Everyone Born of God Overcomes the World

There are three great spiritual enemies—a great triumvirate of evil-- that we have to fight against to remain children of God: the world, our flesh, and the devil.

We know who the devil is—the evil angel who tempted Adam and Eve in the garden and brought sin and death into the world and continues to work against the saving purposes of God in our life.

Our flesh is that part of us that goes along with the devil because we have been broken by sin and death--that part of us that we are born with that is opposed to God-- and it clings to us throughout life and undermines the good we want to do.

And then there is the world—an especially important idea in John’s writings. This spiritual enemy is not the created world. It is no sin to enjoy food and family and the beauty of the creation around us. These are good gifts from God.

Rather, when the Bible talks about the world as our spiritual enemy it is talking about those all of those ideas and philosophies and perspectives and values that unbelievers have-- that come, not from God, but from the devil.

The world has a powerful (and spiritually deadly) effect on our lives. The world tells us that we are simply animals who cannot control their sexual urges. The world tells us that what really matters are the material things that we can hold in our hands. The world tells us that life is about doing all we can and getting all we can while we have time—because this life is all there is. It is that way of thinking that is opposed to God.

We are overwhelmed by these ideas and values and we have to fight against their influence on our lives because they can cause us to lose our faith. But the Lord makes a remarkable and comforting promise in his word this morning when it comes to the world:

Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

All of us can say with the Apostle Paul: the good I want to do—I don’t do and the evil I don’t want to do—this is what I end up doing. What a wretched man I am! That’s the experience of us all when it comes to our flesh!

We want to do the right thing and we know what the right thing is to do but what we see about our lives—to our shame—is that often times we do not measure up to the high calling of being children of God. One big reason for that is the influence of the world around us that hinders us from being salt and light to a dark and decaying world.

But rather than despairing of our salvation—rather than giving up and giving in and going along with the world—the Bible tells us that we can overcome the world—in other words, the world WON’T have the final victory over us-- and we CAN live this life as Christians rather than unbelievers.

We can use material things without them becoming our gods. We can have spiritual values and godly goals. We can see life through God’s eyes.

We can be confident, as God’s children, that we won’t be overcome by the world and lose our faith because Jesus Christ conquered our great spiritual enemies—and his victory is our victory through faith in him—his power and life are our own.

In fact, that we believe at all is a testimony to the power of Christ over the forces of evil because when he saved us, he took someone who was, by nature, blind to the things of God and dead in sin—and made us children of God who can overcome the world rather than be overcome by it. This is what Jesus came to do. The Bible says:

This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood.

At the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry he went out to the Jordan River where his cousin John was preaching repentance and announcing that the kingdom of God was at hand.

When John saw Jesus he said, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Then Jesus walked down into that water filled with sinners and was baptized by John. And as he was baptized, the Holy Spirit appeared above his head and God said about Jesus: This is my beloved Son!

Three years later Jesus showed what these words from John and the Spirit meant. Jesus died on the cross for our salvation—bearing our sins in his body and suffering the punishment we deserve. Three days later he rose again just as he said he would—not only providing for our eternal life-- but proving that his words were true and that the promises he made can be trusted—including his promise that we will overcome the world. The Bible says:

The Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.

As I mentioned earlier, at Jesus’ baptism the Spirit testified that Jesus was God’s Son. At Pentecost, Jesus Christ poured out the Holy Spirit upon his disciples who testified that God made Jesus who was crucified both Lord and Christ.

The person and work of Jesus Christ—that he is the Son of God and Savior of the world—was made known by the Spirit at his baptism and crucifixion—a threefold testimony about Christ: water, blood, and Spirit.

And this three-fold testimony is also made about WHO WE ARE in Christ. In the waters of Holy Baptism, the Spirit buries us with Christ in his death and raises us with Christ in his resurrection and makes us God’s children and promises us that if we have been joined to Christ in a death like his we will certainly be united to Christ in a resurrection like his.

In Holy Communion the Holy Spirit tells us that the body that was broken for us on the cross is given to us in, with, and under the bread and the blood that was shed for us on Calvary is given to us in, with, and under the wine so that we can be certain that we are God’s children and that we will overcome the world.

Water, blood, and Spirit. This three-fold testimony about Jesus’ identity and work made by the Spirit at his baptism and crucifixion and also made to us in baptism and communion--can be trusted to tell us the truth about Jesus and the truth about ourselves: that Christ has had the victory over our spiritual enemies and so will we. The Bible says:

If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.

In courtrooms ancient and modern people were called up to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And the testimony of witnesses becomes more compelling as the number of those who say the same thing grows. In biblical times the testimony of three witnesses was the legal standard for the truth being established.

That is what we have in the Spirit’s witness to the water of Jesus’ baptism and the blood of the cross as they are conveyed to us and spoken about us in baptism and Holy Communion.

Very simply, regarding the promise that we will overcome the world, God says: this is the truth and I want you to believe it and count on it and build your life upon it. The Bible says: Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself.

I want you to recognize the progression of the things that we have talked about today in our sermon. Jesus’ identity as the Son of God was established at his baptism. His saving work was accomplished at the cross.

Who he is and what he has done for us has been given to us in Word and Sacrament for this purpose: so that we would have the Spirit’s testimony in ourselves—in other words, that in our hearts, each of us, personally and individually would know and believe in Jesus Christ, trust him for our salvation, and be confident that we will overcome the world.

And believing this about Jesus and believing this about ourselves—we would go forward in that faith in the way we live our lives—valuing spiritual things over material things—drawing our values from the bible rather than from the world—trusting that death is not the end us for we are God’s children.

This is what it means that we have the testimony of the Son of God in ourselves—that our lives are different for time and eternity because of Jesus.

But the person who does not believe this rejects his own value as one for whom Christ died—rejects the testimony of the Spirit who calls him to faith—rejects the work of Christ-- and ultimately rejects God. The Bible says:

Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.

Everything that God has done and everything that God has said has but one purpose: that you would know him and believe in him and live as his child. That was his plan for you and Jesus accomplished that plan by dying for you and rising again.

The Holy Spirit has reached out to you through this Good News about Jesus—testifying to the truth about Jesus (that he is your Savior) and testifying the to the truth about who you are (someone who is loved by God with an everlasting love). To reject this testimony is to reject God and call him a liar.

This can happen when people fail to believe in Jesus Christ and reject his salvation. But it can also happen to Christians when we reject the promises that God makes to us in Christ about our victory in him.

When we carry around a load of guilt-- we are saying that Christ has not forgiven us. When we worry constantly about the future-- we are saying that God is not wise enough or strong enough to watch out for us. And when we live like the world around us rather than overcoming the world-- we are saying the sacrifice of Christ for us and the work of the Holy Spirit in us is not powerful enough to deliver us.

God wants all of us to take him at his Word when it comes to the salvation he has given us in Jesus AND what that gift means in our day to day life.

And so today we begin to live as those who will overcome the world by staying to faithful to Jesus despite Satan’s attacks- and living by God’s values rather than the world’s-- and enjoying the blessings of life without becoming mastered by them-- and enduring the hardships of life without becoming embittered.

God has promised you that you will overcome the world and he invites you to step out in faith upon that promise. Amen.