THE BENEFITS OF BEING ASSURED
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Please turn to 1 John 5:13-21 as we look at THE BENEFITS OF BEING ASSURED.
How do you feel when you get to the ending of a great book? Are you glad that you have finally finished it? Or do you wish there was more to read so you could continue with this book and with its characters?
I don’t know if I have ever told you that I read a lot of fiction. In part that is to balance what I read in the office everyday. But it is also just that I love to read fictional books — especially books which are written by Christian authors. A lot of the books I read are somehow related to the genre of mystery or suspense. They might be a legal thriller. Or they might be a murder mystery. Or sometimes they are merely marketed as a suspense novel. I also like to read end times novels, even by authors whom I do not agree with regarding end times doctrine. I actually learn a lot about other view points of when the rapture will occur based on novels — sometimes I even correspond with the author to better learn his or her view.
Some of the novels I read are a part of a series, and at the end of the series I often feel like I wish there was more — that the author would continue this series until I leave this earth. And that is the same way I feel when I get to the end of a series such as we have been going through in 1 John. I wish there was more.
The title for this series has been
Be Assured
Be Assured
And the reasoning for that title is that John has been writing to this beloved church so that they would be assured of their authentic faith in Christ. As you know, they had been troubled by false teachers, whom John calls antichrists. These teachers were opposing the authentic apostolic message, and teaching that in order for a person to truly find salvation they had to find it from within themselves by reaching this special gnosis, this special knowledge, which cannot be reached by the average person. These teachers ridiculed the notion that a person had any sort of obligation to keep the commandments of God. They ridiculed the notion that believers were supposed to love one another with a sacrificial love. They focused, instead, on self-love and self-gratification.
These false teachers caused authentic believers to begin to question the authenticity of the gospel message which had been handed down to them from the apostles. It caused them to wonder if they were truly saved. But John defended the true gospel. As the only remaining eye witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus, and as one who had been intimately associated with Christ, and instructed by Christ for three and a half years, he spoke with the authority that only an apostle of Christ could speak.
John recognized that there were people among the church who had made false professions of faith in Christ. He knew this to be true since Christ prophesied that it would be so — that tares would be sown among the wheat. And so he gave various test to help determine who belonged to the wheat and who belonged to the tares. The first test was the test of obedience.
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
The second test has been referred to as a social test — does a person truly love his brother and sister in Christ? If they don’t then they won’t pass the test.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
The third test is a test of faith.
23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
The fourth test has to do with solid doctrine.
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
As John concludes this epistle he first gives a statement as to why he wrote to them in the first place, and that is so that they can have assurance of their faith in Christ. This assurance should give the believer confidence in various areas of the Christian life. Confidence in their relationship with God, in their prayer life, in praying for others, in their Advocate, in their spiritual origins, and in whom the Only True God is.
Let’s read our passage together.
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.
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.
Let’s begin by looking at how the believer can have
Confidence in our Relationship with God
Confidence in our Relationship with God
Note that,
Assurance in our Faith Provides Believers with Confidence in all Aspects of our Walk with Christ
Look at verse 13.
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.
This verse has been mentioned frequently throughout this study, because I have wanted you to keep in mind John’s purpose in writing to the Ephesian Church. Notice first that John is writing this letter specifically to those who are believers in Jesus Christ. While John said something similar as to his reasoning for writing his gospel account, there is a slight difference.
31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Both passages speak about believing and eternal life. But the gospel account was written specifically to unbelievers with a desire that they come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. While the epistle was written to assure believers of their authentic faith.
Leon Morris wrote, “This letter is written to you who believe; it is not an evangelistic tract, but a letter to Christians. There has been a good deal about knowledge and now we find that the whole is written so that you may know that you have eternal life. Assurance of salvation is important, important enough to have caused this whole letter.” (Leon L. Morris, “1 John,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 1409.)
Notice the phrase “that you may know.” In John’s closing remarks he refers to knowing at least six times, if I counted correctly. On this occasion it was “that you may know.” But elsewhere the reference is “we know.” Again, John is really hitting hard on the topic of assurance. I won’t detail what it is that we know at this point, since they will come up as we continue with through passage.
