I want to preach to you this morning about victorious faith. Anybody excited about that? Victorious faith. I have a very simple message. God doesn’t want us to just hear his word. But he wants us to respond to his word. Because his word stirs faith in our heart. It’s you know our relationship with God is this constant give and take.
It’s this constant flow. He stirs our hearts. We respond to him. He moves in our heart. He stirs our heart. We respond to him. He moves in our heart. And this morning as we come around his word. He wants to stir your heart with faith again to believe his promises. We’ve been singing it and declaring it and then we’re actually going to lay hold of it by faith.
Victorious faith. One John chapter five verse four says for everyone. Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except for the one who believes that Jesus is the son of God? Can I ask you a question this morning? Do you believe that Jesus is the son of God? Yes.
Then the Bible just told us that that faith that we have, that believes that Jesus is God’s son, is so victorious. It’s not a matter of whether we feel victorious. It’s not a man of whether we feel like we’re still going through things because of course we are. But the Bible promises us that that very faith that we have is victorious and overcomes the world. Is there anybody here this morning that is grateful for that, that is glad, that God has given you this gift of faith and that faith is victorious?
I don’t know about you but I am glad about it. Because it’s changed my life. Our faith is victorious. is the victory that’s overcome the world, our faith. Our faith in Jesus positions us to overcome in life. Amen. If you’re a believer in Jesus, then your faith, your faith is victorious. And I want to keep and we’ll make it very simple but I want to continue to make it personal.
Because I think sometimes and I know from personal experience that when we hear a simple message like this it’s too easy to apply to somebody else. It’s too easy to superimpose that on someone that you perceive to be more spiritual than you. I know faith is victorious. I know Pastor Sean’s faith is victorious. I know that person that’s always praying for me and and and he’s praying in that strange language. I know that their faith is victorious but sometimes we feel like, well, I’m not so spiritual and I don’t have it all together yet. I haven’t been following Jesus very long.
Listen, the Bible doesn’t ask how long you’ve been following Jesus. It says, if you’ve got faith in Jesus, that he is the son of God. Yes. Then, your faith. Yeah. Is victorious Young people, we need to know that what we just experienced this week is and we talked about it. It’s not to leave at the altar of where we experienced it. It’s to walk that faith out and understand that my faith is victorious.
Why? Because when you’re in the middle of that circumstance, somebody else’s faith isn’t going to help you very much. We need each other’s faith. We need each other’s agreement but there are going to be moments where I don’t have somebody else’s faith to lean upon and I need to be able to say for myself, Christ is my firm foundation. The rock on which stand. I won’t be going under. I won’t be moved by this but I will move some things by faith. I may shout at you a little bit this morning but that’s because I love this word and I get caught up in it. Overcome.
We are what have we overcome? We have overcome the world. The state of this world, the ways of this world, the system of this world. We are no longer subject to the darkness that rules in this world and it says that we’ve overcome. What is overcome? Overcome means to struggle and to win. You can’t overcome something that you’re not facing. The very idea of overcoming something is that there is something to overcome. Yeah, that’s right. Right?
So you say don’t get confused that sometimes we assume that the presence of a challenge is evidence of our lack of faith. Not at all. That’s not what the scripture says. If you’ve got faith, you will face challenges. But our faith comes. So, there are some things that you and I maybe facing this morning and yet, we say, Lord, it’s not that I just need some encouragement. It’s not that I need a holiday. It’s not that I need this or that. I don’t need to maybe I do need to talk to somebody but before I think even about talking to somebody, I’m going to stir my faith in Jesus to struggle and to win.
We don’t put up with things that are not God’s will and God’s kingdom. We resist them until they change in our own personal circumstances. We don’t listen to the word of God or to other people’s testimonies and say, that could never happen to me because my circumstances don’t line up. We subject our circumstances to the promises of God’s word. Amen?
Amen. Amen. One John three verse eight says, the reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. I love that scripture. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and one of the greatest privileges of our life is that God invites us. He doesn’t just do things for us. I mean, he does many things for us but he doesn’t just. He invites us as regular everyday people but born-again people. He invites us to partner with him in bringing his kingdom into our lives. Amen.
Every one of us, not those that are working for the church. Man, we bring the kingdom of God into cafes. Yeah. We bring the kingdom of God into study halls. We bring the kingdom of God into schools and universities. We bring the kingdom of God into workplaces. One of the most important things, is we bring the kingdom of God into our homes. Amen.
We don’t lock him in here. We bring the kingdom with us. And we get to partner with God to say, Lord, I want to join you in taking out the work of the enemy in my life, in the life of people around me and that doesn’t mean of course that I attack them. That’s it. I’m going on a rampage. No, it means that by faith, we say, I’m not putting up with the things that the enemy wants to do in my circumstance. I’m going to resist them. I’m going to say no. I’m allergic to those things. Amen.
