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

Introduction

One of the world’s largest sports shoe and clothing companies was named after the mythical Greek goddess of victory, Nike. The Greek word “Nike” simply means “to conquer,” “to gain the victory,” or “to defeat” and translated in our King James Bible “overcome”.  This is one of the apostle John’s favorite descriptions of believers, “one who overcomes”. Believers are overcomers. We are victors. We are winners. We are conquerors. In this epistle John describes believers in chapter 2, verses 13-14, as overcomers of Satan. In chapter 4, verses 1-4, he describes believers as overcomers of false teachers. And here in chapter 5, verses 4-5, he describes believers as overcomers of the world.

Our Lord made a very instructive declaration regarding the believer’s relationship to the world. He said in, John 15:18-19, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” Then again in John 17:16, He says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” According to our Lord, though we believers are in the world, we must not forget that we are not of this world, just as Christ is not of this world. According to Colossians 1:13, God “hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” As a result, “our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 3:20). Although we still live in the world, we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Although we still live in this world, we must not live like the world. We must not think like the world. We must not behave like the world. We must not act like the world. We must not talk like the world. We must not dress like the world. We must not be conformed to this world.

But why is the believer not of the world? Our text gives us the answer. 1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. We are not of this world, and we do not conform to this world because we have overcome the world. That’s the point of our text today—it’s overcoming the world. This morning consider with me the believers overcoming the world in three headings. We will see first of all, it’s necessity. Secondly, it’s difficulty. Thirdly, it’s possibility.

I - The Necessity of Overcoming the World

As I have said the Greek word “Nike” means “to gain victory” or “to overcome”. According to John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the believer has overcome the world. He is no longer a slave of the world. The world is no longer as attractive to him as it used to be and the more the believer sees of this world, the more dissatisfied he is with it.

Now, before we proceed let’s first be clear what the world is. What is the world that believers have overcome and why is it necessary to overcome it? The term “world” is used in at least three different ways in Scripture. It sometimes refers to the physical world including the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, and the earth. But in our text, John is not the talking about the earth or the world of nature. There is nothing intrinsically and necessarily evil or sinful about the earth and the things in it. We are actually told in 1 Timothy 6:17, that God gives us richly all things to enjoy. God abundantly provides everything for us to use and to enjoy. Other times the term “world” refers to the people of the world. We read in John 3:16 these very familiar words, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” So, obviously, John is not necessarily referring to the people of the world. The third use of the term “world” is the world system. The world system that is opposed to God, opposed to Christ and opposed to His people. It is that world system that leaves God out and draws man away from God. This world system belongs to and controlled by Satan. Our Lord spoke about this in John 14:30, “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” There is a world system that is in operation today and our Lord describes Satan as the prince of this world system. That’s the world to which John is referring to and it is this world he said that the believer has overcome.

The Word of God declares that “the world” that is under Satan’s control is corrupt, evil, and hostile thing. John later in this chapter writes that “the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 Jn 5:19). Satan has this world system under his power and control, and he uses people and things to draw our hearts away from God. A. W. Pink says it this way, “Anyone or anything which draws your heart away from God and His authority, is for you ‘the world’”. The sad truth is that the vast majority of mankind today opposes God. They hate God. They hate His laws. They hate His words. They hate anything having to do with God. This is the reason why we need to overcome the world. It’s because the world system and philosophy is opposed to God. The world under Satan’s control is a great enemy. It is a great enemy opposing God and His kingdom and therefore it must be overcome. Unless a person overcomes the world, as someone has said, “he will be shallowed up by the world and ultimately, he will perish with the world”. Know and understand that overcoming the world is absolutely necessary, because, if you are not careful the world will draw your heart away from God and it will ultimately lead to your eternal destruction.

II - The Difficulty of Overcoming the World

Now, the world is not easy to defeat. It is not easy to overcome the world because the world is a powerful enemy. The world is difficult to overcome because it appeals to our sinful nature. Harold Martin put it this way, “The ‘world’ is a system of values that comprises a way of life which is exciting and colorful and seductive and sweet and wonderful—and as a result, we are constantly in danger of getting wrapped up in it, and in danger of giving spiritual values second place.” He also pointed out that “the Scripture breaks worldliness into three component parts. Worldliness includes the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.” (1 Jn 2:16-17)

We all know how powerful the world’s attraction can be and how strong the hold of the world is on the hearts of men. And even we Christians, if we are not careful, we too can be trapped with the world and make us ineffective witnesses. Though believers have overcome the world and have won the war against the world, from time to time our old man takes control, we lose the battle. Even the best of us can yield to the world’s enticements. The Bible is filled with accounts of God’s people who yielded to the world’s temptations.

Think of Lot

In 2 Peter 2:7-8, Peter describes him a just and righteous man. But Lot surrendered to the lust of the eye. When Lot and Abraham surveyed all the land of Canaan, Abraham presented an offer to Lot. As Lot lifted up his eyes, and looked at the plains of Jordan, he chose the land near the Jordan River. He thought that’s where he going to be rich, since the land was rich and well-watered. So, he decided to settle and dwell near the wicked city Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot knew God, but he chose to live among the wicked and worldly people who would vex and torment his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds and would lead his family into sin and gratification.

Think of David

David, a man after God’s own heart. The Lord loved David, and David loved the Lord. One evening as David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace, he noticed a beautiful woman named Bathsheba taking a bath. Before you know it, David sent messengers to bring Bathsheba to him. David gazed upon her and lusted after her and had sexual relations with her. David was severely punished for this, but he repented of his sins, and God forgave him. David, after God’s own heart, in moment of weakness gave in to the lust of the flesh.

