The Cross and Suffering, Part 2 | Christ, His Cross, His Church

John 16:33

Point number two, look at what Jesus says in verse 33. “He says in the world you have tribulation.” In other words, this is what you cognitively need to know. You need to fix this principle in your mind that there will be tribulation. And so, when it comes, it’s, it doesn’t need to surprise you.

It doesn’t need to create a great sense of doubt in you, wondering, yeah, that’s another thing that I forgot to say, that I wanted to say. You know, you can have, you can have this sense that, well, maybe Christians aren’t supposed to have any trials. So, am I a Christian? I’m having trials. Or you can say, you can have a wrong perspective, that says, trials are inevitably a reflection of the fact that there is sin in your life.

 Now sometimes we have trials that are a direct result of our sin. You know, somebody that has spent, you know, spent 20 years of heavy drinking and they wake, you know, and they find that they’ve got what, what, the condition known as wet brain. And their brain can’t recover. Their suffering is a direct result of their sin. A woman who loses her family and marriage because of infidelity, she’s suffering as a direct result of her sin. And then you can go on with examples like that.

And sometimes there is a direct connection from sin to the suffering that we’re experiencing. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes trials come to us without any moral culpability on our part. Think of the patriarch Job, blameless man. Terrible things happened to him. Think of the Apostle Paul, lots of tribulation. Lots of difficulty. Not because of his moral culpability.

 Think of the Lord Jesus, suffering during his earthly walk, suffering supremely on the cross, not through any sin of his own, not through any judgement of God on him, in the sense that he was suffering for something that he himself had done. Think of the man who was born blind in John chapter 9. The disciples looked at him and said, said, “Jesus, who sinned, this man or his parents? And Jesus answered, ‘It wasn’t his parents, it wasn’t him. He’s suffering,” for the, “so that the glory of God can be displayed.’”

 And so we have to, we have to cleanse our minds of a lot of bad presuppositions, a lot of bad prior teaching, and realize, yes, Christians will suffer. It’s not always a direct result of sin. And so then, what do we do when it comes? How are we to respond? What Jesus is teaching us, here in verse 33, is that we step up to the trials with courage, rather than shrinking back in fear, and falling down in defeat.

 Look at verse 33 with me again. “He says, ‘In the world you will,” you will, “have tribulation.” Statement of fact. Now here comes the command and how you respond to it. “But take heart.” “But take heart.” Take courage. Be strong in the midst of it. And let’s get a sense of the meaning of this word from the way it’s used in other Scriptures. Go back to Matthew chapter 9.

It’s used a couple of times in Matthew chapter 9, and I just want to point out the way it’s used in these other contexts to give you a sense of what Jesus is saying here, in John 16. In Matthew chapter 9, verse 1, reading about Christ, it says, “And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart my son, your sins are forgiven.’”

 This man who had suffered in his condition for so very long; the night had been long and no doubt there were times where he had utterly lost hope. Now he’s brought into the presence of Christ, and Christ looks on him in compassion, looks on him with sovereign authority, and tells him to take heart. The way it has been in the past is no longer the way it will be going forward. Your sins are forgiven.

And so you, the, not only later does, does, physical energy surge through his limbs, and he gets up and walks; spiritual, spiritual power surges through with the promise of the forgiveness of sin, and the love of Christ given to him, in that, in that hour.

 Your sins are forgiven. Not only is your body restored, your soul is restored also. Take heart! well a guy like that, what’s he going to do? He’s going to leap up with a with a sense of spiritual power, and, and, and, confidence, and joy, and new life, and off he goes.

 “Take heart,” now in like manner, in verse 20 of Matthew chapter 9, Matthew 9, verse 20, and again a long-standing physical condition, with no doubt long standing discouragement. “Behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, ‘If only I touch his garment, I will be made well.’ And Jesus turned, and seeing her, he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman had been made well.” “Take heart,” then, means to have confidence, be strong, be courageous.

 As the Lord said to Joshua, in Joshua, chapter 1, on the verge of entering into the promised land and taking possession of it. “Take heart,” means to have confidence in the face of testing. Have confidence in Christ. Have confidence in the outcome. Have confidence in his sovereign direction. Have confidence in the reality that, that, he is causing all things to work together for good, even when it is this painful, even when it is this difficult, even when the answers seem this impossible.

 Now it’s easy to illustrate confidence in a way that, kind of, removes it from reality and daily life, for us. You know, we can think, we could think of courage and confidence, and in dramatic encounters, as when Martin Luther stood against the Catholic Church and said, “Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me. Amen.” And things like that; and those dramatic encounters.

 But, but beloved, it’s far more applicable to daily life than that. In, in, the privacy of your own heart, in the privacy of your own personal life and, and, in your circle of relationships, you rise to the occasion, when you trust God and refuse to fear the future, in times of adversity.

