Welcome to Reign of Grace. This
program is brought to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries,
an outreach ministry of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany,
Georgia. It is our pleasure and privilege
to present to you the gospel message of the sovereign grace
and glory of God in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that today's program
will be a blessing to you. Thank you for listening. And
now for today's program. Welcome to our program today.
I'm glad you could join us. If you'd like to follow along
in your Bibles, I'll be preaching from 1 John chapter 5, beginning
with verse 14. And the title of the message
today is Confidence in Christ. Confidence in Christ. And of
course, we're talking about the assurance of salvation that God
freely gives to his people. through the Lord Jesus Christ.
And that's what faith is. I heard a preacher one time say
that there's a difference between faith and assurance, that you
can have faith but not have assurance. And I don't believe that's biblically
true because faith is believing God's record. I preached on that
last week, God's word, believing in Christ, believing that he
is my savior, that he's able to save. And you either believe
that or you don't. And he is my assurance. The problem
with most people when they talk about assurance is they look
for it in the wrong place. Many people look for it within
themselves, within their attainments, their achievements, their spirituality,
their works, whatever. But that's not the way we believers
are to have assurance. It says in 1 John 5, 14, and
this is the confidence, the assurance that we have in Him concerning
Christ. This is the confidence we have
in Christ, not in ourselves. My faith is not in myself. God-given
faith is not in our works. My faith is not even in my faith. My faith is in Christ. And I
love that passage in Hebrews, when it goes from 11, you know,
Hebrews 11 speaks of the Old Testament saints who suffered
and went through all kinds of problems, and they did it by
faith. That is, they did it by looking
to Christ to come. And then in Hebrews 12, one,
it talks about the sin that so easily besets us. And I've heard
preachers preach on that, say, well, that sin may be this for
you, but it may be another sin for you. No, he's talking about
the sin of unbelief. Now, believers, we have faith
in Christ, but we still have the unbeliefs and doubts of the
flesh that we wrestle with and struggle with daily. And that's
the sin that so easily besets us. We go through circumstances,
we go through trials and troubles, and we doubt God. Sometimes in
our prayers, we wonder if He's even hearing us. And that's the
sin that so easily besets us. How do we combat that? Well,
He tells us in Hebrews 12 too. We run the race of grace, looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Christ never fails. There's a beautiful verse over
in Philippians chapter three and verse three, where the Apostle
Paul writing to the Philippian believers, he says, we are the
circumcision. Now he's not talking about fleshly
circumcision that was brought to the male child under the old
covenant. He's talking about spiritual
circumcision there, heart circumcision. And heart circumcision refers
to the new birth. We've been born again by the
Spirit. We've been circumcised in heart and ears. Paul spoke of that in Romans
2. But he says, we are the circumcision. We are the children of God who
have been spiritually circumcised, which worship God in the Spirit
and glory in Christ Jesus. That word glory means we have
confidence in Christ Jesus. And he says, and have no confidence
in the flesh. Now, if you're a believer, you
have confidence in Christ, but you have no confidence in the
flesh. And so when we look at 1 John
5, 14, it says, this is the confidence. Well, what is he talking about?
The confidence, the assurance of salvation and eternal life
that comes only by Christ and looking to Christ. Look back
at verse 13. I concluded with this verse in
the last message. These things have I written unto
you that believe on the name of the Son of God. His name is
that which identifies and distinguishes him from all counterfeits. And
how do I know his name? Reading the record of God's truth. What does it say about Jesus
Christ, the Savior? Who is he and what has he done?
He's God manifest in the flesh who saves his people from their
sins. Listen, listen to me. There are
no sinners in hell for whom Christ died. Now mark it down. He met all conditions of salvation. He died for his sheep, saved
them from their sins. He calls his sheep and his sheep
hear his voice. They follow him and no one can
pluck them out of his father's hand. He and his father are one. So this is the confidence that
you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the
name of the Son of God. How can I know that I have eternal
life? Only by looking to Christ, the
Lord, my righteousness. And I mentioned that hymn last
week, that most people sing, but very few know the truth. My hope is built on nothing less.
than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest
frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock
I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.
