PowerPoint

Jack Graham: Are you in tribulation right now? Are you under pressure right now? It may be your marriage. You're having a financial problem. You may have chronic pain and illness. All this, every tear will be dried. It's all passing away.

Guest (Male): On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about overcoming our trials and tribulations. Now, here's Dr. Graham with his message, Triumphant Joy and Supernatural Peace.

Jack Graham: Take your Bibles and turn with me to John's Gospel, the 16th chapter. John's Gospel, the 16th chapter. You could call the Bible the Book of Peace, Shalom. Primarily the word peace, Shalom, Shalom, the Hebrew word which appears over 600 times in the Bible or a derivative or its New Testament counterpart for peace, eirene. But peace is a prominent feature of the Bible. In fact, you could say it is the message of the Bible.

How can a person have peace with God? How can we know peace with God and how can we experience the peace of God, something deep within? How do we find peace? And when we find it, it seems to be so elusive. When we find it, how can we keep it? This Shalom.

The scripture says we are comforted by the God of all comfort, and with the comfort that we are comforted, the peace that we have, we comfort others. We comfort others. So again, Shalom is a constant theme of the Bible and in the teachings of Jesus. He speaks of this peace often throughout the Gospels and then it is repeated again and again by the Gospel writers. Peace, genuine peace, peace that lasts.

Now let me remind you in this series, the Christ-centered life, we have been with Jesus in the upper room. And he brings a message to his chosen, his disciples, and it's a message that is delivered to us by God's spirit today. And so he is finished the Passover meal with the disciples and there in the upper room, he institutes the Lord's supper.

And so having finished the meal, they sang a hymn. Can you imagine on the night that was so dark, on the way to the cross, Jesus must have led them in a hymn because he gives songs in the night. And so they sang and then they went out into the night and Jesus begins talking to them on the road, the road to the cross, the road to Calvary.

And in the end in chapter 16 and verse 33, he finishes this message with the disciples, this conversation, and in effect, the words of John 16:33 is a summation and the climax of everything he's been saying in the upper room and onward about this Christ-centered life. In fact, you could even say that John 16:33 is a summation of the message of the Bible.

And we're going to take a look at this verse today because I believe that if you will understand it and receive this peace that God has promised us, that you will live in triumphant joy and with supernatural peace. Sound good? Triumphant joy and supernatural peace. What does Jesus say verse 33? "These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have Shalom." He would have said Shalom, Hebrew, or even its derivative in Aramaic.

"And then in this world you will have tribulation." Pressure, stress, crushing weight. "But be of good cheer. Be courageous. I have overcome the world." Of all the exceeding and precious promises of the Bible, this is a powerful and most precious one. Peace, peace in Christ. This is our message according to the Book of Acts chapter 10 and verse 36, the good news of peace through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is our message. This is the message that we deliver constantly. Peace delivered in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so Jesus speaks this timeless, triumphant text and again, it's a summary of everything, it's a compilation in this one verse of all that he's been saying. It's the conclusion.

He doesn't promise an easy road or exemption, quite to the contrary, exemption from trials, quite to the contrary. He says you're going to have trouble in this world. The suffering is real. Jesus knew that. He's on his way to the Garden of Gethsemane. He would sweat drops of blood in pain and suffering and then die in agony and blood upon the cross. He knew suffering.

But he earlier said to those disciples, "Your sorrow, your suffering will be turned to joy because he offers something greater than the tribulation of the world and that is this triumphant joy and this supernatural peace." It's not a peace that the world gives, nor can the world take it away. Jesus said, "This is my peace." It's not a peace that depends upon circumstances or successes or pleasures.

It's not a peace, the flimsy, fleeting peace of just the absence of conflict. How many peace treaties have we signed in the world only to be broken? How many times have we tried to make peace in our own personal lives only to see it fall apart? No, Jesus says this is something more. This is a living peace, a lasting peace. It's the Shalom of God which in reality means wholeness, completeness, a deep contentment inside.

