I have at times wondered at the purpose and I must say I believe the whole purpose of Christ being manifested was that He might win His victory over the devil and completely destroy his works. “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (I John: 3:8)
As New Testament believers, we like John, rejoice in the victory available to us through the glorious victory Jesus won on the cross for His church. I always enjoy watching John as he exults or rejoices in his victory over the world. Let’s read the words of John together. “For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith”. (I John 5:4) Repetition always implies importance in a Bible text, so John is putting the nails in the devil’s coffin, satan is defeated, overcome and conquered in every circumstance of life. Listen to John’s words in l John 2:13, "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one." (l John 2:13-14) ESV
Many antichrists are in the world. Those were the words of John, read with me again, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18) Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.” (1 John 2:22) and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” (1 John 4:3)
Watch John as he pulls out of this one, with an antichrist spirit all over the place the church has lived in fear over the years, of the notion of some antichrist dude rising up, yet John says, You are of God little children and have, overcome them, who is them? That is the question I always ask myself. “Them” is the antichrists, notice it is plural, meaning many. John goes on to say,” because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (l John 4:4) Now that is shouting ground brother and sister! Because of Christ’s victory on the cross we have overcome just like Christ has overcome. Now let’s walk in His victory.
There is a word that in my mind comes into play as we study the words of John. The word is boldness, which implies confidence and assurance. Let’s look at l John 2:28 (Amplified). “And now, little children, abide (live, remain permanently) in Him, so that when He is made visible, we may have and enjoy perfect confidence (boldness, assurance) and not be ashamed and shrink from Him at His coming.” Read with me again, l John 3:21 (Amplified) “And, beloved, if our consciences (our hearts) do not accuse us [if they do not make us feel guilty and condemn us], we have confidence (complete assurance and boldness) before God.” Also, see l John 4:17 “In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.” And l John 5:14, a well known scripture, and I suppose one of my favorites of John’s writings. “And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.”
We do not need to live in cowardly or cringing fear, but in the boldness that comes in the assurance that Jesus, our big brother, defeated the devil and his hosts. On the cross, once, for all time, satan’s defeat was and is final for all who will receive His victory. Every fiery dart from the kingdom of darkness, every temptation to yield to the voices of darkness, every temptation to yield to disobedience, every temptation to become complacent when satan comes to steal your goods, kill you and your family, or destroy your life, Jesus defeated them all. Look at Paul’s words inspired by the Holy Spirit in the book of Hebrews 10:19-22. “Therefore, brethren, since we have full freedom and confidence to enter into the [Holy of] Holies [by the power and virtue] in the blood of Jesus, By this fresh (new) and living way which He initiated and dedicated and opened for us through the separating curtain (veil of the Holy of Holies), that is, through His flesh, And since we have [such] a great and wonderful and noble Priest [Who rules] over the house of God, Let us all come forward and draw near with true (honest and sincere) hearts in unqualified assurance and absolute conviction engendered by faith (by that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water.”
Confidence ! you bet we have confidence ! We have confidence in our Lord Jesus Christ, who saved us and bought us with His own precious blood. He left absolutely nothing undone. Ephesians 6:14-18 tells us of the protective shielding provided for us as believers and I could go on forever, but that is for another day.
Pastor Danny
