1 John 5:18-21
1 John - Walking in the Light of God’s Word • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 6 viewsNotes
Transcript
We KNOW...
To know something bring certainty it bring an assurance, it is not a subjective belief but an objective truth.
In 1 John the Apostle John has wanted to relay some key truths which he wants his readers to know.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Do you want to know for certain that you have eternal life? Life with God?
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
No more death, no more pain, no more sins, no more struggles, an eternal life to the full being known and knowing the personal love of God Himself. Accepted, cherished, enjoying who God is, surrounded by generations worshipping God.
Do you know that no other faith can guarantee this eternal life?
Most other world religions teach that entry into a heavenly realm or a state of liberation is conditioned on one's actions, devotion, and spiritual development during life, which can leave followers with hope, rather than absolute certainty.
Jesus said:
24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
Jesus said
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
As Jesus was dying on the Cross to pay the price for our sins, Jesus had no doubt where He was going, and a thief next to Him turned in repentance and faith to trust Him. The Lord Jesus Christ said these words to that thief:
“Truly, truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in Paradise.”
The Bible teaches that eternal life is a free gift received through faith in Jesus Christ, independent of human works, Jesus has gone before us, He not only died but was resurrected from the dead which demonstrates He is God and has power over death itself.
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
Jesus says in Revelation 1:18
18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
This is the amazing good news. At the conclusion of 1 John we read 3 more summary statements which we need to know for sure to help us walk out being a child of God:
1st Statement:
18 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.
If we have accepted the free gift of Jesus, accepted His forgiveness for sins, accepted His lordship and accepted Him to bring His eternal life to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Then we have become a child of God, and 1 John 5:18 brings 3 promises:
1. God’s children do not make a practice of sinning
2. They will be kept safe by Jesus
3. The evil one cannot touch them
1. God’s children do not make a practice of sinning
There can be victory over sin - sin is when we mess up, when we choose not to follow God’s best for our lives, sin is what separates us from God and what Jesus died for to make relationship with God possible.
Jesus says:
15 “Loving me empowers you to obey my commands.
This isn’t about never messing up, but as we fall more in love with Jesus we desire to please him and live his way.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
The Holy Spirit wants to empower us to live God’s way. He has the power to break any sin God’s grace empowers us to overcome.
2. We will be kept safe and held securely by Jesus
Jesus protects us - The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the creator and sustainer of heaven and earth has our back!
5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
When Jesus lives in us through the power of the Holy Spirit He enables us to live His way. He empowers us through the power of the Holy Spirit. God in me protects me and keeps me safe.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
Our identity in Christ as God’s children fortifies us against spiritual attacks and worldly lies.
3. The evil one cannot touch them
Brings to mind MC Hammer - U Can’t touch this…
Living as a child of God with Jesus living in us, we can be in a position where the enemy can’t touch us!
ἅπτω (hapto)- touch, harm, take hold of
Think for a moment - if I want to take hold of you there needs to be something for me to grab. If I’m a demon and the only thing in you available to grab is Jesus - then guess what “U Can’t touch this…”
Jesus said
30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me,
Nothing in me to take hold of - can we say the same thing?
We need to let go of everything else to take hold of Christ.
8 To truly know him meant letting go of everything from my past and throwing all my boasting on the garbage heap. It’s all like a pile of manure to me now, so that I may be enriched in the reality of knowing Jesus Christ and embrace him as Lord in all of his greatness.
SO how is it possible to not practice sinning? The answer given is that we take hold of Jesus and Jesus holds us securely, and so the evil one cannot touch us and overpower them. You may face satanic attacks and temptations, but you are defended by One who is stronger than Satan.
4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
2nd “We know… statement”
19 We know that we are God’s children and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one.
John’s 2nd declaration of truth is that the world is divided into 2 camps. Those who belong to God and those who belong to the evil one.
15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
These are the things we can hold onto, by which the enemy can take hold of us:
craving for physical pleasure - always looking for the next thing or person to enjoy
a craving for everything we see - I see it I want it, it will make me happy, it will give me identity
and pride in our achievements and possessions - position, power, status, comfort, security.
Think for a moment, are any of these areas getting in the way of our relationship with God? Is there anything we are holding onto and even unconsciously putting before God?
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.
John’s 3rd declaration of truth is that Jesus has come to help us understand and find the true God.
20 And we know that Christ, God’s Son, has come to help us understand and find the true God. And now we are in God because we are in Jesus Christ his Son, who is the only true God; and he is eternal Life.
Jesus the Christ, is the son of God. He came to show us and help us understand and find the true God. How? He can do this because He Himself is the true God and He is eternal life.
The Bible presents a powerful and unequivocal message of salvation through Jesus Christ alone.
Jesus declared:
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
—a statement that leaves no room for alternative paths to salvation. The apostles reinforced this, proclaiming that:
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Jesus says in:
18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
Jesus is God Jesus said in:
30 I and the Father are one.”
The Bible evidence is comprehensive and consistent.
11 And this is the testimony: God has given 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.
Salvation comes through faith—declaring “Jesus is Lord” and believing in your heart, recognising that this is “by grace... through faith” and “not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Rom 10:9–10; Eph 2:8–9).
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This exclusive path to salvation underscores the profound goodness of God, offering our being made right with God not by our own inadequate efforts, but through Jesus dying in our place on the cross.
5 For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. 6 He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.
Finally, if we believe that Jesus is God, that there is no other way, no other truth and no other life except in Him. That He has the Words of Eternal Life, that He died on the cross to pay the price for our sins to enable us to now have access to His eternal life.
Then we should avoid anything which could lead us astray from God’s truth.
21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
What are idols?
Yes idols could be statues, could be other gods we honour, serve, give value to.
We could also go into our front room and pay homage of time and finance to the idol attached to the wall.
We could pay tribute, raise our hands in worship, feel good or depressed dependent upon the achievements or lack of of our football team or other sports team.
“Amazingly, the object of idolatry can be a good thing. However, when we turn a good thing into a god thing it becomes a bad thing: an idol.” DL Akin
We can make an idol out of marriage, family, health, wealth, status, achievement, happiness.
“We think that idols are bad things, but that is almost never the case. The greater the good, the more likely we are to expect that it can satisfy our deepest needs and hopes. Anything can serve as a counterfeit god, especially the very best things in life.” - Timothy Keller
Idolatry is anything you put your confidence in, or love, enjoy, and pursue more than God, more than Jesus Christ, who “is the true God and eternal life.”
“If you love anything better than God you are idolaters: if there is anything you would not give up for God it is your idol: if there is anything that you seek with greater fervor than you seek the glory of God, that is your idol, and conversion means a turning from every idol.” - Charles Spurgeon
So today what or who are you seeking after? What or who are you holding onto? And what or who will bring true assurance of eternal life life to the full?
8 Then your light shall break forth as the morning, and your healing shall spring forth quickly, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your reward. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord shall answer; you shall cry, and He shall say, Here I am. If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall rise in obscurity, and your darkness shall become as the noonday. 11 And the Lord shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 12 Those from among you shall rebuild the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called, the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Paths in which to Dwell.
