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Greetings! Welcome to the show today.
The Omnipotence of God— One of the things I don’t ponder enough about God is simply His omnipotence; His absolute power over all things. I mean, just think; everything you and I have every known; the entire universe which houses billions of galaxies filled with planets far bigger than ours was brought into existence in one moment by a word spoken by the mouth of God. I mean to think of the intricate design; even down to the very structure of our DNA. He is amazingly powerful; in fact He is all-powerful. Does God Have Limits?-- But are there limits to God? Actually yes, there are. God is limited by his nature and character. For instance, God cannot sin because His nature is Holy and He cannot act outside of His nature and character. In the same way God is love, therefore God cannot create selfishly; merely to exact His own will upon an inferior being. To do that would go against His nature. No, He must create creatures who are free to love Him or free to reject Him. Only then can true love exist because love cannot be forced; or it is no longer love. We are either free to love Him and there are eternal benefits of doing so or we can reject Him, and there are eternal consequences to that as well. And we’ll talk about both in this closing section of 1 John. Verse 16 of 1 John chapter 5 reads… 1 John 5:16a (NIV)— 16 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. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. [Sin not leading to death is sin for which forgiveness is possible because (1) forgiveness is sought and (2) God is willing to grant it.] In fact God is always willing to forgive our sin when we repent. The Sin Leading to Death-- But then you have this second kind of sin: the sin that leads to death. 1 John 5:16b-17 (NIV)— 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. Now this verse may seem a bit confusing, and there is a lot of debate over how to interpret it; whether it means physical death for sin dealt out by God (such as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira), physical death as a result of legal punishment for certain sins (such as theft or murder), or whether it is spiritual death, which (ultimately) is the result of all sin. I am going to approach it today more from the standpoint of spiritual death. What we are talking about here [is probably sin that is (1) unrepented of and (2) of the kind or nature that John has warned about throughout the letter: resolute rejection of the true doctrine about Christ, chronic disobedience to God’s commandments, persistent lack of love for fellow believers—all indications of a lack of saving faith—which will not be forgiven.] A Hardened Conscience— There is a point that a person can reach where they no longer are able to receive salvation, not because God is no longer willing to forgive them, but because they have so set themselves against God; they have so deadened their consciences that they have become too hardened to receive it. Now can God work to re-soften their hearts? Yes. Nobody is beyond salvation. But until He does; until our hardness is softened (often through the prayers of others), we are not able to be brought to salvation. Stalin’s Steel Fist— Ravi Zacharias tells an amazing story shared by Svetlana Stalin, the daughter of Josef Stalin. [According to Svetlana, as Stalin lay dying, plagued with terrifying hallucinations {of wolves he believed were attacking him}, he suddenly sat halfway up in bed, clenched his fist toward the heavens once more, fell back upon his pillow, and was dead. The incredible irony of his whole life is that at one time Josef Stalin had been a seminary student, preparing for the ministry. Coming of Nietzschean age, he made a decisive break from his belief in God. This dramatic and complete reversal of conviction that resulted in his hatred for all religion is why Lenin had earlier chosen Stalin and positioned him in authority—a choice Lenin too late regretted. (The name Stalin, which means “steel,” was not his real name, but was given to him by his contemporaries who fell under the steel-like determination of his will.) And as Stalin lay dying, his one last gesture was a clenched fist toward God, his heart as cold and hard as steel.] Steel Hearts-- Now the reason God could not save this man was not because God was not willing, but because Stalin had set himself (like steel) against God and was determined to cling to his own sinfulness. And God would not overrule his will. And many people (even some Christians) are determined to live the way they want to live regardless of what the Bible says. Yet we know that we are called to lives of transformation; what the scriptures call being “born again”. 