Overcomer - 1 John 5:1-5

Introduction

Eric Liddel

Early Life and Education:

- Born in China to Scottish missionaries, grew up loving the Lord.

- Quiet and shy, loved math, chemistry, and sports.

- At sixteen, won three track and field events at his Scottish boarding school.

University and Fame:

- Attended University of Edinburgh, joined the track team, nicknamed "the Flying Scotsman."

- Used his fame to share his faith in Christ.

Olympic Challenge:

- Qualified for the 1924 Paris Olympics, 100-meter race.

- Refused to run on Sunday, offered to run the 400-meter race instead.

- Won gold and set a world record, inspiring the film *Chariots of Fire*.

Missionary Work and Sacrifice:

- Returned to China as a missionary, married Florence, had three daughters.

- During the Japanese invasion, moved family to Canada, returned alone to China.

- Captured and interned, ministered joyfully to fellow prisoners.

- Gave up his spot in a prisoner exchange for a pregnant woman.

- Died from a brain tumor before liberation; the world mourned his sacrifice.

Eric Liddell's story reminds us of what it means to truly live by faith.

This unwavering commitment to God, even when it meant giving up his Olympic dream, shows us the power of faith in action.

He didn't just talk about his faith; he lived it out, overcoming every obstacle in his path.

John, in his letter, calls us to this kind of faith.

He reminds us that through our faith in Jesus, we can overcome the challenges and temptations of this world.

John's message is simple but profound: our faith is the key to victory.

This isn't just about believing in our minds but trusting in our hearts and living it out in our lives.

It's the kind of faith that gives us confidence, fills us with joy, and enables us to overcome.

As we look at 1 John 5:1-5 today, we will see how this faith works in us.

It makes us overcomers.

Big Idea: God’s children are overcomers by faith.

Let's begin with how this faith gives us confident assurance in our walk with God.

See first, Confident Faith

1 - Confident Faith (1 John 5:1-2)

1 John 5:1–2 (ESV)

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

There are three clear signs in 1 John that help us answer the critical question: “Do I have confidence or condemnation?”

a. Theological Sign: Belief in Jesus Christ

b. Moral Sign: Living a Righteous Life

c. Social Sign: Loving Other Christians

In other words: what I believe, how I live and how I love

First, there's the theological sign.

You should have confidence if you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

John doesn’t want us living in doubt; he wants us to have assurance, to know we have eternal life.

This assurance starts with believing in Jesus—that He is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, and that He came in the flesh.

If we get our theology wrong about Jesus, we miss the one who is eternal life.

But if you believe in His only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, you can have confidence.

Second, there's the moral sign.

Confidence comes when you live a righteous life.

Those who continually practice wickedness, who dive headlong into sin without repentance, should not be confident.

Remember what Paul tells us: we’re no longer slaves to sin but to righteousness.

Jesus Himself said a good tree can’t bear bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t bear good fruit.

So, living righteously should give us confidence.

And when we stumble, as part of living a righteous life, we confess and seek Christ’s cleansing.

(NOW HERE ME On my white board 1:8-10 - NOT PERFECT…I am not calling for perfection. But a growing awareness of sinfulness and moving towards holiness. )

Third, there's the social sign.

Confidence also comes from loving other Christians.

John has already told us if you hate like Cain, you don’t have life.

But if your heart and your wallet are open to your brothers and sisters, eternal life abides in you.

Loving one another is a non-negotiable sign of true spiritual life.

These are John’s three signposts assuring us that we're on the road to eternal life.

They aren’t things we do to earn salvation but indicators that God has indeed saved us.

We believe in Jesus Christ, live a righteous life, and are loving toward other Christians.

To put it simply: we know we have eternal life if we love Jesus, His commands, and His people.

None of these are optional.

All must be present in a Christian, serving as signs for our assurance.

John repeats these points because they matter.

So let me ask

Do you love God?

Do you love His commands?

Do you love His people?

If not, it's a sign of spiritual death.

If you do, it's a sign of life.

And that gives us confidence in our faith instead of condemnation.

This is what faith is - the knowledge of, trust in, and commitment to Jesus Christ.

Jesus died to make us new.

Exalting Jesus in 1,2,3 John (We Have Been Born of God (1 John 5:1, 4))

Jesus did not come to die on a bloody cross to make us kinder and nicer persons. He came to dramatically, personally, radically, and eternally transform us and make us new people

Illustration:

- Spurgeon - Illustrating the assurance of the new birth - Let me read it to you

Suppose a child was born in a coal pit, and has seen no light except that of the candles down below.

Then he is suddenly taken up the shaft to see the sun, and the green fields, and the sweet spring flowers.

What a surprise!

