Why Be of Good Cheer?

Over recent months, we've seen a lot going on in the newspapers and in society in general. And I think it's safe to say that we find ourselves more and more in the midst of a social and cultural revolution. I'm not sure if revolution is the right word, maybe it's more like an anarchy. I don't know. Things are different. The most influential voices in our American society now demand louder than ever that every American embrace the tenets of modern liberalism and progressivism. That means we must support, they want our support of sexual liberation, abortion, same-sex marriage, transgenderism, the redistribution of wealth, and the intrusion of big government more and more into our private lives.

America seems to be rushing along into a deepening moral and spiritual darkness. And we find it ever more challenging to obey God, to battle and overcome the ways of the world. And that's true no matter our age and years.

Our little children face a world of glittering, sugar-coated lies and pretense, where sin wears a fun and cuddly mask. Our young people contend with the world's demand for conformity and its constant allure of promiscuity, casual sex, pornography, drugs and alcohol, popularity, and self-centeredness or narcissism.

And our adults struggle with the world that values wealth and power more than integrity, where one can be whatever one wants to be, even contrary to biological gender, and where the latest fad defines truth and justice. And our elderly endure in a world that often neglects and undervalues them, but will take from them every sin it can before they die, and sometimes even after.

It has been, and it always will be, a challenge for the followers of God to live a godly life contrary to the surrounding world we live in, but are not a part of. I'm going to ask you to be turning to John 16.

I'd like for us to notice some instruction Jesus Christ gave to an early group of believers, an early group of believers who also found themselves facing a terribly challenging times. And as you turn to John 16, I'm going to preface it a little bit. Leading up to John 16, what we're reading here is what Christ told his disciples on the night before he would be executed. And Jesus had been telling his disciples of things to come, things both encouraging and discouraging. We tend to read these scriptures as is our tradition during the Passover service every year. Some things encouraging, some things discouraging, and some things puzzling to them they didn't quite understand. Some discouraging things. And you don't have to turn here. I'm just going to summarize it. For example, in John 13.21, Jesus told them that one of them would betray him. One of them in their midst was going to betray me. And in John 13.33, we'll get there, he told them that he was leaving. He spent three and a half years with this man. What do you mean, you're leaving us? He says, I'm leaving. I'm going to a place where they could not follow, he told them. And soon, he said, many people would hate them and persecute them. He tells them that in John 15.13. And they would even be put out of the synagogues and killed. Some would want to kill them. He tells them that. Disturbing news in John 16.2. Now, among the more puzzling things, Jesus told them, regarded a helper. In John 16.7, Jesus told them, you may be in chapter 16 by now. In John 16.7, Jesus told them, nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send it to you. And then skipping down to verse 12.13, I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when it, the Spirit of truth, has come, it will guide you into all truth, for it will not speak on its own authority, but whatever it hears, it will speak, and it will tell you things to come.

Of course, only later, as we learned in the previous split sermon, only later they understand what those words mean, when they did receive God's Holy Spirit in a very powerful and amazing way on Pentecost. Now let's read John 16.20, please. Jesus told them, most assuredly I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. Sound similar to what we may be going through now? And you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy. Okay, some disturbing things, some encouraging things. Really, talk about a roller coaster ride. These men must have been going through the perplexity, the conversation, the thought and worry that must have been going through their minds.

But mainly, when we look at this, I would suspect that the disciples probably took most to heart. Those alarming and discouraging things that Jesus was talking about. Probably the things that they dwelt on the most.

The disciples likely wondered, among many things, I suspect they likely wondered how they would fare in such a hostile world. A world that Jesus himself said is going to turn against you in a very, very profound way. And then, so that the disciples would not despair, though, Jesus encouraged them.

He encouraged them with these words in John 1633. John 1633. Let's read them together, please.

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 told his disciples then, and he tells us now, that the peace we desire will only be found with Jesus Christ. It is the peace of God engendered by God's Holy Spirit, the helper or comforter, within us.

However, because we live in the world, and yet not of it, we will have tribulation, affliction, anguish, persecution, and troubles. Nonetheless, Christ said, be of good cheer I have overcome the world.

I'd like for us today to consider the significance of those words.

In the title I've given this sermon, the split sermon, why be of good cheer?

