Blessed Assurance 1 John 4:1-17 Part 3

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Psalm 51:1-12

Psalm 51:1–12 NIV

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

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Blessed Assurance

There were many writers in the early days of the church, who took time to help to create understanding of sound doctrine through various writings, including the creeds of the Christian faith. One such man who wrote avidly on the Trinity of God, was Gregory of Nazianzus. He listed from scripture all the various names of the Holy Spirit given there. Here is what he wrote.

10,000 Sermon Illustrations Clear in Scripture

What great things are there in the character of God which are not found in the Spirit? What titles which belong to God are not also applied to Him? He is called:

the Spirit of God the Spirit of Christ the mind of Christ the Spirit of the Lord the Spirit of adoption the Spirit of truth the Spirit of liberty the Spirit of wisdom the Spirit of understanding the Spirit of counsel the Spirit of might the Spirit of knowledge the Spirit of godliness the Spirit of the fear of God

This only begins to show how unlimited He is. - Gregory of Nazianzus

Today as we turn again to 1 John 4, we will look at the Holy Spirit. The third person of the Trinity. I have taken a short break from the message of John’s epistle because this passage of 1 John is so unique in how in a few short verses, we see such a robust description of each member of the Trinity and how they work together. Two weeks ago, we looked at God the Father. Last week, we looked at what John had to say about Jesus, the Son. Today, we will look briefly at the Holy Spirit.

1 John 4:1–17NIV

1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

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I. The Holy Trinity, Part 3

Before we begin, I want us to consider a quick overview of...

A. God, the Holy Spirit

The deity of the Holy Spirit ought to be clearly recognized in Scripture. Consider these facts:

1. Christ is born; the Spirit is His forerunner .

John the Baptist did not work in his own power. He was filled and directed by the Holy Spirit to prepare the way for Jesus’ coming. He was to bear witness that the Messiah was close at hand and when the time came, the Holy Spirit, through John, revealed who this Messiah was; Jesus of Nazareth.

2. Christ is baptized; the Spirit bears witness .

Once again, the Spirit bears witness to Jesus as the Messiah by descending on Jesus as a dove. This was the sign for John the Baptist that this truly was the Messiah. He in turn, declared Jesus the Messiah to those around him.

3. Christ is tempted; the Spirit leads Him .

It is the Spirit which leads Jesus to know what He must do next. The Spirit leads Jesus to the desert and prepares Him for the showdown with Satan. The Spirit did not leave Jesus there but was with Him throughout that encounter.

4. Christ ascends; the Spirit takes His place .

The Holy Spirit now acts within us as He had with Jesus. He directs us, encourages us, counsels us, comforts us, and the list goes on. He functions within us according to our needs to keep us on the path of righteousness.

Now that we have established this critical role of the Spirit on Christ’s behalf, let us look at...

B. God, the Holy Spirit According to John’s Epistle 1 John

John’s letter begins with a declaration of our fellowship with the Father and the Son.

1 John 1:3NIV

3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

But how are we able to have a fellowship with someone who is not physically with us? The answer is that they are with us through the Holy Spirit.

1 John 2:20NIV

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

Today I want to discuss the work of the Holy Spirit that we find in this letter. Do not be deceived by this short treatment on this subject. The work of the Holy Spirit is quite vast and is seen throughout all scripture. This is just what we find in John’s letter.

1. The Holy Spirit gives testimony to truth . 1 John 2:20

1 John 2:20NIV

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

The work of the Holy Spirit is within us. He gives us a gut-wrenching sense of truth. He calls to our mind scriptures we have read or studied. He reasons within our mind to give us the ability to see through the lies to the truth.

His communication with us comes in various ways. Sometimes He is a voice heard in our head. Sometimes He is the tightening in our stomach. Sometimes He is the overwhelming assurance of peace and wellbeing. Sometimes He is that sense of guilt or dread. There are so many ways that the Holy Spirit speaks to us.

2. The Holy Spirit is our life instructor. 1 John 2:27

1 John 2:27NIV

27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

He teaches us about God and about life. He directs us when we are making decisions. When we study or are listening to others, He instructs us in what to believe and what to deny. When we get to the place where we recognize His work in our life, we have great confidence.

Jesus spoke of this work of the Spirit to His disciples in John 16.

John 16:12–14NIV

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.

I suspect that it is often through trial and error that we discover Him. I know for me, the first time I really felt a strong urging, I thought it was Him, but I allowed others to persuade me I was overreacting. It cost me big time through negative consequences in my life. The next time I had that sense of foreboding, I listened, and I was glad I did. From then on, I felt confident that I could trust that voice if it was not anything contrary to God’s Word. Over the years, I have heard others share similar stories. It sometimes takes the difficulties of life to help us learn to recognize God’s voice.

3. The Holy Spirit gives testimony to Christ’s presence . 1 John 3:24

1 John 3:24NIV

24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

John is addressing our abiding in Christ. That is, we have an ongoing relationship with Christ. When we abide with Christ, we find a growing love for the Father and for others. Think of it like this. When we ask Jesus to be our Savior, the seed of agape love is planted in our heart. The Spirit then waters that seed, cultivates it, fertilizes it, and it begins to grow. We notice a change in our attitude toward others. Things that would have once offended us does not do so anymore. We find it easier to forgive those who do offend us or bring harm to us.

