OVERCOMING IN THE OVERCOMER
John 16:33
Morning Meditation 1/11/2013
Verse 33 says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus is preparing His disciples for His death on the cross. He has been doing this from John 13. They are going to be tempted to believe that their faith in Christ as Messiah was misplaced. They were having a difficult time accepting His death as absolutely necessary to the kingdom of which He is the true Messiah. So Jesus spent time telling them about it so that after the cross, they will be reminded, and they will be able move on under His Lordship in this present age. Now as we examine this verse we see,
THE DECLARATION OF CHRIST
The words “I have spoken” are the translation of a perfect active indicative verb. The perfect tense means that these truths are not new things being introduced. He has spoken them in the past and the result is that they KNOW what He has said. Now it is one thing to know what is said and another thing to understand what is said. This is a good lesson for us to learn today. We need to listen to what Jesus is saying to us through His word even though we may not understand. The understanding will come later in God’s time. Many quit reading their Bible because they say they can’t understand. Others run to translations that put it in the modern language thinking they will understand. The truth is that no matter how hard you try to understand what Jesus is saying, you may have to live without understanding what He meant by saying it. You may say, “I understand what He said, I just don’t understand what He meant by saying it.” At least this helps you understand the dilemma that the early disciples had to live with.
Jesus said, “I have overcome the world.” The words “have overcome” translate “nikao” and means, “to carry off the victory, come off victorious; when one is arraigned or goes to law, to win the case.” It is a perfect active indicative verb. This means, “I overcame the world in the past and the result is that I stand in the present as victorious over the world. I have won the case in the court where God is the Judge and He has declared me the winner.” Amen. Someone hold my mules.
If the cross was necessary for Christ to overcome the world, then how can He say in the perfect tense that He stands as Victor before it takes place in time? Faith speaks of things before they happen as if they had already happened. Matthew 21:22 says, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” The word “believing” is a present active participle. The present tense means that one is believing at the time of the request that he has been granted the request. Then we see,
THE EXPLANATION OF CHRIST
Jesus teaches that the overcomer overcomes in Him. His victory is ours. It is not saying that He enables us to overcome. He teaches that the victory He gained over the world, the flesh, the devil is a victory handed to us as a gift. And because this is true we can have peace. He says, “These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace . . .” Faith is the God given capacity to respond to what He says. So when Jesus says, “These things have I spoken unto you,” He is giving His disciples something to believe that will result in their peace. The world is going to be against them. Many of the ones who hear what Jesus has to say here will die a martyr’s death. The world is going to appear to have an upper hand. The world is going to appear victorious. Jesus tells them it is not so. Jesus says, “ . . . be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
It is just a matter of hours until Jesus will be tried in the courts of this world and will die a criminal’s death. Does this sound like victory? Does Jesus appear to be an overcomer? The fact is Jesus had the power to lay His life down and had the power to take it up again. This is exactly what He did. After three days and nights in the tomb He arose. He is not long in the tomb. Now where is the world’s victory? Where are the boasters now? Will they kill Him again? He has satisfied the Owner of this world. He has paid the price of sin. He has secured victory for everyone who will ever believe in Him. And there is nothing the world can do about it. Then next we see,
THE APPROPRIATION OF CHRIST
Jesus said something else. He said, “but be of good cheer . . .” The words “be of good cheer” translate “tharseo” and means, “to be of good courage, be of good cheer.” It is a present active imperative verb. The present tense means that Jesus wants them to take courage in the present tense of their lives based on their belief in what He told them. Jesus didn’t appear to be an Overcomer. And things are going to get worse. Not only does He tell them to “be of good cheer” in the present tense, He gives it in the form of a command. It is in the imperative mood that expresses urgency. IT IS URGENT THAT THEY LEARN HOW TO ACT IN THE PRESENT TENSE OF THEIR LIVES BASED ON THEIR BELIEF IN WHAT THE WORD OF GOD PROMISES ABOUT THE FUTURE.
The truth must be appropriated. Truth: Jesus has overcome the world. No matter what seems to be the case, this is truth as declared by Jesus. How do we enter in to the victory that He obtained? 1 John 5:4-5 says, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”
There are two very important statements made in these verses. First, being born of God makes you an overcomer. The words “is born” is a perfect passive participle. The perfect tense means that the ones of whom John is speaking are those who have been born again in the past with the result that this new birth continues to describe them. The passive voice means that God acted upon them to bring this to pass. We do not birth ourselves into God’s family. It is a miracle of God. God acts on the repentant sinner to birth him into His family.
The second important truth is that faith is the means by which this takes place. He says, “. . . And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” Faith is counted to us for righteousness (Rom. 4:5). Faith is the victory.
So the truth is that we enter into His victory over the world when we put our trust in Him as Lord and Saviour. When Jesus said, “I have overcome the world,” and just a few hours later they came and got Him and crucified Him, it did not SEEM like He had overcome the world. But things are not always as they seem. Jesus it teaching His disciples to walk by faith against contradicting circumstances. Sometimes in the exercise of faith it makes us look like we are absolutely stupid. Because the circumstances say one thing and we are believing something Jesus has said to us that is the opposite of what the circumstances say. This is the life of the Christian. We walk by faith in what He says no matter what the circumstances say.
Have your ever felt foolish doing something that others thought you were crazy for doing? But what you were doing was what Jesus told you to do? He had told you and you knew it. But He had not told your friends what He was doing in your life. So they thought you were crazy. Right? There has been several times when I wanted to pray, “Lord, I wish you would tell my friends what you are telling me you want me to do, so that they won’t think I am crazy for doing this.” But the Lord seemed to say when I felt like praying that way, “You let me take care of them. I have to teach them that it is not their business what I am doing in your life. I have to teach them not to judge. I have to teach them that they must honor my Lordship in your life.” This principle is taught in John 21:19-22: “This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.”
Sometimes it is not easy for us to step back and honor the Lordship of Christ in another’s life. It is not easy for us to follow His Lordship in our lives when what He leads us to do is not what others expect of us.
For us to be overcomers in a practical way, we must put our unqualified faith in the Overcomer and when we do, we are overcomers. We need to learn to enjoy the overcoming life by faith in His overcoming life. What He has done (overcome the world) we have done. It’s history. And as we believe what He says, we have the right as Christians to rejoice that we have already overcome in Him.
We overcome in the Overcomer. May God bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
