When You Believe

William Jonathan Weems

1 John • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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Concluding Remarks of 1 John

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

1 John

1 John 5:13–21 NIV

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. This is the confidence we have in 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. If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

When you believe in the name of the son of God, you can have confidence in the fact that you are saved.

Know you have eternal life

Eternal life is a certainty to those who believe in the name of the son of God. This is the main goal of John writing to encourage his church.

1 John 5:13 NIV

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 has used this phrase 2 other times.

Goes with that our joy may be complete

1 John 1:4 NIV

We write this to make our joy complete.

So that you will not sin

1 John 2:1 NIV

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

But all of these come together as part of the encouragement that you can know you have eternal life.

John clearly wrote this letter to people who were believers in Jesus to give them confidence that they belong to the truth, but what hope it offers to those who do not believe, that they can have eternal life.

Eternal life. Salvation. We are saved from the debt we owe from our sins. A debt we could have only paid with our death, our eternal separation from God, but instead Jesus paid it for us, completely.

Confidence to approach God in prayer

1 John 5:14–15 NIV

This is the confidence we have in 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.

1 John 3:21–24 NIV

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

1 John 3:21–22 NIV

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.

1 John 5:14-

Reminding us that we can boldly come before him. He adds that we must ask according to his will. This is so important because it hanged the way we pray. We pray according to his will not our own. We pray for what we desire but we ultimately pray continually not our will but yours be done. Confidence to pray for our brothers and sisters

1 John 5:16-

Confidence to pray for our brothers and sisters

1 John 5:16–17 NIV

If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

1 John 5:16-

Sins

A strange way to end this book. The only mention of idols in the book, but when you remember this is john trying to share encouragement t with his church you can see this final reminder. We know the truth. We know we have life , we know we are Gods children so stay away from everything that could change that focus.

Confidence that we overcome the evil one

This is one of those weird passages of scripture. I We know the wages of sin is death. So ultimately all sin leads to death, but john is talking to believers and the point of 1 john is to assure the. Of their faith. So I am pretty confident he is talking here about our ability to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are clearly caught up in sin and need help. How cool is that ! God lets us pray for our brothers and sisters and he gives them life. Freedom from that sin. Hope. We get to be part of bringing life. Not eternal life we already know Jesus did that, but perhaps life in the now. We know that is God’s will for believers but sometimes they lose focus and late enslaved to less than life in the now. But our prayers can lead them back to life.

That is the point we as believers can overcome the darkness of the world with the light of eternal life which leads directly to his next point. Confidence that we overcome the evil one

1 John 5:18–19 NIV

1 John 5:18–20 NIV

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

1 John 5:

Reminding us of

1 John 4:4 NIV

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

God is greater than he that is in the world. He overcame the one of this world. We already have victory. This stuff is amazing.

However sometimes we have to be reminded like we were last week that God is the best witness. God is true. Jesus is the Truth

Know who is true

1 John 5:20 NIV

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

1 John 5:20

God is true. Once again, this is something we already know, but sometimes just need a reminder. Jesus is the way to be in right relationship with God. Believing, trusting and following him. Then we are able to abide in him. To dwell in him. To be his children.

I would guess many of us do not struggle with our faith in the same way that the church of Asia minor struggled. But I am confident that some here today do struggle with Is Jesus the ONLY way to eternal life. Because we are constantly bombarded with cultural relativism. The idea that all paths lead to the same place. The message of 1 John is totally opposite and as John wraps up his letter by emphaszing One More Thing:

One More Thing:

1 John 5:21 NIV

Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

A strange way to end this book. The only mention of idols in the book, but when you remember this is John trying to share encouragement t with his church you can see this final reminder. We know the truth. We know we have life , we know we are Gods children so stay away from everything that could change that focus.

Conclusion

We have spent several months going through hope like me, you have had your confidence in your relationship with Christ deepened. Reminded that by trusting in Jesus, you belong to God. You are marked by the presence of his Spirit in you, you mad have been made new. You you walk in the light. You love each other. You know you have overcome the world and the evil one. You can approach the kingdom of God with confidence, your sins are forgiven. You are loved by God. and most of all you have eternal life because you are children of God.

Don’t take those things for granted. They were all bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus. But 1 John reminds us that he did it all for the love he has for you.