5.13.52. 11.20.2022 1 John 5.1-12 In the Son

Start

Entice: Thank you for letting me be your preacher. I am blessed with the  opportunity to study, prepare, and preach each week for you. Your attention to the Word makes it a pleasure for me to do what God has called me and equipped me to do. Y'all are the best.

As I have said many times during this series from 1 John, it can be a little challenging to prepare when the Biblical author crosses the line from focus to fixation on a certain message.

John kind of seems to do that. He had a clear message in mind and wished to communicate it.

One thing to remember.

Our concluding sermon next week will be the 14th message in this series. 1 John, when originally delivered, was likely read in one session. So, maybe the problem is not John's structure but my drawing it out over three months for detailed study.

Engage: No matter how you slice it, John has consistently stuck to his story.

Not only do Statistics not tell the whole story, but they don't tell any story. Statistics are just facts from which a story takes its shape. In 1 John the statistics do contribute to a story of focus. Consider John's use of the following terms.

Son=22x

Jesus=12x

Life=15x

Love*=46

*The asterisk indicates that the search included all forms of the word (love, loved, loves, loving, etc._

Command*=14x

It would appear, then that John is interested in Jesus, the Son who gives us life, and expects us to keep His commands, especially the command to love.

John's greatest achievement, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is keeping things interesting while staying so close to his central message.

Expand: His approach should give us a great deal of confidence. He reminds us that

our confidence is in the Son.

Our life is in the Son.

We love because we are in the Son.

We have joy because we are in the Son.

When we tell others about Jesus, and invite them to become a part of the Church we are inviting them to join us

in the Son.

John teaches us that self-confidence.

should be

"Son confidence."

Excite: All the promises God has given throughout the scriptures become life-changing realities in the Son.

Explore:

Life and Salvation is in the Son.

Explain: Today John describes three details of our life in Jesus.

Body of Sermon: The first detail, life in Jesus means

1. Active Faith.

1 John 5:1–5 ESV

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

John is specific here. Faith is not just good feelings. Not some knowledge about a few spiritual things.

For John active faith means

1.1 Believing & Knowing. 1-2

And believing and knowing indicates knowing the right things and owning it.

John uses a so. lid NT word to describe another aspect of active faith

1.2 Keeping. 3

This is the idea that active faith is secure and solid that we can guard, defend, and deploy it.

And Active faith defines reminds us that we are

1.3 Overcoming 4-5

Faith is the Victory we know…that overcomes the World.

Another detail John discusses (again) is

2. Accurate Knowledge.

Where can we get a full, accurate accounting of the truth? How do we know what to know? By giving our full attention to the fullness of God!

1 John 5:6–9 ESV

6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.

2.1 Full Witness of God

Note...This section is quite theological and "liturgical" Knowledge of God for the Christian requires that we both recall and connect various parts of scripture, that provide a full conception of what God has done in Christ and how we remember and celebrate it.

John talks about

The Witness of the Son.

He talks about the Water (of baptism) and the blood of His sacrificial death.

John talks about

The Witness of the Spirit.

Whom he described as the "Spirit of truth." The Spirit points to Jesus. For the Holy Spirit within you to empower your life you will need to know about Jesus and know Him in Person.

Water, blood, and Spirit are the elements which include us in this testimony: The waters in which we are Baptized, the Blood we remember around the Lord's table, the Holy Spirit who empowers our regeneration.

John Closes this section by discussing the

The Witness of the Father.

Whoever you listen to. Whatever human authorities you follow, The witness of God is greater and the reward more durable.

This full witness of God informs and empowers

2.2 The Witness of the Believer.

1 John 5:10 (ESV)

10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.

A final detail is new,

3. Available Life.

This is life is available and accessible because it is

3.1 Given by God.

1 John 5:11 (ESV)

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

This life is always available because it is

3.2 Given in the Son.

1 John 5:12 (ESV)

12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Shut Down:

Every person wants the best life possible. The choices seem endless but for broken people in a fallen world, the choices are limited, and the opportunities are small. Without the forgiveness found in Jesus we all fall short.

Whatever we believe in will leave us wishing for more.

What we know with the greatest certainty will leave us with unanswerable questions.

Merely physical life will leave us empty in the face of eternity.

Real life is available only in the Son. Our relationship with Him can fill us with faith and gives us the right kind of knowledge to live a life enhanced by eternity.

One of the important tasks of the preacher, and really the entire Church is to not promise more than the Gospel promises, and not to promise less. We offer Jesus. Jesus is the one who changes. We offer the life He offers, the Faith He offers, the knowledge of God He offers.

The Life, in the Son… is God's greatest word to us today, and His most precious promise now and forever.