Confident, Prayerful and Conscientious

Sam Williamson

Jesus Followers • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

1 John 5:5–21

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Claim - We can live godly (prayful and obedient) lives, confident of eternal life through Jesus, because God is truth!

Focus -

Focus - Jesus gives us great confidence to live eternally in relationship with God

Focus -

Function -

Function - To make us confident in Jesus, so we live a life of prayer and obedience.

PRAY

It’sour last Sunday in 1 john.

I trust that you, like me, have bee challenged and excited by this book.

And as we reach our final section, we shouldn’t be surprised by what John concludes with.

As he writes to a church being torn apart by false teachers, by anti-Christs, who are denying who Jesus was and what he did, he ends as he began, by telling his readers, and us today...

It’s all about Jesus!! Nobody and nothing else can make sense of this life.

Nobody and nothing else can give you a loving relationship with the one true God.

Nobody and nothing else can give you Joy,

let you into the light,

free you from darkness,

make you a child of God,

forgive you of sin,

set you on a path of love and obedience to the almighty creator.

Nobody and nothing else, Just Jesus!

SO, if there is one thing we need to remember and be changed by from 1 John, it is this.

Be Confident to pray

Be confident in prayer (UYnfathomably Power)

1 - Be confident in Jesus

2 - Be confident in Jesus (Confident Prayer)

That is our first point today, but it is also our second point.

Be confident in Jesus (Unquestionable

3 - Be confident in Jesus (Catastrophic Alternative)

Be confident

1 - Be confident in Jesus (Certain Truth)

2 - Be confident in Jesus

4 - Be confident in Jesus (Conscientious Life)

3 - Be confident in Jesus (Catastrophic Alternative)

and our 3rd and 4th

4 - Be confident in Jesus (Conscientious Life)

1 - Be confident in Jesus

2 - Be confident in Jesus

3 - Be confident in Jesus

4 - Be confident in Jesus

Our whole series is called Jesus Followers. That is the only way to be a true, a real Christian. To know and follow Jesus! And so, it is absolutely central and crucial to know that we can be confident in Jesus!

There are subheadings to our 4 points, so lets go through them now

1 - Be confident in Jesus (Certain Truth)

In the jewish tradition at this time, legal disputes were expected to be settled by a minimum of 2 witnesses.

Deuteronomy 19:15 NIV

One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Deuteronomy 19:15 NIV

One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

So as John closes, he wants no dispute in the church about the trustworthiness of who he claims Jesus is.

1 John 5:6–8 NIV

1 John 5:6–7 NIV

1 john 6-7

The Spirit is fairly straight forward as a witness, we understand that from what John has already taught us.

1 John 5:6–10 NIV

This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

The Holy Spirit lives in every true Jesus Follower to confirm that Jesus is trustworthy.

He is who he says he is.

In fact, the Spirit is described as ‘Truth’.

Just like God is Love,

as we saw last week in 4v6,

where you cannot know true love at all unless you know God,

so it is with truth.

You cannot know real truth, without knowing the Spirit.

The world speaks nothing but lies,

in that everything that the world teaches still leads to separation from God,

for all eternity.

But, the Spirit speaks nothing but truth.

Because everything the Spirit reveals leads to life,

eternally, with God.

Because he always shows us Jesus,

by allowing us to understand the truth from the bible, the sword of the Spirit.

The water and the blood as witnesses is slightly less obvious,

Water and blood are the 2 elements typically used to represent 2 key events in the life of Jesus,

and we still remember them today using the same elements.

Water reminds us of Jesus Baptism,

and today we still use water to baptise Jesus Followers.

Blood reminds us of Jesus death on the cross,

and we still drink wine at the Lord’s Supper to represent His blood shed for us.

But the reason they both testify to the truth of Jesus,

is because at each of those events,

Jesus Baptism and His death, an extraordinary thing happened that not only is impossible to explain away if you were there, but they also teach us something incredible.

extraordinary things happened

that were impossible to explain away, if you were there,

but they also teach us something incredible.

Matthew 3:16–17 NIV

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

The water of Jesus Baptism reminds us that Jesus is the Son of God, confirmed by God himself, and demonstrated by the Spirit.

