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[0:00] For this morning's scripture reading, Pastor John has given me a series of sections, selections from the book of Revelation.

[0:10] ! Rather than you and I trying to turn and flip and find them, I have them all written down here. And I'm just going to read them. And you just go ahead and listen.

[0:24] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

[0:44] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

[0:57] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

[1:15] To him who overcomes and does my will to the end. I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter.

[1:28] He will dash to pieces like pottery, just as I have received authority from my father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

[1:41] Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me dressed in white, for they are worthy.

[1:56] He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my father and his angels.

[2:11] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown.

[2:24] Him who overcomes, I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God.

[2:43] And I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my father on his throne.

[3:02] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Let's hear the preaching of God's word. Well, welcome to all of you who are visiting with us.

[3:19] You all look like visitors to me this morning. And if you're visiting, you've stepped into a series that we are doing together, a series studying four important graces of the Christian life.

[3:36] The importance of these graces is seen as we grasp their main activity, what it is they do. So for our memory review this morning, I'm going to give you the grace and you give me its main activity.

[3:54] Okay? Four graces. Here we go. Hope. All right, I didn't trick you. Humility.

[4:10] Love. Love. And faith. And faith. I want to remind you this morning that these four graces are for living the Christian life.

[4:23] And the Christian life for us now is life with pandemic. Life with faith masks. Life with inconveniences and uncertainties.

[4:35] With critical elections looming. With the economy buckling. With morality being redefined. With hatred and prejudices being fanned into flames.

[4:48] With constitutional law and order unraveling on our streets and in our courts. With the whole world staggering. With all the ways this is interrupting your lives, your ease, your joys.

[5:01] And yes, your futures and the futures of your children and grandchildren. This is all part of the arena in which God is calling us to live the Christian life.

[5:15] And if I could just pick four things that are most needful for times like these. I could not improve on these four graces.

[5:26] How we need humility to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. That he might lift us up in his due time. How we need faith to direct our eyes to Jesus and to see in him and to receive from him.

[5:43] The very graces that we find ourselves lacking. And so to find help in our time of need. How we need love to keep us from being turned in upon ourselves in these times.

[5:58] Protecting our turf. And rather to turn us outward in active neighbor love. And how we need hope to keep us keeping on.

[6:08] To keep us from growing weary under the pressure of all of this. To where we want to quit and give up. Hope to enable us to persevere right on to the end.

[6:23] Full of bright hope for today. And hope for tomorrow. Since the future belongs to Christ and his people. This study is no cold didactic study that has nothing to do with life for us Christians.

[6:38] But rather these are the things I will need tomorrow morning. As I face the realities of life in this present world. And as humility and faith and love and hope are growing in our hearts and lives.

[6:55] Our light to this poor dark world. A world without Christ will shine brighter and brighter for him. And bring glory to him.

[7:05] Even as we just sang. So. We're on faith again this morning. We will be for a little bit yet. It's an important grace. It's on the top four.

[7:17] Why? Why is faith such a precious thing? Such a valuable grace that it sent Paul into a hallelujah session. Every time he saw or heard about people having faith.

[7:29] What's the big deal? Well last week. Or we see it. It's because of what it receives. It receives Jesus Christ himself. And eternal life in him.

[7:41] And every other blessing of salvation. In Christ Jesus. Last week we started to break this down further. And we saw two things that faith does. First it unites us to Christ.

[7:53] As bride and bridegroom. The two made one. So that what is his is now ours. As well. So bride of Christ.

[8:04] Did you live this past week upon the resources of your bridegroom. Upon his patience. And his love. And his joy. And his peace. And his perseverance.

[8:18] It's yours you know. It's in him for you. Precious faith that unites me to such a rich and gracious. Bridegroom. And then faith also purifies the heart.

[8:31] How can I. A poor sinner. Walk in light. With him who. Has no darkness at all. Only. Because the blood of Jesus.

[8:42] His son. Cleanses. And goes on cleansing. Purifying me from all sin. And all unrighteousness. And that cleansing. Is applied to my heart.

[8:54] By faith. When I look to Jesus. And trust him. For that cleansing. So. So faith. Or the blood of Jesus.

