Knowing for Sure -- 12/3/06 (Eternal Realities)

Sunday, December 3, 2006

KNOWING FOR SURE
Passages from I John

We have been dealing with a very crucial question: "How do you know your name is written in the book of life? How do you know that you are truly a child of God? You say that you believe in Jesus Christ, but how do you know that your faith is genuine?"

A person might say, "On the basis of the Word of God, I can say that when a person believes, he has life, and I believe." With that in mind, let me ask you a question. What was John’s purpose in writing the gospel of Jesus Christ according to John? Do you know? Do you know where to find the answer to that question? Who knows? Yes, we find it toward the end of John, specifically in John 20:30-31, "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." So why did John write this gospel? If you say, "In order that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God," you quit reading too soon. That is a means, but it is not the end. That is not the ultimate goal. So what is the ultimate goal of his writing? "That believing, you might have life through his name." The ultimate purpose of the gospel is that we might have life through Jesus’ name. Of course, in order to have that life, we must believe. That is why John is sometimes referred to as "The Gospel of Belief."

So if we believe in Jesus, we will have life through His name. Surely nothing could be clearer. But that still leaves us with the question: "How do I know that I truly believe?" But that isn’t the way we usually think of the question. We most often think of it in terms of the past: "How do I know that I truly believed?" So is it a matter of whether I believed in the past? Or does it matter if I believe now? It might seem that we are stirring up more and more questions. And make no mistake about it, these are very important questions.

But we want answers. So let’s turn to I John. You will recall that a couple of months ago we read I John in its entirety. This morning let’s come back to it. I trust that our reading of I John motivated you to think on some of the truth it contains. Would you come with me to chapter 5. Let’s begin by reading I Jn. 5:11-12, "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." That is almost a restatement of what we read in Jn. 20:30-31. But now come to 5:13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

Think with me about those words: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life." John tells us exactly why he has written this letter. He did so in order that we may know that we have eternal life. Some of you may recall that we find another statement of purpose at the very beginning of the letter. 1:4, "And these things write we unto you that your joy may be full." It is easy to see how these two purposes are closely connected. As we come to a deep knowledge that we have eternal life, our joy will be full.

So if 5:13 reveals that John has written these things in order that we who believe on the name of the Son of God may know that we have eternal life, then what are the things that he has written? What has John written that will enable us to know that we have eternal life through Christ? In other words, in these brief chapters what does John put before us that will give us assurance that we truly have eternal life? That is what we want to look at this morning.

We don’t have time this morning to go through a detailed look at the structure of this letter, but let’s do take a brief notice. After the brief introduction in 1:1-4, then we have a long section that stretches from 1:5 through 2:28. This section speaks of the Christian life as fellowship with God, and that fellowship is conditioned and tested by walking in the light. Then John lays out three things that test whether or not we are truly walking in the light. Then in 2:29 through 4:6, we have another section which views the Christian life as divine sonship (sons of God), and that sonship is subjected to the same three tests. To summarize, these three tests give us knowledge concerning whether or not we are walking in the light, and whether or not we have the life of God within.

So let’s take a look at those three tests. I am going to change the order a bit for a very specific reason, which I will mention shortly.


I. The Test of Belief (2:18-28 & 3:24b-4:6)

In reality, John saves this test for last. I am placing it first because of the specific need of our day. Most of us pass the belief test far more readily than the other two tests. So let’s read what John says about belief.

The basic statement of truth is in 1:5, "This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." So with that in mind, now come to 2:18-25…
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 20. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 21. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 24. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. 25. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

Now let’s come right to the heart of what John says. John says that the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ is a liar. In denying that Jesus is the Christ, he is denying both the Father and the Son. For he that denies the Son does not have the Father. That is some very strong language. So the test of belief is very simple – do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the God-anointed One sent by the Father into this world.

The second section of this letter begins at 2:29, "If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of him." Notice that phrase "born of him." All through 2:29-4:6 we see this theme. Twice in 3:9 we find that phrase "born of God." 3:15 speaks of "eternal life abiding in him." Now the focus is upon the divine life within. The test of belief concerning this divine life is found in 3:24b-4:6…
And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. 1. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 4. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

It is the Spirit of God who assures us that the Lord Himself abides within us. But then John immediately gives a warning. "Don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God. Why? Because many false prophets have gone out into the world. And so what is the test? 4:2-3, "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." The key question is this: Do you believe that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh?

You must understand that in that day there were many false prophets who were teaching that Jesus was not truly a human being. Oh yes, He appeared to be so, but it could not be said that He was a man, even as I am a man. This teaching was threatening the church. That is why John states so clearly that the Spirit of God lives only in those who truly confess that Jesus has come in the flesh, that He is indeed a human being.

Now we won’t spend much time here. Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, promised of God and sent by God into this world? Do you believe that the Jesus the Father sent is truly man? Most of us pass the belief test with flying colors. We affirm that we do indeed believe those truths. So let’s move on.

II. The Test of Obedience/Righteousness (1:6-2:6)

I hope that you are very familiar with this passage. We have read it many times on Sunday morning and I trust you have spent much more time with it on your own.

So how do you know if you are walking in the light? What does John mean when he says that God is light? It is the very nature of God to reveal Himself and to expose everything He has made. That’s what light does—it reveals and exposes. Since God is light, He longs for those He has created to walk in that light. To walk in the light is to walk with God.