That's a good question to ask ourselves. Why should we be of good cheer? First, let's consider the significance of Christ's words here. Essentially, what he's telling us in this last part, be of good cheer, I've overcome the world. What's essentially a command here is be of good cheer. English teachers will tell you that's in the imperative tone. It's a command of sorts.

Be of good cheer.

But I wonder, are we being told to be cheerful? Just be cheerful? Which in English means be happy, jolly, joyful, gleeful? Is that he's telling us to be? So that no matter what the world throws at us, we're just a smile through the hard times. That's an old folk song I remember as a kid. Are we supposed to make lemonade out of those lemons? They're pretty big lemons. The old song from the 80s, Don't Worry, Be Happy. Is that it? Just grin and bear it? Are we to always see that glass is half full when it's nearly empty? Are we to go walking arm in arm down that primrose path with Pollyanna in an obsessively optimistic way? Be of good cheer? Is that what Christ is telling us to do? No, that's not quite what he means here. The Greek word translated as good cheer is farceo. You can look it up, but just so you know, there's a Greek word. And it means of good cheer. In Vine's expository dictionary of New Testament words, it tells us that sarfeo can also be translated as courage, confidence. So in other words, Christ is telling them and us to be of good courage. Have confidence. Be encouraged would probably be a better choice of words here. We would more readily grasp the more actual meaning of that word than be of good cheer. But why? Why be of good cheer? Why be so encouraged? Why? Well, with all this alarming and discouraging news he's just given them, why should they be encouraged? They need it. But the reason Jesus gives them here is as he tells them, I have overcome the world. I have overcome the world. Now, what did Jesus mean when he said that phrase? I have overcome the world. It's a very good question. And the answer underlies everything we should believe and hope. And to answer that question, again, let's look at the word and see what its meaning also means. Here we find a Greek word, nikau, and it means overcome. But it also means to subdue, to conquer, prevail, to get the victory. And the word world, I have overcome the world, is cosmos. Now, cosmos is spelled the way we spell cosmos today. K-O-S-M-O-S, and we spell it with the C. The Greek word cosmos has several shades of meaning. It can mean the earth. It can refer to the human race in particular, or mankind. It can also refer to our earthly and material possessions. You know, what are we going to give up for the things of the world, that kind of idea, the earthly possessions. But it's this meaning that seems most appropriate to the context of what Jesus is talking about here in John 16.33. And that meaning is cosmos, the world, meaning the present condition of human affairs. Specifically, the world's alienated, being alienated and opposed to God. That's the world more specifically that Christ is telling them he has overcome. I've overcome this world that is contrary to God. And so Jesus seems to be telling us, his disciples, to be encouraged because he has conquered the world. That includes its ruler, Satan, and all that is contrary to God. It's a done deal, as they say around here. Certain events have yet to transpire according to prophecy, what Scripture tells us. But from God's omnipotent perspective, Christ has won the battle. It's done. We just have to play out the parts. We just have to play out the scenes. We know how it's going to end. Christ is victorious and always has been. There's never been a doubt about it. Why did Christ overcome and conquer the world?

I appreciate Mr. Crane's split sermon. It provides a pretty good foundation to what I'm going on into now. And our Scripture is going to blend pretty well together, too. And you warmed up the audience to turn to a number of Scriptures for me. And that's good. So why did Christ overcome and conquer the world?

In some of this material I have here, I'm drawing from our UCG's United Church of God's Fundamentals of Belief book, teaching, as I've been taught, knowing the truth of where we stand and proven.

Why did Christ overcome or conquer the world? It's because the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, are fulfilling their GPS. They're fulfilling their plan of salvation to save humanity, whom they love, whom they've always loved. They're trying—not trying, that's a bad choice of word—they are saving humanity from sin. They are saving humanity from its penalty of death, so that all people might be sons and daughters in God's family, as we heard about earlier. God has always loved us. He has always loved us. He is loved. He's loved us even while we were sinners. And yes, let's do turn to John 3.16, where most of you are probably still in the book of John, so it's only a few pages back. John 3.16—I realize John 3.16 has maybe become sort of a cliche of sorts, especially around each Texas, where it seems like everywhere I drive I see it on a sign nailed to a tree or a fence post or bumper sticker somewhere. But it's a truth nonetheless. John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And of course, we understand beliefs. When you look at Scripture, beliefs is much more than just saying, I believe in God. Just like saying, I believe in America and apple pie. When you say you believe in God, it means something. You obey God. You do his commandments. You submit to him. You surrender your life to him. That's what it means. Whoever believes in God, willing to make that commitment, should not perish but have everlasting life. Let's also turn to Romans 5.8. Romans 5.8—another reference to how much God loves humanity and loves us. In Romans 5.8, God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Of course, not only for us, but for every human being.

