WEBVTT 00:00:00.340 --> 00:00:03.080 First John, Chapter 5, we're going to say goodbye to this Book today. 00:00:03.140 --> 00:00:04.750 I feel like it's a great ending to our baptism services. 00:00:05.180 --> 00:00:06.520 We've studied the Book of John together. 00:00:07.060 --> 00:00:14.340 One of the things I've really enjoyed about John is we've looked at his story and how, at the end of his life, he's now writing to believers 00:00:14.340 --> 00:00:21.420 and saying to us, "This is what I want to continue to see in your life as you follow Jesus," because of the way that he's experienced his relationship with 00:00:21.420 --> 00:00:22.260 Christ in his life. 00:00:22.820 --> 00:00:30.120 If you remember how the story that we set up for John, and who he is in light of who Christ is, John is one of the followers 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:31.500 of Jesus, one of the early apostles. 00:00:32.119 --> 00:00:35.340 He's the last living apostle at the time he's writing this letter. 00:00:35.340 --> 00:00:40.700 Jesus had 12 disciples or apostles that you're probably familiar with or at least heard of that follow after him. 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:43.920 All of them were martyred except for one, and that is John. 00:00:44.260 --> 00:00:50.840 John likely, in writing this letter, is in his 90s, sharing with the Church what he desires to see in their lives. 00:00:51.160 --> 00:00:58.340 In fact, history tells us that John got so old in the City of Ephesus that the early Church would show up to his house before their 00:00:58.340 --> 00:01:05.420 gatherings and they would carry him to Church and sort of prop him up and say, "Just teach us something, John." Once John got older in years, the only 00:01:05.420 --> 00:01:12.640 thing that history tells us that he could utter was just, "Love one another." They'd set John up, he walked with Jesus, saw Jesus, touched Jesus, 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:19.660 heard from Jesus, and say, "Just tell us something." He was the tangible reminder of Christ on this earth and John would say, "Love one another." 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:27.520 As we've studied this book together, that should be, sort of this theme that we've seen, especially in Chapter 4, the identity of God, his love and 00:01:27.520 --> 00:01:29.840 his love that he extends towards us. 00:01:29.940 --> 00:01:36.940 As I think about the perfect identity of John, the way to sort of summarize his life, you remember early in John's ministry, Jesus gave him the 00:01:36.940 --> 00:01:44.080 nickname, "Son of Thunder." He sort of led with his wrath, but as God transformed his life, you'll see in the book of John, Chapter 13, that 00:01:44.080 --> 00:01:51.260 he's no longer referred to as the "Son of Thunder" but rather, he's referred to as, "The beloved in Christ." I believe John was Jesus' 00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:52.560 best friend in life. 00:01:52.880 --> 00:01:59.280 In fact, when you read about the crucifixion of Jesus, the only disciple that is there at Jesus' crucifixion is John. 00:02:01.360 --> 00:02:08.539 It's John who was told by Jesus while he's on the cross, "John, will you take care of my mother?" Now, 00:02:08.539 --> 00:02:10.520 think of all the friendships that you have. 00:02:10.580 --> 00:02:14.600 If you were to leave this world and you knew your mother needed care for, who would you ask to do that? 00:02:16.640 --> 00:02:19.180 John, I think, is Jesus' best friend. 00:02:20.580 --> 00:02:28.120 John, in writing this letter, not only does he recognize that he is the beloved, but you'll see within the terms of this letter, even today, that he recognizes 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:31.160 in his relationship with God that God calls you the same thing in him. 00:02:32.820 --> 00:02:35.260 That God desires for you to be his beloved. 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:43.960 John is, as he concludes the ending of this letter in Verse 13, he really gives us this summary thought that he's going to really 00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:46.710 pepper with some explanation as it goes throughout this passage. 00:02:47.160 --> 00:02:52.620 Then he talks about the opposite of what Verse 13 is, in the very last verse of this letter. 00:02:53.180 --> 00:02:55.300 It's a weird ending in John's Book. 00:02:55.300 --> 00:02:58.680 John, apparently, was not taught how to start a letter and end a letter. 00:02:58.900 --> 00:03:02.900 He sort of just goes right for it, and he just ends like a mic drop at the end of it. 00:03:02.900 --> 00:03:04.840 You'll see this, together, as we study this. 00:03:05.260 --> 00:03:08.900 In First John, Chapter 5, Verse 13, he gives us this statement. 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:16.720 I want to say, as a Church, I really appreciate this thought that John shares, because of I think where we are as a Church and some of the things we've experienced this year. 00:03:16.840 --> 00:03:24.300 He says this, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." What 00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:28.060 John wants is for you to have confidence in your relationship with Christ. 