Confidence In Our Beliefs

Secular -

Sometimes we pastors have great confidence in that what we say will get through to others. Sometimes it is true, sometimes not so much. Here is one such story.

Two little boys were best friends at church, but they both had a reputation for getting into trouble. One Sunday, one of the boys was home sick, but the other boy, not wanting to let his friend down, was twice as bad as normal.

As he was running through the sanctuary after church, the pastor grabbed him and with confidence, knowing this would make the boy straighten up at church from now on said, "Where's God?!"

The little boy was frightened and didn't know what to say.

The pastor continued, "I want you to go home and think about it and I don't want you to come back until you can tell me where God is."

The boy went home and called his sick friend on the telephone. "Guess what," he said. "They've lost God, and they're trying to blame that one on us, too."

Historical/Cultural Context -

The book of 1 John is one of the five books in the New Testament that was written by John the Apostle, brother of James. They were known as the sons of thunder. This letter was written between A.D. 85 to A.D. 100. First John was written to a church or group of churches in crisis—churches who were being attacked by false teaching. Some individuals who had once been associated with the church had accepted heresy and had left the church. After they left they continued to spread their false teaching to the church. They went so far as to organize and send out itinerant preachers to various churches with the goal of converting those in the churches to their beliefs. This created confusion and plunged the churches into crisis. In response to this situation, John wrote 1 John, following that up with 2 and 3 John. His goal was to stop this false teaching and to bring comfort to the Christians in these churches.

Biblical Text -

1 John 5:6–13 NKJV

This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 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, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - A True Believer Will Not Walk Away From Jesus, And Can Have Confidence In Their Faith.

Life Point- We Can Have Confidence In Our Faith

Exegetical -

1 John 5:6–8 NKJV

This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

Homiletical -

John had just written that only the believer can overcome the world. Now He writes to fix a popular but false teaching. This teaching stated that Jesus was not the Christ until he was baptized in water and then The Holy Spirit came upon Him, making Him the savior. Before His crucifixion they taught the Spirit left Jesus and thus the Christ, the savior never died.

Anybody remember Gomer Pile?

I got 3 words for this view. heresy, heresy, heresy!

I got one phrase for this view too, “So much heresy, so little time.”

Did you know, I was watching Christian TV years ago while I was doing something else. You know what happened? I heard this exact heresy with very little word changes being taught by Kenneth Copeland. But, with a twist.

He was teaching that Jesus emptied himself to become a man. Ok I am with Him there.

He then stated that Jesus could do no miracles, and could not be the savior until His baptism. SIREN ALARMS WENT OFF IN MY HEAD.

This is why we must study what is called Apologetics, which is a fancy term for defending the Christian faith, using logic & reason that is Grounded in the Word of God.

When Jesus came, He was still Jesus the second in the trinity. Jesus was, is, and always will be God. He was, is, and will always be The Savior.

So the water and blood reference here points to the false teachers and says, it is not the baptism that is the important part, but the shed blood of Jesus that is the important part.

Hebrews 9:16–28 NKJV

For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Since it is the death of Jesus that is important, the Holy One who was, and is, and is to come and not this garbage about bestowing Divinity on the man Jesus; since Jesus was and forevermore will always be divine. What does John mean by water and blood?

He refers to the process of becoming saved. A particular prophesy that was fulfilled in Jesus.

Ezekiel 36:25–27 NKJV

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

This is an entire reference of what happens when a person is saved and their spirit is regenerated.

Ephesians 2:4–5 NKJV

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

sprinkling of water in the Old Testament was the sign of God’s cleansing power and so that sign is made reality when we are saved.

We are given new hearts and we become regenerated upon salvation. He says he will take the old hardness of heart and get rid of it. This is part of Biblical salvation.

Then He says He will put His Spirit within us. Again, happening at salvation.

He says that we will walk in His statutes. Again, this happens at salvation. The Christian life should be a natural outpouring of the Holy Spirit manifest in the fruit of the Spirit and our actions toward others.

Galatians 5:22–25 NKJV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

James 2:14–17 NKJV

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

John says that if you are a believer then it is the Holy Spirit that testifies to all that he just said. Because the Spirit is truth.

He doesn’t stop there. He goes on to say:

1 John 5:7 NKJV

For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

In the law it took a matter 2-3 witnesses for it to be settled in court, as it were. No one could be condemned on one witness alone, but on 2, maybe; on 3 definitely.

This also refers to the Godhead. For God is 3 and He is 1.

God in heaven bears witness to the complete work of salvation through Christ.

Here on earth, the people witness 3 main events that bear witness to the truth of salvation:

1 John 5:8 NKJV

And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

The Baptism of Christ was witnessed by many people, as well as the miraculous signs that went with it.

Matthew 3:13–17 NKJV

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

The shed blood of Christ is witness.

John 19:28–37 NKJV

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

Illustration -

A couple of pastors from the local churches are standing by the side of the road, pounding a sign into the ground, being very confident that its’ words would help people. It Read: "The End Is Near! Turn Yourself Around Now -- Before It's Too Late!"

As a car sped past them, the driver yelled, "Leave us alone, you religious nuts!" From the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash.

The one pastor turns to the other and asks, "Do you think the sign should just say 'Bridge Out'?"

Life Point - True Believers Don’t Walk Away

Exegetical -

1 John 5:9–12 NKJV

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Homiletical -

If we, as humans, will accept an event from people who witness said event. You know, like an accident or a crime. Should not God’s witness be greater?

God The father and God the Holy Spirit testify to the works of God The Son.

We who are Christians have this witness inside of us. If we were not to believe God then in our own selves we are calling God a liar.

There are many people who call themselves atheists who said they were Christians in the past. You see that can’t be true.

1 John 2:19 NKJV

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

The true believer, due to the witnesses that have been given will not walk away from Christ. If one were to walk away from Christ then they were not truly Christ’s to begin with.

So why do some walk away and never return?

This is the wrong question. Why?

Because they were never saved.

The question should be, “Why do people not become believers?”

To give over to Jesus would cause them to take themselves off the throne of their lives. It would mean being accountable to a higher, Holy Being.

John 3:19 NKJV

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Romans 8:7 NKJV

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

So what do they do? The pretend the elephant in the room is not really there, but deep down in the heart they know the truth. One day everyone will proclaim Jesus as Lord, whether they want too or not..

Philippians 2:5–11 NKJV

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

John makes it quite simple for us:

1 John 5:11–12 NKJV

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

God has given us eternal life, and that is found in the Son.

If you have the son, you have eternal life. If you don’t, you don’t

Only through Jesus can one have eternal salvation. It can’t come any other way, but by Jesus.

John 14:6–7 NKJV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

This salvation, you can’t earn it, you can’t work it up and you can’t be good enough to have eternal life. Only by grace through faith.

Ephesians 2:8–9 NKJV

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Life Principle– A True Believer Will Not Walk Away From Jesus, And Can Have Confidence In Their Faith.

Call to Action – altar call….