This World Needs Jesus: A Sermon on John 16:33

Introduction

This world needs Jesus. That's what God put on my heart. And then there were different verses and different passages that he was taking me to, but the one he landed me on was from John 16 verse 33. And if and what I encourage you to do today when you go home is read through all of John 16 and flip back to John 14. And we're going to speak about other parts of John 16 today. But to springboard us into this message about the fact that this world needs Jesus, we're going to go to John chapter 16, and we're just going to read one verse, verse 33.

Reading the Scripture

Hey, I invite anybody that would like and that's able to stand with me in honor of the reading of the word of God there in the Gospel of John 16 verse 33. The word of God says, "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."

Lord Jesus, thank you for your word. Thank you for the comfort that we can get when we pour into your word. Thank you for your promise of peace, God. And God, we just thank you and we praise you that we know you have overcome the world. And not only can we have peace in that, but we can have victory in that. And Lord Jesus, today as we continue to worship you, God, I pray if there's one here today, if there's one listening that needs a relationship with Jesus, God, I pray today would be the day that they make the greatest decision of their life and they place their full faith and trust in you, Jesus, as Lord and Savior. God, we love you. Use this time for worship, for your honor, and for your glory. It's in Jesus' name we pray. All God's people said, amen. Amen. Thank you.

Recent Events Highlighting the Need for Jesus

This world needs Jesus. You know, in recent days, probably everybody or nearly everybody saw and heard about the things that I saw and heard about. You know, we heard about a young lady who was brutally murdered on public transportation with people all around. We even saw some of us even saw the video, and it just happened a few hours down the road, and it didn't seem to me like anybody even tried to help. This world needs Jesus.

We heard about another school shooting. There had been one probably two weeks before that. How can someone get to the point that they go into a school and shoot kids or shoot adults? This world needs Jesus.

And Wednesday, the news that I would think everybody heard, Charlie Kirk was assassinated. Not many moments before he was assassinated, he was preaching Jesus. That's right. That's right. But to see that video and to see the way he was shot and his life was taken from him while being out at a university just speaking and debating and sharing Jesus and speaking the truth of the Bible. To just think about how that awful wicked thing that happened of somebody to be that overtaken by the enemy that they'd shoot and kill this man who's a husband and a father. This world needs Jesus.

That's overwhelmingly what God put on my heart is that this world needs Jesus. You know, there's a lot of reasons that this world needs Jesus. I'm going to get to John 16 in a minute, but one thing I just think about why this world needs Jesus.

Sin and Ungodliness Without Jesus

This world needs Jesus because without Jesus, our sinful nature that we've all got, it will lead us to sin and ungodliness and even wickedness. This world needs Jesus because without Jesus, this world's going to get more and more and more ungodly really, really, really quick.

We're seeing a lot of ungodly. We saw we saw ungodliness this week in the public eye. We saw wickedness this week in the public eye. And this is the thing. We all agree on this. I believe we don't all agree on everything, but I believe we all agree on this. We are all sinners. I believe whether somebody believes in the Lord or not, I think everybody's got to know they've messed up.

The Bible says we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Praise God though for his mercy and his grace. Right? Praise God that God is so full of grace, so full of mercy that he will forgive a sinner like me. He will forgive a sinner like you when you simply place your full faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior.

God is so good to make a way for sinners like you and me to be forgiven. God is so good that he sent his son Jesus Christ down from heaven born of a virgin to suffer to die and rise on the third day so that we could be forgiven of sins. Yes, sir.

And you know when we have trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Bible lets us know the Holy Spirit indwells inside of us. In fact, in John 16, the verse we read today, and in John 14, much of those chapters speaks about the Holy Spirit, you can't have the Holy Spirit inside of you unless you've trusted in Jesus.

When we have trusted in Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit inside of us and he helps us. Although we're still flesh, and although we don't do things perfectly as a Christian, we don't. We fall short still. But when we've truly been saved, we're changed. We're made new. And with the power of the Holy Spirit and the help of the Holy Spirit, we're helped to live more for Jesus, to not give in to the same level of sin and ungodliness. But if we haven't trusted in Jesus, oh man, our sin nature is going to come out.

This world needs Jesus because we're sinners. And if we don't have Jesus, boy, are we going to get real ungodly really, really quick. Amen. That's right.

