God's Parting Priorities in 1 John

1 John 5:13-21

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Series: The First Epistle of John

(Prepared February 16, 2024)

BACKGROUND:

*This is the last message in our series on the first epistle of John. Most of you know that one of God's biggest priorities here is for Christians to love one another with God's kind of agape love. John mentioned this kind of love 51 times in this short letter.

*But of course, God has other priorities for us in this wonderful letter, and John stressed at least three in today's Scripture. Let's begin by reading 1 John 5:13-21, and as we read, please think about God's priorities for our lives.

MESSAGE:

*Years ago, Mary and I took a trip to Florida for our wedding anniversary. Just after we left the gate in Orlando to fly home, the pilot turned the plane around. He told us that we had to go back, because one of the fuel pumps wasn't working. That sounded important.

*It turned out that we could still fly after all, because that plane had 6 fuel pumps, and it was safe to fly with 5. But obviously, some things are more important than others. If the arm rest falls off my seat, hey, no big deal. But if the wing falls off, that plane is going down.

*Some things are a lot more important than others. And we can see three of God's greatest priorities for us in today's Scripture.

1. FIRST: GOD WANTS US TO CALL ON HIM WITH CONFIDENCE.

*We see this priority in vs. 13-15 where John said:

13. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

14. Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

15. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

*How many times does the Bible command and encourage us to pray? I don't know for sure, but I know it's a lot. One example is Jeremiah 33:3 where the LORD spoke to the prophet and said, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."

*I also love the Lord's promises in Matthew 7:7-11. There Jesus said:

7. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

8. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

9. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

10. Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"

*Hebrews 4:14-16 also says this to Christians:

14. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

15. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

16. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

*Time after time, God tells us pray with confidence, because He will hear our prayers, and answer at the right time, in the right way.

[1] CALL ON GOD WITH CONFIDENCE BECAUSE OF HIS GREATNESS.

*We see His greatness in vs. 13 where John assures us that we have eternal life through Jesus Christ. There the Apostle said, "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."

*The cross of Jesus Christ is the greatest way to see God's love for us. Jesus took all the punishment for our sins when He died on the cross. Then three days later, Jesus rose again in everlasting victory over sin and death. Now our risen Savior will give His eternal life to everyone who will believe in Him, to everyone who will receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. What could be greater than that?!?

[2] CALL ON GOD WITH CONFIDENCE, BECAUSE OF HIS GREATNESS, AND BECAUSE OF HIS GOODNESS.

*Verse 14 tells us that "This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."

*Sometimes we might be reluctant to ask things according to God's will, but we shouldn't hesitate, because God's will is always good! We fall short every day, but God never does. He always does the right things, so in Romans 8:31-32 Paul asked, "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

*He surely will! So don't give up on your prayers, even when God's answer seems delayed or denied. God always answers our unselfish prayers at the right time, in the right way. I got a great lesson on this truth when we first got to McClendon Baptist in 1983. Back then, associate pastors lived in the parsonage right next to the church, and that's where we moved in September of that year.

*A few weeks later, I went out to get the paper: Barefoot, gym shorts on, cup of coffee in my hand. I started back to the door, and there was a vicious looking Doberman Pincher standing in front of me. He was crouched down low and growling. What was I going to do, hit him with my newspaper?

*After I talked to him a little bit, very nicely, he went back home next door. Boy that dog was mean! What was my first clue? His name was "Satan". "Nice doggy, good Satan." That doesn't sound right, does it?

*After I got back in the house, we thought, "Great, here we are: New neighbors. We've got a five-year-old, a two-year-old, and a mean dog next door named Satan. We didn't want to make enemies right off the bat, so we prayed.

*About two weeks later I was standing out in the parking lot talking to a missionary, who had parked his motor home there for the night. I looked up and here came this Doberman running across the parking lot toward us! No place to run. No place to hide. But instead of acting mean, this dog came up wagging his tail and licking my hand. I thought, "Praise the Lord! God has zapped that dog and changed his personality!"

*The next morning when I went to the office, he was lying on the mat by the door. I called my next door neighbor and told him that His dog was over at the church. He said, "No, -- my dog is sitting right in front of me."