Well, look at verse 14 again. This is the confidence that we
have in Him that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth
us. Now, many, many people have perverted
this verse into making God some sort of a genie in a bottle. And they'll say, well, whatever
you want, if you ask for it hard enough and sincerely enough,
you'll get it. That's not what this verse is
talking about. These verses are talking about
salvation. And it's simply saying this,
anybody who wants salvation, God's way, in Christ according
to God's record of truth, they'll have it. That's it. Knock and it shall be opened,
ask and it shall be given. It's talking about salvation.
Salvation is a free gift from God. But now here's the problem. Now let's look at the whole Bible
now, what the scripture teaches on this subject. By nature, Okay,
now listen, when I say by nature, I'm talking about how we are
born naturally. The Bible teaches that we fell
in Adam into a state of sin and death and depravity and born
spiritually dead. No spiritual ears to hear the
truth of God's word. We can hear the words physically,
but not spiritually. Because if you hear them spiritually,
you'll believe them. You'll rest in Christ. No spiritual
eyes, no spiritual heart. That's why we must be born again. Christ said, if you're not born
again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. That's why God has to
give us a new heart, a new mind, a new spirit. And so by nature,
We want salvation. We want to live forever, but
we wanted our way. There is a way that seems right
to men. It's the way of death. We wanted
our way, not God's way. In fact, God's way is a turnoff
to us naturally. And so anybody who wants it God's
way can have it because know this, if you want it God's way,
That means God has already visited you and given you a new will,
a new want to. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power. And the gospel is the power of
God unto salvation. It takes the Spirit of God to
give us life. to give us ears to hear, eyes
to see. You remember in Matthew 13, the
disciples asked the Lord, why are you speaking in parables
to these Pharisees? And he said, because hearing,
they don't hear, seeing, they don't see, they don't want it. But he said, but blessed are
your eyes for they see, blessed are your ears for they hear.
You've been given the gift of faith in hearing and seeing the
glory of Christ, the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
So when He says, look back at verse 14, this is the confidence
that we have in Christ, if we ask anything according to His
will, He heareth us. Now the key to that is according
to His will. And you remember when Christ
taught the disciples to pray, one of the things He said, thy
will be done. So when we pray for things, number
one, the keys to prayer are this. Number one, we pray unto God
through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's the first key. Christ
is our intercessor. Now the Holy Spirit also intercedes
in another way, but Christ is our intercessor. The only reason
that God hears us and receives us is the blood of Christ. The
second key to prayer is, thy will be done. So if I pray, if
I'm sick, If I'm sick and I pray for healing, I've got to pray,
Lord, if it be thy will. Now that's the key. And then
many people pray for things that are silly and things that they
shouldn't have, even things against God's revealed will. But this
verse and the verse follows is talking about salvation. And
so if you ask for salvation and the blessings and benefits of
salvation, in Christ, according to God's will, He hears us. And
verse 15, and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask,
we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. Now that
doesn't mean that whatever you ask for, if you believe it enough
or sincere enough, you're gonna get it. That doesn't mean that.
It means it's all according to God's will. And again, he's talking
about salvation. Look at verse 16. Now this is
a key to this, but I want you to see this. 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 them that sin not unto death. Now, if you got a King James
Version, this next line reads, There is a sin unto death. I do not say that he shall pray
for it. And then in verse 17 it says, All unrighteousness
is sin, and there is a sin not unto death. Now, in the original
manuscripts, The article A is not in there. And it would read
this way, look back at 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 the dead, that sin not unto death. There is not
a sin, but there is sin unto death. And I do not say that
he shall pray for it. all unrighteousness is sin, there
is sin not unto death. Now, what is he talking about?
Well, sad to say that many people use this verse and buy into the
heresy of what people call the unpardonable sin, the unforgivable
sin. And most people get that from
passages like Matthew 12, where Christ talks about the sin against
the Holy Ghost. There's no forgiveness for it
and all of that. But you don't listen. What is
he talking about? Now he says all unrighteousness
is sin. What is unrighteousness? Well,
unrighteousness is anything that falls short of righteousness. And what is righteousness? Righteousness
is the perfection of the law. Perfect satisfaction to God's
law and God's justice. It's the perfection of the law
that can only be found in Christ. Romans 10, four, for Christ is
the end of the law, the fullness, the finishing, the perfection
of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it.
