Let us turn again to God's Word
in this chapter at the end of John's first general epistle
and turning in particular to the closing verses, the last
two verses, verses 20 and 21, John writes, And we know that
the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that
we may know Him that is true And we are in Him that is true,
even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal
life. Little children, keep yourselves
from idols. Amen. At the end, John declares the necessity of being
kept from idols. There is much idolatry spoken
of in scripture. We see it in the Old Testament
with regards to the children of Israel and how God had to
deal with them severely. What was the cause of the Babylonian
captivity? Was it not that they wanted to
be like the nations round about them? And they gave themselves
over to idolatrous worship. and got dealt with them by the
way of that awful chastening in taking them into exile. But in the New Testament also,
when Paul ministers, he's often ministering to Gentiles, heathen
people, and he warns them of their idols. Right into the Corinthians
he says, wherefore my beloved, flee from idolatry. Flee from
idolatry. And what is idolatry is not just
the making of graven images. Paul can speak of that covetousness,
which is idolatry, that inordinate desire, that putting anything
before God or in the place of God. Even we are guilty of spiritual
idolatry when we seek to find satisfaction in anything less
than God as he has revealed himself here in the person of our Lord
Jesus Christ. And those words that we have
in Philippians are very searching, where we read of some whose end
is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in
their shame, who mind earthly things. Those who mind earthly
things. We are to set our thoughts, our
affections, not on the things of this world, but on things
that are above. We are to be kept then from all
idolatry. That's what we should desire. When Paul writes to the Thessalonians,
he reminds them how they turned. They turned from idols, he says,
to serve the living and true God. And it's here that we have
mention of Him who is the living and true God. Twice we have this
expression in verse 20, Him that is true. that we may know him that is
true and we are in him that is true even in his son Jesus Christ
and then this remarkable statement this is the true God and eternal
life and this is a theme I want us to consider for a while that
the Lord Jesus Christ is the true God This is the true God
and eternal life. And as you know, John, in his
various writings, has much to say concerning the person of
the Lord Jesus. John speaks of the blessed truth
of his deity, that he is truly God. Think of the opening words
of the Gospel. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him.
Without Him was not anything made that was made." We're familiar,
I'm sure, with that great truth that John declares there at the
very outset of his Gospel. But here also, when he writes
In this epistle he has much to say concerning the deity of the
Lord Jesus. In chapter 2, verse 22, "...who
is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ, he
is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever
denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father." But he that
acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. And then those words
are echoed again when he writes there in that second epistle,
that short second epistle, verse 9, Whosoever transgresseth and
abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that
abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the
Son. The doctrine of Christ. What
is the doctrine of Christ here? It is that He is the only begotten
Son of God, that one who was ever in the Father's bosom. If there is no eternal Son, there
can be no eternal Father. And so to transgress here, to
deny the doctrine of Christ and His dietary, we have not God. This is the true God. And eternal
life. But as John speaks of the deity
of the Lord Jesus, that he is God, so at the same time, the
same apostle is the one who emphasizes the truth of his human nature,
because he is God manifest in the flesh. Look at what he says
here in chapter 4. Verse 2, Hereby know ye the Spirit
of God. Every spirit that confesseth
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh
is not of God. And this is that Spirit of Antichrist,
whereof ye have heard that he should come, and even now already
is in the world the Spirit of Antichrist. He says, It's there
in those who deny. the truth of the Incarnation,
that God was manifest in the flesh. And again, John emphasizes
it in that second epistle, verse 7, he says, Many deceivers are
entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. It's not just the truth of the
divinity, It's also the truth of the humanity of our Lord Jesus
Christ. All that blessed person, one
person and yet two distinct natures. He is God and He is man. And those two natures in one
person, no mixing or mingling of the natures, they are distinct
and yet He is one. Lord Jesus Christ. It is a mystery. Just as we have the great mystery
of the doctrine of God, the mystery of the Trinity, so we have this
mystery, the mystery of God incarnate in the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We know, says John, that the
