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.
There are TWO very WRONG MISCONCEPTIONS of TODAY:
1: It DOESN’T MATTER WHAT one BELIEVES as long as they are SINCERE in WHAT they BELIEVE.
That is a BIG MISUNDERSTANDING:
The PHARISEES were SINCERE in their ABUNDANCE of LEGALISTIC BELIEFS but they were NEVERTHELESS WRONG! They MISSED it!
Matthew 15:14 the words of JESUS ‘If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall in the ditch.’ They are NOT EXCUSED!
2: HOW can WHAT YOU say YOU KNOW be any MORE IMPORTANT than WHAT I say I KNOW.
It’s YOUR TRUTH verses MY TRUTH. In the end there really isn’t ANY REAL TRUTH.
But here is JOHN this morning, TELLING US that there is TRUTH & we CAN KNOW that WHAT we BELIEVE is the TRUTH.
We don’t have to BELIEVE SOMETHING SINCERELY for YEARS & then DISCOVER at the JUDGMENT that we were WRONG & that it was ALL in VAIN.
• For instance, there is ONLY ONE WAY to HEAVEN & that is THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
That is NOT BEING ARROGANT or MEAN SPIRITED. It’s the TRUTH.
JESUS said: “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, & the LIFE; no man comes to the FATHER but by ME.’
JESUS is NOT A WAY to HEAVEN. JESUS is the ONLY WAY to HEAVEN.
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JOHN is telling us that it is IMPORTANT that we have FAITH in the RIGHT THINGS.
It is NOT GOOD to WANDER ABOUT with SEEDS of DOUBT in our MINDS when we can KNOW.
I Peter 1:10 “Wherefore the rather, brethern, give diligence to make your calling & election sure, for if you do these things, you shall never fall. (stumble)
PETER says it is IMPORTANT for us to BE SURE & to make our ELECTION & our CALLING SURE & he says there are SOME THINGS we can DO to MAKE SURE that HAPPENS.
II Corinthians 13:5 ‘Examine yourselves, as to whether you are in the faith, prove your own selves, how that JESUS CHRIST is in you, except you be reprobates.’
IF JESUS CHRIST is in us THEN PROVE IT!
How long has it been since we have SINCERELY EXAMINED OURSELVES?
JESUS CHRIST IN US:
Lots of PEOPLE will ARGUE that we have to be IN THIS or IN THAT to BE SAVED.
BELOVED what MATTERS is NOT WHAT we are IN but WHO is IN US:
Colossians 1:27 “CHRIST in you, the hope of glory….’
There is MORE to KNOWING we are SAVED than simply GOING THROUGH the MOTIONS of RELIGIOUS ROUTINES & EXERCISES.
So here in the BOOK of 1st JOHN, he goes into DETAIL as to WHAT is INVOLVED in KNOWING.
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In the GOSPEL of JOHN he EXPLAINS what it MEANS to be BORN AGAIN.
That TERM – BORN AGAIN 1ST APPEARS in John chapter #3:
CHRIST is MEETING with a MAN named NICODEMUS who COMES to HIM SECRETLY in the DARKNESS of the NIGHT.
JESUS tells NICODEMUS:
John 3:3 ‘…Verily, Verily, I say unto you, ‘Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.’
Now that’s SERIOUS.
We NEED to FIND OUT WHAT being BORN AGAIN IS & WHAT it CONSISTS OF. AMEN?
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Let us go to 1ST John & let’s LOOK at SOMETHING that is REALLY SPECIAL.
This is ONE of those THINGS that you FIND in the BIBLE that just JUMPS OUT at you.
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There are FIVE DIFFERENT TIMES in this SHORT BOOK of 1ST JOHN where JOHN MENTIONS WHAT it MEANS to be BORN AGAIN or to be BORN of GOD.
& in EVERY PLACE where JOHN uses the TERM – BORN of GOD – he gives us a TEST that we are to APPLY to OUR OWN LIVES to DETERMINE whether or not we are TRULY BORN of GOD.
In other words If you WANT to KNOW WHAT a CHRISTIAN LOOKS LIKE this is HOW you can TELL.
ARE WE READY?
JOHN LISTS FIVE WAYS to DETERMINE if a PERSON is REALLY a CHRISTIAN.
WHAT it IS to be BORN of GOD & WHAT a PERSON LOOKS LIKE that has been BORN of GOD.
These are FIVE very CLEAR PASSAGES that SPEAK about being BORN of GOD, being BORN AGAIN.
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A BORN AGAIN PERSON WILL PASS EACH ONE of these TESTS.
#1: I John 5:1 listen to what it says:
‘Whosoever believes that JESUS is the CHRIST is BORN of GOD & everyone that loveth HIM that begat (GOD) loveth HIM that is begotten of HIM.’