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:35.140 Not because of anything that you've done, but because of what Jesus has done for you by giving his life for you, his love for you, and forgiveness on the cross 00:03:35.140 --> 00:03:39.280 by giving his life towards you that you may know him and enjoy him for all of eternity. 00:03:40.140 --> 00:03:41.290 I mean, life is about relationship. 00:03:41.660 --> 00:03:48.860 We've seen this in the commandments that John's talked about, the greatest commandment that Jesus gave to us in John 13, that we're to love God and love others. 00:03:48.920 --> 00:03:51.120 Those commands are all relational commands. 00:03:51.720 --> 00:03:57.300 What John is saying to us, and reminding us that this thought is paramount to everything that you are as a Christian. 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:02.940 The reason we're here today is not because you go to Church to go to Church, but because God calls you to connect with him. 00:04:02.940 --> 00:04:09.040 As community, we can see the beauty of Jesus made known in our relationship, as in our love for God we love one another. 00:04:09.960 --> 00:04:16.980 Jesus will not tangibly be here in front of you this morning, but if you really want to demonstrate your love for God, look at each other as if you're looking at Jesus and extend 00:04:16.980 --> 00:04:18.040 that love to each other. 00:04:18.820 --> 00:04:21.560 John wants us confident in that relationship with God. 00:04:22.460 --> 00:04:27.710 As I think about this verse and our Church, like this year for us, we've seen a lot of people come to know Christ. 00:04:28.980 --> 00:04:32.530 When you begin that journey and your relationship with God, sometimes it can look a little overwhelming. 00:04:33.020 --> 00:04:38.540 Like as people, we want to know everything we need to know right now, but your walk with Jesus is a journey. 00:04:39.620 --> 00:04:43.690 You're not going to know everything you need to know, but here's what you do need, you need Jesus. 00:04:45.620 --> 00:04:52.400 If you get Jesus, you get Jesus right, you rest on the foundation of Jesus, everything else will come, but go to Jesus. 00:04:53.860 --> 00:04:57.210 First John, 5:13, he's writing these things in the name of Jesus. 00:04:57.300 --> 00:05:01.180 The name has to do with his identity, that you may know that you have eternal life. 00:05:02.280 --> 00:05:09.600 We said last week, the important thought for the Church, I think the part that we miss so often is when we talk in terms of eternal life today, 00:05:09.800 --> 00:05:11.580 we usually present Jesus this way. 00:05:11.900 --> 00:05:14.740 "Take Jesus so you don't go to hell." It's like this. 00:05:14.760 --> 00:05:20.330 You embrace Jesus, and then sometime, maybe 50 years from now when you die, you'll get to be with Jesus. 00:05:20.660 --> 00:05:27.860 When the Bible talks about eternal life, it's not just talking about the quantity of life that you're going to live forever because you have Jesus, but it's also 00:05:27.860 --> 00:05:29.480 talking about the quality of life. 00:05:29.480 --> 00:05:32.900 That when God gives you eternal life, that life starts the moment you embrace him. 00:05:34.120 --> 00:05:36.020 The Bible contrasts that with the idea of death. 00:05:36.060 --> 00:05:38.500 Meaning in our sin, we're separated from God. 00:05:38.520 --> 00:05:45.560 It refers to those apart from Jesus right now as dead, noting that, yes, you are physically breathing on this earth, but 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:48.310 as long as there's sin between you and God, there's a separation. 00:05:49.100 --> 00:05:55.870 Man creates religion in order to bring that chasm back together between you and God, but the Bible tells us that's impossible. 00:05:57.200 --> 00:06:03.220 That the only way that chasm can no longer exist is because of Jesus and what he has done for you on the cross. 00:06:04.200 --> 00:06:11.340 The moment we embrace what Christ has done for us, that sin that separates is no more and now you walk in life rather than death. 00:06:13.260 --> 00:06:14.200 Encouragement for John. 00:06:15.660 --> 00:06:16.300 Embrace life. 00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:20.880 Not just in the sense of just thinking about heaven to come. 00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:27.450 The idea of walking with Jesus today and meeting with Jesus now. 00:06:29.520 --> 00:06:34.040 From this point, John then starts to elaborate for us the significance of this life and living in this life. 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:41.080 In Verse 14 it says this, "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he 00:06:41.080 --> 00:06:41.860 hears us. 00:06:42.660 --> 00:06:52.440 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the request that we have asked of him." What 00:06:52.440 --> 00:06:55.100 John's saying is in the quality of that eternal life is that God wants to hear from you. 00:06:56.180 --> 00:06:59.670 If he hasn't already heard from you today, God wants to hear from you today. 00:07:00.460 --> 00:07:06.000 He's talking about this in a way that he describes us as being confident in the conversation you have with God. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:10.640 Because when someone loves you, they delight to hear from you. 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:14.840 I think some of you this past week sent your kids to school. 