The Overcoming Life

1 John 4:1-8

Rock Hill Baptist Church

605 Rock Hill Road
Lexington, Tennessee 38351
Brother David Buffaloe
731-845-6104
online at bibleteacher.org

FOCAL 1 John 4:1-8 KJV Beloved, believe not every

spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:
because many false prophets are gone out into the
world. {2} Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every
spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is of God: {3} And every spirit that confesseth
not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of
God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye
have heard that it should come; and even now
already is it in the world. {4} Ye are of God, little
children, and have overcome them: because greater is
he that is in you, than he that is in the world. {5}
They are of the world: therefore speak they of the
world, and the world heareth them. {6} We are of
God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not
of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of
truth, and the spirit of error. {7} Beloved, let us love
one another: for love is of God; and every one that
loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. {8} He that
loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1. The Wise Christian Will "Try Before He Buys"
FOCAL 1 John 4:1 KJV Beloved, believe not
every spirit, but try the spirits whether they
are of God: because many false prophets are
gone out into the world.
The Bible tells us to stop believing every spirit.
Robertson1 tells us,
1

Robertson's Word Pictures in the Greek New Testament

(me panti pneumati pisteuete). Stop believing, as some

were clearly carried away by the spirits of error
rampant among them, both Docetic and Cerinthian
Gnostics. Credulity means gullibility and some
believers fall easy victims to the latest fads in
spiritualistic humbuggery.

The believers that John addressed were, just as we many

times are doing today, falling for every doctrine or every
teaching or every prophet or every preacher that comes
along. Donald S. Whitney said2
"... genuine spirituality seeks the things of God, or
more specifically, "things which are above, where
Christ is". Any spirituality that does not seek things
like the will and glory of God in everything, intimacy
with and conformity to Christ, and love - and does
not seek them above all other pursuits - is a false
spirituality."
Illustrate Just because a person says a thing is spiritual
does not make it so. If it is spiritual, that is, rooted and
grounded in the Holy Spirit of God, then that spirituality
must meet certain criteria. Let me give you a good
example of this. The other day I made some interesting
labels and put them on soup cans and tuna cans. One set
of labels advertised that there was stewed Tennessee
Possum in the can. The other set of labels said that there
was Locusts in Wild Honey in that can. I used the labels
as a joke, but also as a witnessing tool. As I said, I made
up those labels, and in reality what was on the labels was
not what was in the cans. What was really in the cans
was soup and tuna, not possum and locusts. The label
2

Simplify Your Spiritual Life, NavPress, page 25

misled.
There are many false prophets in the world who claim to
have cornered the market on spirituality.
John said many false prophets are gone out into
the world. Where did these false prophets go out
from? They went out from the Church.
John talked about these false prophets earlier when he
wrote:

They went out from us, but

they were not of us; for if they had been of us,
1 John 2:19 KJV

they would [no doubt] have continued with us: but

[they went out], that they might be made manifest
that they were not all of us.
False prophets generally come from the religious
community itself. Peter experienced the same thing and
wrote as God's hand:
2 Peter 2:1-3 KJV But there

were false
prophets also among the people, even as
there shall be false teachers among you,
who privily shall bring in damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord that
bought them, and bring upon themselves
swift destruction. {2} And many shall follow
their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of

truth shall be evil spoken of. {3} And through

covetousness shall they with feigned

words make merchandise of you: whose
judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their
damnation slumbereth not.

Matthew 7:15-16 KJV Beware of false

prophets,
which come to you in sheep's clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves. {16} Ye
shall know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

These false prophets do what they do to make

merchandise of you, to take your money, to use you
as a business. They are driven by covetousness, a
greed for money.

Again, you see the vivid image our Lord uses for the
false prophet. They come to you in sheep's clothing,
that is, they look like the Family of God, but inwardly
they are ravenous wolves.

They do not care for you. They are like the hireling that
Jesus spoke of in this morning's sermon,

A ravenous wolf will literally attack and eat that which

it is around. These people want to use the sheep of God,
not to bless God's people.

