Apostle Andre Pelser

24 August 2008. 10 AM

1 John 5: 4-5 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Most other religions will tell you that Jesus was a good man, a good Teacher, a prophet, but they will not acknowledge Him as the Son of God. That is how you test whether something is true or not.

What overcomes the world? Our faith. Jesus said, “be of good cheer I have overcome the world.” While He was in the world He said that I have overcome the world, He already did it and not after He died, but while still in the world. This is the word of the Lord to you this morning. “I have overcome the world that you face. I overcome the things that wants to drag you down.” That is the message for you today. I have overcome and if you believe it, you will overcome too. There is nothing that can keep you down. There is nothing that can depress you.  There is nothing that can steal your joy. All the Devil wants to do is to steal your faith so God can't do anything for you, because if you stop believing you can't please God. Faith is your channel through which God does anything for you. Because you are linked to God that way, people hate you, are jealous of you and want to kill you. People don't like you because you have a special connection. You are connected in very high places, you are connected to very important people. You have an Advocate in the throne in heaven. You are well connected by believing in Jesus Christ.

The world is designed to steal, kill and destroy everything you have. It wants to take away your faith; take away your joy; take away your peace; wants to take away everything you posses; wants to take away your life, destroy you and send you to hell. Jesus says, “ I have overcome.” I have overcome the world, and if you believe in Me, be of good cheer, you have overcome too. All things are possible to them that believe. Be of good cheer. Christians should be happy people. But if you live according to the world, and enjoy the things of the world, you will never be happy, because the world cannot satisfy you. Material things cannot make you happy. You buy something now and tomorrow it is old. The joy that Christ give, the world cannot take it from you. The world has not given it and the world cannot take it away.

To him that overcomes, Revelation 2, He'll give to eat of the hidden manna. Why is the manna hidden? It is precious and very valuable. If you don't believe you will not eat the manna. The Israelites picked the manna up early in the morning while the dew was still on the ground. They did  not pick up the manna on a Monday morning for the whole week so they will not have to go again,  because it would rot. Jesus is the manna, the bread that has come down from heaven.  What does that say about your Bible reading? You cannot just read on a Sunday and think it will carry you through to the next Sunday. You got to get fresh word from God, hear His voice. He says that “My sheep hears My voice.”  If someone phones you, how do you know that it is that person? You hear and know his voice. You need faith to communicate with God. Without faith it is impossible to communicate with God. The devil wants to steal your faith. The devil tells you that you are not good enough, through various people. You do not overcome by works but by faith.

 Habakkuk 2:4- “Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.” The just shall live by faith. The wings of faith lifts you up above the troubles of this world. You can live above the things that happens to you. If you only talk about the things that you have trouble with, you will become miserable. You must know what you believe. Speak what you believe, not just what you see. You got to live above what you see. If you only live by what you see, you get depressed. Faith never gets tired, it is a spiritual substance. It caries you through. It is a gift that God has given you. You got to learn to live by faith. As the world gets more chaotic, as the world's system spins out of control, your faith is the thing that will carry you through. You have to build up your faith.

 Acts 26:18 says that we are sanctified by our faith. Your faith sanctifies you. Romans 1:17 says that God is revealed from faith to faith. Every time you believe, God is revealed. We get our righteousness by faith, Romans 3:2. It is apart from our deeds. It is not your deeds that makes you righteous. Faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness, because he believed God.

How many believe in Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God? That makes you righteous before God, apart from your works.  Self righteousness is pride. Self righteousness to God is like a filthy rag. You have to come to a point where you have to realize that you need Christ, and then by faith in Him, God calls you righteous.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Faith always comes. Romans 11:20 says we stand by faith. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says we walk by faith. How many of you, when you wake up in the morning, doubt that you will make it to the bathroom? You stand by faith, you walk by faith, you sleep by faith.

You get saved by grace through faith. Ephesians 4:5 says- “one Lord, one faith, one baptism;” That word baptism, baptidzo, means to go under. There is no other form of baptism, churches changed it to suit their traditions but it is not right. There can only be one baptism.

Galatians 5:6 says that faith works through love. If we believe that we are sons of Abraham, the father of our faith. In a church God wants to create a unity of faith, where we believe the same thing. In the unity of faith we can experience His blessing. When there is a unity of faith, it draws His blessing upon the whole congregation. Everyone can share in the blessing. But the devil wants to break that unity so no one can get blessed. It is a unity of faith, not a unity of likes and dislikes.  It is impossible to please people, because ewe cannot have a unity of “likes,” but we can have a unity of faith. We can all believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

So the work we do, we do by faith, because we have our shield of faith. If there is unity of faith, it is like a shield of a magnetic field around the body of believers. You share in the protection and provision of it if we have unity of faith. The work that we do is called a work of faith. By faith you can do anything. Ephesians 6:16 talks about the shield of faith.  

1 Timothy 1:19-  We need to obey our conscience. If we don't it spoils your faith. Learn to obey your conscience. Keep the faith. Content for the faith. Mix the Word of God with faith, Hebrews 4:2. Faith is a spiritual substance that you give God for Him to create what you need. You got to give God some faith. When Jesus saw the blind man He asked him what he wants. Jesus could see that He was blind, but He wanted to hear what he wanted, to release his faith. You please God by faith. You have to do things by faith. When you get tense you can't do much, you have to believe. Do not step out of your faith arena. Do not walk into the arena of reason. Don't get into arguments. Keep on believing, do not let anyone rob you of your faith.

James says that the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. Peter says to add virtue to your faith. Jude 20 says build yourself up on your most holy faith. You build yourself up by praying in tongues