FAITH OVERCOMES THE WORLD

Rev. Mark F. Bartels

The text that we will look at is taken from our Epistle Lesson, 1 John, chapter 5, verses 1 through 6, and reads as follows in our Savior's name.

"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."

These are Your Words, Heavenly Father. Lead us in the way of truth. Your Word is truth. Amen

(Pastor holds up a globe and says,) This is where you were born. This is where you have grown up. This is where you have your friends. This is where you make your living. This is where you go to school. This is where you watch TV. This is where you drive your car. This is where you play baseball and softball. This is where you play on the playground. This is where, someday, you will die. This is where, someday, you will be buried.

The world.

Our scripture reading says, "Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."

Who is he that overcomes the world? Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, overcomes the world. So, this is where you live, and scripture says that you want to overcome this place. You want to overcome the world. Why in the world would you want to have victory, and overcome the world?

In order to understand that, we need to understand that John, the apostle, uses the word, the Greek word 'kosmos', for the word 'world' here. John, the apostle, who wrote the book of 1 John that we are looking at, also wrote the Gospel of John. And, he wrote two other epistles of John. He is called the apostle of love, because he uses the word 'agape', which is a Greek word that means, 'unconditional love', more than anybody else in the whole Bible. But, there is a word that he uses, even more than the word love and it is the Greek word ' kosmos', or 'kosmon'. It is a Greek word that we translate, 'the world'. And so, John talks a great deal about the world. And what we discover from the writings of John is that while sometimes when we refer to 'the world', we are referring to 'this planet that we live on', scripture's use of the word 'world' goes a lot deeper than that. John, in one of his early chapters of this epistle says, "Do not love the world, or the things of the world." Sometimes when scripture uses the word 'world', it refers to 'everything in the world, and on the world' -all of the people, all of the toys, all of the games, all of the money - everything! And scripture says,

"Do not love the world or the things of the world."

What can the things of this world do? They can distract us from the most important thing in the world and that is God, Himself. So, the world and the things of the world can lead us away from God.

Secondly, when scripture uses the word 'world' it talks about what we refer to as 'the ways of the world or the corruption of the world'. So, for example, a Bible verse from 1 John, chapter two, John says, "For all that is the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life is not from the Father, but from the world." There is a corrupt use of the things of this world - our bodies, other people's bodies, our money, our possessions, the arts, music, and so on. And, that is something that is to be overcome.

Then, scripture also uses the word 'world' to refer to 'the alienated race of human beings, alienated from God'. And so, Jesus says, "The world hated me." Jesus says He came into the world, but the world did not accept Him. Jesus says, "Because the world hates me, the world will hate you." When He refers to 'world', there, He is referring to 'fallen humankind', that is opposed to and an enemy of God.

Scripture says the world and the lusts there of will pass away. The world and the lusts there of will pass away. Only he who loves the Father, will live forever.

Why do we want to overcome the world? We want to overcome the world, because the world, and the lusts thereof, will pass away. This place will one day melt with fervent heat and it will be gone. And, all of those things will pass away. Only he who does the Will of the Father will live forever.

And so, how do we overcome the world? Who is it that overcomes the world? Our scripture reading says,

"Everyone born of God,

everyone born of God,

overcomes the world."

So, the world is not overcome by guns and by military force. The world is not overcome by some great general, who takes over all the countries of the world. It says whoever is born of God, overcomes the world. The only way to truly overcome the world is to be born a second time, because the first time we are born, we are of the world. We have a nature that loves the things of the world, that lives according to the things of the world, that is an enemy of God and is opposed to God.

"Everyone born of God overcomes the world."

And who is it that is born of God? Our scripture reading says,

"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."

Our Lord Jesus, God, Himself, came to this earth. God came to this world. God did! God walked on this world in a human body, in the body of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And, what did the world do to God? The world hated God. And, the world put God on a cross. And the world killed God. But, Jesus overcame the world! Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world."

How did Jesus overcome the world? Jesus came to pay for the sins of the world.

"God so loved the world

that He gave His one and only Son,

that whoever believes in Him

shall not perish,

but have everlasting life."

