VICTORIOUS SOLDIERS
(1 John 5: 1-12)
I am not sure how many of you played competitive sport but I can remember
when we were practicing for the rowing championships how we stuck together as
a team and we were convinced that there was nobody who could beat us (the
fact is that all the other teams probably had the same feeling). We were like
soldiers on the way into battle, knowing that we were favourites to win.
Well today I would like to take this feeling of “champions” a step further and
suggest that as Christians we are victorious because of the fact that Jesus is
victorious. As we draw this part of our sermon series to an end, making way for
the ADVENT series that starts next week, I want to take you on a journey of
JOY, FAITH and GLORY of the Son of God. Our title for today is
VICTORIOUS SOLDIERS.
Our reading comes from 1 John 5:1-12 (NIV) 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. This is love for God: to obey 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 he 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 man's testimony, but God's
testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given
about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in
his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar,
because he has 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. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of
God does not have life.
Let us start by going back to when we were practicing for the rowing champs. It
was a very strange time because as we practiced for the event we found that we
were getting better and as we got better our coach pushed us further and
further. Our practices became harder and harder but here is the strange thing.
We were happy to be obedient to the coach and even although he pushed us to
our limits we enjoyed it and were up for the challenge.
The first three verses of our text indicate the same sort of feeling. 1 John
5:1-3 (NIV) 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. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands
are not burdensome,
What is this passage telling us?
John is addressing the believers, those people who believe in Jesus. So here is
the first condition for us to experience joy. For us to experience joy in Jesus
we must obviously be a believer. Obviously? Maybe it seems obvious to many of
us but the fact is that the world is manipulating the Word of God to the point
where there are people who believe that we can have this joy and enter into
heaven WITHOUT being a believer. Well, in my mind, the Word of God is truth
and the truth shared by John is that we need to be a believer in Jesus.
I have often shared this next fact in this series, not because I want to repeat
myself but rather that John finds it so important that he keeps on repeating
himself. As a believer in Jesus you ARE BORN OF GOD. But John adds a twist
this time. He says that if you love the Father (God) then you must love His child
as well. God’s child is Jesus and so I ask this question: DO YOU LOVE JESUS?
But John carries on by challenging us even further. John says this: if you love
God you will love His children. Note that this is NOT just Jesus but God’s
“children” (not child). So, do you love Jesus….and do you love God’s children
(your neighbour)?
Our text then reveals something that I believe is quite unique. Love God, love
Jesus and love God’s children, then BECAUSE of your love for God OBEY HIS
COMMANDS.
If we love someone or something we will carry out instructions without question
and with JOY in our hearts. Let us think of this. If you love someone and they
ask you to do something you will do it with JOY because you love them. John is
saying that because we love God we should be obedient and obey His commands,
and we should do this with Joy in our hearts because we love Him.
Do you love God? Do you carry out His commands with JOY? I am reminded of
Earl Pitts who designed a course called WALKING IN FINANCIAL FREEDOM.
One of Earl’s statements that he makes is that when he writes out his tithing
cheque he does it with JOY and he is excited to do this because he loves God
and he is happy to be obedient to Him. Are we like Earl? Whatever the command
from God…..do we carry it out with JOY because we love God or is it a bind? You
see John says that the commands of God are NOT BURDENSOME…….if you love
God.
Let us move on to the next part of our text. Verses 4-5 goes like this: 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 he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Wow, what a comforting text. EVERYONE BORN OF GOD OVERCOMES THE
WORLD. You cannot ask for more comforting words than these.
Let us look at how this pans out in our lives. Remember that as Christ Followers
we are obedient to God with JOY because of His love for us, well here is an
added reason to have joy in our lives. John reminds us that because of God and
because of our belief in and love for Jesus we OVERCOME THE WORLD. In
other words there is NOTHING that the world can throw at us that we cannot
overcome – because of the victory that Jesus gained over Satan.
But what victory do we have? I believe that we miss out on life because we do
not understand and generally only look at things on the surface instead of in
depth. You see this is not only physical victory in the world but rather
SPIRITUAL victory as well. It is all fair and well to know that we do not have to
fear the physical because Jesus will help us overcome our problems but what is
even better is to know that the victory is on the spiritual side as well. We are
warned that our fight or battle is against principalities but the good news is
that as Christ Followers we are also victorious over the spiritual.
What does this mean to us? In my mind it means that we do not have to fear at
all. Because of our FAITH in God, because of our trust in Him and because of
our belief in Jesus we are victorious over all – draw closer to God and trust Him
to carry you through the storms, no matter what they are.
NOTHING CAN OVERPOWER OUR JESUS!
Let us end today by looking at the GLORY of GOD through His Son Jesus. We
need to start off by remembering that John is writing this letter to fight
against the false prophets and gnostic people. The gnostic people were saying
that the Son of God came into Jesus after His birth and then left Him at His
death. This is obviously Biblically inaccurate and posed a problem to John
because of the influence they had on the believers.
In thinking of our life today I would like to recommend that we take this letter
from John very seriously. The fact is that we are living through exactly the
same situation now, with maybe different reasoning. There are so many people
who are sharing a “new version” of the Bible that is FAR from the truth that
God brings. I sadly heard someone sharing that a minister was preaching that
SALVATION does not exist. Anyone who believes in the “universal” god will go
to heaven and so Jesus is not needed anymore. I was recently also told by a
minister that Christians have one big problem – they keep on trying to make
Christians out of everyone they meet. HELLO – according to my Bible that is
exactly what Jesus is instructing us to do in the great commission: Matthew
28:19 (NIV) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
John was worried – and we also need to be worried.
John once again declares who Jesus is in verse 6: 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.
What does John mean in this verse? There are many ways to look at it but I
feel that one of the more simple and accurate ways is to realize that Jesus was
born the Son of God, He was then baptized (water), lived a further three years
ministering and teaching His people and then He died on the cross (blood). In
other words Jesus IS the Son of God and He died on the cross (He did not
leave His body at the crucifixion like the gnostic folk were saying).
So God was glorified through His Son. God’s glory is seen because of His love
for us that was so great that He sent His Son to live and die for us.
In summing up today’s lesson I want us to remember that as Chris Followers we
should be excited about our belief and experience JOY as we carry out the
commands set out by God. Further to this we know that we can have FAITH in
God because Jesus was VICTORIOUS over all. And lastly we learned to be
aware of the false prophets and make sure that we give God the GLORY for all
that we have, especially His love for us.
Jesus died on the cross for each of us and because of that and our belief in
Jesus we can TAKE ON THE WORLD as Jesus’ soldiers, marching on to
VICTORY IN JESUS……..