《Faith Is The Victory》(Executable Outlines)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
01Introduction
02In Overcoming Sin
03In Overcoming Anxiety
04In Overcoming Boredom
05In Overcoming Depression
06In Overcoming Despair
07In Overcoming Discontent
08In Overcoming Fear
09In Overcoming Grief
10In Overcoming Loneliness
Introduction
INTRODUCTION
1. In his first epistle, John writes of victory in overcoming the
world...
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? (1 Jn 5:4-5)
2. The "world" to which John refers are those things in the world that
would separate us from God - cf. 1 Jn 2:15-17
a. The lust of the flesh (immorality, inordinate emotions)
b. The lust of the eyes (materialism, greed, covetousness)
c. The pride of life (vainglory, boasting, arrogance)
-- These things can be summarized in one word: SIN
3. There are other things in the world which can hinder our
relationship with God, such as...
a. Anxiety e. Discontentment
b. Boredom f. Fear
c. Depression g. Grief
d. Despair h. Loneliness
-- These emotional states of mind, when not caused by some organic
condition, are often the results of SIN as well (perhaps not
sinful action, per se, but sinful thinking)
4. For whatever is in the world that might hinder our relationship with
God...
a. There can be victory in overcoming the world!
b. Such victory comes to those who believe that Jesus is the Son of
God
-- Yes, "Faith Is The Victory!"
5. In this series, I would like to examine how faith in Jesus enables
one to overcome the world...
a. With this lesson, we will define faith, and especially faith in
Jesus as the Son of God
b. In succeeding lessons, consider how faith in Jesus can provide
victory over such things as those mentioned above that can hinder
our relationship with God
[According to John, victory in overcoming the world requires faith in
Jesus; it is important then to know exactly what faith is...]
I. FAITH IN JESUS DEFINED
A. FAITH IN GENERAL...
1. As defined by Easton's Bible Dictionary:
a. Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a
certain statement is true
b. Its primary idea is trust
2. It is a strong conviction or trust in something; as the NIV
translates He 11:1...
a. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for..."
b. "...and certain of what we do not see."
3. E.g., you have faith that your parents are indeed your parents
a. Based upon your trust or conviction in the reliability of
their word
b. Such trust prompts you to respond accordingly
B. FAITH IN JESUS AS THE SON OF GOD...
1. It is a strong conviction or trust in Jesus:
a. Who Jesus is
1) That He is what He claimed
2) That He is truly the Son of the living God
b. What Jesus did and is doing
1) That He died on the cross for our sins
2) That His death is truly a sufficient propitiation or
sacrifice for our sins
3) That He interceeds for us in heaven
c. What Jesus said
1) That He alone provides the way to eternal life
2) That He alone is the way to God, the Father - Jn 14:6-7
2. Peter professed this faith in Jesus - Jn 6:68-69
a. That Jesus has the words of eternal life
b. That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God - cf. Mt 16:15-16
3. When a person has such faith in Jesus...
a. They look to Jesus for the solution to any problem they
face
b. They have trust and conviction that what He says is the
right answer or solution
c. They are willing to act with trust and conviction on His
word - cf. Lk 6:46
4. For those with an active faith in Jesus, their lives are built
on a solid foundation...
a. Like a wise man who builds his house on a rock - Lk 6:47-49
b. They are able to weather the storms of life, because their
faith in Jesus has prompted them to prepare for whatever
comes their way!
[This is the kind of faith that overcomes the world! The problem is
that while many have a degree of faith to "hear" (listen) what Jesus
said, most don't have sufficient faith to "do" (obey) what He says!
If we desire to have the kind of faith in Jesus that will help us
overcome the world, how is it developed? It is not as difficult as you
might think...]
