SERMON OUTLINE:
Belief (vs 1)
Love (vs 2)
Obedience (vs 2-3)
Triumph (vs 4)
Belief (vs 5-12)
SERMON TEXT:
Ill:
• The Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer Robert Louis Stevenson;
• Had not enjoyed a single day of good health in 14 years.
• One day, when he had been forced to set aside his writing;
• Because of violent coughing and wracking,
• His wife said to him,
• "I suppose you’re going to tell me it’s a glorious day."
• As he watched the sunlight streaming through the window, he said,
• "Yes, because I refuse to allow a row of medicine bottles to form the circumference of my world."
• Robert Louis Stevenson lived life with a victorious attitude;
• And was determine to live in victory over his circumstances.
Note:
• The Bible uses many different terms to describe what Christians are;
• e.g. believers, friends, brothers, sheep, saints, witnesses etc.
• John highlights one particular term in this chapter.
• That is the ‘victor’ or the ‘overcomer’.
• It is emphasising to the victorious nature of the believer.
Question: What are the characteristics of the victor?
Answer: The apostle John gives us a number of key thoughts.
Pause to say:
• Really these first few verses of chapter 5 really belong at the end of chapter 4;
• As they are a continuation of those thoughts.
• In fact they are a summary of what he has already said,
• We often say that chapter and verse divisions were added after the Bible was written.
• They are not inspired;
• They are simply there to help us find our way around the Bible;
• Most of the time they are very helpful;
• But occasionally the breaks come in the wrong places.
• These verses here are a good example of that.
• So these thoughts at the beginning of chapter 5;
• Are in fact a summary of what he has already said,
• So you will be familiar with some of the expressions and language used;
Question: What are the characteristics of the victor?
Answer: The apostle John gives us a number of key thoughts.
(1). Belief (vs 1):
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.”
• Saving faith is the first characteristic of an overcomer.
• The first distinguishing feature of a life of victory.
• The term ‘believe’ carries the idea of continuation;
• That is the believer keeps on believing throughout their life.
Ill:
• When they were translating the Bible for the Inuit people;
• The translators had a hard time finding a word for “believe.”
• One day, a Bible translator and an Inuit man were going for a walk.
• Outside the ice on the water was just thick enough to walk on,
• So the Inuit man stepped out on the ice and bounced a little to see if it would hold him.
• The translator asked what he called walking on the ice,
• And he knew straight away that he had found his missing word.
• To ‘believe’ is ‘to place one whole weight on’.
This is what it means to believe in Jesus.
• It is not to just give metal assent to the truth about him.
• It is to place the whole weight of your life on him.
• So saving belief is not simply intellectual acceptance;
• That is in agreement to all the facts.
• Rather it is the whole-hearted dedication to Jesus Christ that is permanent.
Ill:
• Just as marriage is more than the ceremony;
• It is more than just living together in the same house.
• Rather it is a relationship that grows deeper and deeper each day.
(2). Love (verse 2).
“This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God”.
• Once again John tells us that we cannot separate the love that we have for God;
• With the love that we have for his people.
• The love for God and his people are so intertwined;
• That the apostle takes a different slant in this passage.
• Instead of saying that we love God by loving his people,
• He says that we love his people by loving him.
• The truth is that much of the things that God wants us to obey him in;
• Are about loving his people!
• Last week you looked at how this love is to be like God’s love for us:
• Practical, sacrificial, and intimate.
Ill:
• Have you heard the story about the actor;
• Who was playing the part of Jesus in the local Passion Play?
• As he carried the cross up the hill;
• A tourist began heckling, making fun of him, & shouting insults at him.
• Finally, the actor had taken all of it he could take.
• So he threw down his cross, walked over to the tourist, & punched him out.
• After the play was over, the director told him,
• "I know he was a pest, but I can’t condone what you did.
• Besides, you’re playing the part of Jesus, & Jesus never retaliated.
• So don’t do anything like that again."
• Well, the man promised he wouldn’t.
• But the next day the heckler was back worse than before,
• And finally the actor exploded & punched him out again.
• The director said, "That’s it. I have to fire you.
• We just can’t have you behaving this way while playing the part of Jesus."
• The actor begged, "Please give me one more chance. I really need this job,
• And I can handle it if it happens again."
• So the director decided to give him another chance.
• The next day he was carrying his cross up the street.
• Sure enough, the heckler was there again.
• You could tell that the actor was really trying to control himself,
• But it was about to get the best of him.
• He was clinching his fists & grinding his teeth.
• Finally, he looked at the heckler & said, "I’ll meet you after the resurrection!"
• You know, sometimes it is hard for those who profess to be Christians;
• To actually behave like Christians should.
• But that is the theme that weaves itself throughout this letter;
• Right belief has to lead to right behaviour!
• And the hallmark of the Christian is their love for God;
• And there love for others.
(3). Obedience (verses 2-3).
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
• It would be a funny thing if we said that we are following Jesus;
• And then refused to do what he said!
Ill:
• Once upon a time there was a little bird. He wasn’t an ordinary little bird.
• He was a spine-tailed swift. Spine-tailed swifts have been clocked flying over 100mph.
• One day, he thought, "I’ll be the best flyer in the country."
• So he practised, and got faster, and faster, and faster.
• But he wasn’t satisfied, he wanted to go even faster.
• So he pondered the problem and came to a conclusion.
• He thought, "I know what’s wrong. I’m too heavy. I need to get rid of some extra weight."
• He wasn’t fat, and wondered what he could do.
• Suddenly, he realised he could be a lot lighter if he got rid of his feathers.
