Note: Yesterday I preached a message entitled, “Fundamentals of the Fatih.” I am led to share it with you. Here is the link to the full message: https://youtu.be/081p7jYXXSw
Today we will continue our series entitled “God’s Grace & Our Faith.” We are looking at The Law given under Moses vs. the Grace provided by Jesus. Our primary scriptures are John 1:14 & 17. We have also been looking at the fruit of the Holy Spirit from Galatians 5:22,23. Let’s go back to those again today.
(John 1:14 New International Version)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:17 New International Version)
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
(Galatians 5:22,23 The Passion Translation)
But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions:
joy that overflows,
peace that subdues,
patience that endures,
kindness in action,
a life full of virtue,
faith that prevails,
gentleness of heart, and
strength of spirit.
Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.
This verse says that the Holy Spirit produces in us a “faith that prevails.” In the message I preached yesterday, I mentioned: “faith that overcomes the world.” I did not follow up with an explanation, but I will today. There is a difference between us attempting to overcome the world and accepting that Jesus already overcame. Our faith prevails because we are exercising faith in Jesus’ finished work. That’s what I will deal with today. To do so, I will share two more scriptures before we get started.
(John 16:33 New International Version)
Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
(1 John 5:4,5 The Passion Translation)
You see, every child of God overcomes the world, for our faith is the victorious power that triumphs over the world. So who are the world conquerors, defeating its power? Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Jesus overcame the world FOR us!
The Apostle John said, “every child of God overcomes the world.” He then went on to further explain that we do this by faith. Our faith has “the victorious power that triumphs over the world.” The question is not: faith in what? The question is: faith in whom? The answer is: faith in Jesus because Jesus has already overcome the world. John continued and said, “So who are the world conquerors, defeating its power? Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”
God has already overcome the world. He did this by His power. He did this in, with, and through His Son, Jesus. God now extends His victory to us by His grace. We access Jesus’ victory with our faith. By faith, you believe in and lay hold of what Jesus has already provided. This means that the spotlight is NOT on you or what you do. The spotlight is on Jesus and what He has already done for us. In other words, your victory is not performance-based. Your victory is grace-based. All you are doing is believing and receiving what God has already provided!
2. Jesus already obtained the VICTORY!
— Jesus conquered satan, hell, and the grave.
— Jesus obtained victory over this world.
— Jesus got back the authority Adam lost in the Garden of Eden.
— Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18).
— Our faith does not obtain the victory, because Jesus already obtained it for us.
— Our faith simply RECEIVES and then MAINTAINS the victory Jesus already OBTAINED.
— When you understand this, it will make sense to you why the Holy Spirit will lead you to pray FROM a position of victory and not just FOR the victory. The Holy Spirit will speak to you like it’s already done; like God has already provided, even though you can’t see it on the earth yet.
— When you understand this, you pray from a position of GRACE and not NEED. NEED-based prayers are asking for God to move. GRACE-based prayers are seeking to tap into what God has already done!
— This is one of the reasons why we need the Holy Spirit. He will help us to see VICTORY as BOTH our starting point and destination! Why? Because God has already provided.
— When the Apostle John said, “every child of God overcomes the world, for our faith is the victorious power that triumphs over the world,” the emphasis was on God and not man. Man can overcome the world by faith, because Jesus already overcame. Our faith is simply tapping into the victory Jesus has already provided.
3. The Holy Spirit will help you see yourself as ONE with Jesus.
When you are in Christ and Christ is in you, everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to you. Everything Jesus is, is who you are! As you mature in faith, the goal is to be able to look in the mirror and see Jesus. You must be able to see yourself as ONE with the Father, even as Jesus was ONE with the Father. But you will never be able to do this without the Holy Spirit.
Faith is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. You need the Holy Spirit to help combat the thoughts you will get from yourself, from satan, and this world. The world will tell you that you are not good enough. The Holy Spirit will remind you that Jesus was good enough FOR YOU! Satan will tell you that what you did or failed to do has disqualified you from what God promised. The Holy Spirit will remind you that you never qualified in the first place. Jesus qualified FOR YOU! How can you disqualify yourself from something you never qualified for? The enemy will tell you that the situation you are in will destroy you. The Holy Spirit will tell you that Jesus already overcame it, and since you are in Christ, you can overcome because He already overcame! My point is that your faith can access everything Jesus has already provided, but you won’t be able to do it without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers you to walk and live by faith!
4. The Holy Spirit will help you live a life of faith!
When you live by faith, you are not striving to obtain the victory. Jesus already obtained the victory for us. This victory is now offered/extended to us by grace. So victory is now our starting point and not just our destination. We are going from victory to victory, and we do this by faith.
In Romans 1:17, the Apostle Paul taught us that we are literally going from faith (starting point) to faith (destination) by faith (mode of transportation). Everything we do, we do by faith. Everything God does for us is actually already done; by grace.
What God does is offer to us what He has already provided, His finished work. He does this by grace (unearned, unmerited, and undeserved). Our job is to believe what God reveals to us about our future and to then make decisions in the present that will take us towards what God said. When we do that, it is called faith, and to be clear, without the Holy Spirit, it is hard to live this way.
We need the Holy Spirit to us “NOT BE MOVED” when what we see with our natural eyes is going against what God revealed to us in the spirit. Our flesh will tell us to believe what we can validate with our senses. The Holy Spirit will tell us to believe what He revealed, even though we don’t have any sense-realm evidence to support it and even though there is plenty of sense-realm evidence against it. This is why I am calling this “Holy Spirit-enabled faith.” Faith is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. He helps us walk and live by faith instead of just walking and living by sight (natural senses) like the world does.
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me to walk and live by faith. By faith, I lay hold of what Jesus already provided. In your realm (eternity), it is already done. In my realm (time), it is only a matter of time. So I choose to believe what You believe about me, and I shall not be moved by what I see!
I live from faith (my starting point) to faith (my destination), and I do it by faith (my mode of transportation). I am committed to living by faith every second of every day.
My faith does not create the victory. My faith simply taps into the victory You have already provided.
My faith does not obtain the victroy. Jesus obtained the victory for me. My faith simply receives and maintains the victory Jesus obtained for this world.
I overcome because You already overcame! I am victorious because You already provided the victory. Therefore, it’s not about me. It’s ALL ABOUT YOU! This is how I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
