SESSION 6
A Life of Victory
Question 1:
How would you describe a victory you’ve experienced recently?
THE POINT
In Christ, we have victory over anything the world throws at us.
THE PASSAGE
John 16:19-22,27-33
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
When he was in his 30s, Abraham Lincoln went through some dark days. Instead of the personal and professional success he had hoped for, he was facing financial struggles. According to some, he even broke off a romantic relationship because of those difficulties. On January 23, 1841, Lincoln wrote to a friend, “I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth. Whether I shall ever be better I can not tell; I awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible; I must die or be better, it appears to me.” 1
No doubt Lincoln would have said in 1841 that he had faced the hardest thing of his life. But twenty years later, he would confront the far more difficult days of leading a divided country at war and then the tragic death of his 11 year old son, Willie.
We can look back to hard days we’ve experienced, but we don’t know what lies ahead. How do we know what suffering is coming our way? We don’t. But as we will see in this session, Jesus has already secured victory for us—no matter what we face.
JOHN 16:19-22
19 Jesus knew they wanted to ask him, and so he said to them, “Are you asking one another about what I said, ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again in a little while, you will see me’?
20 Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.
21 When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world.
22 So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.
My wife has given birth twice, and I’d say witnessing a baby come into the world might be the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. Both births were near-death experiences for her. She screamed in pain. Her blood pressure dropped, causing alarms to go off and medical professionals sprinting in to keep her alive. And she cried. She cried because of her pain. She cried because of her fear. She cried because she wanted the baby to be here already. It was terrifying.
But then, there was our baby! Both times, the tears of fear and pain turned into tears of joy. So, yes, witnessing a baby come into the world might be the scariest thing I’ve ever seen—but it was also the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. The sadness, terror, and pain were replaced with the joy of new life.
Jesus painted a similar picture for His disciples. He had told them He was leaving. He had told them on multiple occasions that He would face death in Jerusalem, but they didn’t understand what it would entail or what it would accomplish. Jesus was clear on one thing: His death would be painful for them. “ ‘Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, …. You will become sorrowful.’ ” His death would break their hearts.
For all of us, the death of Jesus must be sad. Not only was His death an awful, brutal injustice, but we are the ones to blame. “He was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds” (Isa. 53:5, emphasis added). For those who understand its weight, the cross represents sadness and pain.
Thankfully, however, the cross was not the end of the story. The cross also leads to new life.
“In a little while, you will no longer see me; again in a little while, you will see me.”
“You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.”
“So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again.”
Jesus is God in the flesh. He has the power of creation. He has authority over life and death. So, with Jesus, resurrection follows crucifixion. Reunion follows separation. Joy follows sorrow. That was Jesus’ promise to His disciples. “ ‘Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.’ ”
This is the gospel! Jesus’ joy was taken from Him so that our joy never can be taken from us. He was taken from His followers so that His followers couldn’t be taken from Him. He did the painful work so that we could be born to new life and so that our sorrow could turn to joy.
Question 2:
When have you seen a difficulty in life turn into something positive?
JOHN 16:27-30
27 For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
28 I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
29 His disciples said, “Look, now you’re speaking plainly and not using any figurative language.
30 Now we know that you know everything and don’t need anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”
The apostle John began His Gospel with an incredible truth about Jesus: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14). Jesus now stated that truth very succinctly to His disciples: “ ‘I came from the Father and have come into the world.’ ”
Christianity turns on the reality of those two truths: (1) Jesus is from God, and (2) Jesus is in the world. If Jesus isn’t God’s Son, then He has nothing to offer humanity, who needs to escape God’s judgment. If Jesus is not God’s Messiah, then He is no better than we are at trying to live the perfect life God demands and deserves. If Jesus isn’t the Rescuer from God, then He lacks the ability to die in our place or the power to rise from the dead. A Christ who isn’t from the Father has no business atoning for anyone and no ability to do anything about the curse of our sin. His death on the cross would have been tragic, nothing more. And the stone over the tomb would have remained in place. Jesus’ claim to be from the Father is no small thing.
Likewise, Jesus must be in the world. If Jesus is from the Father, but did not “come into the world,” He couldn’t help us. If Jesus had not put on flesh and dwelt among us, though He has the power to cancel our sin, it would never be cancelled. If Jesus didn’t come to earth as both fully God and fully man, we can never turn from our sin, never escape God’s wrath, never experience His love, never hope for heaven, nor ever behold His glory. All our hope rests in these two truths.
