Victorious Faith in Our Overcoming Faith | 1 John 5:4-5

All right, let's turn in our Bibles back over to 1st John chapter 5.

1st John chapter 5. We'll begin in verse 1 again. 1st

John chapter 5. We've been dealing with these verses for a few weeks now, and there's a lot here, a lot of good stuff to uncover.

And so, we're going to be focusing on verses 4 and 5 once again.

I'll start in verse 1. 1st John 5, verse 1. Because everything that has been born of God overcomes the world.

And this is the overcoming that has overcome the world, our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world but He who believes that Jesus is the

Son of God? Amen. So like I mentioned, here in this passage, verses 4 through 5 in particular, are just loaded with more powerful and precious gospel gems and indicatives for us to take in and rejoice in as God's people.

So you can actually... The sermon title is actually, Victorious Faith in the

Son of God. Victorious Faith in the Son of God. Or, Overcoming Faith in our

Overcoming God. There's a lot of... The emphatic emphasis on overcoming and conquering and victory is here.

And so, we're going to continue to bring that out. As a brief recap from last message,

I wanted to remind us of the parallelism that we saw. Of the parallelism that we saw.

Where everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ, has been born of God.

And likewise, everything that has been born of God, and He who believes that Jesus is the

Son of God, overcomes the world. So there's a parallel there.

And remember also, from last time, that the word world here, that is being referred to, is the evil world.

The evil world. The society and influence of sinful unbelievers and their sins.

We see a whole lot of that today. Especially in social media and entertainment and all that stuff.

Now, the next question that we need to focus on in verse 4 is, what is this faith?

What is this faith that overcomes the world? What is it referring to here in verse 4?

Is it our own personal individual faith? That's being addressed here.

Or does it refer to the act of believing? Which is the same thing actually.

Does it refer to the act of believing? Or does it refer to what we believe in?

To believing or to what we believe in? Is it, in other words, to the faith?

To the objective faith? Or, as the Puritans often called it, to the body of divinity.

The body of divinity. Of theology. Of sound doctrine. Right? The systematic teaching of God's Holy Word.

The sacred scriptures. Is that what it's referring to? Or is it the act of believing? I want to read 1st

John 5 verses 4 through 5 again. For everything that has been born of God overcomes the world.

And this is the overcoming that has overcome the world. Our faith. The Greek word there is beastis, faith, belief.

Who is the one that overcomes the world? But he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. So, seeing here carefully, we find that verse 4 does not actually refer to our own personal individual faith.

That's not what it's referring to. That is actually in verse 5. Okay, we'll get to verse 5 a little later.

But that's the personal aspect. But in verse 4, it's referring to the faith.

To the faith. And if you turn with me over to Jude 3, we will see more of what this faith is referring to in Jude 3.

In the book of Jude, in verse 3, we find,

I've made reference to this verse a number of times before, but Jude 3 refers to this faith.

It says, Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation,

I felt the necessity to write to you, exhorting that you contend earnestly for what?

For the faith. Right? For the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.

There you see another reference to the faith. And this is the faith of sound doctrine that is revealed in God's Word.

Right? This is the faith of sound doctrine. The truth of God's Word rightly divided and understood.

Not twisted and butchered like the unstable men of 1 Peter. Right? But rightly understood and handled correctly.

And speaking of Puritans and of bodies of divinity, I wanted to introduce us once again to the

English Puritan Thomas Watson. He was an excellent Puritan from I think the 16 or 1700s.

He wrote a body of divinity, which is often what it was called back then as a systematic theology.

It's a body of divinity. It's actually a series of doctrinal sermons on the

Westminster Shorter Catechism. Excellent, magnificent work. I highly recommend it to you all.

And Lord willing, I'll get a chance to do that someday, to preach through like the

Baptist Catechism. That would be an awesome blessing to do.

But I want to quote from that book, Body of Divinity. He says there, the second proposition is that the way for Christians to be settled is to be well grounded.

To be settled is to be well grounded. If you continued grounded and settled.

That's Colossians 123. The Greek word for grounded is a metaphor which alludes to a building that has the foundation well laid.

Built on the solid foundation rather than on sand. Like Jesus also said.

So Christians should be grounded in the essential points of true religion. The faith, in other words.

The essential points of true religion. And have their foundation well laid. Here, let me speak of two things.