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:21.810 Because you delight in your children, you love your children, when they returned home that day, what did you want to know? 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:28.040 "How did your first day go?" You wanted to hear all about the experience. 00:07:28.420 --> 00:07:33.680 Like not so much other kids that you don't know, but you wanted to hear about your kids, their experience, and why? 00:07:35.700 --> 00:07:39.520 Because you love them and you care for them. 00:07:40.880 --> 00:07:48.180 Well, John's identifying in that life in Jesus is that God is the same way with you, and he wants you to be confident in this, and not 00:07:48.180 --> 00:07:50.060 only this, the idea of confidence. 00:07:50.060 --> 00:07:50.920 He builds on this thought. 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:57.960 He says, "The confidence we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears 00:07:57.960 --> 00:08:05.080 us." Meaning when you have this conversation with God, that the terms for this conversation is in the will of God. 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:06.740 Now what does that look like? 00:08:07.740 --> 00:08:12.680 You can think in relationships that you have in your family, maybe with your children, if I elaborate further on that relationship. 00:08:13.960 --> 00:08:17.850 There are times when you have conversation where it may not be respectful. 00:08:19.650 --> 00:08:24.170 My kids know the last thing that you do is say "no" to mama. 00:08:25.700 --> 00:08:28.090 She ain't happy, it's about to go down. 00:08:28.300 --> 00:08:34.960 You respect in conversation what you say to adults, and especially to your parents. 00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:37.960 If that respect is not there, conversation over. 00:08:37.960 --> 00:08:39.049 You come back when there's respect. 00:08:39.220 --> 00:08:42.780 Well, God's saying a similar thing here. 00:08:42.780 --> 00:08:47.230 That when we have a conversation with God, we want to pray according to his will for the sake of this conversation. 00:08:47.500 --> 00:08:55.920 The question we should ask ourselves, to have this confidence, the confidence to talk to God is, "What is God's will?" Jesus 00:08:55.920 --> 00:08:58.820 said it like this when he taught us to pray in Matthew, Chapter 6. 00:08:58.820 --> 00:09:03.800 Jesus said, "Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:06.540 Your kingdom come, your what? 00:09:07.940 --> 00:09:12.500 Will be done." Jesus is teaching us about prayer. 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:19.500 He's teaching us in the realm of praying according to God's will, and so the question for us is, "What in the world is God's will?" 00:09:19.620 --> 00:09:26.840 Because if we're talking about conversation with God and coming to God because he delights in us and we want to delight in him, we want to have a conversation where 00:09:26.840 --> 00:09:29.380 we know he's openly hearing the communication. 00:09:29.380 --> 00:09:31.600 How do we pray according to God's will? 00:09:33.940 --> 00:09:35.020 First John, 3 has already told. 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:43.300 First John 3 says this, "Whatever we ask, we receive from him." See, prayer. 00:09:44.340 --> 00:09:51.740 "We ask, we receive from him because we keep his commandments, and do what pleases him." The 00:09:51.860 --> 00:09:59.840 question we need to ask is, "God, what are your commandments?" He answers in Verse 23, and this is his commandment, that 00:09:59.840 --> 00:10:05.260 we believe in the name of the son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 00:10:08.060 --> 00:10:10.480 Christianity is simplistic in its faith. 00:10:12.260 --> 00:10:19.060 Religiously, people will come to their religion and they'll get this set list of all these performances they got to live to in the hopes that God might listen to them. 00:10:20.820 --> 00:10:23.780 Christianity, you don't wake up today and look to perform a list. 00:10:26.260 --> 00:10:27.540 Jesus gave it to us. 00:10:27.860 --> 00:10:28.780 Love God, love others. 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:30.580 God's will. 00:10:32.260 --> 00:10:33.180 God's will is relationship. 00:10:35.340 --> 00:10:39.860 How you come to know God, and then through knowing God, live that out in your life to bless others. 00:10:41.980 --> 00:10:42.730 Love God, love others. 00:10:44.500 --> 00:10:51.840 When you think in terms of praying to God, many people pray and 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:59.020 when they think about praying or if they do pray, it's not so much about God's will, but rather, oftentimes, people pray 00:10:59.020 --> 00:11:00.620 because they're most interested in their will. 00:11:01.960 --> 00:11:04.970 Like the only time they talk to God is because there's something that they want. 00:11:06.740 --> 00:11:09.990 The problem with that is if what you want is contrary to what God desires. 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:12.600 What does God desire? 