Certain Eternity Part 35 – Where Our Confidence Comes From
1 John 4:4 July 20, 2025
Introduction
Last two weeks: 1) Caution (v1), 2) Confessional Test (outward and inward) (A)
Confession of Christ’s person and work, B) Confession of Christ’s Lordship), C)
Confession of Identity in Christ, and D) Confession of Accountability Under Christ
It’s the summertime, so let’s revisit our beach analogy. We’ve talked about how
false teachers are like the ocean: the surface can be so calming and pleasant,
but that exterior presentation hides the dangers of the depths. We’ve talked
about how the church is like the ocean where imposters can seek to swim into
the depths by bringing their outside environments down with them as they seek
to disrupt what’s going on. One more oceanic analogy that we will consider
today: the fish of the ocean freely swimming in its depths not worrying about the
crushing weight of the waters all around them. Why is that – it’s because the
internal pressure of the fish – their internal reality – allows them to freely
overcome the external pressures around them. By God’s grace, this is exactly
what He’s done for us in this world.
1 John 4:1-6 “1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the
world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus
Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess
Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was
coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and
have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world
listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever
is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the
spirit of error.”
2 Parts of Confidence: Identity (origin and overcomer) and Victory
Identity – Origin
“You are from God”
o 1 John 3:1 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we
should be called children of God; and so we are…”
Part 26 of this series all about adoption and identity as God’s children
o Whereas the false teachers are from the world, we as God’s children, are
from Him
o One of the tests of a false teacher is from where do they derive their
identity…false teachers will find their identity in the world
From your identity flows your values, your standards, your
motivations, your norms, your goals, and your purpose
Simba from lion king….forgot his identity…until he was
reminded and then retook the throne.
o John again affirms our identity as Children of God, belonging to God, and
coming from God into this world to spread His truth and love to all who
would receive it
Identity – Overcomer
“have overcome them”
John encourages his readers that they have already overcome the false
teachers. They already have victory in their identity as children of God.
Overcome (GK. nikao) means to conquer, to be victorious or to prevail in the face
of obstacles. Overcome describes the quality of a true saint who may stumble
and fall but who God always picks up and who continues onward and upward in
the power and motivation of the victory Christ has won for us on the Cross.
o nikao is written in the perfect tense writing that this speaks “of a past
completed victory, and a present state of being a conqueror.
Warren Wiersbe notes “The word overcome is a favorite with John; he uses it in
1 John 2:13–14 with reference to overcoming the devil. He uses it seven times in
Revelation to describe believers and the blessings they receive (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17,
26; 3:5, 12, 21). He is not describing a special class of believers. Rather, he is
using the word overcomer as a name for the true Christian. Because we have
been born of God (1Jn 5:4-5), we are overcomers.”
o Paul uses the derivative word hupernikao in Romans 8 to describe
believers as “more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” (Ro 8:37)
John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In
the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
o Note perfect tense of nikao in Jesus’s statement…His victory is permanent
and unchanging
o If we are children of God, then we are overcomers because we are in
Christ. His victory is our victory and He gives us the power to walk in victory
even now while we remain in this world but not of the world
Victory
“Greater” (Gk. megas) better in quality, quantity, scale, rank, maturity, depth,
importance…by any measure Holy Spirit wins.
o Dad’s old flip phone….compared to smartphone (less durable, worse
signal, less functionality, easier to lose, harder to use….pretty much worse
in every way)
The Holy Spirit within us is greater than all of the false antichrist spirits we will
ever face.
o His power is greater, His truth is greater, His presence is greater, His love is
greater, His mercy is greater, His justice is greater, His grace is greater, His
holiness is greater, His forgiveness is greater, His joy is greater, His hope is
greater, His peace is greater, His faithfulness is greater….we can go on
and on
Through Holy Spirit the lies of the world are exposed by truth; the loneliness and
emptiness of the world is filled with God’s presence; the despair of the world is
overcome by hope; the suffering and pain of the world is healed; the evil and sin
of the world is brought to justice; the sadness and depression of the world is
given joy and peace; the longing and empty searching of the world is given
contentment and satisfaction; the fear of the world is replaced by faith and trust in
Jesus.
Through Holy Spirit, our God has given us an answer for anything the world tries
to throw at us. This is why Jesus said, John 16:7 “I tell you the truth: it is to your
advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.”
So what should this do: give us confidence….not in ourselves, but in Him.
o We are God’s children, we share in Christ’s victory, and we posses His
Spirit and cannot lose the war….who we are and our future with Christ are
certain and we can confidently face the enemy with that truth in our hearts
and minds.
Conclusion
Like fish swimming freely in the great pressures of the ocean depths, we can
have full and utter confidence in the hands of our God. We can freely withstand
the lies and deceptions of the world system because of the Spirit of God living
within us. We have the power, by grace through faith, available to us to stand firm
against the enemy. But we do have an enemy, and if we are not careful we can
live in fear of his attacks…yet we need not fear the predator. We have confidence
in our God, who is greater.
Amen. Amen.