And anything less is unrighteousness. Even the best that we do, if
it's not perfect, it's unrighteous. Well, I hope you would say, well,
nothing we do is perfect. That's right. That's why salvation
is not by works. but by grace through the righteousness
of Christ. If we're gonna find righteousness,
we have to look to Christ, okay? So all sin is unrighteousness.
Now, when he talks about sin unto death and sin not unto death,
what is sin unto death? Well, that's any sin, not just
one particular sin, but any sin that is not forgiven by the blood
of Christ. Any sin that's not covered by
the blood of Christ, that's sin unto death. Christ told the Pharisees,
if you believe not that I am, that I am the Messiah, the Savior,
the Redeemer, you shall die in your sins. That's sin unto death. Without Christ as my surety,
without Christ as my substitute and Redeemer, my life giver,
All sin that I do is unto death. Christ was manifest to take away
our sins, John said in 1 John 3. And in 1 John 1, he said the
blood of Jesus Christ covers all sin, all sins of His people
who have Him, who believe in Him. And so what is this thing? Go back in Matthew chapter 12
and read that when he talks about the sin against the Holy Ghost.
What is the sin against the Holy Ghost? You know, most people,
when they talk about the unpardonable sin, they don't even really know
what it is. Some people will say unbelief.
Well, my friend, what are we all by nature? When we're born
into this world, before we're born again, we're unbelievers.
Unbelief is forgiven. But now God's people don't remain
in unbelief. They are brought from unbelief
to faith in Christ. And they're covered by the blood
of Christ. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood
of Jesus. There's not one particular sin
that's unforgivable. All sin is unforgivable without
Christ. That's what he's talking about.
And put it in the context here of John. Remember the people
who claim to be believers, claim to love Christ, claim to be forgiven,
and then they turn totally against him? Well, that's sin unto death,
my friend. Because without Christ, there
is no forgiveness. Christ is the, his blood is the
ground upon which God forgives all the sins of all his people.
not just one particular sin. And so what John is saying here
is this, go back, this is the confidence that we have in Christ. I have the confidence of the
forgiveness of all my sins in Christ. He's my surety. My sins were in charge, imputed
to Him. He's my substitute. He came in
time, became incarnate, in a sinless human body and he kept the law
and went to the cross to die for my sins in my place and he shed his blood and paid
the full payment of all my sins and redeemed me by his blood
and out of that comes the righteousness which God declares me righteous
Christ's righteousness imputed to me I have that confidence
Now, if I don't have Christ, if I don't believe in Him, all
unto death, sin unto death. So back in Matthew 12, what he's
telling him, the work of the Holy Spirit is to drive sinners
to Christ. The sin against the Holy Ghost
is unbelief, but it's that unbelief of a reprobate who goes out through
this world and dies in his sins. So the point that Christ is making
there is without Him, without His blood, without His righteousness,
no sin is forgivable. But in Christ, all sins are forgiven. Do you understand that? Let's
go back to the passage here, 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 them, that sin not unto death." Now
the distinction that he's making here is those who went out from
them and turned their back on Christ. There's no possibility
of forgiveness for them because they don't have Christ. And he
says there is sin unto death. What is that sin unto death?
