How To Live Like An Overcomer

Transcription

1 Message for THE LORD'S DAY EVENING, July 24, 2016 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister TOPIC: Christian Living, Victory How To Live Like An Overcomer I JOHN 5:1-5 (NKJV) Please turn with me in your Bibles to I John chapter five. And let's read verses 1-5. I John 5:1-5 (NKJV) 1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep 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 he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

2 Introduction It has been said that in this world there are two kinds of people: There are WINNERS and there are LOSERS. Every Super Bowl has a winner and a loser. So does every World Series...every NBA Championship...every NASCAR race...every PGA Golf tournament...every POLITICAL ELECTION... every BEAUTY CONTEST...and every TALENT COMPETITION. For the WINNERS there are smiles...and cheers...and trophies... and prize money...and championship rings...and ticker tape parades. But for the LOSERS there are tears and regrets and disappointments and second place trophies and consolation prizes. *************** In a spiritual sense, we who are Christians are winners living in a world of losers. We are the overcomers in a world full of people who have been overcome by sin and Satan and death. And the difference between us and the rest of the world isn't that we are better than everyone else or that we are more perfect than everyone else. The difference between us and the rest of the world is JESUS CHRIST! It is through FAITH in Jesus Christ that we are WINNERS! It is through FAITH in Jesus Christ that we are OVER- COMERS. I John 5:4,5 (NKJV) For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

3 When this life is over, we are the ones who will emerge victorious over the world. We are the ones who will have won the victory over sin...over Satan...and over death. But in the meantime, our journey from here to eternity in this world will be a very difficult one. Our journey will be filled with trials, and hardships, and problems, and temptations, and disappointments. There will be times of pain, and suffering, and sorrow, and grief. Our journey will take us through many long valleys filled with darkness and shadows. There will be days of discouragement, and defeat, and despair, and even depression. And if God were to let us know in advance everything we are going to have to go through between now and the end of our earthly life probably everyone of us would be so overwhelmed with fear that we wouldn't have the resolve to go on. So how do we do it? How Do We Live Like An Overcomer? The answer is simple: One day at a time! As we focus on our text here in I John 5, I want to point out three keys to Living Like An Overcomer.

4 KEY #1: Love God One Day at A Time (v.1) 1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 1. The Christian life is all about LOVING GOD. Its not about going to Church every time the Church doors are open. Its not about how much we give to the Church or what positions we hold in the Church or how many good deeds we do. It is all about LOVING GOD. It is all about OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. 2. The scriptures make it very clear that the one thing God desires from you and me more than anything else is our love. Deuteronomy 6:5 (NKJV) You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Matthew 22:36,37 (NKJV) Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 3. GOD wants us to love Him more than anyone or anything in this world, including our own families. Matthew 10:37-39 (NKJV) He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

5 4. When we make it our goal to live in a deep, intimate, loving relationship one day at a time we learn what it truly means to be an overcomer. (A) When we put GOD first above all others HE FILLS OUR HEART WITH ENOUGH JOY TO ENDURE OUR SORROWS FOR THE DAY. Nehemiah 8:10 (NKJV) The joy of the LORD is your strength. (B) When we put GOD first above all others HE FILLS OUR HEARTS WITH ENOUGH PEACE TO ENDURE OUR TROUBLES FOR THE DAY. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NKJV) Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. (C) When we put GOD first above all others HE FILLS OUR HEARTS WITH ENOUGH COURAGE TO FACE OUR FEARS FOR ONE DAY. Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV) Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. (D) When we put GOD first above all others, HE FILLS OUR SPIRIT WITH ENOUGH STRENGTH TO RESIST OUR TEMPTATIONS FOR ONE DAY. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV) No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

6 (E) When we put GOD first above all others HE FILLS OUR LIVES WITH ENOUGH BLESSINGS TO MEET ALL OF OUR NEEDS FOR ONE DAY. Matthew 6:31,32 (NKJV) Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 6. Listen carefully! One of the keys to Living Like An Overcomer is to love GOD above everyone and everything one day at a time for the rest of your life. KEY #2: OBEY GOD One Day at A Time (vs. 2,3) 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 1. Loving God and obeying God are inseparable. We can say we love GOD all we want, but our obedience to His commands is the real proof of our love. Matthew 7:21 (NKJV) Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. John 14:15 (NKJV) If you love Me, keep My commandments. 2. When we think of living a whole lifetime of obedience it is overwhelming isn't it? I mean, how in the world can anyone be good for that long? How can we possibly live our entire life in a way that is pleasing to GOD? Answer: One day at a time!

