Young People's Group

“BE OF GOOD CHEER, I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD”

by Pastor Mitch
March 27, 2015

Thanking God For A Prime Minister Who Overcame The Odds

Not every country would have had the privilege of having a PM like the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew. I am indeed thankful for the life work of our first Prime Minister. No secular leader has directly impacted our life in terms of our livelihood more than he has. My heart was grieved when I first heard about his passing away last Monday. I have come, through the years, to appreciate the extent of his work and his love for his fellow countrymen in Singapore. By surrounding himself with intelligent and wise people, and with sheer tenacity of spirit and brilliance, he led our nation from poverty to a thriving metropolis. The odds were stacked against him and his government and yet they overcame the near impossible for the sake of our country. I am thankful for his life and his extensive contributions to Singapore. But more than that, I thankful to God for bringing this man to our lives that we may be able to enjoy the peace and prosperity we have as a nation.

Following The Greatest Example Of One Who Overcame The World – The Lord Jesus

“And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 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.” 
John 16:32-33

On a greater exemplary scale, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the ultimate example of one who is an overcomer. Some of the last words taught by Jesus to His disciples are the above verses. He knew His hour to suffer on the cross was at hand. And His disciples would be made to scatter and He would be left all alone. And yet, His faith in God and His presence would remain strong. He steadfastly believed that He would not be left alone. He would be deeply conscious of His Father’s constant company. It was His closeness with God that would help Him overcome the challenges of the world. His faith in the presence of God would reign supreme. His final hours on earth would be His finest hour with reference to having faith in God. This was something that the disciples of Jesus had to learn too. As long as they were in the world, they were going to face tribulations as Jesus did. There were two things that they could have as they followed Him.

1. Finding Peace In The Lord Jesus And His Word

The Lord taught that His spoken word would bring about a lasting effect upon the disciples. They would be able to find peace in the sphere of the Lord Jesus. It was the Lord Jesus who would give them His kind of peace. The peace that He would give to His disciples is not like the world’s (John 14:27). It is a peace that comes from knowing the Lord’s word and relating to the Spirit of God. Young people, let’s also learn to find this peace in the Lord Jesus.

2. Facing Challenges With Faith, Courage And Joy

While the Lord’s disciples would face tribulations in the world, they would also be able to overcome them with faith, courage and joy. Disciples of the Lord Jesus are to be strong and of good courage because the Lord Jesus Himself had overcome the world. It had been prophesied that the Lord Jesus would come as a victorious ruler (Isaiah 9:6-7). When He came to this earth, He spoke of how He had indeed overcome the world. And the profound effect of this would also be on His disciples. As long as we follow Him, we too can overcome the world. John also wrote about how our faith can overcome the world in the text of 1 John 5:4-5. When we truly believe in Him and follow Him and His words, our faith would win the day. Let’s exercise faith, press on and seek to overcome all the challenges of life and ministry.

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