00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:17.580 Not our will necessarily be done, but his will. 00:11:19.300 --> 00:11:22.200 The beauty in this is when our will aligns with his will. 00:11:23.680 --> 00:11:24.440 What is his will? 00:11:26.800 --> 00:11:31.760 That the love of God would be made known through our lives through the relationship of God that we have. 00:11:33.280 --> 00:11:39.100 When you think in terms of God's will, some people will get strange over the thought of God's will. 00:11:39.180 --> 00:11:45.160 They'll wake up in the morning and they'll pray, and they're obsessing about God's will as to whether or not they should put their pants on in the morning, Like they get that specific. 00:11:46.040 --> 00:11:53.060 I'll just tell you, "Put your pants on in the morning." I mean, Jesus said, in the prayer we just read, Lord's Prayer, he said, "Our father which 00:11:53.060 --> 00:11:54.200 art in heaven, hallowed by your name. 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:56.340 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 00:11:56.420 --> 00:11:59.270 Give us this day our daily bread." You know what that means? 00:11:59.880 --> 00:12:06.940 "God, whatever I need today, just take care of that." He's not literally praying for bread there, "God can have some bread?" He's just saying, "God, I know I'm going to have some 00:12:06.940 --> 00:12:07.680 things happen today. 00:12:07.720 --> 00:12:08.720 Like I need to put my pants on. 00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:10.050 Just handle that. 00:12:10.060 --> 00:12:11.860 Just supply the pants, get the food. 00:12:12.300 --> 00:12:14.100 I got a will to live out for you. 00:12:14.140 --> 00:12:21.140 Help me to live out that will." Now in the idea of God's will, I think it's important for us to know we don't control what other 00:12:21.140 --> 00:12:21.640 people do. 00:12:21.640 --> 00:12:26.040 Our heart's prayer could be for the salvation of people, but we can't manipulate hearts. 00:12:26.040 --> 00:12:29.460 So rather, the prayer should be, "God, I'm going to encounter people today. 00:12:29.800 --> 00:12:33.680 Give me the strength to love them like you would love them, even when they show their rear-end to me. 00:12:35.700 --> 00:12:42.400 I will be done." When we think about God's will, I don't think God's will is always this dot. 00:12:44.340 --> 00:12:48.860 People consider God's will like this dot that you've got to just guard, and find and discover. 00:12:48.860 --> 00:12:53.500 "I don't exactly know what he wants me to do at 3:00 today." I don't think God's will is a dot. 00:12:53.800 --> 00:12:56.500 Rather, I think God's will is more like a highway or a river. 00:12:58.540 --> 00:13:00.660 You understand what God calls us to in this world? 00:13:00.700 --> 00:13:03.100 Loving God, loving others, coming to know him on this journey. 00:13:03.100 --> 00:13:06.320 As I'm going on this journey, letting his love be made known in my life. 00:13:06.380 --> 00:13:08.010 This is God's will, this is the channel. 00:13:08.080 --> 00:13:13.920 I think as we go along in life, we learn to discover dots along the way that God makes us passionate about. 00:13:14.520 --> 00:13:18.020 Like particular groups of people or something specific within our society. 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:25.730 I think, generally, what God desire is just to see us move forward in the places that we are, to call us to be a light in the midst of darkness. 00:13:27.160 --> 00:13:34.220 "Whatever that looks like in our lives, God, I'm seeking you that your will be done, that you use me as a vessel for your glory in this world." 00:13:34.380 --> 00:13:41.680 When you think in Verse 13 about this eternal life, what John is saying is as you live out this life, connect to 00:13:41.680 --> 00:13:46.000 God for the reason for which he has called you to live out this will in this world. 00:13:47.580 --> 00:13:50.260 To love God, and to love others. 00:13:51.740 --> 00:14:00.080 Some people even ask the question or beg the question, "Why even pray?" Like, "I don't get the point of praying." I 00:14:00.940 --> 00:14:03.860 think David Platt gave one of the best answers to this. 00:14:03.980 --> 00:14:11.360 This is kind of a summary of what he said, but he said, "When you're sitting on your couch just spending your entire day watching TV, you're 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:18.420 going to wonder, 'Why in the world should you pray?' When you really lay down your life for Christ to impact 00:14:18.420 --> 00:14:25.540 others and you understand the sacrifice that you're demonstrating through Jesus' sacrifice, then you have no other hope other 00:14:25.540 --> 00:14:26.760 than to pray. 00:14:27.760 --> 00:14:34.940 Because only God's strength could supply you to live out that kind of will in this world." You think in terms of praying, I think 00:14:34.940 --> 00:14:38.180 John then takes this idea of just raising the need in your life. 00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:45.240 When you understand eternal life, giving your heart to God and seeking God's face, to live that will in this world, his next thoughts for us 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:46.860 are very sobering. 00:14:46.920 --> 00:14:47.270 Look at this. 00:14:47.300 --> 00:14:52.920 It says, "If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will give him life. 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:57.840 To those who commit sin that do not lead to death, there is a sin that leads to death. 00:14:58.660 --> 00:15:00.960 I do not say that one should pray for that. 00:15:01.740 --> 00:15:09.120 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is a sin that does not lead to death." Well, that's sobering. 