Victory over the World
Book of 1 John
5:1-12
We now know that
there are only two groups of people in the world.
1) There are the
children of God by salvation.
2) There are the
children of the Devil by open rebellion to God.
We know that all
mankind are created by a Holy God and mankind was created in
righteousness, in the image of God.
When sin entered the
world by Lucifer, the Devil, mankind became unrighteous because of
sin!
In chapter 3 of the
Book of Genesis we can see the entrance of sin into the world and
into the realm of humanity. These are the historical facts of two
righteous people who fell into sin.
Rom 5:12 Wherefore,
as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so
death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Rom 5:13 (For until
the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no
law.
Sin reigned until
the Messiah came:
Rom 5:20 Moreover
the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound:
Rom 5:21 That as
sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Just what is the
meaning the title Christ?
Christ is the
English translation of the Greek word Messiah.
Christ, the Messiah,
means the union of the Divine nature of God and the righteous nature
of the first Adam before sin entered into Adam.
These two natures,
the Divine and Human, came together in the person Jesus the Messiah
the Christ of God!
It was the Apostle
John who by the Holy Spirit gave us these words:
Joh 1:1 In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God.
Joh 1:14 And the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth.
Heb 2:14 Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also
himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15 And
deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage.
In our lesson today
we will talk about victory; "the victory of overcoming the
world".
The "world"
is described as that sinful nature that entered into the world by the
sin of Adam which was disobedience which brings an eternal separation
from God and death by eternal torment.
The "world"
then represents sinful mankind, those who do not know God.
Rom 1:20 For the
invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because
that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were
thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish
heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools,
It is only by faith
on Jesus the Messiah, that we have the power to overcome this sinful,
rebellious world of fools!
That word “fool”
may seem harsh, but the Bible says those who love the Lord are
"wise". The opposite of being wise is to be foolish!
We must be "Born
Again" into the righteous nature of God!
*****1Jn 5:1
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and
every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten
of him.
We could ask the
world, "why is it so hard to believe that Jesus is the Messiah"?
Every prophesy of the Messiah was fulfilled by that Jesus who was
born of the virgin Mary which took place in Bethlehem just as
prophesied!
Most everyone will
claim that they believe there is a God, who is also our Creator.
Those who believe we
are all accidents are not as many as the news would have you believe.
Those same people
who believe in evolution, that things just happen over millions and
billions of years by accident, now claim that mankind can do things
that can change that process. It really takes foolish people to
believe such things as these.
It is not so hard to
believe we have a Creator and that this same Creator loves and cares
for His creations.
This same Creator
has provided all the information we need to know everything about
Him, and that He has given us certain rules to make our lives easier
and make our lives better.
The more we know
about Him we will find that He is easy to love because He returns
that love hundred fold. In fact we do not have a clue to just how
much God does love us because His love cannot be measured.
When God says He
sent us a Messiah to take away our penalty for sin, then we had
better pay attention to what He says!
Joh 6:69 And we
believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living
God.
There are just a few
things that we must do to agree with Him.
1) We must believe
that Jesus is that true Messiah.
2) We must know and
keep His commandments. God's Word is not a book of suggestions!
3) We must overcome
this world but joining the Army of God.
*****1Jn 5:2 By
this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and
keep his commandments.
Again we see that if
we know the truth of God, then why would we not obey Him.
Wake up people, when
you know in your heart that there is a true God and refuse to listen
to what He says, then what does that say about our faith?
If you are not
convinced by what you see of God's creation in the daytime, then why
not stay up at night and see God's creation in the dark of night.
Rom 1:20 For the
invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
If everyone took the
time to read what God has to say, many more would agree that God is
real, and the real God is the same God written about in what we call
the Bible.
We will also come to
realize that the Lord Jesus Christ is the God of the Bible, with God
being in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit.
These are the three
persons that are Jehovah!
These things are not
that hard to understand once you know the truth.
It is the truth that
makes us free from the lies of this world!
