Overcome

Good morning. Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s. A day you can remember your Dad, and perhaps Grand Dad, step dad, or other Father figure… to appreciate the good things. It’s also a Day for those who are Dads or Grandpa’s to enjoy and celebrate their unique role- and ponder the unique opportunity it is to invest deeply into someone you love, and to make a useful positive contribution to their lives. So let’s have all the Dad’s, Grand Dad’s, Step Dad’s and especially any men here who have lost a child to stand up. Let’s give them a round of applause and appreciation.

Synopsis: It’s hard to overcome the world. And surprising that the secret to overcoming the world is our faith. Doesn’t our faith seem weak at times. Maybe it’s not about us at all. But the quality of the one we have put our faith in. And that secret is what makes all the difference.

1 John 5 HCSB

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him. 2 This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands. 3 For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, 4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. 5 And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 Jesus Christ—He is the One who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the One who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood —and these three are in agreement. 9 If we accept the testimony of men, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that He has given about His Son. 10 (The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him. The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about His Son.) 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for. 16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not bring death, he should ask, and God will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t bring death. There is sin that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that does not bring death. 18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the One who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One. We are in the true One—that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

Overcome the World

Introduction - DEVELOP AN INTRO.... maybe Cypress needs to know something about you...

I’ll just tell you right up front… the point of this chapter and today’s message is Encouragement to Overcome.

To say “You can do it!” and also to explain how.

You can overcome the world. You can overcome the world? How?

Our text today, 1 John 5:1-21.

Hook with Illustration:

Now, you may have noticed this piece of wood up here today. This is a 10’ piece of 4x4 lumber. And here next to the 4x4 is a stack of heavy weights. We’re gonna name these sand bags in a moment - for now let’s just call them all life’s weight.

Because for a moment, I want to describe a problem.

DEVELOP THIS DESCRIPTION _ CREATING THE CONTEXT… THERE IS NO REASON TO LISTEN YET… NO PROBLEM… NO FOUNDATION…

Belief

I want to begin with a verse in the center of our passage today

1 John 5:4b “This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.”

1 John 5:4b HCSB

4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.

Faith

Hmm. This sounds like something we could almost market. Man, this sounds like a theme song. I think we could develop a whole empire on this motif. It sounds like this… “When you wish on a star, makes no difference who you are, anything your hearth desires will come to you” … well then I had to look up the lyrics…

When you wish upon a star Makes no difference who you are Anything your heart desires will come to you

If your heart is in your dream No request is too extreme When you wish upon a star As dreamers do Fate is kind

She brings to those who love The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing

read from other copy...

This sounds like a book I saw on the recommended reads list.

This sounds like that facebook banner

You know I typed in “Believe in Yourself to Google and in .59 seconds it offered me about 231,000,000 results. It offered me one site with 532 quotes about believing in myself.

So what we have so far is far too inadequate.

Because the whole world it seems has taken that little piece right out of 1 John 5 verse 4, and ran with it. But I’m suggesting that where we put our faith changes everything.

And “spoiler alert” we will see that “whom we put our faith in” changes everything.

Illustration on Leverage the point: We can leverage faith - but it’s all about where you place your faith

Put the blocks on the platform

Fear Failure Lust Pride Loss

Red: Me- My Education

Yellow: My Logic/Reason

Green: My Strength

Orange: My Income

Blue Faith in God -

What happens when we are trying to lift all the weights under my skill sets. How are we going to lift life’s heavy problems. What happens when life’s weights are more than you can lift. And the world’s values and it’s system is closing in on you, boxing you in? How do I overcome? How can I win?

Does the Bible really say, faith?

What does the Bible say?

Let’s look up 1 John 5 and read all of verse 4

1 John 5:4 HCSB

4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.

“Whatever has been born of God conquers the world”, and then “This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith”

so there’s a qualifier here, that whatever has been born of God conquers the world.

And then...

1 John 5:5 HCSB

5 And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Faith - what does that mean? Verse 5 makes it clear, the faith that Jesus is the Son of God.

How does it become the leverage that helps us overcome the world? Because that believing changes your heart, with that kind of faith, you become one who is born of Him.

Transition:

I believe that in this text we are encouraged to overcome this world by giving a clear description of this New LIFE in Him (5:1-5) and an explanation that gives us the assurance that this NEW LIFE is yours (5:6-13). And finally we are pointed to How this LIFE is NEW LIFE of faith is sustained / exercised / leveraged so that we can be Victorious in the NEW LIFE. You can do it! You can overcome!

I want to help us put this talk about faith into it’s context. So we need to go to the text and read from Chapter 4 verse 20

Book:

A clear description of this LIFE (5:1-5)

1 John 4:20–5:5 HCSB

20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen. 21 And we have this command from Him: The one who loves God must also love his brother. 1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him. 2 This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands. 3 For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, 4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. 5 And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Now I called this a clear picture of LIFE in Christ. And truly this is beautiful. You could take each line and learn so much, each adds to this picture of Life In Jesus. But it’s also very well…

Have you ever played pinball?

