A Confident Life in Jesus.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] I have your Bibles go ahead and open them up to first John chapter 5 we’re [0:03] going to be finishing [0:05] our series on first John this morning starting in verse 13 of chapter 5 but I [0:10] do want to [0:11] make you aware [0:13] before we get into that that

[0:15] uh… the cow tipping series which starts August 4th is preceded by [0:19] a series on the local church called Big Sea Little Sea and that starts next week [0:25] and for three weeks I’m gonna ask that those of you that call village home as [0:29] well as those of you that maybe are just checking us out if you’ll give us the [0:33] next three weeks I will take those three weeks and talk [0:37] about what we believe about the role of the local church in your life we’re

[0:42] going to talk about things uh… [0:44] such as can you follow Jesus and not be a part of the local church what should [0:49] your commitment level be to [0:50] the local church how does God grow the universal church through [0:54] the local church uh… and what part [0:57] does the community of the church play specifically in your life as a believer

[1:02] I think it’s going to be three of the most important weeks of the life of the [1:07] village church [1:07] just expressing what we believe and what you should believe about God’s church [1:12] but most importantly what does God say [1:14] about his church he makes some [1:16] amazing claims about the church Jesus goes as far as to say that the keys to

[1:21] the kingdom of heaven are held [1:23] by the church [1:24] and we’re next week specifically we’re going to talk about what he means by [1:27] that [1:27] uh… and and how [1:30] possible to follow Jesus

[1:31] and not love his bride [1:34] the church because I mean frankly [1:36] you can tell me you like me all day but as soon as you say something bad about [1:39] my wife we’re through bro [1:42] and then you’re going to be walking out [1:44] with a limp

[1:47] but uh… [1:48] and frankly [1:50] uh… oftentimes we we say we love the Lord but we say all sorts of terrible [1:55] things about his wife [1:56] and his wife is the church of Jesus Christ [1:59] and so for the next three weeks starting next Sunday we’re going to talk about

[2:03] Jesus’s bride [2:04] whom he passionately pursues and whom he passionately [2:08] loves [2:09] uh… so please make every effort to be with us for the next three Sundays [2:14] as we go through that [2:16] and in the middle of that uh… we’re going to deal with things like church

[2:19] membership but on July twenty seventh [2:22] on Saturday morning we’re going to spend three hours talking about membership [2:26] matters [2:26] where we unpack really what church membership is like at village church [2:31] we’re going to spend a few hours for those of you that they call this place home and [2:34] those of you that want to be members here

[2:36] we’re going to talk about our doctrine we’re going to talk about our philosophy [2:39] of ministry we’re going to [2:41] uh… talk about our leadership we’re going to talk about uh… how we make [2:44] decisions around here [2:46] we’re going to talk about all those interesting things that you probably [2:49] wonder

[2:49] that go on behind the scenes [2:51] during the week here we’re going to spend a few hours unpacking that with [2:55] you guys and i’m really [2:55] excited about that so on saturday morning July twenty seventh between nine and [3:00] twelve child care will be provided by the way [3:02] uh… please come out especially if you want to be a member here

[3:07] uh… from this point forward [3:08] to be a member at village church you will have to attend [3:12] a membership matters class are planned right now is to do that four times a [3:16] year [3:16] so if you are currently a member or desire membership [3:21] you will need to come to the membership matters class and i’ll just go ahead and

[3:25] get over with on july twenty seventh i mean sooner is way better than later [3:28] right [3:29] so so come on out to that now [3:31] first john chapter five let’s go ahead and read the text [3:34] starting in verse [3:36] thirteen

[3:37] uh… i really believe that between verses six [3:41] and verse twenty one we talked about six to twelve last week but between six [3:45] and twenty one [3:46] john is putting a book and on the end [3:49] of first john and i he is summarizing for us really [3:52] the impact that everything that he’s been talking about so far

[3:56] is to have on our lives if we are followers of jesus christ [4:01] and so i think that these are some of the most important [4:04] verses in scripture you’ll notice that john isn’t going to end this [4:08] the way that that many new testament authors in their books he’s not just [4:12] saying hi to certain people [4:14] he’s not just you know saying take care of this person or that person

[4:17] but john ends this book on a high note i mean he continues to preach [4:22] how they’re supposed to live to the very [4:25] last verse of this bible [4:26] uh… excuse me of this letter and then it’s kinda like a chris rock thing where he [4:30] just drops the mic and walks off the stage [4:32] he’s done

[4:34] uh… so let’s go ahead and read starting in verse thirteen [4:37] i write these things to you who believe in the name of the son of god [4:40] that you may know [4:42] that you have eternal life [4:44] and this is the confidence that we have toward him [4:47] that if we ask anything according to his will

