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Sermons from 1 John |
BLESSED ASSURANCE |
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Other sermons from 1 John
Sharing The Word Of Life (1:1-3)
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In one of our earlier studies of 1 John, I pointed out that when you read the Letter of 1 John, you never have to wonder why John was writing. He makes it very clear why he is writing. For example:
In 1:4, John explains his first purpose in writing: “And these things write we unto you, that you joy may be full.” John wants the Christian to live a joyful Christian life.
In 2:1, he gives a second reason for his letter: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.” Another purpose of his letter is to discourage sin in the life of a Christian.
Other examples in the letter that explain the purpose of his letter are found in:
(2:12) “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.”
(2:21) “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.”
(2:26) “These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.”
As we come to the end of his letter, we find him declaring another reason for writing: “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” (5:13). John states that one of his goals in writing is to help believers be certain they have eternal life. I also said in one of our earlier studies that the Gospel of John was written that we might know how to be saved. The Letter or Epistle of 1 John was written that we might know we are saved.
It is the privilege of every Christian to be able to say with Fanny Crosby, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine!” The promise of the Lord Jesus was, “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:15). John wants us to be certain that we are not perishing, and that we have eternal life.
Let’s look at verses 10-13 we look at what John has to say about the Christian’s assurance of eternal life. First, we see:
1. THE SOURCE OF ETERNAL LIFE
In the opening words of the letter, John pointed us to the Lord Jesus. As he nears the end of his letter, he is still pointing us to Jesus, the Son of God. He began the letter by calling Him the “Word of Life” (1:1). In the end he reminds us that He is the One who gives us life—eternal life. Eternal life is not in a program or performance. It is in a person—the Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 11 John says, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” Jesus is the source of eternal life!
As we look at verses 10-13, we do not see any new truths being introduced by John, but only the repeating and reiterating of truths he has constantly stated throughout his letter. First, we see in his words:
A) What Is Required For Salvation
In Acts 16, the Philippians Jailer asked the question, “What must I do to be saved” (Acts 16:30)? Paul’s answer was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). As we look at John’s words we see echoing the same requirement for salvation. In verse 10, John speaks of “He that believeth on the Son of God.” In verse 13 he speaks of those “that believe on the name of the Son of God.”
John tells us that salvation is an act of faith. It is an act whereby a person puts their trust in Christ to be their Saviour. Salvation is not earned by our good works or religious deeds. John does not give us a list of do’s and don’ts, but tells us that salvation is in the Lord Jesus—plus nothing, minus nothing.
On several different occasions I have had the privilege of visiting Aldersgate Street in London. There, on May 24, 1738, 8:45 pm, Wesley, who had for years preached and rested in his works for salvation, believed on the Lord Jesus Christ! He wrote of that experience, “About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me, that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”
What is required for salvation? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” As John said in verse 11, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” John is simple and gets straight to the point. If you have by faith accepted Christ as your Saviour, you are saved. If not, then you are lost and still in your sins.
God has repeatedly gone on record and declared that salvation comes by believing on Jesus the Son of God. John states in verse 10, “He that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.” To say that salvation is by any other way, is the same as calling God a liar.
We also see in John’s words:
B) What Is Received At Salvation
In verse 12 John says, “He that hath the Son hath life.” To “hath the Son” means to “possess” in Him in the sense that He is present in one’s life. To be saved to possess the eternal One. In the first words of the letter, John declared Jesus to be “from the beginning” (1:1). Jesus is the eternal “Word of Life.” Therefore, to “hath the Son” is to “hath life”—eternal life. As we see in verse 11, when a person accepts Christ by faith as their Saviour, we are “given eternal life.”
W. B. Hinson, a preacher of a past generation, spoke from his own experience just before he died. He said, “I remember a year ago when a doctor told me, ‘You have an illness from which you won’t recover.’ I walked out to where I live 5 miles from Portland, Oregon, and I looked across at that mountain that I love. I looked at the river in which I rejoice, and I looked at the stately trees that are always God’s own poetry to my soul. Then in the evening I looked up into the great sky where God was lighting His lamps, and I said, ‘I may not see you many more times, but Mountain, I shall be alive when you are gone; and River, I shall be alive when you cease running toward the sea; and Stars, I shall be alive when you have fallen from your sockets in the great downpulling of the material universe!’”