The first one is that we should be grounded in the knowledge of fundamentals.

The basics, right? The Apostle speaks of the first principles of the oracles of God.

In Hebrews 5 .12. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God.

And if you recall from the series I recently preached in the

Scripture alone, Romans 3 .4 also refers to the oracles of God which the

Jews weren't trusted with. Right? The Bible, the Old Testament. And the oracles of God.

And Watson continues. In all arts and sciences, logic, physics, mathematics, there are some rules and principles which must necessarily be known for the practice of those arts.

So, likewise, in divinity, in theology, divinity is an old word for theology, there must be the first principles laid down.

The knowledge of the grounds and principles of true religion is exceedingly useful.

Is exceedingly useful. Else, we cannot serve

God aright. How can you serve God if you don't know Him? If you don't know the basics, right?

You can't. This is what 1 John also tells us, right? Loving God means you keep

His commandments. And you need to know Him and His commandments to obey Him rightly.

We can never worship God acceptably unless we worship Him regularly.

And how can we do that if we are ignorant of the rules and elements of true religion?

We are to give God a reasonable service. Y 'all remember where that comes from?

Reasonable service. Romans 12 .1 Therefore, I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice, living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

That word spiritual is logical, rational, intelligent, intellectual service of worship.

A lot of people will falsely separate spirituality with logic and intelligence, intellectual matters.

But here in Romans and everywhere else in the Bible, you see that they are one and the same thing.

Worshiping in the truth is to worship soundly, reasonably, logically, consistently with the truth of God's word.

Amen? This is our spiritual, rational service. Watson continues,

If we understand not the grounds of true religion, how can it be a reasonable or rational service?

It cannot, obviously. And number two here, he says,

Knowledge of the grounds of true religion much enriches the mind.

Right? Obviously. We grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ our

Lord. It is a lamp to our feet. It directs us in the whole course of Christianity as the eye directs the body.

Knowledge of fundamentals is the golden key, which opens the chief mysteries of true religion.

It gives us a whole system and body of divinity.

That's what true knowledge gives us. Exactly drawn in all its lineaments and lively colors.

It helps us to understand many of those difficult things which occur in the reading of the word.

It helps us to untie many scripture knots, difficulties. Right?

So what is he saying? That sound doctrine, a body of divinity, helps us to a grounds us and settles us and prepares us to understand the more difficult parts of scripture.

Right? It helps us to understand the whole counsel of God. Number three, he continues.

It furnishes us with unshakable armor. I love that phrase.

Unshakable armor and weapons to fight against the adversaries of the truth.

Against the adversaries of the truth. Discernment. Right? It gives us discernment. A knowledge of truth and error.

Right from wrong. Good and bad. And then number four. To finish up here, his quote.

It is the holy seed of which grace is formed. Because God saves us through the gospel.

Right? The power of God unto what? Salvation. Romans 1 16.

Knowledge of the truth is the seed of which grace is formed. It is the seed of faith.

Psalm 9 10. Also, it is the root of love. Being rooted and grounded in love.

Ephesians 3 17. The knowledge of the fundamental principles.

Conduces to the making of a complete Christian. Of a complete

Christian. Right? Much like 2 Timothy says. Where the scriptures are inspired and are sufficient.

They are profitable to equip the man of God for every good work.

Every good work. A complete Christian. So then, the faith that 1

John refers to in chapter 5 verse 4. That overcomes the world is the whole counsel of God.

Rightly understood. The body of sacred divinity. Rightly understood.

This is what all of us need. Especially children.

Beginning with children. You know, my wife had sent me this study. That it says youth pastor exposes the shocking truth.

Why 73 % of church kids abandon the faith. Especially by the time they get to college.

And how to stop it. And there's a lot of studies out there. In fact, we have a book back there. Already gone.

That talks about the same thing. How the majority of kids who grow up in churches today.

Abandon their faith. It's a serious problem. And at the core of it is a lack of biblical parenting.

And a lack of churches doing their duty to preach the whole counsel of God.

But the funny thing here is. A lot of people who discover these things. They try to reinvent the wheel.

And they come up with their own little studies of. Here, this is what your kids need. Here's a systematic theology that I came up with.

Or they need some more. You know, coloring books and pictures and stuff. And that's not.

This is what gets very frustrating. Which is another. It reveals another symptom.

That the church is lacking in. And that is a knowledge of church history. Because the church.

