‘victory Over The World'

‘VICTORY OVER THE WORLD’

John 16:1-11, 33

It now almost midnight in Jerusalem, a time when most were in bed, but not Jesus and disciples. They were still making their way to the the garden of Olivet where Jesus would be betrayed by Judas and then be put on trail and crucified.

Jesus knowing His time is short is giving many instructions to his disciples to help them when He is no longer with them.

At the end of Chapter 15 in verse 18, He is talking to them about the “world” and we come to chapter 16, He is still talking about the world. In this chapter alone, the world is mentioned 10 times.

Now in this chapter He talks about the “Saved” relationship to the world (v-2), the “Spirit” relationship to the wold (v-8), and the “Saviour” relationship to the world (v-33).

When Jesus talks about the world, He is not talking about the world of nature, but the world’s attitude, the world system against God.

I-NOTICE THE TROUBLE OF THE SAINT THAT IS SHOWN: V-1-4

Jesus foresaw this trouble coming and gave them warning of it beforehand.

When Tyndale was persecuted and his enemies were out for his life because of his printing of the Bible, he said, “I never expected anything else.” Jesus offers men glory, but He also gives them a cross as well.

A-CONSIDER THE SUFFERING THAT IS INVOLVED IN THIS TROUBLE: V-2

2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

Jesus said that they would be cast out their synagogues thus being excluded from their place of worship.Though the Jewish people had the most humane laws, yet they were a most vindictive and cruel people.

One of the worst cases of hatred I have ever come across is found in a will written in 1935 by a Mr. Donohoe. It says, “Unto my two daughters, Frances Marie and Denise Victoria, by reason of their unfilial attitude toward a doting father, … I leave the sum of $1 to each and a father’s curse. May their lives be fraught with misery, unhappiness, and poignant sorrow. May their deaths be soon and of a lingering malignant and torturous nature.” The last line of the will is so vicious I shudder to quote it. It reads, “May their souls rest in hell and suffer the torments of the condemned for eternity.”

But worst than this is hatred toward Christians. Jesus even said that some of them would be killed for His namesake.

Mehdi Dibaj was imprisoned by the government of Iran in 1984 on charges of "apostasy," since he had converted from Islam to Christianity. The penalty for this crime according to Islamic law was death. Mehdi languished in prison for ten years before his case came to trial. When it did, his written statement of defense was a simple and straightforward affirmation of commitment to Jesus Christ. The last few lines of that defense contain this remarkable paragraph:

[Jesus Christ] is our Savior and he is the Son of God. To know him means to know eternal life. I, a useless sinner, have believed in him and all his words and miracles recorded in the gospel. I have committed my life into his hands. Life for me is an opportunity to serve him, and death is a better opportunity to be with Christ. Therefore I am not only satisfied to be in prison for the honor of his holy name, but am ready to give my life for the sake of Jesus my Lord...

On December 12, 1993, the court before whom this defense was made sentenced Mehdi to death. Then, under intense pressure from people in the West who knew of the case, including the U.S. State Department, the Iranians released him in January 1994. Seven months later, he was found dead "under suspicious circumstances" in a Teheran park. He was the third Christian murdered in Iran after his release from prison.

whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. " The apostle Paul, before his conversion, was a partial fulfillment of that verse. In Acts 26:9-11 he says, " I verily thought within myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, which thing I also did in Jerusalem; and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests. And when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities. " Paul chased and killed Christians, thinking he was doing service to God.