1 John 5:18-21 (NKJV)
“The Legacy of Truth”
February 11, 2024
INTRO: A legacy is something passed down from the past, such as from an ancestor or predecessor. A legacy is something that is passed on, such as faith, ethics, core values, assets, character, reputation, or life. A legacy can be the sum of a person's accomplishments, actions, and values that resonate with others. A person's legacy can also be a measure of how others think, say, and act as a result of knowing them. John teaches we must leave a legacy of truth. Jesus said to those which believed on Him, “If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
I. The Truth about Sin v18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
The Gk. verb in v. 18 means “does not practice sin.” Christians do not keep themselves saved, but they do keep themselves out of the snares of the devil. “Keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude 21). Paul teaches For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But, the believer no longer has the burden of sin. The believer no longer has the punishment of sin. The believer is no longer bound by sin. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We are not immune to sin but we can keep ourselves, so the wicked one does not touch us. James says that If we resist the devil he will flee. If we walk according to the light and the darkness can do us no real harm. The verse teaches that we are secured against sin, against the fulness of its dominion or the fulness of its guilt: We know that whosoever is born of God (and the believer in Christ is born of God, v. 1) sinneth not (v. 18), sinneth not with that fulness of heart and spirit that the unregenerate do (as was said ch. 3:6, 9), and consequently not with that fulness of guilt that attends the sins of others; and so he is secured against that sin which is unavoidably unto death, or which infallibly binds the sinner over unto the wages of eternal death; the new nature, and the inhabitation of the divine Spirit thereby, prevent the admission of such unpardonable sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit!
II. The Truth about the Sway v19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
God’s people must keep their eyes wide open because the whole world “lies in the lap” of the wicked one. Satan is the god of this age and the prince of darkness. He has blinded millions of people spiritually and has kept them in bondage. They do what they do because they are under his sway. Knowledge of this truth is coupled with the conviction that we know that we are . . . of God. This assurance (founded for each believer on God’s testimony [5:9-13]) is accompanied by a realization that the whole world is under the control of the evil one (cf. v. 18). John was seeking in these summarizing statements to reinforce the readers’ consciousness that they are distinct from the satanically controlled world system and basically free from its power. They need not listen to the worldly ideas advanced by the antichrists (3:7-8). Nor need they succumb to worldly desires (cf. 2:15-17). And because we are fortified against the devil’s destructive attempts: He that is begotten of God keepeth himself, that is, is enabled to guard himself, and the wicked one toucheth him not (v. 18), that is, that the wicked one may not touch him, namely, to death. It is an indication of our power by virtue of being born again. We are thereby prepared and principled against the fatal touches, the sting, of the wicked one; he touches not our souls, to infuse his venom there as he does in others in the world systems. Satan may sometimes get too far with us, to draw us to some acts of sin; but it seems to be the design of the apostle to assert that our regeneration secures them from such assaults of the devil. Though he may inflict the body he can do us no real harm. ILLUS: Father and Son in a truck with a bee… the stinger is in my hand and he can do you no harm!
III. The Truth about the Son of God v20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
The coming of the Son of God has granted to believers an understanding which makes possible a knowledge of God. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. This is the true God and eternal life. This is eternal life that we know that the Son of God has come! With this grand affirmation of the deity of Christ, John concluded that we know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true. We have “the real thing”! John was probably writing to believers in the city of Ephesus, a city given over to the worship of idols. The temple of Diana, one of the wonders of the ancient world, was located in Ephesus, and the making and selling of idols was one of the chief occupations of the people there (Acts 19:21–41). Surrounded by idolatry, Christians there were under tremendous pressure to conform. The tragedy of idolatry is that a dead image can do a worshipper no good because it is not genuine. An idol is a lifeless, useless substitute for the real thing. But because we have met the true God, through His Son Jesus Christ, we are in contact with the Truth. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life!” He is the Original; everything else is a copy. He is authentic; everything else is only an imitation. Jesus said, “I and My Father are one.” Do you remember when the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father and then we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and you do not know Me yet, Philip, nor recognize clearly who I am? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.” It is a great happiness to know the true God, to know him in Christ; Because He is God, He has the power to forgive my sin, save my soul from the pit of hell and grant to me everlasting life.
CNCL: v21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. There are forces or systems in this world that have positioned themselves in high places. There are people in this world who have gain positions of high authority and influence. These are the idols of today. Keep yourselves from idols. There is only one God and He is a jealous God. He said in Exodus 34 that His name is Jealous and He will have no other god before Him. There are some that wear emblems around their neck that they believe have power. If you put your trust in a trinket, you have made it an idol. If you put your trust in a politic, you have made it an idol. If you have put your trust in a vaccine, you have made it an idol. If you put your trust in a government or any man-made system. You have made it an idol. Some of us have lifted our children to an unhealthy status and yes we have made them an idol. We must never forget that man and everything that comes from him was born in sin and shapen in iniquity and has the quality of an idol. Only Jesus was nether born in sin nor shapen in iniquity because He was born of God and not of Man! ILLS: There is an old horror flick that I used to watch with my dad called “Creature Feature” (Theme Music: doom, doom, doom, boom da doom, doom doom). They used to hold up a cross to scare the enemy away. I come to tell you today that the enemy is not afraid of your necklace, he is afraid of Him who died on that cross but now lives in the believer!
