1 John chapter 5. Our text tonight is going to
be verse 16 and 17, but I want us to start reading a little
bit before that and not forget the context that John is writing
to us in. 1 John 5, we'll begin in verse
13. 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. If any man see his brother sin
a sin which is not unto death, He shall ask, he shall petition,
he shall pray. And the Lord shall give him life
for them that sin not unto death." There is a sin unto death. I do not say that he shall pray
for it. All unrighteousness is sin and
there is sin not unto death. This passage is just like this
whole epistle. is meant to comfort God's saints,
meant to comfort those that believe on Christ. And John's declaring
the assurance of eternal life we have by just simply believing
Christ. John declares the confidence
we have in prayer because of Christ our High Priest. And that
when we pray for our brethren that are in a fall, we have confidence
that the Lord will continue to keep those that He's given life
to. What a privilege. God will hear
us intercede for our brethren, just like Christ intercedes for
us. And God will grant our sinning brother or sister, those in a
fall, and he'll give them life and he'll keep them forever.
Many children of God are hung up on this phrase, a sin unto
death. I've heard it asked a whole lot,
what's the sin under death? Rarely do people say, what's
the sin that's not under death? We know what those are, don't
we? It's like we fight, what's the
minimum? What's the necessity I've got
to do to escape by? That's my nature. John is not
saying that one born of God, one of Christ's sheep can ever
commit the sin under the death. It cannot happen. It's not possible. I pray God will give us all the
ability to get comfort and assurance out of this passage this evening.
He'll give us the ability to see what a great blessing God's
given us to be able to pray for our brethren that's in a fault.
It's a privilege. Now what's a sin unto death?
He says there in verse 16, there is a sin unto death. I do not
say that he shall pray for it. Now look at that phrase again,
a sin unto death. From sin, there is only one salvation. Christ Jesus, the Son of God.
We're all sinners. We all deserve eternal punishment. We have all come short of the
glory of God, and we need a sacrifice to put away our sin. Christ alone
put away the sins of His people, and the sacrifice of Himself,
His unleavened body, one time. He did it once. It says in Hebrews
10, 12, But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for
sin forever, sat down on the right hand of God, henceforth
expecting to his enemies be made his footstool, for by one offering
he hath perfected them that are sanctified. He has perfected
his children forever. He did this once. But if we sin
willfully, if we deny Christ, If we know Him, we have knowledge
of Him, and we deny Him, after that we receive the knowledge
of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. If
we hear the truth faithfully preached to us, that's what my
pastor used to say, salvation's an 18-inch journey. It goes from
the head to the heart. If we have the truth faithfully
preached to us and we still reject Christ, there's no more sacrifice
for sin. Talk about a warning. That's
as stern of a warning as you can get. Thanks be to God that
Christ is the one that puts away sin, not me. Not you. It says, sin unto death. From
death, the only salvation is Christ our life. The only way
to know we have spiritual life and righteousness in Christ is
by believing on His name. That's our comfort. He said in
John 6, 47, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on
me hath everlasting life. If you believe Him, you have
life right now. He's the cure for sin and He's
the remedy for death. There in verse 11 in 1 John 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. So that sin unto death is denying
Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who is the only salvation from
sin and the only salvation from death. It's to hear of Him and
deny Him. There in 1 John 2.22 it says,
but who is a liar? But he that denieth that Jesus
is the Christ. He is the Antichrist that denieth
the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the
same hath not the Father. We'll see that more in a minute.
Those that hear of the true living God and deny them, it's an unpardonable
sin to blaspheme and reject the triune God in Christ. There's
no pardon for those who reject the only one who is able to pardon. There's no forgiveness of sin
if we reject the only one whose sake forgiveness is given. Let's
turn over to Matthew 12. Here's a little bit lengthy for
us. We'll look at it. Matthew chapter
12. beginning verse 30. He that is
not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me
scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, all
manner of sin is blasphemy, All matter of sin and blasphemy shall
be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost
shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word
against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him. But whosoever
speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him,
neither in this world, neither in the world to come." Some people
say, Christ is saying here, that you can say anything you want
about God the Father, You can take God the Son's name in vain,
but don't say nothing about the Holy Spirit, because that's a
sin unto death, is to say something bad about God the Holy Ghost.