It is resting in the undefeatable truth that Jesus has overcome those things that may threaten to overcome us. That's the peace. Not the absence of problems, but the presence of the savior, the presence of the one who overcomes. Christ's victory on the cross, in the resurrection, this is our peace.

So how does this work and how do we have it? How do we find peace and keep the peace? Well, remember this: peace comes from the words of Christ. For he says in verse 33, "These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace." Peace, God's peace, is always vitally connected to God's word. "These things have I spoken unto you that in me you may have peace."

And not only the words of Jesus in the upper room and that night on the way to the garden, to the cross, but all the words of God's word. The world, the world is constantly changing. But God's word never changes. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

And so Jesus says these words, this word, this book, this is the voice of God speaking to you by his spirit, bringing peace because he has overcome the world. Peace that is sustainable, peace that is strengthened by his presence through his word. When we open God's word, we open up our lives as Christians to hear directly from God. If you want to know, does God speak? Yes, God speaks. He has spoken and his word is truth.

Peace is promised and it is also personal. Notice that Jesus said, "These words that I have spoken, that I've spoken unto you, that in me, in me, you may have peace." You see, peace is a person. It's not some kind of process. It's not a prescription. It's not a pep talk. Peace is a person and that person is the Prince of Peace.

"His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace." When Jesus came to this earth, the angel announced good tidings, good news of great joy that will be to all people. Peace on earth. You say, well, there is no yet peace on earth. Oh, there will be, but until then, it is peace to all men of grace, all men of goodwill who've received his grace. It is his word that brings us the presence and the power by his spirit of his peace.

Isaiah 26:3, a favorite promise of peace, and that is, "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you for his soul trusts in you." And so in God's word, we turn our worries around. The triggers in our lives are then they become triumphant because it is here in God's word that we meet Jesus. Do you live in worry or do you live in the word? Jesus will meet you here every time you open God's word.

So Jesus said, "These words I have spoken to you." This is why we're always saying, "Get into your Bible and get the Bible into you. Get into the word of God and get the God of the word in your life. God speaks."

Guest (Male): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message Triumphant Joy and Supernatural Peace. Did you know that you can join Dr. Graham for his daily devotion? It's a study of God's word that will help you grow in your faith, encourage you in your walk with Christ, and show you how to navigate through the challenges of life. To sign up, text DEVO to 59789 and begin receiving Dr. Graham's devotional every day. Again, text DEVO to 59789.

We want to tell you about an exciting opportunity available this month. Right now, every gift you give to PowerPoint Ministries will be doubled through a generous $150,000 matching grant, helping reach even more people with the hope and truth of Jesus Christ. Every day, people burdened by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are discovering the peace found in God's word through this ministry.

Your support helps make that possible. As our thanks for your gift of $10 or more, we'll send you Dr. Graham's brand new book, The Lord Is My Shepherd. Text SEPTEMBER to 59789 to have your gift doubled and receive your copy today. Again, text SEPTEMBER to 59789. Now, let's get back to today's message, Triumphant Joy and Supernatural Peace.

Jack Graham: But then secondly, trouble is certain but temporary. As it's said many times in the Old Testament, "it came to pass." And so trouble comes and trouble goes and for the Christian, it's different because Jesus has promised, oh yes, there's going to be pain in this world. No one is promised a pain-free life.

And though someone may tell you that when you come to Jesus, it's all going to be great, it's all going to be wonderful, that's not what Jesus said. Jesus said in this world there's going to be tribulation. Our faith is not exempt from problems but gives us strength to endure the problems and the peace that goes with it. The world brings us pressure but Christ brings us perspective and wisdom. Trouble is here today, but then ultimately it goes.

And you may find yourself in the middle of tribulation right now. Trouble is not God's absence but it is the promise and the potential to experience his peace at a whole another level. So are you in tribulation right now? Are you under pressure right now? It may be your marriage is in trouble, that's a lot of pressure.

