Be of Good Cheer
John 16:20,33, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy ... 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
16:20-33 is a precious passage of Scripture, because Jesus promised that
lasting joy and peace await those who trust upon His name. Amen!
Jesus said Christian believers can have peace in this horrible world—amidst all the turmoil, malicious people, hatred, sin and insanity of mankind—simply by remembering that we are on the winning side, because Jesus overcame the world. Jesus said to be of good cheer!
When life overwhelms you, be of good cheer, for Jesus has overcome this sin-cursed, wacky and hateful world. As believers, we have a hope through Christ Jesus (Titus 1:2).
Note: All Scriptures are quoted only from the trustworthy King James Bible.
In Matthew 27:63, evil men called Jesus a liar and a deceiver. In John 7:20 and John 8:52, evil men called Jesus demon-possessed. In John 8:41, evil men called Jesus a bastard.
If malicious people attacked our Lord and Savior, saying all manner of evil against Him, then you know they'll do the same thing to us. 2nd Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” The Bible doesn't say “maybe”; but rather, “shall.” If you live for God, the world will give you up, and Satan will persecute you through weak-minded individuals. Satan looks for idle and weak minds to do his dirty work.
Ironically, some of the biggest enemies a Christian has are religious people. Jesus' worst enemies were the religious Pharisees—a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites—who were always trying to catch Jesus in His Words, trying to find fault in Him and somehow discredit Jesus' integrity and ministry.
If those evil religious hypocrites found enough fault in the perfect Son of God to crucify Him; prey tell me, what do you think the same people will do to Jesus followers when they stumble? They're going to follow you around with a magnifying glass, scrutinizing your every move, looking for any information to destroy you. And if they can't find fault in you, then they'll conspire against you in an attempt to destroy you and your labors for the Lord.
Nearly 2,000 years after Jesus walked this earth, evil men and women today still portray the Savior as being an adulterer, a conspirator, a bastard, a homosexual, a fraud and a liar.
Whom do you say Jesus is—Liar, lunatic or Lord? To those who believe, Jesus is precious!