Historic is a pillar and buttress of the truth. Like first Timothy says, right? The church has already solved this problem.

We don't need to reinvent the wheel. That's exactly what catechisms are for. Right? That's why we teach our catechisms.

The Baptist catechism. The larger catechism. And the children's catechism. For both little ones and for adults.

That's the solution to this problem. Of a ignorance of the faith. We don't teach kids the principles of religion systematically.

To defend it also. And they go to college. And they end up getting destroyed by. Their faith getting destroyed by the world.

Right? The world that John warns against. But what helps us to overcome the world.

Is that faith. That body of divinity. That is taught by the word.

Right? That's what we need. We need the whole counsel of God. That's really the church has answered.

The church has answered long ago. Going back all the way to the ancient church. With creeds. Which were taught to be memorized.

Creeds and confessions and catechisms. This is not a Roman Catholic thing. This is a Christian thing.

A biblical thing. Even the Bible itself contains. Creeds and professions of faith.

The Shema. Hero Israel. The Lord your God. The Lord is one. I mean there's many creeds like that in the

Bible as well. So this is what we are taught. We must.

What we must do. This is why we emphasize these things. We emphasize memorizing scripture.

And catechizing our children as well as ourselves. Right? In order to teach our children.

We have to know these things first. Ourselves. That's the beauty of it.

And. That's very important for us to understand. Beloved. Now. Let's.

Let's. Focus here now a little bit more on. Transition to verse 5.

I want to jump back to 1st John now. And read verses 4 and 5 again. And we see that.

We overcome by believing that Jesus is the son of God. Verse 4. For everything that has been born of God overcomes the world.

And this is the overcoming that has overcome the world. Our faith. Who is the one that overcomes the world?

But he who believes that Jesus is the son of God. Okay. So. We saw that verse 4.

Referred to the body of divinity taught by God's word to the faith. Right? Our faith which is the faith.

Once for all delivered to the saints. Back then. But verse 5.

Now gets up close and personal. Right? It transitions to individual believers.

Who personally overcome the world. By our personal belief.

Right? To our personal belief. That's being referred to. So. That's very important to pay attention to.

Now look also carefully with me here. In verse 5. Pay attention to the verbs.

Okay? To the verbs and their tenses. Okay? Is it past tense? Progressive tense?

Future tense? Take note of what tenses are being used here in this verse.

Okay? Because. In verse 5.

The verbs in the one who overcomes the world. And in he who believes.

Are actually present participles. Okay? Their present participles.

In other words. Overcoming. Overcoming. And believing.

That's what it means. In that verse. A present participle.

By the way. Is formed from a verb. An action. Right? And typically expresses present and ongoing action.

Not a one time thing. But an ongoing present. Sometimes even progressive action.

Right? Ongoing. That's an ongoing tense. So. And present participles are words used as adjectives.

Or for verb tenses. Like here. It's a verb tense. And they end in ing.

So. It would be better translated. The way Young's literal translation puts it.

It actually does a pretty good job of rendering this verse. I'm going to read that version now.

Starting in verse 4. Because everyone who is begotten of God. Does overcome the world.

And this is the victory that did. Past tense. Overcome the world. Our faith.

Who is he who is overcoming the world? Present.

Ongoing tense. If not he who is believing. That Jesus is the son of God.

Okay. So this is a continual faith. It's an ongoing faith. It's not a faith that you believed at one time.

And then you fell away from. This is ongoing. Right. Ongoing tense. And. That's very important to understand as well.

Beloved. Because. This brings me to my first public service announcement for today. Verb tenses are very important in the

Bible. We need to make sure. That we rightly understand. The significance of verb tenses in the

Bible. Because it's the difference between. A one -time event.

Or act. And something that's supposed to be ongoing. Right. This is important.

In order to maintain. The proper balance and distinction. Between the law and the gospel.

The law and the gospel. The imperatives. The commands of God. And the indicatives.

The gospel promises. Of God. And. To further avoid.

Confusing primary doctrinal. Distinctions. Which is what. The faith teaches us.

Right. The body of divinity. Teaches us to distinguish. Doctrines carefully. And rightly.

Rightly. Handling. And dividing the word of truth. Like Timothy. Says. Such as.

Distinguishing justification. By faith. Which is a one -time act.

Right. Justification is not an ongoing thing. It's not a progressive thing.