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:11.240 "Is that me? 00:15:12.760 --> 00:15:20.000 I'm going to walk out of here and do that one sin that leads to death." How important is it that you have life 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:20.920 in Christ? 00:15:20.920 --> 00:15:25.780 If we're even in talking in the realms of death, like there is death, the world leads to death. 00:15:25.780 --> 00:15:30.020 There is life, and Jesus brings life, and if you're connected to Jesus, you have life. 00:15:30.040 --> 00:15:31.540 How important is it to share that life? 00:15:31.540 --> 00:15:38.920 I think John wants to contrast the thoughts he shared with eternal life to this thought, to give us that sobering reminder of how significant your relationship 00:15:38.920 --> 00:15:40.100 with Jesus is. 00:15:41.660 --> 00:15:42.720 To not take it for granted. 00:15:43.960 --> 00:15:45.420 What does this verse mean? 00:15:47.460 --> 00:15:51.180 I'll tell you, theologians look at this passage of scripture with a little humility. 00:15:52.040 --> 00:15:59.220 Because truthfully, they'll say, "We don't honestly know for certain what this verse is saying." Here's one of the reasons they say 00:15:59.220 --> 00:16:04.500 this, is because they don't completely understand the context that John is addressing in these moments in history. 00:16:04.540 --> 00:16:04.930 It's been lost. 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:10.520 What exactly is happening in John's day where they're going to give this sort of statement? 00:16:10.680 --> 00:16:13.800 Whatever it is, it's pretty extreme. 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:19.440 Theologians, when they look at this passage of scripture, they'll usually bring it down to two thoughts. 00:16:19.480 --> 00:16:24.480 They'll say, "Well, if you have to speculate as to what this verse means, I'll tell you, treat it with humility. 00:16:24.780 --> 00:16:31.880 If you want to study it and come to a conclusion, and correct me on any thought, please feel free." I don't think that this is a huge area of 00:16:31.880 --> 00:16:34.100 theology to die on like the Bible. 00:16:34.100 --> 00:16:41.140 One of the reasons that we're not crystal clear on this section of scripture is because there's not a whole lot of sections of scripture like this, especially in the New Testament, to compare 00:16:41.140 --> 00:16:42.430 it to be confident in. 00:16:42.990 --> 00:16:50.180 Theology that matters in scripture tends to be repeated over and over, so when you get to ones that are sort of this anomaly, you kind of base it on a thought that 00:16:50.180 --> 00:16:53.950 you see agreeable to scripture, but you don't hold it with a tight fist. 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:58.240 This is one of those sections where in humility we say, "Okay, God, we're looking at this. 00:16:58.260 --> 00:16:59.680 We want to be honoring to you. 00:16:59.680 --> 00:17:02.180 At the very least, we recognize Jesus is life. 00:17:02.740 --> 00:17:04.640 All of the things apart from Jesus lead to death. 00:17:04.700 --> 00:17:11.819 We need Jesus, and so therefore we're going to live in light of that." As theologians look at this in the New Testament, they say there are parts in scripture 00:17:11.819 --> 00:17:15.319 where, like Ananias and Sapphira Acts, Chapter 5. 00:17:16.180 --> 00:17:19.319 Where Ananias and Sapphira, they came before the leaders of the Church. 00:17:19.339 --> 00:17:21.780 They lied before God, and God struck them dead. 00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:30.060 Same thing happened in First Corinthians 11, Verse 30, when the early Church was sinfully partaking of communion. 00:17:30.100 --> 00:17:32.040 They were dishonoring what communion represented. 00:17:32.040 --> 00:17:33.920 We're going to have that at the end of service, by the way. 00:17:34.660 --> 00:17:42.020 They were dishonoring communion, and it says that they had a sin that led to death, so there's some that believe this could literally be just God's 00:17:42.020 --> 00:17:44.680 final straw in life, and so leading a sin into death. 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:46.190 Can I just tell you one unhelpful thing? 00:17:46.940 --> 00:17:52.880 Is if you take that sort of stand and you see someone pass away, don't give the declaration of this verse over their life. 00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:53.500 You don't know. 00:17:54.140 --> 00:17:55.560 You're not God. 00:17:55.760 --> 00:18:00.660 I think the other thought to this versus is where I tend to land. 00:18:01.180 --> 00:18:03.430 The other thought is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. 00:18:04.800 --> 00:18:10.690 In Mark, Chapter 3, Verse 28, Jesus talked about the Holy Spirit working in our lives. 00:18:11.120 --> 00:18:16.000 If we ignore that and deny that Spirit, it's called blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and it leads to death. 00:18:17.100 --> 00:18:20.160 When God works in your life for salvation, take Jesus. 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:20.920 Don't deny Jesus. 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:23.120 Embrace Jesus. 00:18:24.580 --> 00:18:26.640 It's saying to reject that leads to death. 