Your family, your kids are getting sucked in by the world. You're having a financial problem, there's a crisis in your life with your career. You may have chronic pain and illness that you're dealing with. You may have cancer or heart disease. In this world, you will have tribulation.

But it didn't come to stay, it came to pass. And ultimately all this, every tear will be dried, it's all passing away. This is why you want to stay centered in Christ. This is why you want to make sure that Jesus is in his rightful place of preeminence in your life because whatever life throws at us, and life can be cruel, whatever happens—circumstances, accidents, problems, pressures—and there's fear and there's pain, and yet Jesus said, this is his promise, this is the Shalom of God, that regardless of the circumstances, "my peace I give to you."

The world gives you trouble. This world is a broken world. It is cursed by the consequences and the effect and the impact of sin. We live in this world. As long as we are in this world, we are subject to temptation, we are subject to test, we are subject to trials. It's going to happen. Jesus said that: in the world, tribulation. But he said, in me, peace.

And then Christ's victory is our confidence therefore. Christ's victory, his triumph is our triumph. He said, "I have overcome the world." Therefore be of good cheer. "Take heart" is another way of saying it here. Be courageous, take heart, don't lose your heart. Be calm.

Be courageous and believe it or not, be cheerful, be joyful in the midst of this. How is this possible? Because Christ has overcome the world. He said, "I will, I have overcome," not will. He said, "I have overcome the world." He's looking at the cross, he's looking at his own death, a terrible death of crucifixion. He's about to sweat blood and yet he said, "I've overcome the world."

And because he has overcome the world, he said you will overcome the world. His victory is complete. What is that victory? It is the victory of the cross, the victory of his death for our death. It is the victory of the resurrection. When Christ died on the cross, he defeated sin, sorrow, suffering, death, and hell. It's already done.

You say, well, it's all still around. Yet everything that is over you, Christ is over that. His victory is complete. Here's what we mean by that: 2 Corinthians 2:14, we are always triumphing in Jesus Christ. It's victory, victory, and more victory. It is victory in Jesus and his triumph then becomes our testimony that because Christ has won, we win.

His victory is our victory. In the Book of Revelation describing those martyred for their faith, Revelation 12:11, "they overcame him, Satan and the power of evil, they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony." And they loved not their lives even unto death. They were willing to lay their lives on the line in full commitment. Therefore they are the overcomers.

No wonder Jesus said this will bring you continual, conspicuous, contagious joy in your life. Be of good cheer. I mean, this is not a grin-and-bear-it kind of thing. It's a grace-and-bear-it because God gives grace with his peace. You know, there's certain orders in the scripture that are constant. For example, the Bible says believe in the New Testament and be baptized.

It's never reversed. It's always believe first and then be baptized. If you're baptized before you believe, you didn't get baptized, you just got dunked in water or sprinkled or something. It's believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. And then be baptized. It's that order, always.

Another one is repentance and faith. In the scripture it's not faith and repentance. Now faith and repentance are really two sides of the same coin, you can't believe without repenting, you can't repent without believing. But in the scripture it's always repent and believe. Jesus said unless you repent, you will perish.

And then there's another order that is irrevocable and you know what it is? Grace and peace. You see it that way every single time. Because there's no peace apart from the grace of God, the gift of God. Grace means gift essentially. And so when you experience God's grace, you receive God's peace.

And now you have peace with God. We are justified, made righteous, and therefore we have peace with God. And not only do we therefore then have peace with God, but we have the peace of God. What Paul talked about in Philippians chapter 4 when he says that the peace of God which is beyond explanation, comprehension, understanding, the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And then he went on to say speaking of the God of peace who guides us, that God's peace, God himself, his peace will guide us. So listen to this: you've got the peace of God that will guard you and the God of peace who will guide you. You have him. Peace is not just a principle but a person. It is the supernatural, supernal, eternal peace that only God can give. It's Shalom.