[4:49] he hears us [4:51] and if we know that he hears us and whatever we ask [4:54] we know that we have the requests [4:56] that we have asked of him [4:58] if anyone sees his brother committing a sin [5:01] not leading to death he shall ask and god will give him life

[5:06] to those who commit sins that do lead to death [5:09] there is a sin that leads to death [5:11] i do not say that one should pray for that [5:14] all wrongdoing is sin [5:17] but there is sin [5:19] that does not lead to death

[5:21] we know that everyone who has been born of god [5:25] does not keep on sinning [5:27] but he who was born of god protects him [5:30] and the evil one does not touch him [5:33] we know that we are from god and the whole world lies in the power of the [5:37] evil one

[5:37] and we know that the son of god has come [5:40] and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true [5:44] and we are in him who is true [5:46] in his son [5:48] jesus christ [5:49] he’s the true god in eternal life

[5:52] little children [5:53] keep yourselves [5:55] from idols [5:56] pray with me [5:57] father

[6:00] lord when you call us [6:02] to faith in your son jesus christ [6:05] we come and we are given life [6:09] you transform us [6:10] and you call us to an obedience [6:13] that without the power of your holy spirit is impossible

[6:17] i pray that over the next few moments that you would teach us your word [6:21] holy spirit i ask that you speak through me [6:25] lord i pray that over these moments that you would soften our hearts and that the [6:28] gospel would come alive in us and you would create in us [6:31] a desire for you that we had not previously known [6:36] that you would give us a desire and love for you in your word that would help us

[6:40] to leave here and live a life that is completely changed [6:44] that is radically transformed [6:46] in which we desire to take your good news to the ends of the earth [6:51] lord teach us today [6:53] in the name of jesus i pray [6:56] first john over the last thirteen weeks we’ve seen it’s the story of the

[7:01] legitimate life [7:02] john is writing to the church of jesus in order that those who are seeking to [7:06] follow jesus will do so in truth [7:08] he wants them to know truth from lies and obedience from disobedience [7:13] we’ve seen throughout this book that there were false teachers that had [7:16] infiltrated the church

[7:17] and who are seeking to lead christians astray [7:20] and what john is doing here is he’s using his authority as one who physically [7:24] walked with jesus on this earth [7:26] and really if you read the gospels john was basically the best friend of jesus [7:31] christ during those years of ministry [7:33] and he uses that authority

[7:35] to define the legit [7:37] christian life [7:38] he defines jesus [7:40] faith [7:42] love truth forgiveness [7:44] redemption

[7:45] and obedience [7:46] now last week when we covered verses six through twelve of chapter five it [7:51] revealed the trustworthiness of god’s witness through jesus [7:54] that he’s god in his miraculous life and his sacrificial death and resurrection [7:58] reveal a work of god on our behalf that brings redemption from sin [8:02] to give us a new life that has been reconciled to god

[8:05] we live in light of that living to believe god above all others because we [8:10] believe that he has brought us [8:13] eternal life [8:14] to bring first john to a conclusion john continues down this path of believing [8:20] god [8:20] he’s going to continue down that same road

[8:23] and he’s going to really turn it though to go from a simple belief [8:27] to a firm confidence [8:30] five times in this text you’ll see that he uses the phrase we know [8:34] after he uses the word confidence [8:37] and his goal then [8:38] is to help us and aid us as believers as he has turned us towards

[8:43] obedience and understanding truth of jesus [8:46] to continue to believe to continue to know [8:50] and to have a firm confidence that’s unshakable [8:53] by any false teacher or any situation that comes to us in our lives [8:58] so that we will know that god is for us and not against us but also [9:02] so that we will know that god is in absolute control of everything that goes

[9:07] on in life [9:09] to finish he basically summarizes all that he has testified to [9:13] and charged the readers in the church to live out in their lives [9:17] the first thing that we’re going to see this morning in this text [9:20] really point number one is that confidence in jesus [9:24] leads to a desire for his will

[9:27] absolutely everything else [9:29] the first text [9:30] uh… verse thirteen he says i write these things to you who believe in the [9:34] name of the son of god [9:35] that you may know [9:37] that you have eternal life

[9:40] many says and this is the confidence [9:42] that we have toward him that if we ask anything according to what according to [9:46] his will [9:48] he hears us [9:49] so confidence in jesus [9:51] is gonna lead us to a life that is lived

[9:55] for jesus [9:56] this threat of confidence we’ve seen a few times [9:59] in the passage of first john we’ve seen in chapter two verse twenty eight [10:03] chapter three verse twenty one in chapter four verse seventeen just to [10:06] give a few examples and i want to read those texts as we conclude [10:11] he says in chapter two verse twenty eight and now little children

