Open your Bibles with me to 1 John chapter 5. The title of the message, as you can see, is Life in the Son. Life in the Son, the Son of God, the Son of God incarnate, the Lord of glory, one of the witnesses that John had mentioned of the witnesses in heaven and in earth.

He said in verse seven, there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one. They bear record of the glory of God in the salvation of sinners by the Lord Jesus Christ. He said in verse eight, there are three that bear record, witness in earth, the spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree in one. And that's the testimony of that.

And the witness, he says in verse nine, this witness is of God. It's not, it didn't originate with men. We as men and witnesses on earth, we do witness, we do testify, but it's a witness, it's a truth, it's a message that originated with God Almighty. Paul said to the Galatians, he said, the gospel that I preach, I didn't receive it from men, I received it from the Lord.

So here's what the witness says, and this is so important, and it's so profound. It may not sound that way just reading through it, but it's so profound. Look at verse 10. He says, he that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. Think about that. He that believeth on the Son of God

Now what does it mean to believe on the Son of God? Well, it's to believe in the glorious person and the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ as portrayed in the gospel, the message of salvation by God's grace. That gospel, which is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believeth, the Jew first, the Greek also, Gentiles. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just or the justified shall live by faith.

And so what is it to be justified? It's to be forgiven of all of our sins on a just ground. The blood of Jesus Christ is to be declared righteous in God's sight on a just ground, the imputed righteousness of Christ. And so to believe on the Son of God is to believe on Him as He was sent of the Father, to do the great work of saving His people from their sins. It's not just believing in a name or going around stating poetry or something like that or singing songs. It's a message. It's a witness. and it witnesses truth, not a lie.

Look at verse 10 again. He says, he that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. That witness, that truth, that message, if you truly believe on the Son of God, that message has been implanted, imprinted indelibly upon your heart, your mind, your affection, your will, your conscience, every part of your inner being. It's a message, it's part of you. That's why you can't get away from it. That's why people can't draw you away from it. You may be diverted for a little while, but you won't stay that way because it's witness within yourself. It's not just on the outside of you or something you've read or something you quote, but it's part of your very being. And that's the spiritual being.

You know, when you're born again, you're given a new spirit, a new life, a new heart. And with that, that powerful work of regeneration and conversion that the spirit brings you through, that is invincible, is this witness that is written on your heart, the word written on your heart. And that's really, that's why we can't get away from it. Somebody said, well, you couldn't get away from it even if you tried. Well, the problem is, with that kind of statement, you've got to realize that if the witnesses win yourself, you won't even try. You won't even want to. Now, you may try to ignore some things. You may try to, you know, you get tired, you know, as workers, witnesses. In this world, we might get tired a little bit and we might wanna just shove it all to the, but it won't happen.

But look on, here's the seriousness of this. How important is this? He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar. Now God's not a liar. You can't make God a liar, but what he's saying here is if you don't believe this witness, this testimony, you don't believe in Christ, if you're not submitted to him and his righteousness as your only ground of salvation, you're calling God and accusing God of being a liar. Now how serious is that?

And why is that? Because he believeth not the record that God gave of his son. Now what is that record? It's his word. It began through His prophets. It came on through His people. It's been written down in His Word. This is the record, verse 11. This is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. It's nowhere else, in no one else. It's in Jesus Christ.

Christ said in his high priestly prayer in John 17, he said, this is life eternal that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Over in the book of John, it's all the way through that book. The emphasis is life in the son. You think about it. Life in Christ, all the way, all the way through. Over in John chapter, 5 and verse 36, he speaks of greater witness than that of John, John the Baptist, for the works which the Father hath given me to finish. The same works that I do bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me, and the Father himself which hath sent me hath borne witness of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his shape, and you have not his word abiding in you, for whom he hath sent, him you believe not." That's talking about unbelievers, the Pharisees.

And Christ told him, he says, you search the scriptures. In them you think you have eternal life. Well, they are they which testify of me. The scriptures are a witness of Christ from Genesis to Revelation, and it never stops. It's his glorious person and his finished work that he succeeded in accomplishing to ensure the salvation of every sinner whom the Father gave him before the world began. Every sinner. whom he brings to faith in Christ and repentance of dead works.

So he says in verse 11 of 1 John 5, this is the record that God had given to us eternal life. There's an assurance there and this life is in his son. Now, if you claim to have eternal life, but you're looking for eternal life or some part of that life somewhere else, then your claim is a sham claim. It's a false claim. And that's why he says, he's given to me eternal life. Well, how do I know that I have? This life is in his son. It's nowhere else. The life that I have, eternally, spiritually, the life that I live eternally, spiritually, lies nowhere else but in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead. Lies nowhere else than his blood, his righteousness imputed to me. lies nowhere else in the Spirit of Christ, from whom I've been convicted of my sin and of righteousness and of judgment in Him.

