World-Class Victory (part 2)

An athlete excels at a particular sport when he engages in certain disciplines on a regular basis. An Olympic runner will stretch and warm-up before running. He will practice running every day, measuring his progress, and striving to do better each time. His diet will include food that provides solid nutrition and high energy products to enable his best performance. He may even hire someone as a personal coach and trainer to provide objective advice and encouragement. To excel, the athlete will practice these disciplines faithfully to achieve world-class performance.

In our Scripture passage, John writes of a "world-class" victory which can be won by every believer. It is victory over a world system which follows the path of least resistance -- an ungodly path. There are certain disciplines to follow which will grant you victory over doubts and fears in your life, victory over the hopelessness in times of need, and confidence in the face of spiritual battles that threaten to tear you apart. One person with faith in the LORD Jesus Christ must stand against that entire world system and influence. But as one has said, and said well, "One plus God is a majority."

Scripture Passage: 1 John 5:6-21

Main Thought:
The victory over the influence of the world in your life comes only by faith in the LORD Jesus Christ.

Outline: By faith in Jesus Christ:
Part 1

You are able to love and obey God.

Part 2

You receive the testimony of Jesus' life and the witness of the Holy Spirit to confirm that you have received eternal life.
You ask and receive from God through prayer that is according to His will.
You rest secure in Christ, protected from the world and all the forces of darkness.

6 This is He who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: F15 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which F16 He has testified of His Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:6-13), NKJV)

2. You receive the testimony of Jesus' life and the witness of the Holy Spirit to confirm that you have received eternal life.

By faith in Jesus Christ you have a testimony of what the LORD has done for you. John also reminds us of God's testimony to us of all that He has done for you and everyone else. You have the testimony of the only begotten Son of God whose life, death, burial, and resurrection was predicted hundreds, even thousands of years in advance by the Prophets.

By faith in Jesus Christ -- you have the testimony of Jesus' life, both from Scripture and from those who have gone before us.

Ministry of His teaching confirmed by miracles only possible by God Himself.
His death on the cross for our sins.
His resurrection from the dead.
His ascension into Heaven.

John reveals the assurance we have that Jesus is the Christ is confirmed by water and blood (1 John 5:6a).

The water represents Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist which inaugurated His ministry.
The blood represents the cross, the culmination of His ministry.

There are many interpretations at this point but consider that John makes a specific point that Jesus came not by water only but also by blood. So his point has something to do with those who claim that Jesus came only by water. In his time, a prevalent heresy had emerged from some who claimed that Christ was divine and Jesus was just a human who "became" Christ at His baptism. The divine Christ was with Jesus through His miraculous life but left Him before He went to the cross. The group of people that believed this lie -- most likely of Jewish origin -- apparently could not reconcile the fact that the Savior (Messiah) had to die. And not just any death but the curse of being hung on a tree (the cross). John was an eyewitness of Jesus Christ as he affirmed at the very beginning of 1 John. He affirms here that Jesus was indeed the divine Christ who also shed His blood for the sins of the whole world.

By faith in Jesus Christ -- you have the testimony of the Holy Spirit. He confirms the truth of God's word -- after all, He inspired its writing (1 John 5:6b). The believer has this witness INSIDE for the Holy Spirit indwells the believer (John 14:17;1 Cor. 2:12; Eph. 1:13-14). So God puts His testimony inside the believer to confirm the external evidence of Jesus' life from Scripture and from other believers (1 John 5:10a). The testimony of people is good but the testimony of God is far superior. People say all kinds of things, sometimes the craziest things, but God speaks the truth at all times (1 John 5:9). For the believer to have this witness and deny it is to make God out to be a liar (1 John 5:10b).

So the testimony that God has provided is summed up in verse 11. God has granted every person a gift of eternal life found only in His Son, Jesus Christ. The gift is available to everyone for the taking. God desires that everyone take this gift because He wants you to know Him and spend eternity with Him. Yet it is a gift that must be individually received (John 1:12). Have you received God's gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ? If not, I appeal to you to turn to God. Place your faith in the LORD Jesus Christ who died for your sins and then gloriously rose from the dead, proving His authority and power for all time.

Having opened the gift of eternal life, take time right now to thank God for saving you for eternity. The assurance you have of life is that you have trusted in the LORD Jesus Christ. Your assurance is based on God's promise in verse 12: "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12, NKJV). Have you put your trust in the LORD Jesus Christ? Assuming you have, then what do you possess now? You possess eternal life. Scripture is clear and God does not lie. John writes of these things to believers so that you can have this assurance of eternal life.

John's whole epistle was written to bring the believer assurance that your life and faith are in agreement with the truth, thereby giving you assurance and great confidence. God does not want you to live with doubts and fears but rather in victory over them! A timid soldier is of little value in a battle. A timid Christian is just what the devil desires for he or she can be easily intimidated. When you stand secure in eternal life, you become a powerful servant of God. By faith in the LORD Jesus Christ with the testimony of Scripture and the witness of the Holy Spirit, you know that you have eternal life. This is a discipline which destines you for world-class victory.

14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. (1 John 5:14-17, NKJV)

3. You ask and receive from God through prayer that is according to His will.

George Mueller lived a miraculous life in many ways, which he attributed to God and which he appropriated through prayer. He said, "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance. It is laying hold of His willingness, thinking His thoughts after Him."