[10:14] abide in him so that when he appears we may have confidence [10:18] and not shrink back excuse me and not shrink from him [10:22] in shame and his coming [10:23] in chapter three verse twenty one john writes beloved if our heart does not [10:28] condemn us [10:29] we have confidence

[10:30] before god [10:32] in chapter four verse seventeen he writes by this is love perfected with [10:37] us [10:37] so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [10:41] because as he is so also are we [10:45] in this world

[10:47] notice that there’s two things that all these passages have in common [10:52] it’s a confidence that is for something [10:54] but secondly it is a confidence that’s going to cause [10:58] something in your life [10:59] it is for the realization that we will stand before god and be judged [11:04] that our only hope

[11:06] is to be found believing in jesus [11:09] john writes this book [11:10] so that you will have an understanding that there is coming a day [11:14] that you will stand before the god that created you [11:17] there is coming a day [11:19] where you will stand face to face with the god of the universe and you will

[11:23] stand in judgment [11:25] and john writes especially in chapter two there [11:27] as well as chapter four [11:28] that when you stand before him he desires that you will not shrink back [11:34] in shame [11:35] that you will not have a dread and a terror

[11:39] of the day that you will meet the creator of the universe [11:43] but rather he wants you to stand before him [11:46] in full confidence [11:48] that he is the god who loves you and redeemed you [11:52] when jesus came he says in the book of john john records that as well [11:55] that he came for

[11:58] judgment [11:58] in other words when jesus went to the cross he went on your [12:02] behalf [12:03] you have sinned against god i have sinned against god [12:07] we are born as sinners we are born into a sinful world [12:11] the realization is that all of that sin is ultimately against god

[12:17] because sin has no definition that doesn’t begin with it is a rebellion [12:21] against that which god expects from us [12:24] and all of us have done it [12:26] but jesus says that he came [12:29] in order to take the judgment against your sin onto himself [12:32] to take the penalty for your sin onto himself

[12:35] and john says that the purpose of his writing the book of first john [12:40] is so that when you go before god you will not fear judgment but you will go [12:45] understanding [12:46] that your judgment has already taken place [12:49] that the judgment that you deserve for your sin was laid onto jesus and that [12:54] jesus took the penalty

[12:55] friend if you’re a follower of jesus this morning if you’ve trusted in him [12:59] for salvation [13:00] you have absolutely nothing to fear whereas being judged by god is concerned [13:06] because god has laid all of the judgment for sin that you would have endured onto [13:11] his son jesus christ [13:12] therefore i’ll tell you right now as a follower of jesus christ

[13:16] i cannot wait for the day that i stand before the god who created me [13:21] it is a joyful thing to me [13:24] that i have the privilege one day of meeting face to face [13:28] the god who created me and also the god who died for me jesus christ [13:33] i’m not in fear of judgment [13:35] because i have faith that jesus endured judgment for me

[13:42] friend you can have that joy too [13:44] if you’ll trust in the name of jesus christ [13:49] so it is for [13:51] something [13:52] that we should have confidence [13:54] but note also in the text

[13:56] that he writes that it should cause something [14:00] to happen [14:01] in our lives and what it should cause is a complete change [14:05] in our lives in which we go from fearing god [14:09] and dreading him in terror [14:13] to trusting god

[14:14] in love [14:15] and obedience [14:17] that the judgment that god laid on jesus christ completely frees us [14:22] from shame [14:23] there’s no more shame that i have to endure for my sin [14:26] there’s no more guilt

[14:27] that i have to go through in my life [14:30] that is really credible [14:32] none of it’s all invalidated rather [14:34] by [14:35] jesus christ and his death on the cross [14:37] and his resurrection

[14:39] but his resurrection brings the hope of a new life it brings the hope of me and [14:45] having a new start in which we now have god’s power in our lives [14:50] to actually live the way that we were designed to live [14:54] and what’s interesting though [14:56] is what john is going to use [14:59] as an evidence

[15:00] for the change [15:02] that is caused by confidence in jesus [15:06] that he uses [15:07] look at the text again [15:12] he says in verse thirteen and this is the confidence we have toward them that [15:15] if we ask anything

[15:18] he immediately begins to say that our confidence will translate into a [15:23] relationship [15:25] with god [15:26] it will translate into [15:28] our speaking [15:29] to god it will translate into our dependence upon god for everything that

[15:35] we have [15:36] because we know that if this god is the one who’s forgiven us [15:40] if this god is the one who empowers us then we are not to live as independent [15:45] creatures with our own strength but rather we’re to continuously go to the [15:50] source of forgiveness to the source [15:52] of our confidence in the source of our new life and empowerment

[15:57] god himself [15:58] he says that if we ask anything according to his [16:01] will [16:02] he hears us [16:03] and if we know that he hears us [16:07] and whatever we ask

