"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."
John 16:33
Part 3
Yesterday: The Only Place to Find Peace Is…
“That in me ye might have peace.”
Jesus’ words to His disciples are precise. Peace may only be found in one person, “In Me.” Jesus provides “inward peace.”
The new believer must learn they live in two places at the same time. They are “in Christ.” All the while, they are still living “in the world.” For the most part, these two are extreme opposites of each other.
Today: Believers Are in Christ, and in the World
“In the world, ye shall have tribulation.”
Jesus has also brought up this truth earlier in the evening with His men. He gave them some explanation as to why they face tribulation. They are the citizens of heaven who happen to be living in the territory of Satan, the world.
“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me” (John 15:19-21).
Did you note what Jesus said? We, believers, do not belong to the world. Because the world hates our Master, those who are “of the world” will hate His bondslaves as well.
Just a few years from this time, the apostle Paul will teach believers throughout the churches, which he started that tribulation and hardship are a normal part of the Christian life.
“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
There are many kinds of problems we face on this earth, but when Jesus talks about tribulation, what is He talking about? First, let’s think about what Jesus is not talking about:
Jesus here is not talking about the seven years of tribulation that are coming to the earth before the millennium. He is not talking about our human condition that affects every person alive; pain, sorrow, loss, and death. He is not talking about the curse on Adam that every person faces, hard work, continuous toil, and having their hopes and dreams upset. These things are the usual “ills that flesh is heir to”[1] (MacLaren). Jesus is not talking about the chastening of sinners, and these tribulations are not because humans are mortal or evil.
Jesus is talking about those evil attacks on believers. After all, in Christ, we love and follow Him. Jesus is talking about the tribulation that comes to the godly line, the “born-again believers.” Because of the hatred of the ungodly line, those who belong to the devil (John 8:44) go after what they hate. The more we live for Jesus in this lost world, the more friction we cause. Isaac Watts was correct when he asked, “Is this vile world a friend of Grace, to help me on to God?” Of course not! The world hates the Bible, our message of the Savior, and our talk of salvation from sin. Living right in a world that hates God attracts their confrontations with us. Sadly, where believers just blend in, and try not to be noticed by anyone, and keep quiet about their relationship with Jesus Christ, there is no reason that they should face any persecution. But that is not the kind of life that Jesus wants for His disciples.
“Yea and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
“Christians have dropped their standard far too much, and so the antagonism is not so plain as it ought to be, and as it used to be, and as, someday, it will be. But there it is, and if you are going to live out and out like a Christian man, you will get the old sneers flung at you. You will be [called] ‘crotchety,’ ‘impracticable,’ ‘[a spoil] sport,’ ‘not to be dealt with,’ ’a wet blanket,’ ‘pharisaical,’ ‘bigoted,’ and all the rest of the pretty words which have been so frequently used about the men that try to live like Jesus Christ. Never mind! ‘In the world ye have tribulation.’ ‘I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus,’ the branding-iron which tells to whom the slave belongs. And if it is His initials that I carry, I may be proud of the marks”[2] (MacLaren).
Quote: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).
[1] Alexander MacLaren. Expositions of Holy Scriptures, the electronic version in eSword. John 16:33.
In this paragraph, I am relying heavily on MacLaren’s thoughts from his commentary.
[2] Alexander MacLaren, ibid.
[3] Spurgeon’s quote Downloaded: Thursday, August 19, 2021. From: https://www.wisesayings.com/trials-and-tribulations-quotes/.