A HEART FOR CHRIST
1 JOHN - Walk In The Light • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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TEXT: 1 John 3:19-24
TEXT: 1 John 3:19-24
19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
INTRO
INTRO
We need to go back and grab the section before to help us frame this morning.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Last week, we looked at this reality: Love is a VERB because Jesus is our example to follow.
Love is NOT expressed truthfully by the WORLD.
Love IS expressed PERFECTLY in and by JESUS!
Love ACTS / DOES more than it just talks!
By this we know LOVE…
This week, By THIS WE KNOW TRUTH…(v19)
This perfectly-defined, active LOVE enables us to walk OUT the Truth of God’s commands.
John will highlight two of those commands in our text this morning.
THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD AND THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT bring assurance, comfort, and confidence to God’s children.
TRANSITION
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN PRAYING and suddenly your conscience alarm goes off?
Who are YOU to come before God and ask anything from him!
Why just this week you thought (and said) things that would disqualify you from ever receiving anything from God.
You sure are a sorry example of a Christian, are you? What right do you have now to come to God and ask him for anything?”
WHAT DOES THAT DO TO YOUR PRAYER LIFE?
- Do you think its Satan or one of his minions whispering in your ear?
It could be. But John points to the more likely culprit here.
Our own hearts are deceitful (Jeremiah), conflicted, and the list goes on.
WE ARE OFTEN OUR OWN WORST ENEMY when it comes to prayer and living the effective Christian life.
- It can be really hard to pray when you don’t have assurance…when you don’t have confidence that God has welcomed you AND is leaning in as you pray!
The central fix of this is in the heart of the text this morning - verse 23!
23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST! LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Or, to borrow our MBC verbiage:
Knowing Jesus, Loving Jesus, and Obeying Jesus will cause us to live OUT the very commands of Jesus - loving the CHURCH - His Bride and loving those outside the church enough to share the LOVE of Jesus with them!
Let’s make a few notes from our text this morning
1. A CONFIDENT HEART
1. A CONFIDENT HEART
19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.
How is your heart?
Strong?
Weak?
Full?
Broken?
We have all kinds of ways to describe this part of our being don’t we? We attach that heart to the seat of our emotions at times.
WE ALL WANT STRONG HEARTS!
Augustine set the bar high when he wrote:
To my fellow men a heart of love;
to my friends a heart of loyalty;
to my God a heart of flame;
to myself a heart of steel.
Augustine of Hippo
But all of us, from time to time, fall pretty short of that.
In my current vehicle, there is a malfunction in the ABS system. If you know me, you know that someone had to tell me that.
I’m not mechanically inclined.
One day while I was driving, not 1, not 2, but 3 warning lights popped up on my dashboard.
I thought - OH NO…THE HONDA IS FALLING APART. After a little research in the manual and online, we had a better idea of what was going on.
(It’s not a safety issue, but the whole system will need to be replaced.)
Vehicles can have a number of digital warning lights.
One warns that the emergency brake has been left on.
Another reminds the driver that the engine is running hot.
Some are minor (oil change reminders); some are major (oil pressure is low)!
God has given us a built-in warning signal - our dashboard is often referred to as the conscience. John is using the term “heart” here.
A Confident Heart IS AN EXAMINED HEART.
A Confident Heart IS AN EXAMINED HEART.
(v19) “reassure our hearts before Him”.
they need to be examined and recalibrated when the warning lights pop up.
(v20) “FOR WHENEVER our hearts condemn us…”
when they’re bothered, we need to assess, “is this something or is this nothing?” “is this SIN or is this a lack of clarity on WHO I AM AND WHOSE I AM!”
(BOICE WRITES)
Self-condemnation can be due to a number of factors.
PERSONALITY: some people are just more introspective and melancholy than others.
PHYSICAL HEALTH: how a person feels inevitably affects how he thinks.
PERSONAL SIN: It may be due to specific sin.
CIRCUMSTANCES: circumstances beyond your control…or directly resultin from something earlier in your life that you’re now reaping the fruit of.
But whatever the cause, the problem is a real one and quite widespread. How is a believer to deal with such doubt?
How do we deal with it?
How do repair the problem, reset the dashboard?
(v20) “God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”
A Confident Heart EXALTS CHRIST
A Confident Heart EXALTS CHRIST
We must look in faith to the God who is greater than our wishy-washy hearts.
We must look to the God who assures His children of our total and complete forgiveness through the perfect work of Jesus.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
“God knows me” is different from “God is omniscient”; the latter is a mere theological statement; the former is a child of God’s most precious possession.
Oswald Chambers
Ezekiel gives us a glimpse of this in the OT. The LORD spoke through this prophet to His people, calling them back to repentance and complete surrender to Him. He promised to do something to their hearts!
18 And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. 19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
Another helpful note here…
We know that the Bible teaches that it is possible to be saved and yet have doubts and become discouraged. In such instances, we would be wise to take the threefold test we have already seen in 1 John:
• Belief: Do I really believe rightly about Jesus?
• Obedience: Am I really obeying God as I ought?
• Love: Is my love for others what it should be?
When we are bothered by our SIN, by our UNBELIEF…this is actually a good thing! We know the TRUTH…we know LOVE!
Those who do not know Christ ask none of these questions!
Hearts of stone are NOT bothered.
Confident hearts are soft in the Master’s Hands.
