Overcomers
Overcomers • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The year of obedience continues as we move into a series called overcomers. This series will focus on how we are called to not simply make it through things, not barely get by, but to become overcomers. God created us for a sinless life, for a world that would thrive on a relationship with Him. Unfortunately none of us got a say in being born into sin and we must now learn to navigate this life and rebuild a fractured and distorted relationship. Through Christ we have a restored ability to personally have relationship with God. Because of what Jesus did we no longer have to offer sacrifices and follow rituals, we can have a personal relationship with the Father, through the Son and we can overcome this world. As we set out on this journey over the next 10 weeks we will learn how to overcome, anxiety, fear, falsehood, evil, confusion, death, weakness, and a list of other fiery arrows the devil loves to throw our way. This week together we will see in scripture the heart of the believer who overcomes. Consider this an overview of how to become an overcomer.
Walking through a park, I passed a massive oak tree. A vine had grown up along its trunk. The vine started small--nothing to bother about. But over the years the vine had gotten taller and taller. By the time I passed, the entire lower half of the tree was covered by the vine's creepers. The mass of tiny feelers was so thick that the tree looked as though it had innumerable birds' nests in it.
Now the tree was in danger. This huge, solid oak was quite literally being taken over; the life was being squeezed from it. But the gardeners in that park had seen the danger. They had taken a saw and severed the trunk of the vine--one neat cut across the middle. The tangled mass of the vine's branches still clung to the oak, but the vine was now dead. That would gradually become plain as weeks passed and the creepers began to die and fall away from the tree. How easy it is for sin, which begins so small and seemingly insignificant, to grow until it has a strangling grip on our lives. And yet, Christ's death has cut the power of sin. Yes, the "creepers" of sin still cling and have some effect. But sin's power is severed by Christ, and gradually, sin's grip dries up and falls away. -J. Alister Brown
In your life sin has crept its way in slowly strangling your ability to live as God intended for you to live. The success that you could have is often times not even considered. We often times adjust to the sin in our lives as opposed to overcoming it because we figure, it is just a part of life. We will together over the next few months watch those creepers die and fall away, freeing us to be overcomers and to live a vibrant and thriving Christian walk. Today we will be in Romans 8:31-39 and in these scriptures we will see that we are not to live as if we are still dead, we are not to live as if sin still has a hold on us. We are called to walk in the victory of the cross with our heads held high because we serve a Lord who has conquered death and sin and has given us the keys to victory. In the scripture this morning we will see three things that we must believe to be overcomers in our lives. First, God is for you. Second, Failure does not define you, Third Christ is Faithful. Please read the scripture with me.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God is for you
God is for you
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
It is difficult when you are going through the valleys and the deserts to understand how God can be for you. In order to be an overcomer, you must be willing to set your mind and heart on the fact that God is for you. Very often it can feel like nothing in your life is going right and that God must be so angry at you that He is allowing devastation in your life. When we begin to feel this way and the devil begins to sow those seeds of doubt we must be prepared to answer him and rebuke him. What does the scripture say?
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
We see here that first God is for us, but also that God because He loved us was not even willing to spare His own Son. What is that telling us?
Have you ever watched someone else’ kid? You know how it can be a challenge. Sometimes they do not understand your rules or the way you do things so what do they do? They challenge your rules. They are checking to see if your rules are really rules or if they are guidelines that you try to follow. What happens when someone else’ child breaks your rules? You correct them right? If you don’t let your own children do that, why would you let someone else’ child do that? You wouldn’t. Much in the same way God did not remove the struggle of the Cross from Jesus life, He is not always going to remove the struggles from our lives.
Why would God allow us to go through struggles? It does not make sense does it? We initially look at this and we go what kind of God allows His people to face struggles and challenges? I would ask you, what kind of parent protects their children from struggles and challenges? I have read this quote before from William Batten
When I hear my friends say they hope their children don't have to experience the hardships they went through--I don't agree. Those hardships made us what we are. You can be disadvantaged in many ways, and one way may be not having had to struggle.
We must face struggles and if God did not stop Jesus from facing the cross, why would He stop us from facing the many struggles we will face? The answer to why God would allow us to face struggles is simple and it is found in His Word.
3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
When we face suffering we build endurance. When you have faced life’s most challenging struggles, what has it done for you? For me it brought me closer to God. It built in me the understanding of suffering and the understanding that in this World we will face troubles. It makes me less fond of this place and puts my hope in a place where there will be no struggles. A place where I can spend time with the Father and not face the struggles of this place.
These struggles also bring us to a place of dependence on Him. During our struggles He gives us the things we need to make it through
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
God allows us to face struggles and challenges as He allowed Christ to face struggles and challenges, because it deepens our dependence on Him. Picture it as a father who allows his child to walk on a roof and calls for the child to jump and trust him and when the child jumps he catches him. Challenges and struggles build the faith. They build the faith when you understand that God is for you and not against you. His ways are good. The first part of being an overcomer is knowing that God is for you. The second part is to understand that failure does not define you.
