Faith is the Victory

FAITH IS THE VICTORY

J. Mike Minnix

Introduction

1 John 5:1-5

Let's consider today the ultimate victory which God gives us and the manner in which He makes that victory possible. We come now to 1 John 5: 1-5 ...

"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (NKJV)

All of us love to win - we value victory. That is, we desire to be on the winning side of every game, every issue, and every discussion. In sports, for example, we want our team to win. In politics, we want our candidate to win. Simply put, we like to be on the winning side. But most victories, though they are fun at the time, are temporal and very hollow. What John is describing in the passage we are considering today is a victory that is personal, powerful, and permanent.

John described a spiritual victory with eternal consequences. In fact, when we claim victory on an earthly, temporal level, we often say, “We won.” It may be that a team we like has won a contest on the field of sport. Actually, we had nothing to do with the victory. We may not even be at the game but are merely watching it on television or following it on the internet, yet when the team wins, we exclaim, “We won.” John described an even greater victory by saying that you and I have the right and privilege to claim a position of victory for something we DID NOT DO - something we could not possible do. I am going to explain that in a moment.

For now, let's begin with ...

I. The Commencement of Faith

What is faith? Faith is an expectation resting in a promise which results in an action. For example, let us imagine that you are sick and you go to the doctor for help. You have the awareness that you are physically ill and thus you seek help. You have faith that going to the doctor will help you. He gives you a prescription, which you take to a pharmacy to have filled. Then you go home, read the instructions and take the medication. You had a need, you sought an answer, and you followed the instructions by carrying out an action. Your faith brought something to you which had the power to make you well. In a much larger and more profound manner, a person who becomes aware of his or her need of God, discovers what God demands, and acts upon it with expectation (faith), thereby receives spiritual healing. This reveals to us three steps in the commencement of saving faith.

A. The Compassion of God

First, God is loving and gracious, and it is not His desire that anyone perish. We read in 2 Peter 3:9 the following words ...

Since God does not desire that anyone perish, He points out to the human family that we have a dreadful spiritual disease in the human soul. If He did not reveal our condition to us, none of us could ever be saved. Everything that has anything to do with faith begins with God - it does not begin with us or anything we can do about our lost condition. His loving compassion makes it possible for us to be saved and to live in victory over this world.

Now, consider ...

B. The Cross of Christ

Even if we knew our lost condition, it would do us little good unless there was a solution to our dilemma. The cross of Christ is our saving medication. There are some diseases which have no cure. You can be aware that you have a disease but find no pharmacy with medicine to cure you. Thank God, that the disease of sin has a cure, and that cure comes at the expense of the precious blood of Jesus shed at the cross. Without the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, we are all hopelessly, eternally lost.

So, God's love makes us aware of our sinful and horrible condition, and points us to what Jesus Christ did at Calvary when He died for our sins.  That leads to part 3 in the commencement of saving faith ...

C. The Conversion of the Lost

Finally, John tells us that we must be born again in order to receive the victory that Jesus purchased for us at the cross. How does one obtain this new birth? As God makes our condition known to us, we must be willing to admit our lost condition. Then we must repent of our sin turning from it to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He alone provides forgiveness and salvatoin through His sacrifical death and glorious resurrection from the dead. All of this is done through faith - you believe what God tells you about sin, you turn from sin and by faith you accept His Son. Yet, it is not what you do but what God has done for you, and what He promises to do when you come to Him in the manner He has provided that makes the difference.

Now this brings us to another important issue. Note ...

II. The Conflict in Faith

Please note in our initial text the repeated word "overcome.” It is used three times in this short passage of scripture. To "overcome" speaks of a battle, for there is no need to overcome unless you are in a fight, a war, or a conflict. To see this war played out let's turn back in the Old Testament for a moment to see it in the life of Moses.