I didn't know him yet. And a lot of us didn't know him yet. But he died for us. And so what we see, then, is God's mind, we would say, has always been focused upon humanity. And especially upon those, he calls and invites to be members of his family now.

And according to God's plan, Jesus Christ came as the Savior of humanity and to provide the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Even though he was divine, Jesus became a human being to suffer and die for the sins of humankind. He faced temptations even as we do. Yet he lived without sin in the human flesh.

Let's read about that in Hebrews 2, verses 9-10.

Let's read there in Hebrews 2, verses 9-10.

But we see Jesus, Hebrews 2-9, But we see Jesus, who has made a little lower than the angels, For the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, That he, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, In bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, willingly died as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity.

And turn back to 1 John 4-9.

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, That God has sent his only begotten Son into the world, That we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, But that he loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation, That means an atonement, for our sins.

Christ, as our Savior, gave his life that we might live. And he died a terrible death as our Passover. And of course, that was foreshadowed in the sacrifice Passover lamb of the Old Testament.

He became our Passover that we might understand the magnitude of sin And the huge monumental significance of his sacrifice. A sacrifice which is made, again, for every human being. He was, as John the Baptist called him, The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And that's in John 1-29.

His life, because he is the Creator of all humanity, Is of greater value than the sum total of human life. How many human lives is that?

Forgot to Google that. How many billions and billions of human beings have existed over the span since the time of Adam and Eve? His life is worth more than all those billions upon billions of people.

It's because he created. He is responsible for the creation of all those billions of people.

His death, therefore, is sufficient to pay the penalty for all that human sin, That massive amount of human sin. Let's turn to Hebrews 10-12 and read there.

It's really amazing when we take time like we're doing now to focus on the plan of salvation, This aspect, the sacrifice of Christ, and what was going on, And what, looking at the perspective of what that means. Hebrews 10-12, we read, Of course, that one man is the Son of God, Jesus Christ. And also, 1 John, sorry, I'm making you go back and forth a little bit, But sometimes that's just the way it is.

1 John 2-2, so we read that, Read that this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, Sat down at the right hand of God. Now, 1 John 2-2, In paying this penalty, the penalty of death, He made it possible so that every human being can live and have. They have all had their sins forgiven. And I have to remind myself that. Sometimes we can get so angry at what we see going on in the world.

To imagine that those troubled young men that murdered all those people yesterday in France, That Jesus Christ died for them, too. And they hate him, and they hate his religion, and they don't think he exists. They think he's the anti-Christ. My understanding is that they were young, Salas Muslims. If I'm wrong, I'll be corrected. But to imagine that even what they're doing there, in the name of a false God, The true God and only God, Knows that they're confused, and they don't know any better yet.

But as we heard earlier today, that God will indeed allow them a wonderful opportunity to hear that. And that truly is good news. As the son of man, Jesus Christ was human in the fullest sense. We didn't understand that. He was fully human. So he was able to experience the trials of human life. He knows what it feels like to be tired. He knows what it feels like to go hungry. And so he can better empathize with us as our merciful High Priest.

He is our merciful High Priest. Hebrews 2, verse 17-8. We're reviewing the question of why did Jesus say He overcome the world? Why did He overcome the world? Hebrews 2, 17-18. Therefore, in all things, He had to be like His brother. He had to be like other people. That He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God.

To make propitiation an atonement for sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. He is tempted, but He never sinned. Let's look at Hebrews 4, 15. Hebrews 4, 15 makes that very clear. Hebrews is a perfect sacrifice, pure. Hebrews 4, 15. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet, without sin.

Jesus Christ's sacrifice makes salvation possible. That's what we're told in Acts 4, 12. Nor is there salvation in any other. Acts 4, 12. For there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved. Forgiveness of sin and ultimately the gift of eternal life are available to every single human being who has ever lived or will ever live.