Of course that's not what he's saying. He's saying, if you were
speaking against me and I were only a man, if I was just the
son of a man, if I was only Joseph's son, then it would be forgiving
you. But there in verse 28, Matthew 12, 28, he says, but
if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God
has come unto you. He's saying you're not only speaking
out against the Son of Man only. He goes, I am the God-Man. The
kingdom of God has come unto you. He is the Son of God. He
is the Son of Man. He is the Christ. You are speaking
against God the Father. You're speaking against God the
Son. And you're speaking against God the Holy Spirit. In other
words, that sin unto death is rejecting Christ who is the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. It's to not believe God and not
to believe His Word. How do we know if someone has
committed a sin unto death? It says there in 1 John 5.16,
If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death,
He shall ask. If someone's just in a fall,
we pray for them. He says, if they're committed to sin unto
death, don't even pray for them. The Lord told the Pharisees,
or about the Pharisees, to His disciples, He said, let them
alone. Don't even pray for them. So how are we to know if someone's
committed to sin unto death? It's impossible to know. For
us to know. Unless they die openly rejecting
Christ. We're there with them until the
end. But God gives us warnings. We can't know, but He gives us
warnings. The things He speaks of about
the sin and the death are if a man continues them until the
end. This message is not to fight
someone that's in error, someone that's departed from the gospel.
I'm not picking on nobody, but I want to give you a loving warning. Hear God's Word and obey it.
If we are God's child, God will make us obey Him. This is the
life of a believer. He makes us obey. So first off,
what are some of these warnings about a sin and death? It's to
forsake the assembly of God's saints under the preaching of
the gospel. Let's turn over to chapter 2, 1 John 2, verse 18. First John 2.18, little children,
it is the last time. And as ye have heard, the Antichrist
shall come, even now are there many Antichrists, whereby we
know it is the last time. They went out from us, but they
were not of us. For if they had been of us, they
would no doubt have continued with us, but they went out, that
they might be made manifest, that they were not of us. Now
there's a difference. between someone that stops assembling
with the saints and someone that stops assembling with these saints,
with the local assembly. If someone was to leave this
church, if they had a big falling out and they got mad at me or
mad at one of you, and they say, oh, I just can't stand to worship
there, and they packed up all their belongings and they headed
up to rescue you, or they drove out to Rocky Mount, Virginia,
Ashland, Kentucky, you in New Jersey, that's not abandoning
the saints. But if they stop coming to hear
the gospel preached, if they walk away from the assembly of
the saints to nothing else, that's to forsake the assembly of the
saints. There are some that God gave faith, but before they heard,
before the Lord gave them life, they'd already gotten to a situation
that make it difficult for them to be underneath the sound of
the gospel. Or a physical ailment makes it where they can't come.
They're not able to come to church. These cases are very rare. These are rare cases. It's not
someone who's within a day's drive of church and is able to
come. We have some brethren up in Canada and they have a son
that's handicapped and due to moving out of the country and
insurance and all that stuff, right now they're not able to
travel and it's several days drive for them to get to a faithful
church to hear the gospel. So they listen on the internet.
Now when the day comes that they have the opportunity to move
to where the sound of the gospel is preached faithfully, they
will move. They'll go when that opportunity comes up, if and
when it does. But these rare cases are not
those who could move and won't. It's not excusable for those
who are within a day or two drive from a church where the gospel
is preached in truth, who will not assemble with God's people
under the gospel. Christ's sheep will travel a
long way, and they'll stay overnight to feed on green pasture. They'll
travel a long way, even if they can only do it once or twice
a month. Even if it's a rare thing, they'll
go out of their way to be fed. Every time I think of that, deer
will travel 400 miles for salt. They'll go across multiple states.
So if you got salt on your property, you watch for deer. If the gospel
is preached, his sheep will come. They'll come a long way. Many
of you all drive a long way. Those who go out from us are
those who could assemble. Instead, they leave where the
Gospels preach. They don't move to another church where the Gospels
preached in truth. They just leave. They cease assembling
under Christ's preaching with Christ's people. They cease committing
themselves to Christ and His people. And some go out for the
lust of the world. Oh, I've got a big job. I've
got some fame coming. I've got a political appointment.
They find some kind of lust in this world. Others go out uniting
with a false gospel. Others go out with a multitude
of other excuses just to justify abandoning Christ. Turn over
to Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10. Verse 23. Let us hold fast the profession
of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised.
Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good
works. God says hold fast our profession
without even wavering. Why? Because God is faithful
that He promised. There's no sacrifice that a believer
will make to assemble with God's saints that God will not honor,
that he won't bless abundantly. He says there in Malachi 3, God
is able to make all grace abound towards you that ye, always having
all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
And then he says, test him. So try, man. See if he's telling
you the truth. Prove me now herewith, saith
the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven
and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough
to receive it. The reason God will have his
people assembled together is that we might provoke one another
to love and to good works. If he's on a desert island, you'd
say, I'm gonna go be by myself on an island so I can love more.
