Tag Archives: trouble

JOHN’S GOSPEL… FINAL REASSURANCE – 28

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John 16:33 NIV
[33] “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

What could Jesus have said to His disciples in this moment of crisis? He knew that He would never have time with them alone again before He went to the cross. How could He reassure them that all was well and that, despite the way things seemed to be heading, everything would also turn out well for them?

Peace! They needed a peace that would hold them steady in every situation, no matter what happened. He had already bequeathed to them His love, joy, and peace, the most priceless gifts He could ever give them in a world of chaos and turmoil.

John 15:9 NIV
[9] “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”

John 15:11 NIV
[11] “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

John 14:27 NIV
[27] “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Uncertainty, insecurity, fear gripped them like the tentacles of a clinging vine. How would they be able to navigate the next few hours and the days to follow when He spoke repeatedly of leaving them? For years they had walked in His shadow, secure and protected by His presence and wisdom. What now?

Let’s examine the peace of which He spoke. What is Jeaus’ peace?

Google says…

“The peace Jesus gave his disciples was his own “inner peace” and spiritual tranquility, not the absence of conflict or worldly problems. It was a powerful, internal calm that provided reassurance and freedom from fear, even amidst turmoil and impending suffering. This divine peace is unconditional, permanent, and rooted in a relationship with God, offering assurance of salvation and eternal life, unlike the temporary and conditional peace of the world.”

How could Jesus experience this peace despite everything He endured as a man? “I have overcome the world.”

For Jesus, “the world” implied all the forces of evil in the world system over which His arch enemy had control that attempted to destroy the unity between Him and the Father. The one thing that could break that unity was sin, i.e., acting independently of the Father.

Jesus treasured and guarded this unity even to the shedding of His blood in obedience to the Father. Since He never sinned, His peace remained intact through every temptation, the assurance that He and the Father were always in complete harmony.

So, He offered the possibility of experiencing the same tranquility of heart and mind to His disciples in their current circumstances. Having this peace, to steady them always, depended on two responses…

  1. Faith in Him to remove the sin barrier between themselves and God. Only Jesus could forgive their sin by paying their debt. Once their sin had been forgiven and removed, God was free to accept them as His own children.

Romans 5:1 NIV
[1] “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have PEACE WITH GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Peace with God! All barriers removed! Fully accepted by the Father!

This part of His peace was a once-for-all reality when they were made alive and transferred, through the power of the Holy Spirit, out of the realm of darkness into the kingdom of God.

Romans 5:2 NIV
[2] “… through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”

…a standing in grace!

This means, that God was free to provide for them, (and us), because of His grace…His goodwill and favour towards them…everything they needed to live godly lives.

  1. Faith in Him to carry them through every trial and test. Anxiety and fear are the two great monsters that rise up in daily experience to threaten His peace.

The key is to trade anxieties for His peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
[6] “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And THE PEACE OF GOD, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

So, Jesus assured them that He had taken care of their victory as well as His own, by holding steady against all the onslaughtss of the world. Since He had overcome, they could also overcome through His power in them and maintain the trust in Him that assured them of peace.

As long as they held fast to their trust in Him with gratitude for His unfailing goodness, His peace would act as a referee, only blowing the whistle when they trespassed outside the truth that held them steady. Truth and peace go hand-in-hand, peace in the heart always confirming truth in the mind.

So, despite outward turbulence, inward peace was His legacy to keep them from falling apart when their world spun out of control.

NO FEAR? REALLY? – 18

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John 14:27 NLT‬
[27] “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

‭John 14:27 NIV‬
[27] “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Peace of heart and mind? Is this possible in today’s world?

Well, think of the world in which Jesus uttered those words, to a group of men who had tasted what their world had to offer….To sum up, they faced two intolerable oppressors. Roman occupation squashed their personal freedom in their own land. Religious leaders harassed and bullied them into legalistic spiritual bondage. Imprisoned by these oppressors, every day was a minefield of possible consequences.

Jesus knew what it was like to have enemies so intent on killing Him that they used every trick in the book in their efforts to ensnare Him. He had to be sharp to stay one step ahead until the right time came for Him to be “caught”.

