,

Ah, now you are speaking plainly

and not using figurative speech.

Now we know

that you know all things

and do not need anyone

to question you.

This is why we believe

that you came from God.

Jesus answered them,

Do you now believe?

Behold, the hour is coming,

indeed it has come,

when you will be scattered,

each to his own home,

and will leave me alone.

Yet I am not alone,

for the Father is with me.

I've 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.

So in verses 29 and 30,

the disciples sort of mistakenly think

that now they've got it all figured out.

Oh, Jesus,

you said you weren't going to speak

in figurative speech.

Oh, we're here now, right?

We get it.

We know it all.

We've made it.

We've got it.

And yet this is one of those

many moments in the Gospels

where the disciples are putting

their foot in their mouth, right?

Jesus knows they don't quite get it yet.

In a few short hours,

they would all be scattered.

Judas would betray him.

The disciples would abandon him.

Peter would deny him.

And they would all fail him.

Every single one.

They would all fail him.

And friends,

so have we.

So far,

Jesus has been talking about

the knowledge of God

and the love of God,

but how does this knowledge

and love hit home

when our souls are troubled

and tossed

by our own failures?

others.

This month,

this week,

this weekend,

have we,

like the disciples here,

made a very good show

of professing

to believe in Jesus

only to turn around

and when the pressure comes,

fail him.

And at times,

fail him miserably.

Jesus says,

in this world,

you will have tribulation.

And yes,

that word tribulation

means persecution

or oppression,

but you know,

the root word

of that word tribulation

means pressure.

Pressure.

Jesus is saying,

in this world,

the pressure's gonna come.

The world's gonna pressure you

to perform,

to act in all the right ways,

to measure up,

to meet the standard,

to prove yourself

through your own ability

and through your own wisdom

and your own strength

and your own good deeds.

And the world's not just

gonna pressure you

to perform,

the world's gonna pressure you

to conform,

to say and do things

that everyone else

is saying and doing,

to fall in line,

to go with the flow.

In this world,

you will have

tribulation,

trouble,

pressure.

Brothers and sisters,

is your soul

troubled today?

Do you feel the pressure,

not just of the world,

but of your own sin,

of your own failure

to withstand

the pressure of the world,

your own failure

to follow and obey him

when that pressure comes?

But listen to what

Jesus says here.

He says,

Behold,

the hour is coming,

indeed it has come,

when you will be scattered,

each to his own home,

and leave me alone,

yet,

I'm not alone,

for the Father's with me.

Do you see what

Jesus is saying here?

He's saying that

even though the disciples

have abandoned him,

Jesus' mission

still goes ahead.

The Father is still with him.

The triune God

marches forth

utterly alone,

without any human help,

without any human contribution.

The Father and the Son

go forth together,

and accomplish

the redemption

of all who believe.

And the disciples

contribute nothing

to the saving work

of the Messiah.

They bring nothing

but their own failure

and their own abandonment.

And yet,

God does all the work.

And friends,

what do you and I contribute?

Nothing but the same.

We bring our failures

and our faults

and our sins.

And what does Jesus

give us in return?

Here's the great wonder

of the gospel.

What does Jesus

give us in return?

He gives us peace.

Peace.

Jesus offers peace

to troubled souls

utterly

and completely

free of charge.

Do you remember

the first thing

that the risen Jesus

said

to his disciples

when they were

huddled in the upper room,

afraid

and scared

and feeling

probably all sorts

of guilt and shame?

Jesus shows up

and he says to them,

peace.

Now, peace

was a sort of

typical Hebrew greeting

in the day.

But can you imagine

how it would have rung

on the ears

of those apostles

when they heard it

for the first time?

The risen Lord Jesus

with nail marks

in his hands

coming to them

and saying,

peace.

Why does Jesus

offer peace

to our troubled souls

utterly

and completely

free of charge?

Because although

the world

may do its worst,

Jesus says,

I've overcome

the world.

Literally,

I've conquered it.

I have reigned

victorious

over it.

The Old Testament

is filled

with kings.

Some of them are good.

Some of them are not so good.

But Jesus, friends,

is the true

and better king.

The king

of all kings

who once

and for all,

hanging from

a Roman cross,

raised on the third day,

ascended on high

above every principality

and power

at God's right hand,

Jesus

has overcome

the world.

All of its evil,

all of its violence,

all of its hatred,

and all of our evil,

and all of our violence,

and all of our hatred,

all of it

has been dealt with

at the cross.

And now,

there's peace.

A peace that passes

understanding

because it rests

not on our own

performance,

but on the work

of the triune God,

the Father

and the Son

and the Spirit

working out

in history

what they had planned

from eternity,

the peace

of God

for all

who are in Christ

through faith.

Now,

it's worth asking

ourselves,

whatever is it,

whatever it is

that we happen

to cling to

from time to time

for peace,

can you think of that

in your mind

when you're feeling

troubled?

Where do you go?

Where do you run?

What do you seek?

It's worth asking yourself,

is it working?

Could it be

that our troubled souls

need something deeper

than the surface

distractions

and entertainments

and exercises

that this world

so often offers

as the key

to lasting peace?

Our souls are troubled

because we need

to be reconciled

to our Creator.

But here's the good news,

in Him,

in Christ,

peace,

reconciliation

has been made.

If you are troubled

in conscience,

Jesus offers

lasting peace,

the forgiveness

of all your sins,

the indwelling presence

of God the Holy Spirit,

the certain hope

of eternal life,

and for all your earthly days,

a purpose,

a mission

to live for His glory

and for His kingdom,

to live at peace

and to be a peacemaker

wherever you go.

So friends,

in conclusion,

this is how Jesus concludes.

This is what His finished work

has accomplished,

the knowledge of God,

the love of God,

and greatest of all,

the peace of God.

So brothers and sisters,

as our Lord says here,

take heart,

have courage,

and let's keep our eyes

fixed on Jesus,

our prophet,

our priest,

and our king,

and let's live in all

the fullness of all

that He's accomplished

for us.

Amen?

Amen.

Let's pray.

Our Father,

by Your Holy Spirit,

we pray that You would

help us to grasp

how wide

and long

and high

and deep

is Your love for us.

By Your Holy Spirit,

enlarge our minds

and our hearts

to grasp all

that You've won

for us on the cross

and help us

to live the lives

of freedom

and humility

and courage

and peace

that You have won

for us.

We ask this in Jesus' name,

Father.

Amen.