[16:08] we know that we have the request that we have asked of him [16:12] it’s a very interesting phrase because he says that if we ask anything according [16:16] to what [16:17] his will [16:19] i don’t know about you but I’m a sinner [16:22] I’m a sinner my name’s Steve

[16:24] and the reality this morning is that there are quite often times [16:28] when i believe that my wisdom trumps god’s [16:31] when i believe that i know what i need more than god knows what i need [16:35] that i believe that i know what i can handle more than god knows what i can [16:39] handle [16:39] and so i go about begging god for things that i never

[16:43] and so in those moments we’re caused great doubt and we’re caused great [16:49] insecurities [16:49] because we think well doesn’t the scripture say that if i ask anything in [16:53] the name of jesus he’ll give it to me [16:55] doesn’t the scripture say that if i delight myself in the lord he will give [16:59] me the desires of my heart

[17:01] man i really do have some desires that haven’t really banked out for me [17:06] the reality is is that often times we are in our sinful nature that we haven’t [17:12] experienced the glorification of being in heaven yet that in my sinful nature i [17:16] can really create some desires in me that god had nothing to do with [17:21] i can create some desires for material possessions and maybe even health and [17:26] and a spouse and and certain things with my kids and certain things with my house

[17:30] and certain things with my family that god never intended in the first place [17:34] but rather [17:35] the confidence that i have in jesus is to create in me a life in which i trust [17:42] him so implicitly i trust him so completely that i believe that he has my [17:49] best interests at heart whatever it is that he brings into my life and i seek [17:56] not to conform him to my will but rather that i’d be conformed to his will

[18:03] dr danie aiken puts it this way [18:05] the fundamental characteristic of all truly christian prayer [18:09] is that the will of the person who offers the prayer should coincide with [18:14] god’s will this does not mean that if the believer is sincere god will answer [18:19] his prayer sometimes our desires are not god’s desires for us sometimes what we [18:25] want is not what our heavenly father wills faith will accept that god’s will

[18:30] is best and it will trust his plan and purpose even if it does not understand [18:37] at the time [18:39] there are so many moments in my life and and i know enough of you to know there [18:44] are so many moments in your life where you do not know what god is doing to you [18:50] or with you [18:51] you do not understand you cannot even see dimly down the foggy path that god

[18:58] is taking you in your current situation of your life [19:02] dr charles spurgeon the prince of preachers one of my heroes once said that [19:08] in moments when we cannot see the hand of god we must trust his heart because [19:15] one thing that i know the gospel proves in our lives it is that god is for us it [19:23] is that god is not against us god loves us as his children he desires what is [19:30] best for us but as the sovereign god of the universe in absolute control we must

[19:37] as his loving children submit to his will and know that he has our best [19:42] interests at heart even when we do not understand prayer then is an outpouring [19:48] of confidence in god through his revelation of reconciliation through [19:53] jesus through jesus god reveals that he desires to forgive sin and restore our [19:59] relationship to him and through that we have a trust that god is for us he’s [20:04] taking away all the offense that we have caused him and now we can know him and

[20:09] trust him in faith through jesus we can have a relationship with god and the [20:14] confidence that first john reveals and the effects that it has on our lives we [20:18] understand that our desires will begin to change as we follow jesus in trusting [20:25] god we then want what he wants your relationship with god is about this [20:32] loving respect and loving trust that you have with the god of the universe that [20:37] you follow him that you trust him and in prayer here’s the reality that as you

[20:43] grow in your knowledge of god and your understanding of god so you will grow in [20:48] your requests of god so will you grow in your prayers to god love my wife my [20:58] beautiful bride more than I did the day that I met her I understand her more as [21:04] well I understand things that I shouldn’t do any longer sometimes I still [21:11] do them I understand what attitudes it should not have I understand what [21:17] actions that she doesn’t approve of and because I love her imperfectly I seek to

[21:27] change as my knowledge of her grows so does my conversation with her so [21:35] understanding of one another continues to grow as our marriage and our [21:40] relationship grows as the seasons change as god brings things into our lives and [21:45] out of our lives we know each other more and more and I’m sure there are so many [21:50] marriages in here that are so much further down the path than mine is that [21:53] can explain even more so how much more will get to know each other over the

[21:57] next few decades but here’s the point in your loving relationship with god for [22:07] your prayers to continue to grow and be conformed to his will friend will you [22:13] not seek to know him more do you not think that god has given you indicators [22:19] as to what his will is do you not know that through the person and work of [22:23] Jesus Christ that he’s given us examples as to how to pray examples as to how to [22:28] live and examples how to live as those who are forgiven before God he’s given