As God’s people, we can move toward CONFIDENT hearts as we,
examine them under the TRUTH and LOVE that we KNOW from God’s Word
exalt GOD as the one who knows US better than we know ourselves
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
As a result, OUR PRAYER LIFE WILL BE STRENGTHENED!
LOOK AT VERSES 21-22
21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
This is a great example of childlike faith
Whatever we ask, we receive?
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
To pray in Jesus' name is not a magical phrase that suddenly grabs Heaven's attention!
To confidently pray in Jesus' name means that the heart, the request, and the posture of waiting are in line with His character, His authority, His mission, and His glory!
We will pray Kingdom-Prayers that advance His agenda when we pray in Jesus' name.
We will pray Kingdom prayers with confident hearts!
The Bible celebrates this confident approach in the book of Hebrews.
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
Fear melts away in the face of such confidence (from God and before GOD).
This is the confidence our Lord wants each of us to have as we approach him.
This is the confidence that our LORD will GIVE us as we approach Him…on His terms.
NOTE: WHAT THIS ISN’T…John does not mean that confidence is founded on our works.
Rather, godliness and sincere worship cannot be separated from faith.
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
Our text said we can pray this way, because we keep His commandments and we DO what pleases Him (our love is in action)!
Which commands? BELIEVE. LOVE.
It’s not hard…in fact, it’s…
2. A CLEAR COMMAND
2. A CLEAR COMMAND
23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
This isn’t terribly all that hard to understand (PAUSE), just a challenge to LIVE OUT when we’re trying to do it in our own strength!
BTW, this is the first use of the word “believe” (pr. “pis-tev-oh”)
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Every word here matters!
BELIEVE: It means, “to trust or rely on.”
That Jesus is the “Son” emphasizes His eternal deity and unique relationship to the Father.
Jesus’ “name” conveys His person and work and all that He is and accomplishes.
“Jesus” is His human name, equivalent to the Hebrew name Joshua.
It means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.”
And “Christ” means “Anointed One,” the Messiah of God.
(Dr. Akin puts it together this way)
To believe in the name of God’s Son Jesus Christ is to place your trust, your faith, in Him and only Him and all that He is—the divine Son, the incarnate Deity, the sinless human, the perfect atonement for our sin, the Messianic Savior.
You trust all of Him, not some, part, or even most.
You trust the biblical Christ or you trust in no Christ at all.
BELIEVE…AND LOVE!
In the Gospel of John, there is SO MUCH to teach us the importance of loving one another.
It is Jesus who has given us the new commandment to love one another (John 13:34).
Much of the final teaching Jesus gave his disciples before his crucifixion as recorded in John’s Gospel has to do with the importance of their loving one another.
(YESTERDAY)
Yesterday, I was with a group of men who are planting churches in NC. 1 in Thomasville, and 3 near the Raleigh-Durham area.
We were asked about our strategies to accomplish our mission as churches.
What is our mission here?
We exist to know, love, and obey Jesus together, and make disciple-making disciples for God’s glory!
Why are we doing it? What are our values?
Gospel-Saturated
Biblically-Driven
Christ-Exalting
Prayerfully-Dependent
Organizationally-Healthy
Generous Partners in the Kingdom
How will we do that? Here is our strategy.
“Together”: Gather
- Worship Services
- Community Groups
- D-Groups
- other events
“Together”: Serve
- Neighbors
- Neighborhood
- Nations
This love. Laying down our lives.
Yes, love requires service.
Service involves humility.
And loving others in humble service gives us assurance that we belong to Jesus.
Do you long for a life worth living?
Are you searching for a path worth pursuing?
Believe in the name of God’s Son, Jesus Christ AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER!
That’s clear.
But we cannot do that in our own strength.
We need help!
This last point is really a connector to next week’s message and study…but let me round it out for you today:
3. A CONSTANT HELPER
3. A CONSTANT HELPER
24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Adrian Rogers said, Love is not the way to God, God is the way to love.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Now, listen to the confident position in this verse:
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
IN our passage this morning, we’re reminded that we’re not alone in our struggles with our heart / our conscience / our willpower, “good intentions,” or failed attempts to love others.
The good news: God’s Son has already embodied perfect love (3:23).
Better news: We are not just looking back to the Jesus of history for our cues. We have the Holy Spirit! God makes a home in us.
Consider what it means to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ in you. How does having the breath and life of Jesus in you affect the way you live and breathe?
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
How’s your heart?
Cosby Show episode:
Dr. Huxtable is on the treadmill for a heart test.
He’s all confident at first, but it gets harder and harder it goes on.
Some bloodwork comes back and indicates his numbers are “out of whack” - cholesterol is way too high.
The doctor asks questions…finds out he’s eating multiple hoagies, 2 2L bottles of sodas, and family size bag of chips - IN ONE SITTING!
The test revealed that something wasn’t right.
Are you being tested now? What is it revealing about your heart?
Is the check engine light on?
God longs for you to have a confident heart…
examine it TODAY in light of what we KNOW of God’s love and truth.
exalt JESUS as you ask Him to forgive and cleanse
God gave us a CONSTANT HELPER - the Holy Spirit - to enable us to fulfill HIS CLEAR COMMAND.
BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST!
LOVE ONE ANOTHER!
Let’s know, love, and obey Jesus together, so we can make disciple-making disciples for God’s glory!
