H2O Church
This is part 12, the next to last talk from 1 John. In this talk, we focus on how Jesus came "overcame," and what it means to be an overcomer, a champion in life.
“If we're going to impact our world in the name of Jesus, it will be because people like you and me took action in the power of the Spirit. Ever since the mission and ministry of Jesus, God has never stopped calling for a movement of "Little Jesuses" to follow him into the world and unleash the remarkable redemptive genius that lies in the very message we carry.” Alan Hirsch
1 John 5:1-3 ESV
You cannot have an upward love of God WITHOUT a downward obedience to God’s commands.
The nature of obedience
The obedience of obligation=Fear of punishment.
The obedience of performance=Fear of Disappointment.
The obedience of love=the vanquishing of all fear by the love of Christ, poured out for us!
1 John 5:4-5 ESV
WHAT did Jesus overcome?
HOW did Jesus overcome?
WHAT do we overcome?
HOW do we overcome?
overcomer=conqueror=nikao. Nike, was a greek goddess of victory who aided Zeus in his mythological battle against the Titans. Nikao became a popular term among the Greeks who believed victory could not be attained by mere mortals but only through intervention by the gods.
1 John 5:6-9 ESV
The three witnesses
witness 1-the life of Jesus, particularly His baptism, where God Himself spoke, “This my beloved Son,” (Your victory is bound up in your Identity).
witness 2-the death of Jesus; John refers to this as the testimony of blood. That's why the book of Acts can refer to “the blood of God.”
witness 3-the resurrection of Jesus; John refers to this as the testimony of the Spirit. Because of the resurrection, God sent His Spirit so that each of us, as we believe, say “I’m changed.”
1 John 5:10-12 ESV