Failure does not define you
Failure does not define you
34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Not only is God for you, He will not let failures define you. Who in here has ever failed? I have failed. I have failed in my life as a student. I remember being so bad at math that I had a tutor that walked out and never came back. I have failed as a friend, there have been those in my life who do not want to spend time with me because I have made some grave mistakes as a friend. I have failed as a father at times, I say my kids can make me say things I would never say in church, the truth is though that I failed them as a father by not leading in faith. I have certainly failed at times as a husband. If I look at my life the failures seem to far outnumber the successes. How about you? You know what though? It is OK. God knew that we would face struggles and there would be times of doubt, there would be times of failure, there would be times of struggle. God understands that we, while we can try our best are going to fail at times. Read what that scripture says again.
34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Not one of us can condemn each other for our failures. Jesus who has the right to condemn us stands at the right hand of God, interceding for us. So if Jesus who has the authority to condemn us, then who are we to condemn ourselves or each other? Do not hear me wrong, this is not a free hall pass. You cannot go out of here this morning and say, well the pastor said that Jesus will not condemn me and I should not condemn myself so I can go and do anything I want to do. That is not what I am saying. What I am saying is that when you fail in your attempts to live like Christ, Jesus forgives and intercedes to the Father on your behalf. Failures are going to happen.
On New Year's Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played University of California in the Rose Bowl. In that game a man named Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for California. Somehow, he became confused and started running 65 yards in the wrong direction. One of his teammates, Benny Lom, outdistanced him and downed him just before he scored for the opposing team. When California attempted to punt, Tech blocked the kick and scored a safety which was the ultimate margin of victory.
That strange play came in the first half, and everyone who was watching the game was asking the same question: "What will Coach Nibbs Price do with Roy Riegels in the second half?" The men filed off the field and went into the dressing room. They sat down on the benches and on the floor, all but Riegels. He put his blanket around his shoulders, sat down in a corner, put his face in his hands, and cried like a baby. If you have played football, you know that a coach usually has a great deal to say to his team during half time. That day Coach Price was quiet. No doubt he was trying to decide what to do with Riegels. Then the timekeeper came in and announced that there were three minutes before playing time. Coach Price looked at the team and said simply, "Men the same team that played the first half will start the second." The players got up and started out, all but Riegels. He did not budge. the coach looked back and called to him again; still he didn't move. Coach Price went over to where Riegels sat and said, "Roy, didn't you hear me? The same team that played the first half will start the second." Then Roy Riegels looked up and his cheeks were wet with a strong man's tears. "Coach," he said, "I can't do it to save my life. I've ruined you, I've ruined the University of California, I've ruined myself. I couldn't face that crowd in the stadium to save my life." Then Coach Price reached out and put his hand on Riegel's shoulder and said to him: "Roy, get up and go on back; the game is only half over." And Roy Riegels went back, and those Tech men will tell you that they have never seen a man play football as Roy Riegels played that second half.
Failure with God as our coach means that it is not the defining factor. Is it going to happen? Yes
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
God does not abandon us in those struggles or failures. Christ does not turn from us in our failures. He has the right to, instead He goes to the Father and says, that one is with me. I know they don’t get it yet but just wait and see who they become.
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
With that being said the scripture tells is not to practice sin.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
God though does not define us by our failures He defines us through the blood of Christ.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
First you must understand that God is for you, even in struggles. Second you must understand that you will fail but Jesus intercedes for you and your failures do not define you, your faith in Christ defines you. Lastly you must know that Christ is Faithful.
Christ is Faithful
Christ is Faithful
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Over-comers understand that struggles do not mean that God hates them, but they understand struggles build their faith and that God will help them through those struggles. They understand failure and do not allow it to define them but use it to guide them moving forward. They also understand that Christ is faithful. This scripture is not a picture of you running after Jesus, this is a picture of Jesus being faithful to you. We are not conquerors or over-comers because of ourselves and our ability to do things. We are conquerors and overcomers because of Christ. Read that again.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Because of Jesus you can face the struggles in life, you can overcome the sins in your life. You can walk away from addictions and struggles. Not on your own but with Christ. Some of you in here are coming out of some of the most challenging times of you lives, some of you are just entering those times. What I can tell you is this Jesus is faithful.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is nothing you can do and no where you can go that Jesus will not chase after you. Over-comers overcome not because they are strong, but because He is strong. You can overcome because no matter what you are facing Jesus wants you to give it to Him. He does not want you to struggle with the weight of the world on your shoulders, He did what He did so you can find rest. The next couple of months we will walk through specific challenges and we will learn how to give those things to Jesus who is faithful and capable of handling every single one of those challenges in our life. Jesus is faithful. You will overcome not because of your strength or might, determination, or grit. But because He has called you to lay your burdens on Him.
28 Come to me, all 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.”