1 John 5:18 (NIV)--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. It was interesting. In my studies I took a look at a very popular study bible and what it had to say about this verse and do you know what it said? Listen to how their note on this passage opens: [Christians commit sins, of course,]. Now how does the verse open? 18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; A Different Background-- Now whoever wrote this note comes from a particular theological background. They believe that the Christian must be in bondage to the sinful nature until we get to heaven. However, although it is true we will always be subject to temptation (as Jesus was) what scripture actually teaches is that the old nature can die this side of heaven; and by the Spirit of God, we can have victory over all sin in ours lives. Colossians 3 describes this and it is a major theme in this epistle as well; light being unable to have fellowship with darkness. And yet many Christians (like this particular commentator) believe we cannot have victory over our sinful natures. All we can do is keep sinning and saying “I’m sorry” without ever coming to experience consistent victory. And so they have tapered the Bible to fit their own pre-conceived theological viewpoint. I had a professor who was on the translation team of a popular translation used by many today; and he said (in frustration) that he witnessed this kind of thing a number of times; the text being mistranslated to fit the theology of the translator rather than the translator allowing what the text actually says to re-shape their theology. An "Off" Translation-- And here I looked back at how they translated this particular passage (verse 18). And sure enough, listen to what I found. They translated it: 18 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, which suggests that although we sin, it’s just not as bad a habit. But that is not what the scripture says. But you see, they feel compelled to change what the scripture says because it does not match their particular doctrinal belief, which is that all Christians will continue to sin and there is nothing that we can do about it until we get to heaven. But is that what the text is really saying? Look at how they continue in their note on this passage. They say: [Christians commit sins, of course, but they ask God to forgive them, and then they continue serving him.] So in other words, there is a constant cycle of sin and repentance. But, interestingly, listen to how they continue. They say… [God has freed believers from their slavery to Satan, and he keeps them safe from Satan’s continued attacks.] Now I want to point this out to you because you and I are called to be thinking Christians. This person has just said “Christians commit sins, of course,”. Yet they also say [God has freed believers from their slavery to Satan, and he keeps them safe from Satan’s continued attacks.] How can those two ideas be compatible? We keep on sinning, but even though we do, we are still somehow not slaves to sin? That is their argument. But the question becomes, “Is that view compatible with scripture? Jesus presents a very different viewpoint in… John 8:34 (NIV)-- 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. The Bible (and Jesus specifically) says you cannot continue in willful sin without being a slave to that sin. You must forsake one master completely and serve another master completely. That is what Paul speaks to so closely in the book of Romans. He says in… Romans 6:17-18 (NIV)--17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. Parent Imagery-- So you have the slave/master imagery which the Bible uses to describe complete freedom from sin, but in this epistle in particular remember you have this whole parent imagery as well. John reveals that we are to be children of God and no longer children of Satan. You cannot have two parents. We are to, as God’s children, manifest only His characteristics. Now for some this sounds like we are calling people to a much harder way of life; that to keep the Law of God the way He wants us to would be burdensome. But how would being able to obey God’s commands and live according to His Word the way He wants us to be burdensome? Is it really easier?-- Dr. Dennis Kinlaw, in talking about this in his discussion on the Ten Commandments, asks: [Do we really believe that living with a divided heart is easier than living with a single heart? Is our life any richer if we look to the creation for what only the Creator can give us? Must we deal profanely with holy things like the name of the Lord and his Sabbath? Are we better off having no respect for those who gave us life? Do we have to live with deadly hate for any of our fellow persons? Is there no deliverance from the defilement and the destructiveness of lust? Can we come to the place where we can use language truthfully, even if it means our own hurt? Can’t God make us content with what we have so we do not have to perpetually covet what is not our own? Just to frame these questions ought to bring us to the conclusion that the Ten Commandments were not given to be an onerous burden and a structure to bind us. Rather, the Decalogue is our charter of freedom. The commandments are not a set of demands to bind us, but a tenfold promise of the freedom into which the Spirit of Christ wants to release us. If I will let him flood me with his Spirit and with his love, there is not one commandment that I have to break today.] We CAN be free-- You and I can be free of sin. I don’t know if there is any greater news I can share with you today than that. That is the heart of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can be forgiven of your sin and you can be freed from its power over your life as you are given a new nature; the very nature of Christ. And that nature is yours for the asking today. It is not something you can manufacture yourself, but (like your initial salvation) is offered by grace through faith alone. If you want that new nature today, simply ask and it will be given to you. Amen.