How did He do it? Peace! What was this peace He enjoyed that allowed Him to live every day without fear despite the dangers He faced? He stepped out every day in the consciousness of the Father’s presence and will. That’s peace!

Fear is in the driving seat of those who believe it all depends on them. Trouble is that the next moment, let alone the future, is unknown. “What if” controls the thoughts and beliefs of those who have no connection with Jesus….and those beliefs are mostly driven by the environment of “bad”. What if the next moment is bad – accident, illness, crime, and… and…? And we can do nothing to stop it!

Jesus’ peace was so powerful that it held Him steady in the darkest moments of His life. So, He could say, “My peace is yours as well, if you do what I do.” He refused to function by the threat of circumstances. Instead, He clung to the presence and will of the Father no matter where it took Him because He knew and trusted the Father to do the right thing, always.

‭John 16:33 NLT‬
[33] I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Unlike much false preaching today, Jesus never promised us a trouble-free life. On the contrary, He often warned of inescapable trials and troubles, especially for those who follow Him. However, He promised peace in the midst of storms if His peace rules in our hearts.

Peace doesn’t come to us by accident. Peace is the outcome of a choice. Paul counselled, “Trade your anxieties for God’s peace.”

‭Philippians 4:6-7 NLT‬
[6] “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Do you get it?

There is a little word injected into Paul’s counsel that is the hub of God’s peace….” thanksgiving”! Anxiety and fear can never co-exist with a grateful heart.

‭Colossians 3:15 NLT‬
[15] “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”

‭1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT‬
[18] “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Again, do you get it?

The peace Jesus bought us through His death, the legacy He left us that will guide us through the maze of life’s struggles, can only come to us by choice. When we consciously and purposefully choose to be thankful despite the issues we face, because He is in charge, peace replaces fear.

Peace, then, is not the absence of trouble. Peace is the conscious awareness of Jesus’ presence despite the trouble. We choose to believe in Him, in His love and goodness to override the trouble and bring good out of it because He promised.

That’s it!

IN THIS WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE

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IN THIS WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (1 John 16:33, NIV)

Where did believers get the idea that we are somehow immune to the bad things that happen to “other” people? Why do we think that we can escape the troubles that afflict the rest of the world? When we experience sorrow or suffering, the first questions that often burst from our lips are, “Why me? What have I done to deserve this?”

Let’s examine the reasons for this unbiblical regard to trouble as an intrusion.

Firstly, Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble. If Jesus warned us about it, how can we think that He was mistaken? If we belong to a fallen race and an imperfect world, trouble will be part of our experience.

Secondly, trouble is God’s way of maturing us. “…We also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us.” (Romans 5:3-5, NIV). Peter recognised trouble as, “trials…that your faith, of greater worth than gold even though refined by fire, may be proved genuine…” (1 Peter 1:7, NIV).

James, like Paul, calls us to “consider it pure joy, my brother’s, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4, NIV).

Thirdly, if we view trouble as punishment from God, we have not understood the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Wrongdoing can only be punished once. Since Jesus took the judgment for all our sin on Himself, for God to punish us again would be unjust, and God is always perfectly just. Jesus paid for all sin for all time. There must be another reason for the troubles we endure.

Fourthly, our hardships are not punishment, but discipline. “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” (Hebrews 12:7, NIV). Discipline is intended to diagnose and treat everything that hurts our relationship with God as His sons. God wants us to obey Him and, when we disobey, we run into problems that expose our stubborn and rebellious attitudes.

Jesus offered His solution to trouble – His peace. He said, “Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4, NIV). Peace is part of the fruit of the Spirit and real peace in trouble comes from remaining in Jesus, trusting that He knows what He is doing. (LAC)

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – IT’S YOUR CHOICE!

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IT’S YOUR CHOICE!

1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” Mark 4:1-20

It was never God’s intention to prevent people from receiving and believing the Word. Any resistance to the truth comes from the individual’s own choice to continue believing what prevents the Word from taking root in their minds and changing their lives. Jesus stated clearly that there are some people who hear and see with natural senses but never perceive the truth in the words they have heard. They have closed minds and hearts and truth simply bounces off and is lost to them.