*We couldn't find his owners, so we named the new Doberman, "Casey." He was about 20 pounds heavier than Satan. And one time they got in a fight. Casey didn't do any permanent damage, but he put a hurting on that other dog, and Satan never came in our yard again.

*God may not answer our prayers the way we expect. But He will answer our prayers at the right time, in the right way! That why we need to have great confidence, both in God, and in God's will. Again in vs. 14-15 John said:

14. Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

15. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

*For most of my life I thought, "Well that makes sense. If we ask anything according to God's will, of course He's going to answer." And I left it at that. But a couple of years ago the Lord led me to start praying more about things that are surely God's will.

*One example is from Matthew 9:37-38 where Jesus told His disciples: "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.' Church: We can know for sure that God wants us to pray this prayer, because Jesus has told us to do it. And God wouldn't tell us to pray for it, if He wasn't going to answer. So we can be absolutely sure that somehow, someway, God is going to answer.

*Now, almost every day I pray for more laborers in His harvest, and I use a world map to guide me. I call these "100 percent prayers," because God is sure to answer every one.

*Another favorite example for me is from Ephesians 5:25 where Paul wrote "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it." Men: There is no way we can do this in our own strength. So ask the Lord to help you love your wife like Jesus loved the church and gave Himself for it. Keep praying for it! God will surely answer those prayers, and over time, you will see some remarkable changes in your heart.

2. GOD WANTS US TO CALL ON HIM WITH GREAT CONFIDENCE. HE ALSO WANTS US TO LEARN THE LIMITS OF HIS PATIENCE

*This is the message for us in vs. 16-17, where John said:

16. 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.

17. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

*There are some very different viewpoints on these verses. Some people believe John was talking about the unpardonable sin. But that sin is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. And here John was talking about Christian brothers who had already been saved. Their sins had already been forgiven.

*Another viewpoint for vs. 16-17 is that John was talking about Christians losing their salvation. But Baptists believe in the eternal security of the believer, and we have strong biblical reasons to believe this. For example, John 3:36 says: "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.''

*In John 6:37-40 Jesus said:

37. "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

38. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

39. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.

40. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.''

*Jude 1:24-25 also says, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen."

*Also remember that John just gave us strong assurance of our salvation in vs. 13 when he said, "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."

*When John talked about "sin leading to death" in today's Scripture, he wasn't talking about losing your salvation. He was talking about people who had already received eternal life, and eternal life is eternal. But it takes patience to raise children. Anyone who's ever been around 2-year-olds knows this is true. Children need patience from their earthly parents. And God is very patient with His spiritual children. In fact, nobody is more patient than our Heavenly Father. But there are limits to God's patience, and He wants us to know it.

*John must have been talking about physical death when he wrote about a "sin leading to death." Some Christians must get so far off track that God cuts their physical life short to keep them from doing more harm. This view matches something Paul said when he taught about the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:28-32. There Paul said:

28. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.

29. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

30. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

31. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

32. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

3. GOD DEFINITELY WANTS US TO LEARN THE LIMITS OF HIS PATIENCE. AND HE WANTS US TO LIVE IN OBEDIENCE TO HIM.

*This is God's message for us starting in vs. 18 where John wrote, "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin. . ." A. T. Robertson pointed out that the tense of the original word means "whoever is born of God does not keep on sinning," so John was not talking about Christians living in total perfection. (1)

*We know this is true, because John never claimed to live a sinless life. Remember that in 1 John 1:8-10, the apostle said:

8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

*In today's Scripture, John was talking about Christians learning to live in obedience to God, growing in our faith, growing in God's grace, and being more like Jesus every day. This is why in vs. 18-21 John said:

18. 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.

19. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

20. 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.

21. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

[1] HOW CAN WE LIVE IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD? FIRST, WE HAVE TO GUARD OUR HEARTS.

*This is part of God's message in vs. 18 where John said, "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 original word for "keeps" in this verse had the idea of guarding something, paying attention to it, keeping your eye on it.

