Jesus Has Overcome
Why was the 2016 Cavs Championship win such a victory? What makes a victory so victorious?
- Who was defeated?
- how were they defeated?
- what does it mean for the city? For the people?
nikao - Greek word for overcome, conquer
- John uses this word a lot in the following passages
1 John 2:13-14 NLT
[13] I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one. [14] I have written to you who are God’s children because you know the Father. I have written to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong. God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one.
1 John 5:4-5 NLT
[4] For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. [5] And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
John consistently talks about overcoming.
But most of Jesus' disciples died horrible deaths, how could they have overcome? John himself died being boiled in oil.
We're not talking about the TV preacher version of "overcome". This isn't just about overcoming bad days each day of the week.
Who was defeated?
The enemies of our soul are:
- the world
- the flesh
- the devil
Your enemy is not a bad day, a political party, people who are mean to you, etc.
The World
A way of thinking and living that we may not realize we are in, that is opposed to God.
The Flesh
Gratifying our selfish desires.
The Devil
Pedals lies and deceit to keep us in patterns of death. He wants to disconnect us from the source of life.
How were they defeated?
Colossians 2:13-15 NLT
[13] You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. [14] He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. [15] In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
We get so used to the fact the the power of sin is no more. How Jesus overcame is of the utmost importance.
This is important because it is a path we must follow.
Humility, suffering, death, and resurrection.
There's something about how the early church operated. Even death couldn't defeat them.
Romans 8:17-18 NLT
[17] And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. [18] Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
Philippians 3:10 NLT
[10] I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,
What does it mean for us?
In Christ, we have overcome. But we are also overcoming.
A blessed assurance
Perfect love casts out fear. If we're not sure where we stand with God, then we haven't experienced love yet.
Sin always leads to pain. We should not sin just because of Grace.
1 John 2:1-2 NLT
[1] My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. [2] He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
The devil accuses and tempts.
Was it really enough?
Did God really say/mean that?
Some of us are thankful for the cross, but we still carry our sin and shame.
We look to Jesus not for inspiration, but because he has overcome.
A grounded perspective
Because Christ won, the light has won.
John 1:5 NLT
[5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
We can trust that the darkness we see is real, but not forever. Consistently in scripture, God shows up when it seems that all hope is lost. The gospel is sufficient for all darkness we face.
A personal presence
Anxiety can make us think we're bigger than human (have to handle everything) or less than human (incapable of anything).
John 16:33 NLT
[33] I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Jesus does not say that everyday will be good. There will be trouble. But we have assurance that the darkness has been overcome.
How do we overcome?
We seek the good
Romans 12:21 NLT
[21] Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Choose honor over disdain
Generosity over self preservation
We don't just abstain from evil because it is bad. We overcome it by perpetuating the good.
We endure
We have endurance because our eyes are set on the end, and the end is Jesus.
There are all sorts of ups and downs in life. We need to ensure through them.
Paul uses the metaphor of running a race.
The same power that pushed John to endure through being boiled alive is that same power that is alive in you.
Too often we treat Jesus like defeated Cleveland sports fans. But we have deep seated hope. Jesus has already overcome.
We need a constant reminder that Jesus has overcome.