"Greater Than The World!" 1 John 5:4-10
Series: Easter Epistles 2024
April 07, 2024
Rev. Nathan J. Rusert
Quasimodogeniti, Second Sunday of Easter 7-April-2024 Sermon Text: 1 John 5:4-10 Sermon Theme: “Greater Than The World!” I. Born Through Christ’s Victory! (Vs.4-5). II. Testifying The Truth! (Vs.6) III. Receiving God’s Testimony! (Vs.7-9) IV. Believing in the Son of God!(vs.10) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert
Episode Notes
Quasimodogeniti, Second Sunday of Easter 7-April-2024
Sermon Text: 1 John 5:4-10
Sermon Theme: “Greater Than The World!” I. Born Through Christ’s Victory! (Vs.4-5). II. Testifying The Truth! (Vs.6) III. Receiving God’s Testimony! (Vs.7-9) IV. Believing in the Son of God!(vs.10) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert
I.N.R.I. Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! “1 Peter 2:2-3 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— (3) if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” Be born anew today - every day - in Christ Jesus. According to the CDC a newborn baby needs to nurse every 2 to 4 hours to help them get enough nutrition and to grow. A healthy infant in the first weeks and months of life will long for its mother’s pure milk 8 to 12 times in 24 hours. An infant deprived of its mother’s nutritious milk starves, its development is stunted, and if further neglected it will die. Man made formulas never match the nutrition and growth that our Creator God gives infants through their mother’s breasts.
In the first commandment we confess: 26 Even though we experience much good from other people, whatever we receive by God’s command or arrangement is all received from God. For our parents and all rulers and everyone else, with respect to his neighbor, have received from God the command that they should do us all kinds of good. So we receive these blessings not from them, but through them, from God. For creatures are only the hands, channels, and means by which God gives all things. So He gives to the mother breasts and milk to offer to her child, and He gives corn and all kinds of produce from the earth for nourishment [Psalm 104:27–28; 147:8–9]. None of these blessings could be produced by any creature of itself.”
The blessing of life in this world is a gift from the Lord God. We didn’t create our life, bodies, or souls. They are created by our loving God and Father through our father in our mother’s womb. These bodies are not our own to do whatever we please with them. From conception our Creator writes our calling of male or female on our chromosomes. Denying genetics and biological science is a delusional lie of Satan whispering, ‘Has God indeed said... ignore His Word...make up reality for yourself...become your own god.” Delusional self-autonomy is trumpeted by our sin darkened world and applauded by the ungodly majority. Wisdom twice warns not to follow the lie: Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.(16:2 5). Sin’s payout is death.
The evil world rages against Truth. Deceived, corrupted, and chained by the devil - like Pilate - the world scoffs, “What is truth?” Dear Christian walk in the light of the Truth! He who sacrificed Himself for your sins swallowing up your death forever - lives! In Him we are: “Greater Than The World!” I. Born Through Christ’s Victory! (Vs.4-5). II. Testifying The Truth! (Vs.6) III. Receiving God’s Testimony! (Vs.7-9) IV. Believing in the Son of God!(vs.10)
I. “Can these bones live?” the Lord God asked the prophet. All Ezekiel saw was defeat, the great army of Israel had been slaughtered with no one left to bury them. Their flesh eaten by the birds, wild beasts, and worms. Their bones dried out by the unrelenting sun. Dead, dry bones can’t come to life - or can they? “O Lord God, you know,” the prophet responds.
Why are we walking like those two despondent despairing disciples on the road to Emmaus? Have you not heard? “Alleluia! Christ is risen!”
You have been born from above in Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified, died, and was buried, He descended into hell, and the third day He rose from the dead! He lives FOR YOU! His victory is FOR YOU! (Vs.4-5)
There are no self-made Christians. As little as you made a decision to be conceived and born on a certain day - so little did you decide to be born from above and follow Jesus. Christians are born of God! How? The Lord God told the prophet Ezekiel to preach - prophesy - and the Word of God reversed death clothing them with skin. Again He told the prophet to preach and the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, breathed new life into their lifeless lungs.
When you were without hope, dead in your trespasses and sins - the Lord God spoke you alive - “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!” God the Holy Spirit called you as infant, by the Gospel, enlightened you with His gifts, sanctified and kept you in the one true Faith in Jesus Christ through His Church. It wasn’t your choice, instead the Lord God from eternity choose you in Christ Jesus to be His own beloved child by grace through faith.
The victory that overcomes the world is The Faith - “our Faith” in the plural - that is The Faith that saved our first parents, sustained Noah, called Abraham, filled Israel with hope, set apart Judah, led Moses, strengthened David, and is fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. The world is not in control - it rules only under command and control of Jesus - the Son of God! Here is The Victorious Faith: I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord.