Parables are a means to an end. Stories with a message achieve their objective in a roundabout way. The direct approach will only arouse more resistance whereas a story will arouse interest and provoke thought and even possibly a response.

Jesus’ stories were simple and direct, matter-of-fact and intriguing. He hardly ever applied the story to the listener, relying on their own imagination and spiritual perception to make the connection. When the disciples couldn’t figure out the meaning, they asked Him. Sometimes the meaning was glaringly clear as in e.g., the stories of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.

Jesus’ stories were woven from the everyday experiences of His hearers; stories from the land, farming, animals, family life, scenes familiar to everyone, experiences the ordinary people could understand and identify with. He used whatever was appropriate to unlock truth and enlighten understanding. This was God in action, coming down to the people’s level, entering their common experience with truth that helped them understand the unseen dimensions of God.

The unseen realm of God’s rule began to take shape and bring meaning to the minds of people who practised religious rituals which did not seem to have a heart. Jesus was a genius, sweeping away unnecessary trappings to get to the core of life with God.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – POPULARITY OR TRUTH?

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POPULARITY OR TRUTH?

“‘But it’s trouble ahead if you think you have made it. What you have is all you’ll ever get.

And it’s trouble ahead if you’re satisfied with yourself. You self will not satisfy you for long. And it’s trouble ahead if you think it’s all fun and games. There’s suffering to be met and you’re going to meet it.

There’s trouble ahead when you only live for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests – look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.”‘ Luke 6:24-26.

One thing’s for sure, Jesus. You practised what you preached!

At that point in His ministry, He was the most popular figure in Israel in all her history. There were no others who had dispensed healing and deliverance as freely as He did; sporadic miracles, yes, but not mass healings wherever He went. Wasn’t He out to win this popularity contest? After all, wasn’t He the Messiah and didn’t He want people to follow Him? Wasn’t He offering them a brand new life and free, for all, at that?

No, He was not in the running for the popularity prize. Far from it! At this point His fame was at an all time high but not for long. The more He taught the truth, the more unpalatable it would become and the crowd would melt away, especially when He spoke about loving their enemies! What! Love the Romans? No way! And sharing their goods with the poor? And on and on.

And what about eating His flesh and drinking His blood? That was it! Jesus, you must really be crazy! When the truth veered away from what they really wanted more than anything else, these pesky Romans off their backs, forever, they were thoroughly disillusioned. Judas too! They had so hoped that He was really their Messiah but when He refused to come to the party, they wavered, even His disciples.

So what was He about? What was His message that they found so unpalatable and difficult to grasp? There were a few basic truths they needed to get hold of, and Jesus plugged away at them in the hopes that they would get it so that they could embrace the true kingdom of which He was so earnestly speaking.

Rome was not their problem; they were. The real enemy was residing deep inside their own hearts; that disposition that was evidence of an alien master, self, that had replaced the Spirit of God way back at the beginning. When Adam chose to change has allegiance, he unleashed a trail of hardship and suffering that they were experiencing, but, in God’s kingdom, it would all be removed when He restores all things.

But there was something even more sinister embedded in the attitude that ruled them – an “I’m better than you” disposition that made them look down on other people and think that they had arrived, when, in actual fact, they were as miserably bankrupt as everyone else. He warned that if they thought that having it all, or living a cushy life made them better than others, they were in for a shock. They were all in it together and hard times would come for them as for everyone else.

They were not to live it up, thinking they were immune. The real problem was that they believed that hard times were for “sinners”, and that wealth and “stuff” was a sign of God’s blessing. Not in God’s kingdom!

Worst of all, (and He was probably directing His words to the really religious ones) it was dangerous to give in to “approval addiction”. Jesus warned that if they lived to win people’s approval that was all they would get. People’s approval is gained through performance, not through obedience to the truth, and people love it when we behave just like they do!

Jesus was offering them something far better – a life of freedom from selfish self-destruction to live in generous love and service to others like He did.

What is your standard, popularity or truth?