I cannot wonder if the child should think himself dreaming.

But if you were to say to him, “Are you out of the coal pit? Can you prove that you are?”

Although the child would hardly know where he was because of his vast surprise,

yet he would be sure that he was out of the darkness, convinced by an argument within himself that nobody could refute.

So we do know that we are born again, for we feel a new life and live in a new world.

Things we never dreamed of before we have realized now.

I remember one who when he was converted said, “Well, either the world is new or else I am.”

This change is to us strong evidence that faith is in us, and has exercised its power.

- This is where I would encourage you to examine your own lives for these signs.

Again

Theological - What I believe

Moral - How I live

Social - How I love

This is where again I would beckon you to community.

Don’t let your faith only exist in these four walls.

We need the people of God to stir us up to deeper places.

We need to deepen our belief

That means we need to grow theologically. We need to walk with Jesus.

We need to know him.

We need to pursue righteousness.

That means repenting of sin.

Asking for others to speak in our lives.

Finally we need to love one another more genuinely.

HOW BILLY? HOW DO I DO THIS?!

Again this looks like practicing the disciplines as we have been talking about

Rest

Silence and Solitude

Prayer

Fasting

Scripture

Community

Generosity

Service

Witness

Do these practices? These disciplines come up in your life?

Not habit stacking.

It’s about being formed.

Paul would say conformed to the image of Christ.

They aren’t things we do to earn salvation but indicators that God has indeed saved us.

Are you living confidently?

John shows us that following Jesus isn’t drudgery it’s delight.

We see second

2 - Joyful Faith (1 John 5:3)

1 John 5:3 (ESV)

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

Because of Jesus, we can now see God’s commands not as burdens, but as a reflection of our new identity in Him.

That's why John says at the end of verse 3 that God’s commandments are not “burdensome.”

The Greek word here means “heavy, hard to bear.”

God’s commands aren’t burdensome when we love Him and are born of Him.

When we submit our will to the Spirit, His commands become a joy, not a burden.

Some people see Christianity as a religion of rules, and for them, keeping those rules is burdensome.

It's like listening to a man in chains talk about how free he is.

They miss that Christianity is about a family relationship.

We obey out of love for our heavenly Father, making obedience a delight.

Think of children who think their parents are mean for saying "no" to touching a hot stove. (Last night Sammy wanted to jump down)

Only maturity helps them see their parents' love and care.

Similarly, God’s commands are for our good because He loves us.

Obedience, then, brings true freedom.

When John says God’s “commandments are not burdensome,”

he’s not saying it’s easy to keep the Law.

Following Jesus today takes every ounce of our spiritual strength and all that God gives us through His Spirit.

And you will still fail often at times.

God’s commands aren’t burdensome because He provides the strength to fulfill them.

The Holy Spirit motivates and empowers us to live out God’s commands.

No duty is too difficult when performed out of love.

General Charles Duke, who walked on the moon during Apollo 16, was asked if he ever wished he could stay longer or go further on the moon.

He said he thought about it but knew his survival depended on obeying NASA’s commands.

They landed with just sixty seconds of fuel left!

Sometimes we whine about obeying God like children with their parents, but our love for God is shown in our obedience.

John is clear: you can’t say you love God and not do what He says.

Obedience is the proof of our love.

Obedience isn't the price we pay to get into God’s family.

John’s already made it clear that our spiritual heritage is a result of God’s great love for us in Christ, not something we earn by our efforts.

Notice what verse 3 says: it’s not “This is the love of God, that we OUGHT to keep his commandments," but "This is the love of God, that we KEEP his commandments.”

See the difference?

It’s a promise, not a requirement.

We can’t make ourselves spiritually alive any more than a newborn can birth itself.

Being born of God is something done to us, not by us.

It’s a gift from outside ourselves.

Now, John makes a bold claim: “His commandments are not burdensome.”

If you struggle with legalism, this can be hard to grasp.

The law shows us our sin and can feel like a heavy weight.

But for the Christian, God’s commands aren’t burdensome. How?

One pastor words it so well asking: “Is it a burden to believe in the Son of God who died for our sins? Is it a burden to be called one of God’s children?”

The demands of the law aren’t lessened, and it’s not that we’ve been given some spiritual superpower to obey perfectly.

It’s that Jesus has already fulfilled the law for us.

When we read commandments in Scripture—“do this” or “don’t do that”—we can mentally check them off as completed.

Jesus’ perfect obedience means there are no unfulfilled commands left for us to meet.

The law demanded much, but Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross met every demand.

As Martin Luther said, “The severity of the Law was so great that it drove Christ to the Cross.”

This deep joy is where duty transforms into delight.

Being born of God means that we have an inherent, deep-seated desire to please Him.