The Bible, Genesis 6, before the flood came, do you remember what God said he saw in mankind other than Noah who found grace with God? Mankind were wicked. They were sinful. It was so ungodly.

And you know, in the Bible, the Bible speaks in the New Testament in Second Thessalonians, it talks about the day of the Lord won't come to pass until the falling away. There's going to come a day and age when the church is taken up. And when the church is gone and believers are gone, you talk about it getting real ungodly. But that idea of the falling away, there's also a picture in the Bible of the world getting more and more ungodly.

In 2 Timothy 3, I don't know who's read there recently, but it talks about the last days. 2 Timothy 3, beginning in verse one, says, "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come." Then watch what it says. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

I don't know about y'all, but we see a lot of that going on today. If many of you been around many years, you've seen the world get more ungodly. Amen. And guys, if we don't have Jesus, our sinful nature real quick is going to lead to sin and to ungodliness and to wickedness.

This world needs Jesus because we're sinners and we need help to not give into our sinful nature. You know the things we saw this week, they were of the enemy. They were evil. They were not of God.

This world needs Jesus so that we can help to be walking in a manner that honors God and not living in sin.

Life on Earth is Hard

I tell you what else this world, it needs Jesus because life on this earth is hard. Can I get an amen? Is life ever hard for you? This life is difficult.

And what John 16 where we read from verse 33, what does the Lord say? He says this to his disciples. He says in this world you will have tribulation. It's not you might have tribulation. It's not you might have troubles. You will. In this world, you will have tribulation.

We're going to have troubles on this earth. Who in here has Is there anybody that's never had troubles on this earth? Who in here has ever had troubles? Who in here thinks like they got some hard things going on right now?

This world is hard. And that's one reason we need Jesus. Amen. I don't know about y'all, but I can't do it on my own. I need the Lord. I need the Lord every day. Every day, I have to get up and take time with God cuz I need Jesus. I'm not that strong in my own.

This world needs Jesus cuz this world is hard. You know, this week I don't know how everybody felt. I just know what I heard from people and I know what I felt. It was hard for me. Do anybody else have a hard week? It was hard. It was hard to see the wickedness that we were seeing and the evil.

And Greenley was talking to us one day and she's in there with Raquel, I think, teaching children's church right now. They just taught youth, too, by the way. Help us out if you can help with children's church. Those two 18-year-olds are teaching two Bible studies today. We could probably get some adults to help them so they can get in church and not have to teach twice a row, but they love it. So, if you can help, help.

But you know what she was saying? I think why a lot of us are hurting so bad is because we lost a brother in Christ. You know, I don't know how everybody feels. I mean, on Charlie Kirk, but me, what I saw in that guy was somebody that boldly preached Jesus.

I'd heard him a lot of times for a lot of years. And man, he'd go on college campuses and he would share the gospel. You know what I loved? When he shared it, I could tell he had shared it a lot of times because he had the Romans road memorized. He had all kinds of verses memorized.

Church, we need to get fired up. We need to know the gospel and be able to tell people about Jesus. This world needs Jesus, man. When he would share the gospel, it was obvious he had done it probably thousands and thousands and thousands of times. Are you that comfortable sharing the gospel?

This world needs Jesus because, man, this world is hard. Jesus says in this world you will have tribulation. That word tribulation means trouble or great suffering.

And Jesus in the context of that passage, he was speaking to his disciples. And if you go back to John 16 and you read it tonight, you'll see that in John 16, he was telling them that he's not going to be here much longer. Jesus knew he was going to suffer and Jesus knew he was going to die and Jesus knew this would be sorrowful for his disciples. Jesus knew they would be sad and this would be a trial for them in their life.

It says in John 16 verse 16 it says a little while and you will see me no longer. He was talking about the fact that he knew he was going to hang on that cross and he knew he was going to die and he knew on this earth they would not see him much longer.

And then in 16:20 says, "Truly, truly I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice." What a sad thing when somebody rejoices over someone being killed. And when Jesus was killed, there were people rejoicing.

Jesus knew that they would have troubles coming up. And it goes on to say in John 15, he says to them, "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you." Jesus knew his disciples would be persecuted. He knew his disciples would suffer. He knew some of his disciples would die for preaching Jesus for sharing the gospel.