Justification was. A one -time act. The moment we believe. It is applied to us.

It was finished by Christ. And that's a one -time act. Whereas.

Sanctification. Progressive sanctification. That's a dead giveaway. Right. Progressive sanctification is ongoing.

In our lives. It's progressive. It continues to the end.

Until we reach. Glorification. Right. So. That's a crucial distinction.

That many false. Religions. And teachings. Confused. They teach that justification.

Is an ongoing process. Like Roman Catholicism. Or Mormonism. Or Jehovah's Witnesses. And many others.

They teach that you have to earn. Your justification. And keep it. In an ongoing sense.

That's not what the Bible teaches. Us. Right. So then. Okay. Now.

That being said. What. However.

Is the specific reason given. To us here. In verse 5. For how or why.

We overcome the world. Is it just because. We believe. Is it the mere act of believing.

That. Enables us to overcome the world. Or is there something else to that.

Or is it. What we believe once again. It's not. The answer is no.

Right. It's not just believing in something. It's the fact that we believe in the truth.

That what. That Jesus is. The son of God. That's what.

Enables us to overcome the world. That's what saves us. Believing that Jesus. Is the

Christ. The son of the living God. The Messiah. Right. Our saving belief.

Is a gift of God. Ephesians 2 8. Romans and several. The Gospels.

The Gospels. Everywhere teaches us that. But it is merely the instrument.

It is the bridge. That connects us to something. It unites us to.

God in Christ. Right. Christ himself. Is what saves us.

And what helps us to overcome. He is our overcoming God. He overcame the law for us.

That we could never keep. And that condemns us. As guilty sinners. Right.

So. The body of divinity.

The knowledge of Jesus. As the son of God. That unites us to God in Christ. To the truth that actually saves us.

And enables us to overcome. To the objective faith. That is revealed in God's word.

Which includes. Sound doctrines. That are of first importance.

Of first importance. Namely. That Jesus is both the Christ. In verse 1.

Right. 1 John 5. Jesus is the Christ. The Messiah. The savior of his people.

Who takes away their sin. By burying them on the cross. And. That he is the eternal son of God.

Verse 5. These are doctrines that are of first importance. Because Christ is the central focus.

Of the entire Bible. Of the entire Bible. Like Christ himself taught in Luke 24.

To the men on the road to Emmaus. And elsewhere. This is.

What scripture teaches us. Plainly. The gospel. The redemptive plan of God.

All through a faith. A rightly understood faith. In the son of God.

Jesus Christ. The unique son of God. So even though.

There is a personal emphasis in verse 5. Because it's saying he who believes. So yes.

We are all commanded to believe. Repent and believe the gospel. That we might be saved.

But it's not just believing that saves us. It's believing the truth. That sets us free.

Like Jesus taught us. In the gospel of John. The objective truth of God.

And who he is. And who his son is. And what he has done for us.

Gets all the credit. That's what saves us. And that's what gets all the credit.

Soli Deo Gloria. Right? The reformation slogan. To God alone be the glory.

To God alone be the glory. Now this brings me to another. Public service announcement.

For today. Believing a lie. That contradicts

God's truth. Will only. Do you harm. Great harm.

And potentially damn you. Okay? Believing a lie.

That contradicts God's truth. Anything that contradicts the Bible. The truth of God. Because God is the truth. So if you're contradicting

God. You're in a lie. You're in darkness. That's what 1 John repeatedly tells us as well.

Remember? From the previous chapters. Those who walk in darkness. Are lost. Condemned.

Those who walk in the light. In Christ. The light of Christ. Who is the light of the world. Are saved.

They are in the truth. The lamp of the truth. I want to read it from our good friend again.

Thomas Watson. In his body of divinity. He says this. It is the duty of Christians.

To be settled in. The doctrine of faith. The doctrine of the faith.

That was once for all. Delivered to the saints. It is the apostles prayer. May the

God of all grace. Establish. Strengthen. Settle you. That's 1

Peter 5 .10. Which says. And after you have suffered for a little while.

The God of all grace. Who called you to his eternal glory. In Christ.

Will himself restore. Strengthen. Confirm. And ground you. Amen. Amen to that.

Watson continues. That is. They might not be meteors in the air. Just floating around.

But fixed stars. Fixed stars. The apostle

Jude. Speaks of wandering stars. Those who are lost. They are called.