In Exodus we see Moses as he does battle morally and spiritually with the Pharaoh of Egypt, for Moses intended to do what God had told him to do, and that was to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt. To do this Moses took a stand against the Pharoah, who was intent of stopping Moses from accomplishing the task of escape. We need to remember at this point that in the Old Testament Egypt was a picture of the world and sin. The Pharaoh, the leader of Egypt, is a picture of Satan. So here we see Moses doing battle with the world and with the devil. Look in Exodus, chapter  8 and note 4 conflicts Moses encountered as he sought to lead the people into God's promises.

A. The Devil’s Temptation

1. The Salvation Conflict

First, the Pharaoh called on Moses to have the people make their sacrifice in the land of Egypt. The Pharaoh was trying to convince Moses that it was okay to be religious but it wasn't necessary to leave Egypt. The first temptation of the devil is almost always a religious temptation. Satan doesn't care if you are religious, as long as you don't get the real thing and live fully for Christ. Most people have some religion, but they don’t have salvation, because they don’t have Jesus. The devil would just as soon have you in the church while you are still lost and in your sin as to have you sprawled out in a gutter on drugs or alcohol. The devil will whisper to you that it's okay to go to church once in a while, just don't get all the way out of Egypt - in other words, all the way out of a worldly way of life and into the life of full faith in Jesus.

2. The Separation Conflict

Second, we see the temptation for Moses to compromise by settling down in the suburbs of sin. Stay close enough to Egypt to make a journey back there once in a while – that is what the Pharaoh suggests when Moses rejects the first offer. This represents worldly Christians - saved but not serious about living for Christ. Billy Sunday said that a worldly Christian is like speaking of a heavenly devil. Look at Revelation 3 and the Church of Laodecia. There you see a church which made Jesus sick -  a church He was ready to spew out of His mouth.

3. The Soul-winning Conflict

Third, the Pharaoh offers the compromise of not allowing the leaders of the families to take their children with them to worship God. In other words, this is an attack on the families of those who know the Lord.

Do you remember the story of Philippian jailor that Paul and Silas led to faith in Christ? That man would not have faith for himself and then leave his family behind. The jailer took Paul and Silas to his house and his entire family was saved and baptized. That is the victory the Lord desires for us and our families.

It was Joshua who said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

In Genesis 7:1 God told Noah to bring his family into the Ark.

You need to have a concern for your family’s faith. When Cornelius was spoken to by the Lord He was told that he and all his family would know the way to salvation. I thank God for a father and mother who took me to church when I was a boy, read the Bible in our home, and prayed together.

4. The Substance Conflict

Fourth, Moses was told to go out to worship but to leave behind his substance. The devil often gets people to compromise with their possessions. The business, the checkbook, the cash is kept from God. See, the devil knows that wherever your treasure is that is where your heart is. One out of every six verses in the Gospels deals with our relationship to our possessions. Sixteen out of thirty-eight parables of Jesus dealt with possessions. You might say, “O, but preacher, I earned what I have.” O yes, whose air did you breath? Whose raw materials have you used? What brain and hands have you used, except those which God has given you?

Some people want to come out of Egypt but they want to leave their substance in Egypt - in the world. Moses said, “Our cattle will go with us, and not a single hoof will be left behind.” Moses stated that every hide, every hoof, and every hair was going with them!

How did Moses get out of Egypt? Moses had his eyes on a King other than the Pharaoh. Moses saw the invisible, he knew the unknowable, and he did the impossible! Moses had his eyes on God and his heart commited to God. The man or woman who truly kneels heart and soul before God can stand before anyone - Moses exemplified this principle.

B. The Divine Trials

Not all pressure in the Christian life is from the devil. The Lord can try our faith by proving its depth and veracity. Look at the Scripture to see the reality of this.

1 Peter 1:7 states ...

"These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

What are "these" things that have come? They are trials, fiery trials, in the lives of God's people. God may well put your faith to the test.

