7-15-2018 The Heard Questions 1 John 5:13-15
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Introduction:
A Black slave, carrying a bag of potatoes on his back, was asked by his skeptic master: “How do you know you are really saved and going to heaven?”
This Black slave took a few steps and then dropped the bag and took another step. Then he said:
“How do I know I have dropped the bag? I have not looked around, I cannot see the bag.”
“No,” replied the master. “You can tell by the lessening of the weight.”
“Yes,” went on the slave, “that is how I know I am saved. I have lost the guilty feeling of sin and sorrow and have found peace and satisfaction in my Lord and Savior as I talk to Him daily.”
Assurance in salvation is a beautiful, attractive witness and testimony. Who wouldn’t want that kind of assurance?
Transition:
The Apostle John offers that sweet assurance of hope as he begins the end of the last of his first epistle:
Scripture Reading:
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. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 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.
Transition:
After several months of study we have come to the concluding passage of 1st John.
The final nine verses of 1 John comprise its epilogue. The epilogue has two functions: to summarize the main body of the letter and to encourage the readers to apply what they have read. So now John provides several specific ways in which this community of believers could act on what he had written—you could think of this last section as John’s “So What?” to his letter.
I have been encouraged and greatly challenged in our personal walk with the Lord as we went through it exegetically. John spoke much about our love for the Lord and for one another. There was valuable instruction concerning false doctrine and the spirit of antichrist. He has provided several marks by which we gain confidence of our relationship with Christ. Here John concludes his thoughts and offers a final word to the reader.
We find a final exhortation concerning the Christian life. This passage was given to believers. We find comfort, as well as, a final challenge in these closing verses. Let’s examine the aspects of life John discusses as we consider our assurance.
I. Our Association with Assurance (v.13)
I. Our Association with Assurance (v.13)
Here we discover some certainties, some absolutes that believers enjoy today. From the start, in verse 13, we have his purpose of writing this to us:
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.
“I write these things to you who believe...”
Again, John addresses his intended audience--he is writing to the believer, to those who have believed in the name of Christ for salvation. Only those who believe in the deity of the Son of God can absorb what John has written in this letter and apply it. This supports the Doctrine of Illumination, which means you must have the Holy Spirit inside of you to fully understand the truths of scripture. This is not to say that unbelievers cannot understand scripture at all, but certainly unbelievers are unable to process the truths of scripture and live it out apart from the Holy Spirit.
Those to whom John originally wrote lived among the world, with all the difficulties associated with it, but they were not of the world. They had been set apart to Christ in Christ. Even though they faced much adversity, they were not alone in the journey. They had the Spirit working within them and they had Christ along with each other.
We are a couple thousand years removed from the time when John penned these words, but the same is true for all who believe in Christ. I am certainly thankful for the opportunity of receiving salvation in the Lord and I rejoice for those of like faith with whom I can and do share this journey.
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.
"...that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Above all else, John wanted his readers to have no more doubts about their faith, but instead to know they have eternal life.
John encouraged them to consider all he has shared with them. The letter, written to believers who had been unsettled in their faith by false teachers, encouraged them to continue in the faith and affirmed their possession of eternal life. John wanted his readers to know—to be sure—that they had eternal life. They could base their certainty on God’s promise that he has given them eternal life through his Son.
There were many who were confused, and some were being mislead. John wanted them to be settled in their faith, enjoying assurance of salvation, and productive for the Lord. Their faith in Christ, resulting in salvation was not a temporary thing. Their faith in Him brought eternal life. There was no need to fear the adversity in this life or the impending death at the end of life. They were certain and secure in Christ.
The question then becomes: “Are you sure you have eternal life?”. Now I’m not asking about the person next to you, or your neighbor. I am asking you personally: do you have salvation? are you a hundred percent certain that you will see Christ face-to-face when you die?
We too can experience the same assurance—the same certainty. I am not depending upon my works or abilities to secure eternal life. I am not looking to the latest trends or modern philosophies. The world does not embrace my faith, but I am secure in the finished work of Christ. How can I be so certain? First, it is a proven fact that Jesus rose from the grave triumphant over sin and death. In turn, because He lives, we have the assurance of a future resurrection. Second, Christ lives inside of me! I can hate sin because He hates sin, I can (and do) love others because He loves others, I can sacrifice my all to serve, because He already sacrificed Himself for me!
