What Does Faith that Overcomes the World Look Like? 1 John 5:1-5

I came across an old parable that I think nails this question. It goes back to a time before school buses and kids had to actually walk to school. The story goes like this:

A man once met a boy walking to school. The boy was carrying on his back a smaller boy who was clearly lame and unable to walk. The stranger asked the kid, “Do you carry him to school every day?” “Yes,” said the boy. “Why, that’s a heavy burden for you to carry,” said the stranger. “He’s not a burden,” said the boy, “He’s my brother.” 

For the older brother, love for his family turned the burden into no burden at all. 

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all loved by our Father and called to follow His commandments. His commandments are not a burden, but a privilege and an opportunity to show our love.  

For Jesus Christ, he was given the most burdensome command ever passed down from a Father to a Son--to lay down his life and atone for the sins of the world, for you and me. 
Jesus’ response to this burden:

“Why, my brothers and sisters are not a burden. But rather, obedience to this command is a privilege, it’s an opportunity to show love.”

This is why the Bible says that, for Jesus, the cross was a joy.

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

This means that, for Jesus, breaking his body, being unfairly beaten, getting pieced by nails, spilling his blood... it was all a joy!

You know, it’s tempting to look at Jesus hanging on the cross and to feel sorry for him. But, the cross isn’t to be a pity party. While on the cross, I feel like Jesus would respond like the older brother, with love and say:

“It’s not a burden. This is for my brothers. This is for my sisters.”

Therefore, it’s because of what Jesus did, that we have victory over the evils of the world, and we can have communion with God.

When we come together as a family, we experience the presence of Christ in a unique way--a way that helps us to overcome.

You know, it’s been said that goodness is easier in the company of good people. When we come to this table, we come as together as a family--and therefore, our faith, “faith that overcomes the world,” is strengthened in Christ’ presence.

So tonight, come to the table, bring your burdens, your trials, your temptations and connect with each other, experience the love of Christ, and find the power to overcome.

From the Anchor sermon series "Blessed Assurance," Message: "Overcoming the World."

What Does Christian Love Look Like?

An Anchor sermon preached by Kaler Carpenter of The Redemption Movement, October 8th, 2017.

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Jesus Christ is considered a revolutionary, the founder of a great religious movement. Yet, his message wasn’t one of government reform or a code of ethics on how to live your life. Instead, at the heart of Jesus’ message is a simple command that I believe is impossible to live out apart from having one’s life first transformed by Christ: the command to love one another.

“A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:33-34 

Now, the idea of love itself isn’t revolutionary. In fact, it’s commonly preached everywhere and valued by everybody. Modern examples are everywhere: “All you need is love,” #LoveIsLove, #LoveWins, Valentine's Day, etc.

But, what makes Jesus’ take on love so revolutionary is that, for the Christian, love is more than a feeling. Expressing the love of Christ can only come from having one’s own life first transformed by Christ, as well as being at a place of complete dependency on Jesus Christ. In 1 John, this kind of life is referred to as “abiding in the light,” or having one’s “life in Christ.”

In the letter of 1John, we get incredible insight as to what this love looks like, and what makes the love of Christ unique. 

“Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.” 1 John 2:7-9

John begins this passage by putting into context exactly who this “one another” is in v.7, “Brethren;” i.e., the love of Jesus Christ is most clearly seen in the family of God, i.e, we who are brothers and sisters in, due to our common life IN Christ Jesus.

Now to be sure, every human is capable of expressing love in some capacity. But John is saying that the love expressed by the Christian is of a completely different nature than whatever form of love the rest of the world can show, apart from Christ. The difference between these two loves, John says, is as drastic as the differences between light and dark.

“The metaphor is rather involved, but to put it simply John is saying that people who are not Christians are walking in the dark; yes, but not only that, there is a darkness within them also. The trouble with sinners and unbelievers is not simply that they have darkness around and about them and cannot see where they are going; the darkness has blinded their own eyes--they are blind as well as being in the dark… so that, in a sense, even if you put them into the light they would not be able to see. So when people become Christians, two things happen to them: their own eyes are opened, and they are enabled to see; and they are also in an entirely new realm.” -Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in Christ  

This “new realm of light” is a new life, or “born again,” that is now a life marked by love. It includes:

• A changed life.
• You are a new creation in Christ Jesus
• Citizenship of a different kingdom.
• You are found (last time I preached about what it means to be lost).
• You are made righteousness, or right standing before God (through no effort of our own).
• And a new family.