It's not a burden but a profound joy!

When we align our hearts with God's heart, His commands become not just doable, but delightful.

Think about it: when you deeply love someone, their wishes and desires become your own.

It’s no longer about following a set of rules but about living out a relationship.

Imagine a musician who loves playing their instrument. Or an artist creating.

The hours of practice aren't a chore but a joy because it brings them closer to their art.

Are there moments of block for artists, difficulties yes, but what unlocks those moments when they rediscover their love for it.

Similarly, our obedience to God isn’t about checking off boxes; it’s about living in harmony with Him.

Consider the transformation that happens in a relationship when love is genuine.

A loving parent doesn't see caring for their child as a burden but as a joy, even when it's challenging.

This is the kind of love God plants in us when we are born of Him.

Our obedience springs from love,

making the commands of God a source of joy rather than a weight to bear.

So, when John says God's commands are not burdensome,

he means that in the context of love, our spiritual duty becomes our deepest delight.

This shift from duty to delight signifies a heart truly transformed by God's love.

Our desires align with His, and we find joy in pleasing Him because His Spirit is at work in us, empowering and guiding us.

Living in this truth means embracing the joy of our new identity in Christ.

It's not about striving in our strength but resting in His, finding joy in our journey of faith.

Every command becomes an opportunity to express our love for God, and every act of obedience becomes a celebration of our relationship with Him.

This is the beauty of being born of God: His commands are our joy, His will is our desire, and our duty turns into a dance of delight.

So we are those whose faith brings assurance and joy….but John says not only that but our faith makes us overcomers.

3 - Overcoming Faith (1 John 5:4-5)

1 John 5:4–5 (ESV)

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

We are overcomers

Listen why does John want us to have assurance?

Why spill all this ink, why go through this series.

Because John wants you to overcome.

We are in a great conflict that rages daily over all the earth.

It is an unseen battle but no less real.

It is a spiritual battle between the forces of God and the forces of Satan.

We wage war against Satan, Our Flesh, and the World

What does John mean when he says world?

One theologian said it this way The world is a place where man reigns supreme, with the forces of nature as his only possible adversaries. Man is alone, free, and growing stronger. God is either nonexistent or unconcerned. It is human initiative that makes history, and it is primarily by force that constellations change. Man can attain his own salvation.

But the world is more than just no-God; it’s anti-God.

Dallas Willard gave the world this definition: Our cultural and social practices, that are under the control of Satan and, thus, opposed to God

Gerry Breshears put it this way: The world is Satan’s domain, where his authority and values reign—though his deception makes that hard to realize. If you are of the world, then it all seems right.

We Christians are soldiers in the army of the Captain of our Salvation, marching as to war.

John tells us that faith is the victory!

- Flag in my office - "The Ride of the Rohirrim."

King Theoden stirring the army in the face of an insurmountable task yells out

Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden! Spear shall be shaken, shield shall be splintered, a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now, ride now, ride! Ride for ruin and the world's ending!

Just as the Rohirrim charged into battle with unwavering courage, we too are called to fight a greater, unseen battle every day.

But our weapon is faith.

John reminds us that our faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

Real faith, saving faith, is faith in Jesus the Christ.

John repeats, “believes that Jesus is the Christ” and “believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

The Christian life begins with faith in Jesus as the Son of God.

But faith is also a necessary component of the Christian life every single day.

Again we face three great enemies: the world, our own flesh, and the devil.

Life is a struggle.

The world tempts us like a seductive whisper, promising pleasure but leading us away from Jesus.

How do we overcome?

By recognizing that faith teaches us to overcome the world.

Read Hebrews 11 and see how the great men and women of the Old Testament won the victory “by faith.”

Not by intellect, not by power, but by faith.

Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William Seward, predicted the war would be over in ninety days.

Young men by the thousands came forward to volunteer to whip the South.

Four long years later, half a million lives had been lost.

The North underestimated the strength of the South.

Christians should never overestimate the power of Satan, but we should not underestimate his power either.

Conversion is like enlisting in the army.

The newborn Christian is a member the moment he enlists.

But he has yet to see combat.

How do we conquer the world?

Not by escaping it like monks, but by living in it and overcoming it through faith.

John says we “overcome” and “have overcome” the world.

The victory has happened, yet we still fight.

Have you ever heard of Hiroo Onoda?

He was a Japanese soldier sent to Lubang Island in the Philippines during World War II.

Onoda's orders were clear: never surrender.

Even after Japan surrendered in 1945, Onoda continued to fight a guerrilla war for nearly 30 years, believing the war was still ongoing.

He dismissed all attempts to inform him of the war’s end, considering them enemy propaganda.