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him.

2 This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands.

3 For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands.

Now His commands are not a burden, 4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the world.

This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. 5 And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

v 1 a Believe/Love God = born of God

v 1b Love God = Loves brothers and sisters

v 2 Loves brothers and sisters = Love God and Obey Commands

v 3a Loves God = Obey commands

v 3b + 4a Commands aren’t a burden because: Born of God = conquers the world

v 4b Victory that Conquered the world = our faith

v 5 Who conquers the world? = the one who Believes

Threefold test/fruits of a child of God

We have by now become familiar with the three tests which John applies, with repeated but varied emphasis, to the professing Christian. In chapter 2 he describes all three tests in order, obedience (3–6), love (7–11) and belief (18–27). In chapter 3 he treats only obedience (2:28–3:10) and love (11–18), while in chapter 4 only belief (1–6) and love (7–12). In 4:13–21 he has combined the doctrinal and social tests. Now, however, in the brief opening paragraph of chapter 5, we meet the three together again. The words ‘believe’ and ‘faith’ occur in verses 1, 4 and 5, ‘love’ in verses 1, 2 and 3, and the need to obey or carry out ‘his commands’ in verses 2 and 3. What John is at pains to show is the essential unity of his threefold thesis. He has not chosen three tests arbitrarily or at random and stuck them together artificially. On the contrary, he shows that they are so closely woven together into a single, coherent fabric that it is difficult to unpick and disentangle the threads.

Overcome the World

4b–5. Three times in three successive sentences, as if to hammer the truth home, John repeats the phrase overcome the world. First, he declares that ‘everyone born of God overcomes the world’ (4a). He goes on to ascribe the Christian’s conquest not to his birth but to his faith (4b). He then proceeds to enlarge on this fact in the form of a question which he immediately answers: Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

BELIEVE/LOVE GOD OBEY/OVERCOME LOVE OTHERS

But why is it faith that conquers the world, that gives us victory? Only faith can bring you to this new position: born of God, the NEW LIFE.

The NEW LIFE of the Beloved of God, is one that looks like these three things working in tandem.

Transition:

We’ve been talking about this LIFE we are born into and now we want to talk about the assurance we can have that this LIFE is yours.

The Assurance that this LIFE is yours through Faith 5:6-13

The Testimony that brings certainty

1 John 5:11–12 HCSB

11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life.

So that you may know that you have eternal LIFE

1 John 5:13 HCSB

13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

1 John 5:6–13 HCSB

6 Jesus Christ—He is the One who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the One who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood —and these three are in agreement. 9 If we accept the testimony of men, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that He has given about His Son. 10 (The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him. The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about His Son.) 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

It’s because through believing in the Son of God, Jesus the Messiah, you are born again into this LIFE, that creates the surety that you will overcome.

Transition:

How this LIFE is sustained (exercised)

Faith is inseparable from delight.

We’ve already discussed the three-fold tests and evidences of being born of Him, having LIFE in Him, but let me highlight this aspect that is embedded here. Because it is something that we are called to delight yourself in the Lord.

Delighting Faith produces and is displayed in Love

1. Delight yourself in the Lord

2. Prayer

1 John 5:14–17 HCSB

14 Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for. 16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not bring death, he should ask, and God will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t bring death. There is sin that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that does not bring death.

Prayer vs 14-15 Pray and ask, the Holy Spirit helps when you are misguided or unable, and

Prayer vs 16-17 Pray for people to stay outta sin, and to enjoy the LIFE that is in Jesus

Oh the joy of partnering with God, having your heart aligned through fervent and persevering prayer

3. Guard yourselves from Idols

Here’s What We Know

1 John 5:18–21 HCSB

18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the One who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One. We are in the true One—that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

The whole world is under the sway of the evil one

Does that bother you.... vs 19 where it says… the whole world is under the sway of the evil one?

John 12:31 HCSB

31 Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

John 14:30 HCSB

30 I will not talk with you much longer, because the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over Me.

John 15:19–20 HCSB

19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. 20 Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours.

John 17:15–19 HCSB

15 I am not praying that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 I sanctify Myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth.

John 18:36 HCSB

36 “My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. As it is, My kingdom does not have its origin here.”

1 John 2:15–17 HCSB

15 Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. 16 For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.

Guard yourselves from idols

Little Children, guard yourselves from idols.

Don’t let your hearts be deceived.

Transition

This overcoming the world is a huge challenge.

It’s gonna help if you have a clear understanding of what this LIFE looks like. Who He Is, What has he done for you, Who you are, What his heart is - His purposes, How he wants you to be involved.

It looks like maintaining this LIFE he has given us, while saturated in the context of this world, which is under the dominion of Satan.