These changes are the Spirits work and testimony that the mind and Spirit of Christ is alive within us. Therefore, we are abiding with Christ and when we abide with Christ, we are abiding with the Father. Jesus address this with his disciples in John’s gospel chapter 15.

John 15:5–12NIV

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Our change of attitude and our ability to love is the work of the Spirit and it is testimony to Christ’s presence in us.

Next,

4. The Holy Spirit Will Always Support Christ’s Identity . 1 John 4:2

1 John 4:2NIV

2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

There is a dynamic circle of testimony between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each bear witness to the others. Each works to identify and reveal the others to us. It is interesting that God established early on in Deuteronomy 17 & 19 the importance of truth being declared only upon the grounds of 2 - 3 witnesses. God seems to satisfy this same law through the Trinity, each bearing witness to the others.

Jump ahead with me to 1 John 5. Listen carefully to the various works of testimony between each member of the Trinity in this passage.

1 John 5:5–12NIV

5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I am not going to completely take this apart right now, we will get into it more a few weeks later, but here we find Father giving testimony to His Son as well as the Holy Spirit’s testimony in chapter 4 to Jesus as well. We also see this dual testimony at Jesus baptism when God speaks, and the Spirit descends upon Jesus.

Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit respond to the Father’s bidding revealing their acknowledgement of Him as the head of the Trinity.

Both the Father and Jesus speak of sending the Holy Spirit to us as their presence within us. Each fully giving testimony to the identity and authority of each. It is a beautiful picture of perfect love and harmony. By indwelling us, we the honor of participating in this special communion.

Any spirit, religion, or person who denies anyone of the Trinity fellowship, will never be received by God. To believe in one, you must believe in all.

5. The Holy Spirit Provides Us the Power to Overcome Our Adversaries . 1 John 4:4

1 John 4:4NIV

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

We should never be nervous. worried, or distressed when others rebuke us or disagree with us. The Holy Spirit provides us what we need when we need it to overcome such confrontations.

Now, we need to be wise. There are two things to keep in mind.

a. What we do, we do out of love .

What I mean by this is, we do not challenge someone just to prove we know better. When we address someone on the matter of God and faith, it is out of love for them to come to know Jesus as their personal Savior and be saved. We do not set about to make ourselves out as better than another. So, don’t go boasting to another of your knowledge of God thinking that the Holy Spirit will make you the winner!

The other key point I made a few days ago, but it came up again this week, so I wanted to emphasize it yet again.

b. We need to be wise and not walk into a trap.

There are some faiths that come door to door that are schooled in talking to you about religion. They often are taught in ways that manipulate you and they twist scripture to fit their religion.

When someone approaches you in these situations, you should never engage in conversation with them. You should never even allow them entry into your house. Listen to what John instructs in his second epistle regarding just such times.

2 John 7–11NASB95

7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. 9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 10If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; 11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

When you talk with them or welcome them into your home, they will use this against others.

“Your friend Joe spoke with us and said you would also.”

“Your neighbor Jane allowed us in, and we had a nice talk.”

By so doing, they use you to deceive others or others to persuade you. They are schooled in what to say and to anticipate what you will ask. Unless you are extremely well versed in scripture or educated in what their ploys are to be able to counter them, they will work to make you doubt your faith. They create confusion, and confusion is always a tactic of the enemy. If he can make you have doubts, he has a foothold in our life to pull you away from God. This is one of the very issues why John wrote his epistles to help you avoid being deceived.

However, there are other times when we are confronted with adversaries who we are unable to avoid. A few years ago, I shared in one of my sermons of a young lady in China who was arrested. Standing before her accusers, the Holy Spirit brought to her mind just what to say and she put to shame those who were accusing her. This is that special work of the Spirit.

Matthew 10:19–20 NASB95

19 “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

Paul was inspired on multiple occasions on how to respond when he was accused or accosted by another. In such times, we need not fear or worry. Check out Stephen’s speech in Acts 7. No one could preach a better sermon. We just need to be silent and pray and the Holy Spirit will help us know what to say.

6. The Holy Spirit is a Gift From God. 1 John 4:13

1 John 4:13 NIV

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.

It does not matter if you consider this a gift from the Father or the Son. Technically, it is both. As we saw in the beginning, the Spirit is referred to by many names.

“The Spirit of God,”

“The Spirit of Christ,”

“The Spirit of the Lord.”

Jesus spoke of sending the Spirit. Jesus also said the Father would send the Spirit. Any way you look at it, the Holy Spirit is a gift given to us. It is God’s Spirit inhabiting us.

Conclusion

Verse 13 brings us to another round of testimonies between each member of the Trinity.

1 John 4:13–17NIV

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

This brings us full circle of God’s relationship between Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, and how we are joined connected with them through the Spirit. God (Father, Son, and Spirit) all work to provide us the means to become part of their Family, literally, the Family of God.

The Holy Spirit is probably the most overlooked member of the Trinity, but without His work, we could not be joined with God here on earth. Let’s take time to thank Him for His work in each of our lives this morning.

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