Son of God is come and have given us an understanding that we may
know Him that is true and we are in Him that is true even
in His Son Jesus Christ this is the true God and eternal life. Well as we consider these closing
verses of this chapter then I want tonight to divide what I say
into two main parts first of all to say something with regards
to the the earthly life of the Lord Jesus. The earthly life
of the Lord Jesus, and then secondly, to consider that eternal life
that is in the Lord Jesus. First of all, then, the earthly
life. We know, says John, that the
Son of God is come. There is a plain statement concerning
the truth of His appearance. in the fullness of the time God
sent forth His Son made of a woman and in the coming of the Lord
Jesus Christ what do we have? We have the revelation of God. This is that full, that final
revelation of God Himself. He is that one spoken of by Moses,
that prophet that was to arise. Remember the language that we
have there in Deuteronomy in the 18th chapter. Moses speaks
of one who would come like unto himself, that one who is the
fulfillment of the prophetic office, Deuteronomy 18. Verse
15, The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the
midst of thee of thy brethren, like unto me. Unto him ye shall
hearken. And then how God speaks directly
to Moses later there at verse 18, I will raise him up a prophet
from among their brethren, like unto thee. And I will put my
words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall
command him. The Lord Jesus, the fulfillment
of the prophetic office, who comes to speak the words of God,
to give this revelation of God, the words, was made flesh and
dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. Oh yes, the law was given by
Moses. The grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. What a revelation! This is God
revealing Himself, making Himself known. And it's all in the person
of His only begotten Son. No man has seen God at any time. the only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." You're
familiar with these various statements that we find in John's writings,
be it in his gospel, be it in these various epistles. How John
plainly sets before us the truth of this revelation that we have
in the Lord Jesus Christ. But not just John. We see it
also in Paul. Remember when Paul writes there,
at the beginning of the epistle to the Hebrews, he reminds those
Hebrew Christians, God who at sundry times and in diverse manners,
baking time passed unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these
last days spoken unto us by his Son, by whom he hath declared all
things, which in the Lord Jesus Christ that God has now spoken
and there can be no more revelation no more revelation after the
coming of him who is the image of the invisible God would we
view his brightest glory here it shines in Jesus face we just
sang those words in that lovely hymn of William Gadsby It is
Christ who is the image then, of the invisible God, the one
who has come to reveal God. And then when we come to consider
the New Testament, when we come to read in the Gospels and the
other books of the New Testament, we see how Christ is revealed
as that one who is truly God. Here, in our text tonight. We are in Him that is true, even
in His Son. Oh, He is God's Son. His Son,
Jesus Christ. This is the true God. And again, look at the language
in what follows there in that second epistle, verse 3. The
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and in love. Remember how his sonship clearly
speaks of equality with the Father. Back in John chapter 5, where
the Lord performs a miracle on the Sabbath day and heals that
lame man at the Pool of Bethesda. And as the Jews, the Pharisees
are enraged, they accuse him of breaking the Sabbath. But
not only that, he had said that God was his Father. and they
are even more determined to destroy him. Because he not only had
broken the Sabbath day, but said that God was his father, making
himself equal with God. Or they understood the significance
of him declaring himself to be God's son. It didn't mean, in
any sense, an inferiority to the father. But it meant an equality
to the Father. He is God. He is God manifest in the flesh.
That is the great mystery of godliness as Paul says when he
writes there in 1st Timothy 3.16. And we have that great statement
back in the 2nd Psalm. concerning His eternal Sonship. I will declare the decree. The
Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten
thee. And what is this day? Oh, it
is that eternal day. It's not yesterday, nor tomorrow. It is the day, this day. In eternity there's no past,
no present, no future. Everything is now. And this is
how we are to understand those words of David in the second
psalm. Thou art my son this day in eternity. He is the eternal son of the
eternal father. And how This is revealed so clearly
as we read of his coming into the world and the ministry that
he exercises in the world. Look at the language that we
have there in Hebrews, Hebrews 1-6, when he bringeth in the
first begotten into the world, he said, and let all the angels
of God worship him. When He brings that first begotten,
that only begotten Son of the Father into the world, that is
the command that is given to the angels, they are to worship
Him. And only God is to be worshipped.