And it's a result of what we are remembering today and every day, what Christ has done for us. His blood, his body that is broken, that is given for us. The first word out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus when he spoke with his disciples after the resurrection, you know what it is? You know what it is? He held up a nail-scarred hand and blessed them with this word: Shalom.

First word right out of the tomb to the disciples: Shalom. This is how we triumph in our trials and with our testimony. Jesus won and therefore so do you. He said, "I have overcome the world." So today if you're worried, if you're fearful, if you're fretful, if you're discouraged, if you're despondent, if you're dealing with problems that you can't explain or problems that you can't resolve, center your life on him.

Heads up. He said, "Take heart. Take heart. Be of good cheer. Because I have overcome the world, you have my peace." And oh yes, this isn't just a suggestion, it's a command. It's a promise, but with this promise is a command to keep. And so in obedience to our Lord, you see, it's an invitation to trust him.

That's what it is. It's an invitation to trust him. It's always about God's truth that brings trust and that's why Jesus says in verse 31, he's walking with these disciples and he says, "Do you believe now? Now do you believe?" That's the question every one of us must answer. Do you believe this? Now do you believe?

Let his word guard your heart, let his presence calm your fears, let his victory give you peace because Jesus is the Lord of peace. There's serenity in the Trinity. God is the God of peace, God the Father. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The Holy Spirit gives us the fruit of the spirit which is love and joy and what? Peace.

So stand tall. Get your head up, get your shoulders back, get your chin up. Don't—and take heart. Don't be despondent, don't be discouraged, Jesus says, because I win and you win. We still win. We keep winning because Christ has won the victory for us. Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord for you know your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Guest (Male): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message Triumphant Joy and Supernatural Peace. Right now, every gift you give to PowerPoint Ministries will be doubled through a generous $150,000 matching grant, helping reach even more people with the hope and truth of Jesus Christ.

Every day, people burdened by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are discovering the peace found in God's word through this ministry. Your support helps make that possible. As our thanks for your gift of $10 or more, we'll send you Dr. Graham's brand new book, The Lord Is My Shepherd.

Text SEPTEMBER to 59789 to have your gift doubled and receive your copy today. Again, text SEPTEMBER to 59789. Did you know that you can join Dr. Graham for his daily devotion? It's a study of God's word that will help you grow in your faith, encourage you in your walk with Christ, and show you how to navigate through the challenges of life.

To sign up, text DEVO to 59789 and begin receiving Dr. Graham's devotional every day. Again, text DEVO to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: What are you actually trusting to hold you together right now? Because most of us have a backup plan for peace. If the diagnosis comes back clean, we'll be at peace. If the relationship gets fixed, we'll be at peace. If the finances stabilize, we'll finally exhale. We've quietly built our peace on things that were never built to hold that kind of weight.

And that's exactly why it keeps collapsing. Circumstantial peace only lasts as long as the circumstances cooperate, and they rarely cooperate for long. Jesus wasn't offering his disciples better circumstances. Hours before his own execution, he offered them himself. That's the only peace sturdy enough to survive contact with real life.

So here's what I'd ask you to do this week. Name the thing you've quietly been waiting to resolve before you'll let yourself feel settled. Maybe it's a health scare. Maybe it's a kid who's wandering. Maybe it's just the low-grade anxiety that never fully lifts. Whatever it is, stop waiting for it to resolve before you receive peace.

Let peace come first. Let it come from him, not from the outcome. That's not denial, that's not pretending everything's fine when it isn't. It's the opposite. It's looking straight at what's hard and still standing steady because your peace was never resting on the hard thing being fixed. It was resting on a savior who already won.

So whatever you're carrying today, carry it with your head up. Not because the trouble isn't real, it is, but because it isn't the last word. He is. Take heart. He has already overcome.

Guest (Male): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift of $10 or more, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, The Lord Is My Shepherd. Just text SEPTEMBER to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about God's promise to provide, protect, and give peace. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.