WHOEVER BELIEVES that JESUS is the CHRIST is BORN of GOD.
NOTICE how POSTIVE JOHN is.
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Now, the 1ST TEST we have to TAKE is the FAITH TEST.
THE FAITH TEST: THE FAITH TEST:
If we DO NOT BELIEVE that JESUS is the CHRIST then we CANNOT BE BORN AGAIN –or BE a CHRISTIAN.
WHAT does it MEAN when it says that JESUS is the CHRIST?
The WORD CHRIST MEANS the MESSIAH. HE is the PROMISED ONE.
This VERSE says, ‘WHOEVER BELIEVES that JESUS is the CHRIST; that PERSON is BORN AGAIN or is BORN of GOD.
John 1:12-13 ‘But as many as received HIM, to them gave HE power to become the sons of GOD, even to them that believe on HIS name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of GOD.’
JOHN tells us that IF we are CLAIMING to BE a CHRISTIAN then there is a TEST we NEED to TAKE. It is CALLED the FAITH TEST.
WHAT do we BELIEVE?
We CANNOT BE a CHRISTIAN WITHOUT BELIEVING SOMETHING!
WITHOUT BELIEVING in SOMEONE!
We DON’T BECOME a CHRISTIAN by GOING to a CHURCH SERVICE or BECAUSE we SING in the CHOIR.
THOSE THINGS DO NOT MAKE US a CHRISTIAN anymore than STANDING in the FOREST MAKES US a TREE.
We GET to HEAVEN by PLACING OUR FAITH in JESUS CHRIST.
This is a VERY STRONG --- DOCTRINAL PASSAGE:
Turn to 1st John chapter 4 where JOHN TEACHES US --- WHAT it IS --- to BELIEVE that JESUS is the CHRIST.
1ST John 4: 1-3
‘Beloved; believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of GOD; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the SPIRIT of GOD, every spirit that confesses that JESUS CHRIST is come in the flesh is of GOD. & every spirit that confesses not that JESUS CHRIST is come in the flesh is not of GOD; & this is that spirit of the antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come; & even now already is it in the world.’
Let’s EXAMINE this PASSAGE of SCRIPTURE CAREFULLY.
JOHN was WRITING this LETTER DURING a TIME when there was a CERTAIN PHILOSOPHY that was SWEEPING through his GENERATION. It was a PHILOSOPHY called AGNOSTISM.
It was very SIMILAR to the NEW AGE DOCTRINE being TAUGHT TODAY.
There were SEVERAL THINGS they BELIEVED & they VARIED from GROUP to GROUP & from PERSON to PERSON.
A FEW of THEIR BELIEFS:
1: It BELIEVED that ONE CANNOT PROVE the EXISTANCE of GOD.
2: AGNOSTICS DID NOT KNOW for SURE that JESUS was the SON of GOD.
3: Another IDEA was JESUS is the CHRIST but HE HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN the CHRIST. When HE was BAPTIZED CHRIST came into JESUS’ BODY.
CHRIST means THE MESSIAH or THE PROMISED ONE.
They TAUGHT a LOT of WEIRD & STRANGE THINGS.
4: If there WAS a GOD then HE could ONLY be REVEALED to a VERY FEW INTELLECTUAL PEOPLE.
5: The AVERAGE PERSON COULD NOT KNOW whether he was SAVED or NOT.
This SPIRIT of AGNOSTISM was BATTLING HARD AGAINST the CHURCH:
& JOHN was WRITING to not only ENCOURAGE US; he was WRITING to STRAIGHTEN OUT SOME of the PROBLEMS that were going on in that TIME.
NOTICE CAREFULLY THIS TEST:
The FAITH TEST:
This TEST REQUIRES a CONFESSION or an OPEN DECLARATION that JESUS IS the CHRIST regardless of WHAT OTHERS SAY.
WE are NOT ASHAMED to CONFESS JESUS CHRIST PUBLICLY!
Do we BELIEVE this morning that JESUS is the CHRIST, the SON of the LIVING GOD & that HE is GOD in the FLESH?
That is HOW we BEGIN to KNOW that we are a CHRISTIAN.
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LOOK at these PHRASES in the 4th CHAPTER of 1ST JOHN:
JOHN TEACHES us of the PRE-EXISTANCE of CHRIST.
He says: Verse #2: ‘HE IS COME in the FLESH.’
WHAT does that MEAN?
That MEANS JESUS did NOT START when HE was BORN in BETHLEHEM as a BABY but HE CAME to BETHLEHEM having ALREADY BEEN in EXISTANCE.
HE was INCARNATED in HUMAN FLESH.
HE was BORN in the WOMB of MARY but HE DID NOT BEGIN in the WOMB of MARY.