And how those angels worship Him, you know the ministry of
the angels at the Incarnation, the words that they speak to
the shepherds, glory to God in the highest on earth peace, goodwill
towards men. All his worship then, even in
that great mystery of the incarnation, that miracle of the virgin birth,
that babe that was born to a virgin, that babe conceived by the Holy
Ghost in Mary's womb, was never anything less than true Almighty
God. And then when he exercises his
ministry in the fullness of the time, when he is baptized by
John in the river Jordan, as he comes out of the waters of
baptism, how the Father acknowledges him, this is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased. And then God giveth not the Spirit
by measure unto him, What an effusion of the Spirit, a Spirit
descending upon Him in the form of a dove. And then we read of
His ministry and the miracles. That first miracle that He performs
in Cana of Galilee. And what does it say there in
John chapter 2? He manifested forth His glory
and His disciples believed on Him. in the miracles. There is a manifestation of His
glory, His deity. And I suppose one of the most
striking of all is when, again, He heals a lame man, that man
who is brought to the Lord Jesus by his friends. and there's a
great press in the house, and they cannot come near to the
Lord, and they clamber onto the flat roof, and they make a way
whereby they're able to lower this man before the Lord. And how the Lord speaks to him,
we have the record in the Gospel, in Luke's account there, in Luke
chapter 5, We're told how, behold, men brought in a bed, a man which
was taken with a palsy. And as I say, they eventually
managed to present this man to the Lord. And what does the Lord
do? When He saw their faith, He said
unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. This is His response, Man, thy
sins are forgiven thee. And then the scribes and Pharisees
reasoned, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who
can forgive sins but God alone? It is God's prerogative to forgive
sins. The scribes and Pharisees are
right in what they're saying here. But Jesus perceived their
thoughts, it says. and answers and what reason ye
in your hearts whether it is easy to say thy sins be forgiven
thee or to say rise up and walk but that ye may know that the
Son of Man hath power literally authority upon earth to forgive
sins he said unto the sick of the palsy I say unto thee arise
and take up thy couch and go into thine house and immediately
he rose up before them took up that whereon he lay, and departed
to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed,
and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We
have seen strange things today." All these were strange things.
This was God. And He shows that He is God by
the miracle, but He shows that He is God in that He is able
to forgive sins. All we see the truth then of
his divinity in the ministry that he exercises, the miracles
that he performs as well as in his birth and then of course
ultimately after his crucifixion why he rises again on the third
day. And what does Paul say concerning
that resurrection? There at the beginning of Romans
he tells us how he is declared, he is determined, he is marked
out as the son of God. by the Spirit of Holiness through
the resurrection of the dead. All God declares Him, God owns
Him as His eternal, His only begotten, His well-beloved Son. He is true God. He is true God. We are in Him that is true, even
in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, says John. In him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. Clearly he is equal to the Father. Philip, remembering the Gospel,
in John's Gospel, asks that the Lord Jesus, show them the Father,
that will suffice. What does the Lord say to Philip?
Have I been so long time with thee, and dost thou not know
me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father also. Oh, this is God. That's a lovely
hymn of John Newton's. We sometimes sing 1149 in the
book, you know the hymn. centered on that expression,
what think ye of Christ? What think ye of Christ, whose
son is he? And the second verse there in
the hymn, some take him a creature to be, a man or an angel at most. Sure these have not feelings
like me, nor know themselves wretched and lost, so guilty,
so helpless am I. I durst not confide in his blood,
nor on his protection rely, unless I was sure he is God." Well,
that's John Newton's experience. He knew only God could save the
sinner. And who is the Savior of sinners? The only Savior of
sinners is the Lord Jesus, God, manifest in the flesh. And we
see it In the life that he lives here upon the earth, we know
that the Son of God is calm, always calm. But then in the
second place, to say something with regards to this eternal
life, this is what John tells us. Jesus is not only the Son
of God, the true God, He is eternal life. He is eternal life. In fact, he is the source of
all life, when we think about it. If we go back to the language
there at the beginning of John's Gospel concerning the Word, the Word is that one who is also involved
in creation. Remember how it continues, we
referred just now to the opening Three verses, but then John continues
at verse four, in him was life and the life was the light of
men. In him was life. He is the source
of life. He is the creator of life. We
are told, are we not, in the psalm by the word of the Lord.
were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath
of His mouth." Now I know we can understand that and it is
right to understand that as a reference to the manner in which God created.
How did God create? By His Word. By faith. God said, let there be light
and there was light. And that's how we read Genesis
chapter 1 time and again. God said. God said. And as God said it was so. by the word of the Lord were
the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of
his mouth as he breathes forth the word of command." But then,
surely it is not improper also with regards to that verse in
Psalm 33 to understand it in terms of the persons of the Godhead. It's not just God the Father.
