Sermon Info
Summary
God longs for you to embrace A Beautiful Life. The life God has for you is lived by faith and filled with love. As you grow in your knowledge of how much God loves you, then you can extend His love to others. As you love, you become more like Jesus. Are you living the life God has for you? If not, what is keeping you from experiencing God’s best? Will you allow Jesus this week to be the Lord of your life and the joy of your heart? Be grateful and live the life God has for you.
Content
Our Victory
When we talk with older, wiser people who have lived through many different things, we have this inclination to want to lean in and listen to what they have to say. We want to listen to the lessons they’ve learned, the ways they’ve grown in their faith, and the stories of challenges they faced and overcame.
This is what it’s like for us to read the book of 1 John. John is older and is a strong believer who has experienced challenges, difficulties, and loss that have helped shape him into the man of God that he is when he’s writing this letter. When we get to chapter five, we learn about what it looks like to live a life full of faith. That means keeping Jesus first, loving others, being grateful, overcoming sin and struggles, and living a life that is beautiful.
When we read 1 John, the theme that prevails is this: Jesus is our overcomer. Even in the midst of the hardest things that life throws at us, He is our victory. He is our Protector, our Provider, and our Friend. And He’s the one who we put our faith in.
What the Bible Says about Being Full of Faith in 1 John 5
When we jump into the fifth and final chapter of 1 John, we discover what the very first step is in living a life that is full of faith, a life that is truly beautiful, and that is committing 100% to Jesus. Every decision that we make should reflect that Jesus is, without a doubt, first in our lives. Our ability to make decisions that reflect this and to show others who Jesus is comes from our knowledge that we are loved by the God of the universe.
This also is what drives us to keep God’s commands, John says. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands (1 John 5:2). It’s not because of fear that we are obedient to Christ. No, it’s because we know we are loved and because we want to show others the love that Christ has for us. Behavior follows belief. When we believe in Jesus and believe that His commands are meant to protect us and to help us to live life to the very fullest, we, in turn, live out God’s will for our lives.
And His will is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. We choose gratitude. We trust that God will help us walk through any of life’s challenges. We let Jesus define us, not our past. And we live in the truth that Jesus is the Overcomer, and He lives in us.
Do you live like you’re an overcomer?
Being a follower of Christ gives you an identity. It gives you a new name. It gives you renewed purpose and strength. Because when you know Christ, you take on His name. You become an Overcomer.
A life full of faith begins and ends with Jesus. It begins when you choose to fully commit to Jesus and put Him at the very center of your life. It continues when we make decisions that reflect our identity and our priorities. It ends when we get to finally live in perfect harmony with Jesus.
When we live as overcomers, we are able to love others with the love that we know that Jesus has for us. We also are able to be grateful no matter the circumstances, and we can forge ahead despite challenges, sin, and hardships. Overcomers do not let the past define them. Overcomers rise to the occasion and trust that God has great plans for them. Jesus longs to give YOU life – life to the very fullest. It’s only through Him, the true Overcomer, that we can live a beautiful life. Now’s the time for you to rise and overcome through the power of Christ in you.
