"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe 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 the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"
Being a Christian has more to do with obedience than anything else. Obedience is evidence of our love for God. Jesus made that very clear in John 14:15, when He said "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."
Deuteronomy 6:5 says "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."
And, it is repeated in Matthew 22:37, when Jesus said "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."
The heart, soul and mind are references to our emotions, wills and intellect. Our love for God is then expressed through our obedience. Loving God is not only our greatest responsibility, it is an honor and privilege, its not something that we give expression whenever we feel like it.
It is because of God's great love in us that we feel devotion, charity, compassion, mercy, grace and forgiveness toward others. It is this same great love we feel toward God and toward Christ and toward the Holy Spirit. That is the evidence that God is in us, for God is love.
I John 3:1 says "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him."
We are in the world but no longer of the world. Because we belong to God, we are drawn by the Kingdom of God, not the kingdom of this fallen world. In fact, it has become so evident to the world, that you are not a part of the world that you have become its enemy.
I John 2:15-16 tells us "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."
In the very real sense, we who are in Christ have overcome the world. However, there is no way to be an overcomer without a new birth, without being born again of God.
I John 5:4 says "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, thank You again for Your Word, this marvelous truth. Thank You for those whom You have gathered together with us today, who have come to hear Your Word. They come because they love You, and they love Your Word, which gives us life. Life that makes us steadfast, immovable, triumphant in Christ, we are overcomers. We are so grateful that we are kept by Your power and not our own, making us unconquerable. Thank You for loving us while we were incapable of loving You, and loving Christ. Thank You for saving us from the world. In Christ, we are invincible. We are unworthy of such privilege, to be able to participate in His great victory.
In His precious name we pray
Amen
Today's Message: Undeniable
Our text reveals that we will face powerful opposition in this world. It is the difficulties we face in this life that give us the opportunity to know what it is like to have victory. In that sense, opposition is necessary. If you want to be victorious, it is time to stop trying and start trusting.
Helen Keller, once said of the difficulties she overcame being born blind.
made the observation that, "The marvelous richness of human experience
would lose something of rewarding joy if there were not limitations to
overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were
no dark valleys to traverse."
In the Scripture, we are called children, children of God, children of light,
children of the day, and children of obedience. We are called believers. We are called brothers and sisters. We are called the body of Christ, friends of Jesus Christ, along with a number of other terms. However, the term we are most familiar with is, we are called Christians, which was originally a derogatory term used by the pagans, to describe believers in Jesus Christ, in a divisive way.
However, there’s one other term that most of us would refer to, and that is this term that is used a number of times in our text. We are overcomers. Overcomers.
Open with me your Bibles to I John chapter five. The term overcomers appears only in this opening section of this chapter. I invite you to follow along with me, as I read you the opening five verses of this marvelous epistle. It is in these five verses, which direct our attention to this issue of being an overcomer. Being an overcomer requires that we be born again. As we've previously discussed, I John was written to help you know you have been born again. I believe that this is a wonderful, encouraging word for us, in the days in which we're living in. One we need to settle in our minds and in our hearts.The impact of this wonderful epistle is, I believe, very significant as well immense implications for us. I John 5:1-5.
"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"
You can go to church all your life, you can be as religious and righteous as the Pharisees, but none of that will gain you entry into heaven. New birth is the starting point of any genuine relationship with God. The apostle John mentions being "born of God" in verses one and four.
John gives us several reasons for his writing this epistle. Allow me to quickly read those to you. In I John 1:4, he says "These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete." John is an unashamedly says that the joy of his readers assurance will make his joy complete.
He says in I John 2:1-2, "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world."
Here, he says he writes so that they may not sin, and in helping them to overcome sin, he wants to assure them that failures do not have to prove fatal to your eternal life. Through Christ, Who is our Advocate, there's hope.
A few verses later, verses 12 and 13, he says "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father." John is filled with hope that the ones to whom he is writing to are truly believers. He wants them to know, that because they know Christ, their sins are forgiven and in Him, they are triumphant over the evil one.
Then, in verse 21, he says he's writing to confirm their faith. "I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth."
In verse 26, he expresses his concern about the false teachers. John wants to protect them from those who would attempt to lead them astray. Being born again, doesn't mean we don't need warning and reminders, especially from those who love and care about our well-being. "These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you."
And here in chapter 5 verse 13, which is really the key verse to the whole epistle, he says "These
things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God,
in order that you may know that you have eternal life." This is the one theme that dominates his entire epistle. The purpose of demonstrating these tests by which someone can know they’re a true Christian. John's letter was written to provide believers assurance of their salvation. At the heart of his reason, John is writing to help them know they have eternal life.
