Exercising our "Victory in Jesus"

The Holman Christian Standard Bible Chapter 5

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him. This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands. For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible D. Love Leads to Fellowship (4:7–5:5)

In 5:1–5 John emphasizes the place of love in fellowship. He links love to faith (5:6–17; Ps. 85:10–11) in cyclical thought. Right belief and right conduct go together (v. 1). The one who believes the truth that Jesus is the divine Messiah (2:22; 4:2, 14–15; 5:5) gives evidence that he has been regenerated. Such faith also means love for both the divine Parent and the child born from him (a universal principle). Faith, doing right (2:29; 3:9–10), and love (4:7) are evidences of birth from God. Verse 2 argues the reverse of 3:14–15, 17–19; 4:20. We know personally that we are loving God’s children when we love God and practice his commands (to love and believe, 3:23). Love for God proves our love for others. Both loves are essential and interwoven. “Love for God” (v. 3) is defined as obedience: keeping his commands. The nature of his commands, though exacting, is not oppressive (Matt. 11:30). There is divine enablement (v. 4). Birth from God overcomes the evil world. The victory which overcame historically is Christ’s, won at the cross (John 16:33). The believer’s faith enables him to share in Christ’s victory. Verse 5 restates verse 4 as a question. The one who conquers the evil world is he who believes. The victory achieved historically by Christ is constantly appropriated by keeping faith that Jesus is God’s Son (2:22–23; 4:15). By faith his victory becomes ours.

Everyone who believes in Jesus is born of God

Everyone who loves the Father also loves Jesus

We love God's children when we obey His commands

Love of the Father is in keeping His commands

Being born of God means conquering the world

We conquer the world by our faith

We only conquer the world through faith in our belief in Jesus

1 John 5 HCSB

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him. This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands. For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Jesus Christ—He is the One who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the One who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood —and these three are in agreement. If we accept the testimony of men, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that He has given about His Son. (The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him. The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in 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. The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for. If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not bring death, he should ask, and God will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t bring death. There is sin that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that does not bring death. We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the One who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One. We are in the true One—that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

I. Introduction

Israel and the church are the chief objects of God’s fatherly love.

People become God’s children through faith and are then encouraged by Scripture to imitate their heavenly Father in their daily living.

Too often Christians encounter difficulty or stumble in their Christian walk they become depressed and feel defeated.

We can experience victory when maintain a right relationship, the right desire, listen to the right advice, and exercise the right faith.

Today our passage is .

At a circus a huge elephant was tied to an eighteen-inch stake.

Could he not easily have pulled it out of the ground and be free? Sure!

But he had tried it when he was a baby and was unsuccessful.

The elephant had concluded that he could never pull it out of the ground. So there he stood a massive creature capable of lifting whole trees, yet held captive by a puny stake.

What small stake could faith release you from?

Think about this song called “Victory In Jesus” it is a powerful story of how a Savior comes to rescue His people from failure and give them victory.

Too many Christians today feel chained to their religion, they feel defeated.

Just like the elephant.

But we have no right to feel that way.

Christians should lead a victorious life, not a defeated one.

The defeated life is for the sinner.

No matter how much success a person experiences if he or she is not saved he or she has no victory because he or she is still on the losing team.

Let’s take a look at living the victorious Christian life.

Read with me in 1 John

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him. This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands. For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. An who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jsus is the Son of God?

I. POWER OF FAITH—vv. 1–5

A. First we have Proof of victory—vv. 1–3. This proof is that we are God’s children in a threefold way:

1.) The first proof is Acceptance—v. 1. When we accept Christ through faith, we become the children of God.

a.) To get to acceptance we must have faith to be born of God

b.) If we have faith then we love the Father

c.) We are also shown here that we are to love each other

1. the Father love the one born of Him

2. John emphasizes love in this passage to introduce two points found in v. 2.

a. He also links love to faith in

1). Faithful love and truth will join together;

righteousness and peace will embrace. Truth will

spring up from the earth, and righteousness will

look down from heaven.

3. Therefore everyone who loves the Father also loves

Jesus

4. But to love Jesus you must believe in Jesus and that

he is born of God.

5. The one who believes the truth that Jesus is

divine gives evidence that he has been regenerated.

