That You May Know - 1 John 5:13-21

INTRO

My Papaw was the king of long good byes.

Lingering Good bye

Sit down son

Shake my hand w/cash

Be careful on the road

If you get tired pull over

This is kind of what this last section of 1 John feels like.

A sort of last minute, “Oh and one more thing.”

Really this section is almost a summary as it were of the whole book.

John is once again contending that we have assurance.

Verse 13 - on a banner up here - this is the purpose of the whole book.

Seven times is this section the word know appears.

Because John doesn't want us to have a “I hope so” or an “I think so” kind of faith.

He wants us to have confidence.

Big Idea: God’s children are confident in Christ.

As we walk through the close of this letter let’s see where John wants us to be confident.

It starts with confident assurance

1. Confident Assurance (1 John 5:13-17)

1 John 5:13 (ESV)

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

This is John’s whole point.

That those who truly believe would be confident.

Listen if you have never relied on Jesus.

If you base your faith off of your parents or a one time experience there should be concern.

If you fail John’s threefold test of belief, obedience, and love.

Then it would be damaging for me to coddle false belief.

But if you look at your life and say, I do believe in Jesus.

I fight to be obedient, albeit not perfectly but I do want to be honor Jesus.

I do love other believers, certainly not the best, but there is genuine love in my heart.

John would commend you and me to then take hold of this assurance.

To know that we have eternal life!

Book Plug - Holiness - JC Ryle

Ryle’s Reasons for why we should desire assurance

Gives Great Comfort and Peace

Makes Us Active in our Faith

Makes us a Decided Christian (fights doubts).

Stirs us to pursue Holiness

“He who is freely forgiven by Christ will always do much for Christ’s glory; and he who enjoys the fullest assurance of this forgiveness will ordinarily keep up the closest walk with God. ”

_J.C. Ryle

Ryle’s point and really I believe John’s is that when we have this deep soul settled assurance it propels us forward with great joy in Christ.

Assurance produces holy living that is marked by

spiritual peace,

joyful love,

humble gratitude,

cheerful obedience

and the heartfelt pursuit to put sin to death.

Does this mean you can’t be a believer and doubt your assurance?

Of course not.

That goes against the book, here is a whole group of christians wrestling to believe.

Ryle says all christians have the root of faith but not the flower of assurance.

I think that’s really helpful.

But to emphasize even more why I think you should long for this assurance I’ll share an illustration Ryle uses:

Ryle’s Illustration

Imagine two English settlers who each receive an equal plot of land in Australia, guaranteed by the strongest legal documents.

One settler dives right into the work, tirelessly clearing and cultivating his land every day.

He never doubts his ownership and focuses solely on making his land fruitful.

Meanwhile, the other settler is plagued with doubt.

He frequently leaves his land to travel miles to the registry office, repeatedly questioning if the land is truly his, worrying about potential flaws in his documents.

His time and energy are consumed by these needless inquiries.

After a year, who do you think will have transformed their land into a thriving farm?

TRANSITION

Oh imagine if we had such deep rooted gospel-settled assurance

Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)

You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

Job 19:25–26 (ESV)

For I know that my Redeemer lives,

and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

And after my skin has been thus destroyed,

yet in my flesh I shall see God,

Romans 8:38–39 (ESV)

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Oh that we would be settled deep in our souls that we belong to Christ.

APPLICATION:

Off the cuff:(Seek this assurance - Pray for it, Rehearse the promises of God.)

John says this kind of settled confidence results in confident prayer.

1 John 5:14–15 (ESV)

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Wow…we can have assurance in our prayer. Hear another old dead preacher, RA Torrey

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. _R.A. Torrey

We can pray confidently.

We can pray knowing that God hears us.

Someone you should read about who lived on prayer was George Muller, a pastor and evangelist best known for caring for hundreds of orphans.

I love what he says.

Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, It is laying hold of His willingness.

John says we can be bold and honest in our prayers knowing that God will give us according to his good and gracious will.

It’s not just right to pray according to God’s will—it’s wise.

God knows what’s best and desires His glory and our good.

Think of it this way:

God wants to give you what you would want Him to give you if you were wise enough to want it.

God’s will might differ from our wants, but here’s the truth:

His will is always better.

Romans 12:2 tells us God’s will is “good, pleasing, and perfect.”

So, I don’t just want what I think is best for me—I want what God knows is best.

I want God’s will.

Now John gets specific and moves from petitions or requests we might make of God to intercession.

That is praying for others.

John commends us to pray for one another.

Verse 16

1 John 5:16–17 (ESV)

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

Ok what does this mean.

Unfortunately this is a let’s not miss the forest for the trees moment.

There is a lot of speculation and people get lost in the sin that leads to death and miss out on the thrust of this passage.

Here is what I take it to mean.

In the early church the church would gather often to pray.

(Aside - let’s do that!)

When they gathered they would intercede for others.

John has spent time arguing against those who deny Jesus, who deny his divinity.

John is saying you cannot pray that God would restore someone who is spiritually dead.

But you can pray for the restoration of a brother or sister!