[9:04] Is the cleansing agent. But faith. Applies it. To my need. The blood of Jesus. Is the medicine. But faith.

[9:14] Is the hand. That takes the medicine. And is purified. By that precious. Precious faith. That applies. The precious blood. To purify our hearts.

[9:25] That we might live. In communion. With God. That we might walk. Through this pandemic. Walking with Jesus. Every day. Living upon him. Well.

[9:36] You need to know then. That every. Moment of fellowship. You had with Jesus. This week. Every moment of fellowship. With God the Father. And God the Spirit. Was due to that.

[9:47] Cleansing blood of Jesus. And. The faith. That applies. That precious blood. To your heart. Now. What else.

[9:57] Does faith do. That makes it so precious. Just one thing. For today. Faith. Overcomes. The world. So please. Turn with me. To first. John. Chapter five.

[10:08] It's not the gospel. Of John. It's rather the epistle. Of John. The first epistle. First. John. Chapter five. Verses. And we'll read.

[10:19] The first five verses. The apostle John. Says this to us.

[10:29] Under the inspiration. Of the Holy Spirit. First John five. Verse one. Everyone. Everyone. Who believes. That Jesus. Is the Christ. Is born of God.

[10:40] And everyone. Who loves the father. Loves his child. As well. This is how we know. That we love the children. Of God. By loving God.

[10:51] And carrying out. His commands. For this is love for God. To obey his commands. And his commands. Are not burdensome. For everyone born of God.

[11:03] Overcomes the world. This is the victory. That has overcome the world. Even. Our faith. Who is it. That has. That overcomes the world.

[11:14] Only he who believes. That Jesus. Is the son of God. Now faith. Did you see it? Faith.

[11:25] The great receiver. Faith is the victory. That overcomes the world. What's that worth to you. Who live in this world. Who are daily tempted by it.

[11:35] Who must overcome it. If you would inherit a place in heaven. Eight times. No less than eight times. The Lord Jesus tells us. In the book of Revelation. That the blessings of his salvation.

[11:48] Are only shared. With overcomers. Only. Overcomers. In other words. Only believers. And all real believers.

[12:00] Overcome the world. Indeed. Everyone born of God. Overcomes the world. John says. Now.

[12:11] To overcome. Infers. Opposition. Doesn't it? You say. I overcame it. There was. There was an opponent. That you overcame. And.

[12:22] That's true here. Someone. Something. Something. Is against us. It's trying to conquer us. And rather than being overcome.

[12:33] We must overcome it. And the it is identified. Three times in our text. In verse three. In verse four. In verse five. God. This is the victory.

[12:45] That has overcome. The world. The world. The world. The world is one of the chief enemies of the believer. It opposes us. It attacks us. It pressures us.

[12:56] And resists us. And this world. Of which John speaks. Is the sum total. Of all. Who oppose God. All.

[13:06] Who are antagonistic. To his laws. His gospel. His Christ. His church. His purposes. His mission. John tells us.

[13:20] In chapter five. Verse 19. That this world. The whole world. Is under the control. Of the evil one. That's this world. The great opponent.

[13:31] Satan. And the whole world. Doing his bidding. Now. This is the enemy. Of every Christian. And it stands. Between us. And heaven.

[13:43] Just as in vanity fair. And pilgrims progress. You remember where it was. It was right on the road. To the celestial city. You had to go through it. In order to get to the celestial city.

[13:54] There was no way around. It. You see. This is where we live our lives. Christian. This is where we trust in God. In this world. And it's by God's.

[14:08] Design. It's where we live out. The Christian life. And it's in this unbelieving world. It is this unbelieving world. That makes loving.

[14:18] And obeying God. So difficult. And that's John's point here. In our text. Isaac Watts. Asks. In his hymn. Is this vile world.

[14:30] A friend to grace. To help me on to God. Is that what you found. Or have you not found. That this vile world. Is a hindrance. To us.

[14:40] And would keep us from God. And. Makes obeying him. And loving him. All the more. Difficult. So everyone at work. Is talking about the latest movie.