You know, when somebody has an allergy and they’re the word escapes. I mean, what is this? You’ve got an intolerance. What does that mean? It means this thing and me, we don’t get along. I mean, that’s intolerable to me. We need to remind ourselves that we have an intolerance to the work of the enemy and we need to say, absolutely not. I’m sorry but I’m not putting up with that because just like my body might have an intolerance my spirit has an intolerance to the work of the enemy. Amen.
So, what is the work of the enemy that we’re resisting? Come on, let’s let’s be reminded of some of these simple truths. Are you ready? Number one, sin and bondage to sin. I got a few years but it’s true. Patterns and habits that we can’t seem to break in our own strength. All of the results that come from sin. You know, we all face things and I and I want to encourage you this morning.
Anytime that we talk about sin in the house of God which is totally fine to do by the way because we’re people and Jesus came to overcome our sin and he came to forgive us of our sin but we need to never hear these things and receive them with condemnation. Oh, if people really knew what I was going through. If people really knew what was going on behind the scenes, or we get reminded of, of what happened this week.
We, we’re aware that we failed in some area, or we shouldn’t have said that, or we shouldn’t have done that. Listen, don’t allow the enemy to speak into that area this morning. Don’t be reminded of your sin that drags you down. But be stirred in your faith to say Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. And one of the things that the devil wants to do is he wants to cause and replicate sin in our lives.
And it’s not the time that we put up with those things and we say woe is me. I’ll never get through it. That’s just who I am. I’ve just got this habit. That’s just my nature. We say no I’ve got an intolerance to that. I’m going to resist that. Today I’m going to come out of the agreement, maybe sinful patterns that I’ve put up within my life. We never graduate beyond that place by the way. I don’t believe that I’ll ever get to a place where I say, great, I don’t need to hear that anymore. I say, no
God. Come on, speak to me. Is there something that needs to change in my attitude? Is there something that needs to change in my mind or my heart? Because I want to resist the work of the enemy. I don’t want to partner with it. You know, I spend a lot of my time as I mentioned talking to young people and helping people understand the kingdom of God and and I find that it’s so helpful to make things really really simple with young people but you know, as I do, I discover and I get reminded that actually, God makes things really simple.
We complicate them. And there’s this simple thing that I think man, I always have two options in every area of my life. I have the possibility of partnering with the enemy. Yeah. Or partnering with God. So, which one do I want to choose in my response? Which one do I want to choose in my attitude? Which one do I want to choose in the words that I’m saying? It’s actually constantly as simple as that and we need to remind ourselves, am I going to partner with the enemy?
Now, how is it that we partner with the enemy? Because I never shake his hand and say, yeah, come on, let’s do business. That’s not how it works and get with my negativity. I don’t realize but that’s clearly not partnering with God. So, who’s it partnering with? With my words that dragged down or that habit that I put up with. You know or with those that anger or that frustration. It’s not partnering with the Holy Spirit. So, who’s it partnering with? It’s just opening the door for the enemy to be involved.
This morning, I want to shut that door but I want to open wide the door for the Holy Spirit to be involved and I want to say the things that he’s saying and be involved to the things that he’s doing. So, I don’t try harder and say, that’s it. I’m going to try this week to be less sinful. I tried for a few years it didn’t really work very well to be honest. Romans seven talks about it, the harder that I try, the more I’m reminded that I still fail. But thanks be to God for the grace that’s available in Jesus Christ. I overcome by my faith in Jesus.
I want to stir you again with this simple truth and don’t write it off because of its simplicity. Be reminded that your faith is a victorious faith. Because of your faith in Jesus. You can overcome habits and addictions. of your faith in Jesus, you can break everyday patterns because of your faith in Jesus, and that attitude can change.
Sin and bondage to sin. Remember your faith in Jesus makes you victorious today. Don’t forget the power of the cross. His blood still cleanses and washes us clean. A scripture I memorized as a teenager one John one verse eight to nine. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He forgives us again.
Maybe this morning, there are just simply some things we say, Lord, I need your forgiveness again. Not only that, I need you to cleanse me again. There are some things I need you to wash away. That I’ve put up with for too long. I don’t want to partner with the enemy. I want to partner with God. Amen. Overcome the work of the enemy. Sin and bondage to sin. Sickness. Come on.
