We're going to be in 1 John this
morning once again. 1 John to start with
in chapter 5. 1 John in chapter 5 and I'd like
to read First of all, verses 11 through
15 of chapter 5, it says, And this is the record that God
hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life. These things have I written unto
you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may
know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the
name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that
we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will,
He heareth us. And if we know that He heareth
us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that
we desired of Him. And particularly these things
it said in verse 13, have I written unto you that believe on the
Son of God? the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal
life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
And in verse 14 and 15, again, this, and this is the confidence
that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to
His will, He heareth us. And if we know that He heareth
us, whatsoever we ask, We know that we have the petitions we
desired of Him. And I'm going to do a little
bit different this morning than we have in the past. And when
I say we're going to be in 1 John today, we're going to pretty
much be in 1 John today. There's a couple of the verses
we're going to read and look at that we will see along the way but we're going
to see why or partly why at least that in verse fourteen when it
says this is the confidence that we have in him that we may ask
anything according to his willing here at this and the confidence
that we have or assurance or peace that we have in him that
this is so and I'm going to look at we're going to look at together
several verses as we go through the book of 1 John from the first
chapter through, just hitting some high points of what we have
gone over, these in some detail through the book, but I'd like
to kind of refresh why he's saying that we have the confidence to
come before God. In verse... 11, it says that there in our passage,
in verse 11, chapter 5, it says, this is the record that God hath
given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. And
that just describes an awful lot of
what the scripture is, and speaking about to His people all through
is that life is in the Son. And in great detail, all the
reasons why that is so, why eternal life given to us is in His Son. And we have the record that God
hath given us that. It's in the Son. And only those
that are in Christ Jesus can have the assurances that are
part and parcel of the new birth. It's not just, it's not given
to everybody. We talked, we were talking a
little bit earlier about those that have signs or thoughts or
might be up in front of a church or whatever that says, God loves
you or God loves everybody. The scripture doesn't say that.
He does have a people that he indeed has loved since eternity
past and that love is sure and is is guaranteed in Him. But it's just not a blanket statement
that that is so. It's in Him. And the assurances
that He gives to His people that know Him, the preceding chapters
that we've looked at in 1 John are how we know we have eternal
life and believe on the name of the Son of God. Jesus Christ
was beheld and seen with His own eyes the Word of life, that
eternal life with the Father manifested to Him, or to them,
and declared unto us in chapter 1, verses 1-3. This is where
He starts out in the first chapter. He's speaking about the One that
he has physically seen as well as spiritually seen, but physically
seen the true Word, the true Word of life, the Savior Himself
that it says we've handled of the Word of life. And speaking
of the Lord Himself that's been in His presence is a witness of these things,
and what he's saying in declaring that he had heard and seen, and
he says, I'm declaring this so that you may have fellowship
with us, and our fellowship is truly with the Father and with
the Son. And this is written to believers,
to God's people. sets forth why, as we've seen,
why and how we are in the Savior, if we are indeed His, and how
that has come about by the faith given to His people, His faith,
that God is light, it goes on and
says, in the fellowship with Him, walking in the light, we
are cleansed from all sin by the blood of Jesus Christ. He
sets out that statement several times in the first chapter. of 1 John. And it says also,
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from
all unrighteousness. If we indeed are His in Him,
that has come about by His cleansing of us, And it says He's faithful
and just to forgive us our sins. When it says we confess our sins
to Him, He's faithful and just to forgive us those sins. And we have been cleansed from
all unrighteousness in Him and because of Him. He's faithful
and just because He is the one that is the propitiation, as
we're going to see a little bit later. He's the one that has
been the true sacrifice, the one that paid the the debt that
is owed and satisfied that debt. And he's the only one that has
done that. And he's faithful and just to
forgive us because he's the one that died. And another place
where it says, who is he that condemneth? It's Christ that
justified. He has died for his people. We have an advocate with the
Father, it goes on and says in 1 John. Another reason why we
can, as he says, come with confidence before God, with our petitions
and our prayers, we could come with confidence because we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, the
only mediator. We looked at in a past lesson
about the daisman, the one that that could go between two parties
and could touch both parties and have knowledge of both parties