[14:52] But it was full of filthy language. And sexual scenes. And in obedience to God's word. You are fleeing. Sexual immorality. You're not neutral to it.

[15:03] You're running from it. And. You're keeping your eyes. And mind pure. As the gospel calls us to. And so you didn't see the movie.

[15:16] Well that costs you nothing here. On your Sunday morning fellowship. With other believers. But your silence at work. When everyone else is talking about it. Makes you stand out a bit odd.

[15:29] A bit different. Different in a way. That makes you uneasy. And you see the dismissive. Way they look at you. And you feel uncomfortable.

[15:41] And so it goes with their dirty jokes. And they're filthy music. And you don't enter in. And you get a reputation for it. Don't you? Now if you lived on an island.

[15:53] You would have the flesh. Your own flesh. And the devil to deal with. To make obedience hard. But you don't live on an island alone. You live in this world.

[16:03] And the world makes it even more difficult. Because it appeals to your lust. And to your flesh. And would pull you away.

[16:15] From loving God. And obeying his commands. Now if every girl and woman. Wore clothing that was modest. It would be easier to obey God's command. To dress modestly.

[16:25] With decency and propriety ladies. But when the world's styles of clothing. Have become sexually provocative. And suggestive. And immodest.

[16:36] And inappropriate for women. And young ladies who profess to worship God. Then it becomes much more difficult. To obey. God's command. And to break with what's in.

[16:48] With the world. God's commandments. Gossip. And listening to gossip. Has become a national pastime. But if you refuse to take part in it.

[17:02] Either gossiping. Or listening to gossip. It will not go unnoticed. Or unpunished. The world makes it harder.

[17:14] To obey. God's commandments. About our tongues. About our ears. About our eyes. About our bodies. About our lives. In this world. Most of you believe.

[17:30] That God created the world. In six days. And if you said that. In Sunday school class here. Be an easy thing. But to say it. In the secular university.

[17:41] Science classes. Where the professor laughs. That creationism. Is another thing. Well. What made the difference. Same belief. Same person.

[17:53] You. Well. It was the environment. It wasn't Sunday school anymore. It wasn't the people of God anymore. It's now. The world. It's harder there.

[18:03] Isn't it? To stand up for Christ. And his word. Because the world. It's ever applying pressure on us. As Romans 12. Two says. Pressure to squeeze this into its mold.

[18:17] It's out to conform us to it. It wants us thinking like it. Conforming us to its rebellion against God and his laws.

[18:29] It wants us. And it's trying to conform us to hold its values and views. It's self-made ethics and morality. To live for things temporal like they are doing. And to forget God and the eternal.

[18:42] And so it allures us. It plays to our lust. The lust of the flesh. The lust of the eyes. The pride of what we are and have. It plays to that proud streak of independence and self-will.

[18:56] That I find within. Encouraging me to do whatever makes me happy. And it plays to our desire. To be on the inside. Rather than to be the odd man out.

[19:08] It pressures us to conform. Not only by its allurements. But also by its punishments. The world has two faces. It can smile and allure us.

[19:19] But it can also frown. And threaten us. And persecute us. And insult us. And snicker and mock us. Letting us know that there's a price to pay for nonconformity.

[19:33] For breaking with the pack. Living counter-cultural to what the world says. Is politically correct. Sinclair Ferguson.

[19:43] A dear minister of the gospel. Theologian. Was fellowshipping with a brother. One Sunday night. After their Lord's Day was over. After the evening service.

[19:54] And. They were just blessing the Lord together. For another day. Spent with God's people. That together. They could sing the praises.

[20:06] Of their Savior. And. And together. They could lift up their prayers. Of praise and thanksgiving. And petition. And.

[20:17] And have their hearts beating together. In all of that. And as the words preached. To say. That's my meat. That's my drink. And. And. And the whole congregation.

[20:27] You see. Has that same hunger. And thirst. And. And. And shares the same biblical worldview. And. And then this brother said to. Pastor Ferguson.

[20:38] As he. Glanced out the windows. He says. You know. It's a different world out there. It is a different world. Out there.

[20:48] It's an unbelieving world. Out there. It's an antagonistic world. Out there. To our Savior. And his word. And that's why it's more difficult.