John Stott wrote, “That you may know means, not that they may gradually grow in assurance, but that they may possess here and now a present certainty of the life they have received in Christ.” (John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 19, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 184.)
And the reason John wants them to possess that certainty in the here and now is because it brings confidence into all other aspects of our Christian life. A person who does not have assurance of faith may spend so much time worry about whether or not they are saved, that they are not able to enjoy the joy of knowing Christ — the joy in the journey of faith.
So, let’s move on to consider how an assured believer can have
Confidence in Our Prayer Life
Confidence in Our Prayer Life
Look at verse 14.
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
Just as a child approaches a loving parent with confidence, so we can approach our loving heavenly Father with confidence since we know that we truly belong to Him. Notice that John qualifies what we should pray about — it needs to be according to God’s will. Morris provided five things which must happen if we are to pray according to God’s will.
First,
Our Prayer Must be Offered in Faith
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Second,
Prayer Must be Offered by Those who Abide in Christ
7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Third,
Prayer Must be Offered by Those who have Forgiven those who Offend Them
25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Fourth,
Prayer Must be accompanied by Obedience
22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
Fifth,
Prayer Must not be Offered for the Gratification of Our Passions
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
So, it is right for a Christian to pray in accordance with God’s will. But it seems that many think of prayer as giving God a list of demands which He is obligated to meet. That is certainly not the way God intends us to pray. While there is a sense of intimacy in which we can approach God with most anything, there should also be a sense of reverence and awe remembering that He is the Creator of this entire universe. We need to remember that every last detail of this universe is supervised by Him.
I like what Stott had to say about prayer. “Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God, or for bending his will to ours, but the prescribed way of subordinating our will to his. It is by prayer that we seek God’s will, embrace it and align ourselves with it. Every true prayer is a variation on the theme ‘your will be done’.” (John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 19, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 185.)
Look at verse 15.
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.
When we pray according to God’s will we will always be granted the petition that we ask for. Now think about this for a moment. What do we know for certain to be God’s will? We know that His commandments are His will. So, it seems that within this context the prayer that John is referring to might be a prayer for God to enable us or help us to keep His commandments. What are the commandments which are highlighted in this epistle? To believe in the name of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, and to love one another as Christ loved us.
When you run across a brother or sister in Christ who is difficult for you to love, why don’t you try praying (regularly) that God would help you to love them with a Christ-like love? I have been trying to implement that in my own life.
Let’s move on to consider how a believer can have
Confidence in Intercessory Prayer
Confidence in Intercessory Prayer
When we speak of intercessory prayer we are talking about praying for someone else other than ourselves. We do this frequently when we pray for the sick. But our prayers should not be limited to praying for physical issues. I remember Ken Floyd, he was Doug Crawford’s predecessor with Bridge Fellowship, and he would talk about how prayer meetings often become organ recitals. As one who took three semesters of organ in college, that has always stuck in my mind. As important as it is for believers to pray for the sick, it is far more important that we pray about spiritual issues. If you don’t know where to get started with that, start with praying about spiritual issues for those who are sick. Everyone has spiritual issues. And of course praying for the salvation of lost souls is an important part of our journey of faith.
Note that,
As Believers We Should Be Praying for the Spiritual Growth of our Fellow Believers
Look at verse 16.
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.
Most of the intrigue of this passage is on John’s statement about a sin that leads to death. Since John didn’t explain himself, we are left to speculate as to what he meant. As you might expect, there are various views about what this sin is.
One view is that this is referring to physical death and not spiritual death. The Bible has recorded times in which God causes a believer to die due to a specific sin which they have committed. In a sense, that is what happened with Moses and Aaron when they did not honor God by speaking to the rock as He had instructed, and instead striking it with a rod. Of course, in their case, their death occurred sometime later. In Acts 5 we read about a husband and wife, Ananias and Saphira, who lied to the Holy Spirit, and dropped dead as Peter confronted them about it. So, some see that John is referring to such a situation as this.
