THIS IS THE VICTORY THAT OVERCOMES! (Outline)
1 JOHN 5:1-6 - April 3, 2005 - EASTER 2
INTRO: Everyone likes the winner as much as everyone likes to be a winner. God’s victory over sin, death, and the devil is our victory over sin, death, and the devil. Today’s text points out the fact that be-lievers are not just winners. Believers are even more than champions. Our gracious God provides us with the ultimate victory that overcomes! "As it is written: ’For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us"(ROMANS 8:36,37). Again, we are not just winners – not mere mortal champions – but more than conquerors.
THIS IS THE VICTORY THAT OVERCOMES!
I. Faith in God’s Son,
II. Obeying God’s word.
I. FAITH IN GOD’S SON
A. John writes to people, believers, challenged by a persistent false teaching of the day – Gnosticism.
1. Gnosticism is a word that means knowledge. People valued knowledge above all else.
2. John reminds these believers that their faith is far more valuable than all worldly knowledge.
B. Verse 1a. This is the simple salvation statement – believers in Jesus are born of God.
1. In verse 4 John tells the importance of being born of God and having faith to overcome.
2. As believers they are given the knowledge – faith – to overcome the world and its knowledge.
C. This victory that overcomes come by God’s grace. This victory that overcomes is faith in God’s Son.
1. Verse 5 repeats the simple salvation statement: Believers in Jesus, the Son of God, overcome.
2. This victory of faith that in God’s Son that overcomes is guaranteed in verse 6b.
3. The Holy Spirit changes the hearts of believers from stony hearts to believing hearts of flesh.
D. This is the victory that overcomes – faith in Jesus as God’s Son. This simple salvation statement is still hard for some to believe in our enlightened day and age. Gnosticism, the teaching that knowledge is supreme, is still alive and well. Too often, we depend on our knowledge as the best guide we think we have. Too often, the knowledge of this world is made to appear far more superior to divine knowledge and revelation of the Scriptures. People think that they might earn their way into heaven by living a good life, by doing good works, or even by believing hard enough. These are all fruits of faith that flow from faith. It is purely out of God’s undeserved loved that we are given the faith to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. God’s grace gives each of that victory that overcomes – faith. "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy"(TITUS 3:4,5a). This is the victory of Christ that is now our victory that overcomes.
E. We look back and see the empty tomb at Easter and we rejoice. We look back and see our suffering Savior on the cross on Good Friday and we are sad. We are saddened because we are reminded of the reason that the Savior is upon the cross. Jesus is suffering a horrendous death not because of anything he had done. Jesus is innocent. Jesus suffers and dies for us. "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear"(ISAIAH 59:2).
F. Our sinful nature and sinfulness certainly separates each of us from God. Therefore we need that vic-tory that overcomes. We desperately need that Lamb of God to take our place, providing the perfect price for our sinful thoughts, words, and actions. As we examine the sacrifice of our Savior we note that Jesus died for the sins of the world. Sadly not everyone believes that simple salvation statement. Many are still too wrapped up the knowledge of this world. In spite of our sinfulness and ourselves Jesus gives us his victory to be our very own victory. "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins"(COLOSSIANS 2:13).
TRANS: THIS IS THE VICTORY THAT OVERCOMES – FAITH in Jesus as the Son of God.
II. OBEYING GOD’S WORD.
A. Remember that these believers were under attack by those who knew better in the world.
1. These believers had been affected by the knowledge teaching in society.
2. This worldly influence opposed following Christ – whom society considered uneducated.
B. Therefore John is going to connect saving knowledge, love and obedience together with victory.
1. Verse 1. The Father loved Jesus just as fathers love their children. Believers = God’s children.
2. Verse 2 connects this evidence of love with obeying God’s commands.
C. God’s commands stand as the guide for believers. This direction far surpasses any earthly knowledge.
1. God’s commands are meant as a blessing. Verse 3. God’s commands are not burdensome.
a. The sting of the law has been destroyed b. The victory to overcome brings strength.
2. Verse 6a reminds believers of Jesus’ baptism (water) and his death (blood). Both are victory.
D. Not too many people look at God’s commands as not burdensome. Today we are reminded how our Savior has taken away the power of the law to condemn. The law does remind us of our sinfulness, wick-edness and rebellion. The law clearly points out our shortcomings and failings. As we realize our unwor-thiness we are moved to turn to Christ who gives us the victory that overcomes. The believer discovers God’s love and joyfully, victoriously lives in the love of God. "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love"(JOHN 15:10).
E. We need to remember that the law cannot save and does not save. That does not mean that we dis-miss God’s commandments. Today’s worldly wisdom is to disguise mankind’s sin as a sickness or dis-ease. The worldly conclusion says if there is no sin there is no need for God’s law and there is no reason to follow in the steps of Jesus. This attitude / conclusion is eternally destructive. As believers we are re-minded that there is blessing in obeying God’s commands. "But the man who looks intently into the per-fect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does"(JAMES 1:25). Note that James describes the law that gives freedom. We are not blessed by obeying but because of obedience. Those who obey and follow God’s commands are not disobeying. We are blessed, the world is blessed as a result of God-fearing, law-abiding believers.
F. In order to be a winner; well, actually more than a champion we will need to be well equipped. As believers we are all well equipped far better than any worldly philosopher of this age or any age. Over the years much of worldly knowledge and intelligence has changed because of new information. This is not the case with God’s word. It remains the same – the truth does not change. This word of God is our powerful equipment! "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"(EPHESIANS 6:16,17). The helmet of salvation protects from flaming arrows of the evil one. The sword of the Spirit slices Satan into little pieces. We have all this in following God’s word.
CONCL: Celebrate and rejoice that victory that our loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ freely gives to each one of us! Believers are not mere mortal champions but more than conquerors. The times will grow increasingly evil and the church will be attacked by the evil one. It may appear that victory moves farther away from the church. God’s guarantee is that the gates of hell shall not prevail over the church. Our Savior is still in control. "They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them be-cause he is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful follow-ers"(REVELATION 17:14). You, every believer, are God’s called, chosen and faithful followers. Every believer has been given THE VICTORY THAT OVERCOMES: FAITH to believe in Jesus as the Son of God, LOVE to obey God’s word. May we all joyfully live in victory! Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
EASTER 2 readings (ILCW – A): ACTS 2:14a, 22-32; 1 PETER 1:3-9; JOHN 20:19-31