But it's only available through Jesus Christ. There is no other path to salvation. No other way. You might hear different things, finding nirvana, experiencing a wonderful moment, being in some kind of drug-induced state. No, that's not going to get you anywhere. That'll probably get you a headache. That's not going to get you salvation. There's only one path, and it's through Jesus Christ. As we model our lives after Christ, we figuratively then take up our cross. We take up our cross and follow Him. It's not usual, then, that we find ourselves even at odds with the world, with its practices, with its philosophies, with its values, that are so often contrary to God, and more and more so as months and years now are passing us here in this country, especially as I was mentioning there at the beginning of my message.

But we are to follow Christ and do according to His will, to God's will. We must be willing to suffer. We must be willing to be persecuted, even as Jesus said for us, the example. Let's turn to 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2, verse 19-23. Let's remember that's what Peter is exhorting us to do, to follow the example Christ sets for us, each and every day of our lives. Whether it's convenient for us or not, we are urged to follow the example of Christ. 1 Peter 2.19. For this is commendable, yet because of conscience towards God, one endures grief.

Meaning, in order to obey God, we put up with grief and trouble, suffering wrongfully even. Verse 20. For what credit is it if when you are beaten for your faults you take it patiently? But when you do good, when you obey God, when you do the best you can to repent and live the way He tells us, but when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow His steps.

Who committed no sin, nor was the seek found in His mouth? Who when He was reviled did not revile in return? When He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him, who judges righteously. And that is hard to do. Sometimes we have to repent. People cut us off. People cut me off. Sometimes it's hard to be nice. I have to pull my words back in my throat and say, Sorry, I shouldn't have done that. But that's just a little example of how we must control ourselves and strive hard to commit no sin. And so we must follow Christ's example of humble obedience to God our Father.

And we must no longer follow the ways of the world as we once did. Called of God, we must choose to live lives always in repentance to sin. And once we commit ourselves to God through baptism, and we receive His Holy Spirit with the lane on of hands, we must forever endeavor, always and always, to persist with God, to obey Him, to trust our lives in His hands, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

And by living our lives according to God's will, but not only on our own willpower, we become engaged in that lifelong battle with the world and its ways.

We must overcome the world. Christ set us to the example. He overcame the world. He conquered it. We must overcome it, too. And we do that by constantly surrendering our will to God, by staying near to God through study and prayer. We've had many messages about that. We all need to make sure we're applying those lessons of study and prayer.

We need to keep nurturing ourselves, strengthening ourselves with God's word and spirit.

We must read His Scripture. We must remain diligent to yield ourselves to God and to always reject sin when we find it in our hearts, in our minds, in the actions of our hands. We must be faithful to God until the day we die.

How can we overcome the world? How can we conquer the world?

Well, good question. We can't. Not by ourselves. I threw that in real quick. We can't conquer the world alone. And by our own willpower and might, it may be easy not to eat pork and to avoid other types of food. That's an easy thing.

Well, it can be an easy thing. Maybe for some, it's a challenge. But there comes a point where there's much deeper things, more profound things, that require far more effort, far more spiritual muscle. And that's where we absolutely have to be close to God and yield to His help. We can only conquer the world with the help of God's Holy Spirit abiding within us.

And this is part of the same message Christ told His disciples back there in John 16, where we started, about how He had to go away so that the Father would make available His gift of the Holy Spirit. And Christ told them He would send it on down to them. And so, Christ did go away, and the Father has given us His Holy Spirit. And for those of us who have been baptized, we receive that Holy Spirit from God when the hands of ordained ministers of God are laid upon us. We must have the Holy Spirit in us to overcome the world. We can do quite a bit on our own effort, maybe, but ultimately we need the Holy Spirit in us to overcome the world and to be worthy of entering His kingdom and receiving salvation. Let's notice what John writes in 1 John 4.4. 1 John 4.4, we read, You are of God, little children, and have overcome them. Them, in the context of what we're reading, refers to godless spirits. Pneumae, Pneumae here, also could be influences of the world. Of course, the world is ruled by spirit, Satan, and his minions, his demons. So you have overcome them, the godless spirits, or influences the world, because, John writes, because He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world. And that is Satan, the ruler of this world. God, in us, strengthens us and helps us to grow and overcome sin and temptations, pulls the flesh, the ways of the world. He helps us fight that through His Holy Spirit. And skipping down a bit, next chapter, 1 John 5.2, I'd like for us to read here. In 1 John 5.2, We love God and keep His commandments. Verse 3, Who is He who overcomes the world, but He who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? It takes faith and obedience. We're not earning our way into the kingdom. We're qualifying ourselves for the kingdom by having God's Spirit in us, and it comes through obedience and loving God. And what will it receive, then, for our faith and obedience to God? What are we going to receive? What will be our reward? Let's turn back to Revelation 2.7 to begin with. I'm going to read, and I hope you'll keep up with me. I've never done this. It's probably not unheard of. But I'd like for us to read a series of scriptures here in Revelation that, taken together, describe what our Father promises for those who bear His Holy Spirit and persist in overcoming or conquering sin through repentance. What happens, what will be given to those who overcome? So we're going to read a series of scriptures here. I'm just going to read it without a lot of comment. Let's look at Revelation 2.7. Begin in Revelation 2.7.

