Confidence

You know that moment when you realize that something is off? It’s when everyone’s attention is on You, like when you present a report at school, or when you‘re getting together with friends. Right in the middle of an important moment you think that maybe you never brushed your hair today. And then you reach up and realize it true, you didn’t!

Maybe it’s that time when you really tried your hardest to get to the bathroom in time, but you just didn’t make it all The way there and your pants tell the story for the whole world to see. And trust Me, this isn’t a problem unique to young children.

Or how about the time when you expressed yourself in the best way you could and everyone laughed at you, and not in a good way.

Public shame is a feeling that none of us appreciate. But sometimes it seems well deserved.

Like Edmond Aviv who made fun of a neighbor lady and her disabled child for 15 years. It got so bad that it went to court and along with jail time and community service, the judge sentenced Edmond to 5 hrs of public shame. he had to write a placard that identified him as a bully that picks on disabled children.

Or there’s the TikTok videos where a girl publicly shames her ex boyfriend for cheating on her.

It’s an awful feeling, even if you do deserve it.

In his first letter to the churches, John introduces a concept he calls ”confidence” and he contrasts this confidence with shame and condemnation. Not shame for having bed head, but shame for being a sinful human in the presence of a holy and righteous God.

Review

If you heard the first two episodes in this series on 1 John you may remember that John likes to do contrasts.

In chapter 1 the contrast was light vs darkness, where God is light with no darkness at all, and sin is darkness which cannot dwell in the presence of the God who is light. And he compounds the problem by saying that all of us have sin—all of us have darkness. Which means we can’t be in God’s presence. But the goal—the overarching idea in the whole letter of 1 John—is fellowship with God. And fellowship requires being in God’s presence. So, how do we sinful humans face a holy God? We confess, and he promises to forgive.

1 John 1:9 ESV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

And then there’s the first part of 1 John 2 where John compares light with love and darkness with hate and makes it super clear that God is righteous and we should be to. He says point blank that if we don’t love our brothers and sisters in the church then we don’t know God. Knowing God is very important to John, and he compares knowing God with abiding in Jesus.

So, we have the contrast between light and dark, love and hate, knowing and not knowing, and then this concept of abiding, which sounds a lot like fellowship.

Antichrist

Today we’re in the last part of 1 John 2 and 1 John 3. In this section, we will get to explore a new concept that John calls “confidence.”

Last weekend we finished a series called ”Discovering Revelation” where we studied the book of Revelation and the Antichrist, among other things. 1 John was written before Revelation, but John already has something to say about the antichrist. So this seems like a fitting transition back into the book of 1 John.

Look at 1 John 2:18

1 John 2:18 (ESV)

18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come.

John is pointing to Christ’s statement in Matthew 24 that there would be antichrists and he says, “many antichrists have come.” Which must put the coming of Jesus just around the corner. Of course, soon God will give John the visions and dreams that lead to the writing of Revelation. Only then will John see the bigger picture of the end of the war between Christ and Satan. It is in Revelation that John will recognize that while there are many antichrists, there is one system call antichrist that must fulfill a long series of prophecies before the second coming of Jesus. And it’s after that system has been in power and persecuting God’s people for 1,260 years according to Revelation 12 that the “time of the end” will truly begin. But lets forgive John for being a bit eager here. The timing of Jesus return is, after all, not John’s point in this letter.

Earlier in chapter 2 John said that we need to “know” Jesus. And now, there’s an antichrist problem where some people deny that Jesus is either a divine being that existed before time along with the Father and the Spirit to create us, or they deny that Jesus came as a human To redeem us, or they deny both. This is something about knowing. Either Jesus is or isn’t, both can’t be true. Which means there is an important true knowledge of God that is essential for abiding with Him, for fellowshipping with Him.

1 John 2:24 (ESV)

Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.

John is inviting us into an intimacy with God. But there’s a problem. Just like with light and love, we fall short. We have darkness and hat in us, and our knowledge is incomplete. We don’t truly KNOW God and many of us are ashamed or afraid to approach God. But John has good news for us:

1 John 2:28 (ESV)

And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.

Here’s John’s point about antichrist—unless you know the real thing, you’re going to be shrink away in shame. That’s not what John wants, and that’s not what Jesus wants. He wants you to know Him. and to be confident when He comes to raise your hands in the air and say, “this is MY God, I have waited for Him, and he will save me!”