Jesus isn’t through though. He continued: “ ‘Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.’ ” Jesus’ return to God the Father gives us comfort for a variety of reasons:
Heaven. Earlier, Jesus told His disciples, “ ‘If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.’ ” (John 14:13). As we saw in the third session of this study (pp. 38-47), Jesus prepared a place for us through His work on the cross. His resurrection ensures we can have eternal life, and He will return to take us to our eternal home with Him.
The Holy Spirit. Earlier, Jesus had promised to send the Holy Spirit after He returned to the Father. “ ‘Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you.’ ” (16:7). While on earth, Jesus could only be with those disciples who were physically in His presence, but the Holy Spirit would be in the heart of every believer wherever they are.
Because His Holy Spirit is with us, He works through us for the work of evangelism and discipleship. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20).
Intercession. Jesus is our intercessor. When Jesus returned to the Father, He began a new work on behalf of His people. Seated at the right hand of God the Father, Jesus intercedes for us. “Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them” (Heb. 7:25).
His Rule and Reign. Jesus returned to the Father to reign forever. Jesus “has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.” (1 Pet. 3:22).
We needed Jesus to come to earth—and we needed Him to return to the Father. Everything about our victory and how we live it out is because Jesus is from the Father and has returned to Him.
Question 3:
When did the truth of the gospel become clear to you?
JOHN 16:31-33
31 Jesus responded to them, “Do you now believe?
32 Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
“I have conquered the world.” Jesus did not say “maybe” or “hopefully.” He spoke confidently as the Creator of the universe who knew it was impossible not to finish the job. Jesus is the Conqueror of the world. If you have a relationship with God through Christ, He’s YOUR Conqueror.
I have no idea why you may need a conqueror at this specific moment, but I’m sure you do. We all do. Jesus said, “ ‘You will have suffering in this world.’ ” You will lose jobs in this world. You will get cancer in this world. You will break bones, break promises, find new worries, and lose old friends. Suffering happens.
Question 4:
When have you felt God’s presence in the midst of a difficult time?
Jesus Himself was not immune to suffering. Even as He spoke these words, He was moments away from taking on the role of the Suffering Servant for our sake. He said, “ ‘Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.’ ”
Jesus faced suffering. He was abandoned by His disciples—His closest friends—at the time of His arrest, but Jesus remained strong because the Father was with Him. We experience times of suffering, but we can have peace because we are not alone. He is with us.
My sister is a fantastic baker. What she bakes is both delicious and gorgeous. She recently sent a photo of a colorful cake made to look like a dog. The design was fun. The detail was amazing. I thought it was just another culinary show-and-tell from my gifted sister, but it turns out this was a cake my nine-year-old niece made for a baking competition at her school. Parents were supposed to help, which explains why this cake looked ready for a magazine cover.
That cake makes me think of verse 33. In this world we face suffering. We will have problems too big for us. We face pain too great for us to endure. We fight battles we don’t know how to fight nor how to win. But Jesus knows. He knows exactly what to do. That cake was my niece’s cake, but my sister knew exactly what to do so that my niece would succeed. That’s what Jesus does for us. He gives us His victory. Jesus can’t lose and He says to us, “You can have my work and victory. Here, my child, you can take my masterpiece. It’s yours.”
Jesus lived the perfect life and it has meaning for us. He died a saving death for us. Jesus rose from the dead, conquering death itself, and He says to us, “My victory is yours.” We are conquerors because He is. We can have peace and live with courage because our victory is in Christ.
Question 5:
How can Jesus’ victory give you peace and courage as you face suffering?
ENGAGE
In verse 33, Jesus talked about having peace, experiencing suffering, and showing courage. Identify the one that you need help with or most need to experience today. List how you need God’s help:
Peace—
Suffering—
Courage—
Spend a moment in prayer thanking Jesus for conquering the world, for being a victorious Savior, and ask Him to work in the situation where you need Him to help you today.
LIVE IT OUT
Suffering is a constant of the human condition. Thankfully, we know that Jesus understands suffering and is acquainted with grief. The pain and suffering we experience is never as powerful as Jesus. Because of Jesus, we have the hope of everlasting life with no more pain or suffering.
Memorize. Set aside some time each day this week to memorize John 16:33: “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
List. Make a list of the difficulties and pains you are facing right now. Ask Jesus to help you bear the load you carry.
Help. Ask God to make you aware of someone who is suffering right now. How can you help them have peace and courage? How can you remind them to trust Jesus? Take the initiative this week to reach out to this person.
END NOTES
1. Letter to John Stuart, Springfield, IL to Washington, DC, January 23, 1841, Roy P. Basler, ed., Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln (8 vols.), (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1953), 1:229-230. [Lifeway Adults (NaN). (p. 72). Bible Studies for Life: Senior Adult Personal Study Guide - CSB - Spring 2022. Lifeway Press. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
A Life of Victory
Question 1:
How would you describe a victory you’ve experienced recently?