I saw this stuff happen, John has been telling us throughout his letter. The water, testifies to the truth of Jesus’s deity. (he is God).

Ask anyone who was there - there would be plenty still alive who witnessed it.

And then, ON the cross, Jesus died and his blood was shed. Why?

1 John 3:16 NIV

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

1 John 3:16 NIV

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Because he loved us and wanted to set an example for us.

But how does dying show his love?

1 John 2:2 NIV

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

He took the punishment we deserved before God for turning our back on God.

WOW,

But what is the testimony, how do we know this declares the truth of Jesus? JOhn could be making all this up.

Because, Jesus didn’t stay dead!

John 20:11–16 NIV

John 20:11–18 NIV

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

People don’t rise from the dead,

Mary looked at Jesus and thought he was the gardener,

becasue Jesus was dead!

For Mary, context of a living man is so different from a dead man!

People dnBut He did rise, so his blood does testify to the truth of who he is!

But he did rise from death, and hundreds of people saw him!

Be confident in Jesus - there is ‘Certain Truth’

His baptism declares certainty,

1 joh 5

His death and resurrection declares certainty!

The Spirit declares certainty.

Don’t fight the witnesses, embrace them!

1 John 5:9 NIV

We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.

V9 SAYS...

You Believe what you read in the papers, you believe our judges, you believe all sorts of human testimony, and often without much real assurance or knowledge of the subject!

You can trust God who is Truth can’t you!?

Be Confident in Jesus. He is certain truth.

And this is the joyful truth that the water, blood and Spirit testify to...

1 John 5:11–12 NIV

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

1 John 5:11 NIV

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Nobody and nothing else, Just Jesus! Be confident in Him.

1 John 5:13 NIV

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Be confident in Jesus - be assured, KNOW, that you have eternal life in him.

The truth of Jesus is certain, the water, the blood and the Spirit of God all testify to him.

KNOW that you have eternal life.

John’s logic then seems to develop on these lines...

Eternal life starts now, but until Jesus returns again,

we do not see him face to face, and we do not have an easy life.

So, we need to pray.

2 - Be confident in Jesus (Confident Prayer)

Being confident in Jesus, means we can be confident in prayer, let me explain..

1 John 5:14–15 NIV

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

We’ve heard it before in 1 John, Pray and you will receive. But again, this is not a genie in the lamp prayer, rub the lamp and God will grant you 3 free wishes.

3 - Be confident in Jesus (Catastrophic Alternative)

This is SO MUCH BETTER!

My youngest boy, Zeke, would ask for steak and chocolate cake for every meal,

and if I was a genie I’d give it to him. But the results would be he’d get fat and constipated!

John is not saying, have confidence when you pray and that confidence means you’ll get what you want.

Or have enough faith when you pray and God will answer.

NO - God granting us our will is the last thing we really want as Jesus Followers, even if we can’t see it at the time.

Jesus Followers want the almighty creator, who loves us enough to die in Jesus,

who is preparing us for a joyful eternity with him,

we want HIM to answer our prayers according to HIS WILL!

Zeke will thank me one day for not allowing him to eat his chosen diet, but even if he doesn’t his consequences will be nothing compared to praying self-centredly rather than god-centeredly.

To paraphrase John Stott, a well known theologian,

‘Prayer is not about bending God’s will to ours, but about bending our will to God’s.

Pray, confident that: God loves you in Jesus,

and will answer your prayers for your good.

Every prayer we pray should echo Jesus’ prayer before his death. “Not my will, but Your will Father”

What a joy, what confidence, why wouldn’t we pray, knowing that God will answer, and answer for our eternal benefit.

Be confident enough in Jesus, to pray according to God’s will, confident that God will answer in His way.

Our 3rd point

3 - Be confident in Jesus (Catastrophic Alternative)

John now gives us an example of confident prayer that is in line with God’s will. in v 16

The New International Version Chapter 5

If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life.

What a refreshing prayer this is,

full of confidence in Jesus,

full of love for our fellow believer

and because we know it is god’s will for Jesus followers not to sin,

and he promises that we will be able to deal with our sin as the years go by with the help of the Spirit,

we know God will answer.

I wonder how many times we have prayed this sort of prayer for each other out of love.