The Apostle John writes that we are to ask God (prayer) according to His revealed will. This means that the believer is to study God's word making application in his/her own life. Through this discipline, you will learn to discern God's will ever more clearly.

When you pray according to His will, the Bible says that God hears and responds. This is the "thunderclap" of Heaven. God hears the prayer of His child and rushes to respond to it:

When you pray according to His will, as John writes, God hears and responds for "whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him" (1 John 5:15, NKJV).
The Psalmist paints a vivid picture of God's response on the wings of the wind (Psalm 18:6-10, 13) indicating His swift action.
The prophet Daniel records a 21 day period of prayer and fasting (Daniel 9:3) where God actually responded the very first day of Daniel's prayer (Daniel 9:23).

God, you see, works outside of time and space for He created both. This is the hard part of our prayer life for we pray and ask God. But then we may have to wait, for we live in time, to reach that point in the future where God has already acted on our behalf according to His will. The waiting is hard, yet perseverance in prayer during that time is vital so that you will (1) remember that the result is something which you asked of God and (2) remember to give God the glory for His amazing fulfillment of yet another promise.

1 John 5:14 indicates clearly that we can ask ANYTHING according to His will. He also writes in 1 John 3:22-23 that you can ask and receive WHATEVER from God because of your belief in Him and obedience to Him. This exciting truth about prayer can form an acrostic from the word "BLAH":

So if you need excitement, get BLAH! Think about the implications for your life from this point forward:

What are the limits on what you can do in life? For many of us, there are some real constraints in terms of time, skills, opportunity, money...
But what are the limits on what you can do in God's kingdom? The only constraint is God's will, nothing else, so BLAH!
How many times will this work? We serve an infinite God (God unlimited) so BLAH!
How many times do you need God's help? Well, maybe an infinite number of times -- every moment of the day -- so you need to BLAH!
How many times might you see a brother or sister in need of God's help? Lots of times so you need to BLAH!
What if a brother or sister falls into sin (1 John 5:16)? This is time for BLAH big time -- they need God's corrective and renewing hand.

When God's people pray, the ground of Heaven shakes and the forces of darkness quiver. For God has promised to hear and answer the prayers of His children -- prayers from those who love Him, love one another, and seek those things which are consistent with His truth, righteousness, and love. No more important discipline for the believer to engage in is prayer. This discipline is the foundation for success in God's kingdom. No victory will ever be won without it.

18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.. (1 John 2:18-21, NKJV)

4. You rest secure in Christ, protected from the world and all the forces of darkness.

In this last passage of 1 John, the Apostle enumerates three last things that "we know" because of the believer's position as a born-again child of God. Through these three things, you rest secure in Christ. You are secure from the worries of the world, secure the threat of the devil, and secure from the relativistic beliefs and idols of a fallen world. In Christ, you worship the one true and living God.

As a born-again believer in the LORD Jesus Christ, you know:

That you do not continue in sin as an unregenerate man or woman would do. Because God's seed remains in you (1 John 3:9) you "keep yourself" (1 John 5:18, NKJV) from such habitual sin (1 John 5:18, NKJV).
That you are not of this world any more but a child of God. The world may unknowingly follow the devil, but you do not because you are of God and you follow Him (1 John 5:19, NKJV).
That Jesus Christ has come into the world demonstrating through His perfect life, death, and resurrection that He is the true God and provider of eternal life to all who believe (1 John 5:20, NKJV).

As a result of all the things you know (John offers 21 specific things that the believer knows by faith in the LORD Jesus Christ), you know the true God, the true eternal life, and the true faith. You "are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 5:20, NKJV). You have eternal life which, as defined by Jesus in His prayer for all believers in John 17, is knowing God personally and forever by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ (John 17:3).

If you know the One who is true, then John's admonition at the end of this book makes perfect sense: "keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1 John 2:21, NKJV). Many counterfeits exist. For nearly every good product, there is an inferior substitute. There are "generic" products, look-alike products, and competitive products. Even for spiritual matters, there are many inferior substitutes. What the Bible says at this point is clear:

Don't ever settle for anything less than true faith in the One true and living God, our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.
Don't ever let anything or anyone get in the way of worshiping Him, walking with Him, following Him, or serving Him.
Be true to the One who is the true God.

This is a discipline for world-class faith that is victorious over the world, the flesh, and the devil -- the believer's three enemies. By exercising this discipline, you will gain more and greater spiritual victories day by day.

Reflect on YOUR Life:

Has you life as a believer made an impact in this world? Perhaps you are not experiencing world-class victory over the world because you are not practicing the disciplines which grow your effectiveness in God's kingdom. By faith in the LORD Jesus Christ, you can love God and obey His commands. That in itself is an amazing discipline but it reaps eternal rewards. By faith you have the testimony of Jesus' life which gives you great assurance and confidence to live out your faith. By faith in Jesus Christ you can ask and receive anything from God that is according to His will for you. And by faith you can rest secure no matter what difficulties and hardships the world may send your way. Practice these things and just see if God is not able to grant you tremendous spiritual victories in life.