The word says that by his stripes we are healed. Sickness is not a work of God. It’s not a work of the kingdom of God. It’s the work of the enemy. And in this fallen world. And the same way we resist sin and temptation and the bondage to sin. We also resist sickness. Now sometimes say, well, it’s not my fault. Of course, it’s not your fault. We’re not necessarily saying that we’ve done something wrong and we need to, we change that although, of course, there are things we can do that open the door to a spirit of infirmity.
So, maybe there are some doors we need to close but maybe you say, well, listen, I got this diagnosis and this is happening to my body and I never asked for it. I was walking through life and this came against me. I understand that but we need that faith in Jesus. We need to be reminded that my faith is victorious. I can resist the work of the enemy. I’m going to actively oppose this sickness in my body. I’m not going to come into agreement with it and say, well, that’s just my lot in life. That’s just who, it’s my family. It’s hereditary.
We’re going to say it might have been hereditary but it changes with me because my faith in Jesus overcomes the world. So we overcome the work of the enemy. Secondly, we overcome challenges and trials. We all go through things. Maybe it’s not so much a matter of sin. It’s just facing a challenge or a challenging circumstance. There’s a trial or a storm. And maybe it feels like right now that’s been getting the better of you. I want to encourage you. Don’t bow to challenges. We don’t give up in the storms. We all face them but we overcome. There may be a struggle but God is able. Amen.
Romans eight verses 35 to 37 says who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation? Or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is for your sake. We’re being being killed all the day long. What an encouraging scripture. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No. Listen.
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. I love this passage of scripture. James one. Verse two but it says, consider it all joy or count it all joy or consider it pure joy. Whenever you face trials of many kinds. For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness or endurance or perseverance. And let endurance have its work in you. Let it complete its work in you. That you might be perfect and complete lacking in nothing.
What a profound scripture. But see where it started there. It started by saying count it all joy. Not if, when? Yeah. I don’t know about you but that’s encouraging to me. Sometimes, I’m so encouraged to know that other people go through things too. Do you know what I mean? Not because I want them to go through challenges but because it reminds me that maybe they’re just like me and maybe where I’m at is not so bad after all. Maybe I am a person of faith. I’m just still a person of faith and I’m in this fallen world.
So, I will face challenges. I will face trials. I will face storms. I will face circumstances that I didn’t see coming. There will be twists and turns in this life of faith but don’t allow the enemy to convince you that because you’re facing that challenge took a wrong turn and you shouldn’t be in this race. No, maybe you’re exactly where you need to be and God doesn’t allow these challenges to overcome us. They’re opportunities for our faith to overcome. Oh, come on somebody this morning.
This is good news I don’t know what you’re facing but I know that you are a person of faith and I know that your faith in Jesus positions you to overcome. Sometimes, we’re so quick to educate ourselves. I need to learn more. I need to understand that more. I need to ask somebody else’s advice. All those things are powerful but the first thing that we need to go to is to remind ourselves, I’m a person of faith. My faith is victorious. I’m going to oppose this thing that’s opposing me right now. One of us is going to move and it’s not going to be me.
You gotta get some of that attitude in you. There are too many Christians that are, oh no, I’m facing something. Let me lie down. Oh, I didn’t see this coming. God’s left me. Question mark. No, put an exclamation mark on something in your life to say today and say, I will speak to this mountain. I will see it move. Why? Because of my faith in Jesus. Amen. Thank you. I appreciate that. I really appreciate that. That’s encouraging.
You know what? I’m encouraged by it because it’s simply the word of God. I don’t really have many stories to add even. It’s just, it’s just the word. I could try and think of something. You don’t need them. Come on. You don’t overcome unless there’s something you’re up against. I already explained that. You don’t conquer if there’s no battle. But if you don’t quit, you win. Yeah. The presence of the challenge is not evidence of your lack of faith. You’re facing this because you have faith and your faith is victorious.
The last thing. So, we overcome the work of the enemy. We overcome challenges and trials and we overcome spiritual opposition. I don’t know. Sometimes, there’s simply just spiritual opposition against you. Probably, not sometimes, all the time, right? The enemy does not want us moving forward to state the obvious. Sometimes, things are just going crazy and you have no idea why what on earth is going on in my circumstance right now.
Sometimes, it feels like you can’t move forward. Feels like everything is coming against you and I’m here to mind you and encourage you this morning. Don’t get intimidated by the opposition. Even if it doesn’t make sense naturally. Don’t be intimidated by your enemy. Don’t second guess what God has started.
Come on we need to as I said put our feet on that firm foundation and say I’m not moving. Philippians 1:28 says do be not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction but of your salvation and that from God. Every time we stand on that solid we remind the enemy. You are defeated but my faith is victorious. James four verse seven. Another great one to memorize. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Amen. Isn’t that good?