00:18:27.760 --> 00:18:34.980 I think in the case of First John, if you remember the context of the story, what John's doing is he's writing a letter to an early Church that's having Gnosticism 00:18:34.980 --> 00:18:35.880 taught in the Church. 00:18:35.940 --> 00:18:40.320 It's undermining the importance of who Jesus is in their lives and what Jesus represents. 00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:48.940 If you don't embrace Jesus, the result is death, and 00:18:48.940 --> 00:18:54.860 so John's encouraging us in this passage of scripture saying, "Yeah, there is a sin that leads to death, but here's what we need in life. 00:18:56.960 --> 00:19:04.040 We need Jesus." Some people read verses like this, and I don't know what kind of a phobia I could describe this 00:19:04.040 --> 00:19:04.260 as. 00:19:04.300 --> 00:19:07.740 Maybe like hellaphobia or damnationaphobia or something like that. 00:19:07.780 --> 00:19:10.780 You read this and you're like, "Is this verse talking about me? 00:19:10.880 --> 00:19:14.710 How do I know that I'm not this person?" Can I just tell you? 00:19:15.060 --> 00:19:18.040 John sort of lets the pressure off in this next section of scripture. 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:23.610 If you're worried about your relationship with Jesus, can I tell you? 00:19:23.960 --> 00:19:29.820 Most often I worry very little about you if you're concerned about that, because that shows a conviction in Christ. 00:19:30.760 --> 00:19:35.260 It's those that are concerned, that understand the gospel and are concerned with their relationship with God that I don't worry about. 00:19:35.320 --> 00:19:42.480 I think this passage is more worried about those that just want to live life however they want, and have no conviction, and they just ignore the Lord altogether. 00:19:44.180 --> 00:19:46.480 The Holy Spirit works in your life to draw you to Christ. 00:19:49.320 --> 00:19:54.480 John tells us in Chapter 16 that the Holy Spirit's entire purpose is to glorify Jesus in your life. 00:19:55.820 --> 00:19:58.000 When you're in a Church, how do you know God's at work? 00:19:59.600 --> 00:20:03.180 It makes much of Jesus as the centrality of everything that they hold to. 00:20:05.220 --> 00:20:12.540 If you're worried about your relationship with Christ, I think, one, it's important to understand that the gospel, if you don't know what that is, that has 00:20:12.540 --> 00:20:14.180 nothing to do with what you do. 00:20:14.180 --> 00:20:16.260 It has everything to do with what Jesus has done. 00:20:17.220 --> 00:20:23.240 That God became flesh, died on the cross for your sins, and now he invites you to embrace what he's done for you. 00:20:24.840 --> 00:20:29.120 To lay down your self-righteousness and embrace Christ's righteousness. 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:37.760 If you've done that and you're reading this verse and you're worried, I would just say this, if your weight is leaning into Jesus as your 00:20:37.760 --> 00:20:40.840 hope, this verse isn't for you. 00:20:41.840 --> 00:20:44.660 Rather, what John does is to go further. 00:20:44.660 --> 00:20:49.580 He says this, "We know that everyone who has been of God does not keep on sinning. 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:58.240 But he who was born of God, protects him." This is the reason I say I don't worry about you, is because John saying, look, Christians that walk with a conviction... 00:20:58.360 --> 00:21:01.720 I'm not saying guilt, but conviction of just wanting to align with Jesus. 00:21:03.340 --> 00:21:10.340 Like when you do things in your life, if you emulate that or when you live a sin in your life, you emulate your walk with Jesus by not wanting to continue 00:21:10.340 --> 00:21:10.700 in that. 00:21:11.600 --> 00:21:15.140 He says in Verse 18, "We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning. 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:21.560 But he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 00:21:22.940 --> 00:21:26.360 We know that we are from God and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 00:21:27.020 --> 00:21:34.320 We know that the son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him, who is true, and we are in him who is true and his son, 00:21:34.340 --> 00:21:35.280 Jesus Christ. 00:21:35.320 --> 00:21:42.620 He is the true God and eternal life." In Verse 20, if you ever looking for a verse that just says, "Jesus is God," there's multiple in scripture, 00:21:42.820 --> 00:21:43.820 but verse 20 is one of them. 00:21:44.300 --> 00:21:51.420 At the very end, "He is the true God and eternal life." When you think in terms of this verse, what's John saying 00:21:51.420 --> 00:21:51.720 here? 00:21:51.760 --> 00:21:55.780 Well, first verse, he's saying, look, Christians aren't perfect. 00:21:57.360 --> 00:22:03.100 Like it is possible in your life and Jesus, you're going to sin in maybe the next five minutes. 00:22:04.520 --> 00:22:06.250 Christians aren't perfect. 00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:08.220 John, I think, has even acknowledged this. 00:22:08.260 --> 00:22:09.080 He's saying, hey, look. 00:22:09.080 --> 00:22:15.420 It's not that we don't sin, it's that rather we just, we don't live in those sins because we walk in our conviction, the Holy Spirit is in our lives. 