Wandering stars. Because as Aristotle says. They do leap up and down. And wander into several parts of the heaven.

And being but dry exhalations. Not made of that pure celestial matter. As the fixed stars are.

They often fall to the earth. They often fall to the earth. Wow. Aristotle just preached there.

He was a Greek pagan. Now. Watson continues.

Such as are. Such as are not settled. In true religion. Will at one time or other.

Prove to be. Wandering stars. Unsettled.

Unstable. Wavering. Straying from the truth. Of God.

They will lose. Their former steadfastness. And wander from one opinion to another. Such as are unsettled.

Are of the tribe of Reuben. Unstable as water. Unstable as water.

Like scripture says. Like a ship without a ballast. Overturned with every wind.

Of doctrine. They lack that body of divinity. That stability.

Of the whole council of God. Theodore Beza. Who was

John Calvin's successor. Writes of one Belphectius. Who. His religion changed as often as the moon.

That's not a compliment by the way. The Arians. The ancient heretics.

The Arians and Arius. Who denied that Jesus is the eternal son of God. Had every year a new faith.

They constantly change their faith. Their belief. Their convictions. These are not pillars in the temple of God.

But reeds. Shaken in every way. The apostle calls them. Damable heresies.

Damable heresies. From the words of the apostles themselves. That's why they constantly warn against lies.

And against antichrist. A man may go to hell. As well for heresy.

As adultery. And more so for heresy. If you can't say amen.

You ought to say ouch. That's the sobering truth of God's word. The truth saves.

But lies damn. They damn. Those who hold to them.

Especially when they are. Regarding matters of God. Man and salvation.

The primary doctrines of the bible. That is what composes that body of divinity.

The fundamentals of religion. Are those matters. A right understanding of God. A right understanding of man.

That he is a fallen wretched sinner. And a right understanding of salvation. That it is by grace alone.

Through faith alone. In Christ alone. By rightly understanding. The truth of the gospel.

That Jesus Christ saved us. He saved us by grace. And not by our works.

Amen. That is the fundamentals of religion. That Watson is explaining to us.

In which the bible reveals to us. So. Very important for us to.

Understand. There as well. So. Now this.

Brings me to an important clarification. That I want to bring out. That I want to bring out here.

Because it is not by might. Okay. Our faith overcomes.

Not by might. Our victory. Our overcoming. Our conquering of this evil world.

Is that we as believers. Endure to the end. Unto our glorification.

Through our belief in Christ. And his word. His doctrine.

His teaching. Which we consequently live out. By also.

Resisting the devil. And putting our sin. And the flesh to death.

Like Romans 6 -8. Also teaches us. And on Galatians 5.

And on. Growing in holiness and sanctification. By the truth.

Not by violence. It is by the truth. Not by violence.

Nor by physical force. Okay. This is not Islam. Which tries to conquer by force.

That is heathenism. That is paganism. Paganism uses force.

But God. And his people. Use the truth. They conquer the world.

And lies with the truth. Of God. Like Zechariah 4 -6.

Not by might. Nor by power. But by my spirit.

Says Yahweh. The Lord of hosts. Right. It is not by might.

Nor by our power. It is by my spirit. Like God also told.

The apostle Paul. My grace is sufficient for you. Because my strength is perfected.

In your weaknesses. Right. That is why we boast in our weakness.

Because in boasting in weakness. We have the opportunity to boast. In the power of God. Because it is him who saves us.

And him who gets all the credit. Now. To cement. These matters in our mind.

Turn with me over to the gospel of John. In chapter 18. Very important passage here. Regarding this issue.

This subject of. God's might and not our own. The gospel of John chapter 18.

I want to begin in verse 33. This is a very important passage.

That sadly. Many today do not believe. Which you can judge by their actions.

Here we find. Our Lord. Jesus Christ. Expounding upon a very important principle.

Of the faith. Of the body of divinity. That he has given to us. John 18 verse 33.

Therefore. Pontius Pilate entered again. Into the praetorium. Which is the

Roman palace. For high ranking officials. And summoned Jesus. And said to him.

Are you the king of the Jews? Jesus answered. Are you saying this from yourself?

Or did others tell you about me? Pilate answered. Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priest.

Delivered you to me. What did you do? Jesus answered. Listen carefully.

My kingdom. Is not of this world. My kingdom.

