Overcoming the World

Well, good morning, church.

It's good to be with you all this morning.

Let me invite you to turn to our sermon text,

which is in the book of 1 John, chapter 5, verses 1 through 5.

1 John 5:1–5

That's page 961 in the Pew Bible, if you want to follow along there.

I encourage you to have it open while we look at this text this morning.

1 John 5, verses 1 through 5.

1 John 5:1–5

All right, let me pray, and then I'll read for us.

Father, as we pause for just a moment this morning

on the cusp of attending to your word,

we acknowledge that without your Holy Spirit

and without your presence,

Lord, we can do nothing.

That's of lasting spiritual value.

That's of lasting good in your kingdom.

And yet we also rejoice

that you, our ascended Lord Jesus,

have poured out your Holy Spirit without measure,

and you delight to work and fulfill all your good promises

to the praise of your name.

So we ask for you, God,

to come and make good on your promises,

to speak through your word,

to sanctify your people,

to grow your church

as we listen to your word this morning.

And we ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

All right.

1 John chapter 5.

1 John 5 · chapter mention

Apostle John writes this.

He says,

For this is the love of God,

that we keep His commandments.

And His commandments are not burdensome,

for everyone who has been born of God

overcomes the world.

And this is the victory that has overcome the world,

our faith.

Who is it that overcomes the world

except the one who believes that Jesus

is the Son of God?

Well, if you've been following our sermon series this summer,

you'll notice that this paragraph of 1 John

covers a lot of familiar territory, doesn't it?

We find again here in these short couple of verses

that John highlights yet again

these three marks of genuine Christianity

that he's been just weaving throughout this book.

The three marks of belief in Jesus,

that He is the Christ, the Son of God,

come in the flesh.

The other mark, the second mark,

of love for the people of God.

And then the third mark of obedience

to God's commands.

John has been weaving throughout this book

the message that it takes all three of these

woven together to really be a sign

of genuine faith in Christ.

Take any of these three away

and you don't have real faith.

Now, up to this point in the book,

John has been especially warning

against a lack of love

for one's fellow Christians.

For almost a chapter and a half,

maybe more,

John has been saying that it's possible

to believe all the right things,

even keep many of God's commands,

but without love,

it's not genuine faith at all.

A loveless Christianity

is no Christianity at all.

And John restates that important truth

in our text in verse 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.

In fact, the way,

if you have an older version,

it might translate that verse

a little more literally

to say,

everyone who loves the begetter

loves those who have been begotten of him.

But in the rest of this paragraph,

John wants us to see

that the opposite is also true.

He wants us to see

not just that loveless Christianity

is no Christianity at all,

that we need to love

and keep the commandments.

He wants us also to see

that loving without keeping God's commandments

isn't really love.

If we say that we love someone,

but we don't keep God's commandments,

it isn't really love.

Look at verse 2.

By this we know that we love

the children of God.

How?

How do we know if we really love them?

When we love God

and obey his commandments.

So John's going to show us two things

in this short paragraph of the letter.

First, he's going to show us

that obedience is the mark of real love.

Obedience is the mark of real love.

But he doesn't just leave it there.

He goes on then to show us, second,

that faith is the power of joyful obedience.

So that's what we're going to cover this morning.

Obedience is the mark of real love,

and faith in Christ

is the power of joyful obedience.

Let's spend a little time

considering that first point.

Obedience is the mark of real love.

We have to admit that verse 2,

it hits us as a bit of a surprise,

doesn't it?

I mean, how would you fill in that blank?

By this we know that we love the children of God.

How do we know?

What is it that demonstrates

or exemplifies our love

for our fellow Christians?

How would you fill in that blank?

Now the world, of course,

can make us think

that real love

is nothing more and nothing less

than just total affirmation, right?

Whatever you want or desire,

that's what you should have,

and if someone loves you,

they won't stand in your way.

The worldly understanding of love

sometimes just

falls into utter permissiveness.

But of course,

it doesn't take long to realize

that this path of complete permissiveness

eventually leads to heartache

and ruin, doesn't it?

I mean, there are real limits

that we have to embrace.

As much as I would like to,

I cannot eat a diet

of nothing but cheesecake

and Diet Coke.

I mean, I could probably go

for a few days, trust me,

especially if it's Japanese cheesecake.

