Untitled Sermon (40)

We will continue our series in 1 John this morning. It might have been more effective to not have two weeks in between here…but the previous verses are a little hard-hitting.

If you don’t love other believers you probably aren’t saved…that is the black and white—putting it bluntly—version of 1 John. But he’s a pastor, a good pastor, and he knows how such statements work on weak consciences…all throughout this letter he’ll do this.

Black and white…then some comforting words, rest for troubled hearts. That is what we see here this morning…rest for troubled hearts. He’s giving assurance.

As I was meditating on this passage this week and also going back through some old sermons from 1 John something struck me…let me explain.

I first preached on 1 John 3:19-24 to about 40 teenagers back in 2006. I was myself only 25 at the time. And in my introduction to that sermon I was able to identify with those feelings of “How do I know if I’m really saved...” “Am I really saved”?

And I got to thinking about that and realizing that it’s been so many years since I’ve “questioned my salvation”. And I started thinking back to those days when I was a younger believer. Things felt so tender, so raw, so vulnerable, so…well, insecure. Mountain top to valleys in a single day.

I love Jesus so much…I’m going to take the world by storm…hell with a water pistol…best disciple since Paul.

I’m scum of the earth, when Paul said he was chief of sinners I give him run for his money, not even sure if I”m saved, probably shouldn’t call myself a Christian.

I don’t bounce back and forth like that anymore. I don’t really ask a ton of questions about assurance. Am I really saved…I don’t ask that question much anymore.

Is that a good thing?

I’ve been married for 20 years. I know now that my wife loves me in ways I didn’t know back then. There is a security there…I think it’d be pretty unhealthy, something would be off somewhere, if I was twenty years in and asking the same questions I did in year one…had the same insecurities today that I did then.

I say all of this because I’m wondering if you are similar. When was the last time you asked questions like—how do I know if I’m really saved? Am I secure? Do I really know Jesus?

Maybe that’s not a good thing…maybe we just stop asking some of those hard questions, make them out of bounds. Or maybe that is a good thing…it’s a picture of security.

And so when you come to a passage like 1 John, does it do to us what it ought to do? Like this isn’t going to be the balm to your soul that it ought to be...

Or maybe you do ask these questions…your asking these questions today..you are a newer believer, or this is something you still struggle with even though you’ve been a professing believer for many many years.

Here is what is happening in this passage....what do you do when your heart is just totally condemning you…when it’s like, “you’re awful…God doesn’t love you…you aren’t saved…you’re just faking it...”

Maybe you’re like John Bunyan…The year was 1650 and Bunyan had some horrible blasphemous thoughts. He just couldn’t get his thought life under control…and he even articulated some of these thoughts…he thought he might have committed the unpardonable sin.

This is how he described it

“And now was I both a burden and a terror to myself, nor did I ever so know, as now, what it was to be weary of my life, and yet afraid to die. Oh, how gladly now would I have been anybody but myself! Anything but a man! And in any condition but mine own! For there was nothing did pass more frequently over my mind, than that it was impossible for me to be forgiven my transgression, and to be saved from wrath to come.”

His passage wasn’t 1 John but you can imagine someone reads that verse about loving one another and your heart condemns you and you start to despair...

Then John steps in with this encouragement:

1 John 3:19–24 ESV

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 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. 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.

What was John’s answer…what is happening in that passage? How is this comfort…it almost seems like John is saying...

If your heart needs reassurance…you’d better get to work, and then you’ll have some confidence again. Let’s look at this a little closer.

“Reassure our heart before him” what does that mean? It’s to have confidence…assurance in our relationship with God. ”. It basically means that our hearts will be put to rest before Him. It means that rather than having a fluttering, not confident, terrified, anxious, fearing, heart that is full of turmoil our heart will be at peace before Him.

…then verse 20...”Whenever our heart condemns us...”

That’s the John Bunyan thing. That’s when we hear those words of condemnation. Then John says…God is greater than our hearts…and he knows everything.

Your conscience…your heart can be wrong. It can be wrong on both ends. Yes, it can be like “you’re fine man…no worries, bro” And it can also be like, “You’re guilty, you’re awful, you might well just get your passport to hell…that’s where you are going and you don’t stand a chance. What you’ve done is awful. Unforgivable.”

Then we have a tough passage. When our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our heart...

Now one way that you might read this is to say…if your heart slams you don’t worry. God is bigger than your heart, His love and grace is bigger…no worries. Even if you feel like you aren’t saved…just shut that thought down…positive vibes only…you’re just fine.

There is some truth to that, but that doesn’t quite seem to be what John is saying.

Another way you can read this is in the negative… “If our hearts condemn us…you haven’t seen anything yet. Your heart is entirely dedicated to you. It’s going to defend you when you are defenseless. It’s deceived. If your heart is condemning you…oh man, just wait until you stand before a holy God. You don’t stand a chance, buddy.

We could read the text this way…it wouldn’t be butchering the language to say something like this. But I think it might be butchering the context…of John’s intention. Remember why he is writing this…his principle concern is to give these believers confidence, assurance, certainty. That might know that they know.

How in the world would THAT give security? It wouldn’t....which leads me to say, that John is saying something different.

What does it mean then? Well, let’s maybe combine them a little. God is greater. His judgment is certain. But wait, is that good news? Let’s go back to what we said earlier…that “if you think your conscience is condemning you…just wait until God gets ahold of you...”