[21:00] To live the Christian life. Out there. We all. Need. The church. That's why our gatherings.

[21:12] Are so precious. And I trust that. It's becoming more and more obvious. But you see. We don't belong out there. We're not one of them. Anymore. But we do belong.

[21:24] Here. And we need that encouragement. And so. We step. Out of that atmosphere. Of hate. The world's hatred.

[21:35] Into the atmosphere. Of. The body's love. And we step. Into the atmosphere. Of faith. And out of the atmosphere. Of unbelief. And we feed.

[21:46] On Christ. And we stir. Each other up. In our singing. And praying. And fellowship. And then we go back. Out into the world. Now we all feel. This pressure. Out there.

[21:56] In the world. No one is completely. Dead to it yet. When's the last time. You shared the gospel. With a lost person. Let me. Let me.

[22:06] Rephrase the question. When's the last time. You've had an opportunity. To share the gospel. With a lost person. But you. You kept. Your silence. Because you. You wondered. What will they think of me.

[22:17] If I talk about Jesus. That's what I'm talking about. The pressure of the world. I felt it. I should say. I probably feel. That particular pressure. Every week.

[22:29] That's the world. Making obedience. Harder. And that's what John's talking here. In our text. It makes it harder. To obey God's commandment. To not hide our light.

[22:40] Under a bushel. But to let it shine. To all. That are within. Our circle. Of influence. Right in the midst. Of the dark world. Where. It's most needed.

[22:53] Peter felt it. Didn't he? He felt it on the night. Of. Our Lord's betrayal. Peter had no problem. Confessing his love. And loyalty to Jesus. In the upper room.

[23:04] With the twelve. But just. Hours later. The same Peter. And the same Lord. But a different context.

[23:15] He's now in the world. And he's warming his hands. Around the fire. With other worldlings. And he finds. It's all together. Another thing. To confess.

[23:25] Loyalty and love. To Jesus here. In fact. He denies. Three times. That he even knows. Jesus. In the world. It's pressure. Is so strong.

[23:36] That the last time. He calls on God. To curse him. If he knows. That man. The pressure. Of the world. To conform. Peter felt it.

[23:48] We all feel it. It's not easy. Swimming upstream. It's not easy. Paddling your canoe. On. Up current. When the broad road.

[24:00] And everyone. On the broad road. Are going downstream. And would sweep you. Right up. In its. Destruction. You know. Jesus words. There's the broad road.

[24:12] And many are on it. And it leads to destruction. And then there's the narrow road. And only a few find it. Maybe I'm mixing metaphors. But it's true.

[24:24] That we shouldn't think of. Well here's the broad road. And everyone on it. And over here's the narrow road. And just a few on it. No. The narrow road. Goes right up. The broad road.

[24:36] That's where we live. The Christian life. That's where we walk. In holiness. With God. Right through the world. As it's coming at us. You see. And it's that hurt. That makes it.

[24:47] So hard. To live the Christian life. And hence. Our need. For faith. Now. I say. What is the encouragement. Flowing from our text. Then. That tells us. Everyone born of God.

[24:58] Overcomes the world. And they do so. By faith. For faith. Is the victory. That has overcome the world. Let's unpack this. A bit further. In what ways. Does our faith.

[25:09] Overcome the world. Two points. Number one. Faith looks to Christ. And sees his victory. Over the world. John 16.

[25:24] 33. It's the last words. Of Jesus. On that night. Of his betrayal. There in the upper room. Those. That. That. Discourse. The. The upper room. Discourse.

[25:35] It's called. Chapter 13 to 16. And these are his last words. To his disciples. Before they head out. And. Go into Gethsemane. And the betrayal. In the world.

[25:47] You will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world. And with these words. Jesus is preparing his men.

[25:58] To carry on. Without him. After he is gone. And here's two things. You need to know men. Number one. In the world.

[26:08] You will have trouble. Tribulation. Tribulation. The basic idea. Of that word. Is pressure. Just as we've been speaking. Negative pressure.

