Essentials for an Overcoming Life
1 John 5:1-5
1. Turn with me to 1 John 5 as we get back into our study of 1 John.
Some time back I shared the difference between flying and flying.
Track in KC area when the Blue Angels took off from a nearby airport and began to practice for an upcoming air show.
Standing on the track they flew by at what seemed to be just over my head. They passed me again in formation with wings almost touching. Then two of them passed each other and both pointed the noses of their jets straight upwards and flew. They reached a certain height and turned backs towards the earth and dove right at me. They got as close as they could to the ground and turned out of the dive again buzzing me.
I watched all this and thought ‘Now that is flying’. Imagine taking a flight from Tulsa to LA and the pilot, buzzing sheep herd, flying wing to wing with other planes, flying towards the moon and diving to the earth.
We experience minor turbulance in a passenger jet and we have a cow.
Some people live lives that are as different from another persons as those pilots flying styles. John says the Christian is meant to live an
CHAPTER 3: “We are the children of God, and such we are!’
Exciting title given to us(Positionally)
CHAPTER 5 Second exciting title given to us(OVERCOMERS/5:4)
Practical application of being a child of God. Greek ‘victor’ NIKEO
Put on my Nikes and should be overcomers ‘conquer the task at hand’
OVERCOMING LIFE. Paul said we are to be MORE THAN CONQUERORS.
Jesus said we are to live an ABUNDANT LIFE. What makes this possible?
Four Essentials for an Overcoming Life To excel at climbing a mountain, rafting a river, survival in the wilderness it is necessary that you not be casual but be prepared.
LIFE – (1) Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God,
1. Some things are so obvious that they are seem silly to mention but to take on a challenge in this life you have to be alive.
2. John says an Overcomer must have life, the life that is only found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
A man dressed in a devil costume was walking to a Halloween party. He got caught in a sudden rainstorm and ducked into a building for shelter.
The building was a storefront church that has just been whipped into a state of emotion frenzy. The congregation spotted this guy dressed like the devil and panicked.
Everyone left except one poor woman who simply sat still. As their eyes met she said to the man, ‘You know, I’ve been on your side all along!’
A day of reckoning may reveal something unexpected.
John says #1: Make sure you understand the only source of an overcoming life and that is through knowing Jesus Christ.
An unbeliever can climb a mountain, make millions of dollars, become MVP at work or in sport without knowing Jesus but he can never conquer sin.
3. The emphasis is that the fact of that life is that God has given it to us in the new birth. We are ‘born of God’, it is His work in us and thus His life is reproduced in us.
Ever driven across west Texas, New Mexico and Arizona then you are aquainted with Tumbleweeds.
The are in constant motion depending upon the movement of the wind.
They technically are plants but because they have no connected root they are really dead inside and without life.
You will never go to Store and buy Tumbleweed Juice or any fruit that grows on them. They move around a lot but the source of their activity is not life.
Surrounded by people in constant motion, jobs, family, entertainment, hobbies but no real life exist without knowing, being rooted into Jesus.
HEALTH and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.
(2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.
1. You need to not only have a body but a healthy one to take on life’s challenges.
a. John has spent the great balance of this Epistle sharing how essential it is that we have a healthy love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a sign of spiritual health.
2. Two important truths:
a. We love one another because we are all family: whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.
1) Sometimes we have a great affection for someone because of our love for their parents
2) Our love for others that surround us at this moment is based somewhat on the simple fact that we are all a part of God’s family. Belong to one another through our relationship with Him.
Witness an amazing display: Battle of two 7-8 yr old brothers.
Putting baseboards in back of van while mother across parking lot at Homestore was in back of pickup arranging a load.
Started with picking on a younger boy until mom put him up in back with her. Then an amazing 10 minute display that reminded me of TV wrestling.
Two boys now turned attention to one another: Circling the truck chasing one another, one knocks one down, crying, one pulls another to ground by hair, crying, one gets other on ground and punches the face, crying, one pushes other into truck and begins pummeling, crying, On and on for 10 minutes while woman in truck attempts to ignore.
How can they treat one another like that? I know this is a family matter but Lady I coming over to put a stop to this craziness.
Some churches might appear this way to the world but what should be seen is the evidence of our love for each other.
b. Loving others involves keeping God’s commandments
1) Consider how many of God’s commands involves the right treatment of others: not steal, kill, covet, bear false witness, adultery,….
.Basic rules of any household have to do with
proper treatment of other family members.
2) How we love one another makes all the difference in the church:
Man and his family years ago drove their covered wagon into a small western town. They stopped in front of the town store and spoke to the owner sitting on a bench next to his friend.
‘What kind of town is this?’ they asked. ‘
Well, what kind of town did you come from?’