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Greetings! Welcome to the show today.
George Muller: Living by Faith— Many of you have probably at least heard of legendary prayer warrior George Mueller. An amazing man of faith whose life was a testimony to how God could move through someone who relied in faith and complete dependence on Him. There was a time when [Things looked bleak for the children of George Muller's orphanage at Ashley Downs in England. It was time for breakfast, and there was no food. A small girl whose father was a close friend of Muller was visiting in the home. Muller took her hand and said, ''Come and see what our Father will do.'' In the dining room, long tables were set with empty plates and empty mugs. Not only was there no food in the kitchen, but there was no money in the home's account. Muller prayed, ''Dear Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat.'' Immediately, they heard a knock at the door. When they opened it, there stood the local baker. ''Mr. Muller,'' he said, ''I couldn't sleep last night. Somehow I felt you had no bread for breakfast, so I got up at 2 o'clock and baked fresh bread. Here it is.'' Muller thanked him and gave praise to God. Soon, a second knock was heard. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. He said he would like to give the children the milk so he could empty the cart and repair it.] It is amazing how our prayers (however flimsy they might feel to us) have the power to move the hand of God in amazing ways. If only we would pray… In the closing chapter of 1 John we have been talking about the confidence that can be produced through faith in the life of the believer and how that confidence can re-shape the way that we come before God in prayer. 1 John 5:13-15 (NIV)— 13 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. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. we presently have what we asked of him-- Now one interesting thing about that last phrase is that it doesn’t say we know that we will have what we asked of him. Rather, it says we know that we have (already) what we asked of him. It is a belief and trust that is so sure (because of how sure we are of God’s revealed will to us, both through prayer but also through His Word) that we consider it already accomplished. We don’t need to see it to believe it; it is enough for us to know that it is the will of God, that we have prayed for it, and whether in our time or not God will accomplish it. George Mueller’s Persistence in Prayer-- Now [When George Mueller was a young convert he began praying daily for five friends to come to know Christ as Savior. Two friends became Christians within two years of his own conversion. But it seemed as if his prayers for the remaining three friends would never be answered. But they were. One of those men was converted about ten years after Mueller’s conversion. The fourth apparently was converted shortly before Mueller’s death, in response to what was probably Mueller’s last sermon. And the fifth man was converted within a year of Mueller’s funeral. George Mueller had been praying for him for more than sixty years!] THAT is intercession at it’s deepest. But it is because Mueller was faithful to intercede for them; faithful to carry them in prayer all those years that they eventually came to Christ. And there ought to be similar people for whom you and I are doing the same. Because He really does move this way. Tanya’s Aunts— My wife Tanya’s family had a similar thing happen in their family. Her mom and her sisters grew up in a strong Christian home all their young life. Their dad (Tanya’s grandfather) was even imprisoned for his faith. But, despite his and his wife’s prayers for their daughters to become Christians, after all the girls grew up, none of them were Christians except for one. And Tanya’s grandparents died without seeing all their daughters accept Jesus, though they had prayed for it. And now, many years after they have died, all the daughters (including Tanya’s mom) became Christians. God really does answer prayer. And ultimately this is why John is talking about confidence in prayer. Because he we wants to encourage us to believe enough; to have confidence enough to pray. Prayer is powerful. We know that it works. God has given us the promise to answer when we pray in accordance with His will. Now (after seeking His will) we just have to be faithful enough to pray; to believe in prayer enough to pray. You know one of our favorite passages on prayer; the one we probably think on the most whenever we are talking about faith and prayer? Matthew 17:20b (ESV)-- …For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” A Mountain-Top Experience-- Now do you know the context of that verse? If we look at the previous section, what has just happened? Jesus has just been transfigured before His disciples Peter, James, and John. Jesus has revealed His divine glory. And Peter, James, and John are amazed. They have seen the glory of Jesus. And I am sure that you and I have had similar mountain-top experiences with Jesus; where we have seen and experienced