The Faith that Overcomes the World: Context

This is the second segment of my sermon on 1 John 5:1-5, entitled "The Faith that Overcomes the World", delivered to College Group at College Church on 8/2/09.

Before you read on, make sure you've read 1 John 5:1-5.

III. Context: Where are we at in the letter? And most importantly, Why does he put this passage here? Why does he tackle this aspect--the kind of faith that overcomes the world--here? Why at this point in the letter and why in this way?
-Well, you may have heard at one point or another about how the chapter and verse numbers that you have in your Bible were not in the original. They were added somewhere in the 11th century, in order to help us find our way around in the Bible. They work like street addresses for our houses. They help us locate quotations from the Bible. But I've heard many preachers make the valid point that, when you're studying a passage, the verses and chapters are often wrong in where they break up the text, sometimes obscuring the flow of thought rather than helping you to understand it. I think its probably an overstatement that they're often wrong; in fact, I'd say that there are a hundred places where they get it very well for every one where they miss it.
-This is one of the cases where they get it right. I think the fact that Chapter 4 ends with verse 21 and chapter 5 begins here is brilliant. Why? Because we are now in the final chapter of 1 John, chapter 5.
-I think this is right on because John is switching gears here in this passage. He is beginning the process of wrapping up all that he's been saying so far. In this passage he is tying together into a nice little bow tie the themes of the opposition of the world, what it means to be born of God or to be children of God, and how we are to love one another and to love God in obedience to God's commandments. And the color of the bow that he's using to wrap these themes together is faith in Jesus, and the present that's being wrapped up is, as I've said, our Assurance of Salvation.
-Next, he's going build in God's testimony about himself starting in verse 6, the statement of why he wrote the book in verse 13, and three grand concluding "We Know" statements that sum up everything we all should know, now that we've read the book.