7 3. When you piece together what John is saying here it becomes clearer. He is saying if you and I truly believe that Jesus is the Christ, if we truly believe He is our Savior, and that He is the only way to eternal life, we are going to love Him. And if we truly love Jesus we are going to prove our love for Him by obeying His commands. 4. That word obey or keep His commandments describes a continous action on our part. It means we don't obey the Lord's commands every now and then or whenever we feel like it, or that we obey the ones we like and disregard the ones we don't like. It means we obey the Lord's commands consistently. We obey His commands each and every day. 5. And when we practice a life of obedience each and every day it doesn't prove that we are better than everyone else, it proves that our love for Jesus Christ is real and genuine. 6. Our obedience to God's commands or lack thereof reveals the truth about whether or not we really love GOD. 7. You see, if I am not obeying GOD, I'm not loving GOD as I should. If I am not obeying GOD, I am not living in the will of GOD. If I am not obeying GOD, I am not pleasing GOD. If I am not obeying GOD, I am not living like an overcomer, but rather I am overcome with doubt, and discouragement, and defeat, and despair. 8. Notice John says in verse 3, For this is the love of GOD, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

8 9. What does John mean when he says, His commandments are not burdensome? To non-believers...those who don't know GOD or love GOD, His commands do seem burdensome.they see GOD'S commands as a bunch of religious rules. They see His commands as barriers to having fun and enjoying life. But to believers who truly love the Lord Jesus Christ, God's commands are not burdensome. God's commands don't make our lives harder, they make our lives better. God's commands don't restrict us from enjoying life, but rather they set us free to enjoy the best life. 10. And if we truly love the LORD, we will demonstrate our love by obeying His commands one day at a time. Well, let's review: If we are to live like OVERCOMERS, the first key is to LOVE GOD ONE DAY AT A TIME. The second key is to OBEY GOD ONE DAY AT A TIME. Now here's our third key and that is, if we are to live like overcomers, we must... KEY #3: Live By FAITH in GOD One Day At A Time (vs.4,5) 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 he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

9 1. Everyone has FAITH in something, but the virtue of FAITH lies in its object. * Those who put their FAITH in money and material things are NOT going to overcome the world. * Those who put their FAITH in the stockmarket are NOT going to overcome the world. * Those who put their FAITH in man are NOT going to overcome the world. * Those who put their FAITH in government are NOT going to overcome the world. * Those who put their FAITH in religion are NOT going to overcome the world. 2. The only people who are going to get out of this world alive...the only people who are going to be victorious in the end...are those who live BY FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ. 3. Notice, John says, This is the victory that has overcome the world-----our FAITH. We won't overcome the world by our own goodness...or by moral living...or by good deeds...or by being religious. We will only overcome the world by our FAITH in JESUS CHRIST!

10 4. Living BY FAITH means we trust GOD even though we don't know where He may be leading us. Living BY FAITH means believing in the promises of GOD even though it we may have to wait to see God fulfill them. Living BY FAITH means trusting that GOD is in control when everything in our life and in the world around us seems out of control. Living BY FAITH means trusting that GOD is looking out for my good even when my circumstances are not good. Living BY FAITH means trusting that GOD has not forsaken me even when I don't feel His presence. 5. How do we overcome all of life's trials...and troubles... and heartaches...and hardships? How do we overcome a world that is hostile towards everything we believe and stand for? How do we overcome all the sin and temptation? We overcome by LIVING BY FAITH IN GOD ONE DAY AT A TIME. **************************************************** C O N C L U S I O N In the 1992 Olympic games from Barcelona, Spain, British runner, Derek Redmon competed in the 400 meter race. Halfway through the race, Redmon tore a hamstring in one leg and fell to the ground in sheer agony. The rest of the runners ran right past Derek to the finish line. As Derek lay on the track he realized all of his hopes and dreams of being an Olympic gold medalist had just vanished. As the TV cameras zoomed in on Redmon they saw him struggle to his feet with an agonizing grimace on his face. Although the race was over, Redmon tried to run to complete his race, but after a few short strides it was very obvious he couldn't do it. He slowed to a slow walk and kept moving towards the finish line. Soon a man burst out on to the track. The security guards tried to stop him, but to no avail. The man put Derek's arm around his shoulders and helped him complete his race one agonizing step at a time.

11 It wasn't until they crossed the finish line that the identity of the mystery man became known. It was none other than Derek Redmon's father. When he looked down and saw his son lying on the track unable to go on, he reached out with love and compassion and helped his son be an overcomer! As God looks down upon you and me, He sees our pain, He sees our struggles, He sees all our futile efforts to try to run the race by ourselves. And with love and compassion He reaches down to help us all the way to the finish line! How Do We Live Like Overcomers in this world? We do it by... LOVING GOD one day at a time! OBEYING GOD one day at a time! And LIVING BY FAITH IN GOD one day at a time. For whatever is born of GOD overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world----our FAITH.