Think of Peter

Peter, the leader and the spokesman of the apostles of Jesus Christ. In Luke 22:31-62, we read of the sad downfall of the very confident apostle Peter. In verses 31, we see our Lord warning Peter “Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat”. Our Lord even warned him that he will deny Christ three times before the rooster crow (v34). Despite of the Saviour’s warning Peter boldly said, “though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended” (Matt 26:33). It is recorded in Luke 22:33 that Peter also boasted “Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death”. And in Matthew 26:35, he said, “Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.” Peter meant well, but he was struggling with misplaced confidence, which is a form of pride of life. It is always very dangerous to be too arrogant, and it is always disastrous for a Christian to boast of what he is going to do.

Sadly, we can see many examples in the Bible where God’s people falling into the world’s trap. What do these examples tell us? These examples tell us that it is difficult to overcome the world. The world is a powerful enemy, and it is not easy to overcome, but the good news is it can be overcome. This brings us to the third and final point.

III - The Possibility of Overcoming the World

How can we overcome the world? Do we withdraw ourselves from civilization and society and live like monks and hermits in caves or convents or monasteries? Should we devote ourselves to prayer and meditation non-stop, twenty-four hours a day? No, we may not be of this world, but we are still in this world. We still have other things to do, and we have other responsibilities in life. We are not called to retreat from society and be like monks and dwell in caves and spend all day in prayer and meditation. That is not the way to overcome the world system and its pressures. 

So, how can we overcome the world? The apostle John gives us the answer in 1 John 5:4, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world …” In order to overcome the world, first of all, we must be born again. For our text is clear, those who overcome the world are those who have been born again. We must experience a radical change in our being to overcome the world and worldliness. Church membership or church attendance will not and cannot do it. A man, a woman, a boy, or a girl cannot overcome the world without the new birth. To overcome the world, a change must take place in our hearts, because the world is in our hearts. This is why our Lord emphatically declares in John chapter 3 verses 3, 5, and 7 that you and I must be born again. In the new birth, you are given a new heart, new desires, new outlook in life. The only men, women,  boys, and girls who are going to overcome the world are those by the grace of God, whose hearts have been taken to Heaven while they live.

Reading our text again, the last part of 1 John 5:4, “... and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Not only must we be born again, we must have faith. Not just any faith but saving faith. And saving faith has object and the object of faith that overcomes the powerful world, its system and its pressure is the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God! The person who overcomes the world is the one “that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 Jn 5:5). It is not faith in ourselves, but faith in Christ, that gives us the victory. Faith in the One Who overcame the world for us. Our Lord Himself declares His victory over the world in John 16:33, “In the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”.

Now, how did He overcome the world? Our Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the world for you by dying on the cross and by rising from the dead. One of the most beautiful passages in the Bible about the amazing victory of our Lord at the cross is in Colossians 2:15, where we read, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” The very phrase “made a show,” means “put to open shame” (Hebrews 6:6). He made a public spectacle of His enemies. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross. So, instead of Jesus being put to shame, it was the enemies who were being put to shame on the cross! Jesus Christ was not a defeated Saviour. He was not a victim. He was a Victor! “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 15:55-57). It is true that Jesus Christ died but He did not remain dead. Death could not hold Him, after three days our great Saviour arose from the dead, and by His death and resurrection our Lord overcame sin, death, the devil, and the world!

Victory belongs to Christ. He has overcome the world. The good news of the Gospel is that when we come to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, His victory becomes our victory. And so, the apostle Paul could say in Galatians 6:14, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” In other words, what Paul is saying is that because of the cross of Christ, he was crucified to the world and the world became dead to him. He is no longer slave of the world. He doesn’t have to be like the world. He doesn’t have to live like the world. He doesn’t have to behave like the world. He doesn’t have to act like the world. He doesn’t have to think like the world. He doesn’t have to talk like the world. He doesn’t have to dress like the world. He doesn’t have to please the world. He doesn’t have to conform to the world. Why? Because of the One Who overcame the world for him, and the Lord Jesus Christ has delivered us from the world’s grip and hold. Isn’t that what we read in Galatians 1:3-4 “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.”

Closing Thoughts

Have you overcome the world? Has the One who gave Himself for our sins delivered you from this present evil world? You cannot overcome this world on your own. You must go to Christ Who has overcome this world. He is ready, willing, and able to overcome the world for you. But you must come according to His term. You must humble yourself and call upon Him to save you from you sins, deliver you from this present evil world.

Let me speak to those who by the grace of God have overcome the world. As I have said, though believers have overcome the world and have won the war against the world, from time to time our old man takes control, we lose the battle. Even the best of us can yield to the world’s enticements. So, how do we win the battle over the world? 

Let’s read our text again:

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

Here is the best way to overcome the battle against the world’s allurements. It is not with morality or self-discipline. It is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As someone has said, “Attachment to Christ is the secret of detachment from the world.” Christians, we overcome the world by seeing the beauty and excellence of Christ. We will overcome the world by seeing something more attractive than the world—the Lord Jesus Christ! “Yea, He is altogether lovely! This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!” (SS 5:16). Oh, know Him! Follow hard after Him and His right hand will uphold you (Psalm 63:8). May you and I know Him in a deep and intimate way.

AMEN!