Ain't nobody there to love, is there? We do this simply by obeying
His Word there, verse 25, Hebrews 10, 25. Not forsaking the assembly
of ourselves together as the manner is of some, but exhorting
one another. And so much the more as you see
the day approaching. We exhort one another and provoke
one another to love and to good work simply by gathering together
under the gospel. where his saints are. There's
been several times I've showed up to service and thought, well,
boy, I just ain't gonna be able to listen today and I ain't gonna
be able to hear nothing. But there's other believers that
are showing up. Kevin's there. There's been many
a time I've not felt like going to service and any excuse, it
ain't moving to another state, it's just for today. Oh, what
can I come up with that I won't have to go? I'm tired, my back
hurts. And I thought, oh brother, so-and-so is going to be there.
They don't miss. That's an encouragement to me.
That's provoking me to love and to good works, isn't it? But
if a professing believer sins willfully after he's heard this
truth and knowledge, if he forsakes the assembly together with God's
sanction of the gospel and does so to the end of their life,
God says he's an apostate. He fell away. Look there at verse
26. For if we sin willfully, after that we have received the
knowledge of truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin, but
a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation
which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died
without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sore punishment
suppose ye shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot
the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherein
he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite the Spirit
of grace." Those that hear that God saves His people, we're made
righteous in Him. We are sanctified by Him, and
they trotted underfoot His blood ain't good enough, I can do better.
I got to add to it. Verse 30, For we know Him that
hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith
the Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge
His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living God. What a frightening thing. That's
a stern warning about being under the sound of the gospel, assembling
with his saints. Another warning we have there,
we'll go back to 1 John, we'll be looking at chapter 4. Another
warning is that someone preaches a false gospel or they assemble
to hear a false gospel and does so to the end. They do their
last dying day. They're in 1 John 4 verse 1.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits. Those that
are preaching to you. Get you a Bible to make sure
they're telling you the truth. Whether they are of God, because
many false prophets are gone out into the world, hereby ye
know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth
that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. And every
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist. Where have you heard that it
should come, even now, already is in the world. That's frightening. How are we, is that burden on
me? I have to discern all these things? Oh, I just saw what danger is
in this. in the hands of an angry God.
How can I know which one's right? Read on. Here's our comfort.
Verse 4. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them,
because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the
world. What a comfort. Yet again, anything
required of me is provided for by my Savior. So we see the sin
and the death is denying Christ. by forsaking Christ's assembly,
by preaching a false gospel, by sitting under a false gospel,
and by refusing correction until the end, until we die. Titus
told us that, and Titus 3 said after the second or third admonition,
they're heretic. After these strong warnings.
So once we see what this is, can a child of God commit the
sin unto death? Absolutely not. There in chapter
5 verse 18, 1 John 5, 18. We know that whatsoever is born
of God sinneth not, but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself,
and that wicked one toucheth him not. We all sinned and died
in Adam, every one of us. The difference is that God chose
some in Christ before Adam fell. and He shall not lose one. Christ
redeemed us by His blood, and justice demands that we must
be saved. His saints are born of the Spirit
of God, whose grace is irresistible. We're irresistibly drawn to Him.
And God keeps us by His power, and the devil cannot touch us
and cannot draw us away. Never. It can't happen by his
hand holding us. But understand, we may try to
run. And for a season, it may look
like we're succeeding. I'll tell you that firsthand
experience. I can do this by myself. I could be on that desert
island and love everybody on it. I got tapes I can listen
to, CDs at the time. I'll fend for myself. Peter tried
doing that, didn't he? Peter denied the Lord three times. The Lord said, you're going to
deny me three times? Oh, I ain't going to do that. Before the cock crows. And what did Peter do? He said,
I give up. I'm going back to fishing. He went back to fishing,
didn't he? But Christ said, I prayed for
you that your faith fail not. And because of Christ's intercession
for his saint, Peter's faith did not fail, did it? But Christ
did not allow Peter to remain outside of the assembly of the
saints. Outside of the assembly of his
people. One of the angels there in the
tomb, they came and they said, you go tell them disciples that
Christ is risen and Peter. And Peter. And Cass. And Mike. And Deanne. You go
tell us. Cross through the Spirit, He
has anointed His child and He teaches us in our hearts. He
makes us obey His Word and He keeps His child abiding in Him
all the way to the end. All the way until He takes us
home. Look here in 1 John 2 verse 27. 1 John 2.27, But the anointing
which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not
that any man teach you. It's not that we just plug our
ears up and nobody's going to teach me nothing. I know everything.
That's no one has to teach us how to abide in Christ. That's
where we live. I've had somebody try to teach
me how to live in my house one time. That was awkward. Nobody
has to teach you how to live in your home. That's where you
live. You know how to live there. Nobody
has to teach you how to abide in Christ. That's where we live.