Others see it as a reference to the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Jesus spoke about this when the religious leaders of Israel were claiming that He was driving out demons in the power of the head demon. Jesus told them:
31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
It really is hard to determine which of these views is correct. But when we consider the greater context, and the fact that these false teaching antichrists may possibly have been committing blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, I lean toward that being the case.
The next difficulty in this passage is the need to define what John refers to as a “brother.” The description of the brother as being one who is given life after a believer has prayed for him, seems different than the normal usage of the term apply to one who is a born again believer in Jesus Christ. Perhaps the sinner in question is a part of the faith community, but has never truly embraced the message of the gospel and been saved.
However John is using this term, we can draw a couple of principles from it.
First,
As Believers We Should be Willing to Confront Others About their Sin
Of course, when we confront others about sin we should take Jesus’ advice and look at our own lives first. We need to first work at taking the log out of our own eye before trying to take the speck of dust out of our brother’s eye.
Second,
As Part of our Intercessory Prayers, We Should Be Praying for the Salvation of Those who are Close to us
Look at verse 17.
17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
Though most people focus their attention on the sin leading to death, John’s focus is on those who commit sins which do not lead to death. While it is profitable to pray for such people, it is not profitable to pray for those who commit sin that leads to death.
Let’s keep moving to consider how believers should have
Confidence in Our Advocate
Confidence in Our Advocate
Note that,
Jesus is our Advocate and He Works Hard to Protect us from Satan and his Minions
Look at verse 18.
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.
MacArthur wrote, “A believer can never fall back into a pattern of unbroken sin because He who was born of God keeps him. This second reference to one born of God is to Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God (John 1:14; 3:16, 18; Heb. 1:5; 5:5; 1 John 4:9). As the Good Shepherd, Jesus protects His flock so that the evil one (Satan) does not so much as touch (lay hold of or fasten his grip on) them. They are no longer under his control, having been “rescued … from the domain of darkness” (Col. 1:13; cf. Acts 26:18; 2 Tim. 2:26; Heb. 2:14–15). Satan can tempt and harass the saints, as he did Job (Job 1–2) and Peter (Luke 22:31), but he can never reclaim them. Jesus will not fail to keep the redeemed (John 10:28; 2 Tim. 1:12; Jude 24–25), who have been given to Him by the Father (John 6:37, 39; 17:2, 6, 9, 24). Christ is the “anchor of the soul” for believers, providing them with “a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 6:19–20).” (John MacArthur, 1, 2, 3 John, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2007), 207.)
Let’s now consider how believers can have
Confidence About our Origins
Confidence About our Origins
Note that,
Our Spiritual Origins Determine our Spiritual Allegiance
Look at verse 19.
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
We who are believers in Jesus Christ belong to God because we have been spiritually adopted into the family of God. Just like Luke belongs to Gail and I because we legally adopted him into our family. Therefore we are under His spiritual protection. What is more, we owe Him our loyal love and allegiance. And we express that by keeping His commandments which are not burdensome. And John’s emphasis on keeping the commandments is to keep the commandment to love one another with a Christ-like love.
While we are from God, the rest of the world is under the control of the devil. He, at present, is the ruler of this world. And he seeks to keeps his people from switching their allegiance from him to God.
Finally, let’s look at how believers can have
Confidence in the Only True God
Confidence in the Only True God
Note that,
The Purpose of Jesus’ Incarnation was to Bring Understanding of the True God, and the Way to Him
Look at verse 20.
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.
John begins by speaking about the purpose of the Incarnation of Jesus. The verb translated “has come” is in the present tense. It indicates the Jesus has come in the past and continues in the present. Jesus is still here because He has sent the Holy Spirit to indwell the believer.
How did He give understanding? First of all, He did so through His teaching. He taught with the authority that only God can teach. He also gave understanding through His substitutionary death on the cross. After His death, He appeared to the apostles and blew on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit. At that point they began to understand what Jesus had been teaching them from the start. And on the Day of Pentecost, when they were baptized in the Holy Spirit, all of what Jesus had taught came together. How else could Peter, a fishermen, preach such and amazing sermon?