[26:20] And those who teach. That the Christian life. Here can be free. Of trouble. Haven't been taught. By Jesus. In the world. Disciples. You will.

[26:32] Have trouble. He assures them of it. Just minutes earlier. He had told them. Chapter 15. If you belonged.

[26:42] To the world. It would love you. As its own. But as it is. You do not belong. To the world. But I have chosen you. Out of the world. That's why the world. Hates you. And if they have persecuted me.

[26:54] They will. Persecute you also. Now he was leaving the world. They were not. And that means. That from now on.

[27:05] The world's hatred. And attacks. At Jesus. Will land on them. And that's why you can be sure.

[27:16] That all who live godly. In Christ Jesus. Shall suffer. Persecution. In this world. One way or another. You can't.

[27:28] Dodge. Trouble. From the world. If you're a disciple. Of Jesus. Not all together. I wonder.

[27:39] If we've forgotten. Somehow. That this world. That we live in. Is the same world. That could not rest. Until they had murdered.

[27:51] Our savior. That's what we think. Of your Jesus. Christians. No wonder. Jesus says. In this world. You will have trouble.

[28:01] He's on his way. To the cross. Chased there. By the world. As far as. The earthly perspective. Yes. It was the father's design. But he takes. What is evil. From the world.

[28:11] And he turns it. Into the. The best thing. The only way. Of salvation. So is the world. Giving you trouble. Christian. Peter says. Don't be surprised.

[28:22] As though something strange. Were happening to you. Is it raining. In England. Today. Don't be surprised. That's normal. Expect it.

[28:36] Are you. Getting. Trouble. From the world. Nothing strange. About that either. Expect it. Par for the course. In the world.

[28:47] You will have trouble. But. But there's something else. That. His. His followers. Need to know. As we live in this troubling world. And he tells us.

[29:00] He first says. In the world. You will have trouble. But take heart. And here. I like the old King James.

[29:12] I don't think you can improve on it. Be of good cheer. In the world. You will have trouble. But. Be of good cheer.

[29:24] Those two don't go together. Do they? And I wonder. How long our Savior. Paused at that point. Before he gave the punchline. As to why. They should be of good cheer.

[29:34] Why you and I. Should leave here. Of good cheer. This morning. In a world. That's troubling us. In the world. You will have trouble. But be of good cheer. I.

[29:47] Have overcome. The world. You see. Jesus didn't live his life. On a different planet. It was the same fallen. God hating world. That we live in.

[29:58] And he was God in the flesh. So he took it full force. It was a world. That did not know him. Want him. Or receive him. But rejected. And hated. And persecuted him. For not conforming.

[30:09] To their ways. And beliefs. That's what you read. In the gospels. Right through the gospels. They hated him. Because he did not conform. To their ways.

[30:20] And their beliefs. And that's why they wanted to kill him. And did kill him. But you see.

[30:30] Whatever the world brought against him. By way of allurements. And pressures to conform. Jesus overcame. He conquered the world. He conquered it.

[30:40] By rejecting all of their temptations. All it had. To offer him. To allure him. From the path of duty. He had nothing to do with them. And by saying that.

[30:50] I don't mean he didn't struggle. If you don't think Jesus struggled. Go to Gethsemane. And learn what it means. To be tempted. He sweat great drops of blood.

[31:02] As he was tempted. To set the cup aside. I don't fully understand it. He's God. But he's man. And as man. He was tempted.

[31:13] In every way like we are. Yet was without sin. And yet the world could not get him to sin once. He conquered it.

[31:23] He overcame it. He rejected all of its threats. To scare him from the path of duty. Oh. If you say this. If you do that.

[31:34] If you claim to be God. You're God. We're going to put you on a cross. We're going to stone you. Now those things would have made me run. And there was.

[31:45] A human desire to live in the son of God. Become man. But he didn't let those threats. Move him one iota. From doing his father's will.

[31:57] He conquered the world. By rejecting its threats. He showed he'd rather die than sin. Against his loving father. And so he's overcome the world.

[32:08] He overcame the world. By overcoming the prince of this world. Satan. And here he is just hours. From crushing his head. And dealing the decisive blow on Calvary.

