If you’re a James Bond fan, you may be familiar with the 1999 movie The World is Not Enough, which starred Pierce Brosnan as Bond. The title is the motto inscribed on the Bond family coat of arms. The world is not enough to defeat Bond. Maybe that’s why the movie series lasted so long, because nothing seemed to be strong enough to defeat Bond, James Bond.
As believers, we are constantly faced with the challenges of the world. In this sermon series we’ve already talked about winning the race over doubt, offense, temptation, and comparison. All things that are firmly planted in the realm of this world, which means that they can be overcome. True victory can be experienced!
The image of victory has been used in military and athletic endeavors and it always involves a conflict or a test of some sort. In this Olympics, the gymnast Suni Lee had battled kidney disease over the past year, yet she competed on the world’s largest stage and medaled! Other athletes told stories of challenges they had to overcome just to make it to the Olympics.
The apostle John had a message for his readers on how to overcome the world and triumph in the face of opposition and persecution…
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
1 John 5:4
It is our faith that brings victory. Faith is the means, the instrument, the spiritual armor and artillery by which we overcome. Faith gets its strength from its source, Jesus, and is empowered by the Holy Spirit living in us. And since we have been born of God, by faith we have victory over the world. Remember what John wrote:
Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
1 John 4:4
The Christian looks to an invisible world, not made by human hands, where the indwelling Spirit of grace is greater than any opposing force in the earthly world. For those who are born of God, the world is not enough to conquer the Spirit of the One who lives in us. We can achieve true victory because…
31 …If God is for us, who can be against us? …37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Romans 8:31, 37
The Olympians were all victorious, whether they got a medal or not, because they made it to the Olympics! Not many of us can put that on our resume. But true victory can’t be found in a medal. A medal won’t help you when your enemies are coming after you. It can’t protect you, provide for you, or heal you. No, true victory is only found when you follow the true victor, Jesus the Christ! The One who fought the battle against sin and death and won! And as we saw last week, Jesus didn’t do it for Himself, but for us. What a captivating love story!
And as I looked at the closing ceremony of the Olympics, those Olympians from various countries were just as united as they were at the beginning, waving their flags, walking in the procession. Well friends, we too are marching in a procession, led by the One who won the victory for us.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.
2 Corinthians 2:14
There’s a victory parade for the believer! Jesus came, He saw, and He conquered. And because He has overcome this world, and we are His followers, this world can’t be enough! We find true victory in Jesus. Join me on Sunday as we conclude the Olympics sermon series GT 2024: True Victory!
Back to School/Backpack Blessing! This Sunday, August 18, we will bless our children, educators, and school staff as they begin another year of school. Encourage them to bring their backpacks!
Membership Sunday On August 25 we will receive new members into the body of Christ and the faith community of Green Trails! If you have been considering joining, transferring your membership, or reaffirming your membership vows, this is your Sunday! Please contact Pastor Linda at 314-324-8405 or drlinda@umcgt.org and let’s build the kingdom of God together!
Vision for 2024:
A House United:
Strong Faith, Strong Families, Strong Future!
Blessings,
Pastor Linda
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