Fellowship of the Forgiven 5 certainties Part 2

What are you certain of?

The chair

The step

Last week we began to explore two of the 5 Christian certainties here in the closing remarks of . We can know with out doubt that

1.) Jesus is God

and John gave us 3 that testify that he is God the water, the blood and the Spirit.

We can also know that

2.) Those who believe Jesus is Lord have eternal life.

Eternal life begins when you trust Jesus as Lord. The one who has the son has life and John says he writes so that you may know that you have eternal life.

This morning we continue with these Christian certainties. These are things that those who are Christ followers can know.

1 John 5:14–15 HCSB

Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.

1 John 5:

Pray

3.) God answers prayers

Now this is the con

1 John 5:14 HCSB

Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Now this is the confidence

Confidence: outspokenness, frankness, freedom of speech

outspokenness, frankness, freedom of speech

Liddell, H. G., Scott, R., Jones, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996). A Greek-English lexicon (p. 1344). Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Stott, J. R. W. (1988). The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 19, p. 185). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

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.

We are God’s children but does God really care about the daily needs and problems of His children?

Stott, J. R. W. (1988). The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 19, p. 185). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

John writes and says we have freedom of speech before Jesus. He says one certainty we have is that we can come to the Father freely and tell him our needs.

He adds that when we tell him our needs there are some conditions that need to be met.

1 John

1 John 5:14 HCSB

Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Whenever we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

Jesus in his model prayer taught us how to pray and he said

Matthew 6:10 HCSB

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6;

We determine God’s will by reading His word, listening to the spirit and discerning the circumstances around us.

When we ask in line with his will God desires to give it to us.

Matthew 7:7–11 HCSB

“Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

The father desires to give good things to those who ask of him.

The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary b. Our Consequent Assurance (5:13–17)

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.

God knows the need before we even ask but God created prayer to be a means to the end. God desires that His children speak freely to him.

God not only ordains the answers to prayer but God ordained prayer itself to get the answer.

God desires that we walk close to Him.

1 John 5:15 HCSB

And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.

If what we ask is in line with His will then we know we have what we asked him for.

This is an inner confidence that we have asked him and that He will answer.

Imagine a prayer life like that.

Prayer is not just verbally with our lips but it is also a desire of the heart.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 HCSB

Pray constantly.

This does not mean to say lots of words for

Matthew 6:7 HCSB

When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words.

Its not about how many words you can say but praying constantly suggest an attitude of the heart as well as words of the lips.

When our attitude is fixed on Christ we desire to pray constantly.

God has commanded us to pray and God has ordained prayer to ensure the believer has what they need.

Prayer keeps the Christian in the Will of God.

Jesus even though he was sinless prayed.

The center of prayer is the will of God.

What if we spent more time in prayer discerning the will of God for our life that lines up with scripture than trying to get God to do what we think he should do?

3.) God Answers Prayer

4.) Christians do not live in sin

1 John 5:16

1 John 5:16 HCSB

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not bring death, he should ask, and God will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t bring death. There is sin that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that.

1 John 5:16–19 HCSB

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not bring death, he should ask, and God will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t bring death. There is sin that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that does not bring death. We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the One who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.

John is talking about habitual sin. This is sin that you know is a sin and you continue to live in that sin.

Sin is not subjective.

Meaning that it is not based upon preference. Sin is based upon hard facts and the hard facts is the Word of God.

If the Word of God says that it is a sin then it is sin.

We sometimes think that God is ok with our sin but he is not ok with the sin of someone else.

Here John speaks about those who choose to live in sin.

Listen very carefully because I believe God wants to speak through this text as some of you with research through scripture will discover that you have become comfortable living in sin.

John says if you have been born of God then you can’t be ok with this sin.

A Christian faces three enemies that want to lead them into sin: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Satan desires to lead you away to sin. Let me give you an example of this in scripture.

1 Peter 5:8–9 HCSB

Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him and be firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

The flesh

James 1:14

James 1:14–15 HCSB

But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

The world

1 John 5:19 HCSB

We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.

1 John 1:

So how does a believer keep from sinning?

1 John 5:18 HCSB

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the One who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.

The answer to this question lies in this entire letter of 1 John that we have been reading. The title to the series has been the fellowship of the Forgiven. It is in constant fellowship with the Lord that we keep from sinning.

1 John 2:14 HCSB

I have written to you, children, because you have come to know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have come to know the One who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, God’s word remains in you, and you have had victory over the evil one.

It is not that we would be labeled a person who quit sinning. I am a recovered drug addict, alcoholic, I have taken anger management, I was involved in sexual immorality but that my label would be I was called in to holiness and no longer am I those things because the creator of the universe called me into relationship with Himself and I am called to be Holy.

I stopped sinning because I was called into Holiness not I stopped sinning and it made me Holy.

Some sin leads to death.

1 John 5:

1 John 5:16–17 HCSB

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not bring death, he should ask, and God will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t bring death. There is sin that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that does not bring death.

Throughout scripture there are people that died as a result of their sin. I would encourage you to do some more research on this and see who, what and why to them dying as a result of sin.

God disciplines those he Love and tells us about this. The father disciplines those he loves and in some cases he will remove them from this world so that others are not led astray because of their disobedience.

4.) Christians do not live in sin

5.)The Christian life is true

1 John 5:20–21 HCSB

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One. We are in the true One—that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

1 John 5:

Jesus Christ is the true God. He is the “real thing”

This letter has had a theme of talking about what is false and what is true. It is evident that these believers faced what is fact and what is false.

The sad thing about an idol is that it does a worshipper no good because it is not the real thing.

I took Colten for a haircut...

The real deal in money. (Counterfeit money does nothing for you)

An idol is a lifeless, useless substitute for the real thing.

Think of an idol the eyes are blind, the ears are def, the mouth is silent, the hands and feet are paralyzed.

The sad thing is we become like the thing we worship.

The secret to the life that is real is to worship and have fellowship with the one who is real and that is Jesus.

Jesus Christ is the true light, the true bread, the true vine and truth itself.

He is the original and everything else is just a copy

Today the idol does not show itself in a craven image so to speak but more in things like covetousness. A person is more likely to worship people, what others have, wealth, or you name it.

We shall worship the Lord God only.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Ten: What Do You Know for Sure? (1 John 5:6–21)

Idols are dead, but Christ is the living God. Idols are false, but Christ is the true God. This is the secret of the life that is real!

So John’s admonition, “Keep yourselves from idols,” can be paraphrased, “Watch out for the imitation and the artificial and be real!”

Conclusion

5 Certainties of the Christian life

1.) Jesus is God

2.) Those who believe Jesus is Lord have Eternal life

3.) God Answers prayer

4.) Christians do not live in sin

5.) The Christian life is true