Do We Belive

Announcements:

Young adult retreat should be live this week May 30th-June 1st

Men’s retreat is this weekend

Next week will be our last cruise community before the summer officially starts

Text: 1 john 5:6-21

Pray:

Looking at the passage, what stands out to y’all?

What are some key themes thoughts or ideas?

1 John 5:6–21 (ESV) 6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.

What do y’all think John is saying here?

What are your thoughts?

When I believe John is describing is that he’s saying that Jesus didn’t only get baptized

It wasn’t only publicly recognized through baptism, but also publicly recognized through his sacrifice on the cross through his blood

But not only was he baptized, or recognized through the sacrifice on the cross, but he was also recognized through the anointing of the Holy Spirit

Jesus being the Christ was proven and testified by the blood, the water And the spirit

Text Hughes almost makes this into a courtroom scene for an illustration

He talks about John being like a lawyer who calls witnesses to the stand, calling the The water that he was baptized in

The blood that he shed

And the Holy Spirit that was with him always

And pointing to these three witnesses or details, he continues to prove and claim Jesus’s divinity and his identity as our savior

And John continues saying about the testimony that we receive from Mann we considered to be true how much more that of God

9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.

Looking at versus nine and 10 what do you see?

What do you think John is saying?

I believe John is saying that we often times and normally, except the testimony of people should we not more so except the testimony of God?

And then John continues and says that if we don’t believe God, we’re calling God, a liar

If we don’t believe the testimony of God, then we are in direct opposition of God

Matthew 12:30 ESV

30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

The reality is is that when we don’t believe the testimony of God or what God says, we are calling him a liar

The reality is is that when we don’t believe the testimony of God or what God says, calling him a liar

Have you ever told somebody that you would do something?

You can take out the trash, Fill up the car with gas bring something pick something up for them maybe but then you didn’t?

That is breaking our word that is Lying…

But maybe you’re good and you always follow through with what you promised or say that someone keeps questioning you asking you if you’re sure double checking that you’re actually gonna do it

They obviously don’t trust you and think that you are a liar

When we live in disbelief, we tell God that he’s not telling the truth. We tell him that he’s a liar.

What are some areas that we don’t trust God??

What are some ways that we call out a liar with our day-to-day life?

The reality is that if we do not believe in God, we are not neutral, but we are his direct enemy

We are directly against him because if we do not believe we’re calling him a liar attacking his character.

So what is the testimony that God gives us? What are we supposed to believe?

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave 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.

John is trying to make himself extremely clear that to have eternal life. We must have Jesus.

But if we have Jesus, we have life…

Not, if we do enough, good works

Not if we are baptized into the right denomination. If we believe in the son of God if we have Jesus we have eternal life

This is so important for us not to miss because I don’t care if y’all come to church every week I don’t care if you come to growth community every week all I care about is that you have a saving relationship with Jesus

All I care about is that you believe in the only son of God that you believe the testimony we have in scripture that you have the sun and threw him have life

Everything else Follows after that, but having a relationship with Jesus is the most important thing and that’s why John hits it for the final time

Emphasizing to all who believe that it’s about Jesus, not a specific denomination not a About our works good Deeds versus bad deeds, but it’s about Jesus being the payment for our sins

So tonight I wanna ask you do you have the Son? Do you have Jesus? Are you saved? because that we are ether with God or agents him…

And the only way for us to have confidence peace with God is to have a relationship with him

And the whole point at first, John is to know whether we know Jesus or not

Is to know whether we have a saving relationship with Jesus or not

Why is it important for us to know that the gospel is exclusive?

Why is it important for us to know that if we don’t have Jesus we don’t have salvation?

Why is this an important message for the world?

13 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. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 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.

What are the connections you see In verse 13 to 15?

You see when we have confidence when we believe in Jesus when we know we have a relationship with him and we know that God is greater than men and that he cannot lie. Then we know that when we asked him for anything according to his well, we know that he will hear us.

This goes back to Matthew seven ask seek knock

The reality is, we must have this bedrock faith in order to expect prayers to be answered

Because when we do not have faith were tossed like a wave in the sea were unstable according to James and if we don’t have a secure foundation in Jesus, how can we expect ourselves to ask for things that he would want to give us?

What’s the time that you asked for something that God answered?

What’s the time that you asked for something that you’re glad God did not give you?

Not the reality is when God says no he has a greater plan and ultimately we are the creation. He is the created. How can we ask him? What have you done?

16 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. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. 18 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. 19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 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. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Prayer: