Sermon Central
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Essentials Of An Overcoming Life Series
Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Dec 4, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: Four Key things for living a life radically different from the world
Essentials for an Overcoming Life
1. Turn with me to 1 John 5 as we get back into our study of 1 John.
Some time back I shared the difference between flying and flying.
Track in KC area when the Blue Angels took off from a nearby airport and began to practice for an upcoming air show.
Standing on the track they flew by at what seemed to be just over my head. They passed me again in formation with wings almost touching. Then two of them passed each other and both pointed the noses of their jets straight upwards and flew. They reached a certain height and turned backs towards the earth and dove right at me. They got as close as they could to the ground and turned out of the dive again buzzing me.
I watched all this and thought ‘Now that is flying’. Imagine taking a flight from Tulsa to LA and the pilot, buzzing sheep herd, flying wing to wing with other planes, flying towards the moon and diving to the earth.
We experience minor turbulance in a passenger jet and we have a cow.
Some people live lives that are as different from another persons as those pilots flying styles. John says the Christian is meant to live an
CHAPTER 3: “We are the children of God, and such we are!’
Exciting title given to us(Positionally)
CHAPTER 5 Second exciting title given to us(OVERCOMERS/5:4)
Practical application of being a child of God. Greek ‘victor’ NIKEO
Put on my Nikes and should be overcomers ‘conquer the task at hand’
OVERCOMING LIFE. Paul said we are to be MORE THAN CONQUERORS.
Jesus said we are to live an ABUNDANT LIFE. What makes this possible?
Four Essentials for an Overcoming Life To excel at climbing a mountain, rafting a river, survival in the wilderness it is necessary that you not be casual but be prepared.
LIFE – (1) Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God,
1. Some things are so obvious that they are seem silly to mention but to take on a challenge in this life you have to be alive.
2. John says an Overcomer must have life, the life that is only found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
A man dressed in a devil costume was walking to a Halloween party. He got caught in a sudden rainstorm and ducked into a building for shelter.
The building was a storefront church that has just been whipped into a state of emotion frenzy. The congregation spotted this guy dressed like the devil and panicked.
Everyone left except one poor woman who simply sat still. As their eyes met she said to the man, ‘You know, I’ve been on your side all along!’
A day of reckoning may reveal something unexpected.
John says #1: Make sure you understand the only source of an overcoming life and that is through knowing Jesus Christ.
An unbeliever can climb a mountain, make millions of dollars, become MVP at work or in sport without knowing Jesus but he can never conquer sin.
3. The emphasis is that the fact of that life is that God has given it to us in the new birth. We are ‘born of God’, it is His work in us and thus His life is reproduced in us.
Ever driven across west Texas, New Mexico and Arizona then you are aquainted with Tumbleweeds.
The are in constant motion depending upon the movement of the wind.
They technically are plants but because they have no connected root they are really dead inside and without life.
You will never go to Store and buy Tumbleweed Juice or any fruit that grows on them. They move around a lot but the source of their activity is not life.
Surrounded by people in constant motion, jobs, family, entertainment, hobbies but no real life exist without knowing, being rooted into Jesus.
HEALTH 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.
1. You need to not only have a body but a healthy one to take on life’s challenges.
a. John has spent the great balance of this Epistle sharing how essential it is that we have a healthy love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a sign of spiritual health.
2. Two important truths:
a. We love one another because we are all family: whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.
1) Sometimes we have a great affection for someone because of our love for their parents
2) Our love for others that surround us at this moment is based somewhat on the simple fact that we are all a part of God’s family. Belong to one another through our relationship with Him.