So he says in verse 12, and these foster assurance. He says, he that hath the Son hath life. Now how do I know I have the Son? How do I know that? It says, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Without Christ, there's no life. Without Christ, listen to, without Christ, there's no forgiveness. Without Christ, there's no righteousness, no justification. Without Christ, there's no spiritual life. There's no new birth. There's no eternal life. There's no blessing.

Bible says in Ephesians 1 3, we're blessed with all spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. The Bible says God chose us in Christ, justified us by Christ, redeemed us through Christ. He sanctified us, adopted us, every blessing. You can't name one blessing given to God's people that's not because of and based on the merits of the obedience unto death of Christ as our surety, our substitute, and our redeemer. Not one. So all life, all forgiveness, all righteousness is in Christ. There's nothing that God gives to his people in the way of salvation and eternal life that's not in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. and based upon what he's accomplished in his person and work. That's what grace is all about. That's it.

And then look at verse 13. He says, these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God. Now who's he referring to? He's talking to the believers. You believe in the name. The name is that which identifies and distinguishes him. Make sure that we know who he is. As I've said a lot of times, you know, when you talk about examining yourself, one of the things that in self-examination that we always want to be assured of is that the Christ we believe in is the true Christ and not a counterfeit. Because there are counterfeits. Paul talked about them in 2 Corinthians. We talked about those who disguise themselves, Satan's ministers disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness, but they can't, listen, there's one old preacher said, transformers. They can say right things a lot of times, but they won't stay with those right things. They'll go with the things of man.

So I'm writing this to you who believe on his name, that which identifies him and distinguishes him. the doctrine of Christ. That's what his name is. His name is Jesus Christ the Righteous, the Lord our Righteous. Jesus Christ the Lamb. Jesus Christ the Intercessor. All those names that identify and distinguish him so that we can know that we're not looking to a counterfeit. And that's what people today need. I preach this on television all the time because people who Just about everybody we know claims to be a Christian. Well, who are they following? What Christ are they following? I know growing up, the Christ I followed was and is a counterfeit. I know that. And I'll never forget when the Lord opened mine eyes to see The reality of that. I don't know the exact day or anything like that. It might have been a span of time. But I did see it because God revealed it to me.

You know over in Matthew 11 it speaks of that. When it talks about coming to Christ, receiving Christ, all of these things. And in Matthew 11, the Lord, when he said, let me find it here. He's talking about God's revelation. And it says in verse 25 of Matthew 11, at that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and the prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Now can you imagine, people today, they don't wanna think about a God who would hide these things. But he hides them from the wise and the prudent, that's the proud, that's the self-righteous, That's what we all are by nature, but he reveals them unto babes. That's what he makes his children. He brings us to be babes, totally dependent upon him.

So he says in verse 26, even so Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. That's the only thing he says. He didn't look up and say, now Father, that's not fair. No, he said, this seemed good in thy sight.

So look at verse 27. all things are delivered unto me of my father. And no man knoweth the son but the father. And he said, neither knoweth any man the father save the son and he to whomsoever the son will reveal him. You don't know the father except through the son. And you don't know the son except as the father reveals him. And so he makes that plain. This is a sovereign work of God. It's up to God who he's gonna reveal himself to, who he's gonna reveal Christ to, who he's gonna reveal salvation to.

And after he establishes that, then he says, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. Well, who's he talking about there? He's talking about sinners who've been convinced of their sin and find no way of salvation from sin, but through Christ. And he says, take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I'm meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Go back to 1 John 5. So he said, I've written these things unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God. I'm talking to believers. I'm wanting to encourage believers. I'm wanting to edify God's people, and he says in verse 13, he says, that you may know that you have eternal life. I'm doing this because I want you to have assurance of salvation in Christ.

And why is that so important? Because it honors God. It glorifies God. And because it forms the motive and the ground for our obedience. I say it this way, this is like the gas you put in your car to fuel it so it'll go. This assurance of salvation. But it's assurance based upon things that glorify and honor God and exalt Christ. It's not assurance based upon things that honor and glorify us.

In other words, I can't say I know I'm saved because I used to do this and I now do that. Or I stopped doing this and stopped doing, No. Are there things that I used to do that I've stopped doing? Yeah, there are. And I'm glad. But that's not the assurance of my salvation. This is why people in, you may remember in churches where you went and they gave testimonies. Somebody told me one time, said he called them bragamones. But they talk about what they were doing and now what they are doing and they would attribute that to the Lord and listen. You know, the context is what matters there. What gospel do they believe? What does that mean, you know?

Any person who comes to know Christ, there are things they used to do that they didn't do. I'll tell you what I used to do that I don't do now. I don't worship a false god. I don't go to a church where the gospel's not preached. I stop that. Well, preacher, is there any other thing? Yeah, well, just mind your own business. No, I don't mean that. Sure, there are things that, even immorally, that we do and we don't do now, and if we do it, we have godly sorrow over sin, but what I'm talking about is that which brings us to faith in Christ and repentance of dead works.