Revelation 2.6 Revelation 3.5 Revelation 3.12 Revelation 3.21 Revelation 21.21 Revelation 21.7 Revelation 21.21 What an incredible inheritance! And through the Father's gift of the Holy Spirit, it will be ours if we continue to overcome, if we continue to remain of good cheer. But let's gain a little bit clearer understanding of that word or phrase that Jesus said, Be of good cheer. There's something more I want us to think about before we finish today. Let's look. That was not the first time Jesus used that word or phrase, Be of good cheer in John 16. Let's turn back to Matthew 9. I'm going to piece together a few scriptures where Christ is using the same phraseology to give us something more to think about as we yield to God and let Him help us overcome the world and our own part of it. Let's look at Matthew 9.2. Matthew 9.2. Other places Jesus used, Be of good cheer. And we're going to fill in the gaps here. Matthew 9.2. Breaking into the story, Then, behold, they brought to Him Jesus a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, Son, Be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven you.

Although Matthew's account does not mention it, Mark's account gives us a lot more detail. I think it adds a little more dimension as to why Jesus said, Be of good cheer. Hold your place here in Matthew 9. Put your little ribbon in there or your pen. We're going to come back here to Matthew 9. But let's turn to Matthew 2.3.5, and we're going to see Matthew's account of this same incident. Did I say it right? Mark? Sorry. I heard the groaning. Thank you for the response. I'm a teacher. Well, I'm still a teacher. I'm a teacher by profession. I'm constantly looking and listening, watching, and helping me out here. Thank you for the groans.

Mark 2, verse 3-5. Keep your place in Matthew 9. Mark 2, verse 3. Then they came to him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. See? We've got much more detail. And when they could not come near him because of the crowd— apparently Christ was in a house, and all the people were swarming around outdoors.

They couldn't get through with this paralytic man. And when they could not come near him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was, perhaps pulling aside the tile or actually digging through the material of the roof. And that'd be a pretty big hole to lower this man.

So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, son, your sins are forgiven you. Now that we have more details about the incident, I think we have a better understanding of why Jesus maybe said, Be of good cheer here. I imagine that the paralytic man may have been a bit worried that Jesus might not have welcomed his most unusual entrance. I don't know whose house this was. I can imagine there were people standing nearby that were very upset for what they saw happening.

And perhaps that could have worried this man. It's not in the Scripture, but I wonder. I wonder. Perhaps he was a little bit nervous about what Christ would say. But the man's fears were allayed when Jesus said to him, Like the Father to his Son, Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you. A little more detail there, I think, is helpful for us. Okay, let's look back to Matthew 9. This time we're going to look at verses 20-22. Matthew 9 verses 20-22. The same word is going to be used again by Christ. Verse 20, Matthew 9.

And suddenly a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of his garment. For she said to herself, If only I may touch his garment, I shall be made well. But when Jesus turned around and when he saw her, he said, Be of good cheer, daughter, your faith has made you well. And the woman was made well from that hour.

But again, Mark has the same account but with more details. Hold your place, and Matthew will be coming back to the book. But this time, let's go to Mark 5 for Mark's account, more detailed account for the same incident. Mark 5 verses 30-34. Mark 5 verses 30-34. I'm going to jump in here where he's already noticed something. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that power had gone out of him, turned around in the crowd and said, Who touched my clothes?