John isn’t saying don’t pray for unbelievers, certainly not.

If anything he is saying don’t let your time be dominated praying for the Gnostics, when you know that Sally hasn’t been around lately and is battling unbelief.

So what is the take away?

Pray for each other.

If you are concerned for a brother or sister, wear out their names before the throne!

Beg God to restore them.

Some of you have been there.

Illustration

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

Cymbala tells of his own daughter Chrissy who rebelled against God and her family and disappeared into the streets of New York City. 

He writes passionately about that experience, and several times I found myself feeling the same pit in my stomach that he must have felt during those days.  

One Tuesday night, Cymbala went to his church’s Tuesday night prayer meeting and asked the church to pray for Chrissy. 

They did. 

A few nights later, she showed up on the doorstep and collapsed into her father’s arms. 

“Daddy—Daddy—I’ve sinned against God.  I’ve sinned against myself.  I’ve sinned against you and Mom.  Please forgive me.” 

A few seconds later, Cymbala writes, she pulled back startled and said, “Daddy, who was praying for me? 

On Tuesday night, who was praying for me?” 

It had been the church.

Transition

We should be the church that pleads for one another.

So confident in Christ that we know there is nothing else worth looking to, no where else to go!

Spurgeon said it well in an address to his Pastors’ College regarding the power of prayer:

Might not we win more victories if we more constantly used this weapon of all-prayer? All hell is vanquished when the believer bows his knee in importunate supplication. Beloved brethren, let us pray. We cannot all argue, but we can all pray; we cannot all be leaders, but we can all be pleaders; we cannot all be mighty in rhetoric, but we can all be prevalent in prayer. I would sooner see you eloquent with God than with men. Prayer links us with the Eternal, the Omnipotent, the Infinite; and hence it is our chief resort. Resolve to serve the Lord, and to be faithful to His cause, for then you may boldly appeal to Him for help. Be sure that you are with God, and then you may be sure that God is with you. _Charles Spurgeon

We can be assured

John keeps the confidence train rolling showing us that we should be confidently secure.

2. Confidently Secure (1 John 5:18-19)

Look at verse 18

1 John 5:18 (ESV)

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

John gives three powerful affirmations.

First,

we know that anyone born of God doesn’t keep on sinning. Sin is no longer the pattern of their life.

John isn’t talking about perfection here—he’s addressing the pattern of our lives.

Second,

“He who was born of God protects” or protects us.”

The CSB says the one who is born of God keeps him

The text is clearly referring to Jesus, not us.

We don’t keep ourselves. Jesus keeps us.

This theme runs through the New Testament:

John 17:12 (ESV)

While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

- Peter writes

1 Peter 1:5 (ESV)

who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

- Jude declares,

Jude 24 (ESV)

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,

Illustration

Watchman Nee was a Chinese pastor and teacher and I love the story of him comforting a struggling believer.

This new believe came to him in deep distress.

"No matter how much I pray,

no matter how hard I try,

I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord.

…I think I'm losing my salvation."

Nee said, "Do you see this dog here?

He is my dog. He is house-trained;

he never makes a mess; he is obedient;

he is a pure delight to me.

Out in the kitchen I have a son, a baby son.

He makes a mess,

he throws his food around,

he fouls his clothes,

he is a total mess.

But who is going to inherit my kingdom?

Not my dog; my son is my heir.

You are Jesus Christ's heir because it is for you that He died."

We are Christ's heirs, not through our perfection but by means of His grace.

TRANSITION

Jesus, by His work on the cross, secured our salvation.

Now, by His work in heaven, He maintains it.

Jesus Christ, the eternally begotten Son of God, protects us and keeps us safe.

Here’s the third promise: “the evil one does not touch” us.

The word “touch” here means to grab hold of something with the intent to harm.

Satan might grab at us and tempt us through doubt, friends and family, idols, fleshly desires, and worldly distractions,

but because of Christ’s power, he cannot ultimately harm us.

There’s a beautiful logic in this verse.

The Devil cannot touch a Christian and harm them in any ultimate sense because the Son protects us.

And because Jesus keeps us safe, we cannot persist in or continually practice sin.

It’s contrary to our new nature and Christs nature.

Our security rests in this but John doesn’t stop there

verse 19

1 John 5:19 (ESV)

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

In stark contrast to the safety we have in Christ, the whole world lies under the power of the evil one.

While we are secure, the world remains enslaved.

As believers, we have this rock-solid assurance: we belong to God.

The NIV says, “We know that we are children of God.”

Eugene Peterson’s The Message puts it beautifully: “We know that we are held firm by God.”

This confidence gives us an inner assurance that spiritual death has no claim on us, sin cannot dominate us, and the evil one cannot harm us.

But those caught in the world’s lies are under Satan’s control.

He blinds minds, snatches away the Word, deceives with signs, and tempts through desires and pride.

He has the world in his grip.

This reality means we are in a global conflict.

Satan influences cultures, societies, and governments, opposing the gospel fiercely.

Our response? Adopt a wartime mentality.

We live in enemy territory, battling invisible foes, but Jesus is our defender.

