Title: Faith that overcomes the world
Contents
Bible Text: 1 John 5:4
Faith that overcomes the world
In the United States, a 14-year-old boy named Jonathan Knohn is on fire with the book “Defining Conservatism for Past, Present and Future Generations”. He said he decided to become a politician at the age of eight when he saw Democrats in the United States interfering with his decision. Speaking at the Republican Party's annual event at a hotel in Washington, DC on February 27, he said, "The key to understanding conservatism is the principle itself. Without principles, there is no policy, and without policy, there is no ideology.” At the end of his short two-minute speech, the audience gave a standing ovation. It is astonishing that the video of his speech was viewed by 90,000 people.
A little boy's speech is "principle" at its core. The essence of conservatism is that it is a principle. He is truly a confident and confident child. I wish we had that kind of confidence. “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith.” What is the faith that overcomes the world?
The belief that conquers the world
The faith that overcomes the world is the faith that conquers the world. God created man in the image of God and made them to have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, over livestock, over all the earth, and over all that creeps on the earth. “God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:26-28).
He said, “Subdue the earth.” To become a conqueror, you must overcome your fear. The land God has given is something to be conquered. God said to Joshua, who had to conquer the land of Canaan, “…be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
Fear is fear. Fear comes after sinning. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden hid after eating the forbidden fruit. When God asked, Adam, where are you? He said that he hid because he was afraid (Genesis 3:8-10).
Fear comes from lack of faith. Jesus and his disciples were on the boat, and Jesus was sleeping. When the wind blows and the waves overflow into the boat, the disciples wake them up. Save us, Lord, for we are dead. Why are you afraid, you of little faith, Jesus rebuked the sea (Matthew 8:23-26).
The faith that overcomes the world is the faith that conquers the world. To conquer is to obey, not to surrender.
In the history of the early church, there was a bishop of the Smyrna church named Polycarp. He was martyred at the age of 86 during the Roman policy of annihilation of Christianity. He piled up a pile of firewood and gave him a chance just before he was burned at the stake. He persuaded him to spare his life if he said he did not believe in Jesus. You only have to lie once in order to live. However, Polycarp said, “Jesus never said that he did not know me, so how can I become a traitor to live a poor life? Come on, kill me.” He prayed for his enemies and was martyred fiercely. Martyrdom is a faith that conquers the world.
The faith that conquers the world is the faith that conquers the world with the gospel. It is to preach the gospel to everyone on earth. It is for everyone to believe in Jesus and be saved. How to conquer the world? You can do it with the Holy Spirit. As Jesus ascended into heaven, He said, “Wait for what the Father has promised, and you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.” “Neither by strength nor by might, but by my spirit. What do you mean, O great mountain, that you shall become a plain before Zerubbabel” (Zechariah 4:6-7).
The faith to love the world
The faith that overcomes the world is the faith that loves the world. Jesus wept in front of the tomb of his friend Lazarus. When the Jews saw the scene, they said, “Look, how much did you love him? I did. Then Jesus said, "Open the door to Lazarus' tomb," and with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! Then the dead came back to life (John 11:35-36,43).
Jesus loved Lazarus and raised his dear friend. To love the world is to save the world.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God loved the world that was to perish. Jesus said that He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
The love of God is that Jesus saved us from our sins by dying on the cross. Love is not just words. It takes sacrifice and hard work. Unbelievers are sinners. You have to love them and you have to call them.
A young singer named BIGBANG has published a book called “Shout out to the world!” One of the members said this about music. “..Music moves my body and mind and makes me breathe, and the colorful stage always makes my heart race. What would I be doing if I hadn't been making music? The answer to this question will probably be searched for the rest of your life and you will never find it.” Music moved their bodies and their minds to dance and sing.
The church allows the Holy Spirit to speak, sing, and evangelize. It is the church that makes Jesus speak and speaks. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
As John Paul II said, “Victory is gained only by love.” BIGBANG did so and opposed their parents to stop them from doing music, but they couldn't stop their path. The victory of the church lies in evangelism at the risk of its life. Deacon Stephen was martyred while witnessing Jesus. The apostles were honored to be arrested while preaching Jesus.
God's love is manifested in self-sacrifice. Where there is love there is sacrifice, and where there is sacrifice there is love. Where there is love, there is life. Where there is God's love for us, there is life.
We are children of God who loved the world. Let's love the world too. We must not be defeated by unbelief, but overcome unbelief through faith. We must bring the world into the love that loves the world. Let the world abide in God's love as we abide in God's love.
The belief that changes the world
The faith that overcomes the world is the faith that changes the world. The world is changing very quickly. A homepage is created every 2 seconds, and a new product appears every 30 seconds. There is more information from the last 30 years than information created in the past 5,000 years. One year these days is equivalent to 10 years and 100 years of the past.
To change the world, you must enter the world. The yeast penetrates into the powder and causes it to swell. You have to take the risk and head out to sea in the boat. Luther said, “A man without faith is like a man who cannot board a boat because he is afraid to cross the sea.”
As you can see, humans are born adventurers. Every child is an adventurer. Toddler is an adventure. A child's first step is, above all, an adventure. Your child's first steps are important. The distance from 0 to 1 is greater than the distance from 1 to 3. If a child takes the first step, he will travel a hundred miles and a thousand miles.
There are working churches and there are still churches. A church at rest is at zero. In other words, helplessness is a sin. Laziness is evil and fear is unbelief. The fear that stands in the way of most people is preventing them from “starting”. What do we need to change? It is taking the first step. Stepping into the Jordan River.
Fear of adventure leads to the loss of infinite wealth you may have acquired. You don't get anything without taking a risk. Kierkegaard said, “There is no faith without adventure.”
Jesus said that the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed. As prophesied, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70. The “Wailing Wall” that remains in Jerusalem today is a portion of what was then destroyed. When the Jerusalem Temple was built, all the Jews participated in the building of the temple. The east wall was built by wealthy people, the south wall was built by nobles, and the north wall was built by the government, all of whom were hired. The general public built the western wall by hand-laying bricks and compacting the soil. That is the “Wailing Wall”. The walls of the rich, the walls of the nobles, the walls of the government, all fell down. Only the walls that ordinary people built with their whole bodies remain. Let's build the church with our own hands. Let's go to our feet and speak with our mouths. It is said that a house on a rock does not fall. What is a rock? It is a confession of faith that the Lord is the Christ and the Son of God.
Peter was once a stumbling block that caused Jesus to fall, but became the rock upon which the Lord's church was built. We will be victorious when we become the Rock. The faith that overcomes the world conquers the world with the gospel. It draws you into the love of God. It is to change the world with the gospel. Please please God with the faith that overcomes the world.