“Really Conquering the World”  I John 5:4,5    11/8/09

            “What would you give in exchange for your soul?”  Jesus asked that question.  How much would it take of the world’s illusions of security and prestige to give up your soul.  It is a question we must continually ask ourselves.  Americans today are valuing their eternal soul less and less, and valuing the world more and more.  Our eternal souls are being “sold to the devil” so to speak at a cheaper and cheaper price.  There was a study not too long ago in which they asked Americans in exchange for $10 million what would they be willing to do? 25% would abandon their family. 

25% would abandon their church.23% would become a prostitute for a week.

16% would give up their American citizenship.16% would leave their spouse.

13% would put their children up for adoption.

Two thirds of those polled agreed to at least one of these that I mentioned.  That means only a third of America would not exchange family, church, their sexual purity, marriage, children, citizenship for money.  The love of money is the root of all evil, and we are consumed with the love of it.  It doesn’t matter if you have a ton of it, or if you have very little of it, you can be consumed with love for money.  Money is really a symbol of the world. You can buy any goods the world offers with money- but you cannot buy your soul with it.  You can sell your soul for money or greed, but you cannot buy your soul with it. Passage is about overcoming the world- by birth, by faith, by action.

I. WE OVERCOME BY BIRTH- If We are born of God, we are risen from the dead of the world (5:4).  

The imagery John uses here is the same imagery that Jesus used with Nicodemus- when he said you must be born again.  In the late 70’s and 80’s that was an overused phrase- every time you turn around, people were talking about being born again.  A politician who was going nowhere emerged into a race and they said he was “born again.”  There was even a song about someone in love that said “with you I’m born again.” But the Bible is not talking about being born again to something in this world, but more—another world.  But here John says that when we are born of God, we overcome the world.  The image is that just as birth overcomes the womb, so being born of God overcomes the world.  We are raised with Christ and overcome the grave.  It is like being given a different citizenship- our home is not here, so we are not consumed with settling in and staying here- we don’t want it.  In Peru I saw a lot of what I would call trinkets- Indian beads that just did not appeal to me.  They were the fashion there, but they were not the fashion in our culture.  Christians are not enthralled with the fashion of this world, but we are enthralled with the fashion of heaven.  What is important and valuable here is not so valuable there.  What is valuable there is not so valuable here. 

II. FAITH GIVES US THE VICTORY-

            The money of this world is not good in heaven.  Again, when I was in Peru, I couldn’t pay the taxi driver with a dollar bill- even though it was more valuable than the two soles of Peruvian money, an American dollar meant nothing to most taxi drivers.  You can’t buy your way into heaven.  In some ways, the Reformation started because the Church at the time had become so consumed with the world, that they actually told people if you give money to the church (they called it indulgences) you could have your sins forgiven and get to heaven.  But the legal tender of this world does not cover sins.  Our trust in our money will not save us.  Rather, the trust in God is what we need to cover our sins. We give because we don’t HAVE to hold on tightly to this world.  I have heard many a person say in a hard time in life, "I don't know what I would do without my faith" or "How can someone go through this without God?"  Faith gives us strength when the world has blessings for us, and when the world has crosses for us.  Without faith, the victory over the world is in doubt, and hope is gone.

            We give not because we have enough of this world.  We give because we have conquered the world, and we use this world’s goods for heavenly purposes.  We give because we recognize (unlike the world) that this life is a gift from God.  We did not create ourselves, nor even can we sustain ourselves without God.  God is like the underwater breathing apparatus that not only allows us to live- but we cannot last for long if we take that mask away from us.  A fish is not meant to last long in the air.  A bird is not meant to last long in the water.  God gives us this life, but we will not last for eternity here.  It takes faith to believe that.  IF we use just our senses, we will think that this is it.  But faith tells us that this world is not perfect, that this world is not our home.

III. ACTION HELPS US OVERCOME THE WORLD-

            In some ways, we have already overcome the world by actions of God already done on our behalf. - the minute we begin to have faith in God and when we have made Christ our Lord and Savior.  The world has lost its complete grip on us, because we recognize that this is not all there is—there is more- much more.  When Christ conquered the cross by his resurrection, we conquered too.  I say this kind of thing all the time.  When the Germans surrendered in World War II I could say, “we won”- even though I was not around, did not fight in the war, and had nothing at all to do with it.  When my football team wins I say, “we won” even though I wasn’t on the field, and I didn’t work out with weights, or do anything beside watch and cheer.  There is a sense when we become a part of Christ’s team by faith, and when he won over the grave we did too.  Years ago there was a rock slide on I-40 (like there is right now-but not quite as bad), and one of the tunnels through that mountain was blocked.  We didn’t know whether we should turn around or wait- but we didn’t have a lot of choice- so we waited, somewhat hopelessly of getting through.  But when that first car got through a couple of hours later, I said, “we got through.”  I said this even though I was still in the big long traffic jam, and I hadn’t budged an inch in hours.  Jesus is the first one through, so we can have hope.  There is light at the end of the tunnel even though we may not be able to see it yet.  The world is conquered, all that would hold us here forever has been forced to let go its grip on us. We believe that by faith- the first one of us has gotten through, and in the end we will too.

            But there is another sense in which we are conquering the world now- by our daily actions, and will conquer it in days to come.  We conquer the world when we say “no” to selfishness and “yes” to generosity.  We conquer the world when we are not consumed with what we have, but are consumed with love for God and others.  We conquer the world when we don’t try to keep up with the Joneses or the latest fashion, but try to explore new ways of doing something for God. 
            As a church we try to provide opportunities for you to conquer just a little bit- so we have Operation Show box.  So we have the CROP Walk for the hungry- remembering the 1 billion who are urgently hungry.  So we have opportunities to go on a mission trip or an educational trip instead of another vacation.  There are ways to give your time- packing fruit for the HUB, or volunteering at GOoDWorks. Pledging and giving to the Lord through the church is also a way that we live by faith and not by sight. 

            We need to remember what gives us value.  Paul said, “If I have not love I am nothing.”  Once Todd Jones interpreting this said, "If I am worth millions, if I travel on my own jet, if I own homes in two or three places… If I am a fabulously successful surgeon, or am on the verge of selling a cure for cancer... If I am a celebrity or a best-selling author or a movie actress or a rock star... If I am a first round NFL draft choice, if I am a college basketball or football coach (a synonym with being a rock star in this culture!)… Or if I found a company, launch an IPO, give millions to charity, and have my name engraved forever on buildings and schools and hospitals... If I have done all these things that this culture so prizes, but have not love, I am nothing."  Love for the world puffs up- but love for God gives up.  Love for God motivates us to not hold onto this world so tightly, but to let go and enjoy life, and to love others.