In John 16:33, Jesus said "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
Jesus uses the verb form of the Greek word "nikáō," from which we get the word Nike. It means to conquer, prevail. It implies a battle ending in victory. "I am the victor over the world."
In Romans 8:37, Paul says "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." Paul is speaking about the unconquerable position we as Christians have in Christ. True, ultimate, final and permanent victory. Notice Paul compounds the word by adding the word "huper." Meaning we are super conquerors. We have ultimate victory in Christ. We are therefore, overcomers.
Revelation 21:7 says "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son." Overcomers not only triumph over Satan, but all that heaven is becomes ours. Think about that for a moment. That is the reality of our Christian blessing.
In I Corinthians 15 Paul wrote "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
This is why John makes this great statement in chapter 4 verse 4 "Because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world."
I wanted to touch on those features briefly of overcoming. Now back to our text, verse 1 "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him."
Here John gives us the definition of the overcomer. Overcomers are those who believe Jesus Christ is born of God. And whoever loves God, loves Him born of God. Overcomers are then those born of God. Overcomers believe in Jesus Christ. And, if you don’t believe in Jesus, you’re not an overcomer. If you do not believe in Jesus Christ, you are still under the power of Satan. You're still under the power of sin and the law, therefore, under the power of death. That's pretty basic. Literally in the Greek "ek tou Theou gegennēmenon," meaning "out of God has been begotten." If you are not born of God, you're under the power of the world.
I believe that God wants the totality of this book to have a strong impact on us. The language here in very critical, you must believe that Jesus Christ is all He is, as the Son of God, Messiah and Savior, and Lord, or you haven’t been begotten of God. Present continuing faith is the result and the evidence of having been begotten by God. Those who are born of God keep His commandments. Those who are born of God walk as Christ walked. Those who are born of God love others, they do not hate. Those who are born of God do not love the world.
If you have been born again, you have been given new life by God, and it will manifest itself in an ongoing faith in Jesus Christ. Those who are born of God were born of God because they believe Jesus
is the Christ, that He is God incarnate, that He is the eternal second
member of the Trinity, the Son manifest in flesh.Back in chapter 2 verse 23, "Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also." Those who are born of God confess the Son and receive Him. Those who are born of God practice righteousness, not sinning. No one who is born of God makes a practice of sinning.
You know so many people today think they are going to get to heaven, even though they have a different view. Tragically, they're not going to get to heaven because it is antichrist to deny that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus Himself made that very, very clear in John 14:6 when He said "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is from God, is the spirit of antichrist. Therefore, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. Those who are born of God possess the Spirit of God.
Verse 2, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments." Jesus said "Believe in God, believe also in Me." If you believe that Jesus is the Christ you are born of God. It is believing in the revealed faith, that makes us born of God. It's what makes us overcomers.
Our victory begins at the moment of our salvation. Your victory was gained by your faith. Enduring faith, unbreakable faith, unconquerable faith, overcoming faith is the evidence of regeneration and new life. By faith. That's the wonderful message of Hebrews chapter 11, "By faith." We don't have time to go into that today, but I encourage you to read it on your own. You just can’t destroy this faith, it endures.
In Closing..
I don’t want to go any further today because I’ll get too involved. I find that time goes so fast when we’re studying the Word of God. So, I'll just sum it up quickly as we close. You can’t destroy my faith. Satan has come after me many times, he has attacked my health, he has attacked my family, he has destroyed my financial resources, in fact, he's went after everything that I possess. And still, he can't destroy my faith. True faith endues.
I believe Job summed it all up the best, in Job chapter 13, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." You can’t destroy this faith. It endures. This faith is unbreakable. Though Satan may try to overwhelm us with his ongoing vicious attacks, he cannot destroy this faith. Deception is the primary way Satan always attacks us, he is always trying to create problems and unbelief. Deception that keeps the unsaved from believing the truth and tries to pull the saved away from God. He builds deception upon deception, until people completely believe the deception. Satan builds deception in our mind, creating unbelief and doubt.
Satan may attack us physically, he may attack us emotionally, he may attack us financially, he wants us to believe his lies. Therefore, we must be continually and intentionally reviewing our thoughts. Because when he puts a thought in our mind, he wants us to believe that it is our thought. If you have been born again, you have been given new life by God, and it
will manifest itself in an ongoing unbreakable, undeniable faith in Jesus Christ. We need to understand our position in Christ, we are overcomers!
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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