So, 1 John chapter 5, and I'm
just going to read 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. Amen, may the Lord bless that
rather short reading to us today. In this verse that I've just
read, 1 John 5, verse 13, John twice uses a phrase that we don't
find anywhere else in Scripture. So he uses it twice in one verse
and we don't find it anywhere else in the Bible. And it's this,
the name of the Son of God. He says, we believe on the name
of the Son of God. And I thought that was interesting
as I was reflecting upon this little verse. Because normally
it doesn't really matter what someone's name is. And I know
that parents can sometimes spend a lot of time and energy and
even worry on the right name to call their child. But usually
it's just an identifier that distinguishes between people. But that's not the case with
respect to the Lord Jesus Christ. His names don't so much identify
Him as describe Him. He is our Lord Jesus Christ. And the fact that we call Him
the Lord Jesus Christ speaks much with respect to His work
his person, his accomplishments, and his roles in the church and
in our lives individually. He is Lord. He is the king. He
is the ruler. He is the one to whom we owe
honour, obedience, and worship. He is Jesus, which means saviour
or deliverer. It's the same as the Old Testament
name, Joshua, and that's what the name means, Deliverer. So
he is the Lord, our Deliverer, the Lord Jesus. And he is the
Christ, the anointed one of God, the one of whom the Old Testament
prophets wrote, the one who was anticipated and expected, the
one who came as the Lord's anointed one. and who fulfilled all the
requirements and satisfied all the demands of the Holy Lord
God, Jehovah. And so when we speak of the Lord
Jesus Christ, it's significant as to his name. And when John
says that we believe in the name of the Son of God, it is referring
to the fact that we believe in his lordship We really believe
in his salvation and we believe in his role as the anointed Messiah
of God. But that's really only the start.
Our saviour literally has hundreds of names applied to him in the
Bible. And some are very familiar to
us and some less so. Isaiah said, his name shall be
called Wonderful. Counselor, the mighty God, the
everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, all wonderful names
that speak to us of the identity and the nature of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Jeremiah and Zechariah both called
him the Branch. He is called, by Jeremiah, the
Lord our Righteousness. He is called the Son of Righteousness. He is Alpha and Omega. He is King of Kings, Lord of
Lords. He is the Messenger of the Covenant,
according to Malachi. He is the King of Glory. He is
the light of the world. He is the good shepherd. He is
the vine. He is the bread of life. He's
the Lamb of God. He's the door. He's the way. He's the truth. He's the life.
And we could go on and on and on and I could spend all the
time at my disposal here today simply drawing our attention
to names of the Son of God. Titles which quite literally
He says, I am the door, titles which quite literally open to
us a door to know all that he is and all that he has done. So when John says to us here
that we believe on the name of the Son of God, I think that's
significant. I think that that has broad implications
together with that emphasis that John has placed upon our knowledge
and our believing that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God. So Jesus of Nazareth is the Son
of God. Believing that, says John, is
a testimony to the fact that we are born of God and that we
have eternal life. And then he goes on to say, not
only is Jesus of Nazareth the Son of God, but we believe in
the names of the Son of God. So we believe that Jesus of Nazareth
is the possessor of all of these names that the Lord Jesus Christ
takes and which are applied to him throughout scripture from
beginning to end. I'm going to come back to that
in a moment or two. But I want us to think about
what John says in this little verse with respect to his purpose
in writing what he has said. Let me just read it to us again. These things have I written unto
you that believe on the name of the Son of God. These things
have I written. So he's talking about all the
epistle. He's saying that from chapter
one, all that I have written to you. Here we are in chapter
five, getting near the end of this little epistle. He's saying
all these things that I've written to you, I've written for a purpose.