Have you ever had this stuff?

It's delicious.

But eventually, you know,

it's just not going to work.

And my family would simply

be participating in my foolishness

to pretend that I could ignore

those limits

and genuinely flourish.

So loving someone inevitably

at times will involve

saying no.

Real love isn't mere affirmation.

Sometimes real love means disagreement

or correction,

even rebuke.

So what is the mark

of genuine love?

If we disagree

with the world's definition,

what do we typically put

in its place?

Well, perhaps our minds

go back to chapter 3

of 1 John.

Remember there,

in that part of the letter,

John defines the nature of love

as sacrificial service.

Do you remember that?

We identify needs

and we meet those needs

with the resources

that God has given us.

1 John 3, 16 through 18,

he says,

By this we know love,

that he laid down his life for us

and we ought to lay down

our lives for the brothers.

But if anyone has the world's good

and sees his brother in need

yet closes his heart against him,

how does God's love abide in him?

Little children,

let us not love in word or talk,

but in deed and in truth.

Now there are probably few

other paragraphs

in the New Testament

that give us

as concise a picture

of genuine Christian love

as that one.

But we do need to be careful.

We need to be careful

because it's very easy for us

to really be operating

with the world's understanding of love,

but then just kind of baptize it

with a Christian veneer.

We think we're exercising Christian love,

we think we're genuinely loving

our brothers and sisters,

but in reality,

we're just operating in the mode

of mere affirmation

or mere permissiveness.

We may be sacrificially

meeting their needs,

but in reality,

we're just doing it

out of that same kind

of operating system

of permissiveness.

How do we know

if we are loving

in deed and in truth?

Well, this is where

John chapter 5 helps us

John 5 · chapter mention

when he says,

by this we know

that we love the children of God,

when we love God

and obey His commandments.

You see,

the commandments of God

are like the pathways of love.

If we live in those commands

and if we encourage others

to do the same,

then we are on the sure road

of loving each other

in deed and in truth.

after all,

God's commandments

are God's commandments,

right?

And John has just told us

in chapter 4, verse 8,

that God is love.

And if God is love,

then His commandments

must be utterly loving.

They are the sure pathways

of love.

Now let's apply this

in two ways then.

First,

if obedience to God's commands

is the mark of love,

then it's never loving

to encourage someone

or affirm someone

in disobeying them.

You know,

if you saw your best friend

about to pour vegetable oil

in the gas tank

of their car,

you know,

what would you do?

I mean,

you'd probably say,

hey, you know,

that's probably not a good idea.

I don't think your engine

is going to run on that,

right?

But then if your friend

turned to you and said,

but you know,

it just feels so right

to just pour it in there.

I think it's going to work.

I read some articles

on the internet.

All my friends are doing it.

You know,

you're really the one

who's out of step here,

right?

Well, you know,

even if your friend

responded that way,

you'd probably still say

if you're a good friend,

look,

I know that's what

a lot of people are saying

and I know you saw it

on TikTok,

but trust me,

the engine's not going to work

on vegetable oil.

You see,

the commands of God,

they're like the blueprint

of love.

They tell us exactly

how the human heart

is created to work best.

So it's never loving

to just go along

when a fellow Christian

is disobeying God's commands.

Now, of course,

there are helpful

and unhelpful ways

to approach

a fellow church member

who is stepping outside

of God's commands,

right?

Listen to how

the Apostle Paul

describes the right approach

in Galatians chapter 6.

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

In Galatians 6,

1,

Paul says,

brothers and sisters,

if anyone is caught

in any transgression,

and caught there

means like stuck

or trapped.

So if you come across

someone who seems

to be stuck

or trapped

in disobeying God's commands

and transgression,

he says,

you who are spiritual,

that is,

filled with the Holy Spirit,

should restore him

in a spirit

of gentleness.

Gentleness.

And then he says,

keep watch on yourself

lest you too be tempted.

Bear one another's burdens

and so fulfill

the law of Christ.

So notice

what the right approach is.

The right approach

is marked by gentleness,

right?

We want to restore

our brother or sister,

not condemn them.

And it's marked

by humility.

We recognize

that we too

are tempted.

We're not above

this battle,

this struggle.

And according to Paul,

it's also marked

by compassion.

