Series: 1 John
Week: 15
Passage: 1 John 3:19-24
Title: Confidence in the Truth
Focus: Confidence
1 JOHN 3:19-24
19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Illustration: Cross-country State Championships my senior year of high school
T: …I knew the truth, I knew without a doubt that I was in the right spot and that truth brought intense confidence in what lay ahead. This is what John is talking about in this passage…
Introduction:
By this – “this” points back to v18, “let us not love in words or talk but in deed and truth” – fruit of the truth – we are in the truth because we love as Christ loved us (v16)
Reassure - also translated “convince” or “persuade”
Heart – cardia – one of most common words in NT, 156x (916x in LXX)
- inner self, conscience, seat of moral and intellectual life, emotions and passions
- whole of the inner being of a man in contrast from his physical or external side
This is Christ’s entire point in the “Sermon on the Mount”
UNDERSTANDING GOD’S TRUTH BRINGS CONFIDENCE (v19)
T: This morning we’re going to look at 3 areas in which we can gain confidence…
MP#1: We Have Confidence Against Condemnation (v20)
1) Explanation: God is greater than our faulty hearts
i) Our Heart Condemns
(a) whenever – lit. “since” – notice that John does not say, “if” – but he assures us that our inner self WILL condemn us for our mortal actions, it’s only a matter of when
(b) condemn – this means to convict of wrongdoing, to see accurately – it occurs only 3 times in the NT, twice here and once in Galatians
1. Galatians 2:11 – “But when Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.”
Paul confronts Peter for hypocrisy. It is evident in this case that Peter is wrong, his actions are seen accurately in Biblical light by Paul.
ii) God is Greater than our Heart
(a) our hearts know our lies, God knows the truth – our hearts know the darkest part of ourselves, God knows the beauty of his creation - our hearts know us well, but God knows all things well
Psalm 77:13-14 – “Your way, O God is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your might among the peoples”
Psalm 89:6-7 – “For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?”
Psalm 149:4 – “For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; he adorns the humble with salvation”
(b) Turn to Isaiah 6:4-8 – Isaiah sees his frailty, but has his lips touched, his guilt taken away and his sins atoned for, in the next verse God calls him and he jumps into action – When God cleanses us he no longer sees who we were, but who we are – Jesus takes our guilt and atones for our sin and now God sees the beauty of his saint
(c) Adam was a sinner, Noah was a Drunk, Abraham was a liar, Moses a murderer, David battled depression, Jonah was a coward, Peter denied his savior, Paul murdered those who confessed Jesus Christ as Lord – Titus 3:3-5, “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit”
2) Illustration: Martin Luther before the Imperial Diet of Worms in April of 1521
i) Luther's appearance at the Imperial Diet was described as objective, clever and well thought out. He had to appear before the Emperor twice; each time he was clearly told to take back his teachings. Luther didn't see any proof against his theses or views which would move him to recant: "Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God."
3) Application:
i) Understand Your Standing Before God – this brings confidence.
We will fail in life, but we are not failures.
(a) John speaks over and over again in this letter of God’s “abiding” in us and of our “abiding” in God. 1 John 1:5 – “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all”. If we abide, if we dwell within God and there can be no darkness in Him, then we cannot be darkness. Rise up, be encouraged! You have overcome darkness by faith in Jesus Christ.
(b) Hebrews 10:11-14 – Turn there and Read
(c) God calls us wise and restored, holy and blameless (1 Cor 1:30), chosen (Eph 1:4), complete (2 Cor 12:9), new creations (2 Cor 5:17), loved (1 Thes 1:4), His children… His masterpiece (Eph 2:10).
4) Questions:
(believer) Do you know your identity in Christ? (non-believer) Do you know Christ?
