What’s In A Name
1 John 5:1-5 (KJV)
Intro: How do we identify people? I don’t know about you but the first thing I ask and want to know from a person is their name. Granted I may not remember what you tell me but that is a problem that I deal with. Your name though, is how I and the rest of the world identifies you.
. I was going home from the church bowling league one Sunday night and a policeman pulled me over for not using my blinker. Yeah I know, I thought that with all the crime in our communities and you worry about my blinker habits? Nevertheless, I was cordial and cooperative with the policeman. The first thing he asked me for was my identification. My driver’s license. You see, that is how he identified me. How he knew who I was.
. We all have a name that identifies us.
.A young soldier was causing problems among the other soldiers was brought before Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great asked the soldier: “What’s your name?” The young soldier replied: “Alexander.” Alexander the Great then said: “Either change your name or change your conduct.”
. I have a knick name that identifies me with my brothers. My nick name is Diddle. My dad gave me that name when I was little and it has stuck through the years within my family. That is how they can identify me.
. When you hear the name Hitler, what comes to your mind? Evil, Murderer, Liar etc
. Santa Claus, happiness, children
. Names mean a lot.
. Believers in Christ have been identified by various names throughout history.
. God’s people were identified by their names.
. Believers, in Acts 1:15:
. 15During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed them.
. They were first called Christians in Acts 11:26
25Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul.26When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)
. They went from being called believers to being called Christians.
. Christians have been called;
. Children Of God, Son’s Of The Kingdom, Friends Of Jesus, Sheep, Saints, Brethren, The Chosen, etc.
. We could go on and on. I counted at least 40 names that have been used to identify those who believe in Jesus Christ as the person who has made it possible for God to forgive their sin.
. Our scripture this morning gives us another way for God’s people to be identified.
. Another name for Christians.
. Lets, look at 1 John 5:1-5 (KJV)
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our[a] faith.
5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
. In this passage we see yet another name that can be used to identify God’s children.
. Overcomers.
If you are a Christian here this morning, you are an overcomer. My spell check tells me that there is no such word but I’m here to tell you this morning that if you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and have committed yourself to him, you are an overcomer.
. John tells us in this scripture this morning just what an overcomer looks like.
. What should being identified as an overcomer tell others about you.
. How do you recognize an overcomer?
. John tells us that the first way to recognize an overcomer is that;
. They Will Have Faith In The Truth
. Look at vs 1a, 4-5
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God …4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
. John MacArthur writes that “ the foundational mark of an overcomer is believing that Jesus is the Christ.”
. That is the foundation of our faith. Jesus is the Christ and in him we find the truth.
. Philosophy is a tricky subject. Any of you that have taken philosophy classes can attest to that.
. I have problems in philosophical discussions. I see the world in black and white and philosophy does not work that way. They want to see grey areas.
.Two men who lived in a small village got into a terrible dispute that they could not resolve. So they decided to talk to the town philosopher. The first man went to the sage’s home and told his version of what happened. When he finished, the sage said, "You’re absolutely right." The next night, the second man called on the sage and told his side of the story. The sage responded, "You’re absolutely right." Afterward, the sage’s wife scolded her husband. "Those men told you two different stories and you told them they were absolutely right. That’s impossible—they can’t both be absolutely right." The sage turned to his wife and said, "You’re absolutely right."
. That is a philosopher folks.
. The problem I have with philosophers is that I believe in truth.
. There is truth in this world.
. Truth is found in Jesus Christ.
. In John 14, Jesus is talking to his disciples in the upper room at the last supper and He tells them this in verse 6:
. 6Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through m
e.
. Jesus said that He was the truth. There is no other truth in this world other than what emanates from him.
. When Jesus was brought before Pilot, just before his crucifixion, this is part of the conversation in John 18: 37&38
37Pilate said, “So you are a king?”Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”
38“What is truth?” Pilate asked.
. Jesus said that He was born to testify, to show us the truth. Truth is found only through Jesus.
. The world is filled with people like pilot who are asking, “what is truth”.
. If you are here this morning and have acknowledged the truth. You believe that Jesus is the son of God, that He was born to show us the truth of God. That He is the only way to be reconciled with God for our sin and disobedience.