And you know, when I when I think about what the Lord said, in this world, you will have tribulation. One thing I'm reminded of is that I believe we're told too is in this world we are going to have hard times. We will have difficulties. Every one of us will endure trials. Every one of us will endure difficulties.

And there's a lot of reasons this life is so hard. I tell you when I think about this week, one reason this life can be hard is because there is sin. There is evil. That's right. There is wickedness. And that sin and that evil and that wickedness can affect any one of us.

When I think about what happened to that young girl that was from Ukraine, I can't imagine what that's got to be like for her family. I can't imagine what it's got to be like to know if her mom or her parents or her relatives saw that how hard and that all happened because of evil, because of wickedness.

You know, when I think about things that have happened for many years now as school shootings, I can't imagine the trauma that would put parents through and and even kids through that make it through it. That sin and that wickedness it causes pain to people.

Sin has consequences but it also has it it has ripples. Your sin, my sin, others sin can ripple very far and hurt people.

So, one reason this life is hard is because we live in a fallen world, where there is sin, like we saw this week. Like where there is evil, where there is wickedness, and we need Jesus because this life is hard.

The Enemy and Spiritual Attacks

I tell you another reason life can be hard is because we have an enemy. The devil doesn't like people serving God. Does that mean we stop serving God? No. We serve him even more.

We get bolder even more. Did you hear what the disciples you remember Peter and the disciples when the Sanhedrin were surrounding them and they told him you don't need to speak about Jesus. You're not allowed to speak about Jesus. And meanwhile, the Sanhedrin was like the Supreme Court of the land. They had the power to kill them.

What did Peter say? We ought to obey God rather than man. No, you don't step down when there's persecution. You don't step down when you see evil. You keep preaching Jesus because this world needs Jesus.

Sometimes hurt and pain can come in our lives because of the enemy. You know, Charlie Kirk, he preached Jesus. He shared the gospel. I honestly think overwhelmingly that's what he cared about more than anything, having this platform to be able to share the gospel. And I love it.

But I'm ironing my clothes today, my shirt, and I'm hearing one of his the ladies that was friends with his family and she is preaching Jesus on the news right now.

You know what? One thing I love about how God can use something so hurtful and so painful and he can use it to advance the gospel. So many people have heard the gospel this week because of this. It doesn't take away the pain, but God can use the pain for his glory.

And I heard of so many people from all over saying they're getting back in church. And today we got a lot of visitors. But this world needs Jesus because life is hard.

But I don't think the enemy likes it when we're bold for Jesus. And Charlie Kirk was bold for Jesus. And he would boldly share the gospel. And when I heard him speaking about different topics of the day, more times than not, I heard him go into the word of God to explain why he believed what he believed.

Do you think the enemy likes that when we're bold for the Lord? No. No. So, one reason we go through hard things is because we have an enemy.

But you know what? Remember this. The enemy is strong. I've been under attack. The enemy is powerful. But God is more powerful. The enemy got kicked out of heaven cuz he tried to go against God. But he tries to wreak havoc on this earth.

You know, one thing that we need to remember is that we can go through hard times because of the enemy. Hey, have you ever been under attack from the enemy? We got to be on guard. We need to be fueled up with the word of God, ready to fight back with fighting scriptures.

Do you have fighting verses? We got to fight back with the word of God. When Jesus was under attack in the desert for those 40 days, he didn't just come back with anything. He came back with the word of God.

The enemy tried to give him partial truths from the word of God that weren't the full truth that were bits and pieces of scripture trying to tell lies because the enemy is a liar. But Jesus fought back with the full truth of the word of God.

We have an enemy and we've got to fight back with the word of God and with prayer. I certainly have been under attack. And you know what? It happened when God was calling me to preach that. The enemy doesn't like it when you're serving God.

But praise God, God healed me. God had my wife help me. And God healed me. Listen, I remember I was in the darkest of darkest of darkest of times. I would not wish that pain and darkness on anybody. Right after entering the car. Right after spiritual attack.

But God is stronger. I couldn't get myself out of that. I never experienced a darkness and a depression in my life like that. And I could not lift myself out. I was done. I thought I had no hope.

But there's always hope with Jesus. There's always hope with the Lord. So that's another reason we go through hard things in life because we have an enemy.

Everyday Hardships

And finally, there's just things that come up in life that are hard. You know, it's hard when you see your children going through something difficult. It's hard when you see something going on with your marriage. It's hard when you see something going on with someone you care about, with health, with sickness, with death.