Jesus’ presence in a special way. And I love mountain-top experiences. But at some point we have to come down from the mountain. We enter back into the drudgery of everyday life that is wrought with all kinds of trials and tribulations. Here the disciples descend the mountain and are instantly met with brokenness and need in the lives of other people, particularly a young boy who is not only sick, but is possessed by a demon. Talk about spiritual contrast. They go from a Spirit-filled experience on the mountain where they have seen Jesus glorified (it says his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.) Not even Oxi-Clean could get it brighter. Jesus was glowing! Elijah and Moses appeared and began speaking with Jesus. Then they hear the voice of God audibly speak, saying “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” , after which they are left alone and they begin to descend the mountain. And immediately upon descending the mountain, they encounter the demonic. And the question rises, are they going to carry the glory of Christ they have just witnessed into the frey of everyday life. You know some of the disciples had tried to cast the demon out and failed. Do you know why? They ask Jesus afterwards and this is what He says… Matthew 17:20 (ESV)-- 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith {(and Mark’s account (in which Jesus also rebukes their lack of faith, also adds: “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”) They weren’t praying! Prayer is intimately intertwined with faith, which is why Jesus continues:}. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” NOTHING!!!!!!!! Imagine that!!! Impala Faith-- You know, when I was a kid, I loved to watch nature shows. Sometimes I still do. I love learning about all kinds of animals. And one animal that is truly amazing is the impala, the African antelope. [The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall. Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us.] This is what living a life a confidence looks like in the life of the Christian. Nothing, not even Satan himself can hold back the accomplishment of God’s will through those who are living by faith in Jesus as the Son of God and are seeking His will and lifting up prayers daily to Him. Flower Bed-- Just recently my son asked me what a flower bed is. To an 8-year-old, the phrase flower-bed must sound really funny. But I explained to him that a flower bed is a section of dirt in which flowers are planted. But we know that the reason there is a flower is because there was first a seed that was planted there. And the only difference between soil that has plants and the same soil that doesn’t (if it was treated the same) is the fact that no seed was sown. And that is something we must all remember. The reason Jesus talks in this context about faith and prayer in connection with seeds is because the only difference between a life that is fruitful and a life that is fruitless is faith and prayer. You want your flower bed to be full, then you need to plant. Now it may take time, just like a plant takes time to grow. But if you plant your prayers and endure in faith (keeping on praying) then you will reap a harvest. And as our passage today says, you and I can have faith and confidence when we pray; a faith and confidence flowing from our knowledge that God does both hear and answer those prayers offered by those who seek to pray in His will. If we can pray in faith; in accordance with the will of God; and do so persistently (even in the dark times when we feel like our prayers are not being heard; like their not reaching past the ceiling), God promises us here in His word that He HAS both heard and already answered our prayer; and as we abide in prayer, He is able to use us to move mountains in unspeakable ways for His name’s sake and for the sake of His kingdom. Philippians 4:6 (NIV)— 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Let us do so. Amen. Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim. Today’s passage in 1 John 5 (like much of 1 John) has to do with confidence. I don’t know how confident you feel as a Christian, but I remember spending much of my younger years worried about destination of my soul; where I was going. I remember I would pray the sinner’s prayer sometimes a dozen or more times a day. I knew about faith, but didn’t have assurance. And you can imagine how most of my prayers came from a posture of fear, rather than confidence. This is why this epistle has been (at least for me) so transformative. John writes…