John 10:12-13 KJV But he

that is an hireling,
and not the shepherd, whose own the
sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and
leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf
catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. {13} The
hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth
not for the sheep.
The hireling does what he does for the money. The false
prophet does what he does for the money. They want to
take your money, but care nothing for your spiritual well
being. As long as they have large congregations and
large salaries and lots of earthly toys they are happy whether you are blessed or not! In another place Jesus
said:

The Bible tells us that, if we're wise, we will try before

we buy. We will try or test the spirits. Is what that
person offers you the spirit of anti-Christ or is it the fruit
of the Spirit of God?
2. The Test of Spirituality Is
The Glorification of Christ
FOCAL 1 John 4:2-3 KJV Hereby know ye the Spirit
of God: Every spirit that confesseth that

Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

{3} And every spirit that confesseth not
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
not of God: and this is that [spirit] of
antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should

come; and even now already is it in the world.

The Holy Spirit of God has one focus in the Christian's
life. Jesus promised that,
John 15:26-27 KJV But when the Comforter is
come, whom I will send unto you from the Father,
[even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the
Father, he shall testify of me: {27} And ye

also shall bear witness, because ye have

been with me from the beginning.
The Holy Spirit, the Comforter from God, did not
come to glorify Himself, but to testify of Jesus.
The disciples were to testify that Jesus Christ had,
indeed, come in the flesh because they had been with
Jesus from the beginning. They had walked with Jesus,
talked with Jesus, ate with Jesus, slept with Jesus, prayed
with Jesus, touched Jesus, and they could heartily affirm
that Jesus came in the flesh. The Holy Spirit's mission
is to confess or affirm that Jesus came in the flesh.
Jesus came, walked, talked, lived, operated by the Spirit,
died, and rose again, all in the flesh. What we think of
Jesus, we think by the Spirit of God or the spirit of antiChrist. If we think rightly, that Jesus Christ came in the
flesh, that He is our Redeemer, our Savior, our King, our
Example, our All in All, then this fruit comes only by the
Spirit of God. The hand of God wrote in another place:
1 Corinthians 12:3 KJV Wherefore I give you to

understand, that no

man speaking by the

Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and
[that] no man can say that Jesus is the
Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
The Spirit is the Witness of Christ.
The test of Spirituality - that is, whether it is from the
Spirit of God or the spirit of the anti-Christ - is
whether that teaching, preaching, doctrine, or system
draws you closer to or moves you farther away from
the real Person of Christ.
If the system or theology draws you closer to Jesus,
allowing you to walk with Him and for Him, then it is a
true system. If the system or theology speaks little of
Christ, but glorifies someone else (like Jabez, self, or
some human speaker), then that system has no validity in
the Christian Way of Spirituality. The hand of God
writes:

Ye are of God, little

children, and have overcome them:
because greater is he that is in you, than
he that is in the world. {5} They are of the
FOCAL 1 John 4:4-5 KJV

world: therefore speak they of the world, and the

world heareth them.
The Christian is designed by God to be an overcomer
because God the Spirit inside of each and every one of us

keeps pointing us back to the reality of Christ. Jesus

really lived in this life just as we do, yet without sin.
Jesus really triumphed over death, raising again on the
third day. Jesus really has ascended to Heaven, and is at
the right hand of God the Father, making intercession for
us. Jesus really will come again, and receive us to
Himself. Jesus really will one day rule and reign on earth
as He now rules in Heaven. The hand of God will
shortly write:

For [whosoever] 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
1 John 5:4-5 KJV

world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of

God?
Illustrate We who are Christians are overcomers, not
because we have great riches, nor because of great
health, nor because of many toys. We are overcomers
because we walk and talk with a risen and real Savior
every single day. Just as the first Adam walked with God
in the cool of the evening (Genesis 3:8), the Christian is
to walk with the Second Adam, our Lord Jesus every
moment of every day. He is with us, He is in us. Greater
is He that is in you, than he (Satan) that is in the
world. We focus on Jesus because the Spirit of God
witnesses of Jesus. Jesus is Lord of our lives. Everything
we own we give to Him, because everything He has He
gave to us!