That's that apostasy. That's that rejection. that leaves
a person, a sinner, in his sins without Christ, going through
life and dying in his sins, and he says, I do not say that he
shall pray for it. Well, you know, somebody told
me one time, said, I thought we were supposed to pray for
everybody. Well, in a sense, we are. But here's what I'm saying,
and here's what the Lord is saying here. If a person rejects Christ
there's no use me praying that God would forgive him. Because
without Christ, there is no forgiveness. How is God gonna forgive that
person if they don't have Christ? It's impossible. God must punish
sin. He's a just God. And the only
way that he can be both a just God and a savior to sinners like
me is through Christ. through His blood shed as the
payment for my sins. So if you don't have Christ,
now I could pray that God bring that person to believe in Christ,
to know Christ, but don't pray for forgiveness apart from the
blood of Christ, because that's impossible. That's not according
to the will of God. God says His will is to forgive
sinners through Christ. And he says he will not forgive
sinners without Christ. He told Cain that. Remember when
Cain brought the fruit of the ground and no blood? And God
told him, he said, you know, if you do well, you'll be all
right. Do what Abel did, bring the blood
of the lamb, picturing Christ. But if you don't do well, sin
lieth at your door. like a hungry lion waiting to
pass, and you have it to do. In other words, you have to deal
with it. So if Christ, see, I don't have to deal with my sins in
the sense of being forgiven or being saved from my sins, because
Christ already dealt with it on the cross. Now, I have to
deal with my sins in the struggle that I have between the flesh
and the spirit daily. The remaining flesh, remaining
sin. But even Christ dealt with that
ultimately. That victory has already been
won because Christ has overcome the flesh. But I have to deal
with it in this life until I go to be with Him. But as far as
the forgiveness of my sins, as far as the payment for my sins,
I don't have to deal with it. Christ did that already. That's
why these people say, well, you've got to confess this in order
to be forgiven. They're lying to you. Yes, we
confess our sin, but that's not why God forgives us. God forgives
us, and when we see that, we'll confess our sins. And we do confess
our sins when we realize that if God were to ever judge us
based upon anything we do or don't do, we'd be damned. Lord,
if thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, who would stand?
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
So he says in verse 17, all unrighteousness is sin and there is sin not unto
death. Well, what is that? That's the
believer's sins that are covered with the blood of Christ. And
so verse 18, he says, we know that whosoever is born of God,
not those who went out from us, they weren't born of God. But
whosoever born of God sinneth not. Now there's two applications
to that that are in line with the gospel. What do you mean
we sin not? We're still sinners saved by
grace, but our sins cannot be imputed to us, charged to us. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
can condemn us? It's Christ that died. So in
that sense we sineth not, believers. But what I believe he's talking
about more than anything else is the sin of apostasy. If you're
born of God, you cannot apostatize from Christ. You cannot turn
your back on him totally and leave him. You may stray, but
as I said last week, we're on God's leash and he keeps us. He mentioned that back in 1 John
3, 9. Look at 1 John 3, 9. It says, whosoever is born of
God doth not commit sin. Now that doesn't mean that when
you're born again, you're sinlessly perfect in your character and
conduct, because you're not. But it does mean that you cannot
leave Christ like those back in 1 John 2, 18 and 19, who went
out from us. He says, for his seed remaineth
in him. The seed there is the child of
God, the offspring of Christ. If you're his child, evidenced
by being born again, you'll remain in him and he cannot sin, he
cannot apostatize because he's born of God. And so over here
in verse 18, we know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not, but
he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one
toucheth him not. That's Satan. He keeps himself. Now we know, and keeping ourselves
means persevering in the faith. But we know that we only keep
ourselves because he keeps us. And that's what Paul wrote in
2 Timothy 1.12 when he talked about, I know whom I have believed,
and I'm persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've
committed unto him against that day. And Satan cannot. I mean, he, now Satan can attack
us, But he cannot pull us away totally from Christ. He cannot
do that. Because Christ has overcome him. So look at verse 19. And we know
that we are of God. Who? Those who are born again
by the Spirit. Those who believe in Christ.
And the whole world lieth in the wicked one. Lieth in wickedness.
Do you see that? Now this is the confidence that
we have. And he says, and we know that
the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that
we may know Him that is true, and we're in Him that is true,
even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God in eternal
life. And now he ends with an exhortation,
little children, keep yourselves from idols, amen. That's the
issue. Knowing our salvation, looking
to Christ. Hope you'll join us next week
for another message from God's Word. We are glad you could join us
for another edition of Reign of Grace. This program is brought
to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries, an outreach ministry
of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany, Georgia. To receive
a copy of today's program or to learn more about Reign of
Grace Media Ministries or Eager Avenue Grace Church, write us
at 1102 Eager Drive, Albany, Georgia. 317-07, contact us by
phone at 229-432-6969 or email us through our website at www.TheLetterRofGrace.com. Thank you again for listening
today and may the Lord be with you. you