Eternal life speaks of a quality of life one experiences in this world, but it also speaks of a life that is everlasting, a life that will last through the ions of eternity. The eternal One has given us eternal life! Because we have been eternal life, a life that eternally secure, John wants us to live in blessing of knowing that we have eternal life.
Secondly, we not only see the source of eternal life, but also:
2. THE SURETY OF ETERNAL LIFE
John uses the word “know” 39 times in his letter. It is obvious that there are certain things he wants the believer to know. One thing he wants us to know is that we are saved. He doesn’t want the Christian to just hope they are saved. He wants them to know they are saved. He writes in verse 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.”
When Sir James Simpson, the discoverer of chloroform, was on his deathbed, a friend asked him, “Sir, what are you speculations?” Simpson replied, “Speculations! I have no speculations! ‘For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.’”
Believers do not have to go through life hoping they are saved. They can know they are saved! I once heard one fellow say he was so saved that he could swing out over hell on a rotten grapevine singing victory in Jesus. That is the kind of assurance the Bible tells us we can have.
As we look at John’s words we see:
A) A Salvation That Is Sure
John speaks of knowing that we have eternal life. The word “know” means to “be aware” and to “be sure.” When a person says they know they are saved they are saying that are aware that God has saved them and there is no doubt as to whether or not they have been saved.
There is a little town in Texas that is called “Uncertain.” The little town evolved from fishing camps and resort operators around scenic Caddo Lake in Harrison County and was incorporated in 1961. The site is near Uncertain Landing, so named because steamboat captains in earlier days often had troubles mooring their vessels. It was also the site of an old hunting, fishing, and boating society called the Uncertain Club, which existed in the early 1900s.
There are many people that live in the spiritual town of Uncertain. The little town of Uncertain, Texas is advertised as Texas’ best kept secret and Lake Caddo has been dubbed “the best photo spot in Texas.” However, there is nothing good you can say about the spiritual town of Uncertain. It is a miserable condition in which to live. However, it is an unnecessary condition.
Again, John is telling that we can know that we are saved. We can sing with Fanny Crosby, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!” We can declare with absolute assurance that we have been saved by the grace of God and that we have eternal life.
I read about this little fellow that was standing on the side of the road when a stranger came by that was lost. He say, “Say, fellow, how to you get to town?” The little boy said, “I don’t know.” “Where is route 20?” “I don’t know.” “Where does this road go?” “I don’t know.” “What is the name of this road I’m on?” “I don’t know.” “Boy, you don’t know anything, do you?” The little fellow replied, “I know I ain’t lost.”
I may not know a lot of things, but this one thing I do know, “I know I ain’t lost.”
Why can we know that we are saved? It is because we have:
B) A Salvation That Is Secure
To have eternal life is to have eternal life. The word “eternal” that is used by John speaks of that which is “perpetual.” It describes a life that everlasting. The Bible does not say that salvation is temporary. It declares that it is eternal! Our salvation is an everlasting salvation.
No doubt the reason John tells us that we can know that we are saved is because of what he heard the Lord Himself say on different occasions. In the Gospel of John, he records on different occasions things Jesus said describing the security of our salvation. We read in John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” We are in the hands of God. There can be no more secure place than that.
In John 6:35-37, John records the words of Jesus: “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. [36] But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. [37] All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
The basis of our eternal security is the promise of God. It is God who said we “shall never perish” and declared that no one shall pluck us out of His hand. It is God who said that He would not cast us out. The eternal security of the believer is not predicated on what we do or fail to do. It is founded on what God has promised and what He said He would do.
An elderly Christian lady was dying in a hospital. A friend came to see her. The dying lady spoke of her assurance of heaven. Her friend thought her to be presumptuous. So the dying lady said to her friend, “If I don’t make it to heaven, God will lose more than I do.” The friend asked her to explain. She said, “If I perish, I’ll lose only my salvation, but God will lose His honor, for He promised to give eternal life to all who come to Him through Christ, and that’s just how I came.”
My name from the palms on His hands Eternity cannot erase; Impressed on His heart it remains In marks of indelible grace!