It wasn't until 1974, when his former commanding officer was brought to the island to relieve him of his duties, that Onoda finally laid down his arms and accepted that the war was over.

Satan, refuses to acknowledge his defeat.

Christ’s victory on the cross means we are no longer under Satan’s dominion, but our battle against sin and temptation continues.

We need to fight with the confidence that comes from knowing we already have victory through Jesus.

To truly overcome the world, we need more than our own strength.

We need the weapon of faith.

Faith opens our eyes to see beyond the visible, just like Elijah’s servant who suddenly saw the heavenly army surrounding them.

The world is strong, no doubt.

But Christ is infinitely stronger.

In Christ, we have a power that the world can’t comprehend.

This power isn’t something we muster up; it’s something given to us.

It’s the Holy Spirit within us, empowering us to live out this victory every single day.

The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, giving us the strength to face any challenge, to resist any temptation, and to walk in victory.

So take heart, brothers and sisters.

You’re not fighting for victory; you’re fighting from victory.

The world might seem powerful, but remember, Christ has already overcome the world.

And through Him, you have the power to overcome as well.

Again verse 5

1 John 5:5 (ESV)

Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Our relationship with Christ, our union with Him in salvation, is what enables us to overcome the world.

It’s not about keeping all the rules or mustering enough willpower.

It’s about faith in Christ and knowing I belong to Him.

I am in Christ, now and forever.

From Him, I draw all the strength and power I need.

Faith shows me that in Christ, I am more than a conqueror.

I am an overcomer!

In a crisis moment the day before General Eisenhower was to lead the Allied Forces in one of the most decisive battles of World War II along the Rhine River, he was approached by a panicked young soldier.

The young man pled to be sent back because he was sick.

His appeal was denied by the field general.

He then begged to be sent home to help his mother in her time of need.

Again the request was turned down.

As the general was about to leave he turned to the young man and said, “Would it make you feel better if we met here tomorrow morning and went down to the river together?”

Biographers tell of the young man bravely walking down to the river by the general’s side with great courage.

The victory was theirs.

Together they overcame.

John tells us in verse 5 that the key to victory is believing in Jesus, the Son of God.

When he asks, “Who is it that overcomes the world?” he’s essentially saying, “If Christians aren’t victorious, then no one is!”

Our victory doesn’t come from ourselves, our church, our theological persuasion but only from Jesus, the Son of God.

In 1 John 5:1-5, and throughout the whole letter, the focus isn’t on what we do, like loving our neighbor, but on why we do it.

We act out of love because we have been “born of God.”

Our origin is in Him.

The emphasis is on our motive, not just our actions.

I love my fellow believers, I keep God’s commandments, and I have victory over the world by faith because of who I am and whose I am.

Do you want to live a victorious Christian life?

John says the Victory Express runs on two tracks: trust and obey.

We don’t fight for victory; we fight from victory.

Christ has already won the victory for us at Calvary.

And when the battle is fought, everyone wants to know who wins!

Well, through faith in Jesus, we already know the answer.

Conclusion

We were in Omaha at a music venue that doubled as a food pantry

A strung out hardcore kid on the streets

Koi fish scales

In Christ I am an overcomer

John's message to us is clear: our faith in Jesus is what enables us to conquer every challenge and temptation we face.

It's not about our own efforts or abilities but about resting in the finished work of Christ and drawing strength from Him daily.

You are an overcomer.

As you leave today, I invite you to respond in faith.

Reflect on the areas where you need assurance, joy, and victory.

Bring these to Jesus, knowing that He is faithful to meet you where you are and lead you into a deeper, more victorious life with Him.

Do you need assurance in your faith?

Do you seek joy in your walk with God?

Do you long for victory over the struggles you face?

I encourage you to take a moment to bring these desires to Jesus in prayer, trusting that He will strengthen and empower you.

Prayer

- Close with a prayer, asking God to strengthen the faith of the congregation, give them assurance, fill them with joy, and help them overcome through faith in Christ.

When it comes to my faith have I considered what I believe, how I live and how I love?

Do I see obedience to God’s commands as a burden or as a joyful expression of my love for Him?

In what ways can I remind myself that Christ has already won the victory over the world, and through Him, I too am an overcomer?

Do I believe that I am an overcomer through faith in Jesus?

PRAYER

Citizens Church

New Year, Home Groups, Adam and Emily

Bustles and Garcias - Baby Sayler

Upcoming Cookout

That a hunger for studying the gospel would form among members so that they can guide and guard one another in it.

BENEDICTION

Now may God be your exceeding Joy

Christ your only hope

the Holy Spirit your unfailing comforter in all your worship, in all your work, in all your troubles until Jesus comes. Amen.