We all have seen floating markers on lakes and waterways. These buoys are firmly anchored in strategic locations, and even though the waves of the sea splash around them, they float steadfastly in their appointed places. The tides rise and fall, but they are never carried away. When the great swells come, the buoys mount up and ride upon them as they cascade along. Often the waters descend, submerging the buoys for a moment, but immediately they rise to the top and bob back into their proper positions. This is a picture of the believer's conquering life. In God's strength the Christian can have the buoyancy of faith which overcomes all spiritual opposition. The comforting power of the indwelling Holy Spirit gives the well-anchored soul victory even though at times he or she is almost overwhelmed by a sea of outward circumstances.

All of us cannot sing the same. All of us cannot learn the same. All of us cannot teach the same. All of us cannot give the same amount. But all of us can believe God. All of us can have faith. All of us can be faithful. God asked you to do something which you can truly do. You can believe and behave.

III. The Conquest through Faith

We have seen the commencement of faith, and we've considered the conflict in faith, but now let's look at The Conquest through Faith.

A. Live in the Defeat of Cain

Without faith, we live in the defeat of Cain, who simply did not trust God. He took things into his own hands. He is the example of someone who cannot simply trust God but rather seeks the world's answer to life's problems. He trusted his fist instead of divine faith.

B. Live in the Victory of Abel

Genesis 4 relates the story of Abel’s sacrifice and Cain’s sacrifice. Both were religious. Each brought a sacrifice. Cain brought a gift from the ground; Abel brought the first of his flock. God was pleased with the gift of Abel but was displeased with Cain. Why does faith please God? Faith is a response to the nature of God. Like your eye is made to see and your ear is made to hear, your heart is made to believe God.

Acts 10:43 points out that all prophets preached Jesus. Jesus said in Luke 11:49 that Abel was a prophet. Abel's gift preached Jesus! He would have sung,

“In my hand no price I bring,

simply to the cross I cling!”

There are two kinds of religion. True religion and false religion. Cain and Abel represent the two kinds of religion. True religion is faith in God’s righteousness and the sacrifice He makes for our sin. False religion is human works. Jude 11 speaks of the way of Cain. Cain was a tiller of the ground. Cain offered the fruit of the ground, but it was cursed ground. Cain offered the work of his hands, but it came from sinful hands. Hebrews 9:22 tells us that Without the shedding of blood there is no remission for sin. A bloodless sacrifice from the ground was unacceptable. Cain brought vegetables. But you can’t get blood out of a turnip! Why did Cain do this? He got it out of his own head. He was religious, but he was lost!

You think religion is enough? It was a religious crowd that crucified Christ. Religion cannot save you.

Abel had a different faith. What did Abel offer to the Lord? Abel brought an animal to the Lord and offered it to Him. Though Abel could not possibly fully understand his act, it did represent the shed blood of Jesus Christ. How can we know this? You cannot have faith unless God first speaks. Faith is the response to the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. God had shown them what kind of sacrifice He wanted. God had clearly shown this in the Garden when he slew an animal and make skins to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve, the parents of Cain and Abel.

Conclusion

Eighty soldiers from Fort Dix were fighting a forest fire, when a  pilot flying overhead dropped three weighted notes. With the notes he gave directions on how the firefighters wer to escape the flames. He could see from above a way of escape which they could not see from below. When they read the note, they fled. They did not doubt the authority of the pilot, but immediately fled to safety. They had a message of escape that came from above. That is what God offers our world. A message of safety and salvation that comes from above.

God does not look for ability, God looks for availability. God does not look for scholarship, God looks for relationship. It matters not who you know, it matters whose you are. It is not according to your fame, not according to your fortune, not according to friends, but according to your faith be it unto you.

1 Corinthians 15:57 ...

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Have you trust Jesus for salvation? If not, today is the day for you to come to Him - by faith! By faith, admit that you are a sinner. By faith, believe Jesus is God's Son and that He died and rose from the dead to redeem those who believe. By faith, receive Him as God calls you in your heart at this very moment.

For those of us who are saved, let us renew our faith in Him. Do not look at the world and worry, but look at the Lord and live in victory.

Additional Faith Scriptures:

James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

2 Corinthians 5:7 We live by faith, not by sight.

John 6:40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

[i] F. J. Huegel, Forever Triumphant (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing), p. 57