The Weapon of Faith

1 John 5:4–5 NLT

For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Introduction:

Battle fatigue is a real thing. Soldiers who fight in wars sometimes endure long battles and they work off of adrenaline and the sheer will to survive. They count on their buddies in the fighting hole next to them to pull their weight and keep the rounds going down range. There have been bloody battles fought all over the world and sometimes Marines and soldiers must even revert to hand-to-hand combat using bayonets, knifes or fists to defeat their enemy. They fight like their lives are on the line, because they are.

I must tell you that you and I are in a battle for our lives as well. Some people know this to be true while others are blinded to the war that is raging in the world.

But thank God we don’t have to use bayonets or knives. We use a weapon that is unlike any other.

Listen to what Scripture says and the choice of words used:

Revelation 12:11 “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.”

Romans 8:37 “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Today, I want to talk to you about winning the battle with the weapon of faith.

Acknowledging the Problem

All of the passages we read tell us that we have victory, they tell us that we are overcomers.

To have victory there must be a battle

none of us go through life without facing opposition

each day we are faced with trials, obstacles or situations that we must deal with

An overcomer deals with these situations and does not ignore them.

Everyone has stuff to deal with but the difference in being an overcomer or someone who is defeated is our commitment.

What problems must we overcome?

John says twice that our problem is with the “world.”

What does he mean, “the world?”

Satan and his plans

Sin

Suffering/pain

pleasure/sensuality

Anything that stands against God is the world - or world system

Anything that tries to make us believe anything other than who we truly are in Christ are the obstacles that must be faced and overcome.

Applying the Principle

There is a very valuable principle that I want to share with you today.

Its a principle that we must have in our lives if we are to overcome the obstacles we face.

It is the principle of FAITH!

We all live by faith.

When we sit in a chair, we have faith that it will hold us up.

When we eat at a restaurant, we have faith that they won’t poison us.

When we drive down the road, we have faith that the car will do its job and keep us safe.

When we get on an airplane, we have faith that it will not drop out of the sky.

All of this however is just a general kind of faith.

What John is talking about when he says we have victory through faith is our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the risen King.

It is faith in God that does a few things:

Faith allows us to have the presence of God.

Hebrews 10:21–22 “And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

James 4:8 “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”

Faith allows us to have the power of God.

Matthew 21:21–22 “Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.””

Accepting the Promise

The Bible is filled with great stories and historical accounts of people who have overcome great odds. They had faith that God would do what He said He would do.

In Egypt, the people cried out and God released them and made them a great nation just like He said He would.

Joseph believed God when he received a dream that he would rule. He was sold into slavery and thrown in prison but God got him out just like He said he would.

God can be trusted!

Take Him at His word!

Though it may seem like its over and your going under, don’t believe the lies the enemy has been telling you.

You are an overcomer!

You have to accept it by faith!

If you believe that, say amen!

Altar Call