Is not of this world. If my kingdom. Were of this world. Then my servants would be fighting.

So that I would not be delivered over to the Jews. But as it is.

My kingdom. Is not from here. It is not of this world.

Therefore. Pilate said to him. So you are a king? You are a king. Jesus answered.

You yourself said. I am a king. For this I have been born. And for this I have come into the world.

The world meaning. In the planet earth. In contrast to heaven.

Why? To bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth.

Hears my voice. Right? That is why Jesus came. He did not come here to conquer.

With force. So that his servants would use force.

He came to conquer. With the truth. With the body of divinity.

With the faith. Everyone who is of the truth. Hears my voice.

Consequently. This is what it is all about. Like I read last week.

Closed out last week in Romans 8. 37. But in all these things.

We overwhelmingly conquered. Through him. Not through our might or our force.

But through him. Who loved us. Through Christ. The one and only

Christ Jesus our Lord. That is how we conquer and overcome. But.

Unfortunately. However. There are some. Reformed traditions.

That teach. That believers. As part of the church on earth.

This is also referred to as the church militant. There is a good. That is a good thing.

In one sense. Because the church militant evangelizes. And spreads the gospel.

That is part of how the world is overcome. By resisting the devil. And the world.

And by. Winning the lost. Through the preaching of the word.

The gospel. The power of God unto salvation. But. Some teach that.

The church on earth. Is going to usher in the kingdom of God. And conquer the entire world.

By progressively. Converting everyone. Or nearly everyone.

Through the active spread of the gospel. But there is a problem here. There is a problem here.

And this is. Two of the major. Persuasions.

Are referred to as amillennialism. And postmillennialism. In amillennialism.

The millennial reign of Christ. The thousand year reign. Is a spiritual reality. In which we now live.

And so is the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is now. They don't believe.

That there is a future millennial reign of Christ. A literal reign. And in postmillennialism.

They teach that. The kingdom of God is a spiritual. And physical reality.

Affected through worldwide conversion. By means of. Christians spreading the gospel.

But there is. Just one. Major problem here. And this is something that many people.

Refuse to believe. They don't want to believe. But it's what the Bible teaches. It's what the whole counsel of God teaches us.

And that is. That God never intended. To save everyone. God never intended.

To save everyone. The spreading of the gospel. Consequently.

Will soften some. Unto salvation. But also harden others.

Unto damnation. Okay? God did not intend to save everyone.

The Lord has made all things. Even the wicked for the day of doom. Of judgment. Right? That's the book of Proverbs.

What does Romans 9 say? Romans 9. Jacob I loved.

Esau I hated. And I did not save. There are vessels of mercy.

That God pours his mercy and love on. And there are vessels of wrath. That God pours out his judgment and wrath on.

Romans 9. 18. So that's not.

A biblical expectation that we should have. We should not expect.

Everyone to believe the gospel. When we share it with them. In fact. Jesus teaches almost the opposite.

In the parables. He says that most people will not respond correctly. Most people will fall away.

Most people will reject it. But some does take root. And it grows. And it doesn't fall away.

Turn with me now. To the letter of Corinthians. To get a better understanding of this.

Beloved. The letter of 2 Corinthians. Chapter 2. In verse 14. This is very important for us to understand.

Because this is the purpose. And the counsel of God. That the

Bible teaches us. In 2 Corinthians 2. Verse 14. God's word says.

But thanks be to God. Who always leads us. Who is us?

Believers. In triumph. In Christ. And through us.

Spreads and makes evident. Everywhere. The sweet fragrance. Of the knowledge of him.

I love that verse. That's an awesome verse. The sweet fragrance of the knowledge.

Of him. The fragrance of his knowledge. Which is in part through.

Spreading or preaching the word. The gospel. Through his people.

The church. For we are the sweet. We are the sweet. Fragrance of Christ.

Which ascends to God. I'm reading from the Amplified by the way. Discernible both.

Both among. Those who are being saved. And among those who are perishing.

So there's two kinds of people there. Beloved. Those who are being saved.

And those who are perishing. Right. To the latter.

The perishing. One an aroma from death to death. It's a fatal odor.

An offensive odor to those who are dying. Who will be judged.

But to the other. To the believing. Who are being saved. To the ones who are being saved.

An aroma from life to life. Eternal life. It is a vital.

Fragrance. A life -giving. And fresh fragrance. And who is adequate.