HE was GOD WALKING ABOUT in a PHYSICAL BODY.
HE was NOT a SAVOUR ----- HE is THE SAVOUR.
LOOK AGAIN at 1ST John 5:11-12
‘& this is the testimony that GOD has given to us eternal life & this life is in HIS SON. He who has the SON has life & he that has not the SON of GOD does not have life.’ POSITIVE STATEMENT of BELIEF:
IF we HAVE JESUS IN OUR HEART:
IF we BELIEVE that HE IS the SON of GOD:
Then we have PASSED the FAITH TEST.
BUT there is MORE!
TEST #2:
THE LIGHT TEST:
Once again we see this BORN of GOD passage.
I John 2:29 ‘If you know that HE is righteous, then you know that everyone who practices righteousness is BORN of HIM.’
Some other passages:
I John 3:7 ‘Little children, let no one deceive you, he who practices righteousness is righteous just as HE is righteous.’
I John 3:10 ‘In this the children of GOD & the children of the devil are manifest. Whoever does not practice righteousness is NOT of GOD nor he that does not love his brother.’
SIMPLE ISN’T IT?
Now in this BOOK of 1st JOHN there are a NUMBER of PLACES where if we READ it CAREFULLY we will SEE THIS:
It is FOUND 8 TIMES this PHRASE:
‘IF WE SAY”
IF WE SAY
IF WE SAY
JOHN is saying:
It is EASY to WALK AROUND SAYING a BUNCH of SPIRITUAL STUFF.
We CAN SAY a LOT. (I BELIEVE that JESUS is the SON of GOD)
BUT if WHAT WE SAY does not MATCH the WAY we LIVE then SOMETHING is WRONG.
If we SAY ONE THING & then LIVE ANOTHER THING
If we SAY that we BELIEVE that JESUS is the CHRIST & then we LIVE as if HE nor HIS WORD EXISTS then SOMETHING SERIOUS is WRONG with OUR EXPERIENCE.
We CANNOT be BORN of GOD & LIVE OUTSIDE of HIS WORD.
I John 1:5-6 ‘This then is the message which we have heard of HIM, & declare unto you, that GOD is light, & in HIM is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with HIM, & walk in darkness, we lie, & DO NOT KNOW the truth.’
BELIEVING in JESUS is the 1ST STEP but IT IS NOT the ONLY STEP.
The DEVIL BELIEVES WHO JESUS IS:
JOHN is NOT TELLING US that we BECOME a CHRISTIAN or that we BECOME BORN AGAIN through RIGHTEOUS & OBEDIENT LIVING.
We would be BOASTING on US & WHAT WE DID:
The FOCUS would be ENTIRELY ON US.
But JOHN is TELLING US that WHEN we are a CHRISTIAN – WHEN we are TRULY BORN AGAIN we WILL LIVE RIGHTEOUS & OBEDIENT LIVES.
We LOSE the DESIRE to LIVE CONTRARY to the WORD of GOD
We INHERIT a DESIRE to PLEASE GOD with the WAY we LIVE OUR LIVES.
We DESIRE that JESUS CHRIST be SEEN IN US & THROUGH US.
A PERSON BORN of GOD has had a SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION on the INSIDE.
JESUS told NICODEMUS. John chapter 3
You CANNOT SEE the WIND BLOWING
But you CAN SEE the EVIDENCE of the BLOWING WIND. TREE BRANCHES SHAKE & SWAY with the BLOWING of the WIND.
& that is the way it is with the SPIRIT of GOD LIVING WITHIN US.
NO ONE can SEE the SPIRIT of GOD LIVING WITHIN US but they CAN SEE the SPIRIT of GOD as it MANIFESTS ITSELF.
The SPIRIT of GOD will LEAVE ITS TRACKS!
If we COULD BE SAVED & NOT BE CHANGED then SOMETHING is WRONG!
SALVATION has a POWERFUL IMPACT UPON OUR LIVES.
SALVATION will BRING ABOUT SOME CONVICTIONS in OUR HEARTS & MINDS.
WE DON’T FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING SOME THINGS.
TEST #2:
IF we are BORN AGAIN – BORN of GOD --- it will BE EVIDENT by the WAY we LIVE!
SONG CHILDREN SING in GLEANERS:
If we’re SAVED & we KNOW IT Then our LIVES will SURELY SHOW IT
2 Corinthians 5:17 ‘If any man be IN CHRIST he is a NEW CREATURE. Behold OLD THINGS have PASSED AWAY & behold ALL THINGS have BECOME NEW.’
If you’re SAVED & you KNOW it Then YOUR LIFE will surely SHOW IT
If you’re SAVED & you KNOW it, Say Amen!
JESUS said it this way:
Matthew 5:16 ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works & glorify your FATHER which is in heaven.’