II. FAITH IN JESUS DEVELOPED
A. FAITH COMES FROM EVIDENCE...
1. Many people believe that faith is something blind, that you
"just gotta believe"
a. It is true that faith is often a strong conviction in
"things unseen" - cf. He 11:1
b. But there are solid reasons for believing in what you
cannot see
1) Just as you believe in George Washington, though you
have never seen him
2) Just as you believe in who your parents are, though you
can't remember who was there at your birth
2. Other people believe that faith is some gift from God for a
select few
a. It is true that in one sense faith is a "gift" from God
- cf. Ep 2:8; Ro 12:3
b. But while faith owes its ultimate source to God, it is
available to all
1) For God desires all men to be saved - 1 Ti 2:3-6
2) And He desires that which produces saving faith to be
proclaimed to all the nations - Ro 1:16; 16:25-26
3. Faith comes from evidence provided by God Himself!
a. God provided signs and wonders so that people might believe
in His Son - Jn 5:36; 10:37-38; 14:10-11
b. And so the apostles recorded these signs that we might
believe - Jn 20:30-31
1) Believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God
2) Through such faith to have "life" (i.e., victory over
the world!) in His name
-- This leads us to the primary source of faith..
B. FAITH COMES FROM THE WORD OF GOD...
1. Even as Paul declared: "So then faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God" - Ro 10:17
a. Faith (trust and conviction) is founded upon what the Word
of God reveals
b. This is especially true regarding faith in Jesus! - again
cf. Jn 20:30-31
2. The Word of God produces faith in Jesus by the evidence it
provides; for example...
a. The Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament
b. His signs and wonders recorded in the Gospels
c. The testimony of eyewitnesses in the Acts and epistles
-- As one meditates upon the Word of God regarding Jesus,
faith is developed!
3. Faith in Jesus that leads to victory must come from the Word
of God!
a. The reason many people do not live victorious lives is a
lack of faith
b. They have a weak faith because they do not read and study
the Word of God!
c. Not only is their faith weak, but they often don't even
know the teachings of Jesus that can help them to overcome
the world!
CONCLUSION
1. I contend that faith in Jesus gives one the victory in overcoming
the world...
a. Whether it is overcoming sin which separates us from God
b. Or it is overcoming sinful thinking that hinders our relationship
with God
2. Victorious faith in Jesus comes from the Word of God...
a. Which is why I cannot overemphasize the importance of feeding
upon it daily
1) A lack of knowledge concerning God's word was Israel's
downfall - Hos 4:6
2) When people do not have access to His word, they are very weak
- Amo 8:11-14
3) Even Jesus resorted to the Word of God to overcome temptation
- Mt 4:4,7,11
b. Why deprive yourself of the means that God has given to produce
saving faith? - Ja 1:21
In our next lesson, we shall consider how faith in Jesus provides the
victory in overcoming SIN...
－－《Executable Outlines》
In Overcoming Sin
INTRODUCTION
1. The theme for this series is "Faith Is The Victory!", with the
following text as the basis for our study...
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? (1 Jn 5:4-5)
2. In our previous study, we saw that the faith which overcomes the
world is...
a. A strong conviction and trust in Jesus:
1) As the Christ, the Son of God - cf. Ac 8:37
2) As the way, the truth, and the life - cf. Jn 14:6-7
3) Who alone provides the way to God and eternal life - cf. Jn 6:
68-69
b. A strong conviction and trust in Jesus that comes by:
1) The Word of God - Ro 10:17
2) The evidence provided by the Word of God - Jn 20:30-31
3. The "world" we can overcome by faith in Jesus includes anything that
can hinder our relationship with God, even such things as...
a. Anxiety e. Discontentment
b. Boredom f. Fear
c. Depression g. Grief
d. Despair h. Loneliness
4. Our purpose in this series is to illustrate how faith in Jesus helps
us to overcome such things, but it is important that we first talk
about overcoming SIN...
a. While sin is not taken too seriously these days, it should be
b. The problem of sin must be overcome if we are to overcome
anything else
1) In some cases, sin may be the underlying cause of problems we
face
2) In any case, unless we overcome sin, we will not have God's
help to overcome the problems before us! - cf. Isa 59:1-2;
1 Pe 3:12
5. In this lesson, I wish to do two things...
a. Carefully define the problem of sin
b. Explain how faith in Jesus can overcome the problem of sin
[Let's begin then by considering...]
I. THE PROBLEM OF SIN
A. THERE IS THE "GUILT" OF SIN...
1. First, everyone is guilty of sin - Ro 3:23
a. Even if one has committed just one sin, it as though they
have committed them all! - cf. Ja 2:10
b. That is because sin is so terrible, and God is so holy!