[32:22] He's been in this same anti-God world. He's experienced all its same temptations. And pressures to conform. And has completely overcome it in every way.

[32:35] And so he's able to say. To you Christian. Right in the midst of this troubling world. Be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. So you're making your way through this world.

[32:49] Like a mountain climber. And there's all kinds of pitfalls. And dangers. And temptations along the way. But your expert guide has gone before you. And the last stretch.

[33:01] Is the sheer rock face of the mountain. Straight up. Even kind of leaning back. Upon you. And your guide goes up before you. And he's got a rope.

[33:15] And you've got the lower end. And he's out of sight. At last you hear his voice. And he says.

[33:27] Take heart. I've made it. And therefore you will too. I've overcome. And therefore you will too.

[33:37] This is the victory that has overcome the world. Even our faith. Our faith in his victory. He's fought the ultimate battle with the world. And won the victory. Over it.

[33:48] And faith sees his victory. A victory not just for himself. But for his blood bought bride. For he overcame the world.

[33:58] As our captain. As the captain of our salvation. So his victory over the world. Is our victory over the world. As much as David's victory over Goliath. Was victory for all of Israel.

[34:11] And so if you knew. For sure. Before some battle began. That you would win. Would it not nerve you for the battle. Would it not strengthen you to fight on.

[34:24] To brave all troubles. To count all costs. To never quit. Because you knew that victory was sure. Well. Though our battle to the death with the world.

[34:37] Is still raging. By faith. Look up to Jesus. He has overcome the world. He's triumphed over it.

[34:47] He's conquered it. Never let him out of sight. But bring him into view. In each battle and squirmish. You have with this world. Every time you feel its pressures.

[34:58] Look. To your overcoming. Savior. And his victory. Over it. And take heart. And be of good cheer. And fight on.

[35:09] Confident that his victory. Guarantees yours. This is the victory. That has overcome the world. Even our faith. So that's the first way. Faith overcomes the world. It looks to his victory.

[35:21] And. And is encouraged. You see. Faith. Receiving. Victory. The victory of Christ. But secondly. Faith finds in Christ himself.

[35:33] The power to overcome the world. Not only does faith. Find power. In his victory. But faith finds power. Over the world. In himself.

[35:45] In Jesus. Christ. The person. So how does the world fight? Well. It's. Pressures. To be ashamed of Jesus.

[35:56] And his word. Ashamed of Jesus. My dear friend. On whom my hopes of heaven depend. No. When I blush.

[36:07] Be this my shame. That I no more revere his name. He. Who. Was not. And is not. Ashamed. Of me.

[36:19] I find strength. To battle. Against the world's pressure. Because of who Jesus is. His love for me. Is not being ashamed of me.

[36:32] And faith sees him. And finds in him. The victory. That overcomes the world. For Jesus said. If anyone is ashamed of me. In my words. In this adulterous. And sinful generation. The son of man.

[36:43] Will be ashamed of him. When he comes in his father's glory. With the holy angels. Mark 8. 38. And so faith. Faith. Faith. Faith sees a day coming.

[36:53] It. It sees a Christ. That's coming. And coming not as a baby in the manger. With his glory veil. But coming in. In all the glory of the father. He's God.

[37:05] As much as the father is God. And he's coming in that glory. With all his retinue. Of his holy angels too. And faith sees that day. And faith reckons it to be so.

[37:16] And it sees that coming savior. A day. When we'll stand before God. In judgment. And our whole eternity. Will hang on. Whether Jesus. Will be ashamed of us or not.

[37:31] Whether Christ. Will be my advocate. In that day. Whether he will. Go before the father. And speak on my behalf. To him. Whether he will say. He's mine.

[37:42] Father. She's mine. Father. I shed my blood. And bought these. They were not ashamed of me. In that. Wicked and adulterous. World.

[37:53] And I. Now. Am not ashamed. To call them. Mine. Faith. Sees that day coming. And finds power.

[38:05] Finds energy. To not be ashamed. Ashamed of Jesus. And his word. Or again. The world fights us. With temptations to sin. And allures us. To disobey God's commands.