And perhaps he's thinking specifically about these six witnesses that
we read about in verses seven and eight, where he speaks about
this doubled threefold chord. For there are three that bear
record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost,
and these three are one. And there are three that bear
witness on earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood,
and these three agree in one. John says, I'm writing these
things, these things about this threefold cord that isn't soon
broken. This reference that he makes
in verse five to the believer, those who have faith overcoming
the world, I'm writing these things for a reason. I have an
audience in mind and I have a purpose in mind. That's always good when
you're writing something, to have an audience and a purpose
in your mind as you're writing. gives you clarity to get your
message across in the way that is best understood by those who
are to receive the communication. The audience that he identifies
is you that believe. And the purpose is that you may
believe more. John's burden is for our spiritual
help. our comfort and our well-being. And he is writing for believers
whom he knows struggle with doubt and face temptations and trials
in their lives. John isn't writing to convince
unbelievers. He's not writing to make converts. He's not writing to defend the
faith or to vindicate Christianity or to uphold the moral fabric
of the country or to put down his opponents. He's writing to
help you and me because he knows that believers need help. He
knows the challenges that we face. That reference that he
made to overcoming the world by our faith, he knows that overcoming
the world isn't a daily victory, but a lifetime's struggle. So here he says that he is writing
to you that believe. You who believe, the witness
and the record of that threefold cord. Who believe that Jesus
of Nazareth is the Christ. Who believe that He is the God-Man
Mediator. That He is the One. Now remember
what John said, who believe on the name of the Son of God. who
believe in the name of the Son of God. And that shows us that
we are looking to this one, Jesus of Nazareth, and seeing in him
all that scripture declares and says, so that while we have our
faith subjectively, what we believe in, what we hold to be true,
that faith is laid upon the one Jesus Christ of whom the scriptures
speak in their entirety. We believe, we believe what God
has said about this Jesus of Nazareth. We believe what the
scriptures say about him. We believe what all his names
testify of him. We believe that Jesus of Nazareth
is wonderful. We believe that he is the best
counsellor for our life's problems because he is the mighty God
and the everlasting Father. We believe that because of his
mediation on the cross that he is the Prince of Peace, that
he is the Lord our righteousness. We don't look to our own righteousnesses. our good works, but to his righteousness. We believe that he is the beginning
and the end. the Alpha and Omega, that he
has revealed the covenant purpose of God to us, that he is the
King of glory that we worship, that he has brought the light
of the gospel into the world and he is the good shepherd that
leads us to glory, the vine that sustains and nourishes us as
we grow in him, the bread that feeds us, the lamb of God that
taketh away the sin of the world, the door by which we enter into
the presence of God. We see in the Lord Jesus Christ
and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is believing in the names
of the Son of God, that he encapsulates and incorporates all of these
aspects to our souls. We believe that they reveal his
purpose in coming, the accomplishments while he was here, and the success
with which he is endowed with God as the satisfier of every
holy demand. And we believe, that's what John
is saying. He's saying, I'm writing these
things to you who believe, who believe in his name, believe
that the blood that he shed cleanses us from our sins. It's not what
we feel about our own condition, our own sin, the weakness of
our flesh, but we believe that that blood cleanses from sin. We believe that it atones for
sin, reconciling us to God. It redeems, it pays the price,
the precious blood of Jesus Christ pays our debt of sin. We believe in the grace that
justifies sinners apart from our works. We believe in the
sanctification as God has a people that he has set apart. We believe
that he quickens from the deadness of sin and rebellion and opposition
that people whom he is pleased to choose. We believe that. We
believe that righteousness is imputed in the covenant of peace
and imparted at conversion in the creation of a new man. secret man of the heart. We believe
that Jesus Christ made satisfaction for our sins, that acceptance
has been secured with God on the basis of his sacrifice. We believe that the promises
of God are fulfilled, that they're yea and amen in Christ. that by his mercy we who have
tasted of that grace will receive of his glory. We have heard that
message of reconciliation in the gospel and we confess that
that is our only hope of peace with God. If that's you, then John's message
is to you today. Right now, it's to you today.
