1 John 5:13-21
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ETERNAL LIFE
ETERNAL LIFE
John ends his letter much as he began it.
1 John 1:1–3 (HCSB)
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life— that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us...
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One. We are in the true One—that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Throughout the letter John has reminded his readers that the life we’ve been granted in Christ can be summarized in at least four themes:
a). We are free from the power of sin;
b). We are free to obey God in Christ;
c). We are free to reject the systems of the world in which we live;
and
d). We are free to be faithful regardless of the circumstances around us.
Wrapping up his letter he offers three final encouragements:
We Can Pray with Confidence
We Can Pray with Confidence
E. M. Bounds, a methodist pastor of the late 1800’s and early 20th century wrote several books on prayer that still influence believers in the 21st century. In one of those books, he observed:
Prayer is our most formidable weapon, but the one in which we are the least skilled, the most adverse to its use.
Quoted by Jim, Cathy Maxim, and Daniel Henderson, 21 Days of Breakthrough Prayer: The Power of Agreement (New Kensington PA.: Whitaker House, 2018), 52.
John reminds us that
GOD HEARS PRAYER
Drawing from the promises of Jesus (see John 14-16), and his own personal experiences (see Acts 1-3) John knows the potential of prayer. He knows God hears.
IF GOD HEARS, HE ANSWERS
Far too often we pray, leave the posture of prayer and wonder: Where is the answer?
John, based in the promise of Jesus, rooted in his own experience assures us that God answers.
Don’t skip over this part of vs 14:
“…according to His will...”
John Stott, an English pastor of the late 20th century writes,
Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God, or for bending his will to ours, but the prescribed way of subordinating our will to his. It is by prayer that we seek God’s will, embrace it and align ourselves with it. Every true prayer is a variation on the theme ‘your will be done’
John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 19, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 185.
John shares a specific example for which we are to pray:
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not bring death, he should ask, and God will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t bring death. There is sin that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that does not bring death.
Loving one another as Christ loves us sensitizes us to those living around us.
Most of those living around us don’t need another voice of condemnation.
As John reminds us, we can - and should - pray when we see others walking towards sin that could lead to destruction.
We Can Rely On God’s Protection
We Can Rely On God’s Protection
We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the One who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.
Two of John’s themes are highlighted here.
A. The world is no friend of God
and
B. We are protected from and empowered to be free from the world.
The life we have is nothing short of the life of Jesus - the One and Only Son of God - indwelling us.
In the same manner which He rebuked the enemy (see Matthew 4), you and I because of His indwelling presence, have the same power and opportunity.
As vs 16, reminds us, just because we have the potential, we often fail to remember God’s protection.
We Can Rely on Spiritual Truth
We Can Rely on Spiritual Truth
At first glance the last sentence of John’s letter seems odd:
Little children, guard yourselves from idols.
Look again at it in context with 1 John 5:20
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One. We are in the true One—that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
When Moses, the man of God, spent 40 days and nights on the mountain in the presence of God there were two clear results.
First, Aaron allowed the people to fall into idolatry. In the confusion and uncertainty of Moses’ absence, people demanded a physical figure, a tangible expression of God.
They created a golden calf, reminiscent of tie idols on the Egyptians.
The other result, is recorded in
As Moses descended from Mount Sinai—with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands as he descended the mountain—he did not realize that the skin of his face shone as a result of his speaking with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone! They were afraid to come near him. But Moses called out to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he commanded them to do everything the Lord had told him on Mount Sinai.
Moses had spent time in the presence of the very Creator and Sustainer of life itself.
No wonder his countenance changed.
What John is calling his readers to consider here is simple:
Through the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ, we have a life that reflects a spiritual origin.
The passage in Exodus I read from goes on to read:
When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever Moses went before the Lord to speak with Him, he would remove the veil until he came out. After he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he had been commanded, and the Israelites would see that Moses’ face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went to speak with the Lord.
Paul, a believing Jew, says much the same thing:
For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
What do people see as a result of the spiritual nature of life we’ve been granted?
How do we reflect the spiritual reality which we have been granted in Christ?
REFLECT AND RESPOND
REFLECT AND RESPOND