and be able to reconcile those parties. And he is that only
mediator that is possible. And he's the only one, Jesus
Christ the righteous. And because of that, and because
that he can forgive his people because he is faithful and just
according to what he has done. He has satisfied the demands
of the law, paid for our sins in chapter 2. It speaks to that
in the first little bit of chapter 2. Our sins are forgiven for
His name's sake. His name, and I've thought this
before and it's been said probably many times before, He's got a
lot at stake. His name is on this, on the redemption
of His people. His name is on it, and He's got
far more to lose, as it were, than we do. His name is on it,
and we have that assurance that if His name is on it, we can
come with confidence knowing that He hears us according to
His will, as it said there, as we read. In Him we have overcome the wicked
one, it says, because you have known the Father, chapter 2,
verses 12 and 14 there it speaks about this. You have overcome
the wicked one, it says, and the only way that we have overcome
again, is by His blood, as He's been that atonement for us. He's
taken care of that. He's, as He said on the cross,
it is finished. All these things that we see
in all the Scripture, but in 1 John, those things that 1 John
is relating to us, that says that we have fellowship with
Him is to reinforce that understanding of that and that knowledge of
that by the Spirit revealing these things to us. But it says,
because ye have known the Father. It says, shall continue in the
Son and in the Father and His promise of eternal life. He says
this is not, He's not going to abandon His people. If He has revealed Himself and
given us the new birth, that is with us always. abiding, continuing
in Him in confidence, not ashamed at His coming. In chapter 2,
verses 28 and 29, the end of it here, it says, And now, little
children, abide in Him, that when He shall appear, we may
have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If
you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone that doeth
righteousness is born of Him. And that righteousness that it
speaks about, doing righteousness, is according to what the Scripture
says. And that is not, as it says,
our righteousness. It has to be His righteousness
alone that's provided to us. That robe of righteousness has
been mentioned a lot that completely covers us. It's not an outworking,
it's a covering from the outside, and it's His righteousness imputed
to His people. And that is the, as it says here, We have confidence and not ashamed
before him that is coming because we we stand in him and it's when
we When we're going to mention this again, but when we come
in in prayer before our God and it's because of him that we can
do that we can approach him and as it says Boldly over here in
another place and that we can come with confidence. It's not
presumptuously. It's because he says I have cleansed
you. I have redeemed you. I'm the
reason that you can come before the Father with your petitions
and is heard because of what He has done. And it's not a presumptuous It's not a light thing or just
a... It's not a coming, as a lot of
religion is, that you come boldly saying you have your demands,
and that's not the thought and that's not the meaning of this
here. but we'll have confidence in
him and not be ashamed at his appearance, at his appearing. We are called the sons of God.
What manner of love is bestowed upon us that he calls us this?
In chapter three, it starts out with that, and it says, therefore
the world knoweth us not because it knew him not. It says, what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us that we should
be called the sons of God. And then in verse two, beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we
shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be
like him, for we shall see him as he is. And here it says, we are now the sons
of God. We don't become the sons of God
somewhere down the road. This is part and parcel with
the sheep. as we see in the book of John
speaking about that. This is not a group that's been
sorted out somewhere along the way. This is God that has appointed,
that has determined, and has elect and chosen out. And I know
that sometimes people don't like the sound of some of that, but
God is the one that put this group together by his own doing
and his own decision. And how and why he did, That
is his business. But we know that the scripture
says he does have a people, and those are the people that he
did indeed die physically, and his blood was shed for to redeem
those people, not everyone everyone. And it's not, we don't know that
number, and we don't know who they are. And so the scripture
goes forth to all physically, and the Spirit, as it says there
in chapter 3 of John, speaking about the new birth. The spirit
goes as God determines it to go and not as we determine it
to go and bring those people in. So it says here, we are now
the sons of God. And it says, what manner of love
that shows that he calls us the sons of God in verse chapter
three there. It says, if we are born of God,
or it says that we are born of God, his seed remaineth in us. And it says in a couple of different
places, not only here in chapter three of 1 John, but
in Romans and other places say that it's uses the terms like
we cannot sin. And what that is referring to
is not, we know that on the surface, isn't what it appears. We know
that we sin daily more than we desire to, and that's not what
it's speaking about. But once we are sons of God,
if we are sons of God and He died for His people and redeemed
His people, That can never be reversed. That can never be changed.