And if that's not you, if you don't believe that Jesus of Nazareth
is the Son of God, if you don't believe in the name of the Son
of God, then John hasn't got anything for you today. I don't
have anything for you today. But if we believe these things
to be so, John says, and this is the second point, that ye
may know. He's writing these things to
you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that ye, that
ye, that you may know that ye have eternal life. that you may
be reassured and comforted and encouraged, regardless of how
you feel right now, regardless of the weight that is upon your
shoulders, regardless of the weakness of your flesh, that
you may be comforted. and encouraged in the evidence
of the Scriptures, in the implications of Christ's accomplishment, in
that three-fold divine testimony that God the Father, the Word
and the Spirit has made, and the Spirit and the water and
the blood upon earth. That internal spiritual witness
of faith, hope and love. All these things that we understand,
all these things that the scriptures say, all these things as it were
that are there as the testimony of God in heaven and upon earth,
they are being revealed to us by John in order that we might,
looking forward, thinking about what lies ahead, know that we
have eternal life. That's what John is saying here.
That's what the verse says. 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. Now pause and consider that for
a moment. What is that knowledge worth?
What is that knowledge worth that we know that we've got eternal
life. Everlasting life with God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in the company
of the Church of Jesus Christ, that holy nation, that great
congregation, in the company of all the holy angels. Everlasting joy, happiness, peace,
rest, fulfilment, satisfaction, holiness, worshipping God. We have eternal life, scenes
beyond our imagination, sights that we will behold, sounds that
we will hear, smells beyond our comprehension, in glory. with Christ eternally. John says in 1 John 3 verse 2,
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we
shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Psalm 17 verse 15 says, As for
me, I will behold thy face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied
when I awake with thy likeness. 1 Peter 5 verse 10 says, The
God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory, by
Christ Jesus. That's what John is writing to
us about, that we may know that we have these exquisite privileges
and blessings set before us as possessors of eternal life, everlasting
life, sharing Christ's glory for all eternity in the presence
of the Father, in those mansions prepared for us. 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse
9 says, It is written, I hath not seen nor ear heard, neither
have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him. We love him because he first
loved us. Now let me ask you again, Knowing
something like that, knowing that you have eternal life, that
means something, right? That knowledge that we have eternal
life, which is what John is writing to us about, He's saying you
believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God and you believe
in the name of the Son of God, that he is this one of whom scripture
speaks in all of the glorious strands and flavours and references
and titles. That changes things, knowing
that. and that we have eternal life.
You don't just know that you have eternal life and put that
in a cupboard and lock the door as a future possibility that
we hope to enjoy someday. But rather, there's a lively
knowledge here. It affects the way we live, or
it should do. It should affect the way we live.
It should influence the things that we do and the things that
we say. It should equip us for the daily
challenges that we face on a Monday morning. getting ready for work,
going about our business, facing the trials of the relationships
that we have, the weight of responsibilities that we carry, the demands that
seem to come upon us, whatever they might be, knowing that we
are possessors of eternal life affects that. Trials that we
have to face, losses that we have to suffer, even persecution
and suffering that we must endure can be handled differently because
we know that we have eternal life. Paul seems to think so, he agrees
with John. He says three things in his letter
to the Romans. The Romans were a church that
suffered much. And Paul says to them in chapter
two, verse seven, to them who by patient continuance in well-doing
seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life. patient continuance in well-doing. Then again in chapter five, verse
two to the Romans, he says, by whom also we have access by faith
into this grace wherein we stand. So we stand in this world. We stand. We're not slip sliding
away. We're standing. And rejoice in
the hope of the glory of God. In verse 18 of chapter 8 he says,
So John's logic, I think, is just exactly the same as Paul's
here. He is writing for our comfort. He's writing to those who believe
that we may know that we have eternal life. He is writing to
help us through our day because he knows believers need help