Joh 8:32 And ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
It is a great
feeling to know the truth of God and rejecting the lies of this
world!
It is easy to love
all those who are your true brothers and sisters, once you know the
truth.
1Co_2:16 For who
hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we
have the mind of Christ.
Yes, we had a
physical birth to enter into this world! How can we deny a Spiritual
birth to enter into the realm of our Creator God?
We could say that no
one knows what happens at death, but that is not true because we can
have that Spiritual birth before we die and know much, much more
about what happens after our death!
We will live to die
and then die to live forever. This is God's promise if we will only
believe Him!
This is the work of
God's Messiah!
Eph 2:5 Even when
we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by
grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath
raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the
ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his
kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God:
When we believe
these things it is not so very hard to believe that God will have
some rules after He has given us such a wonderful gift.
His first and
greatest rule is, to love others and show that love that He has shown
to us!
All other rules will
come easy when we follow this one rule!
*****1Jn 5:3 For
this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his
commandments are not grievous.
Maybe the only sure
proof of our love for God is the fact that we do our very best to
keep His commandments!
Without our own love
for God, we will never be obedient to His words!
Our God is the
Creator of Life, and anything he teaches us concerns our own
longevity in real life which is the life that comes after our
physical death!
You would think that
once we meet the Expert of all life, that we would just trust what He
has to say about our life.
Those who are
without God live by the ignorance of foolish men, who are thought to
know the truth which for them is impossible.
There cannot be any
true believers who have hate within their hearts!
We live in a world
where hatred dominates the actions of governments, and dominates
those who walk up and down in our streets!
Anyone who has the
nature of God will have the love of God!
There are many
absolutely nice people in this world yet, if they cannot proclaim the
Lord Jesus Christ and be obedient to all the Word of God, they cannot
know the love of God!
It is only by Jesus
Christ that we can have victory over sin!
Rom 6:11 Likewise
reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto
God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 6:12 Let not
sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in
the lusts thereof.
Rom 6:13 Neither
yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but
yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and
your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom 6:14 For sin
shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but
under grace.
When we have victory
over sin, then and then only can we have victory over death!
Joh 5:24 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him
that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
We will also have
victory over God's judgment!
Rom 5:8 But God
commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9 Much more
then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through him.
Rom 5:10 For if,
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his
Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
One of the greatest
victories we will have is victory over fear and despair!
Joh 16:33 These
things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the
world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world.
And without a doubt,
we will have a sure victory over Satan!
Col 2:15 And having
spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly,
triumphing over them in it.
In fact there is
nothing in this world that can overcome the Saint of God!
And just so we are
clear, you can only become a Saint of God by accepting the Lord Jesus
Christ while you are still living!
*****1Jn 5:4 For
whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the
victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Faith, the one word
in the Bible that is the difference between being a child of God and
a child of the Devil.
Biblical faith is
that sincere belief of the heart and the mind in the promises of God!
All our salvation
and all our eternal being, rest in the promises of God!
All the truth to the
Church, rest in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ!
All our reality,
rest in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Jehovah, in His
threefold character of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit, has provided all the actions to give us a place to rest our
faith!
The hearty, cordial,
sincere, personal belief, in the blessed truth of God is called
"faith"!
Heb_11:1 Now faith
is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen.
Rom_1:17 For
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as
it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Rom_5:1 Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ:
Rom_10:17 So then
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
What is the reality
of our faith?
Eph 2:5 Even when
we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by
grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath
raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the
ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his
kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of
works, lest any man should boast.
Without faith we can
have no relationship with Jehovah!
Heb 11:6 But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to
God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him.
Without "faith"
in the works of the Lord Jesus Christ, we will remain slaves to this
world we live in.
*****1Jn 5:5 Who is
he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the
Son of God?
Our faith must say
that this Jesus, written about in all the Scriptures, is indeed, the
Son of God!
It is our faith that
will conquer all the lies of this world.
1Co 15:57 But
thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
1Co 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Jesus is the
Messiah, already came once, but will soon return to be the Jewish
Messiah!