2. There is both "legal" guilt and "emotional" guilt
a. Legal guilt means you have violated God's law
1) God has a Law, and if we break it, He holds us
accountable - 1 Jn 3:4
2) The price of such guilt is "death", i.e., eternal
separation from God - Ro 6:23; Re 21:8
b. Emotional guilt pertains to one's conscience of sin
1) When we know we have done wrong, we feel "guilty"
2) Our conscience becomes burdened by such "guilt" for our
sins
3. Even if we have so hardened our conscience that we feel no
"emotional" guilt, the "legal" guilt remains
a. God still holds us accountable, and will judge us on the
last day - Jn 12:48; Ac 17:30-31
b. Until then, unforgiven sin also prevents God from coming to
our aid - Isa 59:1-2; 1 Pe 3:12
1) Which means we must bear our burdens alone
2) Whatever comfort, peace, and strength God might provide,
is not for one who remains in their sin! - Isa 57:19-21
B. THERE IS THE "POWER" OF SIN...
1. The problem of sin is not limited to guilt
a. As if the guilt of sin weren't bad enough!
b. Sin also has the power to enslave a person so that they
can't do what they really want to do!
2. Jesus described the power of sin - Jn 8:31-34
a. In passage often misapplied to talk about truth leading to
freedom (e.g., political)
b. The freedom under consideration is freedom from the slavery
of sin!
c. When one commits sin, they become a slave of sin!
3. Paul vividly depicted what his life was like under the bondage
of sin, from which the Law of Moses could not deliver - Ro 7:
14-24
a. He was "sold under sin" - Ro 7:14
b. He could not do what he wanted, and what he did not wish to
do, he did - Ro 7:15
c. He found that "sin dwells in me" - Ro 7:17,20
d. Though he desired to do good, "how to perform what is good
I do not find" - Ro 7:18
e. He found himself brought "into captivity to the law of sin
which is in my members" - Ro 7:23
f. It made him "wretched", crying out for deliverance from
"this body of death" - Ro 7:24
[Sin is a like a powerful drug, to which we become enslaved (addicted).
Until we somehow are set free from the power of sin, the guilt of sin
separates us from God; any problem we have, therefore, we face alone,
with no assistance from God!
But through faith in Jesus, there can be victory in overcoming sin!
Let's see how...]
II. HOW FAITH IN JESUS OVERCOMES SIN
A. BY PROVIDING THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN...
1. Remission of sins is promised to those who believe in Jesus
- Ac 10:43
a. Made possible by the shedding of His blood - Ep 1:7
b. Jesus became our "propitiation" (a sacrifice designed to
appease) - 1 Jn 2:2; 4:9-10
c. Through His blood we are "justified" (i.e., declared "not
guilty"), and therefore spared from the wrath of God to
come - Ro 5:9
2. Such forgiveness is promised to those whose faith in Jesus
moves them to repent and be baptized - Ac 2:38; 3:19
a. Repentance - that "change of mind" in which we turn from
sin to serve God
b. Baptism - that "burial" in which we are united with Christ
into His death, that we might be crucified with Him and
then rise to walk in newness of life - Ro 6:3-7
3. Forgiveness continues as we repent and confess our sins in
prayer - Ac 8:22; 1 Jn 1:9
-- In this way Jesus deals with the "guilt" of sin (legal and
emotional - cf. He 9:14)
B. BY PROVIDING THE POWER OVER SIN...
1. In Ro 6:6-7, Paul speaks of freedom from sin...
a. "we should no longer be slaves of sin"
b. "...has been freed from sin"
2. Later, in Ro 8:1-2,12-13 he describes where this "power"
comes from...
a. It is "the law (principle) of the Spirit of life in Christ"
which frees one from "the law of sin and death"
b. In particular, how the Spirit enables us to "put to death
the deeds of the body"
c. With the aid of the Spirit, we now have the help of God to
overcome sin! - cf. Ep 3:16,20-21; Ph 4:13
3. The promise of the Spirit was given by both Jesus and His
apostles
a. To those who believe in Him - Jn 7:37-39
b. To those who repent and are baptized - Ac 2:38-39
c. I.e., to those who obey Him and become "children of God"
- cf. Ac 5:32; Ga 3:26-27; 4:6; 5:16
-- In this way Jesus deals with the "power" of sin
CONCLUSION
1. To the one who is willing to believe in Jesus, with a trust and
conviction to do what He says, then "Faith Is The Victory!"