1 John 5:13-15 (NIV)— 13 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. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. Ironside and the Seeker of Assurance— Once [An elderly man said to H.A. Ironside, "I will not go on unless I know I'm saved, or else know it's hopeless to seek to be sure of it. I want a definite witness, something I can't be mistaken about!" Ironside replied, "Suppose you had a vision of an angel who told you your sins were forgiven. Would that be enough to rest on?" "Yes, I think it would. An angel should be right." Ironside continued, "But suppose on your deathbed Satan came and said, 'I was that angel, transformed to deceive you.' What would you say?" The man was speechless. Ironside then told him that God has given us something more dependable than the voice of an angel. He has given His Son, who died for our sins, and He has testified in His own Word that if we trust Him all our sins are gone. Ironside read I John 5:13, "You may know that you have eternal life." Then he said, "Is that not enough to rest on? It is a letter from heaven expressly to you." God's Spirit used that to bring assurance to the man's heart. (H. A. Ironside.)] Assurance for You— And those words of John can also be used by God to bring peace to your heart; peace concerning where you stand in relationship to the Savior. That is John’s chief aim in this epistle; to give you and me assurance of our salvation. 1 John 5:13 (NIV)— 13 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. Theme of Assurance— Now once again this verse summarizes the theme of the entire book, which is to give the believer assurance of their salvation so that we might have confidence of where we stand with Christ. There are signs of transformation in the life of the believer that point us to the saving presence of Christ and His Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is there, making us like Christ, we know that we are in Christ because it is only through Christ that we can receive the Holy Spirit. believing in the name of the Son of God— But how do we receive Christ to begin with? Verse 13 says that it involves us believing in the name of the Son of God. Now what does it mean to believe in somebody’s name? Keep in mind this is kingly terminology. If you come in the name of a king, you are a physical representation of them; you carry their authority; their power. So to believe in Jesus’ name is to believe in His authority and power as (what?…next phrase) the Son of God. And that is crucially important, because we believe that Jesus’ authoritative power to save and redeem comes from His being the Son of God; God in the flesh. knowing that you have eternal life— If we have placed our faith and trust in Him, understanding who He is and what He has done for us, then we have come to the starting point of our salvation; we have entered the fold. And as we remain in the fold, we become more and more like our shepherd in our character and how we relate to our brothers and sisters and to the world. And so because of what Christ has done for us, in us, and is doing through us, we can have assurance that we are saved. Assurance & Prayer-- But that assurance that we receive also can empower other aspects of our relationship with God as well, particularly prayer. And that is what John focuses on in our passage today. Look at verse 14… 1 John 5:13 (NIV)— 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. Ishmael: God Hears-- I am reminded of the story of Hagar in the Bible, the woman Sarah gave to her husband Abraham as a wife in order to conceive and bear an heir. And sure enough she conceives. But she begins to despise Sarah and Sarah, unable to stand it, gets Abraham to surrender Hagar to her power and then Sarah mistreats her, forcing her to flee into the wilderness. Here was a woman in a desperate situation. She has lost all security; she has no home. And on top of that she’s pregnant and on her way back to her former home in Egypt. Yet God meets her by the well. He tells her to go back. And then He promises to bring many descendants from her and also makes a promise providing a future for her soon to be born son. And God commands her to name her son what? Ishmael. And what does Ishmael mean? God hears. God wanted her, every time she called her son’s name, to be reminded of the fact that He had heard her; and that He still hears her. Even when things seem toughest for you and me, God wants us to always remember that He both sees and hears us. And because of that we can have confidence. Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)-- 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. confidence in approaching God— Now this doesn’t mean marching into the throne-room of God with a long list of demands, but humbly knowing that our heavenly Father both knows our needs and is actually eager to meet them. So what do we have confidence in? We have confidence in the fact that God hears us; and John doesn’t mean that God simply knows what we need, but that word hear implies a response from God. God hears and answers our prayers. The Two Oranges-- Once [While crossing the Atlantic on an oceanliner, F.B. Meyer was asked to address the first class passengers. At the captain's request he spoke on "Answered Prayer." An agnostic who was present at the service was asked by his friends, "What did you think of Dr. Meyer's sermon?" He answered, "I didn't believe a word of it." That afternoon Meyer went to speak to the steerage passengers. Many of the listeners at his morning address went along, including the agnostic, who claimed he just wanted to hear "what the babbler had to say." Before starting for the