‘A wonderful town, everybody knew each other, were concerned about each other, and were very wonderful people, we hated to leave and want to find a town just like it’. ‘’This is just the same kind of town which you left’.
Another wagon pulled up and asked the same question. ‘What kind of town did you leave?’ ‘
We were glad to get away from it, meanest people you can imagine, never had any friends there and so we left’. ‘We are the same kind of people here in this town’. The people drove on.
The friend asked, ‘Wait a minute, what do you mean giving those two men different answers to the same question?’
‘I have learned that any town will be the same kind of town you leave if you remain the same kind of person’.
3. A healthy life is a life of loving one another and is a necessity for being an overcomer.
John Wesley once said, "God knows nothing of solitary religion". John Wesley also said, "No man ever went to heaven alone".
Consider the example of fellowship that is shared among the Red wood trees. It has been said that the redwood trees are the largest living things on earth. "Seeing their size, one would think that the redwood tree is so strong that it is completely independent. Such is not the case. Redwood trees do not have a very deep root system. For this reason, one rarely sees a redwood tree growing alone. Instead, they grow in groves and they intertwine their roots together. In this way these giant trees support one another".
FACTS (3) For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
1. To do anything challenging you need to have a knowledge of necessary facts. My interest in certain facts shows that I have the attitude needed to became skillful at a certain task. A person of spiritual excellence will have an unquenchable thirst for the Word of God.
Gen George Patton was asked what he thought of the Bible. ‘I read it every BLANKY BLANK day!’.
No magic in just reading but it is in keeping the truth, applying the truth
2. My keeping God’s Word shows how much I love Him: this is the love of God that we keep His commandments.
D.L. Moody, ‘Every Bible should be bound in leather, shoe leather’.
Not meant to be head knowledge but living truths.
a. When you love someone you take great interest in what they have to say: God’s Word is His love letter, His instruction manual for us, His playbook for the game.
Philip Wylie: Americans are rapidly becoming a ‘nothing people’ a ‘generation of zero’s’ because we do not believe anything anymore.
3. My keeping God’s Word is possible because of His power in my life: and His commandments are not burdensome.
a. Keeping the Word of God is impossible for a lost man, burdensome for a backslidden man, but invigorating for the overcomer.
1) Immature Christian responds to the demands of the Bible with ‘Why?’ ‘This would be better…’
b. Literally say, ‘It is not heavy’. Jesus said that the ‘truth shall set you free’.
2) Religion is very heavy but Jesus said that His ‘burden is light and yoke is easy’.
a) Idea is that the ox still works the field but that the yoke is form fitted, custom made, perfectly formed for us. God’s will for you is a perfect fit for how He has designed you.
The Christian who complains that God’s Word is a burden does not know the meaning of love WW
The lover of God says, "O how I love thy law! I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart (Ps. 119:32), when thou shalt enlarge it either with love or with thy Spirit, the spring of love.’’
Ps 119:54 Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. Traffic code set to music. Joy in knowing God’s truth. Not meant to be a burden but an expression of His love.
COURAGE (4) For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. (5) Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1. A high achiever is never afraid of risk, of stepping out and taking on the challenge before them. Faith is launching out on the truths of God that we love. Courage to take on the will of God.
2. Notice the ‘whatever’ instead of ‘whoever’ is born of God. To be an overcomer we must have a faith that has it’s source from God. God puts within our heart this ability to believe great things are possible.
nike /nee•kay/] n f. Apparently a primary word; translates as “victory” The overcomer overcomes because the overcoming in in him and exercises itself as he exhibits faith.
a. World has no defense against someone who captures this attitude towards God in their heart.
b. When was the last time you took on a challenge because of what God put into your heart. Faith is God’s gift to us in that He puts within our heart the desire that He plans to satisfy.
Book I am reading from the author of experiencing God stated: God never told men to do something they could do on their own.
3. Two important points:
a. We cannot live a life of victory, an overcoming life apart from faith. If you cannot identify faith being lived out in your life then the overcoming life is not a possibility for you.
b. It all comes back to the object of our faith, Jesus. Where John started in verse 1 and even in chapter 1, verse 1.
c. Who is the one who overcomes, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory NLT
1) Courage to trust Him, courage to center all of life around my relationship with Him.
Old civil war veteran used to wander around begging for food and a place to stay. He would always talk about his good friend, ‘Mr. Lincoln’.
He had been hurt in the war and was unable to hold a regular job but had pride in a letter from the president which he was not even able to read.
‘You say you knew Lincoln? Prove it!’ Old man pulled out the paper. ‘Here, I have this paper that he signed a gave me’.
Took out an old paper folded many times. ‘Do you know what you have here old man?’ ‘You have a generous federal pension authorized by the President. You don’t have to live like a poor beggar, Lincoln has made you rich!’.
What a wonderful life is possible for the Child of God because knowing Jesus has made us rich.
