Sermon Tone Analysis

Belief

1 John 5:13 ESV  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.

Write these things

1 John 1:4 ESV  And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

1 John 2:1 ESV  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.

But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

1 John 2:21 ESV  I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

1 John 2:26 ESV  I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

The gospel of John was written so that…

John 20:31 ESV  but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

What things?

Believes that Jesus is the Messiah

1 John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God

Believes what scripture says about Jesus

1 John 4:2 ESV By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

Prescriptive vs descriptive

Philippians 1:29 ESV

29  For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

John 1:12-13 ESV

12  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

13  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 6:44-45 ESV

44  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

And I will raise him up on the last day.

45  It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—

Acts 13:48 ESV

48  And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

John MacArthur – The Gospel According to Jesus

A few have even taken the absurd position that a born-again person may ultimately turn away from Christ into unbelief, deny God, and become an atheist—yet still possess eternal life.

One writer invented a term for such people: "unbelieving believers"!

Matthew 10:32 ESV  So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,

Matthew 10:33 ESV  but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

BUT there’s more to belief to be born of God

1 John 3:10 ESV  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.

1 John 2:29 ESV

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

1 John 3:9 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.

Love

1 John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.

This principle permeates John’s epistle

1 John 2:10 ESV

10  Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

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.

1 John 3:17 ESV

17  But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

1 John 4:20-21 ESV

20  If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

21  And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

John 13:34-35 ESV

34  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

35  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

How do we know we love the Children of God?

1 John 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

1 John 3:24 ESV

24  Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him.

And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Then John clarifies what is means to love God

1 John 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.

And his commandments are not burdensome.

NOTE what the Bible says about the law of God

Psalms 19:7-11 ESV  The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;  8  the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;  9  the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.

10  More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

11  Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

He’s not commanding you do drink poison; He’s commanding you to keep a law that is <read from above>

Jesus repeated the principle that God’s children keep his commandments.

John 14:21 ESV  Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.

And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

John 14:23 ESV  Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

John 15:14 ESV  You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Matthew 12:50 ESV  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

John 8:31 ESV  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,

Obey

1 John 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.

And his commandments are not burdensome.

This issue comes down to motive…

1 Chronicles 28:9 ESV  “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.

If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

1 Corinthians 13:3 ESV  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

It is possible to do things that appear loving, but are NOT done from genuine love.

Matthew 6:1 ESV  “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

1 John 3:18-19 ESV  Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

19  By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;

Romans 12:9 ESV  Let love be genuine.

Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Romans 12:9 NKJV  Let love be without hypocrisy.

Abhor what is evil.

Cling to what is good.

1 Peter 1:22-23 ESV  Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for [the purpose of] a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,  23  since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

The Word of God (the Truth) is key here.

HOW CAN I KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS?

Psalms 119:32 ESV  I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!

Overcomes

4  For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.

And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

5  Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

For

- DON’T MISS THE TRANSITION –