*God is reminding us here that we may be born again, but we have to guard ourselves so the devil can't get a strong grip on our lives. That's the idea behind that word "touch." John wasn't talking about a superficial touch. He was talking about the devil getting a stronghold in our lives, so we have to guard our hearts, and by God's grace we will!

*John gave a similar warning in vs. 21 when he wrote, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." He used a different original word for "keep" in vs. 21, but again, the basic idea was to be on guard. And this was very necessary because when John wrote this letter, demonic idols were worshiped all over the Roman Empire. (2)

*The sad truth is that millions of people in the world still worship demonic idols, especially in areas where Christ rejecting religions dominate the culture. Think about the nation of India where Hinduism is the major religion. In 2020, there were estimated to be almost a billion Hindus living in that country. And according to Hinduism, animals are not inferior creatures. They are manifestations of God on the lower scale of evolution compared to man. They believe each animal contains a spark of the divine, capable of becoming human and achieving salvation like people.

*Hindus worship many divinities in animal form. They believe that Lord Vishnu was incarnated upon earth first as a fish, then as a tortoise, next as a boar, and so on. The third day of the harvest festival 'Pongal' in Tamilnadu is the cattle thanksgiving day. People decorate and worship their cattle on that day. (3)

*Worshiping idols like that is not likely for Bible believing Christians, but other kinds of idols might creep into our lives. James Emery White explained that "Whatever you love most, serve most, seek out most, give to the most, worship the most, and care about the most is your little 'g' god. Your 'god' can be your career, your bank account, the way you look, a particular degree, influence, power, or pleasure. It can even be something that's essentially good. Your little 'g' god is anything that's more important to you than the real God. (4)

[2] THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO GUARD OUR HEARTS. BUT WE ALSO NEED GUIDANCE FROM GOD.

*That's what John is talking about in vs. 19-20, when he said:

19. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

20. 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.

*Christians: Jesus has come and given us understanding. Why? So we may know Him, be in Him, and have eternal life. God has given us guidance that we can always trust, because it is both sure, and it has saved us! Again in vs. 20, John said, "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."

*Our lives were changed from night into day when we got this saving understanding from God! Our lives were changed from night to day when we came to know God the Father in a personal way by receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

*In 1995, Christianity Today told the story of some Christian natives in the Amazon region of Peru. These tribal groups of the Bora people had only known Christ for one generation. Before that, they were fearful, aggressive, demon worshippers. Almost all of their contacts with outsiders were violent. They were even known to be cannibals.

*But many of the Bora were transformed by Jesus Christ. The men began to treat their wives and children much better. And yes, these believers had problems like Christians anywhere. But more than most people, they appreciated the difference that Jesus had made in their lives.

*Once an atheist anthropologist visited the Bora people, and he started criticizing the missionaries. He said, "Christianity is for the white man. -- You people should go back to your old religion and your old ways."

*One of the Bora church leaders who remembered the old ways looked at that man and replied: "Yes, -- And if we did, you'd be the first one in the pot!" (5)

CONCLUSION:

*But that man wasn't thrown in the pot, because the Bora were living in obedience to the Lord. That's the way God wants us to live!

*So as we close out this study of John's first epistle, let's renew our commitment to live by God's priorities. Christians: Call on God with great confidence, learn the limits of His patience, and learn to live in obedience to Him. Let's ask for God's help. And if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, call on the Lord to save you right now, as we go back to God in prayer.

(2) Sources:

-STRONG'S HEBREW AND GREEK DICTIONARIES - from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D. - Published in 1890; public domain. - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021

(3) Sources:

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_by_country

-http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/essays/animals.asp

-http://www.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_sacred_animals_of_Hinduism

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_in_India

(4) Sources:

-James Emery White, "You Can Experience an Authentic Life," - www.sermoncentral.com

-SermonCentral sermon "The Supremacy of Christ" by Ewen Huffman - Colossians 1:15 20

(5) SermonCentral illustration contributed by Harold Miller - Source: "Christianity Today" - Oct 2, 1995 - p. 29 - www.ctlibrary.com/ct/1995/october2/5tb026.html