[22:33] us his word in order that we can saturate ourselves with the knowledge of [22:38] how he has acted throughout history where his people are concerned he’s given [22:44] us commands he’s given us exhortations he’s given us an inspiration as to how [22:49] to grow in our understanding of him and friends if you love him if you want to [22:54] relate with him he’s given you ways he’s given you the means and he’s also [22:59] declared to you the ends that is for your good not for your bad we have a god

[23:06] who loves us and a god that I want to know more and more than if I communicate [23:12] with him I’ll be honest with you I want to be on his wavelength because I don’t [23:17] want him to be on mine because mine has already been seen as so imperfect [23:23] James chapter 4 the half brother of Jesus James writes it this way he says you [23:28] ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions [23:36] friends in prayer life I’ve grown to understand something that when my prayers

[23:40] aren’t being answered and when I’m feeling unsatisfied by God it is not God [23:45] that is the problem every time it’s me theologian John Stott puts it this way [23:55] prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God or for bending [24:02] his will to ours but the prescribed way of subordinating our will to his it is [24:09] by prayer that we seek God’s will embrace it and align ourselves with it [24:15] every true prayer is a variation of the theme your will be done isn’t that how

[24:24] our Lord taught us to pray the Garden of Gethsemane when he was about to endure [24:30] the greatest suffering that we’ve ever seen in this world physically as well as

[24:37] he says if there’s any other way let this cup pass from me but then he [24:42] happens it with what we should always cap into with not my will but [24:48] friends when we seek to grow in our relationship with God it must be with an [24:55] understanding frankly that he is God and we are not prayer finds its outcome is [25:04] everything else does in Jesus it exists to bring us closer to God through our [25:10] hope in Jesus so that we will trust God with our all I believe that John uses

[25:19] prayer as the evidence of the change that God brings in our life because we [25:25] can truly gauge our relationship with God by our prayer by our time spent with [25:34] the one who demands our affections by the one who commands us to live for him [25:42] he does not desire for just simply our actions in our lifestyle to change [25:47] because that is all that has changed all that we have then is at best an absentee [25:53] dictator but he wants to be the God who makes commands on our life while he is

[25:59] loving us while he is empowering us and while frankly he’s communicating with us

[26:09] obedience apart from relationship never leads to anything but frustration and [26:15] resentment God does not desire that type of relationship with us rather God [26:22] desires a relationship of absolute connectedness and unity with you day in [26:28] and day out secondly this morning lots of cover in the stack secondly this [26:35] morning we’re going to see that confidence in Jesus leads to living to [26:41] help others trust Jesus notice what he says in verse 16 if anyone sees his

[26:51] brother committing a sin not leading to death he shall ask and God will give him [26:58] life to those who commit sins that do not lead to death there is a sin that [27:03] leads to death I do not say that one should pray for that all wrongdoing is [27:10] sin but there is sin that does not lead to death it’s a controversial passage one [27:19] that has been debated for a very long time so I’m going to come up to bat do [27:23] my best with it and see hopefully praise God will be will be found in

[27:28] obedience to his will I think I know what this text is talking about the fact [27:34] of the matter is that firstly Jesus’s love constrains us to love others through [27:40] the gospel confidence in Jesus leads us to have a Jesus centered love for others [27:48] note that he is speaking now specifically to those relationships that [27:53] you have with other believers in this text now I believe it involves those who [27:58] are already believers as well as those who will become believers through your

[28:02] witness that he’s speaking about in here but he’s dealing specifically in this [28:06] passage about those who are struggling with a specific sin and the fact that [28:12] first course of action in their lives is to lovingly again show your dependence [28:20] upon God have you ever confronted anyone with a sin and left that [28:26] conversation saying well that could have gone a lot better you and me both here’s [28:33] the reality we are called in the book of first John has really spoken to this

[28:39] we are called to love others with the gospel because that is if we saw in first [28:45] John 3 16 that we know what love is because God gave his life for us that [28:52] God defines love through the gospel and we know through the New Testament that [28:56] the gospel is a little bit offensive it only got all of the apostles killed so [29:02] we see that that this version of love will come into conflict with the culture [29:09] of this world and in a sinful world the love of God is often looked at as not

[29:15] loving at all because they do not know God but you’re called to love people [29:21] with the gospel and frankly sometimes oftentimes really what that’s going to [29:27] in your life is a necessity to confront sin because the only loving thing that [29:34] you can do and we’ve discussed that in weeks past in first John but here’s what [29:39] he says it’s very interesting in this text he says that when you see someone [29:44] in sin your first response is to take it to God why I believe the why is

[29:54] because at the moment of salvation at the moment you come to faith in Jesus [29:59] Christ he baptizes you in his Holy Spirit that moment you’re given the life [30:05] of God inside of you and here’s what he’s saying come to me when you see your [30:11] brother or your sister struggling in sin and beg for their life and God will give [30:19] and then he begins to speak of sin that leads to death and sin that does not [30:24] lead to death but why is God able to make the promise that you can pray for