But his disciples said to him, You see the multitude thronging you, and you say, Who touched me? I can imagine him thinking, this guy's crazy. What do you mean? Who touched you? Everybody's touching you. Of course, Jesus had one person in mind. He knew somebody there. Who touched my clothes? And you say, Who touched me? And he looked around to see her who had done this thing.

But the woman, notice, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction. When we put the two accounts together, we learned that this poor, this afflicted woman, who had just felt her body undergo this miraculous healing, I wonder what that felt like. Was so terribly afraid, and the Greek word here is phobia, when we get the word phobia, kind of a terror almost, that she literally shook with fear.

But like the father to a daughter, he tells her not to fear, and he said, Be of good cheer. Your faith has made you well. The details lend a little more reasons to why he was saying, Be of good cheer, I think. Now let's turn back to Matthew, Matthew 14, the third account of Christ using this phrase, Be of good cheer.

What can we see? What can we learn? He uses the same expression a third time in Matthew 14, verse 24, through 27. Matthew 14, 24. We're in the middle of the sea. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea. These are the disciples crossing over the Sea of Galilee, Lake Ganesaret. Things look bad, and they're troubled. The boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary, boisterous.

Now in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went to them. He wasn't with them in the boat. He was back on shore somewhere. You probably remember the story. Jesus went to them, walking on the water, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It's a ghost! And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good cheer.

It is I. Do not be afraid. In this incident, again, we find people, the disciples here, were troubled, struck with dread when they saw what they thought was an apparition, a spirit. The English word here is ghost. That's how they translated it. They may have thought it was a demon or something. They all saw it. They knew it was something. It wasn't their imagination. And here they cried out in terror. This is another word, phobos, a variety of that same word we get phobia from. It's a terror they had. And immediately Jesus calmed their fears with that word, those words, Be of good cheer. Perhaps by now we see a pattern when we look at these three stories.

This is not we're shaking new doctrine or anything like that. But it's a piece of information, I think, gives us a little more understanding of this word, what Christ is doing, and what He's offering us when He says, Be of good cheer. Jesus said, Be of good cheer to encourage people to maintain confidence in God, to maintain their trust in Him. He reassured those who were fearful in practicing their faith, and also fearful in facing the great unknown.

He told them those words. We have trouble in fear of practicing our faith. We're certainly facing a lot of unknowns in the world we live in today. Notice also that Jesus was near them in each case. He is encouraging them through their fear, talking them out of it. Don't be fearful. And undoubtedly, that would have encouraged them even more, to even more acts of faith, of trust in God. He's not sending them an email. Be encouraged. He's right there by their side while it's happening. How wonderful.

For Christ, saying, Be of Good Cheer was not some casual or trite remark. He wasn't saying, Cheer up. Grant and Barrett know you're terrified, but it's okay. Just Grant. You'll get through it. I think he meant something more than just a casual trite remark. Be of Good Cheer should actually inspire us to write action, to more of the right action. To be of good cheer should reassure us when our faith is shaky. It should give us greater confidence in God.

And it should embolden us to even greater acts of faith. Why be of good cheer? Because Jesus Christ has overcome and conquered the world. He has made available to us salvation, and through God's Holy Spirit, He is with us and in us to encourage us, and reassure us in doing acts of faithful obedience. That allows us to overcome more and more, and to receive more and more of His Father's blessings. Those blessings we saw in Revelation are awaiting us in the Kingdom of God. So yes, the world has been, and always will be, a very challenging place for followers of Christ to live.

It's bad English, but it ain't easy. It ain't easy following Christ. But we should be encouraged and confident, knowing He's right here with us and even in us. We must resist the ways of the world, but we cannot defeat the world, no matter what it throws at us. We have the latest version in our society now, the latest rebellion and disobedience.

Who knows what we'll be facing one year or five years from now? Something probably more outrageous and rebellious against God. We can't face that on our own, but we know what we can do. We must humbly obey God, be relentless in our submission to Him, live a life of repentance to sin, obey God, no matter the obstacle or challenge, no matter that it might be something new we're having to learn, a world of fearful and nervous about doing that.

Whatever it is we need to do, we need to do it with courage and confidence and good cheer. When we place our confidence and trust in God, who has already conquered the world, we can be certain to overcome the world as victors in Christ and with Christ, worthy of receiving all those rewards we read about in the book of Revelation for those who overcome. So, brethren, for all of us here, let's all be of good cheer, and let's be overcomers with God's help.