6. Such faith also means love for both the divine Parent

and the child born from him.

d.) By having the right belief and the right conduct together we are accepted as children of God.

e.) So, when it looks like the devil has completely destroyed your life and anything near you, your faith gives you the victory through Jesus.

2.) Our next proof is Affection—v. 2. This is accomplished by showing our love of God and others.

a.) Here we find the first point the John emphasizes in v. 1.

b.) How do we truly show love to God?

1. v. 2. Talks about loving God’s children.

a. We do this by first loving our Brother’s and Sister’s in Christ

b. And then by loving All of God’s creations as humans

c.) Let me put it this way we know personally that we are loving God’s children when we love God and practice his commands.

d.) I mentioned in another message Love is the greatest of these commands.

1. The keywords here are

followingHis commands

2. This is the second point that John is making in v. 1. about love

e.) Love is keeping God’s commands

1. says

a. We show our love toward God by keeping His

commandments.

f.) So when the world tells you that you can’t survive the circumstances that you are in, your love and faith gives you the victory.

1. Jesus also tells us this in

1. Jesus also tells us this in

a. “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

a. “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”c.) So when the world tells you that you can’t survive the circumstances that you are in, your love and faith gives you the victory.

c.) So when the world tells you that you can’t survive the circumstances that you are in, your love and faith gives you the victory.

3.) The third proof is Attitude—v. 3. This is accomplished by the keeping of His commands. His commands are not hard to keep.

a.) John ensures that we know God’s definition of Love in v. 3.

b.) And as we now know in order to love we must keep His commands which is obedience.

c.) So, when it looks like all hope is gone, our love, faith, and obedience to the truth gives you the victory.

1. Jesus also tells us this in

a. “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

d.) John reason for saying this is that we are born of God.

e.) Look at

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything?

2. He concludes this verse with a big victory by saying God conquers the world.

d.) So, when it looks like all hope is gone, our love, faith, and obedience to the truth gives you the victory.

B. But we aren’t through. There is Power—vv. 4–5.

1.) It starts with the Person—v. 4. When born again, we can overcome the world. It is our faith that helps us overcome the world. We have a divine entitlement

a.) He expands on the idea in v. 3. by saying God’s command are not a burden as it says here.

1. Jesus also tells us this in

1. Jesus also tells us this in

a. “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

a. “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

b.) John reasoning is that we are born of God.

d.) John reason for saying this is that we are born of God.

c.) Look at

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything?

2. He states that the big victory is God conquers the world.

d.) Our rebirth in God overcomes all evil.

e.) Christ’s victory at the cross is our victory through faith.

f.) Our faith enables us to share in Christ’s victory

g.) While it is God’s victory through the death of His son

h.) We are able to ask Who is it that overcomes the world?

And the answer is Christians. Our faith in Jesus Christ is our

victory.

i.) We share in God’s conquering of the world through our faith.

2.) Finally we have God’s Plan---v. 5. “But who could possibly fight and win this battle except by believing that Jesus is truly the Son of God”

a.) v. 5. Emphasis’s our love for God as the truly faithful to being able to conquer the evil world.

The Holman Christian Standard Bible Chapter 8

What then are we to say about these things?

If God is for us, who is against us?

He did not even spare His own Son

but offered Him up for us all;

how will He not also with Him grant us everything?

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything?

a.) v. 5. Emphasis’s our love for God as the truly faithful, because we

conquer the evil world when we believe.

b.) Christ’s victory over sin, death, hell, and Satan is your

defeat over sin, death, hell, and Satan.

c.) By our faith His victory becomes ours.

Let me close with this.

Telephone-pole climbing is an art.

In order to climb, one must have a belt that goes around the pole and wear spiked shoes.

The secret is to lean back and depend on the belt so the spikes can dig into the pole.

Depending on the belt is hard to learn; often a beginner slides down the splintery pole because he won’t depend on his equipment.

It only takes a few such experiences to convince the beginner that it is better to depend on the belt.

In the Christian life, God wants us to climb by depending on him.

When we are hurt by splinters, we should recognize that they are reminders that we need to depend on his strength and loving protection.

Let me leave you with this food for thought.

Are we growing in our love for the Father?

Is our victory in Jesus?