[38:16] Offering things. That feed our lusts. Our evil desires. Our pride of life. Telling us that. Stolen water. Is the sweetest stuff. Forbidden things. Hold the most pleasure.

[38:27] And faith enables us. To see those forbidden things. Not as they're presented. But as they really are. The world presents. Only the bait. Faith sees the hook.

[38:39] Beneath the bait. Faith sees through the world's lies. It sees that this world. And its desires. Are passing away. But he who does the will of God. Endures forever.

[38:51] The world presents to us. Its pleasures of sin. Real pleasure in sin. But faith sees. That its pleasures of sin. Are only for a season. And are followed.

[39:02] By a long eternity. Of torments in hell. You see. Faith sees these realities. And when the world's pleasures fizzle out.

[39:13] We will have eternal pleasures. At the right hand of our Lord Jesus. Fading. Is the worldlings pleasure.

[39:25] All his boasted pomp and show. Solid joys. And lasting treasures. None but Zion's. Children know. Faith sees that. Sees it now.

[39:36] Sees that Christ. Is the great prize. Faith sees all that Christ promises to overcomers. In the book of Revelation.

[39:47] And will settle for nothing less. Isn't it amazing what. The world is settling for. As we heard Pastor Jason read. What Jesus offers overcomers. To eat from the tree of life.

[40:01] Forever. To rule and reign with Christ. Forever. To be with him. Forever. In a new heaven. A new earth. Forever.

[40:13] World you can keep your trinkets. I'm going for the big win. Faith. You see. Faith sees it. The world doesn't see it. But faith does.

[40:25] Faith sees all that Christ promises. And holds out for that. Holds out for him. But it is especially. What our faith finds. In Christ himself.

[40:35] That gives us power. To overcome the world. We see more glory. In Christ. Than. All that the world. Has to offer. What's it offering you? There's better things.

[40:45] In Christ. Deeper delights. Fuller joys. Greater pleasures. In him. Compared to the riches. That are found in Christ. The best the world has.

[40:56] Are but trifles. Yes. Faith finds more pleasure. In Christ. And communion with him. Than it does. In sin. The world's pleasures.

[41:08] Of sin. What are the world's frowns. When Jesus is smiling. Faith finds exquisite. Pleasure.

[41:19] In pleasing him. In his love. For me. And that's what breaks the back. Of the world's temptations. And wins the victory.

[41:30] Over the world. It's what we see in Jesus. We didn't used to see anything in Jesus. To cause us to. To worship him. To make him.

[41:43] The one who's preeminent. In our lives. We. We yawned at that Jesus. Until. God removed the blindness. By which Satan. Has blinded the world.

[41:55] So that we. Saw the glory of God. In the face of Christ. And we. We become worshipers. We love him. And that love. Of Christ for us.

[42:07] Stirs a love in our hearts. And so the. The world's. Power over us. Is broken. I'm sure that's what Paul. Was thinking of.

[42:18] In Galatians chapter 6. In verse 14. And God forbid. That I should glory. Except in the cross. Of. Our Lord Jesus Christ. Through which the world.

[42:29] Has been crucified to me. And I crucified. To the world. That's our subject. The world. And it's allurements. And Paul. Would say.

[42:41] The attractive. And alluring power. Of the world. Used to dominate. And control me. It held me under its spell. But what I have now seen. By faith. In Christ crucified.

[42:51] Has changed. All of that. I found such attraction. In the cross of Christ. And his love. Seen there. That has broken. The world's spell. And now.

[43:02] Christ crucified. Holds me under. His spell. Christ. Has out. Allured. The world. In gaining.

[43:13] My affections. And so. By his cross. The world. Has been crucified. To me. And I. To it. You can have the world. Because I have Christ.

[43:26] The one. Who was nailed. To the cross. For me. It's what Thomas Chalmers. Called the expulsive. Power. Of a new affection. Children. Children. Expulsion.

[43:37] You think of the expulsion. Laboratory. And just think of those. Those. Those. What are they? Air. They're spaceships. And.

[43:47] And they're sitting there. And they start to rumble. And smoke starts to come out. And then you see it. The expulsion. That forces that. Huge. Heavy. Ship.