T: Because we know God’s truth we can stand against the condemnation not only of the world, but the condemnation of our own hearts. This knowledge of our victory through Christ brings us to a confidence in the power of prayer…
MP#2: We Have Confidence in Prayer (v21-22)
1) Explanation: Prayer is effective when we align ourselves with God’s truth
i) We are Heard (v21) – confidence is a public courage, boldness, openness of speech
(a) John touches on this again in 1 John 5:14-15, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
ii) We Are Answered (v22)
(a) whatever we ask – this sounds really good right? But it’s not a blanket statement, we must align ourselves with the will of God – look again at 1 John 5:14-15
(b) we receive – when we are aligned with God’s will our desire is for His will, not our own earthly comfort
(c) James 1:5-8 – "5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
(d) keep his commandments and do what pleases him – His commandments are given that we might live in agreement with His will. This is what is best for us and this is how we gain confidence in His answers
2) Illustration:
i) I’ve never heard the audible voice of God, but I’ve heard God speak and I’ve seen him answer prayer in undeniable ways…
3) Application:
i) Prayer is the most powerful and effective weapon in our spiritual arsenal. It is our direct access to God. Not only is it an opportunity to communicate to God, but we get to communicate with God.
4) Questions:
i) How is your prayer life? What keeps you from praying? Is it a feeling of hopelessness/uselessness?
T: If we, then, have the confidence to stand before our God in prayer, knowing that we will be heard and we will be answered, it helps us to understand the communion we have with God through the Holy Spirit.
MP#3: We Have Confidence In Communion (v23-24)
1) Explanation: The Spirit assures us of our place with the Father and the Son
i) Communion comes by Obedience (v23)
(a) His commandment – John shows us that belief cannot be a blanket statement
(b) belief must have a particular substance, John tells us specifically what belief is. Not all roads lead to Rome. We discussed this a few weeks back (1 John 2:26-27), this statement of objectivity roots out all other world religions from foundational biblical ground (Judaism, Islam, Hindu, Hare Krishna, Mormonism, etc.)
(c) John says that pleasing God and having confidence in his truth comes from two things – believing in Jesus Christ and loving one another – FAITH AND LOVE
1. Matthew 22:37-40 – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
ii) Communion is Evident by the Spirit (v24)
NT – HS = comforter, intercessor, he empowers us with gifts and for good works, enacts God’s regeneration and sanctification
(a) He in him – God abides in the man or woman who keeps these commandments
(b) by this – points back to the keeping of “His commandments”.
(c) by the Spirit – the work of the Spirit is the means by which we know that God abides in us and we in him
1. James 2:24 – “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
2. Isaiah 64:6 – “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment [filthy rags].” – we cannot perform good works only the spirit moving through us.
2) Illustration: If I were to plant an apple tree I would study how to plant the tree, I’d read instructions, figure out where the best place to plant it would be, what type of fertilizer to apply, how much water it needs, how long to let it grow before harvest – I’d follow the instructions. If I follow the instructions then I would see the fruit. I wouldn’t be the one who actually MADE the tree grow. I would simply follow the instructions and enjoy the natural fruit.
3) Application:
i) We must remain faithful to our calling through the Word and allow the Spirit to bear fruit in our lives
(a) If we abide in the Father, and He in us we will be different, we will be changed – we cannot overwhelm the spirit with our own will or desire – think again about Titus 3:3-5. John hits on this constantly in this letter – how many weeks have we discussed this? How important then must it be?
(b) John has already talked about this earlier in the chapter (3:9)
(c) 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
4) Questions:
i) What is God calling you to do today? Are you ready to do it? Are you ready to “walk the walk”?
CONCLUSION: Rest Assured in the Confidence of God’s Truth
Illustration:
During the first part of the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco (1933-37), no safety devices were used, and 23 men fell to their deaths. For the last part of the project, however, a large net which cost $100,000 was employed. At least 10 men fell into it and were saved. But an interesting sidelight is the fact that 25 percent more work was accomplished when the men were assured of their safety!
Application:
When we remain confident in our standing before God, in our communication with him, and in the fact that we are changed then our actions will speak for themselves.
1 JOHN 3:19-24
19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;
20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.
21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
