Over the last 4+ months, we have been examining this thing we call spiritual warfare. Whether we realize it or not, our everyday lives in engulfed in spiritual warfare. We have temptations we fight, struggles against evil, culture around us assault our Christian values. We look at this past election and many say we prayed hard and long and the election did not turn out the way we wanted. What happened? I must remind you that our fight is not against flesh and blood:
Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
So what does it look like to overcome the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places? Our message today deal with just that. We are going to address our victory that we have in Jesus.
1 John 5:3–5
Derek, 5, came home from kindergarten with a tooth in an envelope. His mother hugged him and told him they would put the tooth under his pillow that night for the tooth fairy. "You really expect me to believe that some funny looking person dressed in a pink tutu comes into my room at night and takes my old tooth and leaves me a dollar?" Derek asked. "I'm in kindergarten now, Mom! I don't believe in baby stories anymore." "Oh no!" his mother said. "If you don't believe in the tooth fairy I guess we'll just throw it away and you won't get anything but a new tooth in its place. I'm so sorry, I thought you were a believer."
Derek’s mother walked out of the room and took the envelope with her. A few minutes later she heard Derek talking to Lisa, his sister, age 9. "Derek, you dummy" Lisa said. "Do you know how many dollars I got from the Tooth Fairy? I got enough to buy a Barbie. Think of all the money you won't get. Think of that new 'Star Wars' toy you want." A minute later Derek came back to his mom and said, "Hey Mom, about that Tooth Fairy thing. I forgot, I thought you meant that other fairy, you know like on 'Oz.' I believe in the Tooth Fairy. I hope you still have my old tooth!"
With Christmas coming, the word is out, if you don’t believe in Santa, all you’ll get is underwear.
Some people are willing to believe in anything as long as it benefits them in the here and now. Real faith isn’t always convenient, sometimes it costs the believer. [1]
We talk about faith in Christ. We talk about belief. In the Greek, both words, faith and belief, are from the same root word. Both words are closely related. But what does it mean to believe? To have faith? Let’s look at our focal passage.
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
In context with verses 1 and 2, John is addressing the issue of Jesus being the eternal Son of God. To believe in that fact, and to place our trust and faith in Jesus, Scripture tells us that we are born of God, we are His children. If we are His children, then we keep His commandments. In fact, earlier in this letter, John gives us the test for truly knowing God.
1 John 2:3–5 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him
To know God is to obey God. Can you see how trust and belief is wrapped up in obedience? We have to have faith in His word to obey Him. the more we are obedient to the word, the more we believe and have faith.
John tells us, “His commandments are not burdensome.” This is not to say his commandments are easy, but they are not a burden. Why? Because a true believer loves the commands of the Lord and longs to keep them. Read Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, all 176 verses but 2, are about knowing, following, keeping and loving the commandments of God. It is like a mother caring for the baby she loves. It is not always easy but she loves to do it, because she loves her baby. Jesus says:
Matthew 11:28–30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Faithfully keeping the commands of God demonstrate that we are born of Him.
1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
We have overcome the world by our faith, those of us who are truly “born of God.” Being born again makes all the difference. Jesus said:
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Being “born again” is not just some buzz word or church word we throw around, a true Christian is truly born again in the Spirit and it is by being born again in the Spirit that we have the power to live a victorious Christian life (more about what the victorious Christian life is all about in a moment). The one who are born of God “overcomes the world.” We overcome by being born of God. John tells us:
1 John 4:4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
The very Spirit of God resides within us. The power of God is within our grasp. Paul tells us:
Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
And just what is it the overcomes the world? (back to 1 John 5:4) “and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” The words we translate “victory” and “overcome” and to be a “conqueror” (Rom 8:37 "We are more than conquerors …") is the same root word in the Greek, “nike” (like the athletic shoe). We are to be victorious over the world, we are to overcome the world, and be conquerors, and we do so by our faith.
This is a great promise. God is telling us that our faith is a mighty thing. By our faith in Jesus, we have the power over this world. And what does that faith look like? Let’s take a look at that kind of faith for a moment. Let’s turn to that great chapter of faith in Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11:32–35a And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection;
Let’s look at these verse as whole for just a moment. Wow, look at these guys with faith, they conquered kingdoms, did mighty acts, shut the mouths of lions, put out fires, escaped death from the sword. The weak were made mighty – turning around whole armies. Women who received back their dead. That’s great faith. I want that kind of faith in my life. I want to overcome the world and to stand on top of the world. But it doesn’t always work out that way does it? why? Is it because I don't have enough faith? So we hear the call, “Houston, we have a problem.”