service, the agnostic put two oranges in his pocket. On his way he passed an elderly woman sitting in her deck chair fast asleep. Her hands were open. In the spirit of fun, the agnostic put the two oranges in her outstretched palms. After the meeting, he saw the old lady happily eating one of the pieces of fruit. "You seem to be enjoying that orange," he remarked with a smile. "Yes, sir," she replied, "My Father is very good to me." "Your father? Surely your father can't be still alive!" "Praise God," she replied, "He is very much alive." "What do you mean?" pressed the agnostic. She explained, "I'll tell you, sir. I have been seasick for days. I was asking God somehow to send me an orange. I suppose I fell asleep while I was praying. When I awoke, I found He had not only sent me one orange but two!" The agnostic was speechless. Later he was converted to Christ. Yes, praying in God's will brings an answer. (Our Daily Bread.)] One of the most amazing things for us as Christians to witness is how God hears and answers prayer. And yet sometimes I think God is just waiting to move if we would just bend the knee and ask Him to. if we ask in accordance with God’s will— Now one of the things about prayer that we have to remember is that although God’s love is unconditional, His response to our prayers is not, as John makes clear. What is the condition that John gives before God will answer our prayers? That we ask…according to his will…: if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (v.14) a common misconception about praying God's will— Now the way that you and I approach this is we will ask Jesus for something and hope it’s His will. If we watch and it doesn’t happen, then we conclude it wasn’t His will; if it does happen, then it must have been His will. But in either case we do not know what is going to happen and what does happen is what supposedly reveals to us what the will of God was. But I would like to challenge you on this point, because I believe that interpretation is out of tune with what John has been saying in this passage. He has just said that we can have confidence. Confidence of what? Not confidence only that God will hear us, but confidence that (v. 15) we have what we asked of him. In other words, what John is saying is that we can have confidence ahead of time (going into prayer; approaching God) knowing what His answer is going to be. I don’t think you can interpret that verse any other way because of the tense John uses. He tells us to believe that we have what we asked of him; in other words, that we have already received it. Well, how can we do that if we are are unsure of how God is going to answer? That wouldn’t make sense. No, what John is saying here is that you can know (maybe not always, but often) how God is going to answer. Well, how is that? Well we need to go back to that phrase if we ask anything according to his will because it is then that He is said to hear us. What John is saying is you can know ahead of time what God’s answer is going to be if you pray in accordance with His will. Well how do we do that? seeking the will of God— First, we must seek the will of God. And waiting till after you pray to see what happens is to late to see what the will of God is. That isn’t confidence, that’s guessing and hoping. No, we first seek God’s will in a situation and then we pray that that will might be accomplished. And my point is that before we ask, there ought to be a seeking period when you ask God to make His will known to you. And that involves listening as much as anything else. We ask God to reveal Himself; we seek Him in His word; we follow the guidance of His Holy Spirit; and God makes His will known to us or (if not specifically) He will at least reveal to you how to pray. It is then that we can pray with certainty; with confidence; with assurance that it will indeed happen because God is leading our prayer. We can pray with confidence; with certainty. We can pray knowing that God will move. praying in His will in confidence— Asking God for something is not enough; praying that God’s will will happen in a situation is not enough; we must take the time to actually seek His will so that when we pray (knowing as much of His will as He will allow us) we can pray in faith with confidence rather than just a shallow kind of “hit or miss” level of hope. Hope that is truly Christian goes much deeper than that. And so I want to encourage you today to pray in confidence. If you are like me, prayer can be a challenging thing at times. I tend to rush at God with my requests, maybe after a quick word of thanks. But prayer time in which you allow yourself the time to come into the presence of God; where you are seeking His will and aligning yourself to that? That is the kind of a prayer life that can move mountains. Let us commit to pray together that way as we always seek to enter into the awesome presence of God. Amen. Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim. In today’s passage (1 John 5:1-12) we are going to be talking a lot about assurance; assurance of who Jesus is and assurance of who we are in Him.
