Know For Sure You Have Eternal Life
Notes
Transcript
Intro: One of the greatest tragedies I have witnessed in my years of ministry is how many people claim to be christians but aren’t 100% confident about going to heaven. When I’ve asked people the question about their eternity and if they are going to heaven I have gotten these responses;
I hope so, I think so, I’m 95% sure, I’m counting on it, I was baptized when is was this age.
You cannot be a Contagious Christian if you are not sure you are a christian to start with. Christians must have 100% confidence in their faith in Christ and “Know for Sure You Have Eternal Life”
We now come to my favorite scripture in the Bible. It is the very passage that led me to faith in Christ.
Text; 1 John 5:6-13
6 This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.
7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.
10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
We have a Birth Certificate to authenticate our physical birth. It tells us of when, where and to whom we were born. We also have a spiritual Birth Certificate, the Bible, it reminds us of when, where and to whom we are born spiritually. Just as sure you can know who you are physically, you can know for sure who you are spiritually!
Let’s look at the three identifying birthmarks of a Christian.
1. The Work of Jesus; 6
1. The Work of Jesus; 6
John begins with the assurance of the person and work of Jesus Christ. The words water and blood is the assurance that Jesus came.
Water- refers to Christ’s baptism when the Father praised his Son and the Holy Spirit descended on him at the beginning of his public ministry
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Blood- The blood refers to Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross when darkness covered the land, the earth quaked, and the temple veil split in two.
45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!”
48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.
49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
Both of these facts about Jesus that we read in the Bible, His baptism and crucifixion, are historical and corroborated in secular history as well, is evidence that Jesus is the Son of God! We can know we have eternal life because Jesus Christ—God’s Son—died on the cross to pay for our sins.
2. The Witness of the Spirit; 6b-10
2. The Witness of the Spirit; 6b-10
The second way to know for sure we have eternal life beyond the historical facts of Jesus and His work is the witness of the Holy Spirit concerning Christ.
The only person on earth today who was present at the baptism and crucifixion of Jesus is the Holy Spirit. And John says the “Spirit bears witness because the Spirit is truth.”
Jesus told His disciples that the Spirit would come and work in their life after He was gone.
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
[vs.7-8] The same Spirit that bears witness of heaven, bears witness of Christ here on earth.
[v.9] John says we believe the testimony of men all the time.
Do you believe George Washington was the first president of the United States? How do you know that? Have you ever seen him or heard his voice? No, none of us have. We believe he was president because we read it in an American history book written by authors about whom we know nothing.
[v.10] The testimony of Jesus Christ through His work and the witness of the Spirit is greater than the witness of any secular historian about George Washington!
Warren Wiersbe wrote, “The witness of the Father is past history, but the witness of the Spirit is present experience. The first is external, the second is internal—and both agree.” If the Father, Word, and Spirit agree in heaven, and the Spirit, water, and blood agree on earth, how can we do anything else but believe the testimony of the Spirit? The Holy Spirit gives agreement about the Son!
3. The Word of God; 11-13
3. The Word of God; 11-13
The Bible is the testimony from God about His Son Jesus Christ.
God wants us to know we have eternal life in Christ and He has put it in writing, a Spiritual Birth Certificate/the Bible, for those who believe by faith!
Repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Repentance is a change of mind, heart and the will. The evidence/proof of repentance is turning from our sin, turning to God, followed by a life of good works.
There are some things John has already written in this letter that we have already studied that gives a christian assurance of eternal life because of a changed life through the work of Jesus and the witness of the Spirit!
New nature;
9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
Love like God;
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
Live in Victory;
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Witness of the Spirit;
10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
All of these things are conformation of a changed life because we did not have them nor do them before we knew Christ!
Close;
God wants you to know that you have eternal life—not based on a flimsy faith—but based on the object of your faith, Jesus.
There’s a song by Kent Henry, that I wrote down in my bible when I trusted Christ as my Savior, “When I Look Into Your Holiness”
When I look into Your holiness
When I gaze into Your loveliness (Your loveliness)
When all things that surround become shadows
In the light of You (In the light of You)
When I’ve found the joy of reaching Your heart (Reaching Your heart)
When my will becomes enthroned in Your love (Enthroned in Your love)
When all things that surround become shadows
In the light of You (Light of You)
[Chorus]
I worship You
I worship You (I worship You)
It’s the reason I live is to worship You (Worship You)
I worship You (You are my God)
I worship You (You)
The reason I live is to worship You (You)
Worship- When the minds attention and the hearts affection is solely focused upon the Person of Jesus Christ! Voddie Baucham