II. “Unless I see....I will never believe!” Thomas the one of the Twelve who was ready to go to Judea and die with Jesus in John 11 - refuses to believe the preaching of his fellow apostles. He had missed church - the gathering of two or three together around Christ’s Word and prayer. Perhaps it made no sense to be locked behind closed doors in fear of the cross. Maybe, he ran for safety to Bethany, why wait to be arrested and sentenced to death like their Master. He was as fearful as the rest - why gather with the congregation of the fearful on a Sunday?
The other apostles told them that behind locked doors - Jesus of Nazareth came in the flesh. He declared His victory for them - “Peace!” He showed them His wounds in His living flesh - they felt and touched the Word of Life! He called and sent them as the Father sent Him to preach the Gospel! He breathed on them the Holy Spirit to daily and richly forgive the sins of all crushed by their sins who looked only to Jesus their Sin-Bearer. To withhold forgiveness from the unbelieving who treasured their sins above the salvation won in Jesus’ flesh and blood.
Thomas missed church one Sunday. He missed Jesus breathing His victory upon the fearful congregation. Emmanuel - Jesus of Nazareth - God with us! (Vs. 6). The Holy Spirit testifies the Truth against all heresies. Already in John’s day a false teacher named Cerinthus, a gnostic heretic. Gnosticism claimed to have secret knowledge above the written Word and the world of reality. Gnosticism viewed the physical as flawed and evil. It taught that salvation was escape from the physical body to become our authentic self - a pure spirit being. Satan has repackaged the of Gnosticism in our day promoting the mutilation of our physical bodies in pursuit of our true authentic self - transgenderism.
Cerinthus taught that Jesus wasn’t really true God - the Lord God only adopted Him at baptism and then left Him to die on the cross - having no need of redeeming man’s physical body. It is a lie!
Christianity testifies the Truth of History. Jesus came by water - at His baptism God the Father testified, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” God the Holy Spirit descends and remains upon Jesus’ human flesh. Jesus came by blood - pouring out His blood - the very blood of God - to redeem our bodies from the grave - God the Father testifying we are reconciled to Him by raising Jesus’ physical body from the grave by the power of the Holy Spirit.
God the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, testifies that all human life is created by God the Father, redeemed from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil through Jesus’ holy precious blood and His body - innocent suffering and death to be His own, God the Holy Spirit sanctifies our human bodies in Christ to be His temple. We are not our own we belong to our gracious Triune God!
III. The other disciples didn’t give up on Thomas. He fled the congregation and fell from the Faith. They tell them that in church they had seen their risen Lord Jesus comforting them with peace through the forgiveness of sins. They encourage, beg, bring Thomas with them to gather with them in their congregation the next Sunday. Again as the Church gathers - the Risen Jesus appears among them. Thomas hears Jesus preaching, calling him from unbelief to faith, seeing the wounds, handling His living flesh and blood he confesses, “My God and Lord!” John 20:29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Newborn babies - nurse on the sincere milk of God’s Word! (Vs. 7-9)
John records, John 20:30-31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; (31) but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” There are no self-made Christians we are born from above. There are no self-sustaining Christians - we live by receiving God’s testimony within His believing congregation. Yes, our elderly and shut-ins are often prevented by their health from coming to church - visit them - it hurts them not to gather in Christ’s House as a congregation to receive God’s testimony. We bring church to them. It is dangerous to despise preaching and God’s Word and deliberately cut yourself from gathering every Sunday to receive the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, prayer, the Lord Supper.
Only within the congregation does the Holy Spirit daily and richly forgive all sins to me and all believers in Christ. Only with the congregation does God the Holy Spirit testify through preaching Christ crucified and risen! Here He proclaims our birth from above in the waters of Holy Baptism. Here He washes us forgiven in the blood that flowed from the side of our Crucified Savior. Millions are traveling this weekend to stand tomorrow in the darkness of a total eclipse - dear Christian travel every Sunday to gather in the Light! “Alleluia Christ is risen!”
IV. Thomas believed because he saw. The dead dry bones came to life through the prophet’s preaching. Hope was restored! The grave is never “good bye” for Christians, only a time to say, “Good-night!”
This isn’t a feeling - it is the truth of reality! (Vs.10) Satan uses the world’s anti-Christian propaganda and power to persecute Christ’s Church. The world has lost! Satan is defeated! Death is conquered! Alleluia! Christ is risen! Now we live in Easter - the 8th day of creation, the first day of the new creation! The Holy Spirit breathes and sustains us in the Truth - Jesus of Nazareth - crucified - risen - ascended - ruling - coming again soon! Hebrews 9:27-28 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, (28) so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Lies be silenced! Satan is defeated! Evil world you lost! Death you only serve as a temporary rest! Jesus promises, John 14:18-20 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. (19) "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. (20) At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
Alleluia! Amen.
