Do You Know?

Text: 1 John 5.13 – “These things have I written to you who believe in the name of the Son of

                                  God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Thesis: To prove that Christians are to have an attitude in which they are confident in their

             salvation only because of the power of God.

Introduction:

(1)    How would you respond to this question, “Do you know that you would go to Heaven right now if the Lord were to return at this very moment?”

(a)     Too many respond: “I hope so.”  “I just don’t know for sure.”

(b)    This results in too many Christians walking around with a frown.

(2)    The Christian’s attitude is to be one of assurance (cf. Rom. 8.31-39).

(3)    F. Camp – “I know that I know that I know […]”

(4)    Is it possible to know?

Discussion:

I.                   We may know what is written.

A.    Jesus tells us that we shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free (cf. John 8.32).

B.     Paul told us that when we read we can understand (Eph. 3.4).

1.      Does that include everything?

a.       Yes, everything that pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1.3).

b.      No, not matters of opinion (e.g., what Jesus wrote on the ground).

c.       Yes, but some things are learned with time.

(1)   “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Heb. 5.12-14).

(2)   “Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet. 2.2).

2.      The point is that we can know and understand what we need to know to obey the gospel initially and then be faithful (cf. 1 Cor. 15.1-4; Rom. 6.1-5; Rev. 2.10).

II.                We may know that we believe.

A.    We can do a spiritual self-examination (cf. 2 Cor. 13.5).

B.     Have I done this […]

C.     The purpose of the writings is to produce faith (John 20.30-31).

D.    Obviously the faith is a working active faith (cf. James 2.17; Matt. 7.21).

III.             We may know that we have eternal life!

A.    Yes, we can know that we are saved!

B.     Why?

1.      First, we know what God has done for us (John 3.16).

2.      Second, we know that we have done what God has asked us to do to accept His gift to us (cf. Rom. 6.16-18).

3.      Third, we know that God cannot lie (Heb. 6.18).

4.      Therefore, God has said that we are saved and we are and we can know it because God is faithful and true!

a.       We can “know with settled and absolute knowledge” (Vincent’s Word Studies).

b.      This is absolute confidence in God; thus, therefore in what He has said about our salvation.

C.     Hence, John was correct in saying that he was writing to make our joy full (1 John 1.4).

Conclusion:

(1)    Indeed, there is no assurance greater than the Christian’s assurance.

(2)    Let us walk around with the joy that springs forth from such assurance.

(3)    You can have that assurance even today if you are willing to follow God.