Evidence of an Overcomer

Victors Through Christ

1 John 5:1-5

 

In this letter, John uses a lot of repetition: themes like light, love, abiding, and assurance. John wrote this book to Christians to give assurance of their salvation! So as we’ve going through this series and you’re thinking, that’s not me, please talk with me about your salvation. I want you to be sure! Or if we’ve gone through this series and you have no affection for Christ, please talk with me, I want you to know Him. John gives us the reason he wrote this letter. One of the main passages that expresses God’s inspiration for writing this is found in 1 Jn 5:13  

1 John 5:13: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” This is the main hinge or linchpin of this book! John is providing evidence of our salvation! There has to be evidence!

  • Show picture of a dog painted like tiger.
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  • Show a picture of Joel Osteen.

What are these evidences that we are born again, that we are indeed saved, that we are overcomers of the world? I believe John addresses this here!

1. Belief: The Belief that Jesus is the Savior (1 John 5:1) It’s more than an intellectual acknowledgement, it’s a trust that Jesus will save you! James 2:19 “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” Romans 10:9-10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
2. Belonging: A Love for being a Child of God and for the Faith Family (1 John 5:1-2) Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Paul talks about adoption in and Ephesians 1 and the church in Ephesians 5 in relation to marriage. John talks about being a Child of God. There is a concern for the Bride, the family, the church!
3. Burdenless: A Desire to Joyfully Obey God’s Commandments (1 John 5:2-3)

God gives may commandments that if we’re truly born again, they are not burdensome! You love His will! In fact there is great joy in doing his commands! Let’s take two of His commands that should give us great joy! We love God, so we love His commands! We love the Word of God!  

a. The Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-39) “37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
b. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
c. A love for the Word of God.
d. A love for the Will of God.
4. Battle: A Faith that Perseveres (1 John 5:4)

Overcomes- nikāi (present active indicative in the Greek language) literally means to conquer or have victory over!

The main reason I use the word battle here is because of two verses that Jesus states. Matthew 24:13 “But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.” And John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” There is a battle and I’m thankful that God continues to give me strength to fight the battle because I am His child! In the hymn, “Come Thy Fount of Every Blessing,” by Robert Robinson, it says, Let Thy goodness like a fetter, Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.” I’m sealed, I’m doing battle against the flesh. You know what our society says? Our society says that sin is ok, don’t battle it, just think that God made you that way! That’s a false gospel! We need Christ because we’re sinners, we must do battle over sin! We have overcome the world, as Paul tells us in 2 Cor. 5:17 that we are “a new creation in Christ.” As John tells us in 1 John 4:4 “for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”    

5. Begotten: The Belief that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:5)

May we be found with these evidences that we are overcomers of the world through Christ! If not, come to Jesus! He is our only hope for salvation! He is it!