Dear Christian friends:

By His death on Good Friday and glorious resurrection on Easter Jesus won a wonderful victory and conquered the sinful world. His victory can be our victory. He wants to use you to continue His victory:

What it means to conquer the world. Paul, "Don't let evil overcome you, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21) The world tends to pay back evil with evil. Hatred with hatred and revenge by getting even. "Take care of yourself, if you don't nobody else will." "Hands off policy" etc. Many people let evil, hatred, and bitterness conquer them. It poisons them so that they can't love and do anything large, kind or good.

People who let worldly ideas like pride, vanity, and hate conquer them cannot remain in faith. The victory that overcomes the world is love. Paul says overcome evil with good. Don't hate someone because he hates you. Jesus said: "Love your enemies; do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you that you may be the children of your Father in heaven. Love God and your neighbor; Love and forgive those who sin against you. This is what it means to conquer the world.

When you do like this with people you may win some of them to faith in Jesus Christ. Even if you do not win them you will make them feel ashamed of themselves and their conscience will blame them.

True, this is a very hard thing to do: Love your enemies; Don't hate, forgive those who sin against you. Who can do it? Nobody can by themselves! We are helpless to do it by nature. That is why Paul says, "He that is born of God conquers the world" and "our faith is the victory that conquers the world." And in verse 5 asks the question and answers it: "Who is he that continually conquers the world? Only he that believes Jesus is the Son of God."

We are born of God when by the Holy Ghost we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, our Savior. When we understand from God's Word that we are by nature sinful like the world full of hate and revenge, pride and vanity and that we are by nature stubborn and rebellious against God and His Ten Commandments and yet hear from the Gospel that God loved us and sent his Son to live and die for us as verse 6 here reminds us: "Jesus Christ He came by water and blood; not by water only, but by water and blood." What does that mean? "He came by water" - When He was 30 years old He let John baptize Him in the river Jordan, the baptism of sinners. And when He was thirty-three He let them nail Him to the cross and He shed His blood for us terrible, no good sinners like Judas and Pilate and Peter and James and you and me.

Although the people mocked Him and hated Him He did not become angry and lose His temper. He controlled Himself and continued to love us people; prayed for us and died for us even for Peter. On Easter morning when the three women came to the cave looking for Jesus the angel said, "He is risen; He is not here come see the place where the Lord lay and go quickly and tell His disciples, and Peter." "and Peter", even the one who shamefully and fearfully denied Him.

When you see and hear again and again how wonderfully God and Jesus His Son love sinners like Peter and you and me, this should touch our hearts and lead us to faith in Him and love for Him and also love for all of God's other children. Now I should think: "If God can love me, a no good sinner like me, and forgive me, then surely I must try to love those who sin against me and gladly and cheerfully forgive them and pray for them and do many good and kind things for them.

By this, who knows? I may win them for Jesus, and anyway I will conquer them with love. Alexander the Great tried to conquer the world with force and hate and war as did Napoleon, Hitler, and others. They ruled only a short time and fell. But look at Jesus Christ: He is still Ruler and Victor today since He was crucified, He by the Gospel of love and mercy has won millions and millions of people to bow to Him cheerfully and with adoration, freely.

Jesus wants to continue conquering the present world today through you. He wants you to be His tool, through you He will love many people. But you cannot be His tool, His servant if you continue with pride hatred and revenge. He cannot use you and you are not His disciple.

Let Him love you and forgive you. Be born again of the Holy Spirit. Believe in Jesus the crucified and risen Savior. Then you have the victory that truly conquers the world.

Amen.