His seed remains in us, regardless of what we may look like or appear
physically to ourselves or to others at times. But his seed
does not depart. Once children, always children. That's not going to ever change. If we are of his seed line, we
are of his seed line, and that's how that is. In chapter 3, here
in 16 and 17, One of the reasons how we can
perceive, it says, the love of God to us, that because He laid
down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for
our brethren, but whoso hath this world's good, and seeth
his brother have need, and shut up his bowels of compassion from
him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? And it says here
that God has revealed and manifested His love to us by what He has
done to redeem us and called us sons. And if that be the case,
His love revealed in us will be reflected to others. And it
speaks much in the rest of this book. about love of the brethren,
particularly. It speaks of love of all men,
as far as the concern goes and as the gospel goes forth and
physical things, but particularly the brethren. There's a, like
we are with our families, some are closer than others and whatnot,
but there's a relationship there that's not the same with other
families. In our family, our family is, we know who we are.
Other families, you're not their family. And if we are indeed
children of God, that we have in common, we're going to always
have that in common. That's going to be a concern
that we have and we will we will have those concerns for others. And that is, again, one of the
things that we, how we can come with confidence before Him is
that He has called us children, His Son, and we call Him Father. It says, if our heart doesn't
condemn us, we have confidence toward God. If our heart doesn't
condemn us not, it says in verse 20 of chapter 3, God is greater than all, it says,
and knoweth all things. If our heart condemneth not,
then we have confidence towards God. If we know where we stand,
if we did enter into that rest as it speaks in Hebrews, that
they didn't enter into the land because they did not enter into
His rest because of unbelief. If indeed we do stand in that
rest, then we can say, as it says here, that we can come before Him,
we don't have any fear before Him, and it says, we may have
boldness in the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in
this world. If we stand in Him, and that's
our rest, our peace, our righteousness, then we can come, as it says
here, we can come in the day of judgment. We look for that
day, as it were. We look for His coming because
we have pretty good standing. If we are in Him, we know our
standing. It's not a, well, we'll find
out some day where we where we are. And there's a, I think that
there are people that if you ask them, what happens when you,
what happens when you die? And they'll, you know, I think
natural man mostly will just say, well, we'll find out. And, or they've been taught,
well, you've done pretty good. And if you've done pretty good
here and you haven't offended too many people and you haven't
done any of the major things, you know, wrong, probably gonna
be okay. That's not a very good spot to
be in. That's not very good assurance
of where you stand. Those people, the unbelievers
and the sheep before he opens eyes, they have no, there's no
assurance there until he gives the new birth. Then there's some
assurances. Then these things that John's
speaking about, have some meaning and have some
foundation to them. It says here that, by his spirit that he has given
us, we know he abides in us. We have overcome because he is
greater than all and in us. And it says that, who is he that, just a minute, let me look here.
It says, for whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world,
and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our
faith. Who is he that overcometh the
world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
And this is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ,
but water and blood, and that it is the Spirit that beareth
witness, because the Spirit is truth. And the Spirit bears witness
to these things, and it says, His Spirit bears witness with
our spirit that we're the sons of God. There's an assurance
that He gives His people that we are sons of God, and that
He calls us sons of God. He is greater than the part of
the Scripture that says here, it's actually back in chapter
4 a little farther, it says, You are of God, little children,
verse 4, and have overcome them because greater is He that is
in you than he that is in the world. And as it said, that other
verse we just read, they cometh, overcometh, and the victory is
that God-given faith, His faith that is given to us, that we
have those assurances of those things that He promised to us. He is greater than all, and He's
in us. And there at the end of the first
chapter of 1 Corinthians, that He's made unto us, the Lord is
made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
And those things are those things that are necessary things to our spiritual
life, to life itself. And those things, Norman spoke
at a memorial service yesterday, I guess it was, and spoke about
those necessary things. And that is, those necessary
things are righteousness, sanctification, and redemption in the Lord. Those
things are God-given things and not earned or learned things. We can learn the words of what
the scriptures teach, but that spirit has to bear witness to
us of those things. In verses 9 and 10 in chapter
4, here, 1 John, it says, In this was manifested the love
of God toward us, that because God sent his only begotten Son
into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love,
not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his Son
to be the propitiation for our sins." They're settling the debt
that was needed. Beloved, if God so loved us,
we ought also to love one another. And then up here, a little toward
the end, it says, we love Him because He first loved us. And
I've heard that and saw that quoted in a couple of commentators
that says, we love because He first loved us. It says, we love
Him because He first loved us. And I think that's the impact,
and the only way that we have that is the new birth, as the
Lord said in there in chapter 3 of John, the new birth. And
as it says here, in him is life. And that's the basis and foundation
and reason we can say that. We have believed God, it says,
and no fear in love. In verses 16 and on, it says,
we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God
is love, and him that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and
God in him. And this speaking about Knowing
the love of God that we live in is indeed, as it says, it
was manifested that He died for the sins of His people. He's
a propitiation of His people. That's how love was manifested
that we can see that done. That's the love that we're speaking
of here. It's not just a, oh, I feel so
good about this type of thing. It has a basis. It has this basis
that God has manifested this love towards us, and we had believed
in it. And there's no fear in love,
it says here. We know and believe by God-given
faith. In chapter five, the one that
we're in, it says, for whatsoever," verse 4, chapter 5 of 1 John,
whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. And this is the victory
that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh
the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God.