This is the first introduction of the idea of confidence and it’s All about fellowship—abiding with and being with Jesus.

And then John add this:

1 John 2:29 (ESV)

If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

If you KNOW that he is righteous…

Knowing Jesus makes all the difference. And the result is you practice righteousness.

And this is where John decides to put one of the most tender passages in the Bible.

1 John 3:1 (ESV)

1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

And so we are. God calls us his children, and so we are. And don’t God’s children do everything right? They never make a mistake. They never sin. They live in the light and not in darkness. Except, in the first two chapters of this letter John makes it clear, that’s not the reality of our experience. God’s people sin—all people sin. And so John provides the solution—confess. God’s people sin, and so John points us to our righteous advocate, Jesus Christ.

There’s a lot of pressure to perform as a kid. No one is expecting perfection—you’re a kid—but you see older people doing things perfectly. It’s not hard if you’re comparing yourself to feel frustrated or even looked down on for making mistakes. Older kids can tie their shoes perfectly. That kid on youtube can spell things incredibly well. The girl at the next desk over can read so much better and easier than you. The kid on the playground can dribble a soccer ball with his feet like he’s in control of gravity. It’s a world of comparisons, and the comparisons we do the most are the ones where we don’t measure up. Where someone else is better than us.

But life isn’t about comparison. Each of us have different brains, different skills, different strengths. What’s easy for one is hard for another. And what one has been doing for ages, another is just picking up for the first time. And that first-timer who struggles to kick the soccer ball, much less dribble it between his knees and behind his head, there’s nothing wrong with him. He just needs time to develop the skill. The same is true of the Christian experience.

Mark 4:28 (ESV)

The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

This is a natural growth pattern from, child to youth to adult, and it shouldn’t make us feel lesser than to be different than or in a different phase of growth than someone else. As long as we are abiding in Jesus, then we’re perfect right where we are.

John makes it super clear in the next verse:

1 John 3:2 (ESV)

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

We ARE God’s children NOW, but we are not what we will be. There is an expected growth, first the child then the young person and ultimately, when Jesus comes, we will be like Him.

That’s what we look forward to. That’s what we hope for, and John says that if we’re hoping in the transformation, we will purify ourselves.

1 John 3:3 (ESV)

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Jesus said the same thing:

Matthew 5:8 (ESV)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

If we want to see Jesus in His glory, then we need to surrender our pride, greed, ambition, self-seeking, and allow Him to teach us humility, unselfishness, and child likeness. To be pure of motive, pure of intent, pure of purpose. This seems to be the purity that John is talking about. And to purify oneself is exactly the process he describes in 1 John 1:9 where he tells us to confess and Jesus will forgive and cleanse.

And lets be clear, if you KEEP on sinning, you can’t be abiding in Jesus. And John says so in verse 6, ”no one who abides in him keeps on sinning.” But its verse 8 that really makes sense out of this, “whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil.” Have you humbled yourself, submitted yourself, and aligned yourself with Christ? Then, God’s got you just where He wants you. So IF YOU SIN, you have an advocate, and therefore you should confess.

This “keeps on sinning” is somewhat different than the “sin that so easily besets us” from Hebrews 12:1-2. Instead, John is talking about is the sin that we hold dear and won’t let go. It’s the sin that we will not admit to, we will not seek help for, we will not submit to God.

John always points us to the solution, and in the middle of verse 8 He says, you need to be born again.

1 John 3:8–9 (ESV)

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

And that’s where John transitions back into “love your brother” language, and this time he gives Cain as an illustration. He says that whoever does not abide in love, abides in death. And he makes his point by telling about Cain and how he hated his brother and killed him.

Jesus says something similar when he says that if we hold a chip on our shoulder towards a fellow Christian, or if we curse an enemy to hell, then it’s just like committing the sin of murder (Matt 5:21-25). It’s like what Cain did to Abel.

John even goes so far as to say that we know we have “passed from death to life” because we love our brothers.” Is this death–life transition the salvation experience?

We know that Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit when we surrender ourselves to Him and are baptized. And we know that the fruits of the spirit living in us include LOVE. So, if we hold onto our grudges and have hatred towards people, then we know we have not accepted the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We aren’t producing the fruit of righteousness. And there are only two options if we sin in our lives: 1) confess it and be forgiven and cleansed, or 2) “keep on sinning” by holding hatred in our hearts. If we confess, we can maintain our fellowship with God and His children. If we hold onto that sin then we break fellowship with Jesus—we stop abiding in Him.