It's got the Son, it's got the Holy Spirit, by the Word of the
Lord. And that's what John says in
those opening verses of his Gospel. All things were made by Him.
Without Him was not anything made that was made. He is that Word that is there
in creation, the breath of His mouth. The Word that we have
there, the breath of His mouth, it's the same Word that repeatedly
in the Old Testament We find that Hebrew word rendered as
a spirit of Ismael. It's the Holy Spirit. We know
that the work of the creation of man involves all the persons. God has a consultation with himself. There's a council of the Trinity. Let us make man in our image
after our likeness. Yes, the Lord Jesus is that one
who is the source of life. He is God, the one in whom we
live and move and have our being, how He sustains our mortal life. But here, John is speaking of
something more particular, more special. He is speaking of that
eternal life that is in the Lord Jesus. And previously, verse
11, 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." Oh, if we're
those who do believe tonight, And if our faith is a true faith
and a real faith, it is the evidence that we have eternal life. We
can only savingly believe when we know what it is to receive
that life, that new birth, to be born from above, to be born
by the Spirit of God. It is that eternal life then
that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he tells us, I am calm that
they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.
That eternal life can never be destroyed. Death doesn't destroy
that eternal life. No, that eternal life will carry
believers through the grave, through all the bars of death,
absent from the body, present with the Lord. This is the great
blessing that is in the Lord Jesus Christ, the true God, even
eternal life. Remember how the Lord, when He
comes to the end of His ministry in that great prayer of John
17, what does He say to the Father? This is life eternal. that they
may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent." Life eternal. Where is that life eternal? It's
in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, whom God hath sent. Now, how is this eternal life
evident? There is to be a knowledge of
these things. there is to be an understanding
of these things look at the language of our text we know that the
Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding hasn't God
created us as rational thinking creatures and how God addresses
us by our minds Paul speaks much of the principle of a sound mind
there is something to be understood but how How does God communicate
these things to us? Well, again, John tells us God
communicates to us through our senses. I find the opening verses
of this epistle so remarkable, as remarkable really as the opening
verses of John's Gospel. He says, that which was from
the beginning. which we have heard, which we have seen with
our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled
of the word of life for the life was manifested and we have seen
it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which
was with the Father and was manifested unto us. He refers to the Lord
Jesus as that eternal life which was with the Father manifested
in the fullness of time that which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us and
truly our fellowship is with the Father and His Son Jesus
Christ. How does God come to us and instruct us and
teach us and give us this knowledge and this understanding. Well,
there is that sense of hearing and how vital the hearing is. That which we have heard, says
John. And now Paul says much the same.
Speaks of the importance of hearing there in Romans chapter 10 How
shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? He
says. How shall they hear without a preacher? How shall they preach
except they be sent? Faith cometh by hearing. This
is what God has appointed. This is how we come to a knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ through hearing. It's the mark of those
who are the sheep. The Lord says, My sheep know
My voice and they follow Me. or when we come to services,
a prayer meeting or the services on the Lord's Day ministry are
with those who desire that we might hear the voice, not the
voice of the preacher we want to hear the voice of the Lord
Jesus because preaching is that ordinance that He has appointed
and there He comes in the preaching We know that the Lord was never
in Turkey, never in what was then called Asia Minor. It was
the Apostle Paul who went over all those regions preaching,
and we have the record in the Acts, and then we have the epistles
that he writes to these various churches that were established.
And remember what he says to those at Ephesus, that Gentile
church. There in Ephesians 4, he says,
you have not so learned Christ. if so be ye have heard him, and
been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus." How did they hear
the voice of Christ in the preaching? Well, this is how God instructs
us, hearing. They shall be all taught of God.
Everyone there that hath heard and learned of the Father, cometh
unto me," says Christ. All the importance of hearing,
hearing the Word, hearing Him who is the Word. And how true
is that verse, that lovely verse of Joseph Hart, the Scriptures
and the Lord bear one tremendous name, the written and incarnate
Word in all things are the same. As we come to the Word of God
Are we looking for the Lord Jesus? Is it Christ that we want to
meet? We want to hear His voice in all the Scriptures. Oh, there
is that hearing there. We know that the Son of God is
come and has given us an understanding. We read and so often we don't
understand. We need that God, the Holy Spirit
who gave the Word, should interpret that Word and apply that Word
to us. But John doesn't just speak of the sense of hearing.