Until the Holy Spirit removes the blinders from our spiritual eyes, we are all blind to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are dead in our transgression and sins; without hope, and without God.
Why was it necessary that Jesus come and give us understanding? So that we may know Him who is true. This is a reference to the Father. Whether mankind knows or accepts this truth, we all worship something or someone. Either we worship the God who is true, or we worship an imaginary god of our own choosing. Without the incarnation of Jesus, we would not know the God who is true. Not only do we know the God who is true, but we are in Him who is true! We are in Him because we are in Christ! I can never tire of the thought that we are in Christ — we are united with Christ — in His death and resurrection. I love the way Paul put it in
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Notice what John said next.
20 ... He is the true God and eternal life.
Jesus is the true God. What a strong reference to the deity of Christ. Since He is the true God, He had to become man so that He could die as the substitute for our sin. When He died He bore our sins and our sorrows. He paid the great penalty for sins, which is death. He died so that we could live, if we but repent of our sins, and trust in His person and in His redemptive work.
Finally, look at verse 21.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
The very last word in this epistle is the only time in which John mentions idols. It is somewhat of a surprising finish to an epistle.
Glen Barker wrote: “The exhortation “keep yourselves from idols” at first glance seems out of place. Idolatry has not so much as been mentioned in the epistle. Although the warning may be understood as a general admonition to “avoid any contact with paganism” (Dodd, Johannine Epistles, p. 141), it is more likely that the warning represents a final characterization of the “heresy” represented by the false teachers. False teaching is ultimately “apostasy from the true faith.” To follow after it is to become nothing better than an idol worshiper, especially if it is a matter of the truth of one’s conception of God. The author is blunt. The false teachers propose not the worship of the true God, made known in his Son Jesus, but a false god—an idol they have invented.” (Glenn W. Barker, “1 John,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 357.)
What kind of idols might be plaguing your life? Anything that is more important to you that is God is an idol. That can be a scary thought. Could it be that you have come under the influence of false teachers? The advantage we have over first century saints is that we have the completed Word of God in our possession. But do we take advantage of that fact? Do we check what we hear or are being taught against what the Bible has to say?
Well, we gave come to the end of our exposition of this epistle. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have. When I began this series I challenged you to memorize this epistle with me. I’m not sure how many of you have taken me up on this challenge. If you have, I encourage you to keep with it. It might be hard to do, but it can be accomplished. I barely finished memorizing the last few verses before it was time to preach on them.
My desire for this congregation is that we would come to be known as the people who love one another. I ask you to be intentional as to how you can show love to each other — not just to those who are your favorites. Perhaps we should actually focus on loving those whom we have a hard time loving. When we have such a love for others the world will take notice of it, and perhaps others will determine that they want to be a part of what is happening with this faith community.
Let’s pray.
Father,
We come before You thanking You for the confidence that we as believers in Jesus Christ can have before You. We can have confidence in our salvation, confidence to approach Your throne with our petitions and supplications, confidence in praying for others, confidence in our Protector, and that we belong to You. We belong to You because of our union with Christ Jesus.
Lord, I pray that this confidence would not merely be an intellectual confidence, I pray that it would be lived out in our lives as we seek to be doers of Your Word.
Father, I pray for any here today who do not presently belong to You; I pray that Your Son, working through the Holy Spirit, would give them understanding so that they also may come to know You, and be found to be in the Son.
I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Closing Song:
Closing Song:
Jesus, Lord, we look to Thee;
Let us in Thy name agree;
Show Thyself the Prince of Peace,
Bid our strife forever cease.
By They reconciling love
Every stumbling block remove;
Each to each unite, endear;
Come, and spread Thy banner here.
Make us of one heart and mind,
Gentle, courteous, and kind,
Lowly, meek, in thought and word,
Altogether like our Lord.
Let us for each other care,
Each the other’s burdens bear;
To they church the pattern give,
Show how true believers live.
Free from anger and from pride,
Let us thus in God abide;
All the depths of love express,
All the heights of holiness.
Let us then with joy remove
To the family above;
On the wings of angels fly,
Show how true believers die.