2. There is certainly victory over SIN...
a. Over the legal and emotion guilt of sin
b. Over the power of sin which easily enslaves us
-- This He does through the gift of His blood, and the gift of the
Holy Spirit!
With such wonderful gifts, we can now have the kind of relationship
with God by which we can also overcome whatever else the world might
throw at us...
－－《Executable Outlines》
In Overcoming Anxiety
INTRODUCTION
1. With faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, we can overcome
the world! - 1 Jn 5:4-5
a. As we saw in our previous study, we can overcome SIN...
1) Both the guilt of sin, and the power of sin
2) Through the blood of Jesus, and the gift of the Holy Spirit
b. For such blessings are available to those who truly believe in
Jesus! - cf. Ac 2:36-39
2. But in overcoming sin, we must also deal with the "aftershocks" of
sin...
a. Such as the lingering consequences of sinful conduct
b. Or the residues of sinful thinking; i.e., attitudes and
perspectives that conflict with a life of faith in Jesus
-- I have mentioned some of these in previous lessons: anxiety,
boredom, despair ,etc.
3. With this lesson, I would like to begin taking a look at each one of
these...
a. Seeking to gain a better understanding of what they are
b. Hoping to provide an appreciation of how faith in Jesus can help
us to overcome them!
4. Beginning with "anxiety"...
a. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)...
1) More than 23 million people suffer from anxiety disorders
2) People with anxiety disorders are heavy utilizers of emergency
rooms and other medical services
3) Anxiety disrupts work, family, and social lives, with some
becoming housebound
4) It is the most common of all the mental disorders
b. Christians certainly are not immune to the problem of "anxiety"
1) Jesus anticipated that His disciples would have it, and
provided solutions to it
2) Just as anxiety disrupts work, family, etc., so it can hinder
our service to the Lord
[It is imperative as Christians that we overcome "anxiety" in our
lives. Where do we begin? Perhaps with...]
I. UNDERSTANDING ANXIETY
A. ANXIETY DEFINED...
1. According to the American Heritage Dictionary:
a. A state of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future
uncertainties
b. A state of intense apprehension, uncertainty, and fear
resulting from the anticipation of a threatening event or
situation, often to a degree that the normal physical and
psychological function of the affected individual is
disrupted
2. According to NIMH, there are different kinds of anxiety
disorders:
a. Panic Disorder - Repeated episodes of intense fear that
strike often and without warning. Physical symptoms include
chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath,
dizziness, abdominal distress, feelings of unreality, and
fear of dying.
b. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - Repeated, unwanted thoughts
or compulsive behaviors that seem impossible to stop or
control.
c. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - Persistent symptoms that
occur after experiencing a traumatic event such as criminal
assault, war, child abuse, natural disasters or crashes.
Nightmares, flashbacks, numbing of emotions, depression and
feeling angry, irritable, distracted and being easily
startled are common.
d. Phobias, of which there are two major types
1) Specific - In which people experience extreme,
disabling, and irrational fear of something that poses
little or no actual danger; the fear leads to avoidance
of objects or situations and can cause people to limit
their lives unnecessarily.
2) Social - In which people have an overwhelming and
disabling fear of scrutiny, embarrassment, or
humiliation in social situations, which leads to
avoidance of many potentially pleasurable and meaningful
activities.
e. Generalized Anxiety Disorder - Constant, exaggerated
worrisome thoughts and tension about everyday routine life
events and activities, lasting at least six months. Almost
always anticipating the worst even though there is little
reason to expect it; accompanied by physical symptoms, such
as fatigue, trembling, muscle tension, headache, or nausea.
B. SOME CAUSES OF ANXIETY...
1. A perceived threat, as to one's...
a. Personal safety
b. Self-esteem
c. Relationship with others
2. Pressures presented by conflict, for example...
a. Having to decide between two desirable but incompatible
goals
b. Faced with a desirable goal, but concerned about
undesirable consequences (such as whether to accept a good
paying job, that may force you to relocate)
c. Faced with having to choose between two undesirable