Family love: In the human experience, the love seen in a nuclear family (parents and children) is one of the strongest bonds there is. In God’s family, those whose eyes are opened and have been transformed from darkness to light, there is family love that now exist between every person abiding in the light.

This is good news for those who, unfortunately, never experienced this kind of deep, unconditional love from their biological families. And this is good news for all of us, because it means that this family love can now be given to/experienced by way more people than just mom, dad, brother and sister. John is saying that every person who considers themselves a part of the Christian family should be both giving and receiving this kind of family love. John is also saying that showing this love is what makes a Christian a Christian, and, those who fail to do so by harboring hate, why, these people aren’t really Christians. By failing to show love to one’s family = a person is still in darkness.

“But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1 John 2:11

John is addressing Gnosticism, a heretical group that was trying to pull people away from the church by 1. denying the Trinity, and 2., claiming that salvation only comes from a personal experience of receiving “secret knowledge about God,” or, “a new command.”

So John says that that the test of salvation, isn’t based on religious experience and personal knowledge, but it’s based on how a person shows the love of Christ to their brothers and sisters.

Anybody ever been burnt by religion before? If you have, consider verse 10:

Religion done without love or relationship = hypocrisy. Back then, hypocrisy was seen in Gnosticism and its false claims made people stumble. Can you think of modern examples of how unloving and hurtful deeds done in the name of religion still cause people to stumble today? Of course you can.

John is addressing the problem of Gnosticism in his letter by:
Asking his people, “How much love do you see coming from these ‘enlightened religious teachers?’”
Combating the fact that Gnostics are so concerned about “special knowledge,” “religious experience”, and “a new revelation,” with an old truth: all you really need is an old commandment that Jesus made new, v.7-8.

To summarize v.7-8’s “old vs. new commands”:

"In other words, from the moment you first heard the gospel, you heard this particular doctrine emphasized (to love one another). I (John) shall not add to the gospel which you have already believed (like the Gnostics were doing). I am simply reminding you of what you already know.”-Lloyd-Jones

Living this out this truth practically for today’s Christians: There’s a lot of temptation in today’s postmodern culture to add to the Gospel of Jesus Christ; diversity, new teachings, spiritual principles, exciting experiences, etc.. Friends, family members, we don’t have to reach for new things. The love that’s available in the life of Jesus Christ is more than enough to meet all of our needs.

So how are you doing with this super simple command to love your brethren? How’s it going with “walking just as Jesus walked”? (v.6). Now, walking in the light like this can be seen in variety of ways, from simply showing kindness to one another, to having meaningful fellowship, to serving each other’s needs. But, the true test of Christ’s love is seen when we express love in the most powerful way that Jesus showed love: when we forgive one another.

For the world and all of its definitions of love, forgiveness is a nice option, but not a command. But for the Christian, extending grace and forgiveness is at the heart of what it means to show the love of Jesus Christ. Also, showing forgiveness is fundamentally what it means to be family. Take for example a parent who is refereeing a fight between siblings. It’s common for them to say, “I know you’re mad at your brother, but he’ll always be your brother.”

Think for a moment how strong a church would be or how beautiful the movement of Christianity would look like if everybody who claimed to be Christian actually lived this out and forgave one another in this way? It would be a powerful witness of church unity that would testify to the world that, “Hey, there’s a different way to love!”

Admittedly, when it comes to forgiveness, this is where Christianity gets tough, but it gets easier to live out as you grow and when you’re plugged into a church community that’s committed to loving like Jesus loved.

All that said, I feel the need to make a distinction between loving and forgiving those in your Christian family, vs. loving and forgiving those in the world (outside your spiritual family, or those in the world and in darkness). I have a personal example from just yesterday of forgiving a young man like this who wronged me:

“What this means is that you and I can only be happy about the fact that we are Christians if we find this loving, forgiving spirit within ourselves. It is idle for us to say that we know that God has forgiven us if we are not loving and forgiving ourselves. People who say they are in the light but who hate and do not forgive their brother, are in darkness even now. Men and women who have seen the truth, those who are in the light, have seen themselves and others all under the law of the love of God. And having realized this love which has pardoned them in spite of their unworthiness, they are prepared to do the same to others.” -Lloyd-Jones

Lastly, I want to close by looking at a picture that John paints for us of what the Christian family looks like. He does this in the following verses, 12-14, and what we see here is a beautiful snapshot of the Christian family, one that’s marked by love and discipleship.

We see John give practical advice to children, fathers, and young men for victorious Christian living. But I don’t believe that John meant for us to take these titles literally in the biological sense. Look around you, the reality of this Christian family means that, spiritually speaking, this room is full of fathers/mothers, young men/young women, and little children. And your designation at the family table, isn’t based on your age, but on your maturity in Christ Jesus.