Because we want them to enjoy Jesus more?

WE might pray that they see the error of their ways so that we can say ‘I told you so’,

or so we can puff ourselves up -

but this prayer is out of love, so that they receive life - more of God. - forgiveness.

But there is a twist in the tail here.

You see we have 2 choices,

1 - to Be confident in Jesus, to receive life,

to enjoy the loving prayers of others and to benefit from the loving Father’s answer to those prayers…or

2 - v16b-17

v16b-17

I say it’s refreshing because, normally

There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

4 - Be confident in Jesus (Conscientious Life)

The sin that leads to death, in the context of John’s letter,

is not a step to far in disobedience to God.

It’s not 1 too many bad thoughts about Gordon or Demelza.

It is what John has been going on about all through his letter - it is to deny that Jesus is the Saviour.

That sin, that rejection of God’s truth, can only lead to death, not life.

Probably more than that, he is talking about the anti-christs,

those that not only don’t believe,

but who persistently teach against Jesus, leading others astray.

Who have not only ignored God,

but have waged war against his love

and want to take as many others down with them as they can.

For them John suggests, there is no promise from God that they will receive life.

They have tasted the goodness of God and spat it back in His face.

You see, to not be confident in Jesus leaves you with a catastrophic alternative.

It is to face an eternity without a good and loving God.

If you don’t have confidence in Jesus today,

then please, trust Him.

Follow Him,

acknowledge him,

enjoy his love,

and join his family.

If you don’t, you have been warned.

We will pray for you, but your destiny is not in our hands, it is in yours.

I don’t thing John is saying we shoudln’t pray for people who

Be confident in Jesus or face a (Catastrophic Alternative)

Our final point -

4 - Be confident in Jesus (Conscientious Life)

I said it this morning and I’ll say it again now -

I’m rather sad to reach the end of 1 John,

and I for one, don’t want to go away unchanged by this great Word of God.

And nor does John.

And nor does John. So here is his final summary.

As a church, as a congregation, as a couple, as a family, what will the rest of our lives look like?

As a church, as a congregation,

as a couple,

as a family,

what will the rest of our lives look like?

Here is John’s final conclusion -

As a church, as a congregation, as a couple, as a family, what will the rest of our lives look like?

The New International Version Chapter 5

18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin;

We will conscientiously fight sin, work at our obedience to Jesus, not in our own strength but....

the One who was born of God (Jesus) keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.

We are captured by a better vision than this world has to offer.

that this world has to offer. We look at Jesus who saves us and protects us. What confidence we can have in Jesus.

We look at Jesus who saves us and protects us.

What confidence we can have in Jesus.

19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

We don’t have to chase the dreams of this world,

we don’t have to look good in this world,

we don’t have to prove anything to this world,

becasue this world belongs to the devil.

From this day forward we will be accountable only to our loving saviour Jesus.

We will work hard for him alone.

We will strive to please Jesus, we can have joy. Be confident in Jesus.

20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

What a great verse full of circular truth.

It’s as if John has just been Zorbing down a treacherous hill but realised he’s been protected on every-side, despite the jars a jolts, nothing could get to his heart.

Here is a picture of a zorb incase you have no idea what I’m talking about.

Jesus has given us understanding through his death,

he has saved us and given us the Spirit of truth.

That truth confirms our faith in Jesus.

That faith in Jesus through the truth gives us eternal joyful fellowship with God the Father.

We are in there.

The trinitarian nature of God surrounds us, protects us on every-side.

Our minds,

knowledge,

savlation,

love,

protection,

life

eternity!

Round and round they circle us in this life: God almighty, showing a personal interest in each of us!

Nothing can penetrate the zorb of God around us!

There is really just one thing to say as John enjoys this little picture of us encircled by God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and God the Father.

21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

Let nothing capture our dreams,

visions,

attention,

desires,

plans,

attitudes,

prayers,

time,

thoughts,

hobbies,

other than Jesus.

Keep yourselves from idols,

form anything that denies the TRUTH of Jesus who gives us life in God.

What a simple summary, and what a simple motto for us all here at Grace Church.

Be confident in Jesus!

Dear Friends, keep yourselves from idols, by being confident in Jesus.

PRAY

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