 You rise to the occasion, when you find contentment in the times of, of, great need. The success, the spiritual success is not diminished simply because it seems to be mundane. When you are acting on biblical principle, and trusting in the words of Christ, you are, you are, doing something that God rewards greatly.

 So in like manner, turn back to Matthew chapter 5 with me, as this, as we see it in a completely different context. And I just want you to see the, the, the, the exceeding graciousness of Christ in his promises to reward faith, in the midst of adversity, trust and confidence in the midst of affliction. Jesus says in verse 11 of Matthew chapter 5; he says, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”

 Now notice what he’s describing here is not someone dying a martyr’s death and literally shedding their blood for the sake of faithfulness to Christ. He’s talking about those that are simply enduring verbal abuse, misrepresentation. You know, in matters that are, that are, compared to the great, the great trials and adversity of men that, that true, that truly shed their blood for the sake of faithfulness to Christ.

 You know, to deal with a little verbal abuse, a little bit of verbal misrepresentation, seems rather minor by comparison, in an outward way, in a theology of glory way. But Jesus looks on those, and looks on us, and tells us that when you’re merely being, having words thrown against you, what can you do? Verse 12, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” He honors the simplicity of faith, regardless of the external circumstances that call it forth.

 And So, what this means for us is that we have to look beyond the circumstances, look beyond the false expectations of an easy life, and realize that righteousness trusts God. Righteousness, trusts God enough to say, okay, I understand that affliction will come. I understand that I can trust him. And I don’t have to diminish the importance of rising to the occasion in faith, because the Lord honors the simplest of faith and obedience.

 And so, we start to develop this spirit in our hearts, as we look, and we rise to the occasion, in response to the words of Christ. The Father loves me. That’s what Jesus, Jesus, said earlier in verse 27. Look at it there, and in words that, that, apply to each one of us who are truly in Christ. The Father himself loves you, as shown by the fact that you love Christ and, and, you know, he’s drawn you.

 And so, the Father loves you and, and, you’ve believed that I’ve come to God, come from God. Take heart in that; the Father loves you. The Father is in control, and you say to yourself, and you preach to yourself, I will not yield to anxiety or to discouragement in this trial. Yes, you may say that with tears streaming down your face, over the heartache that you’re going through. And that’s not inconsistent with a strong faith in Christ.

 When loved ones die; we’re standing at the grave side. Maybe immediately after, maybe, maybe, decades after, remembering sweet times that are now gone. Perhaps realizing, I’m looking at the earthly resting place of someone, I will not see in heaven, and you feel the weight of that. And yet, alongside that, faith can live. Faith can flourish. Faith can say, God, I trust you even for this.

I trust you even for this. I have trusted, entrusted my eternal soul to you, oh God; the most valuable thing I have. I’m confident, and I have given it to you. And what that means, you say to yourself, as you’re meditating before God; what that means is, Lord, I can trust you with everything else, as well. I can trust you with all of my earthly circumstances, and I do.

 I can even trust you with the eternal souls of the people that I love, that died outside of Christ. I can trust you that much. Because, God, you are good. You are wise. All of your judgments are always righteous and true. And I trust you completely, even though I don’t see the outcome.

 These are matters that are too great for me. These are matters that belong to you. I’m just going to rise to the occasion and trust you, no matter what. Are you challenged by that? Are you encouraged by that? Because there’s elements of both in it, and this is the sense in which we rise to the occasion.

 God, God tests our faith not because he doesn’t know what’s there, but to display to us, in over the course of time, what is there. And to have your faith greatly tested and proven to be true, after the worst kinds of adversity, is a really wonderful gift from the Lord to give to us. And my friends, let me tell you, you want that gift on the other side, even if the price is so painful to pay to go through it on the end.

 Jesus wouldn’t make promises like this, if he didn’t intend it to be to our blessing and to our encouragement, and so we recognize the obstacles. You will have tribulation. You rise to the occasion by taking heart, by exercising faith, by trusting God, even when you don’t understand.

 Now go back to John 16, verse 33, he said. You recognize the obstacles; you rise to the occasion. And then thirdly and finally for today; you rest in the overcomer. You rest in the overcomer. The ultimate point of your trials is not to find a solution to them. That’s not the first thing; the most important thing. That’s not the first goal of God.

And it’s, it’s, not, it’s not the purpose of God. Very often, let me put it this way; often it is not the purpose of God to give you quick relief from your difficulties and from your affliction, because there is a longer-term lesson that he is building into you; that Jesus is calling you, ultimately to rest your hope in him and in him alone.

And until you have grown fatigued with the trials of the world, until you realize that the things of this world are so transient, and so passing, and vanity of vanities, all is vanities. Until you’ve come to that point, you haven’t yet been in a position to fully embrace and know, by experience the complete and absolute sufficiency of Christ, in your life.