Example 1: How long have you been a Christian?

• A couple of years = a little child.
• Decades = a father/mother.

Example 2: How easy is it for you to forgive?

• If forgiveness is hard = hating someone a little less = a little child.
• If you’re so aware of how Christ forgave you that extending forgiveness to others is easy/natural = a father/mother. 

Now, with that in mind, let’s read v.12-14 and take to heart the verse where John addresses you, father/mother, young man or young woman, or little child.

“I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.” 1 John 2:12-14

What’s really genius about how Jesus setup this spiritual family/love movement, is that we are each called to grow and mature in our faith, with the help of those who are more mature, for the purpose of raising up the little children in the faith. This is what it looks like when a church is a family of disciples that make disciples.

In the family snapshot John gives us, we see that John is the spiritual father, as seen in v.1 when he addresses his audience as “my little children.” Yet, there was a time when John, and all 12 of the mighty disciples, where each little children in their faith, and Jesus was teaching them like a father.

Going back to John 13, we actually see this on the night when Jesus was betrayed.

“Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you.” -John 13:33 

That night at the family table, Jesus passed the all-important commandment on to John, “in the beginning” of his faith journey, while he was still new to salvation. Now, lets fast forward beyond 1 John to 2 John 1:5-6 and listen to John as an older man, a father in the faith, as he echoes Jesus once again:

“Not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.”

Tonight:

• If you are a little child in the faith, then who is a father figure that’s mentoring you?
• If you are a father in the faith, then who is the child that you're pouring into?
• If you are a young man/woman, then how are you using your strength to overcome the wicked one and be on mission for God? 
• Also, if you don’t consider yourself a part of the Christian family, then what stumbling blocks can we talk with you about so you can “see the light”? 

Answering these questions starts by participating in Christian community. For Jesus, he expressed community in John 13 by sitting with his children at the family table. At this table, Jesus broke bread and ate and drank, he served his children’s needs by washing their feet (including Judas), and he taught his children “new” commandments to pass on others.

So tonight, let’s come to this table remembering what Jesus did for us, as well as asking the question, “Because of what Jesus did on the cross, how can I better love my brother and sister?”

What We Believe

The Bible

We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God. To summarize the Bible, it is a special revelation of the character of God and His plan to redeem the world through Jesus Christ. The original writings were inerrant, infallible, and God breathed. God has purposed the Bible to be the final authority for faith and life, and He has overseen the events of history to piece together the canon (the 66 books) as we have it today. The revelation of the Bible is complete and no other teachings are to share in the same authority.

2Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13; Psalms 1:1-3; 1 Corinthians 14:37

The Triune God

We believe in one God who has revealed Himself in three eternally existing persons-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit co-eternal in being and in nature, co-equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections.

Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; John 1:1-4; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19

God the Father

We believe God the Father is uncreated, eternal in nature, unchanging, and the Creator of all things, both seen and unseen. He is omnipotent (He has all power and authority), omnipresent (fully present everywhere), and omniscient (all knowing). God is Holy (all good) and He is over all creation as well as involved personally in the lives of every person and all events. God reveals himself to every person through His creation and peoples’ consciences, and He has specially revealed Himself through His Word and His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus and the Holy Spirit share equally in these attributes, and are both in submission to God the Father.

Romans 1:20; Isaiah 6:3; Psalms 19:1-4; 90:2; 139:7-10; Revelation 1:8; Deuteronomy 10:14

Jesus Christ

We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, uncreated, eternal and co-equal with the Father. Being obedient to the Father, Jesus temporarily set aside His divine glory and fully took on human flesh, while at the same time remaining fully God. Jesus did this with the purpose of sacrificing his life as an act of final atonement for the sins of man, making forgiveness and citizenship into God’s Kingdom possible through belief and submission unto his Lordship.

Jesus was born of Mary, a virgin birth, conceived by the Holy Spirit. He spent his life ministering to people, preaching the Kingdom of God, fulfilling the Old Testament prophesies regarding the Jewish Messiah, and discipeling the believers who would make up His church.

He was crucified on a cross after being condemned by the Jewish and Roman authorities. After three days he rose bodily from the dead, appeared to his disciples and ascended into heaven where he is now exalted at the right hand of God.

Jesus currently ministers as our high priest before God as our representative, intercessor, and advocate.

Luke 1:35; Romans 3:22-26; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 7:25-26; Luke 24

The Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is a person of the God-head and as such, is co-equal with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that he is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption.