• So he did. And guess what?
• Then he couldn’t fly at all.
When a Christian starts to deliberately disobey the teaching of Jesus;
• Then very soon they will not fly!
• Not only do we lose our power but everything becomes dull!
Yet the apostle reminds us that obedience to Christ is not ‘burdensome’.
• Notice twice in these two verses the phrase ‘obedience’ is repeated.
• ‘Keep his commands’ or ‘Carry out his commands’.
• The rules are not burdensome because they are to please someone we love;
ILL:
• Author Bernard Newman in one of his books;
• Tells the tale of when he was once staying in a Bulgarian peasants house:
• All the time he was there, the daughter never stopped stitching away at a dress.
• So one time he said to her; "Don’t you ever get tired of that eternal sewing?"
• "Oh no!" she said, "You see this is my wedding dress".
• Her motivation turned her work into a labour of love!
• ‘Keeping his commands’ should not be burdensome;
• Because they are to please someone we love;
(4). Victory (verse 4)
“For everyone born of God overcomes the world.
This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith”.
Ill:
• Two guys from Portland, Oregon liked the Greek word for ‘victory’ so much;
• That in 1971 they named their new tennis shoe company after it.
• You might have heard of them…’Nike’.
• Today ‘Nike’ is probably the number one sports brand in the world
• Nike’s slogan throughout the 90’s was “Just Do It”.
• The apostle John is telling us to “Just Do It” – live in victory.
Because of our faith in the risen Christ we do not live by the standards of the world.
• You covered this in chapter two of this letter;
• This verse reminds us that we actually live in victory over the world;
• That is we have overcome the values and the standards and the behaviour of the world.
• Because in Christ we have new values, new standards and different lifestyle.
• Or we should!
Ill:
• A soldier in the army of Alexander the Great was not acting bravely in battle.
• When he should have been pressing ahead, he was lingering behind.
• The great general approached him and asked his name;
• The soldier replied; “My name is Alexander”.
• The general looked him straight in the eye and said firmly;
• “Soldier, get in there and fight – or change your name!”
Question:
• If we are not living in victory,
• Is it because we are embracing the values and attractions of the world?
Answer:
• Victorious living is a struggle between the old nature and the new nature.
• ill: It’s like a dog-fight.
• If you feed one dog, it becomes strong. Starve the other dog and it becomes weak.
(5). Belief (vs 5-12):
“Who is it that overcomes the world?
Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God”.
Ill:
• I have said several times during our studies;
• That this letter (1 John) is like walking up a spiral staircase.
• Although you are making progress;
• You keep coming back to the same centre (same key themes) again and again and again.
John once again brings our thoughts back to belief:
• In verses 1-4 John describes victorious believers (overcomers);
• As those who by their beliefs and actions confirm that Jesus is the Christ.
• Now in verses 5-12:
• John presents God’s own testimony to confirm that Jesus is the Christ.
• Notice that there are four witnesses in these verses:
• There are four things that testify, speak out, witness to Jesus Christ.
• They are – ‘Water’, ‘blood’ & the ‘Holy Spirit’ (verses 6-10)
• And the witness of ‘Eternal life’ (verses 11-13)
• (a). ‘WATER’ most scholars believe this refers to the time;
• Jesus was baptised in water in the Jordan river;
• The baptism of Jesus was at the start of his public ministry;
• And as Jesus came up out of the water God spoke,
• He declared; “This is my son in whom I delight”
• Also the Holy Spirit also descended on him in the form of a dove;
• This was God the Father’s attestation of his Son at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.
• (b). ‘BLOOD’ this expression refers to the events of the cross.
• When Jesus shed his blood physically and spiritually.
• And once again God gave supernatural affirmation to this event by signs.
• i.e. darkness at midday, the earthquake, and the curtain in the temple tearing.
So the water and the blood constitute external, objective witness to who Jesus Christ is.
• God has given testimony to the deity of Jesus;
• Through both his baptism and his death.
• The first two witnesses are things we can see with our eyes;
• But this third witness is not.
• (c). The ‘HOLY SPIRIT’ (verse 6b-8)
• “And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement”.
• We were not present at the baptism of Jesus;
• We were not present at the cross where Jesus died.
• The Holy Spirit is the only person active on planet earth today;
• Who was present when Jesus was ministering on earth.
• The witness of the ‘water & blood’ are past history;
• But the witness of the ‘Holy Spirit’ is present experience.
• And as Romans chapter 8 verse 15-16 tell us;
• Quote: “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children”.
• The Father witnessed at the baptism and at the cross;
• And the Spirit witnesses today with in the believer.
• (d). The Final Witness – ‘ETERNAL LIFE’ (verses 10-12)
“Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life”.
• Notice:
• Three times the word ‘testimony’ or ‘witness’ is used three times in these verses;
• This new life that you received;
• Is also a witness to your soul that you are walking with God!
• Because ‘eternal life’ is a gift;
• And this gift is a person – Jesus Christ.
• Therefore we receive eternal life not only FROM Christ, but IN Christ!
• Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life”.
Ill:
• When Sir James Simpson , the discoverer of chloroform, was on his deathbed,
• A friend asked him: “Sir, what are your speculations?”
• Simpson replied: “Speculations! I have no speculations!
• ‘For I know whom I have believed,
• and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed
• unto him against that day’.
Footnote:
1John 5:7-8
Text to Remove: "in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth,"
Comments: Most modern translations agree that this was an uninspired addition to the Latin Vulgate to support the scriptural doctrine of the trinity.