 And so, when the afflictions like that come, Jesus is ultimately calling you to rest your hope in him. Look at the end of verse 33 where he says this, he says, “But take heart; I have overcome the world.” “I have overcome the world.”

look at how ridiculous. What Jesus says here, in the context, how ridiculous it is. Jesus says, “I’ve overcome the world.” Well, how could he say that? From the perspective of a theology of glory, How could he say that? He is on the verge of crucifixion. He’s on the verge of utter human defeat. He had no wealth. Didn’t have a place to lay his head. He had no status.

Pharisees, Sadducees, Herod, all these people of power, and influence, and prominence, rejected him, hated him. Even in the immediate context of John 16, one of his twelve, closest disciples, had just betrayed him to the authorities. And, and, and, and peeking ahead into the future, his closest friends, his most devoted disciples, are soon going to abandon him, and all run away, because they didn’t want to be identified with him; when it was going to be a threat to their life, in that, in that moment.

 Jesus met no worldly definition of success, whatsoever, when he said this. And within hours, he would be hanging exposed before the world, nailed to a cross like a common criminal, with the Roman Empire having exercised its authority over this one who claimed to be the Son of God. How is that overcoming the world? And how is that glory? You can’t, there’s no answer to that question, is there?

 In the whole context of everything that we’ve heard here, this is not glory. The, this moment is a rejection of the theology of glory, altogether, and, and a, a rejection of the expectations that, that false theology creates, in well intended disciples, who simply trust what they’re told from a human teacher.

 No, beloved, Jesus would not meet any worldly definition of success. And by those presuppositions, what he is saying is utter madness. You’ve overcome the world, right? Let me laugh you out of the room, according to the theology of glory. But beloved, this is precisely where the theology of the cross can help us.

 Look at this, and consider what’s being said here. Jesus is in perfect control of all of his, he, he’s, he’s perfectly serene. He’s in perfect confidence. He’s in perfect control of his faculties and his, his, emotions. In this very moment, when the fury of hell is being unleashed against him, from the perspective of what really matters, obedience to God, he hasn’t flinched.

 He went through the temptations of the devil, at the beginning of his public ministry. He didn’t flinch. He went through the opposition of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. He didn’t flinch. He was tested by disease, and sin, and all kinds of other matters; the powers of nature, rolling heaving seas against him, blindness, deafness, mutinous, and he conquered it all; and in the midst of all of the human affliction, human suffering, human sorrow, that he went through, he did not flinch from obeying his Father. And going even further, he humbled himself in obedience to the point of death, even death on a cross.

 And now beloved, Jesus speaks to you who are in Christ. And as it were, he says, you belong to me. You’ve been united to me. I have loved you. I, Christ has given himself for you. He has redeemed you, from all of your sins. He has pardoned all of your sins, and you are accepted as righteous in the sight of God, as declared in the doctrine of justification.

And you are in him, and he will never leave you, nor forsake you, nor abandoned you, beloved. And because of your union with Christ, that’s what Christ is pointing to here, when he says this, he says, you take heart. You be strong. You be courageous, because you are mine, and I have overcome the world.

 So that, the one who saved us through his suffering, now keeps us in our suffering. The power of him, who’s raised from the dead, indwells you, in the person of the Holy Spirit, Ephesians chapter 1. You will one day share in heavenly glory. You will see Christ, as he is, face to face, and you will be made like Him. And the message of the gospel, the message of God, to his people, through his word, is looking to whom you belong.

 Look at what your eternal future is, and hang on to that. Not the earthly stuff that comes and goes, and is vulnerable to loss at any time. Look to Christ. Look at how he has overcome. Look at how he has conquered, sin, death, and hell, on your behalf. Remember that you belong to him, and he will never let you go.

 The fact that he has overcome the world, and you are in him, means that without fail and without exception, you also will overcome the world in the end, and therefore you can rise to the occasion, despite the obstacles. We won’t take the time to look at it. In 2 Corinthians 12, verses 9 and 10, Paul, Paul says, I, “I boast in my weakness so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

Beloved, I know it’s hard. I know what it’s like to weep over loved ones, dead and alive. I know what that’s like, and man it’s hard. Oh, does it hurt, but beloved, that very suffering is the pathway to greater intimacy with your Lord. Don’t reject the suffering that will bring you closer to him. So, we do not expect ease in this life.

 We don’t have a false sense of confidence in it. We don’t go around complaining about it either. We simply don’t run from the adversity. No, not at all. We don’t do any of that stuff. None of the fake stuff, in either direction. We’re simply content to take up our cross and follow Christ.

 Let’s pray together. Father, I would pray for these dear friends. Grant them grace to see the glory of Christ and to embrace the theology of the cross. Grant them grace and faith in their affliction. Grant them comfort in the most bitter of tears. Grant them strength in the times of greatest weakness. Grant them a flaming hope that can never be extinguished, because it’s grounded in your Word, informed by your Holy Spirit, and resting solely and exclusively in the person of the one who overcame the world, even Christ himself. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.