1 John 5:4-5 for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the
victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that
overcomes the world?  Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

 "We shall overcome!"  I remember watching people singing that chant on
the TV as a kid.  I wasn't very old yet I remember people singing and
marching and it was on the news.  That's what they were singing: "We
shall overcome."
 Needless to say I am talking about the civil rights movement of the
sixties.  I didn't understand at the time what all the fuss was about.
To me, people were people and you didn't pay attention to color or ethnic
background.  Yet in those days in many parts of our country people worked
at suppressing other people just because of those things.  It was called
prejudice.  That's what the chant was all about.  Overcoming the
prejudice that people had.  We still have some work to do in this country
but by and large things are much, much better than back then.
 What made me think of that time in history is of course our text.  Our
text has in it the word "overcome" and it speaks of our overcoming the
world.  But there is a vast difference between what our text speaks of
and what went on in the civil rights movement.  The civil rights movement
was successful because of the hard work, perseverance and goal
orientation of the people involved.  That is not what our word is
speaking of.
 Sad to say there are still those who want to use this word in that way.
Our text speaks of "overcoming the world" and from there preachers like
to launch into all sorts of ways, methods and programs in which to
achieve this overcoming.  Such things miss the point.  Let's grasp the
point for ourselves this day as we contemplate our theme: WE HAVE
OVERCOME!  1st. To the Praise of God.  2nd. Overcome by faith.  3rd.
Overcome in Jesus.
The first thing I would like to do is point out to you how this word
overcome is used in our text.  Please note that this word is a verb that
is in a tense that simply means that the overcoming is a continued fact.
Our problem is in our English choice of translation.  We translate
overcome but I believe a better word for translation would be "conquer".
As in "For everyone born of God conquers the world.'  The victory is ours
and will continue to be ours when we are born of God.
Don't miss that important phrase.  "For everyone BORN OF GOD conquers the
world."  The thing that brings the victory that causes our conquering is
the fact that we are "born of God."  Here is a phrase that is directing
our attention to the heart and core of everything.  We have to ask, "how
is one 'born of God?'"
Well, if you are going to answer this question by pointing to your works,
you will miss the boat.  Are you born of God because you accepted
Jesus...because you obey the law...because you go to church...because you
finally have that anger under control...because you don't yell at your
spouse as much anymore...because, because, because?  If you think that
being born of God is something that you do and accomplish then you are
sorely in error.  Don't you realize that every action, every work on your
part is already the result of your being born?  Think about it.  What are
you right now?  What do you do in life and how well do you do it?  Yet
realize that you could not be, you would not be what you are unless first
you had been born!  As true as this is for our everyday lives so it is
also true in our spiritual lives.  It is God who gives you life, God who
makes you spiritually alive, God who calls you to faith and God who
instills in you the desires to do what is pleasing to Him.  God gets all
the credit and all the praise as we conquer the world.
The Bible clearly says, "No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is
born of water and the Spirit."  Again, "You have been born again, not of
perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring
Word of God."  Again, "No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy
Spirit."  God gets all the credit and praise for the fact that we are
conquerors of the world.
But let's go on and understand even more.  Our next part says, "This is
the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."  What a great
sentence!  First, notice the words, "This is the victory."  The this
refers back to the overcoming in the previous phrase, what we translated
as "conquers the world."  Second, please note that all the major words
here are the same word.  The word "victory" and the word "overcome" are
the same word.  One is a noun and one is a verb.  What I like to point
out is that the noun form of this word clearly shows that we are not
talking about what we do but what has already been done.  What has been
done is the victory.  The victory is a fact, an ongoing fact for all who
are born of God.  We'll get to what that victory is in just a little bit.
Before we speak of that we must yet make the sentence before us clear.  I
am distressed that our English translation says, "This is the victory
that has overcome the world, even our faith."  They throw in an extra
word that really skews what this sentence says.  They translate, "even
our faith" and yet there is no "even" in the text.  The Greek says, "This
is the victory that has overcome the world, OUR FAITH."  Just as
important the faith spoken of here is made specific by the definite
article.  A specific faith is being spoken of here.  The faith that the
Apostle John refers to as "ours."  All of this is important because once
again it shows that what is being spoken of here is not what we do, but
rather what we believe or have.  It is faith that makes the difference.
Not just any old faith.  It is the faith that is laid out by the Apostles
and Evangelists of the New Testament and by the prophets of the Old
Testament.  The nature of faith has never changed.  "Faith is being sure
of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  But faith is
also something living and active.  A living faith desires to follow God's
commands.  A living faith wants to practice the love of God.  A living
faith is based on the truth of God and nothing but the truth.
That is so important to grasp.  There are many things that can be called
faith.  I can believe that the light bulb in the ceiling is God...I can
believe it with my whole heart but that does not make the bulb the true
god!  I can believe that I am a good person, that God is love and that as
long as I try my best there will be nothing to worry about but that does
not make what I believe to be true.  I can believe in Scientology,
Jewishishness, Allah, Buddha and whatever else I want to believe in but
that does not make my faith "THE FAITH" that is spoke of here.
The faith spoken of here is very specific.  It is a faith that proclaims
the victory and does indeed conquer the world.  It is a faith filled with
trial and tribulation, a faith that will bring the hatred and dispisal of
the world, a faith that is the truth.  It is a faith that has chased away
fear, remains calm in every storm and knows who is in charge.  The true
faith, the one and only faith that is being pointed to here is so
important.  Our next verse tells us what this faith is all about.
It says, "Who is it that overcomes the world?  Only he who believes that
Jesus is the Son of God."  Here is what, or rather, who our faith is
about.  It is about Jesus.  Jesus the Son of God.
Make no mistakes about what is being said here.  Jesus is the object and
point of our faith.  And this faith is not just a matter of determining
that Jesus plays a part or that Jesus points the way.  This is the faith
that understands that Jesus is the Way.  He is the truth.  He is the
everything or he is nothing.
Let me just go back and highlight for you some of things that John in
this epistle says about this faith, this Jesus.  His opening lines, "That
which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen
with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we
proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it
and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was
with the Father and has appeared to us."  He is speaking of Jesus and
what he has done and is.
There is more.  He says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness."  Again, "Do not love the world or anything in the
world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
 Again, "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know
the truth...no lie comes from the truth...No one who denies the Son has
the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also."  Again,
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for
us....This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that
acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but
every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God...this is
how God showed his love among us; He sent his one and only Son into the
world that we might live through him.  This is love; not that we loved
God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our
sins...Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of
God...God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."
The object and point of our faith is Jesus.  Not just that he was an
historical figure but that he was and is the Son of God and our Savior
from sin.  And might I point out that you cannot speak of Jesus as the
Son of God and the Savior from sin unless you also believe that Jesus
suffered, died and rose from the dead as the ultimate proof of who he is.
 It is the resurrection of Jesus that shows us who he is.  It is the
resurrection of Jesus that separates him from the rest of the so-called
holy men of this world.  Jesus has done what no one else has.  He has
risen.  He lives and lives forever as our God and our Lord.
Our faith is to be in Jesus and what He has done.  He has paid for our
sins.  He has granted us eternal life and salvation.  He has sent the
Holy Spirit.  He has revealed all truth and wisdom from God.  He has and
is the Word of God.  Jesus is our everything or there is nothing.  Jesus
is God's Son who lives or we are lost.  Jesus has won the victory for us
or there is no victory at all and we are to be pity among men.  This is
what it means to believe in Jesus.
May you believe!  May you know the victory that is ours!  May you
overcome the world in Jesus!  Amen.