Faith Is The Victory

Alba 9-22-2024

FAITH IS THE VICTORY

I John 5:1-5

Faith is the victory! But if faith is the victory, does that mean that we can avoid all pain and trouble? Jeff Strite, minister with the Church of Christ at Logansport, Indiana said that he once heard a radio call-in program on a Christian radio station. The host had a soft gentle – grandfatherly voice. He was so reassuring and comforting. One of his callers that night was a woman. She explained that she was blind. And some of the people she went to church with said that if she had enough faith, God would heal her of her blindness. She was confused and a bit hurt by their comments. Was the problem really that she didn't have enough faith?

The radio host comforted her and then asked if she had one of those white sticks the blind use to find their way around. She said she did. He said, “Well, next time someone says to you that if you had enough faith that God would heal you of your blindness… you take that white stick, and you rap them up side of the head. Then you tell them: ‘You know, that wouldn’t have hurt if you’d had enough faith.’

Some think faith is a tool for you to use get what you want. And if the tool doesn’t work, it was YOUR fault. Because you obviously didn’t have enough faith. That is not true! Real faith is not a tool to manipulate God. It is a means for God to do amazing things that only He can do when you trust Him.

When Jesus was facing the cross, He knew how painful that would be. But He prayed “not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). Some preachers teach that true faith is handing God a sheet of paper that has all your requests written on it. And then you believe (actually - you expect) God to do what YOU want. That’s not Biblical Faith. Biblical Faith is when you hand God a blank sheet of paper. And then you tell God, “Not my will, but YOURS be done. Here’s a blank piece of paper. I trust you to fill it in with things You want done in my life.”

Actually, it is in times of trouble that we discover true faith. True faith gives a calm assurance that all will be well, no matter what the circumstances of the moment. True faith will translate into a peace that the world cannot understand. And that is a faith which gives the victory that overcomes the world.

The text for this morning's message comes from I John 5:1-5. And verse four says, this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. So faith IS the victory. But faith in what? Will any faith do? James May, a minister in Louisiana, speaking of victims and victors after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 said this:

“What I have seen is that there are a lot of victims of the disaster. It’s not hard to find them because of the way they act. Victors are harder to find, and when you do, inevitably those who are victors, know the Lord Jesus Christ and have faith in God.” He said, “It isn’t surprising to me that this is true because the real victory can only be found through knowing and following Jesus Christ.” That agrees with verse five of our text that says the one “who overcomes the world” is “he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

You may have heard it said, “It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe.” Or maybe you have heard it said, “We are all heading to the same place, we are just on different paths.” But, what you believe does matter! What you believe is very important. It's not enough to just believe. Faith is not a nebulous thing. It is very important in whom you believe. If you want a faith that is victorious...

1. It must be a specific faith: Faith In Jesus as the Christ

In Matthew 16:13-16 it says, When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” That is the Good Confession.

In Matthew 10:32-33 Jesus said, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”