After stating that God is light and in Him is no darkness (1:5), John then immediately acknowledges that it is possible to say we have fellowship with Him, that we walk with Him, when it isn’t true. As a matter of fact, to do so is evidence in itself that we are not walking in the light. Light and lying can never go together. Lying is in the realm of darkness, not light. John is echoing what Jesus said in Matt. 7:21, "Not everyone that says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven…" In the same way, there will be people who claim to have fellowship with God but who do not. Those people are walking in darkness, not in the light.
There are many who claim to walk in the light but who do not truly walk in that light. And that is
the very reason John lays out these tests.

By the way, it is a wonderful thing to walk in the light, even as God is in the light. According to vs. 7, those who do so have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses them from all sin. To walk in the light destroys the barriers between me and my brother and between me and God. Question: "Does the blood of Jesus Christ cleanse us from all sin?" Not necessarily. It depends. Depends on what? It is dependent upon us walking in the light. Notice the word "if." "If we walk in the light… the blood of Jesus… cleanses us from all sin."

We don’t have time to go through all of this, so let’s just focus on 2:3-6…
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Notice the focus on knowing, which speaks of assurance. We see it in verse 3 and then again in verse 5. "This is how we know that we know him… This is how we know that we are in him." So how do we know? We know we know Him, if we keep His commandments. We know that we are in Him if we keep (obey) His Word. Again, notice that there will be those who say, "I know him" but who do not keep His commandments. John gives no assurance to such a person. The assurance is for the one who obeys the Lord’s commandments, who keeps His Word. The love of God is perfected in that person.

Notice especially verse 6, "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he (Jesus) walked." Bluntly, "The person who calls himself a Christian ought to live like Jesus lived." That is the message of God’s Word. As I have mentioned before, there are two ways to take these words (heard this from Zac Poonen’s "Better Covenant" series; either tape 1 or 2). On the one hand, I can see it as a heavy burden. "Imagine that, God expects me to be like Jesus. That’s impossible. I will always fail. How can He be so hard on me?" Or, we can take it even as John Wesley did. Wesley’s attitude was something like this: "Wow! What a promise! God tells me that I can walk even as Jesus walked. I would have never thought it possible, but God’s Word has awakened that possibility in me. Praise God!"

One thing is clear from 2:3-6, assurance comes as I obey the Lord, as I keep His commandments. If you aren’t afraid to mark in your Bible, highlight that word "know," which is found in verse 3 and then again in verse 5.

And now let’s come on over to chapter 3. Again, in this section John is dealing with the test of sonship. How can I know that I am a child of God, that I have His life within? If you are a student of God’s Word, I don’t have to tell you that when we come to the third chapter of I John, we encounter a very strong message. This is not for the fainthearted; it is not for people who are content to play religious games. If these words don’t get our attention, it is because we have hardened our hearts to God. So let’s read it in I John 3:1-10…
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 4. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

We must confess that this is a difficult passage of scripture to understand. Believers have wrestled with this passage down through the ages. And why is so difficult? First of all, because on the surface, it seems to contradict I John 1:8-2:2, where we read that the person who says he is without sin is a liar and makes God a liar. And then John tells us he is writing these things so that we will not sin. If a believer cannot sin, then why does John urge his readers not to sin? The second problem is our own experience. Who can profess to know the Lord, look at himself in the mirror, and then say "I cannot sin, because I am born of God"?

A number of interpretations have been suggested through the years. We could spend a great deal of time weighing those variations, but here is the great problem with that approach. We tend to choose an interpretation that takes the teeth out of the scripture. In other words, we pick and choose until we find an explanation that costs us nothing. We tend to explain away difficult passages such as, "If any man wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." And, "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." And, "How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God. For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye that for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" (Lk. 18:24-25). This is another one of those passages. We explain it and explain it until it loses its sting.

So this morning I am not going to give you a great deal of explanation. Let’s take a few days to live with the tension and ask God to speak to us through these words. Before we ask Him to satisfy our minds with an explanation, let’s ask Him to deal with our hard hearts. Whatever the Spirit is saying through John in this passage, there are a few truths that cannot be questioned…

1. There is a great danger that we will be deceived in this area. Vs. 7, "My little children, let no man
decieve you…"
2. Every human being is either a child of God or a child of the devil (vs. 10). There is no room in
between.
3. Sin and righteousness are violently opposed to one another, even as God and the devil are violently
opposed to one another.
4. Our one Model is Jesus Christ, in whom is no sin (vs. 5).

Let those truths sink into your heart. Read this passage again and again. Go back and compare it with 2:3-6. If the Lord gives you insight and you would like to share that insight, come talk to me or drop a note in the suggestion box; I would genuinely like to know how the Lord is leading you. (By the way, names are very helpful. Without a name, you may never get a response).

Conclusion

That is where we are going to conclude this morning. We need some time to chew on what we have studied this morning. Lord willing, next week we will deal more fully with 3:4-10 and then come to the third test of I John. If you don’t know what that third test is, I challenge you to find it. It is not hidden. If you read I John, you can’t escape it. The tests are belief, obedience (=righteousness), and ________. When you find what this third test is, spend some time thinking on it.

I want to give you one more question to think on. What does John mean by the term "righteousness," as used in 2:29, 3:7, and 3:10? We know it comes from the word "right" and we have a general idea, but give it some thought. What is involved in this "righteousness"?