And as we said earlier, and this is not just a statement on a
card somewhere, do you believe this, these words of this? This
is the revelation of Jesus Christ to his people in the new birth.
This is the believing. This isn't the, yes, I believe
those words. There are a lot of people that
if you ask those words to them, they would say, yes, I believe
that. but that is not the new birth. That is, the teaching
of words is not the new birth. The Lord uses the scriptures.
Indeed, the gospel is that means whereby he reveals those things
to us by his spirit. It's not just that, and it's
been said before, there's a long ways between the mind and the
heart and the true believing and understanding those things
that God reveals to his people. And also in chapter 5, I'm going to start with verse 11.
You're reading a few verses here of chapter 5 of 1 John. And this
is the record that God hath given to us eternal life. And this
life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life.
He that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have
I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God,
that you may know you have eternal life, and that you may believe
on the name of the Son of God." These are written to God's people,
and as it says here, and it says in the beginning part of this,
and the book of Jude, we saw this too. He wrote these things
that your joy may be full, you may understand a little more
of this, of what you have in the Lord himself, may understand
and believe by his revealing these things a little more to
us about this, that you may know this. And then that leads to
chapter 5, verse 14 and 15 that says, we have confidence that
if we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His
will, He heareth us. And we know that He hears us,
whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we
desired of Him. Now, there's a qualifier here
that that is often probably skipped
over and not taken much account of here, that it says, if we
ask anything according to His will, He heareth us. Now, we
pray for health, we pray for food, maybe shelter, different
things like that. We ask and pray for those things. Others, that the Lord would reveal
Himself to others according, as it says here, according to
His will. And it says, we ask Him according
to His will that we have the petitions we desire of Him. In Romans chapter 8, we're going
to read just a spot here before we bring this up. But in Romans chapter 8, two places, I'm sorry. Romans
chapter 8, verses 26 and 27 says, It says, likewise the Spirit
also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should
pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searches
the heart knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he
maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
And then it goes on and says that we know that all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
called according to his purpose. But this help of the spirit in intercession,
the spirit is according to his will because he knows what his
will is. So he can, he's, well able to submit those prayers
on our behalf that he does. The Lord's pleased when we recite
His grace and mercy shown us. When we pray, I'm gonna read
my writing, the promises and covenant of grace and scriptures,
we know we are confident to come boldly before the throne of grace,
praying His will be done. And then in closing, in the book
of Hebrews, chapter four, Hebrews chapter four. So we mostly stayed
in 1 John. Hebrews chapter 4. The last three verses of chapter
4 start in verse 14. It says, seeing then we have
a great high priest that's passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son
of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a
high priest which cannot be touched, with the feelings of our infirmities,
but was in all points tempted, like we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly
under the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need." So that, takes us back to 1 John 5, that we have confidence that
we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us. And
we know that if we pray according to His will, it will be done.
maybe not how we, our will, but His will will be done. And so
that's the assurance that all of, so far up to this point in
1 John, these things have been the reason why it says we can,
we have the confidence in Him that we've seen in the rest of
this book. And so with that, we'll pick
this up next time, Lord willing, and be free. Thank you.