Sermon Tone Analysis

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*WHADDYA KNOW?*
1 John 5:13-20
This series is called /Assurances: What God Wants You To Know/.
The word know appears about 40 times in this book.
John's emphasis here is that our relationship with God can be one of certainty, one of assurance, one of security in him.
This is not a smug type of knowledge that feeds our pride; it's a humble type of knowledge that expresses itself in love for others.
It's crucial to note that in addition to the word "know" appearing 40 times in this letter, the word "love" appears even more.
The Christian life is all about love.
In fact, last week we saw that John said, *(v.
8) whoever does not love does not know God*.
Loving and knowing are side by side.
God doesn't want you to live your life in insecurity, constantly second-guessing who you are, why you're here, what your purpose is, where you stand with him, and on and on.
He wants you to know these things because he wants you to know him.
He wants you to have the assurance that comes with a relationship with Jesus Christ.
In verse 12 John says, *"He who has the son has life."
*That's the crucial connection-our relationship with Jesus Christ.
This relationship is founded on what?
Our love for him?
Not exactly.
It's founded on his love for us.
*We love because he first loved us.
*(1 John 4:19) The object of our relationship with God is that we grow in love.
The object is that you love him, and that you love others the way he loves others.
The more you love, the more you know him.
The more you know him, the more you know who you are.
In closing out this series, we'll look at five things God wants you to know.
First of all...
*1.
God wants you to know that you're secure in him.*
*(v.
13) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.*
In the verse before that, John says...
*(v.
12) He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.*
Wherein does our security lie?
In our connection with Jesus Christ.
The fact is, there is nothing about this world that is secure.
Health, relationships, money, it can all dwindle so quickly.
I'm thinking of how I have seen this illustrated in recent months in the lives of people I know personally.
A friend of mine whose marriage we thought was rock solid-he came home from a business trip a day early to find a car in the driveway that shouldn't have been there.
Another friend has watched his life savings decrease by 60% because of some changes in his company's stock price.
Another friend of mine's teenage daughter was just diagnosed with cancer.
Another friend's church is going through a split and lifelong friendships are being ripped apart as they turn into the Hatfields and McCoys.
Each of these have felt the rug of security pulled out from underneath them.
If we were to take a roll call this morning, each of you could personally testify or, at least, relate a story about how someone close to you has experienced something similar.
Our existence on this planet is defined by insecurity.
That will never change.
But God wants you to know that you're secure in him.
There's only one thing in life that's certain: God loves you.
And that's all you need.
I heard Rita Springer say once, "I didn't realize that God was all I needed until I came to the place that he was all I had." Jim Carrey once said, "I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer."
All you need is God, but you don't have to wait until your world falls apart to discover this.
You can know now.
*(v.
13) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.*
He's talking about assurance of salvation.
We have a tendency to make this a lot more difficult than it needs to be.
I've known a lot of Christians who torment themselves over this question, "Did I really believe?
Did I really mean it?
Was I really, really, really sincere?" - as if the difference between the second and third "really" is the difference between spending eternity in heaven or hell.
What happens is that we turn our assurance into something we earn by our own goodness.
Our assurance then becomes founded, not in God, but in ourselves.
This misses the whole point of assurance - because then you're only one bad day away from losing your assurance altogether.
John says that you can know you have eternal life because of all the things he has written about: God loves you.
Jesus died for you.
Your sins are forgiven.
You are his child.
He is your Father.
It is in the love your father has for you that you find your security.
God wants you to know that you're secure in him.
Also...
*2.
God wants you to know that he hears your prayers.*
Listen to John's words...
*(v.
14-15) This is the confidence we have approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him.*
I was told once that this was God's small print.
His loophole.
His backdoor clause.
You can pray all you want, but if it's not his will you're not going to get it - so, too bad for you.
No. Too GOOD for you.
Think about it.
God is all-knowing.
He sees all things.
When we ask for things, we ask with a limited understanding.
When God answers, he answers with complete understanding.
He answers with your best interests in mind, because doing his will is always in your best interests.
I was watching one of those new-age gurus on TV a while back.
(Do you still call them new-age?
Even when they've reached old age?)
He was saying that the universe will give you whatever you ask for - in your relationships, and finances, and career, and emotional well-being.
If you apply the principles of faith, he said, this eternal source will bring it to pass.
There's a key distinction between what this teaching and the Christian faith: his cosmic force has no will of its own, no specific sense of right and wrong, or purpose and direction.
It's just an energy you tap into to get what you want.
Now, if what he was saying was true, and I could choose between his method of prayer and John's method of prayer, I would prefer John's method.
Why?
Because our prayers are protected by an all-knowing, all-loving God.
Do you remember when your children they would sometimes ask for things that weren't good for them?
Or they would ask for things that were second best?
In your wisdom, you didn't always give them exactly what they asked for, did you?
It's the same with God.
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