Sermon Text: 1 John 5:4-10
Sermon Theme: “Greater Than The World!” I. Born Through Christ’s Victory! (Vs.4-5). II. Testifying The Truth! (Vs.6) III. Receiving God’s Testimony! (Vs.7-9) IV. Believing in the Son of God!(vs.10) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert
I.N.R.I. Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! “1 Peter 2:2-3 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— (3) if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” Be born anew today - every day - in Christ Jesus. According to the CDC a newborn baby needs to nurse every 2 to 4 hours to help them get enough nutrition and to grow. A healthy infant in the first weeks and months of life will long for its mother’s pure milk 8 to 12 times in 24 hours. An infant deprived of its mother’s nutritious milk starves, its development is stunted, and if further neglected it will die. Man made formulas never match the nutrition and growth that our Creator God gives infants through their mother’s breasts.
In the first commandment we confess: 26 Even though we experience much good from other people, whatever we receive by God’s command or arrangement is all received from God. For our parents and all rulers and everyone else, with respect to his neighbor, have received from God the command that they should do us all kinds of good. So we receive these blessings not from them, but through them, from God. For creatures are only the hands, channels, and means by which God gives all things. So He gives to the mother breasts and milk to offer to her child, and He gives corn and all kinds of produce from the earth for nourishment [Psalm 104:27–28; 147:8–9]. None of these blessings could be produced by any creature of itself.”
The blessing of life in this world is a gift from the Lord God. We didn’t create our life, bodies, or souls. They are created by our loving God and Father through our father in our mother’s womb. These bodies are not our own to do whatever we please with them. From conception our Creator writes our calling of male or female on our chromosomes. Denying genetics and biological science is a delusional lie of Satan whispering, ‘Has God indeed said... ignore His Word...make up reality for yourself...become your own god.” Delusional self-autonomy is trumpeted by our sin darkened world and applauded by the ungodly majority. Wisdom twice warns not to follow the lie: Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.(16:2 5). Sin’s payout is death.
The evil world rages against Truth. Deceived, corrupted, and chained by the devil - like Pilate - the world scoffs, “What is truth?” Dear Christian walk in the light of the Truth! He who sacrificed Himself for your sins swallowing up your death forever - lives! In Him we are: “Greater Than The World!” I. Born Through Christ’s Victory! (Vs.4-5). II. Testifying The Truth! (Vs.6) III. Receiving God’s Testimony! (Vs.7-9) IV. Believing in the Son of God!(vs.10)
I. “Can these bones live?” the Lord God asked the prophet. All Ezekiel saw was defeat, the great army of Israel had been slaughtered with no one left to bury them. Their flesh eaten by the birds, wild beasts, and worms. Their bones dried out by the unrelenting sun. Dead, dry bones can’t come to life - or can they? “O Lord God, you know,” the prophet responds.
Why are we walking like those two despondent despairing disciples on the road to Emmaus? Have you not heard? “Alleluia! Christ is risen!”
You have been born from above in Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified, died, and was buried, He descended into hell, and the third day He rose from the dead! He lives FOR YOU! His victory is FOR YOU! (Vs.4-5)
There are no self-made Christians. As little as you made a decision to be conceived and born on a certain day - so little did you decide to be born from above and follow Jesus. Christians are born of God! How? The Lord God told the prophet Ezekiel to preach - prophesy - and the Word of God reversed death clothing them with skin. Again He told the prophet to preach and the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, breathed new life into their lifeless lungs.
When you were without hope, dead in your trespasses and sins - the Lord God spoke you alive - “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!” God the Holy Spirit called you as infant, by the Gospel, enlightened you with His gifts, sanctified and kept you in the one true Faith in Jesus Christ through His Church. It wasn’t your choice, instead the Lord God from eternity choose you in Christ Jesus to be His own beloved child by grace through faith.
The victory that overcomes the world is The Faith - “our Faith” in the plural - that is The Faith that saved our first parents, sustained Noah, called Abraham, filled Israel with hope, set apart Judah, led Moses, strengthened David, and is fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. The world is not in control - it rules only under command and control of Jesus - the Son of God! Here is The Victorious Faith: I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord.
