Title:- Of Smiling Sandals & Tsunamious Scandals
John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Our text and theme today is from John 16:33 and is about there being in the world for the redeemed and blessed child of God, affliction, anguish, burden, persecution, trouble and tribulation. It is not a very happy theme, nonetheless, it is a very common one in the Bible.
Actually, the first place Jesus uses the word 'tribulation' is in Matthew 13:21, which says: “Yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.” Here in explaining the parable of ‘the sower’ to His disciples, it would appear that such tribulation, literally, such 'pressing pressure' follows the Word. Indeed, this kind of 'pressing pressure' arrives and is applied on us because of the Word! It's as though, when the Word comes, it brings forth such a challenge, such a change, such a bright stirring in the heavenlies that the darkness cannot abide it and so turns on the planted word and ferociously attacks it in any way it can, burdening and pressuring the lighted spirit in such a way as to bend it double, cripple it and cause it to stumble along the way, to fall, to give up and to die!
The 'stumbling' that Jesus warns of here in this parable is the Greek word from which we get our English word 'Scandal'. In context, Jesus says “the tribulation, the 'pressing pressure' I am talking about will bring about scandal in some people! Expect tribulation, expect pressing pressure because the darkness will try and snuff you out! Accept this, make peace with it; it's going to happen in the world, YOU SHALL HAVE PRESSING PRESSURE! However, be careful, because such 'pressing pressure' might cause you to collapse and crumble and cause a terrible 'tsunamious' scandal!” Even though the Word, though effective to a point has become ours, “The problem” says Jesus, “is the Word has not become rooted in you, or by you and consequently, you have no root in yourself.”
So, the answer for us now in knowing how not to crumble under such terrible 'pressing pressure' and not to produce a tsunamious scandal in us and around us, is obvious: We must get rooted! We must dig down deep! We must find the good soil and pierce the ground into the moist rich depth of both our own spirit and His!
We have some work to do here folks for I tell you, that it is not a case of us just reading the Word! No, it is having it read us and CHANGE US! It is not just us memorizing the Word; it is us, 'makerising' the Word! It's putting it into practice; it's actually doing it, obeying it, living it!
How do we face such awful and prophesied and persistent pressing pressure then friends? For, “Tribulation is going to come” says the Word, indeed, “It will follow Me” says the Word! So, how do we face such awful and prophesied and persistent pressing pressure? Well the same Word says “Have peace in Me” it says “Don’t; worry; it will be all right in the end,” it says “So be of good cheer!” Eh! You’ve got to be kidding? Right?
In the light of such 'pressing pressure', such concentration of crumbling, such possibility of tsunamious scandal, Jesus says “be of good cheer!” Now this 'good cheer’ He is talking about is not an instruction to become a sandal wearing, 'happy clappy' grinning idiot in the face of vicious onslaught. No! The verb here means something more than that, it's something for warriors. It says “in the face of such persistent and 'pressing pressure' get rooted and get going! The word says “Don't cringe my son, but cry out in rooted victory! Be bold, be daring, and be courageous! Be of that kind of ‘Good Cheer!” This little phrase is a resounding call to courage and fortitude in the face of battle and overwhelming pressure. It is literally a call to be a 'FIGHTING AND VICTORIOUS OVERCOMER.'
So what challenges and onslaughts face you today? Dear friends, stand firm in God's grace, deeply rooted in the Word and have the Word deeply rooted in you. Be bold! Be strong! And be an OVERCOMER! May your name be 'forever, Victor! 'Get in the Word! And get the Word in YOU! Because, “Be of good cheer” means FIGHT ON AND WIN!
Listen: - I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. 1 John 2:13b,
Pray: - Lamb of God, overcome me. Take me deep into You. Rid me of my sin, rid me of my shallowness and root me Lord. Deep and Wide Father! Root me deep and root me wide. In Jesus name I pray, amen!
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