Introduction:

One hundred years after the Titanic met its fatal end, the story of the tragic wreck continues to fascinate a new generation of people around the world. Out of over 2,200 people on board, approximately 700 lived to tell about it. Eva Hart was seven years old at the time of the Titanic disaster. Eva lost her father in the tragedy. She went on to live a vibrant life, and spoke frequently about the sinking of Titanic and her approach to life. She was the last of four survivors who died before the turn of the century. Eva once said, “People I meet always seem surprised that I do not hesitate to travel by train, airplane or even ship. It is almost as if they expect me to be permanently quivering in my shoes at the thought of a journey. If I acted like that I would have died of fright many years ago. I learned to overcome and be a survivor”.

In our world today we talk about all kinds of survivors: Just this past week we witnessed the many sexual abuse survivors face their evil offender Dr. Larry Nassar in court. This is the largest sexual abuse scandal in the history of American sports. There are among us today 9/11 survivors, abuse survivors, tornado survivors, earthquake survivors, cancer survivors and the list goes on and on! – Far more important is the ability to be a spiritual survivor in this world. In order to grasp what it means to be a Spiritual Survivor John writes to believer to help them survive in this present world. It is great to be a survivor but I want to do more than just survive. The idea is not just to survive but to go on and win the prize.

The Bible does not use the word “survivor” but it does use the word “over-comer.” The root word (Greek) “nē-kä’-ō” has a very interesting meaning in the original language it means to prevail, to pass over, to gain the victory (come off victorious). I don’t want to settle for just surviving, I want to get the victory. I want to be an over-comer! In today’s passage John focus on the relationship of three fundamental elements for one to be an over-comer. We will look at the three aspects of love, obedience and faith.

I An Over-comer Loves vvv1-2a

1. The Bible teaches us that without Jesus in our lives we are spiritually dead, we are in darkness unable to save ourselves. But when we repent of sin and ask Jesus into our lives, we move from death to life & are born again. Romans 10:9,
The Lord Jesus said… John 16:[33] These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

2. This shows us that a person who does not put his faith in Jesus Christ cannot be saved. This faith is not a historical faith where one believes that Jesus existed. One can believe George Washington existed one must believe who Jesus Christ is to be saved. Whoever loves his progenitor “him that begat” will also love those that God has begotten.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children.
3. The Holy Spirit spreads the love of God abroad in our hearts and a part of that love is a love for God’s children. All born again believers are positional as over-comers! Once we are saved we should exhibited love for God & others. I wonder about people who claim to be saved and yet seem to hate others.

II. An Over-comer Obeys vv.2b-3

1. Second, the first way for a child of God to love his brothers and sisters in Christ is to love God and to obey Him. And, if you love the parent, you will love the child. It all works together. We are no longer under sin’s influence: it doesn’t interest us. It doesn’t have the influence on us that it once did. We are no longer devoted to it, because we don’t live to please the flesh, but now our devotion is to please God. There are many folks who are saved but not changed if they were they would be over-comers.

2. God wants the conviction we feel in our hearts to produce a change in our actions, therefore his commandments are not burdensome. When we are born again, we are given new hearts – hearts which by instinct wish to please God.

Illustration:
Two people are on a cruise ship one is told to wear the life jacket it will save them. The life -jacket will save you when the ship goes now, so you don’t mind wearing it. You know it is for your good it is not cumbersome or burdensome. Note I John 5:3. Another person is told to wear this they will have a better trip…etc. So, they tried it on but it is burdensome. People laugh at them… they don’t over -come. Why did you come to Christ?

Mark 4:[19] And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

3. We are dead to sin. We are no longer under its influence. We are no longer devoted to it. Then we should not live in it. Turn with me to Paul’s writing to the … Romans- chapter 8:2-7.

III An Over-comer Exhibits faith vv. 4-6

I John 5:[4] For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that over-cometh the world, even our faith. [5] Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

1. The third element is faith, only people who exercise faith can be over-comers. Hebrews 11:6
An over-comer is able to face any situation and come out on top. Look at any Greek lexicon you like, and you will find that the word [faith or believe] does not merely mean to believe, but to trust, to confide in, to commit to. Christians should be made perfect in their troubles. Not all Christians overcome and in this sense not all Christians are over-comers? Many refuse to be over-comers and will lose reward. – Read 2 Corinthians 6:4-10.

2. Well, how do you overcome it? How do you keep steady; not by the faith that you once exercised twenty years ago when you first became a Christian, but by faith in the life of Jesus present in you now by faith in him at work in you, moment by moment in the midst of life struggles. There are the pressures that come upon us from the world: The pressures around us are tremendous these days, seemingly overpowering at times.

3) There is the pressure to harbor wrong ideas, to react against others the way the world reacts, to strike back, to fight back, and give as good as you get, to be resentful and jealous, to be ambitious and cruel. There are pressures to follow after the attractive heresies that are about us in these theologically loose days, which offer popularity and social acceptance.
Do you not feel all this? The world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—all this is of the world.

4. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is not our strength, but His. It is not our work, but His. He is greater than our foe; it is He that empowers us, not our inner strength. John now declares that through these activities to overcome the world, it never is a result of our efforts. Effort is involved, but the results do not come from that. Read Romans 8:9-19

5. Our efforts are but a sign of the presence of the life of God, the Lord Jesus himself. Without that, everything else would be futile. It is not we who overcome the world, but it is he in us. All that we contribute is simply the fact that we believe in his life at work in us. Thus, our faith in him overcomes the world.

Application:
Do you have trouble with faith? Is it sometimes hard to believe God? I’m not talking about believing in God, but believing God for His provision. To walk by faith is not simply to believe in God, but rather to believe God for all of life’s needs. You see, if every Christian in this room right now were completely honest they would have to admit that there is some area in their relationship with God that needs improvement. It takes faith to over-come. Faith in Christ is more than mere intellectual agreement. It is believing with the heart, with the will, with adoration and with action.

We don’t overcome by trying; we overcome by trusting, trusting God he can use our meager fare because little is much if God is in it. If we are to be over-comers we must learn this principle.

Conclusion:

It is my job, my prayer to help you receive a full reward. Be an over-comer by faith the same faith that saved you. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. – 2 John 1:8

Rev 12:[21] To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. [22] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
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