And you know, this world needs Jesus cuz this life is hard. Is anybody else like me where they know they need Jesus?

When I think about what happened this week that we saw and I think about how difficult life can be, I'm just reminded the world needs Jesus so we can have peace.

Finding Peace in Jesus

Watch how the scripture opens up that we read today. John, the very first words of John 16:33, it says, "The Lord says, 'These things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace.'"

Jesus was telling his disciples, "I'm sharing this with you so you know it's coming, but you can also know in me you can have peace." Jesus tells us many places. There's different places in the word of God where we're told we can have peace in him.

We can have peace in Jesus. No matter our trials, no matter our troubles, no matter our difficulties, we can have peace in Jesus. Do you ever struggle to have peace? It can be hard.

And you know what is so our human nature can be to gravitate to sin to try to get rid of the pain we've got, the hurt we've got. But we're not going to get peace from the world. We're only going to get peace from the Lord.

Our human nature can say, "I'm going to go down a bottle of liquor to try to get peace." But we're not going to get peace by getting drunk in our sorrows. We might say, "It'll make me feel better for a minute. I'll forget the pain, but the pain won't go away. And then you'll try to get it tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day, and the pain will only get greater."

We don't get peace by going to things of this world. People will tend to go to pills or to drugs or to alcohol or to smoking and all this stuff. But you know what the Bible says? Your body is a temple. The spirit of God dwells inside of us.

First, we're not honoring our body. Second, we're not at our best for the Lord if we're having that. And third, it's not going to give us peace. It's going to lead to pain.

I remember back in my when I was getting drunk every weekend back in college and everything, just having this feeling of I am not fulfilled and I didn't have peace. It got it brought sadness to me.

People get addicted. They become alcoholics. They become addicted to drugs. It wreaks havoc on the family, on marriages, on parenting with their kids. All kinds of things. Things of this world won't give us peace, but the Lord will give you peace.

We need Jesus if we want to have peace on this earth. People who go to sexual immorality or ungodliness, sleeping around and all this sexual immorality, that's not who you're meant to be. And that's not going to give you peace. That's going to bring heartache and sin and sadness.

We get peace from Jesus. This world needs Jesus so we can have peace. I love this verse. Many of you know it. John, just two chapters back. If you flip two chapters back to John 14:27, Jesus, watch what it says. "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

No matter what we've got going on, what we've seen in the world, if we've been struggling with peace, what we've got going on in our life, anxiety, depression, problems with life, finances, whatever it is, we don't get our peace from the world. We get our peace from Jesus.

If you're struggling today, if you're burdened today, if you're hurting today, go to the Lord. Again, this verse opens up. "These things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace."

We think about all the troubles we've got going on. The way we're going to have peace is through Jesus. And sometimes we might be saying, "Well, how can Jesus give me peace?"

Well, first I want to tell you this. The Bible is the authoritative word of God. It is the inspired word of God. And we just read two verses where it talks about the Lord says he gives us peace.

Isaiah it says you will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you. First we just know it from the truth of the word of God.

But I'll tell you what else how we know the Lord gives us peace. Just when you've given your life to Jesus just commit yourself to fellowship with the Lord. And I believe with every fiber in me, if you do, God is going to give you peace.

That doesn't mean circumstances will all just change. Sometimes we have to endure things, but God gets us through. Now, God can he can move that mountain. He can move whatever that mountain is in your life. God can do anything.

But when we when we are in fellowship with the Lord, when we're spending time with Jesus, taking time to be in the word daily, man, just reading the word of God quietly, you and God, God can give you peace. Even if nothing changes in your life that you're going through, just taking time to pray, having that discipline of prayer in your life, you and God, it'll bless you.

We get peace from having fellowship with the Lord. And I tell you what else, we get peace through the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of us.

Watch what this chapter John 16:7. We read from verse 33. But look back at verse 7. John 16:7. The Lord says this. "It is to your advantage that I go away." He's talking about how he's going to die to his disciples. "For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him to you."

And we know from John 14, if you flip back there, the helper is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, one word for the Holy Spirit is the helper. We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. We have God living inside of us.

We still have flesh. We got to feed the God inside of us, but we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. And he gives us help. He teaches us the truth. He guides us. He directs us. It says in somewhere in John 16, maybe verse 8, he'll convict the world of sin.