00:22:16.360 --> 00:22:23.440 First John, 1:8 says this, "We deceive ourselves if we say we have no sin." But in Verse 00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:31.060 9, it says this, "If we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." In 00:22:31.060 --> 00:22:34.260 terms of the Christian life, we really have two kinds of rails. 00:22:36.120 --> 00:22:40.000 There is living in absolute sin. 00:22:41.280 --> 00:22:42.660 Then there's this idea of perfection. 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:47.420 What John's saying is, look, Christians don't keep on sinning. 00:22:47.460 --> 00:22:50.530 We don't do that, because we have the conviction of the spirit of God that works in our lives. 00:22:51.560 --> 00:22:53.460 At the same time, we don't expect ourselves to be perfect. 00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:57.380 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. 00:22:57.440 --> 00:22:58.840 The truth's not in us." First John 1:8. 00:23:01.300 --> 00:23:02.710 Rather, what do we have in this verse? 00:23:02.860 --> 00:23:03.460 Well, he's telling us. 00:23:03.720 --> 00:23:11.030 "We don't keep on sinning, but we rest in the power of God." He's contrasting, in Verse 18 and 19, 00:23:11.100 --> 00:23:12.360 these two powers in this world. 00:23:12.420 --> 00:23:16.700 There's the power of this world and Satan made known, and then there's the power of Christ over you. 00:23:18.140 --> 00:23:21.630 In Revelation 12, the Bible gives us an important identity to Satan. 00:23:22.220 --> 00:23:29.480 It refers to him as, "The accuser of the brother." Meaning what Satan loves to do in your life is to make you feel powerless by 00:23:29.480 --> 00:23:37.060 bringing up the past to say, "You're not worthy." Reality is, we're 00:23:37.060 --> 00:23:37.360 not. 00:23:39.360 --> 00:23:40.260 In ourselves, we're not. 00:23:42.580 --> 00:23:45.560 The truth is, Jesus is. 00:23:47.640 --> 00:23:54.980 "Because of his death for me, he makes me worthy." In this 00:23:54.980 --> 00:24:03.020 section of scripture, you recognize you can rest under the accusations of Satan, or 00:24:03.020 --> 00:24:04.670 you can rest under the authority of Christ. 00:24:06.140 --> 00:24:13.580 By the way, John concludes in Verse 20, he says, "And Jesus is God." When you think about whose 00:24:13.580 --> 00:24:17.860 power is greater, it's Jesus. 00:24:19.880 --> 00:24:24.180 Oh, guys, if you think for just a minute in this section of scripture and you consider, "Okay. 00:24:24.180 --> 00:24:31.360 If Satan's power is being made known in my life, what does that look like?" Spiritual things in this world can 00:24:31.360 --> 00:24:32.120 become physical. 00:24:33.860 --> 00:24:40.220 Meaning Satan can work on the hearts of people to then come at you. 00:24:42.120 --> 00:24:43.360 Can I just encourage you in this? 00:24:46.580 --> 00:24:51.840 Don't let what other people say and do keep you from walking with Jesus. 00:24:53.440 --> 00:25:00.700 Because if you give someone else that power over you, you're saying the influence of that power is greater than 00:25:00.700 --> 00:25:01.020 Christ. 00:25:02.860 --> 00:25:11.560 Look, I know things we go through in life can be difficult, even in Church community, even in Church community, but 00:25:11.560 --> 00:25:12.220 Jesus is greater. 00:25:15.080 --> 00:25:19.620 Anything and everything that has ever happened to you, God knows. 00:25:21.180 --> 00:25:21.300 God knows. 00:25:23.620 --> 00:25:30.220 Can I tell you what God will do for it and about it is far greater than anything that you could ever do in your own strength. 00:25:32.800 --> 00:25:36.920 Leaning into him, letting him have it. 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:40.100 I don't think you have to focus on your own vengeance. 00:25:41.360 --> 00:25:44.430 I think we just look to accomplishing his will in this world for us. 00:25:45.560 --> 00:25:49.640 We let Jesus take care of the garbage, and he promises he will. 00:25:51.180 --> 00:25:55.220 That's part of the reason John comes in this verse and says, "That's why we rest in him being greater. 00:25:57.120 --> 00:26:04.340 You have this life in Christ and God, more than anything, wants you to let go of all other things and focus on this 00:26:04.340 --> 00:26:11.780 life in Christ, and live it for his glory." Verse 00:26:11.780 --> 00:26:15.750 21, John gives us a conclusion. 00:26:15.780 --> 00:26:18.900 If you're going to memorize a verse this week, can I just throw this one out? 00:26:18.900 --> 00:26:20.420 Because this one is so short and easy. 00:26:21.620 --> 00:26:28.720 "Little children..." Or in some translations say "beloved." "Keep yourself from idols." That's 00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:29.580 just so weird. 00:26:30.040 --> 00:26:32.000 His mom did not teach him manners. 00:26:32.540 --> 00:26:39.900 I just think, if you've got like this Hallmark ending, you're just considered this so loving apostle of Christ, the beloved best friend of Jesus, 00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:42.340 when you get to the end, you could say things like, "I love you guys. 00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:43.600 I can't wait to see you again. 00:26:43.660 --> 00:26:50.720 We could talk about whatever." He's just like, "Little children, keep yourself from idols," and just walks off the stage. 00:26:50.740 --> 00:26:52.420 It's just so bizarre of an ending. 