Testimony Concerning the Son of God

I. What does faith change in the life of a Believer?

The American Evangelist D.L. Moody once famously said, “Faith is the gift of God. So is the air, but you have to breathe it; so is bread, but you have to eat it; so is water, but you have to drink it.”

The Way to God (New York: Cosimo, Inc., 2005), 53.

Likewise, for faith to be useful it must be brought inside. Given a home inside your heart and deposited within the deepest part of your soul. There, faith begins its transformative work of love within you. As faith continues, your soul radically starts reshaping itself until all that is left nothing more than a total dependency on God. This is the kind of gift of faith we must take in for ourselves.

So I ask do you have it?

As you need oxygen, carbohydrates, and fluids to stay alive. To really live you must have faith. For faith is the way to life in the Son.

I can vividly recall during my childhood walking into St. Joseph Church and seating ourselves in the same pews every Sunday. We would pray the recite Lord’s prayer, give the same gestures of peace to those in the congregation, partake in communion and then leave after the Mass was celebrated. Following the dismissal I would praise God if church ended within an hour. For myself, that’s all it mattered, getting out of church and returning to my life.

At that time, church was an extension of what we did, but it had no connecting in my heart, for faith to me at that time was nothing other than sending up a prayer and asking the Lord to give me what I desired. It did not go down deep into my soul and start cleaning out my inner sins. It was still lacking.

But the day came, when I first heard the good news of Jesus at Novesta Church of Christ and then something in me began to change. I wanted the Jesus found in the Scriptures because he was more than a man who hung on the cross. He was the Son of God who conquered the grave!

So faith, it is gift of God which changes everything.

But how can this be?

[FCF] How does faith in Jesus, the Son of God change you?

[Proposition] To have faith in Jesus is to let your insecurities go and trust God's assurance of your life.

This is when faith can resolve everything that is tense in our heart and bring about peace that surpasses all understanding.

[Bond to Scripture] The Apostle John writes his letter in 1 John 5:4-13, on why faith is able to overcome all our insecurities and provide us with assurance of the promise of eternal life. It is this kind of faith that removes all enemies, struggles, doubts and fears and gives us hope for the future.

If you have your bibles please turn with me to 1 John 5:4-13 on what God provides through his Son, Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:4–13 ESV

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 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. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

[Prayer of Illumination] Living God, help us so to hear your holy Word that we may truly understand; that, understanding, we may believe and believing, we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience, seeking your honor and glory in all that we do; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

II. Faith provides assurance by overcoming our adversaries.

To have faith in Jesus is to let your insecurities go and trust God's assurance of your life. The faith I am speaking about is one that provides assurance by overcoming our adversaries.

In John’s era, the ancient church was combating many false teachers who were teaching unbiblical doctrines. The false teacher’s mission was to lead Christians astray in their faith (1 John 2:19), by disproving Jesus was the Christ, who came in the flesh. While the believers had a fight upon them. John reassures who has overcome them. Jesus said to his disciples in John 16 these words.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Christian faith is the anchor that holds the ship when the wind and waves buffet it. No matter what the false teachers of this world wish to preach and teach, we overcome their temptations and lies by holding fast to the Son of God. Who tells us that we are victorious through faith.

A church that has a bible in one hand, a hand lifted to heaven and a heart of affection toward God will be a community that will never fall. God will hold them together and keep them safe from their adversaries.

But how do you overcome those who are from the world?

The answer is to continue believing in the one who has overcome them - Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1 John 5:4-5).

For if Jesus overcomes the world, by faith when certainly will too! Faith in Jesus Christ protects from false doctrine and keeping on the path of truth. That’s what faith can do for you. It gives you the power to overcome who belong to the devil.

But faith in Jesus does more...

III. Faith testifies about God's 'water and blood' gospel that saves.

Faith testifies about God’s ‘water and blood’ gospel that saves us.

God the Father testifies through Jesus’ baptizing ministry, Crucifixion and witness of the Holy Spirit.

The false teachers were saying something regarding that Jesus’ blood did nothing for us, that’s what was being disputed. Anyone who denied this gospel, one mixed with ‘water and blood’ made God the Father a liar. For he sent the Son to save us through the cross of Christ.

William Penn writes this profound line: No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.

I would add… No blood, no salvation!

It is at the cross where faith can be found. You must look here to see the love of the Father where he pours out his love and forgiveness so we receive the gift of God.

That’s why John declares this promise in verse eleven. “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11).

Our faith overcomes the evil one and it gives us a testimony that God has given life. When you have encountered the faith that comes from believing in Jesus, you are given a ‘water and blood’ good news which is to be shared.

IV. Faith draws into Jesus who grants eternal life.

The last gift faith gives us is eternal life in Jesus Christ. By this you can let all your insecurities go and trust God’s assurance of your life.

How do you know that you are alive eternally through God’s Son?

You believe in him!

What does faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God do? It changes your mind and gives you assurance that you’re on the right way. As Paul wrote to the church of Phillipi...

English Standard Version Chapter 1

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

God wants you to know that are living in the eternity with him today and he’s not done working on you.

This kind of faith changes us because we have passed from death to life and therefore, we live according to God’s kingdom. Which is demonstrated by us loving one another and making disciples for his glory.

When a church knows their safe in God then they realize that anything is possible with faith in him.

V. Jesus is the one who overcomes, reconciles, and secures those who believe.

But then again, we cannot look to ourselves for faith, we must look toward Jesus.

He has overcomes our enemies, reconciles us through his blood and secures his church in salvation. All we have to do is keep trusting Jesus Christ. He is our salvation.

Today, this gift of faith can be your, for God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so whoever shall believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Begin this week by placing your faith in Jesus Christ and watch God change you from the inside out.

[Closing Prayer]