The Holy Spirit convicts us. That's why we're helped to live more for Jesus because the Holy Spirit convicts us and the Holy Spirit comforts us and the Holy Spirit gives us peace.

So that's another way that we get peace is through the power of the Holy Spirit. But the way we have we get the Holy Spirit is by trusting in Jesus, by being born again, by being saved. When we've given our life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us.

Eternal Peace Through Jesus

Hey, when I overwhelmingly thinking about troubling times like we're in, hard times like we're in, and when I think about how do we have peace in Jesus, more than anything, I think about the fact that not only can we have peace on this earth, but we can have peace knowing what's to come in eternity in heaven.

That gives you ever heard that phrase or that song, it is well with my soul. No matter what's going on, it is well with my soul because I know I have called on Jesus and I know this earth is not my home.

Like the Bible says, our citizenship is in heaven. And I know no matter what, I'm going to be with Jesus. When we have trusted in Jesus, when it comes time that we pass, the Bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

We can have peace if we're a believer in Jesus because we've trusted in Jesus and we know what the gospel promises that when we we'll spend eternity in heaven. Where it says eye has not seen the Bible does nor ear heard nor have entered in the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those that love him. We can't even imagine.

Jesus is the Only Way

I just couple last things I want to say. This world needs Jesus because Jesus is the only way to heaven. When we see this sinfulness, this wickedness, this evil, it's a reminder that this world needs Jesus and it's the only Jesus is the only way to heaven.

You know, we we've seen a lot of sin. We've seen a lot of wickedness. But something to remember is this. Every one of us are sinners. Every one of us falls short of the glory of God. Every single person.

And the Bible says the wages of sin is death. But it goes on to say, "But the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

You see, God made a way for me. God made a way for you. God made a way for you that even though you are a sinner and even though we don't deserve heaven, but God is so full of grace. He made a way for us to get to heaven. But there's only one way.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the father except through me." I remember looking at Crystal before I was saved saying, "You're so close-minded. You think Jesus is the only way?" And she quoted that scripture.

And I think at that time I got mad, but praise God, she was being faithful to share the truth with me. It's not always easy sharing the truth. But Jesus is the only way.

Hey, God made one way for us to be physically born into this world. We come in our mother's womb, don't we? And God made one way for us to be born again. And God made one way for us to be born again so that we can enter into heaven.

And he made that way by sending his son, Jesus Christ. Jesus hung on that cross. He allowed them to nail him to that cross after being beaten, unrecognizable, the Bible says. And he died.

And he did that because he knew his sinless perfect sacrifice as God in the flesh was the only perfect sacrifice that could be made for you and I for all of eternity. God made a way, but there's only one way.

And this world needs Jesus more than anything because the only way we'll be forgiven of sins. And the only way we'll be made right in his eyes is by trusting fully in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Call to Action: Share Jesus Boldly

And hey, just to close, this world needs Jesus. As born again believers, let's make sure, let's be absolutely certain that we show the love of Jesus to this world and that we tell this world about Jesus.

One takeaway I had cuz I had watched Charlie Kirk a lot of times. He preached the gospel. He shared the gospel a lot. No matter how you feel, some people might feel this way or feel that way. He boldly shared the gospel boldly in the midst of people coming at him. Amen.

He boldly shared the gospel and he boldly spoke the truth of the word of God. But when I think about that, I just think about how bolder am I being? How bold are you being?

We've got to We don't know. We could be gone like that. I'm sure Charlie Kirk didn't think he was going to die that day. I'm sure his wife didn't think he was going to die that day.

We don't know what a day holds. We don't know when it will be our last moment. We don't. These bodies are not incorruptible on earth. We get to heaven, we'll get a new body. It'll be incorruptible. But right now, they're not.

We don't know what a day holds. We got to redeem the time, believers. If you're a believer, if you're saved, if you're washed by the blood of Jesus, let's be bold for Jesus because this world desperately needs Jesus.

And no matter how sinful, no matter how awful somebody is, we need to bring Jesus to them because we are also sinners and somebody brought Jesus to us. We got to bring Jesus. We got to share Jesus.

We got to be unashamed like Paul says under the inspiration of God. Romans 1:16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

How will this lost world hear about Jesus if as believers we're not telling them?