Let’s take that for a spin. Let’s say your heart has 150 pieces of evidence against you and God has 150,000 pieces…your heart condemns you…but guess what, it doesn’t know the half of it.

But let’s think about this for a moment. Let’s think about the gospel. If you are in Christ what has God done with that 150,000 pieces of evidence? What does 1 John 1:9 say? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” But, even more than this what does Romans 5:8 say, “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. Or even Colossians 2:13-14, “When you were dead in your transgressions (the infinite amount of evidence God has to declare us guilty)…he made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” So, what John could be saying is this, “you think your conscience has something against you? God has an infinite amount more. But look what God has done, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ He has covered over every one of those sins. So, do you think your conscience can bring a charge against you that God has not covered?

What John is telling us here, then, is that God gets the last word. God’s judgment is greater because it is always accurate…God knows everything…and God’s judgment is greater because in Christ He has already paid the penalty.

And so…beloved, if our heart doesn’t condemn us…we have confidence before God. But again…that conscience could be off. “Oh, I’ve only got 150 pieces of evidence…woohoo, I’m going to be fine.”

But I don’t quite think that is what v21 means. I think he’s saying here that God works in such a way that our hearts no longer condemn us…they are brought under the control of the gospel. The gospel speaks a better word and that is now what our heart is transformed into…it’s no longer condemning....

But John seems to do something interesting here. It does seem like he’s saying…if your conscience is condemning you here is what to do…or rather here is what happens if your conscience doesn’t condemn you…

v22 God answers prayer....well he answers our prayer because we keep his commandment and do what please him.

Wait a second, John. That sounds like legalism. That sounds like if I’m a good boy, then God will be pleased, and I’ll get what I want. That doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the gospel..or even the first part of 1 John.

It seems like John’s answer is to say if you are struggling with assurance get to work...

But let’s think about this for a second. What do you do when you know you’ve already lost? What would you do if you thought today…I’m going to hell and there is nothing I, or anyone else, can do about it? You’d give up.

Why bother. I can’t. Just give up.

And so that’s often what Satan does when we get discouraged. You blow it in some sin…well, you’re condemned. Your awful…guilt, shame…and that is where sin grows.

We see this so often with addiction. Addictions grow in the soil of shame and guilt. And when we do something we rightly experience guilt and shame…but we don’t take it to the cross, we don’t apply the gospel…and so we keep that cycle going.

Might as well give up. Condemned already.

How might John’s words here help then.

Changing a batting stance....I just can’t do this…it’s awful…I’m worse…I’m going to just go back to how things were...

But what if John is saying…no, keep at it…watch this…look at some of these things…and then you’re going to have assurance.

Answered prayer...

John is really just echoing Jesus here.

John is not making this up, again this came from Jesus’ lips only a few hours before He would be taken away to be crucified. In John 14:13-14, Jesus says, “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it”. Did you hear how awesome that is. Jesus’ says if you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. Jesus Christ himself will see it through that our prayers are answered. Oh what confidence that we can have before God. Oh, what power He has to come through for us.

Keep praying, believer. And start watching. You’ll see God answering prayers. And you know that it’s evidence that God has changed your heart…that you are in relationships.

I don’t think he’s saying keep commandments, be a good boy, then he’ll give you what you want for Christmas. It’s about what happens with a believer in praying in accordance with God’s will. You’re aligning with who God is, His character, etc.

And then he says…v23…this is his commandment…believe in Jesus and love people. Just as he commanded us…again, you do these things and its evidence…you see this changed life taking place.

Believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ...

Only believers do this. Only those who have changed hearts...

God

Man

Christ

Response

Creation

Fall

Redemption

Glory

And this causes us to have that heart change where we love one another. Abide in God. God in him…and by this we know because the Spirit of whom he has given us.

The Spirit then testifies that we are believers. And so what I think John is saying here is if you’re battling with assurance…don’t give up…that’s what an unbeliever would do.

Keep at it. Keep trusting. Keep walking. Keep doing those things…and what you’re going to see is that God is changing you. You’re going to start seeing fruit....you’ll see changed life, you’ll see your grasp of the gospel increase, your love for others grow, the Spirit testifying greater and greater, and answered prayers....keep going.

And I think maybe that’s why I experience this text different than I did 20 years ago…because its true. My heart is resting assure...

And let me tell you one of the big ways this happened was through that story that I began with John Bunyan...

One day as I was passing into the field . . . this sentence fell upon my soul. Thy righteousness is in heaven. And methought, withal, I saw with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God’s right hand; there, I say, was my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God could not say of me, he wants [=lacks] my righteousness, for that was just [in front of] him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse, for my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, “The same yesterday, today, and forever.” . . .Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed. I was loosed from my afflictions and irons; my temptations also fled away; so that from that time those dreadful scriptures of God [e.g., Hebrews 12:16-17] left off to trouble me; now went I also home rejoicing for the grace and love of God.

The answer for Bunyan was the same for every one of us—the completed work of Jesus Christ. Feelings of guilt will never go away (fully) while we are still under a sentence of condemnation. And if they did somehow go away that would be terrible news. How horrible would it be to think wrongly assume your complete innocence not knowing that you stood guilty of a horrendous crime?

Let this drive you to the finished work of Christ. Here is our confidence. Here is our security. Here is our assurance.