[30:30] others who believe in Jesus before the sin in their life and they will not die [30:35] the reason is is that in relationship with God that our confidence is in God as [30:43] we pray for people those who know him will receive his life and not turn away [30:51] from the gospel God uses our prayers to help them endure in faith this is why he [31:00] uses the phrase brother to begin that text because he’s speaking to the [31:06] relationship of the Holy Spirit in the life of the one who is found to be in

[31:12] if that person is truly a follower of Jesus Christ God gives you his guarantee [31:21] that your prayer for their sin is not in vain that he is in them he is active and [31:31] he will bring them to a place of repentance [31:36] it’s the trust that we have in him Dr. John Piper has famously said that prayer [31:42] is the hammer that drives the nail of God’s will for those who follow Jesus [31:52] his Holy Spirit will keep them until the day of redemption he will keep them

[31:59] until the day of Jesus’s return and that he will endure them so when you pray for [32:04] brother and sister in Christ you pray in the confidence of God that he will [32:10] ultimately bring repentance into their life now I want to talk about the second [32:16] half of that verse the hard part and that is death prayer is used by God to [32:24] make disciples and that’s what he’s talking about here that if you are a [32:31] if your life is being conformed to the will of God your prayers will be about

[32:37] his great mission of redemption if you’re conformed being conformed to his [32:43] will you will desire to do what Jesus does and that’s see redemption take place [32:48] so you’ll pray for people for if you’re not praying for people you’re missing out [32:52] on the greatest tool for mission that he has to offer us and that’s the reality [32:57] that I’m not on mission under my own strength I’m on mission under God’s [33:00] strength to take the good news of Jesus Christ to people but if I’m doing it

[33:04] without praying for people I’m handicapping myself needlessly God wants [33:11] to redeem people God is sovereign over the entire universe he’s in absolute [33:16] control so if I go out in evangelism without the strength of God well I’ve [33:21] already blown it I should probably inquire of his strength for such a feat [33:26] but what he wants me to understand in this text is that there will be those [33:33] who do not choose to follow him when he talks about death in this passage he’s

[33:38] not talking about physical death if you notice in verse 13 he says that the Son [33:44] of God you need to trust in his name so that you will know that you have eternal [33:48] life he wants you to have confidence when he begins to speak about death he [33:53] is using the contrast of the life that he gives to those who repent he’s [33:59] speaking of separation from God he is speaking of the eternal death and [34:04] condemnation in hell he’s speaking of the eventual reality that those who do

[34:09] not love Jesus those who will not follow him will endure with their lives note in [34:14] the text again that he speaks first to those who commit sins that do not lead [34:19] to death and then he says there is sin that leads to death and he says something [34:25] very interesting he says I do not say that one should pray for that in other [34:29] words here’s what I think John’s I think he’s keeping it real he’s saying look [34:32] some of you aren’t gonna like each other don’t you pray that people will die

[34:36] that’s not very nice all right so that’s not really what we should do so don’t do [34:44] that and he says all wrongdoing is sin but there is sin that does not lead to [34:49] death in other words when he says in first John chapter 2 that we have an [34:54] advocate that is Jesus Christ for those who do find themselves committing sin as [34:58] they’re following Jesus that we can continue to be forgiven so there is a [35:03] sin in our lives there’s sin that will happen that does not lead to death

[35:06] because we can go we can repent we can continue to receive the forgiveness that [35:11] the gospel has to offer us because the gospel covers all sin but note that in [35:16] text he also says that there is a sin that leads to death so what is the sin [35:20] that leads to death this is debated some would say and this is the Catholic [35:26] theology on this and I think they’re totally wrong by the way that it’s just [35:30] really really bad sin I frankly find that unhelpful all right because if you

[35:37] create a category like that well you should probably say what it is or what [35:40] it isn’t and they really don’t do that since it’s not helpful we have to really [35:45] go to Jesus and we have to go to the word in Luke 12 Jesus tells the Pharisees [35:49] that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unpardonable the Jesus heals he [35:55] casts out a demon and one of the Pharisees says he does this by the power [35:59] of the devil Jesus says friend that’s a big mistake don’t do that but then

[36:07] Hebrews 6 I think helps us understand what this passage is talking about it [36:12] regards those that have taken part in the community of God and seen the work [36:18] of the Holy Spirit sat under the teaching of the gospel and simply walk [36:23] away from it they will never know God and will never repent is what he was 643 [36:31] success for it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened [36:36] who tasted the heavenly gift and shared in the Holy Spirit and tasted the

