“I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE” 1 John 5:13
FBCF – 8/27/23
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Don Wilton was my preaching prof at NOBTS – recently retired as pastor at FBC, Spartanburg, SC – Tremendous preacher/evangelist. Question I remember him frequently asking when he preached: “Do you know that you know that you know?” Know what? That you are secure in your relationship w/ Jesus Christ – that you possess the gift of eternal life – that you will go to heaven when you die.
There are a lot of things I would like to know:
- How to fly an airplane or helicopter
- How to call up a turkey
- How to play the guitar better
- Why all TV shows can’t be like the Andy Griffith Show
- Why we had such bad haircuts when I was a kid
- What the cure for cancer is – the cure for Alzheimer’s
Knowing these things may make me smarter, feel better about myself, increase my self-confidence, make me a more interesting person, make me happier & maybe make some other people happier. May even make the world a better place. But not a single one of these things even comes close to having the knowledge that I know that I know that I know that I have eternal life.
We Southern Baptists are known for our belief in “Once saved, always saved”, & rightly so. Why? B/c salvation, from beginning to end, is a God-thing.
- He’s the one who created us for fellowship w/ Him – Genesis 1:27
- …initiated the plan for that fellowship to be possible – Genesis 3:15
- …loves us so much that He would sacrifice His one & only, one-of-a-kind Son for us – John 3:16
- …calls us into that relationship w/ Him – Romans 8:30
- …empowers us to respond to that call – John 1:12
- …gives us the free will to be able to choose whether or not we will respond to His call on our life – John 3:36
- …places His stamp of eternal ownership on our lives when we respond to His call – 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14
- …keeps us in the palm of His hand where no one can snatch us out – John 10:28-29
- …gives us the grace & power to live our lives for Him – Titus 2:11-12
- …has prepared a place for us in heaven – John 14:2 – “I go & prepare…”
- …is coming again to get His children one day – John 14:3 - & if I go…”
- …to whom we will give all our praise & adoration for all eternity – Revelation 5:13
- HE IS THE ONE WHO DOES ALL THIS! SALVATION IS A GOD-THING FROM BEGINNING TO END!
“Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” (https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/#iv). So, you see that the security of our salvation is not based on who we are & what we do, but on who God is & what He has done & will continue to do on our behalf. It’s all about HIM!
EXPLANATION – 1 John 5:13
Don’t you want to KNOW that you have eternal life? Not HOPE you do – not THINK you do – but KNOW you do! Word “know” used about 38 times in 1 John. Used over 1000 times in the entire Bible. Means to have knowledge about something – either a casual, surface knowledge, or a deep, intimate knowledge – “…Adam knew his wife & she conceived…” (Genesis 4:1).
1 John 5:13 – The reason that we can truly know is b/c our salvation is not dependent upon ourselves – our performance, good works. If it was, then when we have a bad day & blow it, we won’t know if we are still saved. But b/c our salvation is totally dependent upon what Christ has done for us & purchased for us, then we can truly KNOW we are saved & secure in Him. “Our security in Christ is not our grip on Him, but His grip on us.” (David Smith - https://gracequotes.org/topic/salvation-assurance-source/)
APPLICATION – You can know that you know that you know you have eternal life!
It’s a wonderful thing to know that you have eternal life. Having this knowledge affects us in these ways:
TO KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT YOU KNOW BRINGS GREAT PEACE
Jesus Himself said:
- “Peace I leave w/ you; my peace I give to you…” (John 14:27)
- “I have told you things so that in me you may have peace…” (John 16:33)
The angels who announced Jesus’ birth told of the peace that we can possess in Christ.
- “Glory to God in the highest, & on earth, peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14 KJV)
The Greek word for “peace” implies “prosperity.”
- Some would have us believe this means material prosperity.
o “Name it & claim it” mentality
o If you’ll “pay your vow to God”, then He will give you financial wealth.
- “Prosperity” – “to be in a thriving condition.” To know that we know that we know places us in a condition to thrive spiritually. SO much more important than material prosperity! Having the assurance of our eternal life gives us the ability to concentrate on growing & prospering in our walk w/ Christ!
We’ve all had times in our lives when there just seemed to be no peace. And there will be other times like that in future.
- Can’t help that we live in a fallen world. All the craziness & turmoil in our world saps our peace sometimes. Our lives can get tainted w/ the effects of this world.
- Sometimes our lack of peace is our fault – Sin will cause us to lose our peace.
- Sometimes peace just feels to be unattainable.
But even in the most difficult of times, we can have deep, abiding peace b/c of the security of our relationship w/ Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
- Do YOU today have the true abiding peace that ONLY comes through Jesus?
TO KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT YOU KNOW MOVES YOU TO PRAISE GOD
Once had a friend who would call me, & every time I answered the phone, he would immediately say, “Praise God, brother!”
- At first, thought he was a bit too fanatical for me.
- But more I got to know him, the more I came to appreciate the fact that as a child of God who is secure in my relationship w/ Christ, I have a lot to praise God for!
- Knowing that we possess the assurance of eternal life ought to move us to say, “Praise God, brother” or “Praise God, sister” a little more often!
The heart of true worship is that we need to regularly & passionately express our deepest, more earnest gratitude to God for saving us completely & eternally!
- I don’t deserve my salvation – He gave it to me anyway!
- I can’t earn my salvation – He paid the price for me!
- I don’t completely understand & comprehend my salvation – He knows that & has saved me anyway!
- I can’t really adequately express my gratitude to Him for my salvation – He takes whatever I offer to Him from a sincere heart!
When you know that you know that you know, you’ll be moved to praise Him! Your heart will swell when you sing, “B/c He lives!”
TO KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT YOU KNOW GIVES YOU PURPOSE IN LIFE
So many people live purposeless lives. No meaning to their life or anyone else’s life. Full of emptiness, hopelessness, helplessness. Lives marked w/ worry, anxiety, lack of joy, lack of purpose. May have outward signs of purpose, but on the inside, there is a cavernous void. And that void is GOING to get filled w/ something.
- Substances that are abused – Can’t get high enough or drunk enough to find your purpose!
- Greed & incessant pursuit of money – Never enough!
- Sinful relationships of all kinds:
o Illicit premarital sexual relationships
o Illicit extramarital relationships
o Same-sex relationships & other lifestyles that are in opposition to the Word of God
o Gender confusion & choices
That void can only be truly filled by God. Blaise Pascal – “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ.” And when it IS filled by God through a relationship w/ Jesus Christ, you will then know that you know that you know that you have eternal life & truly find your purpose in life – to glorify God & have fellowship w/ Him.
- Westminster Shorter Catechism: “What is the chief end of man? To glorify God & enjoy Him forever.”
TO KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT YOU KNOW GIVES YOU A PASSION FOR THE LOST
What greater motivation could you & I have in sharing Christ w/ those around us than the wonderful knowledge that we have that we know that we know that we know that we have eternal life, & that we want THEM to know that, too!
- If we TRULY have been saved, then we will want to see others saved, too!
- If we TRULY have peace in our hearts b/c we have been saved, then our hearts will break when we see others who have no peace!
- If we TRULY are moved to praise God for our eternal life, then our praise of God should translate into obedience to God & move us to witness to others!
- If we TRULY understand that our purpose in life is found Jesus alone, then we will know that part of that purpose is to introduce others to this Jesus!
CONCLUSION – “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” – Don’t YOU want to know that you know that you know that you know that YOU have eternal life? Come to Jesus & be saved today!