I point out that when Jesus said in John 10:28, “they shall never perish,” He used a double-negative. In Greek a double negative was for the point of emphasis. Jesus literally said, “They shall not, not perish.” Jesus was promising in the most emphatic terms that a saved would never lose their salvation.
Now I understand that the eternal security of the believer is not embraced by everyone. There are those who believe you can lose your salvation. But I remind you that if a person could forfeit or lose their salvation, let’s say because of some personal sin; there is the possibility of perishing. But that would cancel the promise of Christ. He said that we “shall not, not perish.” He ruled out any possibility of perishing for someone who has come to Him for salvation. In other words, He was declaring that a saved person is eternally secure.
I know that safe with Him remains, Protected by His power, What I’ve committed to His hands Till the decisive hour.
Last of all let me say a word about:
3. THE SIGNS OF ETERNAL LIFE
In our text we find that John speaks of a “witness” and a “record.” They are both the same word and they speak of “evidence.” John is telling us there is evidence that we have eternal life. Or to put it another way, if a person is saved there will be the signs or evidence they are saved.
Notice with me two signs of eternal life that John describes. First, there is:
A) The Witness We Have In Our Hearts
We read in verse 10, “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself…” There is an eternal witness that we are saved and have eternal life. No doubt John was speaking of the witness of the Holy Spirit that indwells every believer. We read in Romans 8:16, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
I once had lunch with John Bishop. Several years ago John had meningitis and the result was he completely lost his memory. Still, to this day he cannot remember anything prior to his sickness. The things that he knows about his past are the things he has been told. I asked him, “How did you know that you were saved? How did you know that you were called to preach?” He replied, “I couldn’t remember getting saved or being called, but I just knew that I was.”
How did he know that he had been saved and called to preach? How did he just know it? There was the witness of Holy Spirit within. The word “witness” in Romans 8:16 means “to corroborate, jointly testify, give evidence.” If a person is saved, there is Someone who lives within them that testifies they have eternal life.
The second witness John describes is:
B) The Word We Have In Our Hands
In verse 11 John speaks of the “record” God has given us and then in verse 13 he speaks of the things that have been “written.” These written things and the record of God is the Word of God—the Bible. If a person is saved and has eternal life, the Bible will tell them.
Let me say that when it comes to settling your doubts, the Bible is the source of our assurance. You can’t base your salvation and the certainty of it on some experience you have had.
I once read about a preacher that was preaching and giving his testimony of his call to preach. He said, “I was out in the south pasture plowing with my old mule when all of a sudden the clouds formed the letters PC. I took them to mean, “Preach Christ.” After the service he asked an older preacher what he though of his sermon. He replied, “The letter PC could have also stood for ‘Plow Corn.’”
I have heard people say, “I know that I am saved because when I went to the altar it felt like lightning went all through my body.” Or, “An angel came and stood at the foot of my bed.” I am not saying that when you get saved you will not feel something or doubting that you can have a unique experience. However, you cannot base your salvation on how you felt something or some experience you have had. It has to be based on what God says in His word.
I know that I am saved because the Bible tells me I am saved. I have done what the Bible said I had to do to be saved; therefore, I know that I am saved. Furthermore, there is the evidence in my heart and life the Bible says will be present if I am saved.
All through the book of 1 John we have seen how John says certain things will be true about our life if we are saved:
1 John 2:3, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.”
1 John 2:9-11, “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. [10] He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. [11] But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”
1 John 2:19, “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.”
1 John 2:29, “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”
1 John 3:9, “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.”
1 John 3:14, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”
1 John 3:24, “And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”
1 John 4:13, “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.”
The Puritan Thomas Manton wrote: “It is not any vocal sound or audible voice, or brought to us by the help and an angel or revelation. Assurance consists of a practical syllogism in which the Word of God makes the major, conscience the minor, and the Spirit of God the conclusion.”
C.I. Schofield said, “Assurance is the believer’s full conviction that, through the work of Christ alone, received by faith, he is in possession of salvation, in which he will be eternally kept. And this assurance rests only upon the Scripture promises to him who believes.”
Are you saved? If so, the Bible says so. Likewise, if not, the Bible says so! Every believer has eternal life and it is privilege to know with absolute certainty that you are saved! |