THE WAY TO VICTORY

"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves His children too. We know we love God's children if we love God and obey His commandments. Loving God means keeping His commandments and really that is not difficult. For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory. And the ones who win this battle against the world are the ones who believe that Jesus is the Son of God." 1 John 5:1-5

As we have journeyed through John's first letter, we have seen multiple places where he has writen about the contrast between the world and God. He has said more than one time that the world is an evil place and actually under the control of the evil one, Satan. He has also emphasized that we can not be in a relationship with the world and God at the same time. In other words, the world is the domain of sinfulness and all temptations that would pull God's children away from the Father's will for them. God cannot abide where there is sin so allowing oneself to enter into fellowship with the world is the same as one severing their ties to God. Remember, you can't have it both ways. It's either the world or God in your life.

So there is a constant battle for our very hearts and souls. One one side, the world would want to possess us by drawing us into a passion for its possessions. As the saying goes, "Draw near to possessions and before long they will possess you." Remember again the words of Jesus who said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." The world would want you to make it and all of its trappings your treasure.

On the other side and in direct conflict with the world is God...the very God who created the world and created it perfectly until man came along and changed the perfect, holy world into a perfectly evil one. The world that God created would love to gain the victory over us and, in fact, is winning victories every day. As people make the choice to pursue sinfulness in lieu of the holiness that God intends for that person to have, they are turning their back on the One responsible for authoring their hope and salvation...the only One who can lead them to victory...the One and Only Jesus Christ.

Our scripture today affirms that the way to victory is through Jesus. John says, "every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory." When Jesus died on the cross, Satan thought he had won. The Savior...the Messiah...was dead. "He couldn't save anyone if He wasn't alive," Satan muct have thought. But then something miraculous happened three days after Jesus had been taken from the cross and buried in the tomb: He rose from the dead. The crucifixion had to happen to lead to the resurrection. And in gaining the ultimate victory...the victory over death...Jesus paved the way for all mankind to do the same. There's only one requirement: believe and trust in Jesus as your Savior. Believe and trust that He will give you the victory over death at your life's end...believe and trust in it because He promised it to you...and Jesus's promises are true.

Question: How well are you doing in your battle with the world? Without Christ at the center of your heart and life, you're losing the battle for your very soul...you're forfeiting your opportunity for eternal life. Tell me...what does the world have to offer that would be more important than a life eternal with the Father of Heaven and Earth after you die. I can tell you, I have yet to find anything this world can offer that even comes close to comparing to the immeasurable gift of salvation. Come to Jesus today and don't delay, lest salvation slips away.

In Christ,

Mark

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