Contagious Christians Overcome
Notes
Transcript
Intro; As far as I can tell, everybody likes to be a winner. No one likes to lose. Not only that, but people like hanging out with winners. Just look at the last election and see how people like being on the Trump train or associated with the MAGA movement. Now the DOGE syndrome is beginning to seep into private corporations by cutting waste and DEI programs in their companies.
The reason these things are considered winners is because they are overcoming years of neglect by elected officials and are creating an environment and sense of winning for the taxpayers of this country. That becomes contagious.
In the spiritual realm, Christians are winners, victorious in Christ, because we are Overcomers in Christ. But we need to make Christianity a winning influence in our society so people would want to get on board the MJGA train [Make Jesus Glorious Again].
Too many christians are depressed and defeated all the time and that doesn’t sound like an overcomer with a winning attitude. We need to change that so our Jesus becomes contagious in others.
Text; 1 John 5:1-5
1 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 faith.
5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1. Winners Know God; 1
1. Winners Know God; 1
The difference between a winner and a loser is God!
The first step in being “overcomers” is to know our God. If we are going to keep and project a winning attitude in life, we have to be certain of our relationship to God in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the Christ- Messiah or Anointed One. Jesus Christ is the Son of God anointed to be the Savior of the world. When we believe this by faith, we are born again and become a new creation in Christ.
Since we have become a new creation in Christ, then our attitude towards life has changed, from being defeated to victorious.
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
It’s hard to rejoice always and even hard sometimes to pray. And we are not going to give thanks for all circumstances, but in all circumstances we can thank God we are not alone in them and pray for His strength to get through them. In the end we will be overcomers and projecting a winning attitude in Christ!
When we are confident in our God through a personal relationship in Christ, we can project a winning attitude to the world. [Turn to Phil. 2]
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
Overcomers have love for God and God’s people, because He loves us!
2. Winners Keep His Commands; 2-3
2. Winners Keep His Commands; 2-3
Winners always stick to the game plan. Every successful business, sports team, nation, family and ministry have a game-plan and they stick to it no matter what!
The game-plan of God is found in His Word and that plan is not burdensome plan. It can only be followed by faith!
So what is the game-plan of God? [v.2] Love others because we love God.
Loving other believers is a big matter to the Lord. That issue is repeated over and again in this epistle. Love for the brethren is a key factor in being victorious and also showing Jesus in your life.
28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.
33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But after that no one dared question Him.
Keep His Commandments- attend to very carefully, guard, hold fast.
The command to love God and others needs to be seen as guarding treasure. Treasure is something of great value and the love of God is priceless!
127 Therefore I love Your commandments More than gold, yes, than fine gold!
162 I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure.
Not Burdensome- hard, severe, abusive
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
The Word of God lifts us up and doesn’t weigh us down. Love for the Lord makes obedience to Him and His Word desirable.
Loving God is not a burden because He first loved us. Loving others should not be a burden either, because God loves them as well!
3. Faith Wins; 4-5
3. Faith Wins; 4-5
The world is where our battles are fought and Satan is the ruler of this world right now. Satan tries to use our problems to defeat us, but God wants to use them to develop us.
John Piper says: Faith sees that Jesus is better. That is why faith conquers the world. The world held us in bondage by the power of its desires. But now our eyes have been opened by the new birth to see the superior desirability of Jesus. Jesus is better than the desires of the flesh, and better then the desires of the eyes, and better than the riches that strangle us with greed and pride (Mark 4:19) (“Regeneration, Faith, Love”). Jesus is indeed superior, and faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Faith was at the beginning, it is with us today, and it will be with us to the end. It is a distinguishing birthmark that says I am a child of God.
Winners overcome the world through faith in Christ
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
We don’t overcome by trying, we overcome by trusting!
Close;
Faith is not simply believing what God says is true. Faith is acting upon it because it is true. Faith is the power source for “Overcomers.”
We should be like the boy in the baseball dugout when a spectator asked him about the score. The little boy said, “We’re behind eighteen to nothing.” “Wow,” said the spectator, “I bet you are discouraged.” “Why should I be discouraged?” replied the boy. “We haven’t even got to bat yet!”
Contagious Christians Overcome by Faith!
