#36: Jesus Overcame the World

On episode 36, Tim shares why we should expect tribulation but also have so much hope and joy through them.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome into episode number thirty six of Bring Heaven Down.
My name is Tim and I'm the host of this
daily devotional podcast on iHeartRadio or wherever you're listening to
this podcast. If you have a question or a comment,
if you have a topic that you've been circling around

(00:22):
in your head and you would love for this podcast
to address it, I can't guarantee you that I'll know
the answer, but I'll do some research. I'll try to
figure it out. I'd love for you to email the
show Bring Heaven Down number seven at gmail dot com.
Bring Heaven Down number seven at gmail dot com. The
same question that you have, I guarantee someone else has
and could bless this podcast and bless someone's walk with

(00:46):
the Lord in your walk with the Lord. So if
you have a question, email the show Bring Heaven Down
number seven at gmail dot com. All right, today, I
want to talk about one of my favorite verses in
the Bible when it comes to tribulation, persecution, and tough times.

(01:08):
So grab your favorite drink or a cup of coffee,
and let's bring Heaven a little closer together. So in
these words Jesus is speaking. It comes in John chapter sixteen,
verse thirty three, and it says this well. It starts

(01:29):
in verse twenty five, but it finishes in thirty three.
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. And that day you'll 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

(01:50):
have believed that I came from God. I came from
the Father and have come into the world. And now
I am leaving the world and going to the Father
his disciples. Ah. Now you are speaking plainly and not
using fearedive 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

(02:13):
answered them. Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming.
Indeed it has come when you will all 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.

(02:36):
But take heart, I have overcome the world. Now Jesus's
words are to the disciples in this situation. He says,
you will be scattered, you'll be in your own home.
You're gonna leave me alone because you're gonna be scared
and anxious and fearful. But his words also apply to

(02:58):
us today. In this world, you will have tribulation. It
does not say you won't. It doesn't say you might,
it doesn't say at random times. It says, in this world,
you will have tribulation. It doesn't matter how much money

(03:22):
you have, how great your family is, it doesn't matter
what kind of job you have. In the world, you
will have tribulation. But take heart. Here's the great news
for all of us. I have overcome the world. So
the world that likes to smack us down and throw

(03:47):
us off our keister and beat us up over and
over again. In some days it just feels like we
can't catch a break. Some days, it just feels like
the world is out to get us. It seems like
there's nothing that could stop the train tracks from coming

(04:08):
through our door and knocking us over. But the good
news is the good news, and the good news never changes.
Take Heart, I have overcome the world. There is also
another takeaway I think we should take away from this verse,
and it should be our reaction to difficult days, our

(04:31):
reaction to the tribulation. Jesus warned us that we will
face tribulation, that we will face persecution and hard days.
So when those hard days come, when they inevitably come,
because they are guaranteed to come, then we should not

(04:53):
be surprised by them, because we were warned they were come.
We should not lift our hands to heaven and say, Jesus,
what the heck is this? God, Why am I facing this?
You didn't tell me this, but he did in John
chapter sixteen, verse thirty three. You will have tribulation. And

(05:17):
Jesus did not just warn us and say you're gonna
have tribulation. Good luck, buddy, good Luck's sister, because I'm
gonna watch them up here and I'm just gonna enjoy
the show. That's not how he treats us. He says,
take heart, I have overcome the world. Jesus has conquered
the world. Jesus has defeated the world. So when the

(05:41):
world smacks us up upside down, across the face and
across the booty, and it hurts, and we've got red
marks everywhere from the world. We can take heart that
Jesus has overcome and conquered the world. So when the
tough days inevitable come, maybe you're in the tough day

(06:04):
right now, maybe you're in the tough stretch of time,
you can take heart because Jesus, our Lord and Savior,
has overcome the world, has conquered the world. He gave
us the warning, he told us it was coming. But

(06:24):
he didn't leave us like that. He didn't say good luck,
he didn't say all right, yeah, we'll see how you
do here. He says you can have hope, you can
have joy because your Lord and Savior did not leave you.
He gave you the greatest hope and joy there is,

(06:46):
because He is the sacrifice that overcame the world. I
hope this was encouraging to you today, and my prayer
is that the Holy Spirit will reveal more and more
about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Everyone have a
great day.