. If you accept the fact that He died on a cross, was executed for our sins, and that your sins are now forgiven through his death. If you believe that this is the truth about God.
. John writes that if this is so, that if you believe this truth with all your heart, You are an overcomer.
. You have overcome the world and all its systems and You have overcome the philosophy that governs this world and you are a child of God, adopted into his family through the truth of Jesus Christ.
.You are recognized by the name Overcomer because you have faith in the truth of Jesus Christ.
. The second way that you can recognize an overcomer is that:
.They Have A Love For God And Others
. Look at the 2nd half of verse 1:
. “… and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.”
.The NLT translates it this way.
. “And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.”
. An overcomer loves God first and foremost but they also love their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
.An overcomer has a love for God.
. Faith in Jesus Christ not only brings us back into a right relationship with God, it also should bring us into a love relationship with God.
.We are quick to say, “I love you” to anyone? It seems so natural to do this and especially if you have been raised in an atmosphere of love. Is your love real? Is it genuine? Is it deep-rooted? Or is it just something to say in order to get people to respond to you or care about you?
.Someone said, “ Love your neighbor for God's sake, and love God for your own sake.” Good thought.
. It’s smart to love God, however, that love should be prompted by His love. Why do we love Him? Because of His great gift of salvation.
.We love him because of what He did for us.
. He freely gave his son Jesus to die for us.
. How can you not love someone who was and did die for you?
. When we love God, his love abides in us and allows us to love each other.
. When God lives in and through us, then we can love each other.
. That is the only way we can love others the way God wants. Through his power and his strength.
. We overcome our natural instincts of selfishness and jealousy and self centeredness.
. Look at what Paul told the Corinthian Christians about love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
. 4Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
5or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
6It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
7Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
. Overcomers are Patient, kind, not proud or boastful. They are never to be rude or demanding their own way. They seek and rejoice in the truth. They are always hopeful and they never lose faith.
. There is no way we can be and do all these things without first loving God and allowing Him to reside within us.
. When we love God first, we overcome who we are in our humanity and can then love our brothers and sisters in Christ the way God tells us to.
. An Overcomer is identified by their love for God and for their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
. Lastly, we can be recognized as an overcomer by our:
. Obedience To The Word
. Look at verses 2&3 again.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
. God’s word exists to guide us, to comfort us, to teach us.
. Do you listen to God’s word?
. Do you spend time in and with God’s word?
. When we do this, we can hear his voice. Through his word is how god speaks and teaches us.
. In our hustle bustle world, we get distracted, so many distractions, so many choices .
. It seems that we hear what we want to hear and many times tune out the voice of the Lord.
. I have used this illustration before but it is applicable to listening for and hearing God.
"Two men were walking along a crowded city sidewalk. Suddenly, one of the men remarked: "Listen to the lovely sound of that cricket."
But the other man could not hear the sound of the cricket at all.
He asked his friend: "How can you hear the sound of a cricket ... amid the roar of the traffic and the sounds of the city."
The first man, who was a zoologist, had trained himself to hear the sounds of nature.
He didn’t explain to his friend how he could hear the sound of the cricket, ..... instead, he reached into his pocket, ....pulled out a half-dollar coin,.... dropped it onto the sidewalk, And watched intently as a dozen people began to look for the coin as they heard it clanking amid the sounds of the traffic and the sounds of the city.
He turned to his friend and said, ..... "We hear ....what we listen for."
. You can recognize an overcomer by their obedience to God’s word.
. They have overcome all the distractions that we have around us and they are obedient to God’s word.
. Can you be recognized as an overcomer this morning?
. Have you overcome the philosophy of this world and embraced the truth of Jesus Christ.
. Do you love God so that you can overcome you nature and love others.
. If you are truly an overcomer, you will love God’s word and walk in obedience to him.
. In The Revelation, Jesus talks about overcomers in the letters to the seven churches.
. Let me highlight one of them from Rev 2:7
. 7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
. Are You An Overcomer This Morning
. Invitation
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources: The Holy Bible, KJV, NLT
Illustrations, sermon central
Main Outline from John MacArthur’s commentary on 1 John 5:1-5