If You Wake-- I recently read a story about [A life insurance agent {who} was speaking with a would-be client. After a long presentation of the risks of not buying the policy, the man was still a bit hesitant. “I feel that you’re trying to frighten me into a hasty decision. “Oh, no, I would never do such a thing!” the agent assured him. “I’ll tell you what — Sleep on it tonight. If you wake in the morning, give me a call then and let me know your decision.”] If you want assurance, an insurance agent is not always the best choice. However, when it comes to where we are going to spend eternity, the apostle John wants his readers to have absolute assurance. One of the things that makes 1 John such a valuable epistle is that it’s aim is to give us personal assurance of our salvation. While in his Gospel, John writes in order that we might “have” eternal life (John 20:20-31), he wrote this epistle so that we might “know” we have eternal life (I John 5:13). He uses the word "know" 39 times in this epistle alone. John wants us to have the assurance and peace that comes from knowing where we stand with God. Do you know where you stand this morning in your relationship with God? Do you have complete assurance of your salvation. John says we can. We can test ourselves in order to know whether or not we are truly children of God. And John gives us three major tests. Belief in Christ— In verse 1 is the first test: What we believe about Jesus. It says: 1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, Both Divine and Human-- And as we said before, that involves our believing that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. And as fully God and fully man, He died on the cross for the atonement of our sins and was raised from the dead in order that we also might experience victory over sin and death. So belief in who Jesus claims to be and placing our faith and trust in Him for salvation is how we receive salvation. Love for God’s Children-- Now in the second part of verse 1 we are given the second test: and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. If we are truly saved, then we will truly love the Father. And if we love the Father the way we ought to, we will love and care about those He loves and cares about. Now John has made this point before. Remember he records in his Gospel Jesus saying in… John 13:34-35 (ESV)— 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Obvious, but Not Easy-- Now we know that we are supposed to love each other; that’s obvious. But just because something is obvious doesn’t mean it’s easy. I think sometimes we forget how difficult this really is. How do we think about that sibling who has wounded us? That person at church who has wounded us? Those people who you run into in life who, when you are down, enjoy kicking you and making you feel small? What about that person at work who always makes your job harder by how they do theirs. In our thought life, how do we view them? Do we love them? Apart from God, that love becomes very difficult; actually impossible. We can never truly love our brother or sister or neighbor until we first love the Father in and through Jesus Christ. Our love for God can enable us to love them because we love them not for their own sakes, but for Christ’s sake. And John is very careful to connect the two. We love our brothers and sisters and neighbors by first loving God. If we truly love Him and maintain that relationship, He will perfect the love we have for others. He says in verse 2… 1 John 5:2-3a (ESV)-- 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. Obeying God’s Commands-- And in that verse is contained the third test of genuine Christianity: loving God and obeying his commands. If we truly love God, then we will keep His commands. And more than that, we will want to keep His commands. They will be a joy. As the second part of verse 3 says: And his commandments are not burdensome. Now why are they not burdensome? Because His Law; His commands are not just regulations He comes up with, but are an expression of His very nature and character. And therefore if we truly love Him, we will love His nature and character and therefore as a result will also love His Law and practice His commands. Overcome the World-- Now verses 4-5 mark what is perhaps one of the most encouraging passages in scripture. It says… 1 John 5:4-5 (ESV)-- 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Living in Light-- Through faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, we can have victory over sin and temptation because we can, as John says, abide by the commands that God has given us. We can live in His light and have victory over the darkness merely because of the fact that we are abiding in the Light of the World and He in us. And if we allow Him, He can expel all darkness in us and also much of the darkness around us as we bring the light of Christ to others. And once again if we truly love Christ, then we will want to do that. Refuting Gnosticism-- Now during this time there was a false heresy that was developing that served as the foundation for what would later become Gnosticism. And this was a belief system that denied that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh (1Jn 4:1-3; cf. 2Jn 7). And one of the representatives of this belief system was a man named Cerinthus. And he taught that the divine Christ descended upon Jesus at the time of his baptism and then left him before he died on the cross. And so (they claim) that “Christ’ never experienced death. Now WE know that it was necessary that Jesus (as the Christ) die in order to atone (to pay for) the sins of the world. And you cannot be a true Christian without believing in that foundational truth. This is why John has been trying to emphasize throughout this epistle first that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (1 John 4:2) and secondly, those who believe that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh are “of God” and have been “born of God” (1 John 4:2; 5:1a). And in defense of this John presents to us specific witnesses we have concerning the truth that Jesus is the Christ and that he has come in the flesh. 