Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from 1 John 5. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- I can remember when Muhammad Ali – the great boxer, for those of you who are younger, or who do not follow sports – proclaimed: “I am the greatest!”
- Many people found this statement to be detestable – for a number of reasons. First, he hadn’t beaten everyone yet, and there would be a boxer out there who would beat him. Second, no one really likes a bragger. Third, no glory was given to God – it was as if Mohammad Ali was proclaiming himself even greater than God.
- Still, it was about this same time that athletes and fans began to make the claim that they were “Number 1,” which was essentially claiming the same thing as Ali. However, the chant was usually: “We’re number 1,” not “I’m number 1.” So this was a bit more palatable.
- Soon this was viewed as mere “ambition,” and rather commendable at that! Wasn’t it a good thing to want to set world records? Why shouldn’t a person want to “conquer the world” or be a world champion?
- In our text the apostle John states: “Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.” This might also seem a bit braggadocios to some. But there is a big difference between “Christian conquest of the world,” and that of athletes, or nations, or imperialist tyrants.
- Our conquering of the world is not to “rule the world,” but rather to barely protect ourselves from being destroyed spiritually by evil, worldly principles. What this means is that we overcome sinful and selfish ambitions – worldly ambitions, so that our lives become committed to God, to love, to His commandments.
- Further, our victory is accomplished not by force, not by our great skill and strength, but rather, as John states “this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.”
- And this victory over the world, this conquering of the world, this overcoming is quite good and commendable, and has nothing to do with bragging or self-glorification. So let us consider this proper spiritual ambition as encouraged by God’s Word!
I. Having Faith In Jesus Means We Have Been Born Again Of God
Text: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.”
Statement: You remember that Jesus taught that we must be born again of water and the Spirit of God, if we are to enter the kingdom of God. So the apostle Peter reminds us that “You were born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible seed, by the Word of God that lives and abides forever.” [1 Pet. 1:23] This new birth is to faith in Jesus and makes us new, new creatures, alive again to God, in that we know Him as He is through faith in Jesus, that God is love.
Application: This is the beginning of our “OVERCOMING THE WORLD,” for it is faith that is our victory. It is marvelous that God so loved the world that He gave His own Son, the Lord Jesus, to be the Christ, the Lamb of God, the Savior of the world, Who laid down His life to pay the penalty for our sins. It is also marvelous that through this faith we are richly blessed with all spiritual blessings – including victory over the sinful world we live in. For John clearly asserts:
II. Those Who Are Born Of God Overcome The World
Text: “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.
A. This Overcoming, This Victory, Is By Faith In Jesus The Christ, The Son Of God, Our Savior
Text: “And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
B. This Faith Is In The One Who Comes By Water And Blood [Baptism And Holy Communion], As Testified By The Spirit Of God, The Spirit Of Truth
Text: “This is He Who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the One Who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.”
Statement: What do they agree to or with? That which is the content of our faith, with the Gospel of Jesus, that in Him we have redemption and salvation, forgiveness and cleansing from all of our sin, new life and eternal life with God! Is this not what Baptism gives, in accord with the promise of God: “the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit”? [Acts 2:42] Is this not what Christ’s body and blood, given to us in Holy Communion, bring to us – “the forgiveness of sins”? Be assured, this is precisely also what the Holy Spirit is constantly asserting to us through God’s Word – that God is love, and that in love for us He is merciful, gracious, and forgiving, for the sake of Jesus Christ!
Application: This enables us to “overcome the world,” to overcome greed, selfishness, envy, pride, hatred, and violence – whether these are being directed toward us, or whether they are welling up in our own hearts. It is clear from our text what our victory by faith consists of:
III. Those Born Of God Love The Father, And Also Love Our Fellow Brothers And Sisters In Christ
Text: “Everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of Him.”
A. We Love By Keeping His Commandments, Especially His Commands That We Repent And Believe The Gracious And Blessed Gospel Of Jesus Christ
Text: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments.”
Mark 1:15 “Jesus preached, “Repent and believe the good news.”
B. We Love By Following The Law Of Love, The Ten Commandments Of God – Who Is Love
Rom. 13:8-10 “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
Statement: Now, this “conquering” of the world, loving one another and all people, is hardly the same as the “defeating” and dominating of others! Those with faith in Jesus have experienced God’s great love for us. By this they have been born again. By this “new life” they keep God’s commandments. By this “new life” they love God and all of His dear children of faith. By this “new life” they no longer seek to “wrong” a neighbor, but rather to love, and to fulfill the commandments of God!
Application: Surely we can see that this is a wonderful ambition – to be “OVERCOMING THE WORLD” as children of God! It does not make us “the greatest.” But it does make God the Greatest! For He is the One remaking us, renewing us, and enabling us to rise to love.
Conclusion: Would that more of the great people in the world would have this Christian ambition as their own. And let us think about it: What if we had as much ambition for this Christian “world conquest” as athletes and despots have for vicious, violent, and selfish conquest?
Can we have such ambition? Can we grow in such ambition? Surely we can!
Can we overcome the world? Can we gain the victory over worldly principles and ways? Surely we can!
How do we do so? Through faith in Jesus, which comes to us by the Word of God, and by “the water and the blood,” as testified to by the Spirit of Truth!
God grant each of us such blessedness, such aspiration, and such conquest, Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.