[36:40] word of God and the powers of the age to come and then fallen away to restore [36:46] them again to repentance since they are crucifying once again the son of God to [36:53] their own harm and holding him up in content content friends there are people [37:01] that you will love and pursue with the gospel they may even be here with you [37:07] participating in the life of village church they will walk away claiming [37:14] disbelief will proclaim false doctrine try to seek and cause division or they

[37:20] will choose a life of habitual sin over the repentant struggle that followers of [37:26] Jesus Christ endure as they seek to be obedient to him they will be destructive [37:31] and reveal that they don’t believe in Jesus and don’t love you and just want [37:35] to sin and not repent I’ll be honest with you text like this are very hard [37:43] for me as a pastor friend I want everyone to repent I want everyone to know [37:49] Jesus I want everyone to follow him but here first John gives us a fair warning

[37:54] and I think it’s the fair warning of pain that we’re going to endure because [37:58] we love people think it’s the pain of the father and doers when his wrath falls [38:04] on someone who wouldn’t trust in the son Jesus Christ and is the pain of those [38:09] with unrepentant sin who will not humble themselves under the hand of an almighty [38:14] God I agree with those who say there comes a point when you just simply have [38:22] to let go and turn your attention to make disciples of other people we are we

[38:27] have a few examples in scripture of this and I just want to give you one and then [38:32] Titus chapter 3 verse 10 says that as for a person I read writing to a young [38:37] pastor here about how to conduct his church he says ask for a person who stirs [38:42] up division after warning him once and then twice have nothing more to do with [38:50] him and first Corinthians chapter 5 the Apostle Paul instructs the church of [38:56] more than an issue of more excuse me immorality a person that’s unrepentant

[39:03] and is causing great danger to the people of the church that they need to [39:06] put him out from their presence and have nothing to do with them because that is [39:11] the witness of the gospel to that person friends there will be people that we [39:18] will pray for passionately there are people that we will witness to [39:24] vigorously there are people that we will serve on our hands and our knees

[39:32] who will deny the greatness of our God and King Jesus and John warns us of those [39:40] people and I think he does because in those moments we will need to trust God [39:49] more than ever because sometimes they will be people who are very near and dear [39:56] to us and God calls us he says keep trusting me do not let the actions and [40:06] attitudes of man turn your trust from me and I know that right now I’m speaking [40:15] to a crowd of people who may even be enduring this temptation of distrust

[40:20] right now friends know number one that I’m praying for you and number two that [40:28] God is your strength trust him John doesn’t tell us when to turn away from [40:45] because I’ll tell you frankly keep praying when you have opportunities to [40:52] witness witness when you have opportunities to love love but when they [41:01] do not trust Christ do not doubt the glory of your Creator because their [41:07] eternal destination is in his hand and I also believe this serves as a warning

[41:16] to those of you who have not trusted Jesus Christ to those of you who are [41:22] denying the great gospel of God to those of you who do not believe and who are [41:27] living in unrepentant sin even while you may be claiming to be a follower of [41:35] Jesus Christ to you friend this is a warning that there is a point in which [41:42] God will not hear your cry in Proverbs chapter 1 the author Solomon warns that [41:51] there’s coming a day when those who have not listened to the wisdom of God will

[41:56] be found ultimately in their foolishness in hell and they will cry [42:00] unto God at that moment and it says that God will laugh at your calamity

[42:12] friend do not trifle with the sovereign God of the universe repent of your sins [42:21] trust in the name of Jesus Christ and receive eternal life because he is God [42:30] and you need him today finally this morning confidence in Jesus leads us to [42:41] reject living for anything less than Jesus look in verse 18 we know that [42:51] everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning but he who was born [42:57] of God protects him who’s he who was born of God Jesus Christ he’s not saying

[43:04] that if you’re a Christian protect yourself put on your bulletproof vest [43:08] have your Bible in the passenger seat of your car and you’ll be good to go [43:11] now there he’s specifically speaking of the advocate he’s speaking of the one [43:16] who made propitiation for our sin he’s speaking of Jesus Christ those of us who [43:21] are following Jesus he protects us and the evil one does not touch him we know [43:29] he finishes this with three we know statements to endure us to the end the

[43:35] second one is that we know that we are from God and the whole world lies in the [43:40] power of the evil one then in verse 20 and we know that the Son of God has come [43:46] and given us understanding so that we may know him who is true and we are in him [43:52] who is true in his son Jesus Christ he’s the true God in eternal life little [43:58] children keep yourselves from idols our lives will reveal our hope verse 18 [44:08] helps us to identify in ourselves and others whether we and they know Jesus

[44:14] following Jesus gives you a desire to seek God’s power to put the sin in you [44:21] to death when asked you some questions this morning does sin bring you grief or [44:28] do you not see the big deal does the seriousness of obeying God in verses 16 [44:34] and 17 cause reverence and respect and loving obedience to God or does it make [44:41] you resent him the power of Satan is found in anything that distracts and or [44:48] leads away from God some things that aren’t even simple at face value will be used by