All the saved inherit eternal life. 2 Cor.5:1
For we know that if our earthly house, the tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made by hands, eternal in the heavens.
Just like when Jesus was telling the Pharisees that He would rebuild the temple in three days, you have to understand that Paul is not just talking about brick-and-mortar buildings neither
Transition:
John assured the believer of the great confidence we have in Christ. But he then adds a precious element: believers also can be confident that YHWH will listen to their prayers.
II. Our Appeal (v.14)
II. Our Appeal (v.14)
This next verse applies the truth of our assurance as it impacts the life of the church, particularly with regard to sinning brothers (as we’ll see next week). One benefit of a life of faith in Jesus is answered prayer.
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
We are certain, as believers, that YHWH hears every prayer. Confidence in God’s presence results from knowing that God is listening.
John is not referring to that confidence he described earlier, confidence on judgment day when each believer gives an account to the Lord Jesus. Rather, this is daily confidence in one’s relationship with our Heavenly Father. In prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart. Prayer is for the relationship between you and your Creator.
George Muller once said that the most important part of his prayer was the fifteen minutes after he had said “Amen.” He was meaning that it is the trust and the peace that the prayer brought. Are you lacking trust? what does your prayer time look like? Are you lacking peace? it has a direct connection to your prayers or lack thereof.
Confidence in prayer means boldness or freedom to speak to Christ (Hebrews 4:16)
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
that’s real peace!
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
“we ask anything according to His will” John’s statements seem to be unlimited in the believer’s ability to beseech God. How and for what one prays is another evidence of a true believer.
Does this mean that YHWH will respond no matter what we request? Not necessarily
Looking close, we realize that prayer is not asking for our will, but asking for God’s will in our lives. People may or may not ask according to God’s will, but when then do, God hears.
So how can we pray that way? How do we know what is God’s will? This happens as a part of our growth in our relationship with Jesus. When people choose to place their will in line with God’s will, the Holy Spirit in them will teach them to understand God’s will more completely. The Holy Spirit reveals God’s will as it is taught in the Bible. The Holy Spirit, in turn, helps us to pray in line with God’s will (see Romans 8:26–27). Jesus himself was a model of this: he taught his followers to pray for God’s will to be accomplished on earth (Matthew 6:10), and he chose God’s will over his own in accepting the bitter cup—death on the cross
The idea of ἀκούω is “not merely that He listens but that He listens favorably.” God is going to act on the praying saint’s behalf. However, this action is conditioned on His hearing. In 3:22 answered prayer was conditioned on doing God’s will. Here is it conditioned on asking in accordance with God’s will. That is the sense of the preposition κατὰ. These requests must fall within the standard of God’s will.1488 Still, this “marks an important limitation on one’s assurance that his request will be granted.” God will not answer prayers that violate His character or His will for the one praying or for those who are the objects of prayer.
The Lord is attentive to the prayers we pray. We are promised God will hear when we pray according to His will for our lives. This isn’t something we hope might happen or that we can experience occasionally. We can confidently pray, knowing the Lord will hear. He is mindful of us and attentive to our prayers. They will be answered whenever they ask him for anything in line with his will.
Transition:
Based on our association, with our appeals, John reveals our accommodation
II. Our Accommodation (v.15)
II. Our Accommodation (v.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.
Does this verse say, “God will answers all our requests”? YES!! He will! Does this verse say the answer will always be, “Yes!”? Not necessarily!
“If” Thus ἐὰν still means “if” and still carries the possibility either of being true or false, though it is describing things from the believer’s perspective rather than the divine perspective (previous verse). The uncertainty lies in the “presence of the knowledge” in the believer, not in the truth of the statement (Westcott, 190). The believer may or may not know that God hears, even when He does. Also, John uses οἴδα for knowledge in this case rather than γινώσκω. This is intuitive knowledge rather than experiential. What we think is true may not be true even if our experience convinces us it is true. What one perceives to be true, even from his or her experiences, is still impacted by his or her limitations and desires. Perception is not reality. However, what we have been told by God in His Word is true because God is true and He sees everything as it actually is. His perception is reality and so we can trust what He tells us. He tells us that prayer according to His character and will is sure to be heard and answered. So, to the extent that we know our prayers meet these prerequisites we can know with certainty that God hears and will reply favorably.