and he knows the challenges that we face. So he says, 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. So there's that second reference
to believing in the name of the Son of God. But isn't that a
bit of a circular argument that's going on here? I'm writing to
you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life, that you may believe in the name
of the Son of God. What is he telling us? Something,
I think, that is very significant. He is writing to us who believe
in the name of the Son of God in order that we might believe
more in the name of the Son of God by knowing what we possess
in Him. That our faith might be further
enabled, that it might be exercised, that it might be enlarged, that
it might be strengthened. And there's a blessed assumption
here from John that I think shows us that the beloved apostle well
knew the limitations of our own faith. Think of that example
that we had earlier when we were speaking to the children about
Abraham. Abraham had talked with God. Abraham had been face to
face just perhaps days earlier with the Lord Jesus Christ in
what we call one of these theophanies, one of these visitations of the
bodily Christ to earth before the incarnation. He stood there
with those two angels before the destruction of Sodom and
the city of the plains and Abraham spoke with God and then the next
thing we know he doesn't have the faith to believe that Abimelech's
not going to run away with his wife. Our faith is oh so weak and John
knew that. It is always imperfect. It is
ever prone to attack. It is never going to be without
trouble and trial in this world. But equally sure is this fact
that it will never ultimately be snuffed out. We will never
ultimately be defeated. Why? Well, John told us that
in verse four. Whatsoever is born of God overcometh
the world. And this is the victory that
overcometh the world, even our faith. So we're not going to
be victors every day, we're not going to be overcomers every
day, we are going to have to face the battle, face the challenges. But this is so, that as we believe
in the name of the Son of God, so we will be blessed in knowing
what he has done for us and we will deepen our faith and our
strength and our assurance as we hear more of these things
that are written to us by John and those like him. Let me close
today by reading some verses from Mark that I think are amongst
the most helpful and comforted to wounded souls in the whole
of the Bible. I'm going to read some verses
from Mark chapter 9 and verse 20. It has to do with with a young man that is brought
to the Lord by his father. And this young man has got an
evil spirit in him, possessing him that seems to want to drive
him to destruction, to suicide. And they brought that young man
to the Lord with his father. And we read in verse 20 of Mark
chapter 9, and they brought him unto him. And when he saw him,
straightway the Spirit tear him, and he fell on the ground and
wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How
long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And oft times it hath cast him
into the fire, and into the waters to destroy him. As a parent and as a grandparent,
think about what that man's experience must have been. How this boy
of his, from a child, threw himself into rivers, threw himself into
the sea, threw himself into a fire. And what anguish there must have
been in that man's soul. But he says to the Lord, if thou
canst do anything, have compassion on us and help us. Jesus said
unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him
that believeth. And straightway the father of
the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe,
help thou mine unbelief. So much pathos in those words. Lord, I believe. He wept, he
cried before that great audience that was there for the sake of
my boy, for the sake of my family, for the sake of his well-being
and your testimony, your glory. I believe, but help my unbelief. And straightway the father of
the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe,
help thou mine unbelief. Faith is always imperfect. Always
there will be room for growth. Always there is space for deepening. John knew what it was to be tried
and tested and stretched to breaking point. But he also knew that
it was the gospel and the reading of the scriptures and the hearing
about the person of Christ and the work of Christ and the accomplishments
of Christ that would strengthen and fortify our faith in the
face of our difficulties. People tell me, and they tell
me a lot, that their faith is weak. Sometimes they doubt whether
they even have faith. They're beset with doubt. They're
beset with sin in their lives and the trials and the temptations
that they face. And they say to me, what should
I do? Well, the answer that I tell
them and I tell it to you today in one simple sentence is this. Listen to the gospel. Listen
to the gospel. John knew what Paul knew, what
Isaiah knew before that, that faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God. So may the Lord strengthen our
faith by the hearing of the word, and in knowing that we have eternal
life, by grace through faith in the blood of Christ. May our
faith be deepened and our joy increased. Amen.