And sufficiently qualified. For these things. For we are not like many.

Acting like merchants. Peddling God's word. Abusing it. Twisting it around.

Like Joel Osteen and Abundant Living Faith. And these heretical preachers. That don't preach the truth.

They preach lies for money. Right. Peddling God's word.

Shortchanging and adulterating God's message. God's message. But from pure.

Uncompromised motives. As commissioned and sent from God. We speak. His message in Christ.

In the sight of God. So here it's talking about. Sharing a message. Preaching.

Speaking. That message though. Will be a fragrance of.

Life to some. Who are being saved. But at the same time. A fragrance of death.

To those who do not believe. And will not believe. Who are perishing. That's the contrast.

The dichotomy of. The sheeps and the goats. The ones in the light.

And the ones in the darkness. It's continual throughout all of scripture. We cannot.

Lose sight of that. And misunderstand. The whole counsel of God.

In this regard. Beloved. Now. 2

Thessalonians 2. 11 -12. Likewise says. That God sends upon them.

Upon reprobates. Unbelievers. Who will perish. And are perishing.

A deluding influence. So that they will believe. What is false instead.

Of the truth. In order that they all. May be judged.

Who did not believe the truth. But took pleasure instead. In unrighteousness.

So God will cause them. To believe a lie. God will cause them.

To believe a lie. So that they may be judged. For their unrighteousness.

And rejection of the truth. That's the God of the Bible. That's the

God of scripture. Amen. If you can't say amen. You need to get back into God's word.

And see it for yourself. Because that's the God of the Bible. There's many more passages.

Like this. Now. I want to turn over. To another critical one.

In Revelation 19. So this is very important. For us to see with our own eyes.

Revelation chapter 19. Verse 11. This is an amazingly powerful description.

Christ's return. Revelation 19. Verse 11. In this.

In this vision. The same Apostle John. Who wrote the letter of 1

John. Writes for us these things. Then I.

The Apostle John. Saw heaven open. And behold. A white horse.

And. He who sits on it. Is called faithful and true.

Faithful and true. And in righteousness. He judges and wages war.

His eyes. Are a flame of fire. And on his head are many diadems.

Many crowns. Having a name written on him. Which no one knows.

Except himself. And being clothed with garment. Dipped in blood.

His name is also called. The word of God. The logos of God. And the armies.

Which are in heaven. Clothed in fine linen. White and clean. Were following him on white horses.

And from his mouth. Comes a sharp sword. So that with it. He may strike down the nations.

Smite them. And he will rule them. With a rod of iron.

A rod of iron. And he treads the winepress.

Of the wrath. Of the rage of God. The almighty. Wow. Who is this

Jesus? You would almost think that this Jesus. Is unrecognizable in a lot of churches.

That you go to. They don't talk about this Jesus. But this is the same

Jesus. Of the gospels. And this same Jesus. Is coming back like this.

So. Does this description of Christ.

Sound like he is coming back. To an already conquered world. Of mostly believers. That have been converted already.

Or is he going to have to do. Some conquering himself. Let's ask ourselves this question.

Why is Jesus going to come back. To judge and wage war. With the armies of heaven.

With eyes of flaming fire. Is it because he is happy. Or because he is angry.

With feet like burnished bronze. Refined in a furnace. That is Revelation 1 .15. With his.

With his. Sound from his mouth. Like a roar of many waters.

A roaring. With clothed with a garment.

Dipped in blood. Why is there blood on his garment? Why is there blood on his garment?

A sharp sword. Shooting out of his mouth. So that with it.

He may strike down the nations. Of people. Of unbelievers.

Rule them with a rod of iron. And tread the winepress. Of the wrath of the rage of God.

It's not enough. That it's just the wrath of God. It's the wrath of the rage of God. The Almighty.

How is that the case. If most of the world. Supposedly would become Christian by then. Beloved that's not.

What scripture teaches us. We need to make sure we rightly understand. The body of divinity.

And that includes this passage. As well as the other passages that I read. As well as Romans 9.

And 2nd Corinthians chapter 4. Which says that the gospel. Is veiled. It is veiled.

And the God of this world. Has blinded the minds of unbelievers. To prevent them from believing the gospel.

Which saves. We can't ignore. These parts of scripture.

Which many find to be. Inconvenient truths. And choose to ignore them. And to replace them with a lie.