I read a good illustration3 of the overcoming life just a

little while ago. A missionary and his wife was working
in Dutch New Guinea, far in the bush. They had a small
shop and a small mission there, and were trying to reach
the people for Jesus. One day the missionary decided that
he would import and plant some pineapple plants, and
hire a local farmer to plant them. This is what he did, and
after about three years the pineapples started to bear
fruit. When the missionary went out to pick ripe
pineapples he discovered they were all stolen! When he
asked the farmer about it, the farmer said "if I plant it, I
eat it". This angered the missionary, and out of anger he
shut down the store and the local clinic to punish the
thieves. The missionary tore up the pineapple plants,
imported more, and had a local farmer plant them. Again,
three years pass, and three years later the locals steal the
pineapples. The missionary asks the farmer why he is
stealing what doesn't belong to him and the farmer says,
"My hands plant them. My mouth eats them.". That was
the Law of the Jungle, and the people understood no
other Law. The missionary purchased a guard dog and
put it in his field. He tried everything to protect that
which belonged to him, but nothing worked. Every year
the locals stole what was his and used it for themselves,
enraging the missionary.
One day the missionary decided to give the pineapple
field to God. Not too long afterward a local came to him
and said, "Have you become a Christian?". The
missionary asked him what he meant by that, and the
local said "You don't get angry anymore when someone
steals your pineapples!" The missionary said, "I gave the
3

http://www.the-overcomers.org/writings/writings.php?page=pineapple_story

pineapple field to God, so when you steal, you are

stealing from God and not from me". The local said,
"We shouldnt steal them anymore if they are Gods,
should we?" The pineapples began to ripen. When the
pineapples were ripe, the missionary took some and he
allowed the natives to take some - and soon many natives
decided to become Christians.
The faith that recognizes Jesus Christ and His Primacy
only on Sunday morning is the faith that will remain
weak and useless. But the faith that recognizes Jesus
Christ as Lord - not just on Sunday morning - but all
week long - is the faith that overcomes! If He is Lord
then you will transfer all your rights over to Him. You
belong to Jesus because of what Jesus did for you, and
since you belong to Jesus everything you have belongs to
Jesus. Once we mark our possessions - at least in our
minds - as "Property of God" - then we will discover that
the world's hold on us is much more minimized. Jesus
said "where your treasure is, there will your heart
be" (Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34). The hand of God
writes in another place:
Colossians 3:1-4 KJV If ye

then be risen with

Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
{2} Set your affection on things above, not
on things on the earth. {3} For ye are
dead, and your life is hid with Christ in
God. {4} When Christ, [who is] our life, shall
appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

If you belong to Christ, then direct your mind Christward

through the power of God the Holy Spirit. Dr. Charles
Stanley said4:
"What about your Christian life? Do you grumble
more than you praise the Lord? Do you wonder why
your efforts are fruitless? If you do not understand
Who the Holy Spirit is, you neglect a vital part of life
as a believer. The Spirit of God wants to live and
work through you - energizing you, guiding you, and
empowering you to fulfill God's Plan for every aspect
of your life. It's a choice you must make: will you
fight a losing battle attempting to live the Christian
life yourself, or will you receive God's wonderful
promise and let Him live it through you? It is my
prayer that you will make a wise choice."
Illustrate Recognize the Primacy of Jesus. He is Lord,
Lord of you, Lord of your circumstances. If you are
submitted to the Spirit, then you will give all glory to
Jesus. If submitted to the flesh or the world, then these
will receive the glory. Surrender yourselves to the Lord,
to God Who abides within you, and recognize your
limitations. Make yourselves sensitive to His desires,
listen for His calling in your heart. We can take a piece
of clear plastic and hold it up in the air, but nothing will
happen. If we take that same piece of clear plastic and
coat it with light sensitive material, we can put it in a
camera and take a picture with it. The light sensitive
material made the difference to the plastic, not the plastic
to the light sensitive material. The Spirit of God was
given to testify of Christ. He is that Light sensitive
4