He’s like one of those dogs that if you just actually don’t be intimidated by the bark and you stand there. In fact, I faced this with a seagull this morning. I’ll be honest. do you know? I mean, they are so, hello, presumptuous. You know that noise they make that’s just like, you will give me a chip and they just test, test the boundaries like, are you going to be intimidated? He, well, I was eating Bacon and Egg Muffin, not from McDonald’s though from a finer establishment, this morning and I was by the beach and a seagull and I just looked at him and said, one of us is going to move and it’s not going to be me. and he looked back at me and went, okay, moved along.
No, we didn’t have a conversation but the enemy is a seagull. He just wants to see what he can get away with and sometimes we’re like, oh my goodness, oh and we just need to stand our ground and go, excuse me, I’m not moving. This is my Bacon and Egg sandwich. I’m not moving. Yeah. Resist the devil and he will flee. Sometimes you have to resist and push back. And you know what? Sometimes you also just need to ignore and carry on. Sometimes all the enemy is after is simply distraction. Yeah.
So, renew your focus. Nehemiah six they’re rebuilding the wall but they’ve got opponents. Anytime there are things that we are involved in, building in the kingdom of God, we will find out that we’ve got opponents. And they’re not natural. We don’t fight against flesh and blood. We fight against spiritual powers, right? In the unseen realm. Now when San, Balat, and Tobiah, and Geshem, the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it. although up to that time had not set up the doors in the gates. Sam Ballet and Geshem sent to me saying, come, let us meet together at Hake Firim. Definitely. In the plain of oh no. But they intended to do me harm. And I sent messengers to them saying I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?
I so thank God for these pictures, these hints and shadows in the Old Testament that tell us what we’re facing in the New Testament. We still have an enemy who says if I’m not able to stop you, I’ll just try and distract you. Come down here. Let’s have a conversation. What’s really going on in your family right now? How are you really going to face? How are make it through in the future. Wow, what’s happening in the world around you?
There’s some crazy circumstances and he just keeps suggesting things that while you’re building, it might, it causes you to go, yeah, you are right. Maybe I, maybe I need to entertain that thought for a moment. Resist the devil and he will flee. Sometimes, you have to actively resist and sometimes your resistance is, I’m sorry but I am doing a good work and I’m not even getting in that conversation. All my focuses on what my father is doing in my life right now and if you’re not in agreement with that, I’m not having a conversation with you.
I was reminded of this on the campus that we lead we were believing to go to two services. We’re believing to outgrow the one and go to two. And by the way, we didn’t quite fill the first one. But I started prophesying. We’re going to two services. It’s like two-thirds filled and some people came to meet in the campus and they said well Pastor that means we’re all going to have to serve more. Means we’re all going to have to stretch more. Are you really sure there’s the need yet? It’s not filled yet. How about we wait until filled.
I said, well, when do you need an ark? before it rains or after it floods. You gotta start building an ark before it floods for what you know God has said he’s about to do. So, we’re going to open up this second service because God has spoken to my spirit and said, he wants to multiply us and he’s going to add. So, I’m not going to wait to see it. I’m going to see it and we’re going to move some things. So, we did but I’ll tell you what, that last week leading up to two it’s just two services. What’s the big deal?
Oh, well, I’m involved in what my father’s doing. So, when any whenever I’m involved in what my father’s doing, all these conversations, everything starts going wrong. Our kids are going crazy. Stuffs going on at home. The the everything’s and I just felt at the start of the week the Holy Spirit simply say, listen, this week, just switch off to everything else. Don’t worry about it.
Don’t worry about it. If you hear bad news, don’t worry about it. If something’s gone, don’t worry about it. Don’t be intimidated by your enemy. Focus on what God is doing because if you don’t quit, you win. We will be victorious. We will do what God has given us to do and we will not be moved. Amen. But we will earth. Amen. So, are there some things that we’re facing? Maybe it, we need to overcome the work of the enemy in areas of sin and dysfunction or sickness.
Maybe you say, yeah, I need to overcome the work of the enemy and this diagnosis that’s over my body or somebody in my family right now. I need a victory in that area. Maybe you say I’m facing some challenges. I’m in the middle of a storm right now and I need to be reminded of my faith that is victorious over this storm one who calms the storm.
But listen, even if he doesn’t in the moment that you want him to. There’s a victorious faith that says, even if the will, the wind continues and the waves continue. I will make it through for my faith is on you, is in you. My house is built on you. Maybe you’re facing storms and challenges. Maybe you say, well, I’m facing some spiritual opposition and man, it’s I’ve been distracted by it. We need to be reminded of our own faith in Jesus but as I said, we also do need that power of agreement.