Instead. So this is. Very.

Sobering truths. But they are. This is the God of the Bible. This is the

Logos. That same Logos. Now I want to close.

Close out here. In Colossians chapter 1. Verse 21.

In light of these. Sobering truths. There are still great precious. Truths and promises.

That scripture reveals to us. Much like 1st John 5 does. In Colossians chapter 1.

Verse 21. Which we read earlier. From the Catechism question. Colossians 1 .21.

And although you. Who is you. Those of us who believe.

In Jesus Christ. In Jesus as the Christ. And as the Son of God. Like 1st

John says. You who were formerly alienated. And enemies in mind.

And in evil deeds. Formerly when you were unbelievers. But now.

He reconciled. You to God. In the body of His flesh through death.

In order to present you. Beloved. Before Him. Holy and blameless.

And beyond reproach. Beyond. Criticism. If indeed.

You continue in the faith. Firmly grounded and steadfast. That's the passage that.

Watson quoted. In settled conviction. Of the truth. And not moved away.

From the hope of the gospel. The gospel. Which you have heard.

Which was proclaimed in all creation. Under heaven and of which I. Paul was made a minister.

Amen. Right. Thanks be to.

Our glorious God. For our victorious faith. In Jesus.

The Christ. The Son of God. That overcomes the world.

For us. And through us. By His grace. By His means.

Of grace. And for the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. For the love of God the

Father. For the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. That is with us. Who belong to Him. Who believe in Him.

2 Corinthians 13. Let's close today.

Beloved. With another beautiful passage. In Ephesians 3. 14.

Ephesians 3. 14. This is an amazing passage. Celebrating who

Christ is. And what He has done for us. Which the Apostle John. Is also showing us.

Ephesians 3. Verse 13. Verse 14.

This is what. We must do beloved. To rightly understand the truth. We need to interpret

Scripture. With all of Scripture. And from those Scriptures.

Rightly deduce. The body of divinity. The teaching of the Bible. Into the system of doctrine.

That is revealed therein. Ephesians 3.

Verse 14. God's word says. For this reason I Paul. Bow my knees before the

Father. From whom every family in heaven. And on earth.

Is named. That He would give you. Believers.

Beloved. According to. The riches of His glory. To be strengthened.

With power. Through His Spirit in the inner man. So that Christ.

May dwell in your hearts. Through faith. Through faith. And that you.

Being firmly rooted. And grounded in love. This is the same passage.

That Watson also referred to. In his body of divinity. May be able to comprehend.

To understand. To grasp. With all the saints.

What is the breadth and length. And height and depth. And to know the love of Christ.

Which surpasses knowledge. That you may. Be filled up to all.

The fullness of God. The truth of God. Now to Him. Who is able to do far more abundantly.

Beyond all that we ask. Or understand. According to the power.

That works within us. The Spirit of God. To Him be the glory.

In the church. And in Christ Jesus. To all generations forever. And ever.

And God's people said. Amen. Amen. Let's go ahead and bow our heads now.

With a closing word of prayer. Our gracious. Precious Heavenly Father.

We thank you so much Lord for. Your law and your gospel. Father we thank you for the amazing.

Reality of who your son. Jesus the Christ. Your son. The eternal son.

Is Lord. Equal in power and authority. Of the same nature as you.

The Father Lord in your spirit. We thank you Father. For saving us through your gospel.

And the gospel of your precious son. Jesus Christ. Lord we ask that you help us. That you give us the faith.

Give us the faith in your faith. In the faith that has been delivered. Once for all to us the saints.

Your people. We thank you so much Father. That you have not left us on our own.

To wander about in darkness. But you have given us. Beyond everything that we could possibly.

Comprehend. Just as your word promises us. You have given us your spirit.

Your truth. Your means of grace. The preaching of the word. Your sacraments.

Of the Lord's supper and baptism. Your people. So many things

Lord. So many good things. Which all come from you. As the Father. Our Father.

Father of lights. We thank you Lord for these precious truths. We ask that you also encourage us. In this last and evil day.

And help us to take heart and comfort. In the fact that we have overcome. And are overcoming.

Continuing to overcome. And will continue to overcome the world. This wretched evil world. By your power.

And by your truth. We thank you Lord. And we ask this in Jesus precious powerful name.

Amen. Please contact us at www .thorncrownministries