Listen to Jesus words:

John 10:29 (ESV)

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

He’s got our back, our front, and our sides!

Like Peter, Satan tries to sift us like wheat, but Jesus persistently prays and protects us.

We might stumble, just like Peter did, but we get back up.

We repent, are forgiven, and return to the fight.

Jesus assures us that no one—not even the devil—can snatch us from His hand.

He is our Good Shepherd, our Great Warrior, our Full Armor of God.

Nothing can separate us from His protective love.

We rest confidently secure and John says thats because we are 3rd Confident in our savior

3. Confident In Our Savior (1 John 5:20-21)

1 John 5:20 (ESV)

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

John ends his letter as he began it: focusing on Jesus.

He reaffirms the reality of the incarnation by saying, “We know the Son of God has come.”

It’s Jesus who gives us understanding so we may know the true God.

This echoes Jesus' words in Luke 10:22

Luke 10:22 (ESV)

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Verse 20 is amazing.

This is a slam dunk on Gnosticism

Illustration

(19 new to preaching, is Jesus God?)

Jesus is God, and we are united to him.

We are conformed into his image.

This is the union with Christ. (Too much to get into but worthy of our study)

Because of our union with Christ, we grasp the truth of the gospel,

we are protected from the evil one,

we know the Father, and we abide in Jesus, the true God and eternal life.

This union brings us truth, life, and understanding, all because we are “in him who is true”

But where there is a true God, there are also false gods.

John warns verse 21

1 John 5:21 (ESV)

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Be vigilant against god-substitutes.

Paul gives similar warnings in Ephesians 5:5 and Colossians 3:5, calling out idolatry in forms like greed and sexual immorality.

John Calvin famously said, “Man’s nature…is a perpetual factory of idols.”

Idolatry is the opposite of the gospel.

While I am on the book recommending train a great book called counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller

In the book he explains that our sins stem from making something other than Christ our source of righteousness and confidence.

Even good things can become idols when they take the place of God in our hearts.

In essence, idolatry is anything we love, enjoy, and pursue more than God. .

Idols promise life but can never deliver.

Only Christ, the true God, gives eternal life and true satisfaction.

So, guard yourself from idols of power, control, comfort, approval, and pleasure.

These false gods will never satisfy your heart.

Only Jesus can truly and eternally quench your thirst, as He promised: “Whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again.”

Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the true God, and the only God who offers you eternal life with absolute certainty.

All you need to do is believe in His name.

He alone is the "true God."

Every other god is a deceptive counterfeit, a false substitute.

They promise what they can never deliver.

Jesus is the true God and eternal life.

On this truth, you can stand firm and stake your eternal destiny.

CONCLUSION

D. L. Moody once shared a story that haunted him for the rest of his life—a moment when he realized he had made a grave mistake in presenting the gospel.

It was the fall of 1871, and Moody had planned a six-part series on the life of Christ.

On the fifth Sunday, October 8, he stood before the largest crowd he had ever preached to in Chicago.

His message was centered on the question, “What shall I do then with Jesus who is called the Christ?”

Moody delivered the sermon with all the power he could muster.

But as he closed, he made a decision that would forever weigh on his heart.

He told the crowd, “Take this text home with you.

Think it over during the week, and next Sunday we will decide what to do with Jesus of Nazareth.”

But that final sermon would never come.

That night, the Great Chicago Fire broke out, raging through the city for twenty-seven hours, leaving destruction and death in its wake.

Moody never got the chance to call his congregation to decision.

The missed opportunity burned into his soul, and he later said,

“I would rather have my right hand cut off than give an audience a week to decide what to do with Jesus.”

So, I’m asking you today—don’t wait.

You have a decision to make.

Will you worship Jesus as the true God, or will you keep playing with lifeless idols?

John’s final warning is urgent: keep away from idols.

Anything or anyone that takes God’s place in your heart will lead you down a path of destruction.

But let me ask you this—don’t you want to know that God hears your prayers?

Don’t you want the unshakable assurance that you’re protected by Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the Great Warrior?

Don’t you want to be certain of your eternal life?

Don’t you want to know the true God and be truly known by Him?

The choice is yours, but don’t wait. Eternity is at stake.

Reflection Question:

How will I respond to Jesus today

PRAYER

253 children experienced Foster Care during the calendar year 2023 in Burke County.

Only 39 of those 253 children were able to attend a Burke County school last academic year.

28 children were adopted through Burke DSS in the calendar year 2023.

Prayer for DSS and Children

Pray for Sayler Garcia

Pray for Suzie Smith and family

The preaching of God’s Word—that it would be biblically careful and Holy Spirit imbued.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

17th - Meet behind ingles for float! Saturday, August 17th, 11am-1pm. Meet at the access ready to enjoy community and nature together. Register on the Church Center app to help us know who to expect for the float.

25TH - Baptism Sunday!

BENEDICTION

Now may the God who never abandons you and never lets go of you, go before you in your darkness,

stand beside you in your fears,

make you faithful in your temptations

until Jesus returns.

Amen

____