II. “Unless I see....I will never believe!” Thomas the one of the Twelve who was ready to go to Judea and die with Jesus in John 11 - refuses to believe the preaching of his fellow apostles. He had missed church - the gathering of two or three together around Christ’s Word and prayer. Perhaps it made no sense to be locked behind closed doors in fear of the cross. Maybe, he ran for safety to Bethany, why wait to be arrested and sentenced to death like their Master. He was as fearful as the rest - why gather with the congregation of the fearful on a Sunday?
The other apostles told them that behind locked doors - Jesus of Nazareth came in the flesh. He declared His victory for them - “Peace!” He showed them His wounds in His living flesh - they felt and touched the Word of Life! He called and sent them as the Father sent Him to preach the Gospel! He breathed on them the Holy Spirit to daily and richly forgive the sins of all crushed by their sins who looked only to Jesus their Sin-Bearer. To withhold forgiveness from the unbelieving who treasured their sins above the salvation won in Jesus’ flesh and blood.
Thomas missed church one Sunday. He missed Jesus breathing His victory upon the fearful congregation. Emmanuel - Jesus of Nazareth - God with us! (Vs. 6). The Holy Spirit testifies the Truth against all heresies. Already in John’s day a false teacher named Cerinthus, a gnostic heretic. Gnosticism claimed to have secret knowledge above the written Word and the world of reality. Gnosticism viewed the physical as flawed and evil. It taught that salvation was escape from the physical body to become our authentic self - a pure spirit being. Satan has repackaged the of Gnosticism in our day promoting the mutilation of our physical bodies in pursuit of our true authentic self - transgenderism.
Cerinthus taught that Jesus wasn’t really true God - the Lord God only adopted Him at baptism and then left Him to die on the cross - having no need of redeeming man’s physical body. It is a lie!
Christianity testifies the Truth of History. Jesus came by water - at His baptism God the Father testified, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” God the Holy Spirit descends and remains upon Jesus’ human flesh. Jesus came by blood - pouring out His blood - the very blood of God - to redeem our bodies from the grave - God the Father testifying we are reconciled to Him by raising Jesus’ physical body from the grave by the power of the Holy Spirit.
God the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, testifies that all human life is created by God the Father, redeemed from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil through Jesus’ holy precious blood and His body - innocent suffering and death to be His own, God the Holy Spirit sanctifies our human bodies in Christ to be His temple. We are not our own we belong to our gracious Triune God!
III. The other disciples didn’t give up on Thomas. He fled the congregation and fell from the Faith. They tell them that in church they had seen their risen Lord Jesus comforting them with peace through the forgiveness of sins. They encourage, beg, bring Thomas with them to gather with them in their congregation the next Sunday. Again as the Church gathers - the Risen Jesus appears among them. Thomas hears Jesus preaching, calling him from unbelief to faith, seeing the wounds, handling His living flesh and blood he confesses, “My God and Lord!” John 20:29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Newborn babies - nurse on the sincere milk of God’s Word! (Vs. 7-9)
John records, John 20:30-31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; (31) but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” There are no self-made Christians we are born from above. There are no self-sustaining Christians - we live by receiving God’s testimony within His believing congregation. Yes, our elderly and shut-ins are often prevented by their health from coming to church - visit them - it hurts them not to gather in Christ’s House as a congregation to receive God’s testimony. We bring church to them. It is dangerous to despise preaching and God’s Word and deliberately cut yourself from gathering every Sunday to receive the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, prayer, the Lord Supper.
Only within the congregation does the Holy Spirit daily and richly forgive all sins to me and all believers in Christ. Only with the congregation does God the Holy Spirit testify through preaching Christ crucified and risen! Here He proclaims our birth from above in the waters of Holy Baptism. Here He washes us forgiven in the blood that flowed from the side of our Crucified Savior. Millions are traveling this weekend to stand tomorrow in the darkness of a total eclipse - dear Christian travel every Sunday to gather in the Light! “Alleluia Christ is risen!”
IV. Thomas believed because he saw. The dead dry bones came to life through the prophet’s preaching. Hope was restored! The grave is never “good bye” for Christians, only a time to say, “Good-night!”
This isn’t a feeling - it is the truth of reality! (Vs.10) Satan uses the world’s anti-Christian propaganda and power to persecute Christ’s Church. The world has lost! Satan is defeated! Death is conquered! Alleluia! Christ is risen! Now we live in Easter - the 8th day of creation, the first day of the new creation! The Holy Spirit breathes and sustains us in the Truth - Jesus of Nazareth - crucified - risen - ascended - ruling - coming again soon! Hebrews 9:27-28 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, (28) so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Lies be silenced! Satan is defeated! Evil world you lost! Death you only serve as a temporary rest! Jesus promises, John 14:18-20 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. (19) "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. (20) At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
Alleluia! Amen.
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