We're willing to bear

one another's burdens.

We're willing to do

what it takes

to come alongside

our brother or sister

and help them get out

of whatever mess

they're stuck in,

even if it takes

some sacrifice

on our part.

So this is one application

of what John's saying here.

If obedience

to God's commands

is the mark of love,

then we need to be willing

to do this gentle work

of correction

and not merely be affirming

when a brother or sister

strays from God's commands.

But there's another application.

If obedience

to God's commands

is a mark of love,

then the pursuit

of personal holiness

is a critical component

to loving your fellow Christians well.

In other words,

if you want to love well,

then pursue holiness,

Christ-likeness,

pursue obedience

in your own life.

The 19th century

Scottish pastor

Robert Murray McShane

famously said,

the greatest need

of my people

is my personal holiness.

Speaking about his role

as a pastor,

the greatest need

of my people

isn't his great preaching,

isn't his wonderful

pastoral care.

Those are great.

but his personal holiness.

Now,

this 19th century pastor

wasn't being conceited

when he said that.

He knew

that the greatest gift

that we can give

to each other

in the family of God

is our sanctified lives.

For when we are

pursuing holiness,

it is then

that we speak

the truth in love.

It is then

that we give generously.

It is then

that we're patient

and kind

and humble

and steadfast

and faithful

and gentle.

But more than that,

when we pursue

personal righteousness,

personal holiness,

when we seek

to obey God's commands,

then our lives

begin to

begin to become

like reflections

of the love of God.

our lives

begin to shine forth

with the character

of God.

Remember,

the commandments

of God

are God's commandments.

They're the pathways

of love.

And as we live

in line

with his commands,

we begin to radiate

more and more

of the character

of God.

And then the aroma

of Christ,

the great lover

of our souls,

begins to fill

our life together.

And that,

friends,

is an end

in itself.

To enjoy

the glorious

display of Christ

in each other.

Like the sunlight

that shines

through the stained

glass windows

that kind of shines

with a hundred

different colors.

This is the church

that's pursuing

righteousness

and holiness.

It shines

with the glory

of Christ.

And that means

as we pursue

holiness,

we become more

than just examples

or encouragements

to one another.

Of course,

we are that.

But more than that,

we're not just

a moral example

for others to follow,

but we become

a foretaste

of the glory

of Christ together.

A foretaste

of the glory

of Christ

that will one day

be revealed

in full

when he returns.

Remember the beginning

of John chapter 3?

John 3 · chapter mention

John says,

Beloved,

we are God's children

now,

and what we will be

has not yet appeared,

but we know

that when he appears,

we shall be like him

because we shall see him

as he is.

And then John adds this,

and everyone

who thus hopes

in him

purifies himself

even as he is pure.

Looking forward

to that great day

when Christ is revealed

in glory

and we participate

in it,

we long

to start now.

So obedience

is the mark

of real love

for one another.

Not just love

for God,

but love for each other

as well.

But that leads

to a question,

doesn't it?

A question of

where we get the power

to actually live out

God's commands.

Where do we get the power?

Where do we get the energy

to not just begrudgingly

go along

with God's commands,

but to joyfully

obey them?

Because we have to admit

that at times,

at times,

God's commandments

don't feel

like the pathways

of love,

do they?

At times,

God's commands

feel burdensome.

But John is reminding us

that it doesn't have

to be that way.

Let's pick up

our passage

in verse 3.

John writes,

for this is the love

of God

that we keep

his commandments,

and his commandments

are not burdensome.

For everyone

who has been born

of God

overcomes the world.

And this is the victory

that has overcome

the world,

our faith.

Who is it

that overcomes

the world

except the one

who believes

that Jesus

is the Son of God?

Faith in Jesus Christ,

John says,

is the power

of joyful obedience

because through faith

in Christ,

we overcome

the world.

Now, what exactly

does that mean?

We overcome

the world.

Well, earlier

in the letter,

you'll remember

that the Apostle John

described the world

like this.

He said,

all that is in the world,

the desires

of the flesh

and the desires

of the eyes

and the pride

of life,

it's not from the Father

but from the world,

and the world

is passing away

along with its desires,

but whoever does

the will of God

abides forever.