[44:53] the enemy in your life to lead your heart away from God if we are from God we must [45:00] cling to Jesus as our advocate and pray that we will not be led astray says in [45:08] there little children keep yourselves from idols and we must continuously reject the [45:15] he ends in this text saying that we must keep ourselves away from idols and [45:22] idle is anything that becomes an ultimate thing in your life how do you identify potential [45:29] idols in your life then friends what is it that you choose to pour your time into the most

[45:37] what is it that you spend your time pursuing what is it that brings you the greatest joy in [45:45] your life what is it that makes you happier than anything else in this world and then what is it [45:53] that you want more than you want God what is it that if it were taken away from you tomorrow that [46:02] would cause you to distrust or resent God what is it because for each and every person in this [46:11] room it will probably vary it will probably be different oftentimes we believe because we are [46:19] not a culture that has graven images and alters to gods like bail of the Old Testament that we

[46:26] are immune from idolatry but the reality is is that we are a culture full of more idols than [46:31] anyone has ever had in history oftentimes we see very good things and so we pursue them until they [46:40] become God things to us and the time that we spend pursuing them shows our idolatry whether [46:50] it be a career whether it be another person whether it be a material possession or whether [46:58] it be my own children I am often tempted with idolatry and honestly so are you and our life [47:10] is to be spent pursuing Jesus above those idols because that is what repentance looks like the

[47:16] legitimacy of your faith is shown in your reaction to your idols do you repent or do you continue [47:28] to pursue we must continuously then be reminded of the truth of Jesus verse 20 says that God has [47:37] given us the gift of understanding that is the greatest gift you could ever get if you are a [47:43] person like me that stays confused it is like God promises to help you understand he wants you to [47:54] see everything in the world through the lens of his gospel Jesus is true Jesus is trustworthy [48:03] pour your passions and your dreams in to him he alone is eternal and he alone has eternal life

[48:13] if you do not have his understanding friend you cannot possibly hope to understand what life is [48:21] all about but the fact that God inspired someone to write these words stands as a testament that [48:30] he desires for you to have understanding he does not want you to walk through this world confused [48:37] as to what your purpose is he does not want you to walk through this world confused as to what you [48:42] should pour your time into he does not want you to walk through this world without an understanding [48:47] of how to live a victorious Christian life in every aspect it is by you coming under submission

[48:55] to his will through what Jesus has done you cannot submit to his will without a new life you cannot [49:03] submit to his will and have understanding without a new mindset you can’t do it you can’t understand [49:09] it but the reality is is that God will give it to you today trust him because God is good

[49:23] first John isn’t a book that makes me doubt it’s a book that gives me confidence because [49:34] it’s a book that gives me direction it says this is the path that your God would have you on [49:45] God wants you on it today because he loves you he loves you so much God loves you more than I love [49:57] my children my brain can’t fathom that it can’t you can know him today as the band comes up

[50:13] I want us to understand this morning that when we go to his word friends if his word causes great [50:28] pain in your life if his word causes you anger if his word causes you great confusion if you look [50:40] at the end of this text if what we went through today causes you pain because you say my life [50:45] doesn’t measure up I don’t want the will of God I don’t want his life I don’t understand it

[50:59] friend that’s because you need his life right now as a church we’re gonna do what we do every week [51:07] our fleeting moments we’re gonna partake of the Lord’s Supper we’re gonna come to the table that [51:14] God calls us to come to to express outwardly what he’s doing inside of us to express our trust to [51:23] express our desire to have relationship with him to express who we are in Jesus that we are a [51:30] dependent people who constantly need reminders of the gospel in our lives the bread represents [51:37] the broken body of his son the cup represents his shed blood but the whole meal represents a

[51:43] God that works for us when we cannot work for ourselves he’s not a God that says do your best [51:54] he’s a God that says when you failed I’ll do my best and that’s what we have on the cross we have [52:04] the greatest testament to love that anyone in this world has ever seen that the one without sin took [52:13] the punishment for all of those who have sin of whom we’re all part if you’re a follower of Jesus [52:23] in just a moment run to the table come to this table and proclaim your trust proclaim your [52:32] confidence and if you’re struggling in your confidence run to the table and beg for it because God wants to give it to you

[52:43] if you’re in here and you don’t know oh that you would know I want all of you to have life I don’t [52:56] want any of you to walk through this life heading towards death and if you’re in here and I believe you know you are

[53:07] beg God to take you to his path and he will and you can have communion with God and confidence in him for the first time in your life [53:15] don’t walk through life with those doubts those disbeliefs I’d love to talk to you I’d love to pray with you if that’s you [53:24] come talk to me when you’re ready come