1 John 5:1-12

We are able to overcome the World through Christ!

We live in a twisted world in which everything seems to be terrible. If you look at what is happening around the US from the wildfires to the riots to even watching TikTok.

It doesn’t take long to look at the world and know that it is fallen and in need of repair. You can also look at the stuff that you are dealing with today in school from selfishness, to drinking, to drugs, to sex. These are everyday occurrences that you are dealing with daily.

How are those who are saved supposed to withstand the temptations of falling into these sins? I am also not saying that if you have participated in any of this that you are a terrible person but they do have long lasting impacts due to consequences.

Christians are able to overcome these sins not through their own strength but through Christ.

1 John 5:1–12 ESV

1 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. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the 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 and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

1. Overcoming the World

As a Christian we are called to be different from the world, but how is that even possible? You are living in a culture that is drawn to sin and praises the sins. How can you withstand these things because your flesh strongly wants to partake in this?

Through Jesus! Doesn’t that sound like a church answer!

But this is the freedom that comes along with salvation. We are free from our slavery to sin!

1 John 5:3–5 ESV

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Works do not save people because people cannot work hard enough for salvation, however those who are saved should have good works due to God working through them.

James 2:14–17 ESV

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Christians should be producing good works which comes from keeping of the commandments of God. When we are saved the commandments are not something to be dreaded or looked at as a checklist but as you grow closer to God you will begin to keep the commandments without knowing that you are.

This happens due to the Holy Spirit overcoming the World in you. You can’t overcome the world on your own! You can’t overcome your sin problem on your own! BUT Christ can through you!

2. Jesus is God

During this period in which John wrote this letter there were people who were trying to disprove that Jesus was God at birth. They believed that Jesus became God after his baptism. This is a huge issue theologically since this would indicate that anyone could potentially be God and it also nullifies the virgin birth. They also were saying the Jesus lost his deity right before he died on the cross. Also in biblical times for a case to be considered accurate there must be at least 2 witnesses. John explains the witness from God about Jesus being His son.

1 John 5:6–9 ESV

6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the 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 and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.

Whenever Jesus was on this earth his Baptism signified that Jesus was God. This was not the moment that Jesus became God but rather Jesus was God from birth. If He wasn’t God then He wouldn't be perfect. If Jesus could become God then what is stopping one of us from becoming God.

During His Baptism the sky opened up and the Spirit of God rested on Him and God said “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

God verified that Jesus was his Son through and the people around the baptismal water saw this!

The next witness that God showed was through Jesus’s death. At his death even a guard who had a hand in the execution admitted that Jesus was the Son of God.

Matthew 27:50–54 ESV

50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

There were thousands upon thousands of people who had died before Christ and more after Jesus and there has never been anything happen like it did at His death. There was a curtain that was ripped from top to bottom and this was not just a normal curtain but rather the curtain that separated people from the PRESENCE OF GOD! This curtain was around 3 inches thick and around 42 feet tall!

This curtain was ripped from the top to the bottom!!!! Then there was also an earthquake in which rocks were split in two. This isn’t even the craziest part.

There were dead people who became alive! There is historical evidence of dead people getting out of their graves and walking around after Jesus’s death.

This exclaims that Jesus was the Son of God! This is the witness that God gave that explained that Jesus was God.

The Holy Spirit also makes claim that Jesus was the Son of God.

Matthew 16:13–20 LEB

13 Now when Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he began asking his disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” 17 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it! 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven.” 20 Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ.

God the Father revealed to the disciples that Jesus was the Son of God.

John even explained that if we believe human witnesses how much more should we believe the witness of the perfect God. The one who is creator of all and in all.

Why would someone see this and still not want to surrender their life to Jesus?

3. Without Christ you DIE

1 John 5:11–12 ESV

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The terrible reality of those who reject Jesus is that they will die eternally. Everybody will eventually die that is inevitable, but those who are saved will live for eternity in Heaven where we are able to worship God all day everyday. Where there is no pain or troubles but everything is perfect!

What happens to those who do not receive Jesus in salvation, they will spend eternity in separation from God in Hell. This is a place where people are in torment day and night burning constantly but never being burned up. Hell was not created for humans but for Satan and his demons. But those who reject Christ are subjected to the same punishment as Satan.

Hell is a place in which the absence of good and holy exist. There is nothing Good in Hell because it is a place where God’s wrath is poured out.

The scariest thing about Hell is that there is going to be alot of “good people” that are going to be spending eternity there because they never gave their lives to Christ.

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

People try to work for their salvation by doing certain things but that is impossible and unless someone comes to God through His Son then they will be cast into Hell.

Tonight is another night of self inspection to ensure that you are in the faith or not. If you are in the faith are you overcoming the world or are you letting the world over come you.

We can overcome our sinful desires through our relationship with God. We need to be growing in Christ daily through His Word and us obey what He is calling us too.

If you are not in the faith why put it off another day. God is calling you to himself and it may be the last time that you have the opportunity. God is so much better than anything the world has to offer and eternity is so much longer than the physical life we live.