John 14 Lesson

TROUBLE IN TODAY’S WORLD

There is a lot of trouble in the world today.

It has been this way ever since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and sin entered the world (Genesis Chapter 3). 

The Bible teaches us that nothing has changed in the thousands of years that have passed since, and nothing is going to change until Jesus comes again. 

There is always going to be sin in the world.  As Christians, we need to find a way to have peace in a world that is plagued with sin.

Solomon wrote in the book of Ecclesiastes:

• “What has been, it is what will be, and what has been done, it is what will be done.  So there is nothing new under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 1:9.

SATAN IS THE RULER OF THE EARTH

There may be some who will be surprised to learn that the Bible teaches that Satan is the ruler of the Earth.

That is what it says.  It also says that Satan will remain the ruler of the Earth until Jesus returns. 

As you read the following four scriptures, consider what implications they have for us as we try to follow Jesus and find peace in a troubled world:

1. “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” - 1 John 5:19,
2. “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” - 2 Corinthians 4:4,
3. “The ruler of this world will be cast out.” - John 12:31,
4. “I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” - John 14:30.

In these four verses, Satan is referred to as:

• “The evil one,”
• “The god of this world,”
• And “The ruler of the world” twice.

Knowing this, we need to pause and consider what the implications are for those of us who are seeking to go to Heaven. 

Understanding that Satan is the ruler of the Earth explains a lot of the tragedies and evil that we see on a day-to-day basis. When we understand that God is permitting Satan to rule the Earth for a period of time, it helps explain why bad things happen to good people.

FINDING PEACE IN A TROUBLED WORLD

In John Chapter 14, Jesus taught His disciples how they can find peace in a troubled world. 

As He was preparing for His final sacrifice on the cross, Jesus understood that His absence was going to have a significant effect on His disciples.  He understood that without Him, they were going to feel afraid, confused, and alone, so He reassured them.

When we feel afraid, confused, or lonely, these same words can reassure us and bring us peace:

• “Do not let your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” – John 14:1.

For the remainder of today’s lesson, we will be looking at four reasons Christians have to find peace in a troubled world.  They are as follows:

1. Jesus overcame the world!
2. We have the Holy Spirit to help us,
3. We are not of this world,
4. Heaven.

JESUS HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD!

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Satan is referred to as “the god of this world.”

His attacks on our souls are relentless and we are warned to constantly be on the lookout!

• “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8.

We are also told that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us (James 4:7). 

That is the good news.  So we do have a degree of control over how much Satan will influence our lives.  If we resist him, he will move on to another target.

Knowing this can help us be able to deal with the adversity and temptations that all of us face.

The greatest comfort, however, comes from the following scripture:

• “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33.

Whatever difficulties we face on Earth, they are only temporary.  Ultimately, Jesus will overcome them all and His righteous kingdom will reign for all eternity!

WE HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO HELP US!

Melody Green wrote a beautiful hymn in 1977 called, “There Is A Redeemer”.  In it, we find the following words:

“Thank you, oh my Father for giving us your Son.  And leaving your Spirit ‘til the work on Earth is done.”

We are never alone!  

We have been given the Holy Spirit to help us through whatever challenges we face on Earth.  In our study of the Holy Spirit, we made the following three points:

1. “God sent the Holy Spirit to help us.   We receive the Holy Spirit when we are baptized, just as Jesus did.   The Holy Spirit helps us through feelings and not words. The feelings must always align completely with the teachings of the Bible.   If they do not, the feelings are not the result of the Holy Spirit,
2. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are separate entities that are one and the same because they always align, and never contradict each other,
3. “Now, in the same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” – Romans 8:26.

And with the help of the Holy Spirit, there is no obstacle that we cannot overcome!

WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD

God does not want us to dwell on the evil works of Satan that we see on the news and in our daily lives.  He wants us to rise above it!  Consider the following scripture:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” –  Romans 12:2.

And while the news outlets and other forms of media focus on the worst of humanity, as Christians we are to focus on the positive and share the hope that we have in Jesus with others:

• “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” – Philippians 4:8,
• “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on Earth.” - Colossians 3:2.

HEAVEN AWAITS! 

The greatest thing we can do to find peace in a troubled world is to focus on what lies ahead.  For followers of Jesus, that means Heaven!  Heaven awaits the faithful in Jesus!  It is a place more beautiful than words can describe.

In his letter to the Romans, The Apostle Paul wrote:

• “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” – Romans 8:18.

John wrote about what Heaven will be like in the Book of Revelations:

• “And He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain.” – Revelation 21:3-4.

Understanding the glory of Heaven that awaits the faithful in Jesus is critical to finding peace in a troubled world.

CONCLUSION

Life will be challenging, and even difficult at times.  God understands this. 

He allows us to suffer to discipline us, to teach us, and to shape us into the Christians that He created us to be. 

Whatever struggles we are going through, we need to remind ourselves that we are never alone in our battle. 

In today’s lesson, we identified four reasons Christians have to find peace in a troubled world:

1. Jesus overcame the world!
2. We have the Holy Spirit to help us,
3. We are not of this world,
4. Heaven.

We will end today’s lesson by revisiting the following scripture:

• “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33.