In Touch Magazine, November 2005, page 9

material that lives within us. But, just as it is with the

film, if the shutter is never pressed, the picture is never
taken. The film has the capacity to take pictures, but the
Light must reach it. The only way the Light will reach it
is if the camera is made to allow the Light to enter. Press
the button, take the picture. Take in the Light, make the
photo. Many who claim Christ as Savior never develop
Him in their character for they are constantly taking in
the works of the flesh and not surrendering to the Spirit
of God.
3. True Spirituality Starts With Surrender To Love
FOCAL 1 John 4:7-8 KJV

Beloved, let us love

is of God; and every

one another: for love

one that loveth is born of God, and
knoweth God. {8} He that loveth not knoweth
not God; for God is love.

You cannot be truly Spiritual unless you are willing to

surrender to Godly Love. As the hand of God has
written,
Love is of God. Now this does not say that all forms
of love are from God, but it says that true or genuine
Love comes only from God the Holy Spirit.
The Bible tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is
Galatians 5:22-23 KJV ... love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, {23}

Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

The very first fruit, or first flavor of the Spirit is Love this is the soil by which all other assets of the Christian
life grow. Love is of God, born of God, and from God.
Only those who know God can Love in the manner
which God considers acceptable. True Spirituality starts
with surrender to love, a commitment to love others no
matter what they do to you. The hand of God has given
us a perfect and complete definition of Love in:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7HCSB Love is patient; love is kind.
Love does not envy; is not boastful; is not conceited;
{5} does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not
provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs; {6}
finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the
truth; {7} bears all things, believes all things, hopes
all things, endures all things.
Look at all the effects of Divine Love: patience,
kindness, not envious, not boasting, not conceited,
does not act improperly, does not hold a grudge,
rejoices only in righteous not in evil, bears, believes,
hopes, and is eternal. Of all the things that Love is, it is
never self serving, nor is it rooted in "feel good", seeker
sensitive nonsense. True Divine Love, the kind of love
the Christian is to strive for, is supposed to reach beyond
oneself toward Godliness. True Divine Love can only be
committed by Spirit Born Spirit Led believers in Jesus
Christ.

HCSB Holman Christian Standard Bible

True Spirituality is only possible to those who

surrender themselves to the Love of God, allowing
Christ to love through them just as He loved others
when He walked and ministered on this earth.
A.W. Tozer wrote5:
"No law has ever been passed that can compel one
moral being to love another, for by the very nature of
it love must be voluntary. No one can be coerced or
frightened into loving anyone. Love just does not
come that way. So what are we to do with our Lord's
command to love God and our neighbor?
To find our way out of the shadows and into the
cheerful sunlight we need only to know that there are

two kinds of love: the love of feeling and

the love of willing. The one lies in the emotions,
the other in the will. Over the one we may have little
control. It comes and goes, rises and falls, flares up
and disappears as it chooses, and changes from hot to
warm to cool and back to warm again very much as
does the weather. Such love was not in the mind of
Christ when He told His people to love God and each
other. As well command a butterfly to light on our
shoulder as to attempt to command this whimsical
kind of affection to visit our hearts.

The love the Bible enjoins is not the love

5

in Man, The Dwelling Place of God, chapter 8, "True Religion Is Not

Feeling But Willing"

of feeling; it is the love of willing, the

willed tendency of the heart. "
The essence of the overcoming life is a willingness to
surrender to God, to allow Him to love through you no
matter whether it be pleasant or it be unpleasant. The
love that guides the Christian must not be the love of
feeling, but the love of willing. We must be willing to
love God, and because we love Him read His Word.
Because we choose to love we must be willing to
meditate the Scripture, to pray, to give of ourselves and
our funds. Everything truthfully belongs to the Lord
Jesus Christ. If we would surrender all things to Him,
then we will discover that overcoming life that our
Master has promised all who believe.
We make choices concerning our families, our children,
our jobs, our income. Isn't it time we all choose to love
God and others? When we do, we with joy that what
Jesus promised is true.
May God touch your hearts with these words.