Be an Overcomer Today!

INTRODUCTION

A lot of people go through life in remorse and regret of their past, yet others live in anxiety of their future. I have seen a lot of people looking at their past and saying, “I am a failure.” Some others look at their future and say, “I can never succeed.” No matter what your past is, and how you feel about your future, if you trust God now, you can have a great future and overcome every setbacks of your life.

Therefore, live your life with Christ today. If you are what God wants you to be now, the future is unquestionable victory.

This morning we are going to see the lifestyle of an overcomer.

ILLUSTRATION

 The London Olympics have already begun and thousands of athletes from around the globe are participating in this event. When you compare the number of participants, the winners are a minority. The medalists are the ones who spent years in training and have developed the lifestyle of an athlete. Some athletes work for nearly their entire life for a chance to win the Olympic gold.

Michael Phelps, the great swimming sensation, swims minimum 80,000 meters a week, which is nearly 50 miles. He practices twice a day, sometimes more if he’s training at altitude. Phelps trains for around five to six hours a day at six days a week. Phelps does long swims to improve his endurance. Michael Phelps has developed the lifestyle of a swimmer and the result is 14 Olympic gold medals until now.

Being an overcomer is not only a choice but a lifestyle as well. When we lead the lifestyle of an overcomer everyday, no matter what your setbacks are you are going to have a victorious future.

One person in the NT who spoke the most about the life of an overcomer is Apostle John. In John’s gospel, letters, and apocalyptic writings, he identifies who an overcomer is.

1. AN OVERCOMER FOLLOWS JESUS DAILY

It really matters who you follow and who follows you. A follower is as good as the leader.

Throughout the gospels we find Jesus inviting people to follow him and to become his disciple. Today Jesus is also asking us to follow him because he is the greatest overcomer. See what Jesus said to his disciples. John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. So by following Jesus we are following the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the overcomer, the victor the world has ever seen. Through Jesus we can overcome any situation of our life. So, when we follow Jesus we too are overcomers. Follow Jesus everyday of our life.

2. AN OVERCOMER PERSEVERES UNTIL THE END

As we follow God we are bound to have setbacks in our life, but an overcomer perseveres in their trials until the end.Revelation 2:26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations.

Perseverance can be symbolized as the ability of a plant to thrive in a harsh environment like deserts and rocky slopes. It is the spiritual staying power which enables a Christian to stay on or even die for God.

ILLUSTRATION

J. H. Crowell went to work on a sailing vessel at the age of 16. He was the only Christian among a crew of 12. Before leaving home, he had promised his mother he would continue his devotions and pray three times a day. When the other sailors discovered his piety, they taunted him and poured buckets of water upon his head, but they could not put out the fire in his soul! As time passed by the intensity of the persecution increased. One day they bound him and beat him, but still he prayed. Finally, they tied a rope around his waist and threw him overboard. Realizing he might drown, he asked God to forgive his tormentors, and pleaded with them to send his body back to his mother. “Tell her I was a faithful and persevering Christian and died for Jesus!” he said. When they thought he was dead, they pulled him back on deck, but to their surprise he regained consciousness. Conviction from the Holy Spirit came upon some sailors, and two of them were gloriously saved. Later the captain and several others were saved. This is the power of endurance.

Christ never promised us that life would be a bed of roses. The Gospel never said we’d go to Heaven on flowery beds of ease. Jesus cautioned potential disciples to count the cost of following him. Maybe some of you are going through tough trying circumstances; remember God is in absolute control. God is using our trials to build our perseverance.

ILLUSTRATION

One of the most fascinating events in nature is the emergence of the moth from its cocoon – an event that occurs only with much struggle on the part of the moth to free itself from the hard shell of the cocoon.

One day someone watched a moth go through this struggle. In an effort to help the moth to get out, he snipped the shell of the cocoon. Soon the moth came out, but as the person watched, the moth, which in a few moments would have stretched those wings to fly, was now only crawling in the ground, its wings were shriveled.

What the person did not realize was that the struggle to emerge from the cocoon was an essential part of developing the muscle system of the moth’s body and which strengthens the wings to fly. By unwisely seeking to cut short the moth’s struggle, the man had actually crippled the moth and doomed its existence.