Okay, so when John

talks about the world

in this book,

he's talking about

human life lived

according to our

merely self-centered

or human-centered desires.

That's the world.

Human life lived,

human society arranged

according to our

merely human-centered desires.

and that becomes

like a vortex

that leads ultimately

to a place,

John says,

of wanting

what you don't have,

that's the desire

of the eyes,

and boasting

in what you do,

the pride of life.

And it becomes

like this never-ending

pendulum

back and forth

at the one end

suffering from

a feeling of

radical insignificance,

always wanting,

always wanting

because there's

always someone

who's richer

or smarter

or prettier

or more talented

and feeling like

you need it

or you want it

and you're so

radically insignificant.

But then,

because you can't

live there for long,

you swing the other way

to a feeling

of radical superiority,

the pride of life

because surely

you're at least

better than that person

or that person

or that person

or that person

and back and forth

you go.

the desires

of the eyes,

the pride of life,

from radical insecurity

to radical superiority.

Back and forth

you go.

But how do you

overcome it?

How do you get free

from the constant need

to build your identity

on what you own

or what you've accomplished?

How do you overcome

what John calls

the world

and all the world's desires

that run counter to God

and make God's commands

seem so burdensome?

I mean,

after all,

think about it.

If the world says,

build your identity

on what you possess

or what you accomplish,

that's your drive

in life.

Then the commands

of God come

and they do feel

like a burden.

They feel like

an intruder.

They're playing

a totally different tune

than the world

is playing.

But what if you could

overcome those desires

of the world?

What if you could

break free from them?

What if you could

get off the pendulum swing

and no longer

be their slave?

What if your life

wasn't ruled

by a gnawing insecurity

or insignificance anymore?

What if your life

wasn't justified

by how accomplished

or successful you were?

What if you had been

set free from all that?

John says,

it's not just possible

to be liberated

from the world.

It's not just possible

to overcome it.

He says,

it's already happened.

The one who believes

that Jesus is the Son of God

has already overcome

the world.

This is the victory

that overcomes the world.

Our faith,

not just faith in general,

but faith in Jesus Christ,

the risen Son of God.

But how is that so?

In what way does faith

in Christ mean

our victory

over the world?

Well, let's pause

and meditate for a moment.

Consider first

what faith in Christ means

about your past.

The world, friends,

wants you to live

in constant guilt

and shame

because the more

you live in guilt

and shame

and regret,

the more you will buy things

to fill the hole

in your soul.

So it's very convenient

for the world

to keep you guilty

and regretful

and ashamed

so that you continue

to churn the wheel

of consumerism.

But friends,

Christ has forgiven

your sins

through His death

on the cross,

through His blood

shed for you.

He's taken your past

and wiped it clean.

You don't need to pay

for your sins

and mistakes.

You don't need to keep

trying to live them down.

You've been released

through His death

and resurrection

on your behalf.

and your status

is now secure.

The verdict

has been cast

over your life

before the only court

that matters.

In the eyes

of God,

the Creator

and the Redeemer,

you are forgiven

and loved.

The only gavel

that matters

in the cosmos

has come down

and it is said

you're forgiven

and you're loved

and you're accepted

because my Son

paid the price

for you.

Your slate is clean.

And if that's

what's true

when you're united

to Christ,

if that's what's true

of your past,

then the commands

of God

are no longer

burdensome rules.

They're no longer

burdensome rules

whereby we try

to earn heavenly favor

or get back

into God's good graces.

No!

God has already

justified us

in Christ.

The commands

aren't there

so that we can

earn God's favor.

They're there

so that we can

run in the pathway

of His love.

So that we can

live a life

of love

to the God

who gave His only Son

to make us His children

and welcome us home.

Consider what

faith in Christ

means not just

about your past

but about your future.

fear.

The world wants you

to live in constant

anxiety and fear.

Fear that you'll

miss out.

Anxiety that you've

got to live your

best life now

and not miss out

on a single opportunity.

You've got to leave

all your options open

for as long as possible

because you never

want to close the door

because you might

miss something.

Isn't this the,

isn't this the tale

that the world tells?

But friends,

the resurrection

of Jesus Christ

shatters

that limited perspective.

When Jesus Christ

rose from the grave,

He inaugurated,

He began

the new creation.

It was the first fruits.

