Confidence In God
Notes
Transcript
Intro; As we come to the final lesson on “Becoming A Contagious Christian” in our series with Pastor Tommy Higle, I want to build off our last lesson.
In our last lesson we talked about “Knowing for Sure You Have Eternal Life”. You cannot be a contagious Christian if we aren’t confident in our faith in Christ. But when we are confident in our faith that we have eternal life, something we haven’t attained yet, then we can be confident in the things of God in the here and now!
In this last section of scripture, John gives us three things that we can be sure of in Christ because we know Him and know that we have eternal life.
Text: 1 John 5:14-21
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.
17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.
18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Three things we can be confident in is; Our Prayers, Protection and our Position in Christ!
1. Confidence in our Prayers; 14-17
1. Confidence in our Prayers; 14-17
Dr. Jerry Vines tells the story of a man traveling in China who went to a beautiful temple that was dedicated to hideous idols. There was a throng of worshipers taking pieces of paper they had written upon and then folded them up. They then took the folded paper and mixed it with mud, forming a mud ball. They took the mud ball and threw it at the idol.
The traveler asked what they were doing? He was told the papers contained the prayers of the people. If the mud ball stuck to the idol, then their prayers would be heard by the god. If it did not stick, the god would not listen. Thank God we don’t have to do this!
When the believer comes to God in prayer, asking according to His will, God not only hears our prayer but He will also answer that prayer!
[v.14] According to His will; a earthly request for a heavenly intervention.
George Mueller (1805–1898) was a great man of prayer who refused a regular salary and financial support for himself or the ministries he led. A leader of the Christian Brethren movement, Mueller said, “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance. It is laying hold of His willingness” (quoted in Be Real, 179). Therefore nothing we ask for lies beyond the power of God except that which lies beyond His will, His purpose, His plan.
That’s why we need to spend time in the Word of God, Bible study, church worship so we will know what God’s will is and learn how to pray!
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
[v.15] He hears and will answer; praying according to God’s will, “we know”/confident that He will answer according to His will.
“We have” means that the answer is immediate-the instant we ask. God doesn’t have to mull it over or think about it. This doesn’t mean the answer will be immediately realized. We may not realize the answer for days, months, or years, but God has already answered.
24 “It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.
Examples;
12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.
7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.
8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
If we are in fellowship with God, if we are not regarding sin in our lives, and if there are no other hindrances to prayer in our lives, we are not going to pray selfishly but according to His will and He will hear and answer!
[vs. 14-15 are prayers of petition, while vs. 16-17 are prayers of intercession. We are going to come back to these verses next week]
2. Confident of God’s Protection; 18-19
2. Confident of God’s Protection; 18-19
Does anybody remember Flip Wilson? Do you remember his favorite saying? “The Devil made me do it”
Because we belong to the Lord, the Devil can’t make you do anything. That’s what John is saying right here!
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
If we are confident that we have eternal life through faith in Christ we can be confident that we have God’s protection in life from the evil one. This doesn’t mean we can’t be tested and tried, but we won’t be defeated if we cling to Christ.
God is the One who keeps our salvation in Christ, but we have to be on guard against Satan trying to make us fall and destroy the testimony of Christ in our lives!
41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
Satan desires our soul, but he can’t have it. He desires to wreck our life and testimony in Christ, and he can do that if we let him by not being confident in God’s protection!
3. Confident in Our Position; 20-21
3. Confident in Our Position; 20-21
Position; our spiritual standing in Christ
Jesus Christ came to give us the capacity to know God in a personal way.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
That confidence comes through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,
22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Our spiritual position in Christ cannot be changed, but it can be attacked. That’s why John closes with these words, “keep yourselves from idols.”
Close;
To “Become A Contagious Christian” we need to cling to the Lord and His Word. The best way to practice that begins at home and continues in the worship of God with the family of God!