*****1Jn 5:6 This
is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water
only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth
witness, because the Spirit is truth.
1Jn 5:7 For there
are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
1Jn 5:8 And there
are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and
the blood: and these three agree in one.
Since we are now
assured of our faith.
Since we are now
assured of our salvation.
Let us now be
assured about the true Messiah.
Let's us now see the
test of our Savior.
What is the witness
of the true Son of God?
There are those who
accept that Jesus was just a man full of the Word of God and full of
wisdom and goodness and that maybe even the Spirit of God fell
heavily upon Him, but this is far from the real truth.
Jesus Christ is all
these things, but He was also supernaturally born by the power of
God!
Was this Jesus the
promised Messiah from the Old Testament?
Was this Jesus the
true Savior of mankind?
Was this Jesus the
One sent from God?
Is this Jesus
without a doubt the true Son of God?
This Jesus was born
of the virgin Mary empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Luk 1:26 And in the
sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of
Galilee, named Nazareth,
Luk 1:27 To a
virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of
David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Luk 1:28 And the
angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly
favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luk 1:29 And when
she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind
what manner of salutation this should be.
Luk 1:30 And the
angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with
God.
Luk 1:31 And,
behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and
shalt call his name JESUS.
Luk 1:32 He shall
be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord
God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luk 1:33 And he
shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom
there shall be no end.
Luk 1:34 Then said
Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
Luk 1:35 And the
angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon
thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore
also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the
Son of God.
It is this same
Jesus born of the virgin Mary, who God Himself declared to be His
Son!
John the Baptist was
the forerunner of the Messiah and He had to know who the Messiah was:
Joh 1:15 John bare
witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He
that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
Joh 1:16 And of his
fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Joh 1:17 For the
law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
This is He that came
by water:
Mat 3:16 And Jesus,
when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo,
the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Mat 3:17 And lo a
voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.
Water is the emblem
of spiritual purification, the outward washing of the Lord.
The Holy Spirit
descending upon Jesus was the hand of God descending upon His Son!
It is only after
this incident in the life of the Messiah, that Jesus began His
ministry upon this earth, according to the Laws of Moses, that He
would be 30 years of age.
Num_4:47 From
thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that
came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden
in the tabernacle of the congregation,
The Messiah came not
only by the water but also by the blood.
It is also the death
of this Jesus that declared Him to be the Son of God!
It is by the death
of our Savior that our sins have been forgiven!
It was only by the
blood that the prophecies could be fulfilled!
Heb 9:22 And almost
all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of
blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23 It was
therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should
be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with
better sacrifices than these.
It is only the Son
of God, the Messiah, who had to die to pay for the sin of this world!
The sin that began
with Adam and the sin that still goes on today!
1Pe 1:17 And if ye
call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according
to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch
as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as
silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition
from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with
the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot:
1Pe 1:20 Who verily
was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest
in these last times for you,
1Pe 1:21 Who by him
do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him
glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
Rev 5:9 And they
sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to
open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to
God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and
nation;
Rev 5:10 And hast
made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the
earth.
And it is the Holy
Spirit who bore witness of the death of the Messiah, the Son of God:
It is the Holy
Spirit who gave us the words of prophecy:
2Ti 3:16 All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the
man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
It is the Holy
Spirit that qualified the Son of God for His office:
Isa 11:1 And there
shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall
grow out of his roots:
Isa 11:2 And the
spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isa 11:3 And shall
make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall
not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the
hearing of his ears:
It is the Holy
Spirit who bore witness to the Messiah by signs and wonders:
Act_2:22 Ye men of
Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God
among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in
the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
It is the Holy
Spirit who brings Holy Ghost conviction to those who hear the truth
of the Messiah, the Son of God, because it is the Holy Spirit who
bears witness of the truth of God!