It was the swinging

open of the door

of a healed

and restored creation.

A creation without death.

A creation without decay.

A creation without loss.

A creation that isn't

winding down

under its own steam,

but a creation

that's being remade

and made new.

And so for those

in Christ,

the future is not

a clock that's running out.

So we better get

as much as we can.

We better get as much

pleasure before it's too late.

No!

For those in Christ,

it's not a clock

that's winding down.

The future is an

ever-expanding horizon.

The future for the believer

in Christ

is the dawn of a day

that will not end.

where the beauties

of this life

are seen to be

just a foretaste

of even greater

glories to come.

And so the commands

of God

are not

burdensome

distractions

or cosmic

killjoys

keeping us

from having fun

while this fleeting

life

lasts.

No,

the commands

of God

are like the blueprint

of the new creation.

They are paths

of joy

on a road

that stretches out

into eternal life.

Do you think

you will miss out

on joy

if you follow

God's commands?

No

is the answer.

No.

But last,

consider what faith

in Christ

means not just

about your past

or your future

but your present.

The world

wants you to build

your right now

identity

on consumption

and performance.

You are what you

purchase,

you are what you

produce,

you are what you

achieve,

but faith in Christ

means a whole

new identity.

Everyone who

believes that

Jesus is the Christ

has been born

of God.

You are right now

a child of God

in Christ,

a son,

a daughter

of the King.

Apart from

your production,

apart from

your possessions,

you have the

most dignified

identity

in the universe

and it has

nothing to do

with that.

So you don't

need to play

the world's games

anymore.

Jesus once

said,

a man's life

does not

consist in

the abundance

of his

possessions,

nor does it

consist in

the abundance

of worldly

approval or

applause.

Friends in

Christ,

you are part

of a new

kingdom

now,

a new

reign,

a new

movement,

a new way

of doing

things.

And God's

commands aren't

burdensome,

just the

opposite.

They are

freedom and

life.

They are the

ways of the

kingdom for

the sons and

daughters of

the King

right now.

So friends,

it's faith.

It's faith in

Jesus that is

the victory

that overcomes

the world.

And it's

that that

empowers

joyful

obedience.

And through

joyful obedience,

genuine love.

Jesus is the

crucified and

risen Son of

God.

He is the

victor over

sin and

death and

condemnation.

Jesus'

glory will

not fade or

perish.

His kingdom

will know no

end.

His word will

endure for

eternity.

And in the

new heavens and

the new earth,

His commands

will be seen

as what they

truly are,

by everyone.

The expression

of perfect

love.

The will of

a King whose

name is love

and whose life

cannot be

diminished.

So church,

let's live

these commands

now.

Out of

grateful love

for Christ

who saved

us, united

to Him by

faith, let's

follow His

commands in

love, overcoming

the world and

its lives

through Him

and through

faith in His

name.

Let's pray.

Father, we

take just a

moment and we

pause before

You.

God, we

admit, God, that

oftentimes we

become so

confused, it's

so easy for us

to slide as

Christians back

into thinking

that it is our

obedience that

earns Your

favor, and then

Your commands do

become burdensome.

Father, by Your

Holy Spirit right

now, would You

come and remind

us again of

the gospel of

grace, that we

are forgiven and

accepted by

grace, and we

are set free to

then obey.

But Father, we

also acknowledge

this morning that

for those apart

from Christ, for

those outside of

Him, for those who

have not put

their trust in

Him.

Lord, the

realities of the

world are all

that remain.

Lord, I pray

that if there are

any here this

morning who are

not in Christ and

have not tasted of

the joy and

freedom that come

through His

forgiving grace,

God, I pray that

this morning would

be the day of

salvation for

them, and that

by Your Holy

Spirit, You

would pour into

their hearts this

faith that

overcomes the

world, this

faith in Jesus.

God, cause them

to be born again

that they might

believe.

And Lord, would

they reach out to

You, take hold

of You, and

know that any

who come to

You, any who

come to You, You

will in no

wise cast out,

because You

are a God of

mercy.

Lastly, Jesus, we

pray that we

would live in

this victory, we

would live in

this joy, we

would live in

this celebration

that You have

overcome, and we

have overcome in

You.

Be glorified in our

lives and our

church, Father.

We pray.

Father, we

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.