Think about the Apostle Paul in Philippians chapter three, which is a perfect example of it. He said, he said, I used to have confidence in the fact that I was a Hebrew of Hebrews. I don't do that anymore, he says. I used to have confidence in that I was circumcised the eighth day. I don't do that anymore. I don't have confidence at all in that. I used to have confidence that I used to be a Pharisee of Pharisees, try to keep the law. I don't do that. And Paul's not saying, well, I've stopped trying to be obedient, no. But my obedience is based upon grace, gratitude, love. And that's what he's saying, I'm writing to you that have eternal life. that you may know that you have eternal life.

And look here in verse 13. And that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. The idea there is that you will persevere in the faith. You will continue to believe. You won't give up. You won't stop. You won't quit. Now, we also know that if we don't quit, That's by the power and the grace and the goodness of God too. You know, that's the thing about our whole life, is a matter of grace. If we're saved, the whole life. It's never part grace and part works. Because grace and works do not mix. Paul dealt with that in Romans 11. If it's of grace, it's not of works. If it's of works, it's not of grace. They cancel out each other.

Now, do believers do works? Yes. Read the book of James. I'm probably gonna teach through James here pretty soon. But James, the works that James speaks of are not works of legal driving, legal motivation. It's not mercenary works trying to earn God's favor. No, it's works of faith. Faith, Paul said, which worketh by love.

Well, look at verse 14 now. He says, and this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us. Now, of course, you know what people do with verses like that. Read verse 15 too. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. People take verses like that and they make God almost like a genie in a bottle. He pops out and says, I'll grant you three wishes or something like that. What that's talking about is this. In Christ, we as true believers are eternally accepted with God, and we enjoy communion with God in Christ. We have the freedom to come boldly into the throne of God, the throne of grace, because we stand in the merits of Christ. We're washed in his blood, we're clothed in his righteousness. And sinners who imagine that they have a right to come before God based on their works or their goodness or their sincerity, they only deceive themselves.

But our only ground of salvation and prayer is the blood and righteousness of our Savior. That's what Hebrews 4 says, that we have a right to come before the throne of grace because we have a high priest, a great high priest, who's passed through into the heavens. And how did Christ pass through into the heavens? He did by way of the cross as the substitute, the surety, the redeemer of his people, honoring the glory of God, enabling God to be just and justified. And he arose from the dead and he ascended unto glory. and he passed through, and he's our great high priest right now, and he'll ever be our great high priest, our intercessor, our advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous.

So in other words, you look at things like this, apart from Christ and his merits, all attempts at prayer are really acts of idolatry. I know that sounds harsh, but it's true. What God are you praying to? What God are you asking from? And another key here is if we ask, and underscore this, according to His will. There's the key. I've often said that the major keys to prayer is number one, we're praying on the basis and ground of the merits of Christ, obedience unto death. His blood and righteousness, that's number one. My qualification for prayer is not my works or my efforts or my goodness. It's Christ. We have a great high priest.

Number two, we pray according to his will. We pray thy will be done. That's what that means. Many times in Providence especially, we don't know the will of God. We know the will of God in salvation. We know the will of God in what he reveals. what he tells us. But for example, I don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow. Do you? I don't know the will of God for tomorrow. I'll know it after tomorrow if I live that long. And even if I don't live, I'll know what it is.

But what we pray when we pray for things in this life and for ourselves, for our family, for our loved ones, it's always got to be Thy will be done. Lord, make my will, what I want, what I desire, subject to your will. Because His will is the right and good and wise thing. And then we want to pray according to His word. I don't want to pray stuff that's against His word. If I get angry and there's somebody I wanna hurt, I'm not gonna let the Lord break his leg or whatever, you know? No, that's against love. That's against what's right, see? So understand that.

But we know he'll hear us. To say God hears us is not simply that God hears the sound of our voice. God's omniscient, He's aware of all things. The Bible says He knows what we have need of before we pray for it. But it's His word that we'll pray for it to glorify Him. And He uses our prayers as a means to accomplish His will in whatever way He plans. But this means God accepts both our persons and our prayers of faith by virtue of our standing in Christ. God receives and communes with us in Christ. And that's not so with the unbeliever, the unregenerate. There's no acceptance before God apart from Christ.

So it's true that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. But this is the call of faith from a sinner whose heart has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit to see and to believe in Christ. So whatever we ask, we know we'll have the petitions that we desire of him. John's not saying that we'll get everything we desire. Just like our own children, sometimes we ask for things that we want but are not good for us. We think they might be, but they're not. However, we have this assurance. In God's own time and in God's own way, He'll give us everything we ask, which is in line with His sovereign will, goodness and glory.

And I'll guarantee you, if any sinner truly ask, begs or whatever for salvation God's way, that sinner will get it. In fact, that sinner already has it. Because no sinner really wants salvation God's way until God convinces them of the truth by the Holy Spirit. And that's what life in the Son is all about. Life in the Son of God.

All right, let's open our Bibles and we'll conclude with Blessed Assurance, hymn number 250.