THE POINT
In Christ, we have victory over anything the world throws at us.
THE PASSAGE
John 16:19-22,27-33
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
When he was in his 30s, Abraham Lincoln went through some dark days. Instead of the personal and professional success he had hoped for, he was facing financial struggles. According to some, he even broke off a romantic relationship because of those difficulties. On January 23, 1841, Lincoln wrote to a friend, “I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth. Whether I shall ever be better I can not tell; I awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible; I must die or be better, it appears to me.” 1
No doubt Lincoln would have said in 1841 that he had faced the hardest thing of his life. But twenty years later, he would confront the far more difficult days of leading a divided country at war and then the tragic death of his 11 year old son, Willie.
We can look back to hard days we’ve experienced, but we don’t know what lies ahead. How do we know what suffering is coming our way? We don’t. But as we will see in this session, Jesus has already secured victory for us—no matter what we face.
JOHN 16:19-22
19 Jesus knew they wanted to ask him, and so he said to them, “Are you asking one another about what I said, ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again in a little while, you will see me’?
20 Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.
21 When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world.
22 So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.
My wife has given birth twice, and I’d say witnessing a baby come into the world might be the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. Both births were near-death experiences for her. She screamed in pain. Her blood pressure dropped, causing alarms to go off and medical professionals sprinting in to keep her alive. And she cried. She cried because of her pain. She cried because of her fear. She cried because she wanted the baby to be here already. It was terrifying.
But then, there was our baby! Both times, the tears of fear and pain turned into tears of joy. So, yes, witnessing a baby come into the world might be the scariest thing I’ve ever seen—but it was also the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. The sadness, terror, and pain were replaced with the joy of new life.
Jesus painted a similar picture for His disciples. He had told them He was leaving. He had told them on multiple occasions that He would face death in Jerusalem, but they didn’t understand what it would entail or what it would accomplish. Jesus was clear on one thing: His death would be painful for them. “ ‘Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, …. You will become sorrowful.’ ” His death would break their hearts.
For all of us, the death of Jesus must be sad. Not only was His death an awful, brutal injustice, but we are the ones to blame. “He was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds” (Isa. 53:5, emphasis added). For those who understand its weight, the cross represents sadness and pain.
Thankfully, however, the cross was not the end of the story. The cross also leads to new life.
“In a little while, you will no longer see me; again in a little while, you will see me.”
“You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.”
“So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again.”
Jesus is God in the flesh. He has the power of creation. He has authority over life and death. So, with Jesus, resurrection follows crucifixion. Reunion follows separation. Joy follows sorrow. That was Jesus’ promise to His disciples. “ ‘Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.’ ”
This is the gospel! Jesus’ joy was taken from Him so that our joy never can be taken from us. He was taken from His followers so that His followers couldn’t be taken from Him. He did the painful work so that we could be born to new life and so that our sorrow could turn to joy.
Question 2:
When have you seen a difficulty in life turn into something positive?
JOHN 16:27-30
27 For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
28 I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
29 His disciples said, “Look, now you’re speaking plainly and not using any figurative language.
30 Now we know that you know everything and don’t need anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”
The apostle John began His Gospel with an incredible truth about Jesus: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14). Jesus now stated that truth very succinctly to His disciples: “ ‘I came from the Father and have come into the world.’ ”
Christianity turns on the reality of those two truths: (1) Jesus is from God, and (2) Jesus is in the world. If Jesus isn’t God’s Son, then He has nothing to offer humanity, who needs to escape God’s judgment. If Jesus is not God’s Messiah, then He is no better than we are at trying to live the perfect life God demands and deserves. If Jesus isn’t the Rescuer from God, then He lacks the ability to die in our place or the power to rise from the dead. A Christ who isn’t from the Father has no business atoning for anyone and no ability to do anything about the curse of our sin. His death on the cross would have been tragic, nothing more. And the stone over the tomb would have remained in place. Jesus’ claim to be from the Father is no small thing.
Likewise, Jesus must be in the world. If Jesus is from the Father, but did not “come into the world,” He couldn’t help us. If Jesus had not put on flesh and dwelt among us, though He has the power to cancel our sin, it would never be cancelled. If Jesus didn’t come to earth as both fully God and fully man, we can never turn from our sin, never escape God’s wrath, never experience His love, never hope for heaven, nor ever behold His glory. All our hope rests in these two truths.