And so John says,

1 John 3:9–10 (ESV)

9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

And

1 John 3:14 (ESV)

14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.

To qualify what he means by love, John says that we know love because Jesus laid down his life for us. And that’s an easy verse to remember because, just like John 3:16 talks about the sacrifice of Christ, 1 John 3:16 reminds of how He laid down His life for us. And because He did that, we ought to lay down our lives for others. Which means stepping in to help when they are in need (1 John 3:17).

1 John 3:18 (ESV)

18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Conclusion

To wrap things up with chapter 3, John tells us how we can have confidence that we are saved (1 John3:19-24), and as he does this he says, “whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything.” This is so important for us to remember. God already knows our hearts, and He is greater than any sin that we have held onto. He can cleanse us.

Notice the phrase “reassure our heart” in verse 19, and then in verse 20 and 21 we have a contrast statement of condemnation and confidence. If, after looking at all this—the light, Christ’s righteousness, love and abiding with God—you feel condemned and broken, then you are right. In fact, if you didn’t feel that way, you’d be “continuing in sin” and, according to John, children of the devil. But, if you recognize that your heart condemns you, then there’s hope, because “God is greater than your heart.

And so, because of God, because we have confessed and been forgiven and cleansed, because Jesus, the righteous one, is our advocate, therefore we can have confidence before God. We can be purified. We can be called “righteous.” We can abide with Christ. And our hearts will no longer condemn us. That’s where the confidence comes from—Jesus.

John wraps up chapter three with this promise of answered prayer,

1 John 3:22 (ESV)

22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

What pleases God? It should be evident by now: intimately knowing and abiding with God, and loving God’s children. But John makes sure we understand.

1 John 3:23 (ESV)

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.

He might as well have been repeating Jesus’ words, Love God with all your heart, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. This is the heart of the promise of Salvation. That God will write His law in our hearts and our minds. That God’s spirit will cause us to walk in His commandments.

The whole point of turning our lives over to Jesus is so that we can have fellowship with Him, and everyone who knows and believes in Him.

Alexander Selkirk was concerned. The ship that he was employed on had developed some severe leaks. But Selkirk was an unruly young man and the captain was tired of him. So when he said he’d rather be marooned on the uninhabited Juan Fernández islands than continue sailing without repairs, and the captain took him up on the offer. He left him with a gun, a hatchet, a knife, a bible, a cooking pot and some bedding and clothes. Selkirk immediately regretted his rash statement, but the captain refused to bring him back on board. Later, the ship foundered off the coast of Columbia. The survivors had to surrender to the Spanish and endured a harsh imprisonment in Peru for several years.

But Selkirks’ fate wasn’t all roses.

After 4 years and 4 months surviving alone on the island, Selkirk was rescued by a ship that was resupplying with fresh water. He returned to England a hero, and was the muse for Daniel Defoe’s book, Robinson Crusoe. But as the more modern writer, William Boyles JR. found out when he stranded himself on an island to get into the character that would be played by Tom Hanks in the movie Cast Away, the real problem isn’t the physical challenges of survival, but the deep emotional challenges of loneliness. It was Boyles that befriended the volleyball out of loneliness.

Who knows what kinds of friends Selkirk made when he was stranded for four years, but we can be sure the lack of fellowship was one of his greatest hardships.

God designed us to go through life in relationship. He designed us to have love and friendship and support and affection. Without those things we are only a shell of what God designed us for.

And yet, some of us get the idea that we can hold onto selfishness and still maintain relationships. But it just doesn’t work. Our sinful self-love becomes an island that traps us until we surrender to our righteous savior, and confess, and begin to walking in love again.

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I’ve asked Ginger to sing a song that will bring John’s message home to our hearts. It’s a song called He Giveth More Grace.

He Giveth More Grace

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater He sendeth more strength when the labors increase To added affliction He addeth His mercy To multiplied trials His multiplied peace

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure His pow'r has no boundary known unto men For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again

When we have exhausted our store of endurance When our strength has failed ere the day is half done When we reach the end of our hoarded resources Our Father's full giving is only begun

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure His pow'r has no boundary known unto men For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again