But as the same anointing teaches you of all things and is truth,
and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide
in him. The same way that instruction
came to us, the same way that life came into us in the first
place, that's how we're going to abide in him, always by his
hand. A sanctified child of God tries
to walk contrary to God's Word. One that His blood bought. He
said, I bought you with a price and you try running. You can't
find any rest. You'll seek comfort in anything
you can think of. And the bottom of the bottle
is always dry. The football game always ends, whatever it is.
There's no comfort. There's no rest being away from
Him. Until He's brought you, He's hedged you away about, and
brought you right back to Christ's feet, back to that throne of
mercy. And then you'll find rest for
your souls. That's the only time it'll happen. No sacrifice that
we have to make to abide in Christ under the preaching of the gospel,
to be assembled with His saints, is too much. Considering what
our Master gave for us, what could I sacrifice to hear the
Gospel that's in comparison to Christ's sacrifice and to save
me? Those Christ died for will never
commit the sin unto death. By His great sacrifice and suffering
at death on the cross, Christ has taken away the sins of His
people and made us righteous in Him. Turn over there to chapter
3, verse 5, 1 John 3, 5. that He, that's Christ, was manifested
to take away our sins and in Him is no sin. Verse 7, little
children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness,
he that believes, he that lives in Christ, abides in Him, is
righteous even as Christ is righteous. Those born of Christ have a new
man within them and that new man cannot sin because it's of
God. including that sin unto death. The Lord keeps us from all sin. Verse 9, 1 John 3, 9, Whosoever
is born of God doth not commit sin. For his seed remaineth in
him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. Now our flesh
that we're born in, it's nothing but sin. All we do is sin. But in that new man, we cannot
commit sin. Due to God's grace, Christ's
incorruptible seed being put in us, and it remains in us,
we cannot sin because we're born of God. We're of His seed. So
knowing that we can't, we know what sin and death is. We know
that a believer, a child of God that Christ has purchased, cannot
commit to sin and death. How do we know whether to pray
for somebody? When our brother falls, our sister falls, how
do we know to pray for them? They're in chapter 5, 1 John
5, verse 16. If any man see his brother sin
a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give
him life for then that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto
death. I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness
is sin, and there is a sin not unto death. So who's he telling
us to pray for? Obviously, we're not to just
pray in generalities. Lord, save everybody on earth.
Save all the reprobates. Our high priest didn't do that,
did he? He said, I pray not for the world, but for them which
thou hast given me, for they are thine. So we pray for those
that God elected in Christ. But we do not have to worry about
who to pray for, because we'll only be enabled to pray according
to His will and for His purpose. We just saw that in Romans 8,
didn't we? He intercedes for us, giving us ability through
the Spirit to pray as we ought. So when it comes to our brethren,
we see in sin, even those who go out from us, they've departed,
sitting under a false gospel, always hold out hope. If the
Spirit enables us, we pray for Him. If the Lord lays it on your
heart, pray for Him. And if we have this comforting
word of assurance that He shall give Him life for them that sin
not unto death. Lord, if they're Yours, You'll
keep them. How do we know that? He said. What more do we have
to be proven to us? The Lord said He won't lose one.
Lord, save Your people. Call Your children out in this
area. Save him to the uttermost. He's going to do it. That's according
to his will, isn't it? Christ is life. He gives his
redeemed eternal life. So as a spirit enables you, you
ask God for your brethren when you see them in sin. We don't
gossip about it. We don't talk to one another
about it. We take it to the Lord. We ask Him. We don't ask one
another. Because love does not expose sin. Love covers a multitude
of sin, doesn't it? Ask God for your brother or sister
you see in sin. Petition Him. And if he's Christ,
she's Christ, Christ will bring them to confess their sins, He'll
purge them of their sins, and He'll turn them back to looking
only to Christ and obeying His Word alone. He'll bring them
back under the Gospel with His brethren. He'll increase their
faith towards Christ. He'll warm their hearts towards
Him, and He'll warm their hearts in love towards the brethren.
This is the confidence we have in Christ at God's throne of
grace. That's a comfort to us. Most people are scared to death
of these verses. If you're His, you can't do it. He's going to
keep you forever, same as always. Nothing's changed. If we're born
of God, washed in Christ's blood, we can never commit the sin unto
death. That passage has given me great
comfort, and I pray it does you too. The only ones that this
message will trouble are those disobeying the Lord, not heeding
His Word. And to them, this should be a
strong warning. But for those of you that He's
kept, those of you He's made faithful in His power and His
will, that's a comfort to us. We're kept the same as we always
have been. Amen. I hope that's a blessing to you.