Sermon Central
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Knowing That We Are Saved - Part #1 Series
Contributed by Vernon L Caruthers on Dec 16, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: JOHN gives us 5 TESTS that will either prove that we are BORN AGAIN or NOT BORN AGAIN. In this message we look at the 1st two of these TESTS
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Sermons from the Book of I John:
Sermon #1: Knowing That We Are Saved: Part #1:
Scripture Ref: I John 5:13
‘These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the SON of GOD; that you may KNOW that you have eternal life & that you may BELIEVE on the name of the SON of GOD.’
Introduction:
This morning I want to begin some messages taken from the N T book of I John.
This is ONE of the MOST POWERFUL BOOKS of the N T.
I BELIEVE we will FIND some THINGS in this BOOK that will HELP US in OUR SPIRITUAL WALKS.
JOHN was 1 of JESUS’ ORIGINAL 12 DISCIPLES.
He had a BROTHER named JAMES & they were often REFERRED to by JESUS as the SONS of THUNDER because of their ZEALOUSNESS.
He is sometimes REFERRED to as JOHN the BELOVED or the ONE WHOM JESUS LOVED. There was a VERY CLOSE RELATIONSHIP between JOHN & JESUS.
He was on the MOUNTAIN when JESUS was TRANSFIGURED.
He was the DISCIPLE that SAT NEXT to JESUS (a POSITION of HONOR) & LEANED on HIS BREAST at the LAST SUPPER just a FEW HOURS before JESUS was ARRESTED.
He was the ONLY DISCIPLE who FOLLOWED JESUS all the WAY to CALVARY & he STOOD by the CROSS when JESUS was CRUCIFIED.
He was the ONE who JESUS ENTRUSTED HIS MOTHER’S CARE to.
JOHN OUTLIVED ALL the OTHER DISCIPLES & HE is the ONLY ONE of the 12 DISCIPLES to DIE a NATURAL DEATH at about the AGE of 100.
He WROTE 5 BOOKS of the N T: The GOSPEL of JOHN – 1st & 2nd & 3rd JOHN & the BOOK of REVELATION.
In our TEXT taken from I John 5:13 JOHN tells us his PURPOSE of WRITING this EPISTLE.
JOHN tells us that he WANTS us to KNOW SOMETHING.
He wants us to KNOW that we HAVE ETERNAL LIFE & that we may CONTINUE on to BELIEVE in the NAME of the SON of GOD.
That is the PURPOSE of I JOHN; that we may be ABLE to say, ‘We KNOW that we HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. We KNOW that we are SAVED. We KNOW that we are BORN AGAIN.
JOHN wants us to KNOW that we KNOW that we KNOW that we are SAVED.
Now when we TESTIFY to PEOPLE today that we KNOW we have ETERNAL LIFE & that we are BORN AGAIN (SAVED) & going to HEAVEN---- there are THOSE PEOPLE who LOOK at us as if we are the MOST ARROGANT PEOPLE around.
WHO in the WORLD do they THINK THEY ARE saying such a thing?
NOBODY is that GOOD!
Of course we REALIZE IMMEDIATELY that they do not KNOW the SCRIPTURES.
Our CLAIM to KNOWING that we HAVE ETERNAL LIFE has NOTHING to do with OUR GOODNESS.
We’re TRUSTING COMPLETELY in the GOODNESS of JESUS CHRIST!
JOHN says that we CAN KNOW that we HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
The WORD KNOW or KNOWN is MENTIONED ---31 TIMES in 1 JOHN.
We’ll see WHY that is so IMPORTANT in a MOMENT.
It is INTERESTING that JOHN gives us the PURPOSE in WRITING 2 of his BOOKS that have made their way into the N T.
For instance, he tells us in I John 5:13 his REASON for WRITING this BOOK is so we can KNOW that we HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
Then we go to the GOSPEL of JOHN.
John 20: 30-31 “& many other signs truly did JESUS in the presence of HIS disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written, that you might believe that JESUS is the CHRIST, the SON of GOD, & that believing you might have life through HIS name.’
JOHN WROTE the GOSPEL so that we might BELIEVE or KNOW WHERE we STAND SPIRITUALLY with GOD.
JOHN had the SAME REASON for WRITING BOTH of these N T BOOKS.
The GOSPEL of JOHN is FILLED with RECORDINGS of the MIRACLES of JESUS.
90 % of the GOSPEL of JOHN is MATERIAL that is NOT RECORDED in the OTHER 3 GOSPELS.
JOHN lets us KNOW that JESUS was NOT just a NORMAL HUMAN BEING.
HE was SOMEONE SPECIAL.
HE POSSESSED GREAT POWER. HE was GOD INCARNATE in the FLESH.
John 1:1-3 ‘In the beginning was the WORD & the WORD was with GOD & 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.’
& now as JOHN comes to this 1ST EPISTLE, of I JOHN he says:
‘I WANT you to not only BELIEVE; I WANT you to KNOW.’
CHURCH, there has NEVER been a TIME WHEN it was MORE IMPORTANT for us to KNOW WHAT we BELIEVE & to MAKE SURE that WHAT we BELIEVE is FROM the WORD of GOD & that it is RIGHTLY DIVIDED.