1 John 5:6a (ESV)– 6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. The Water-- Now the "water" refers to Jesus' baptism in the Jordan river, when the Father spoke from heaven and said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:13–17). And you will remember that after he came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended and rested upon him as a dove. And this was one of the means by which the Father testified (audibly from heaven) concerning His Son; right at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Talk about validation!!! The Blood-- Now the second witness is “the blood”. And “the blood” refers to Jesus’ death on the cross and the testimony that was born of Jesus as He was hanging there. At the end of Jesus’ ministry [the Father gave further witness as the time drew near for Jesus to die. He spoke audibly to Jesus from heaven, and said, “I have both glorified it [My name], and will glorify it again” (John 12:28). Furthermore, the Father witnessed in miracle power when Jesus was on the cross: the supernatural darkness, the earthquake, and the rending of the temple veil (Matt. 27:45, 50–53). No wonder the centurion cried out, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (v. 54) Jesus did not receive “the Christ” at His baptism and lose it at the cross. On both occasions, the Father witnessed to the deity of His Son.] The Spirit-- Now “the water and the blood” are not alone in their witness, but are joined by a third witness: The Holy Spirit. It says in… 1 John 5:6b-8 (ESV)– And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. And so we see that the Holy Spirit is another key witness to the incarnate Christ. And He is certainly a strong witness, for He was heavily involved in every aspect of the earthly life and ministry of Jesus. He was involved in Jesus’ conception (Mt 1:20), played an active role in His baptism (Mt 3:16), was with Jesus and led Him during His time of temptation in the wilderness (Lk 4:1), and was upon Him for all of His ministry (Lk 4:18). He also came upon the disciples, sanctifying them and bestowing on them spiritual gifts (Hebrews 2:3-4); and inspiring some of the disciples to author New Testament books and letters. And so the Spirit is a huge witness to who Christ is. And John points out how The Spirit, the water, and the blood, all agree with one another, meaning that they agree in their testimony that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. Now here John continues… 1 John 5:9 (ESV)– 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. The Greater Testimony-- And this simply means that since in a court of law we receive and accept the witness of men, how much more should we accept the testimony of God. Isn’t he greater? Of course. Now for those who have been “born of God”, it says… 1 John 5:10a (ESV)– 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Confirmation in Our Spirit-- And what John (and Jesus) is saying is that when we set out hearts and minds on doing the will of God, we will know that the doctrine of Christ is really from God. We will receive confirmation in our spirit regarding who Jesus really is and who we are in Him as born again believers. Now there are those (obviously) who reject the testimony of God. And John says of them… 1 John 5:10b-12 (ESV)– Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. And what John is saying is that you cannot have life apart from Jesus. All these witnesses that John is talking about (witnesses to who Christ is) ought to lead us to place our faith in Him as the ONLY source of life there is; and to follow Him with a complete and total commitment of ALL of who we are to Him. When we truly place our faith in Jesus like that, there will be (like John says) that fruit; that evidence in our lives demonstrated in righteousness and love; and we can have assurance that we are indeed children of God. And if you want to experience that deeper relationship with Him today, open your heart to God in prayer and invite Him to begin that work in you. And as it says in… Philippians 1:6b (ESV)-- …he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Amen. |
Rev. Cameron Ury graduated from Asbury University in 2007 with a B.A. in Bible and Theology. From there he continued his studies at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, MS. It was there that he met his wife Tanya, who graduated from WBS with her M.A. and M.Div. degrees. Cameron and Tanya got married in 2009. Cameron then graduated with his M.Div. degree with a pastoral concentration in 2011.
After shepherding churches in both Mississippi and Ohio, they joined the ministry team at Renton Park Chapel in January of 2018, where Cameron serves as Senior Pastor and Teacher. Cameron is also the founder and host of Lechem Panim, a weekly radio show that airs on KGNW 820AM "The Word Seattle". The ministry of Lechem Panim is centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through Bible study, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Archives
September 2020
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