Notice I stopped in the middle of verse 35. Let’s pick up from there and take in the whole passage.
Hebrews 11:35b–38 and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
These were men of faith also, and they suffered at the hands of the world. The world considered them not worthy to live, but the God said that the world was the one that was not not worthy. Notice in the first passage, men of faith escape the sword (v 34), wherein verse 37, men of faith were put to death by the sword.
We don’t always teach this side of faith, this side of trusting God. Trusting God means that you will be ridiculed, beaten, thrown into jail, hated by friends and family and force you out. How many people are interested in a faith that will result in pain and suffering. We want to have a faith that gives us confidence, not fear. Yet the whole time we have been studying spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-20, the command to put on the whole armor of God was to "stand firm" (Ephesians 6:11, 13, 14). We are to stand firm against all that oppose us. No one ever said it was going to be easy.
We have preachers (on TV) who will only preach wealth and prosperity. They are not preaching the whole counsel of God. They teach if you give God a paper filled with all you wants and requests on it, and if you have enough faith, God will do exactly what you want. That is not Biblical faith.
Jesus prayed in the garden, not my will but your will be done. Paul had faith, but how many times was he beaten, thrown into prison, shipwrecked, left for dead?
Biblical faith is giving Jesus a blank piece a paper and having the trust and belief that God will fill it with His will for you. Jesus never taught “name it and claim it.” These prosperity preachers intentionally leave out that Jesus said to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me (Luke 9:23). They forget that Jesus said “in this life you will have tribulation” (John 16:33).
But there is more to this passage in Hebrews 11:
Hebrews 11:39–40 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
The fact is, our ultimate reward is yet to come. We keep our sights on things above, not on things below. Faith looks to the future where our greatest rewards lie.
Look around. Last week we talked about praying with our eyes wide open. Look at this last election, It would appear that godless people have obtain control of this nation. (yes, I will call them godless because their publicized platform deliberately excluded God, they knowingly include those things that are a clear abomination before God) We can expect things to come down soon that opposes our Christian values (and that is already happening) and we will begin to see churches being systematically shut down (we see that happening now as some states are using COVID-19 restrictions as a weapon against churches).
Do we have faith to endure these things that are coming? Do we have the faith to stand firm? It is all about where our heart is. Jesus said:
Matthew 6:21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Where are our hearts? With the world or with God?
James 4:4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
We are called, by our faith, to overcome the world, not be like the world. To not overcome the world is to be a part of the world. Don’t expect overcoming this world will be easy, because the world is opposed to all things belonging to Christ.
John 15:18–19 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
And why is this? Why does the world hate us?
1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
The evil one, the devil, rules this present age. If you don’t believe me, you live with you head in the sand and have avoided watching the news. Turn on the news and you tell me who is running things in this world.
But by faith we will overcome. We have the Spirit of God, and God will grant us the faith, and words when the times of trials comes. And God will use these things in a mighty way as a witness to Him.
Matthew 10:17–20 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
The word tells us that in the latter times there will be a great falling away. We will see this more and more as trouble comes. But those who are truly in Christ, we are told to overcome, by our faith. We are called to overcome the world, and not allow the world to overcome us. To not overcome is to be part of the world. Jesus makes some wonderful promises for those who overcome.
Revelation 21:7 He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
Read through Revelations 2-3. In his letters to the seven churches, seven times in those two chapters, Jesus makes promises to those who overcome. Our victory lies in Jesus. Our reward is not of this earth, but is eternal.
Revelation 2:7b To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’
Revelation 2:11b He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’
Revelation 2:17b To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’
Revelation 2:26 He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS;
Revelation 3:5 He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Revelation 3:12a He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God,
Revelation 3:21a He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne
There must be something to overcoming. We are clearly called to overcome. We are clearly called to victory.
1 John 5:5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This belief, this faith in Jesus will enable us to overcome the world and give us the victory. It is a belief and faith IN Jesus, not merely about Jesus. It is a belief that provokes an action to actively live for Him. Our call is to live faithfully, not successfully by the standards of this world. We must put on the full armor of God to overcome the world.
Yes, ours is a battle, daily. But our sights are on our ultimate reward with Jesus. We are called to overcome and to be victorious. We claim victory, not by the standards of the world, but by remaining steadfast in Jesus, by our faith in Him.
[1] www.freshministry.net/illustrations/data/FAITH.htm#END