[43:58] Up in the air. And into outer space. The expulsion. It forces. That ship. Upward. And. That's what. Chalmers spoke of.

[44:09] The expulsive. Power. Of a new affection. The new affection. Of the heart. Forces out. The old affections. For the world. And so.

[44:21] The temptations. Of the world. That used to be. The strongest attraction. And now. Are outdone. By a greater. Affection. The beauty of Christ.

[44:33] Now holds us. In its grip. He's altogether lovely. He's the fairest. Of ten thousand. To my soul. And as my heart.

[44:44] Is panting after him. What is it. That you're wanting me. To give. Up. In order to lose that. What are you wanting me. To do. To lose this world.

[44:55] What was it. No. This. Forces out. That. And that's so vital.

[45:08] To overcoming. The world's temptations. This new love. For Christ. That has power. To force out. The old love. For the world. It's what Paul found. In Christ crucified. Oh that old.

[45:19] Rugged cross. So despised. By the world. Has a wondrous. Attraction. For me. For it was on. That old cross. Jesus suffered. And died. To pardon. And sanctify me.

[45:35] There he was. Triumphing. Over the world. There he was resisting. To the point. Of shedding his blood. And he won.

[45:46] And in his victory. He has won. My heart's affection. Forever. Now that attractiveness. Of Jesus. Is only seen. By faith. You see.

[45:58] That's the importance. Of faith. Faith. Is the thing. That sees in Jesus. This precious. Pearl. Of great price. That he is. And that great love. That he has. For us.

[46:09] It's only grasped. By faith. Peter says. Though you have not. Seen him. With these eyes. Yet you love him. And even though you do not. See him now. You believe.

[46:20] You have faith. You have faith. In him. That fills you with an inexpressible. And glorious joy. Captivating beauty. In Christ.

[46:31] Is not seen. By the physical eyes. He had no beauty. That we should desire. No. It's the eyes of faith. That see wonders. Untold. In our savior.

[46:41] And that attractiveness. Is seen by faith. Look. As he set before us. In the scriptures. Are you looking there? Are you gazing.

[46:53] On the attractiveness. Of Jesus. Especially. As it's seen. Pouring out his love. For you at Calvary. What do you know.

[47:04] Of this expulsive power. Of a new affection. Precious faith. That sees Christ. Calvary love. As an attraction. Stronger. Than the world's temptations.

[47:15] This is the way. To be crucified. To the world's allurements. Faith really is. The victory. That overcomes. The world. So lost sinner.

[47:25] Do you see. Why you need Jesus. So much. This world. Has you in its grip. Its pleasures. Captivate your affections. You need Jesus. Victory. Over this world. To become yours.

[47:36] Trust in him. Trust in him. You need. His love. To break. Your fatal attraction. To the world. Take him. Taste.

[47:46] And see. Just how lovely. He is. And dear believer. These. Are troublesome times. Just as Jesus said. They would be.

[47:57] But whatever the troubling world. Throws at us. Whether trouble. Or hardship. Or persecution. Or nakedness. Or danger. Or sword. And whether we face. For Christ's sake.

[48:09] Death. All day long. Count it as. Sheep for the slaughter. We're not there yet. Some of our brethren. Are there. Now. But.

[48:20] But even. Should we be considered. Sheep for the slaughter. In all these things. We are more than. Conquerors. There's our word. Overcomers again.

[48:31] We're more than. Overcomers. We're. The word is. Hyper. Conquerors. Hyper. Overcomers. Through him. Who loved us. Through his victory.

[48:43] For us. Through his loveliness. That has captured us. And gives us power. Over the world. Well.

[48:54] I had hoped to be shorter. Today. In light of. My mask. And your mask. But I've failed again. So we'll forego. Our closing hymn. And instead. I'll just.

[49:05] Exhort you. To receive. This closing word. By faith. It will serve you well. To remember. For every time. You feel the world's pressure.

[49:17] Just this. Greater. Is he. Who is in you. Than he. That is in.

[49:28] The world. Amen. Then go. And be of good cheer. He is overcome. And you will too. Amen. Thank you.

[49:44] Thank you.