“He hears us in whatever we ask”
The limitlessness of the possibilities before us, the power of God to answer whatever prayer we ask, is expressed through the relative clause: “whatever we ask”. It also shows that what limits answers to prayer is as much the absence of prayer, as it is missing the will of God. So, how do we know our prayers will be answered? We have the promise that follows the condition. If we know we are praying according to God’s will, we have certainty.
“then we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” John repeats the word “Know”. This repetition emphasizes what we can know by faith rather than based on experience. This use of οἴδα implies certainty. Because God has made certain promises, we can know those promises are true before we experience them. Our confidence is in God and His promises, not in our experience. Again, John is defining in greater detail what he means by confidence when we enter God’s presence to make our requests.
We are assured that God not only hears a prayer of faith, but He will answer our prayers as well. The point is not, that if God hears our prayers he grants them (as if we could ever pray to him without his being aware of it); but that if we know that he hears our prayers (i.e. trust him without reserve), we already have what we have asked in accordance with his will. It may be years before we perceive that our prayers have been answered: perhaps in this world we may never be able to see this; but we know that God has answered them.
This doesn’t imply that God gives everything we ask for; but that we can have confidence He will supply our needs when we pray according to His will for our lives.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
The key is praying according to the will of God. When we are in His will, our desires will be consistent with His. Mat.6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
His desires become your desires
So What?
So What?
In his Gospel, John tells us how to be saved, but in this first epistle, he tells us how to be sure we are saved. The letter is a series of “tests” that Christians may use to examine their fellowship and their sonship in the triune Godhead family.
It appears that most BELIEVERS who have problems with their assurance have an over-reliance on their feelings. If this is true for you, then you must know that your feelings are the most unreliable aspect of your assurance. Feelings are temporary and change from one moment to the next, and I suspect that Satan understands this too. He is an accuser of the brethren and he will attack you in the area of your feelings. Next come faith and we all understand that faith is essential to salvation but know this, faith can wax and faith can wane; we can have "little faith" and we can have "great faith" as Jesus plainly states in the Gospels. Last but certainly not least, ultimately our assurance of salvation must rest on the foundation of God's Word. Our assurance of salvation should be based on FACTS, NOT FEELINGS. Emotions can be fickle and unreliable. The apostle John wrote, "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." The Lord wants us to rely on the recorded facts of His Word for assurance of salvation rather than on our changing feelings.
What are the facts of your salvation?
Have you accepted Jesus personally for yourself?
Has your attitude towards sin changed?
Do you have love in your heart for the family of God?
Do you have a desire to keep God's Word?
Do you want to be with the people of God?
Do you believe God’s way is best?
I'm not suggesting perfection in all of these areas but these are the "marks" of salvation and if they are present then you are saved my friend and if they are not then it is highly probable that you have never been born again.
Of course, you cannot be assured of something you’ve never had. If you don’t have salvation, then I cannot—and scripture will not—assure you of eternal peace. First, agree with God that you have offended Him--the Almighty God. Then, ask for His forgiveness and trust that Jesus can fully forgive because He fully paid for the guilt and the penalty that was owed to you. Last, as you accept that forgiveness, offer yourself to serve him and live for him daily
Conclusion:
A lost person should not presume on being saved in a last-minute, death-bed regeneration. But at the same time, no matter what one’s sins may be, a person should not give up hope. Jesus is ever ready to save those who turn to Him in repentance and faith—even as the moment of death looms near.
In communicating with God, believers do not demand what they want or think they need; rather, they discuss with God what He wants for them. When believers align their prayers to God’s will, He is listening when they make their requests. And since they know that He hears their prayers, they can be certain that He will give them a definite answer.
Are there needs in your life? Is there sin that needs to be confessed? Are you burdened about the condition of another? Has the Spirit revealed your need for salvation? Pray now! These are all serious and deserve our full attention as we receive His full attention. Whatever the need is, we must seek the Lord. He alone provided atonement for sin, and He alone can save and pardon!