Joh 16:7
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go
away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but
if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 16:8 And when
he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,
and of judgment:
Joh 16:9 Of sin,
because they believe not on me;
Joh 16:10 Of
righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Joh 16:11 Of
judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
The Holy Spirit
testifies of eternal life:
Joh 6:63 It is the
spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I
speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
The Holy Spirit
bears witness with our spirit:
Rom 8:14 For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye
have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of
God:
Rom 8:17 And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if
so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together.
The Holy Spirit will
never lead us astray because He will only lead us, to the Son of God!
Joh 14:25 These
things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
Joh 14:26 But the
Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
There is only One
Jehovah God, but we can only be the children of God if our faith rest
in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, brought to us by all the
character of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!
Why can a child of
God not ever fail?
Because there are
three that bear record in Heaven, God the Father, God the
Word(Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit, all the persons of Jehovah God!
You see our Heavenly
Father is behind everything.
It is His plan of
redemption and His work!
It is His Son who
came to this earth to fulfill all the Word of God!
It is His Holy
Spirit who is the power behind the plan of God and God's plan cannot
ever fail!
There are also three
witnesses upon this earth that declare the Lord Jesus Christ!
They to agree as
One!
There is the witness
of the Holy Spirit.
There is the witness
of the water baptism when the Holy Spirit came down as a dove and God
the Father said "this is my Son" in an audible voice.
There is the witness
of the "blood", the cross, the death of God's only begotten
Son.
If we cannot receive
the witness of God then how can we say we believe, how can we say we
have that perfect victory that God so graciously provides to all who
have "faith" in His Son?
*****1Jn 5:9 If we
receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this
is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
1Jn 5:10 He that
believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that
believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the
record that God gave of his Son.
The truth of God is
a far greater witness than anything of this world!
You see if we really
believe God, then we can simply test ourselves to know that this is
true!
There is only one
question to answer!
Do we believe in the
work of the Lord Jesus Christ has already done for our salvation?
You see our
justification is based entirely upon our "faith"!
Rom 5:1 Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom
also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and
rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 1:17 For
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as
it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:11 But that
no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident:
for, The just shall live by faith.
Heb 10:38 Now the
just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall
have no pleasure in him.
There is no business
with God until we have done this one thing!
The truth is, we
cannot have this faith and our faith not seen in our actions in this
life! Why?
Because God's
perfect witnesses will come to live inside of us!
Many spouses believe
the words of each other.
Many children
believe the words of their parents.
Many workers believe
their employers.
Many juries believe
the accounts of the witnesses.
Look at today as so
many fall into the trap of believing false news.
So just how much
greater is the truth of God that is so easily rejected by so many who
will believe anything but God!
What does the belief
in God bring?
Joh 1:12 But as
many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God.
How can there be
anything of this world greater than this truth that so many say is
foolishness?
How could we ever
say to God that He is a liar, just like all those of this world?
It is the witness of
logic that should overwhelm all those who would just take the time to
listen to what God says and take the time to read the truth of this
world and the truth of our Creator!
Remember it is our
Creator who is the giver of all life!
It is the Word of
God that has given us this account of the truth of God!
*****1Jn 5:11 And
this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this
life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12 He that
hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not
life.
You see God has
given to us His record of life. There is no record more important
that the record of life from our Creator!
Life is the energy
behind our being!
Jesus Christ said:
Joh 14:6 Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me.
The Bible says that
all those that believe upon His Son would have eternal life (John
3:16)
Jesus said: All
those who hear the Word of God and believe will have everlasting
life. (John 5:24-29)
Jesus said: "I
give unto them eternal life" (John 10:28)
Real life is
eternal!
Real life is
forever!
Real life is
satisfaction!
Jesus said all those
who come to Him would be satisfied! (John 6:35)
Life can only be
found in Jehovah, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy
Spirit!
Jesus Christ shows
us all what life is all about!
All of us here today
with our faith in the truth of God and His Son, have the life that
comes from the Son of God!
All those who deny
Him do not have God anywhere near them, and all they have to look
forward to is death, because they live in death and not in life!
Amen
Let's Pray!