The Holy Spirit ministers to the church today, continuing the ministry of Jesus Christ. He empowers believers to minister the Gospel, and bestows spiritual gifts to the church for the purpose of edification and evangelism. These supernatural giftings and the personal experiences a believer has with the Holy Spirit are always consistent with the testimony of Scripture.

John 3:5-18; 16:5-15; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; 14:12, 26; Acts 1:5; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18;

The Church

We believe the church is universal (made up of all believers from every age), and local. The church is established by Jesus and he relates to the church similar to how a loving husband relates to his wife. Jesus is the head of the church, and as such He is actively involved in the churches ministry, including the establishment of a leadership structure with the offices prescribed in the New Testament, and discipline within the church; also, as the body of Christ, the church is to be Jesus’ representative on Earth until his physical return, this includes the responsibility of making Christ known.

The church is composed of those who believe in Christ, and offers believers a community for discipleship, prayer, worship, evangelism, and fellowship. Specific ministries to be administered by the church, which are prescribed by the Bible, are the Lord’s supper and water baptism. Participation in, and submission to a local church is an essential component of a believers faith.

Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:11-13; 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Acts 2:42-47; Matthew 18:15-20

Sin

We believe mankind and all of creation were originally created by God as good, man was made special in the likeness and image of God. Due to Adams sin, and because we are all descendants of Adam, every person is born with a sinful nature that separates them from God, who is holy and perfect in nature. This sin nature makes it impossible for a person to relate to God on a one’s own strength, will, and merits. The original sin was so severe that is also affected all of creation.

Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-19; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12, 18-19; 8:8; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12; James 2:10-11

Salvation

We believe salvation is a gift from God, made available to every person, “whosever believes.” Each member of the Godhead has a part in a persons salvation. The Father predestined those who would be saved and sent Jesus his only Son, Jesus Christ shed his blood on the cross to pay the price of salvation and intercedes to the Father on the believers behalf, and the Holy Spirit convicts a sinners heart of the truth and regenerates and baptizes them into the body of Christ upon belief in Jesus’ Lordship. Salvation is possible because the atonement sacrifice of Jesus’ blood satisfies the wrath of God, which is the penalty of sin from a Holy God. Receiving salvation justifies a believer before God, because now a person stands before God taking on the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Repentance of one’s own sins must take place before a person receives salvation. A persons decision to repent and believe, and God’s role of predestination, work miraculously and mysteriously together for salvation to take place.

Ephesians 1:4-7; John 1:12-13; 3:16-18; 1 Peter 1:18-21; Galatians 2:20; Acts 20:21; 2 Corinthians 7:10

Christian Living

We believe that after the event of salvation, the redeemed believer is kept by God’s power through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and thus the new believer has security and assurance in their salvation. This assurance stems from a persons new spiritual position found in Christ Jesus. A believer’s new standing before God should become ones new life identity and should therefore effect every attitude and decision one makes. This new identity should produce a life that looks completely different from a believer’s old life, as if one was born again. God is actively involved in the life of a believer, making salvation out to be a process. This process is called sanctification: where the Holy Spirit continually works in a persons life to shape them more and more into the image of Christ, up until the point of death where they will be free from the influences of sin.

A believer will still battle with sin and the flesh, and therefore must live a life of repentance, and submission to God. Concerning the hardships and struggles of life, God has promised to keep and never leave or forsake his children, and therefore a believer with authentic faith can endure all trials and temptations with God’s help. The believers responsibility therefore, is not to analyze the authenticity of everyone's salvation, but to instead live out their own faith by trusting God.

Christian living means always living in tension. This tension is found between the command to be called out from the world and live holy lives, and the command to go out and be a witness to the world in which one lives. Living out either extreme can produce a life of legalism, or a life that is subject to the desires of the flesh, both of these ways are contrary to the Gospel. Guidance on living out the tension of the Christian life within culture can be found in the church, in relationships with others who are also living the same tension, and the Bible.

Romans 8:1; 1 John 3:2; 1 Peter 1:22-23; John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1,38-39; James 4:4

The Return

We believe Jesus has promised to physically return to earth to establish His kingdom, and His return is immanent. When Christ returns, He will come in great power and authority along with all of Heaven, and the believers will be physically transformed to take part in this new Kingdom. A universal resurrection of all people will take place, where people will stand judgment before Jesus, which will result in “every knee bowing” before the Lord; and sin, evil, and Satan will be eliminated, making possible a new creation with a new heaven and a new earth where Jesus will reign as King.

Psalms 72:8-14; Matthew 24:27-51; 1 Corinthians 15:23-28; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:4; Revelation 21-22