Pastor’s Bible Class Thomas Road Baptist Church
Series: Praying the Book of Acts and I John
Dr. Elmer Towns
Lesson 3: Assurance in I John September 16, 2007
A. INTRODUCTION
1. Why John wrote the letter.
a. No introduction/salutation, no names, no geography.
b. Has family emphasis.
c. Begins like Gospel of John.
d. Has themes of John, love, regeneration, light vs. darkness.
e. Early church belief.
2. Key word Know (32 times).
What Can We Know About Jesus
- That Jesus came into the world (5:20).
- That Jesus was human (4:3).
- That Jesus did not sin (3:5).
- That Jesus is righteousness (2:29).
- That Jesus came to take away sins (3:5).
- That Jesus lives in us.
- That Jesus shall return for us (3:2).
- That we will be like Jesus when He returns (3:2).
3. Jerry Falwell said, “You can know, that you know, that you know.”
First know – observation and experience
Second know – rational or logical
Third know – internal knowledge from God
4. What does John tell us about our relationship to Christ?
- We can know that we know Him (2:3).
- We can know when we are in Him (2:5).
- We can know spiritual truth (2:20; 5:20).
- We can know we’ve passed from death into life (3:15).
- We can know the Holy Spirit is greater than demons (4:4).
- We can know our love for others (5:2).
B. HOW CAN YOU KNOW YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD?
Why People Doubt Their Salvation
- Sin in their life.
- Ignorance.
- Taught wrong doctrine.
- Never saved.
1. You can know when you meet the requirements of the Bible.
a. “This is the record that God has given us life” (5:10, KJV).
b. The unbelievers reject scripture, “He that . . . believeth not the record
that God gave us His Son” (5:10, KJV).
Know the Roman Road of Salvation to Heaven
- Know that you are a sinner (Rom. 3:23).
- Know that God will punish your sin (Rom. 6:23).
- Know that Christ died for your punishment (Rom. 5:8).
- Know that believing in Christ will save you (Rom. 10:9; John
1:12).
2. You can know when you have the Son. “He who has the Son has life, and
he who does not have the Son, does not have life” (5:12).
a. Jesus came to forgive your sins.
b. Jesus comes to give you eternal life. “These thing have I written to you
who believe on the Son of God . . . that you may have eternal life”
(5:13).
3. You can know when God answers your prayers.
a. God has said He will not honor the prayers of the unsaved. “We know
that God heareth not the prayers of sinners” (John 9:31). “If I regard
iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Ps. 66:13). “Your
iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden
His face so that He will not hear” (Is. 59:2).
b. God knows what you need before you ask (Matt. 6:8). Your Father will
answer when you ask (John 14:13-14).
c. Your prayers being answered points to your salvation. “This is the
confidence that we have . . . that if we ask anything according to His
will He hears us” (5:14).
4. You can know when you love other Christians.
a. Jesus expects us to love others. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself” (Matt. 22:39).
b. “We know we love God and He loves us, when we love the children of
God and keep His commandments” (5:1-2).
5. You can know when you do not practice sin on a regular basis.
a. God knows you will sin. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1:8).
b. God expects us not to sin. “My little children, these things I write to
you so that you may not sin” (2:1).
c. God automatically forgives us when we sin while we’ve trying to live
for Him. “If we walk in the light . . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son,
(automatically) cleanse us from sin’ (1:7). This cleanses our account in
Heaven.
d. God expects us to confess our sin. “If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1:9). This restores our earthly
fellowship.
e. If you continually practice sin, you probably are not a believer. “If
anyone sees his brother sinning a sin [which does] not [lead] to death,
he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not
[leading] to death. There is sin [leading] to death. I do not say that he
should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not
[leading] to death. We know that whoever is born of God does not
(continually practice) sin; but he who has been born of God keeps
himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.” (5:16-18).
6. You can know when you recognize all outside Jesus are lost.
a. “We know that we are of God, when we realize the whole world lies
under the sway of the wicked one” (5:19, ELT).
b. Most unsaved people think they and everyone else have a chance of
Heaven after death.
7. You can know when you have spiritual understanding.
a. Unsaved people are spiritually blinded. “The god of this world hath
blinded the minds of the unsaved” (II Cor. 4:3).
b. We know that the Son of God has come and giveth us an understanding
that we may know Him that is true” (5:20).
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
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