Christ overcame the world by dying to pay for the sins of the world. And, He has the victory in His hand. The devil, who is the prince of this world, no longer has the victory.

Scripture says, "This is the one who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ." Then it says, "It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth." What is scripture referring to, there, when it says, "Jesus came by water"? It can only be referring to one thing. It is referring to baptism. Jesus comes to you, through baptism. You are born again, and become a child of God, through baptism, through the water of baptism. But, it is not just water. It is water, connected with what? It is connected with the very blood of Christ. It is the blood of Jesus that washes us clean. It is the blood of Jesus that paid for our sin. And, the Holy Spirit testifies to that, at our baptism, when He cleanses us and gives us faith to believe in Jesus, as our Savior.

One of my favorite paintings was painted during the Reformation, by an artist by the name of Lucas Cranach. Lucas Cranach painted a picture of Jesus on the cross and a crowd of people gathered around Jesus. In this painting, Jesus is on the cross and He is dead. The soldier had pierced the side of Jesus, and there was blood and water flowing from Jesus' side, as scripture says. Well, Lucas Cranach painted himself in the picture. He painted himself in the crowd, looking at Jesus hanging on the cross. The blood and the water coming out of Jesus' side, is flowing right onto Lucas Cranach 's head, as he looks, there, at Christ. It is a picture where he was saying that he believed in Jesus, and it is the water and the blood of Christ, by which he becomes a child of God.

"Everyone born of God

overcomes the world.

This is the victory

that has overcome the world,

even our faith."

If you believe in Jesus, as your Savior, then you have overcome the world. Your sins are forgiven. They are forgiven. When this world is destroyed, you will not be destroyed. You will have everlasting life. You have overcome the world. That is your sure and certain victory.

But, our scripture reading also says, that while we have overcome the world, it is our goal to continue to overcome the world.

"Everyone born of God overcomes the world."

It is the goal of a Christian, (knowing that I have the victory in Christ), to want to defeat the world daily. It is our goal to live for Christ, not to live according to the ways of the world. The victory is ours and we want to live in that victory.

Martin Luther once said, "If you claim to be a Christian, if you claim to be a Christian, you claim to believe that Jesus is your Savior from sin, but you just go right on in the ways of the world, you are deceiving yourself, and you are not really a follower of Christ, and a believer of Christ." Luther also said, If you are a Christian, if you believe in Jesus, as your Savior, everyone who is born of God, overcomes the world. Let's illustrate. Let's talk about the baser sins. If you claim to be a Christian, but you live in adultery and follow after the lusts of your eyes and the lusts of your heart, you have not overcome the world, the world has overcome you. And, you are not in Christ. Luther went on and said, If you claim to be a Christian, but you take your money and you are miserly with it, you won't give it to those in need, but you hoard it all for yourself, you have not overcome the world. You have been overcome by the world. You are only deceiving yourself, if you think you have the victory in Christ.

A Christian is one, as our scripture reading says, who loves God and says that God's commands are not burdensome.

"His commands are not burdensome."

I want to live, not according to the ways of the world, but I want to follow the Will and command of Christ. That is the victory that overcomes the world. And that is a power that can come only by the Holy Spirit, living in your heart, through faith in Jesus, as your Savior.

What happens when a Christian does not live according to the ways of the world? One of our church fathers said this. "When you start to live, not according to the ways of the world, but you start to live according to the ways of Christ, that is when you find out that the world has 'teeth' and it wants to 'bite' you. It opposes those who go according to the Will of God."

So, don't be surprised, don't be surprised, when you don't follow the ways of the world, but you follow the ways of Christ. Jesus said, "The world hates me. It will hate you." You will see the teeth of the world. But, that is ok.

Secondly, Jesus commanded us, not to live apart from the world. He said, "Go into all the world. Go into all the world, and make disciples of all nations." Scripture says that you are the light in a dark and depraved world. And so, while we are in the world, we are not of the world, but we are in the world.

• Let's go into the world.
• Let's take Christ.
• Let's take His Word.
• Let's take His Gospel.
• And, let's live as people of Christ!

We know that we are not perfect. Thank God we are forgiven! But, be of good cheer!

Amen.