Jesus isn’t through though. He continued: “ ‘Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.’ ” Jesus’ return to God the Father gives us comfort for a variety of reasons:
Heaven. Earlier, Jesus told His disciples, “ ‘If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.’ ” (John 14:13). As we saw in the third session of this study (pp. 38-47), Jesus prepared a place for us through His work on the cross. His resurrection ensures we can have eternal life, and He will return to take us to our eternal home with Him.
The Holy Spirit. Earlier, Jesus had promised to send the Holy Spirit after He returned to the Father. “ ‘Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you.’ ” (16:7). While on earth, Jesus could only be with those disciples who were physically in His presence, but the Holy Spirit would be in the heart of every believer wherever they are.
Because His Holy Spirit is with us, He works through us for the work of evangelism and discipleship. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20).
Intercession. Jesus is our intercessor. When Jesus returned to the Father, He began a new work on behalf of His people. Seated at the right hand of God the Father, Jesus intercedes for us. “Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them” (Heb. 7:25).
His Rule and Reign. Jesus returned to the Father to reign forever. Jesus “has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.” (1 Pet. 3:22).
We needed Jesus to come to earth—and we needed Him to return to the Father. Everything about our victory and how we live it out is because Jesus is from the Father and has returned to Him.
Question 3:
When did the truth of the gospel become clear to you?
JOHN 16:31-33
31 Jesus responded to them, “Do you now believe?
32 Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
“I have conquered the world.” Jesus did not say “maybe” or “hopefully.” He spoke confidently as the Creator of the universe who knew it was impossible not to finish the job. Jesus is the Conqueror of the world. If you have a relationship with God through Christ, He’s YOUR Conqueror.
I have no idea why you may need a conqueror at this specific moment, but I’m sure you do. We all do. Jesus said, “ ‘You will have suffering in this world.’ ” You will lose jobs in this world. You will get cancer in this world. You will break bones, break promises, find new worries, and lose old friends. Suffering happens.
Question 4:
When have you felt God’s presence in the midst of a difficult time?
Jesus Himself was not immune to suffering. Even as He spoke these words, He was moments away from taking on the role of the Suffering Servant for our sake. He said, “ ‘Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.’ ”
Jesus faced suffering. He was abandoned by His disciples—His closest friends—at the time of His arrest, but Jesus remained strong because the Father was with Him. We experience times of suffering, but we can have peace because we are not alone. He is with us.
My sister is a fantastic baker. What she bakes is both delicious and gorgeous. She recently sent a photo of a colorful cake made to look like a dog. The design was fun. The detail was amazing. I thought it was just another culinary show-and-tell from my gifted sister, but it turns out this was a cake my nine-year-old niece made for a baking competition at her school. Parents were supposed to help, which explains why this cake looked ready for a magazine cover.
That cake makes me think of verse 33. In this world we face suffering. We will have problems too big for us. We face pain too great for us to endure. We fight battles we don’t know how to fight nor how to win. But Jesus knows. He knows exactly what to do. That cake was my niece’s cake, but my sister knew exactly what to do so that my niece would succeed. That’s what Jesus does for us. He gives us His victory. Jesus can’t lose and He says to us, “You can have my work and victory. Here, my child, you can take my masterpiece. It’s yours.”
Jesus lived the perfect life and it has meaning for us. He died a saving death for us. Jesus rose from the dead, conquering death itself, and He says to us, “My victory is yours.” We are conquerors because He is. We can have peace and live with courage because our victory is in Christ.
Question 5:
How can Jesus’ victory give you peace and courage as you face suffering?
ENGAGE
In verse 33, Jesus talked about having peace, experiencing suffering, and showing courage. Identify the one that you need help with or most need to experience today. List how you need God’s help:
Peace—
Suffering—
Courage—
Spend a moment in prayer thanking Jesus for conquering the world, for being a victorious Savior, and ask Him to work in the situation where you need Him to help you today.
LIVE IT OUT
Suffering is a constant of the human condition. Thankfully, we know that Jesus understands suffering and is acquainted with grief. The pain and suffering we experience is never as powerful as Jesus. Because of Jesus, we have the hope of everlasting life with no more pain or suffering.
Memorize. Set aside some time each day this week to memorize John 16:33: “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
List. Make a list of the difficulties and pains you are facing right now. Ask Jesus to help you bear the load you carry.
Help. Ask God to make you aware of someone who is suffering right now. How can you help them have peace and courage? How can you remind them to trust Jesus? Take the initiative this week to reach out to this person.
END NOTES
1. Letter to John Stuart, Springfield, IL to Washington, DC, January 23, 1841, Roy P. Basler, ed., Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln (8 vols.), (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1953), 1:229-230. [Lifeway Adults (NaN). (p. 72). Bible Studies for Life: Senior Adult Personal Study Guide - CSB - Spring 2022. Lifeway Press. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]