Have we made it one of our life’s missions to be an overcomer?  What is an overcomer?  What is it that we must overcome?  If you are a Child of God will you automatically be an overcomer?  Does belief in Jesus Christ the Son of God and faith in Him mean that we have already overcome the world as Jesus has?  Jesus said:

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33)

After Herbert W. Armstrong died, the Worldwide Church of God began teaching a different narrative from our traditional conviction of our need to overcome.  At the time of the apostasy the doctrines of Jesus Christ, including repentance, faith and baptism, were downplayed.  Instead, Worldwide set about to convince the brethren that there is no need to overcome sin.  They foisted their insidious, heretical doctrine on God’s people in the form of a question: “Can you overcome enough for God?”  They implied that you cannot overcome enough to satisfy God.

The thrust of the heresy was to convince the brethren they had already overcome – and the evidence of their overcoming was their willingness to testify to others about their faith in Christ.  Worldwide taught that once we accepted Jesus Christ as our savior, we were saved for good and eternal life had come to us.  It became the Worldwide Church of God’s version of once saved – always saved.

The answer to their taunt was that Jesus does it all for us – while we do what comes naturally as we effortlessly cruise to our eternal reward.  Is faith in Jesus Christ all that is needed?  Jesus Christ’s brother, James answers this question this way:  “As the body without the breath is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”  (James 2:26)

Men and women in God’s Church have been called by God for the very purpose of living lives of good works and overcoming according to righteous Godly principles.  “For we are [God the Father’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”  (Ephesians 2:10)

As stated in the Scriptures, doing good works is overcoming evil.  That is accomplished through the power of God’s Spirit in helping us to walk righteously according to every word of God.  “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”  (Romans 12:21)

Many of those whom we counted as brethren succumbed to that false teaching back then.  In these last days, instead of portraying a greater zeal for God and His word, the Church of God brethren are letting down.  The Church of God today has not overcome to the extent of God’s expectations.  The question remains, “Who among us has forgotten that God expects us to be overcomers?”  Now is the time immediately prior to the return of Jesus Christ.  It is a time of letting down and Laodicean attitudes.  Many, if not most brethren have let their guard down.  Jesus knows how badly we need to let Him come into us so that we might be overcomers.“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.  To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne.”  (Revelation 3:20-21)

Jesus Christ does not do it all for us.  He has overcome the world and He is in us helping us to overcome the world – but we definitely have our part to play in being overcomers.  It is a mystery to the world, but if Christ is not in us we have no hope of the resurrection.  “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  (Colossians 1:27)

With God’s power and influence in our life, we can overcome!  With God’s love, and guiding hand, we can choose a lifetime of obedience to our heavenly Father and be overcomers.  But, we must understand that we are not able to be overcomers by our own strength.  It is Jesus in us that makes it possible for us to overcome.  “…Greater is He that is in you [Jesus Christ], than he that is in the world [Satan the devil].”  (1 John 4:4)

God has called us out of this world and He has given us the means that we need to be able to overcome the pull of Satan, self, society and the sin that doth so easily beset us.  “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.”  (Hebrews 12:1)

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Sermon:

" He Who Overcomes"