He lays more emphasis really upon the seeing, which we have
seen and our eyes have looked upon, he says, of the word of
life. Now that was true of John in
a very literal sense. He was one of the Lord's disciples
and apostle. He saw the Lord with his natural
eye. But there is, surely, that spiritual
side that we must all know something of. How do we obtain faith? It's looking on to Jesus. Hebrews
12, 2, looking on to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. You want faith? Only the Lord
can give faith. You can't give yourself faith.
It's more than mere decisionism. It's a mighty work of God. It's
faith of the operation of God. All we have to look to Him who
is God, you see. This is the true God. By grace are ye saved through
faith, that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of
works, lest any man should boast. It's seeing Him. It's looking
at Him. It's beholding Him. Those words
in John 1.14, the word was made flesh, says John, and we beheld
his glory. The glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth, all to behold. And the word behold, you know,
it is a strong word. And that idea of the eye so fixed,
that careful look, that consideration, That meditation. The psalmist
says, my meditation of Him is sweet. Or do we seek to meditate
on the Lord Jesus? We want to behold Him more and
more. We want to see Him by the eye of faith. We want to penetrate
in some measure into that great mystery of godliness. God manifest
in the flesh. But John goes further. It's not
just hearing. It's not just seeing. Now, what
does he go on to say there in the opening verse, which our
hands have handled of the Word of Life? John, the beloved disciple,
he was there at the institution of the Holy Supper, leaning upon
the Lord's bosom. All the intimacy of it, how John
knew him, and the reality of his human nature, he was a real
man. John knew that. that that he had touched and
tasted of the Word of Life. Oh, is the Lord real? Is that
what we desire? A real religion? To know the
Lord Jesus Christ and to know Him as our God and our Savior? Again, Joseph Hart says in that
lovely 153rd hymn on the Passion that lung him in two sections.
How does he conclude, long time I after idols ran, but now my
gods a martyred man, even the Lord Jesus Christ himself. There
is then an understanding to be had, a knowledge to be had here.
But then also, and with this I close, there's that blessed
union, that we may know Him that is
true He says and we are in Him we are in Him that is true now
there is an eternal union oh there is an eternal union and
that's brought out by Paul in Ephesians chapter 1 all the election
of grace chosen in Him from before the foundation of the world The
Lord Jesus is God's first elect, and all the elect are chosen
in the Lord Jesus. And we rejoice in that, but we
want more than a doctrinal interest and understanding. We want an
experience of these things, and there is obviously an experimental
union. The Lord makes that plain in
his own teaching. You know the language there in
the 15th of John, where he speaks of himself as the vine. Again,
it's one of those great I am statements. This is the revelation
of God, Jehovah, the I am that I am. What does Christ say? I am the true vine, and my Father
is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth
not fruit, he taketh away. Every branch that beareth fruit,
he purges it. that it may bring forth more
fruit. Abide in me, he says at verse
4, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except
ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me ye
can do nothing. Oh, this is that union you see.
that complete and utter dependence upon the Lord Jesus, without
me you can do nothing. Are we those who would acknowledge
our utter dependence upon Him, but how this union you see involves
the dealings of God, the purgings of God, in order that we might
be fruitful. That branch that bears the fruit,
He purges it, And I'm told that with the vine you have to cut
that vine right back. Or don't spare the knife, make
it fruitful. Whom the Lord loveth, you see,
he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If ye endure chastenings, God dealeth with you as with sons. This is what experimental union
will involve. We will know something of the
Lord going contrary to us, humbling us, bringing us into that place
where we're made to feel something of our nothingness. Oh, but the
Lord will deliver us, you see, from all our idols, even that
great idol, self. How we must be those, you see,
brought to the end of ourselves. Isn't that the worst of all our
idols, really? The great I, our ego. Oh, the Lord have mercy upon
us and grant to us such an understanding of Him who is the true God and
eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves
from idols. Amen. May the Lord bless His
word to us. Let us Before we pray again,
sing our second praise, the hymn 1095, the Tuna Bridge, number
86. Dearest of all the names above,
my Jesus and my God, who can resist thy heavenly love or trifle
with thy blood, till God in human flesh I see my thoughts no comfort
find the holy just and sacred three are terrors to my mind
1095