The date today is the 5th. The Romans utilised what we now use as a letter for the number five, it is? (V). Just as a matter of interest and I’ve never started a sermon this way, here we go. The sermon is brought to you today by the letter V. The reason being that I want you all to leave here today knowing that you can be victorious, but more to the point are “victorious” in Christ, that you have the victory, that you know your value in Christ Jesus and as a result are not vanquished in 2025. That because of that victory your witness will speak volumes, I will be taking this into next week also, this is part one of a two-part series. A V twin series.
I’m focusing on part of Johns first letter. The same John who wrote the gospel, wrote the three letters of John also the book of Revelation, or as it’s been described the Gospel of John from the Island of Patmos. He is known also as the disciple that Jesus loved, and it is thought was Jesus' cousin. It is also thought by some scholars that the reason Judas kissed Jesus was to show those with him who Jesus was because John looked a bit like him. John’s was an eyewitness to the events of Jesus ministry. The first verse of his first letter states this: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” Who is The Word of life? Incidentally John was the only disciple to die a natural death, not that they didn’t try to kill him, he survived being boiled in oil. There is also some thought that he didn’t die but ascended to heaven. This is something he said about being victorious: 1 John 5:1-12.
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. ?This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.?In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.?Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify:??the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.?We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.? 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.??And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
Where John was going with this was to tell his readers that if we have Jesus, the Son of God we will overcome the world and that we have life. It is my experience that this is a spiritual connection that occurs with God when we repent and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. John had the advantage of one-on-one involvement with Jesus, as did the other disciples. As a result, they were all willing to die for Jesus in the knowledge of the guarantee of eternal life. Their value as men as individuals rested in the knowledge of who they were in Christ, not their earthly heritage, not that they were from a long line of fishermen, or were the best tax collector or the most zealot Zealot. Even in death the apostles saw themselves as victorious not victims.
We enter into a new year with the desire, well I do, to be victorious for all of 2025 and into the future. I don’t want to have this just be a year of the things of Andrew, why? Because I know that Andrew is flawed. To be standing here today took God’s intervention in my life, I was saved by God’s grace when I put my faith in Jesus. Putting aside the old me was and still is the best move I ever made and make. Does that mean I’m now without fault? Not at all. But I can guarantee that the life that I live now is Andrew in a better place than he would have been. Because being in God’s will is better than being outside of it, I know this for a fact, because I’ve been in both places.
I may have mentioned this previously to some of you that as a teen I was not able to even read a passage from a book in class, I could read, but to read out loud was something else, I was very insecure having been told at a young age, around 9 or 10 that I was hopeless and would never amount to anything. I had very little self-esteem, very little understanding of my own value, I was not off to a victorious start in life. I can however testify that Jesus doesn’t just save us from our sins and death, though that would be more than enough. He shows us our true value, that our real esteem is found in Him, why? Because he was willing to die for us. God incarnate came and died for his creation. We, little biped creatures who are often in our own eyes thought near to worthless are all treasured in God’s eyes. John says in chapter 3:1 of this letter ""How great is love the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.” That means you too. But wait there's more, Jesus told his disciples when he was telling them about his returning to heaven. “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (John 14:15-17.) God is always with us when we accept this truth. We are victorious.
Why do we not always think we are victorious, or is there some who do? Here’s an illustration that might help explain.
Did you know that on the 2nd of January first thing in the morning, just the other day, like in the wee small hours this occurred, and the next night this occurred? [Photos of Aurora Australis] The second one is not the sunset, that is 3am at Blockhouse Bay in Auckland, the first is Queenstown. Did any of you see it on those nights? No, I know why you didn’t see it, one of two reasons well likely only one was the same reason I didn’t see it, it was cloudy, overcast raining here in Wellington or the second reason, if you had been in a place where it was clear, you were asleep of doing something indoors, maybe shift work, not aware of it occurring. But occur it did.
Where I’m going with this is that Jesus said this about himself, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life." John 8:12. Interesting here is that Jesus said this at the feast of the tabernacles when at the temple huge lamps were lit symbolising the pillar fire that led the Hebrew people by night in the wilderness. What he was saying was that he is the one who will lead, he is our divine light, and he will illuminate our way. We know that in following him we are led to victory. For as John says in chapter 1:7, ‘if we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, purifies us from all sin.’ (paraphase) However, we have an option a bit like the other night our paths can remain clouded, why because we lack clarity, maybe we don’t understand who Jesus is, maybe we just like going our own way. There are several reasons for this. We lack an understanding of Jesus divinity, that he was and is the atoning sacrifice for the whole world. 1. It could be we are unwilling to follow, a bit like knowing there’s a light show going on outside but having no desire to move to see it. Some people just don’t want to be saved. Why, because the flesh and the spirit are battling the Apostle Paul says it this way in Galatians 5:17: “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” The nitty gritty of this whole battle comes with the realisation that at the end of our lives only one of these two remains, best not to let the flesh be victorious then; if you want the final victory. Victory in Christ is a spiritual victory, and as this sermon is brought to you by the letter V another of Pauls messages tells us not to run the race in vain, not to be victims, he says this “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.”
I've never thought much about that last line, but it draws us to a place of staying focused on what we are doing. Run towards an end goal or aim at the part of your life that you want to impact in the knowledge that it is god’s will. All the time knowing that victory will be the result if our staying in God’s will for our lives: keeping his commands. As John has told us God’s commands are not burdensome, in fact they result in freedom when kept, they result in victory when kept, and everyone born of God and who believes that Jesus is the son of God overcomes the world. Our ultimate value is realised.
Another way to ensure that we keep walking in the light of God is read, daily read your Bibles, to study God’s word, the writer of Hebrews says this about the Bible, note the emphasis on the word of God here is a lower-case w, not upper case as in the name of Jesus, The Word:
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). As far as weapons go this book is vital to our walking in faith, in overcoming the flesh and knowing ourselves spiritually victorious and not victims of our own desires.
How do we accomplish this? It comes down to our vantage point, our view. But as believers what should our view be?
Accept your being God’s child, listen to the direction of The Holy Spirit’s guidance, Focus running towards the goal, of being in the word seeking after God’s will for your life in his word and be humble, live daily for Christ, victorious seeking to be made new in his likeness, for it is in his likeness that you will recognise your true value and advance to victory.
Paul says this about Jesus' likeness in Philippians 2:6-8.
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
So at the start of 2025 the challenge I set is for myself and you may want to do the same is to be victorious as a Child of God, responding to The Holy Spirits leading, as I walk in the light of God towards the goals he has established and will establish by his will. To engage with his word so that my spirit may have victory over my flesh and to be humble and serve our God and those around me as Jesus did.
Calling to the place of prayer.
