Overcoming the World, Tests, Trials, and Challenges
David W Palmer
(John 16:33 NKJV) “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.”
Jesus is our leader and the author and perfecter of our faith. The Holy Spirit urges us to keep our eyes, our attention, and our role-modeling focused exclusively on him:
(Hebrews 12:1–2 NLT) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. {2} We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Jesus overcame the world, the flesh, and the devil in his time of dealing with them personally. Now, as the author and perfecter of our faith, he is able to empower us to do this too:
(Hebrews 2:18 NLT) Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.
How does he do this? First, Jesus helps us by demonstrating his defeat of the devil in his death, burial, and resurrection. This has given us access to his new birth, the Holy Spirit, and God’s throne of grace. Second, he helps us by being the living Word of God who has all authority in heaven and on earth. The living word conveys faith to us when we hear it. Faith is necessary to activate and receive grace—God’s power to overcome:
(Romans 4:16 AMP) Therefore, [inheriting] the promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants—not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is [thus] the father of us all.
Our opening passage says that Jesus overcame the world. Therefore, the living Word of God has already overcome the world; we have absolute assurance that if we receive it by revelation, believe it, stand on it, and declare it in Jesus’s name under the Holy Spirit’s anointing, the triumphant Living Word of God will enforce his victory over the world through us.
When Jesus wrote to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3, he clarified specific areas in which he was calling them to overcome. The detail can help inform us of what we must overcome too:
1. The church of Ephesus had left their first love. Jesus instructed them: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp-stand from its place—unless you repent” (Rev. 2:5 NKJV). The Lord summarized his communication to them by saying:
(Revelation 2:7 NKJV) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”
In short, Jesus expected the people of Ephesus to overcome their lack of first love. If they did, he promised to reward them with access to the tree of life.
Similarly, with the other six churches, he instructed:
