Truths you can know 1 John 5:13-21

Introduction

The word know, knoweth or known is used 30 times in the book of 1 John and almost a quarter of those are used here in 1 John 5:13-21. There are some unknowns in our life that we won’t get the answer too until we get to heaven, but I’m thankful that there are some things we can know while here on the earth.

There are a lot of things John wants us to know, but here in the last portion of 1 John he gives us 6 things we can know. As Christians we can rest in the truths that we belong to God who answers prayer, through Jesus Christ the only source for eternal life.

We can know that we have eternal life vs. 13

All of first John has been pointing to this verse.

5 other timesJohn has given us the reasons he wrote this book

1 John 1:4 “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”

1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

1 John 2:12–13 “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.”

1 John 2:21 “I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.”

1 John 2:26 “These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.”

Someone summed up these verses like this “I am writing because you are true believers, but there are deceivers in your midst, and I want you to be rock-solid confident in your present possession of eternal life as regenerate children of God, so that you are not drawn away after sin. And if this letter has that effect my joy will be complete.”

Those who believe Jesus is the Son of God, pursue obedience, and love others can be assured they have eternal life right now.

Growing up my pastor used to call this verse the Christian Birth Certificate

John 10:28–29 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”

We can take Jesus at His word and we can know we have eternal life. It’s not a hope so but a know so Gospel.

We can know that God answers prayer vs. 14-15

R.A. Torrey in his book the power of prayer “Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power. All that God is and all that God has is at the disposal of prayer. But we must use the key. Prayer can do anything that God can do and since God can do anything, prayer is omnipotent.”

Earlier in 1 John 3:22 “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

He tells us here that God hears our prayers when keep his commandments and do the things that please him.

Here John tells them that they can have confidence in him that he answers prayer.

If we want God to answer our prayers they must be according to his will.

We might ask “How do I know the will of the Lord?”

You walk in the Spirit

Ill. Marching Band; Staying in step

George Mueller said this “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance. It is laying hold of His willingness.”

Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Verse 15 John tells us if we know that hears us we can know that he will give the petitions we desire

When we are in tune to God’s will for our life our petitions or request line up with what God has for us.

We can know that God chastises the brethren for sin vs. 16-17

Here we find a reminder that God takes sin seriously.

Hebrews 12:6–8 “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.”

Remember in Acts 5:1-13 where Ananias and Sapphira sold some land and told the church that they had given all the money to the church, when they did not actually do that. There God took both of their lives.

Paul reminded the church of those who had “fallen asleep” for defiling the Lord’s Table 1 Corinthians 11:30 “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”

John here doesn’t tell us what sin brings about death but Paul reminded the church at Corinth it was a serious thing to defile God’s temple.

The Church 1 Corinthians 3:16–17 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

The believers Body 1 Corinthians 6:15–20 “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Then we find John giving the definition of Sin

Christ righteousness is the standard and any unrighteousness goes against that standard.

We can know victory over sin vs. 18

Sin is a sickness that entered the world when Satan beguiled eve and Adam ate the fruit.

It is a sickness that all of us have and while when we become christians we aren’t sinless but we should sin less.

Here John goes again to the new birth and how we can know that we have been born again

throughout the book of 1 John over and over John tells us how we can know we have been born again

we keep Gods commandments

we walk as christ walked

we love others

we love God and not the world

we confess Jesus as the son of God

We do not continually practice sin

We have the Holy Spirit

We overcome the world

And thats just some of the ways John tells us we can know we have the new birth.

As evidence of the new birth one does not

Keep willfully sinning - sin is no longer the pattern of our life

We guard ourselves from sin

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

1 Peter 5:8–9 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

Because of whose we are the wicked one, Satan, can’t touch us. Jesus is our protector from the wicked one

We can know we belong to God vs 19

What a contrast mentioned here between the believer and the unbeliever

The Believer can know we are if God. There is no need to doubt that!

The Hymn writer Norman Clayton penned these words that ring true “Now I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me; Not for the years of time alone, But for eternity.

The unbeliever lies in wickedness

2 Corinthians 4:3–4 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

Matthew 24:24 “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

We can be thankful tonight that we belong to God 1 John 4:4 “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.”

We can know what is true vs. 20-21

John ends his letter the same way he started the letter; talking about Jesus.

He again tells of the incarnation a foundational truth

He then goes on to tell us that Jesus gives us understanding

The reason he gives us understanding is;

so we can know whats true

So we can be in Him that is true

He ends by giving a dogmatic statement about God

This is the true God and eternal life(Jesus Christ)

John ends this first letter by telling the young believers to keep themselves from idols

Idols are anything that takes the place of God

Timothy Keller said this “The ultimate reason for any sin is that something besides Christ is functioning as an alternative ‘righteousness’ or source of confidence—and is thus an ‘idol,’ a pseudo-savior, which creates inordinate desires”

Our hearts will never be satisfied with the idols we worship in the place of Jesus, only Jesus can satisfy our desires

John 4:14 “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Conclusion

We can trust Jesus, and on his truth we can stake our eternal destiny.