The adversities of life are much like the cocoon of the moth. Like the person who helped the moth, God can easily snip our cocoon and give us immediate release from our trials. But that would not make you the person that God intends you to be. God uses our trials to develop the spiritual “muscle system.” If it were not beneficial, God would not allow it or send it. Each adversity that comes across our path, whether large or small is intended to help us grow in some way. A child of God of is aware of what God is doing through his life and perseveres until death.

Maybe some of you have come to faith but are having a tough time with your family; your faith may be a question to your friends and relatives. An overcomer never quits his faith. An overcomer trusts God and perseveres because he knows with every trouble God has a blessing for him.

3 AN OVERCOMER OVERCOMES SIN DAILY

1 John 5:4-5 4 For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Those who are born again have the capacity in Christ to overcome sin.

Born again saints are given the Spirit and power of God to overcome. 2 Peter 1:3-4 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.When we are born again God gives us his Spirit and power which includes everything to overcome Satan.

1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. We not only follow Christ, He is in us. His power is with us through which we can overcome sin.

Since God is in us and his divine power and nature is in us, overcoming sin is not just a choice for us but a command. If we are not able to overcome sin, then we are overcome by evil. Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. That means we can either be overcome by evil or we can overcomer evil.

In 2 Peter 2, Peter is speaking about active members of the church getting back to sinful ways and also teaching false doctrines. See what the Bible says about such people.

2 Peter 2:19 They promise them liberty, when they themselves are the slaves of depravity (moral corruption) and defilement (filthy or dirty) —for by whatever anyone is overcome, to that (person or thing) he is enslaved. Therefore anyone who is not able to overcome sin in their life is enslaved to sin. Sin can be any weakness in us (anger, filthy words, lust etc).

2 Peter 2:20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through (the full, personal) knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they again become entangled in them and are overcome, their last condition is worse (for them) than the first. Therefore if believers are not able to overcome sin daily, then their future is worse than their past. On the flipside if believers are able to overcome sin and its desires daily, they are overcomers and have a great future. Amen.

So, overcoming is more than just a nice option for us, we are commanded to live as overcomers. We are overcomers because Jesus is the overcomer. Those who are born of God overcome because it is their nature to do so. Naturally, we are not perfect at it, and we do not start out 100% as overcomers, but we are getting good at overcoming day by day.

So do not worry if you have failed in overcoming, God can still work through us. Overcoming is a step-by-step process and as days pass by we need to get better in overcoming sin.

In the letter of 1 John, John addresses Christians of different maturity levels. John is addressing them as Fathers, young men, and little children. We address people according to their age, but John is addressing them according to their spiritual maturity.

1 John 2:12-14 12 I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 13 I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father. 14 I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Children

V12 I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
V13 I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father.

Fathers

V13-14 I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning.

Young men

V13 I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.
V14 I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

The Children are the new Christians who are still struggling in faith. The young men are now getting rooted in the word, strong, and learning to overcome the evil one. The fathers are mature Christians, rooted in the word, overcomers, who know God for a long time. This shows that believers should have a step-by-step grown in Christ. The more we overcome sin, the more we grow spiritually.

Each time we are tempted we face the possibility of either defeat or victory. Ultimately, it is we who determine with each temptation, which side wins. It is exciting, after experiencing years of defeat in some area of spiritual warfare, to finally taste victory over some habitual sin in our life.

Listen God has already given us the victory. He has overcome the world and he has made us overcomers. Therefore God allows temptations and trials so we may taste the power of Christ for ourselves and be overcomers.

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Have you heard of the popular shoe brand called Nike? “Nike” comes from the Greek word “Nike” which means victory, conqueror, or overcomer. Paul uses an interesting form of “nike” to describe the condition of the overcoming Christian, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” He took the simple word for overcomer (nike) and added a prefix (huper) from which we get the word “hyper”. He took a strong word and made it stronger. We are hyper-overcomers, super victors through Christ.

CONCLUSION

Have you ever experienced this kind of victory in your life? Well, let me tell you, this is your birthright. Conquering is what Christians do. You’ve got it coming. If you haven’t tasted victory over sin and Satan yet, it is probably because you have bought into a satanic lie and have been held captive by something you can overcome.

Be an overcomer now. Decide to follow Jesus daily, persevere in faith everyday, and overcome sin every day. No matter what your past is, and how you feel about your future, if you trust God now, you can have a great future and overcome every setbacks of your life because we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. Amen.