00:26:52.540 --> 00:26:58.640 What John is saying is crucial to understanding the contrast of walking in eternal life with Jesus. 00:27:00.380 --> 00:27:08.400 The thing that will rob your heart of the joy God brings to you, it's idols, idols. 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:17.460 When you think, "What exactly is an idol?" The traditional idea of an idol, you carve an image, 00:27:18.140 --> 00:27:21.920 you bow down to the image, and you worship the image. 00:27:23.240 --> 00:27:24.060 Can I tell you? 00:27:24.620 --> 00:27:27.680 When people created idols, they created idols for different reasons. 00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:33.880 You had the idols of agriculture, of fertility, of power, of hunting, of weather. 00:27:33.880 --> 00:27:37.560 There are all kinds of idols people have had throughout history, and even have today. 00:27:39.120 --> 00:27:42.180 Why did people create idols? 00:27:43.880 --> 00:27:45.760 Can I maybe make a suggestion or a thought? 00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:55.200 I think people designed idols, not because of the goodness of the God that they worship, but rather, I think they 00:27:55.200 --> 00:27:58.780 designed idols because their hope was that the idol would serve them. 00:28:01.280 --> 00:28:03.040 It wasn't because they really loved the idol. 00:28:04.520 --> 00:28:08.220 It was because they loved whatever they thought the idol would bring them. 00:28:08.560 --> 00:28:10.160 In reality, they didn't love the idol. 00:28:10.160 --> 00:28:11.520 What they loved was themselves. 00:28:12.800 --> 00:28:16.900 Because they loved themselves and there was something they wanted, they bowed down to the idol in order to get that thing. 00:28:18.340 --> 00:28:23.810 When it came to fertility, or agriculture, power, hunting, weather, whatever it was all the same thing. 00:28:23.880 --> 00:28:26.080 Mankind's been pursuing the same thing throughout their life. 00:28:26.440 --> 00:28:28.600 It's pleasure, sex, power, fame. 00:28:31.120 --> 00:28:33.840 When I think in terms of us today, I don't think we're much different. 00:28:35.340 --> 00:28:42.680 Sure, you don't carve an idol and bow down to an idol in that sense, but 00:28:42.680 --> 00:28:45.820 I think our wants drive us to idols. 00:28:47.120 --> 00:28:53.240 Not because we love the idol but, truthfully, it's because we love ourselves. 00:28:55.640 --> 00:29:02.880 The unfortunate part of our lives in creating idols is that they keep us longer than we want to stay, and we end up paying more than we 00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:03.560 want to pay. 00:29:05.460 --> 00:29:11.120 At first, we create idols thinking that they will serve us, and in the end, we find out that we only serve it. 00:29:11.280 --> 00:29:12.440 We become a slave. 00:29:14.300 --> 00:29:14.960 Here's the trick. 00:29:17.280 --> 00:29:20.600 The trick with an idol is not to simply remove the idol. 00:29:22.780 --> 00:29:29.780 It can help, but I don't think the result that we should be seeking for is to simply remove the 00:29:29.780 --> 00:29:34.960 idol, but to understand the reason you have an idol is because of a deeper problem in your heart. 00:29:36.920 --> 00:29:44.080 Just removing an idol from your life will treat a symptom, but it doesn't necessarily provide the 00:29:44.080 --> 00:29:45.080 cure. 00:29:46.340 --> 00:29:53.440 John is saying, "Turn yourself from idols," Not because he just simply wants you to live a moral life or to rid yourself idols, but rather, 00:29:53.960 --> 00:29:57.420 John is saying, "Turn yourself from idols," because he's already delivered the cure. 00:29:59.560 --> 00:30:01.220 The cure is Jesus. 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:10.260 Objects become idols only because our hearts really 00:30:10.260 --> 00:30:16.130 loved themselves, but it's an indication that our hearts need transformation. 00:30:17.520 --> 00:30:22.440 The only thing that will keep your heart from making an idol is to make Jesus lord of your life. 00:30:24.500 --> 00:30:25.700 It's surrendering to him. 00:30:27.760 --> 00:30:30.940 John's ending for us, really, just these last thoughts that he leaves us with. 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:37.750 I love how he does this, rather than just come up with this basic ending that we would all read and then kind of forget about. 00:30:37.780 --> 00:30:40.760 This last thought, because he bids these farewells, he's just like, "No. 00:30:41.200 --> 00:30:46.820 I want to leave this mark by just saying this last thought to keep everybody wondering." Why is this the last phrase? 00:30:46.880 --> 00:30:50.900 Why didn't he say, "We love you?" Or why didn't he give us the Hallmark card ending that we would expect? 00:30:50.900 --> 00:30:51.560 Why here? 00:30:51.600 --> 00:30:59.760 I think it's because John wants this to resonate in our hearts, to ask ourselves, "What really is Lord?" "My 00:30:59.760 --> 00:31:07.800 heart will stray from this life when I make my wants more than what Jesus 00:31:07.800 --> 00:31:15.400 wants." In our culture today, I think people often think, "If I just love myself more, 00:31:17.080 --> 00:31:22.100 I would be okay," but rather, what if I just pose this question? 00:31:24.140 --> 00:31:29.320 What if love for self is what leads you to create idols? 00:31:32.360 --> 00:31:34.920 I mean, you think of the thought of idolatry. 00:31:38.740 --> 00:31:39.600 "I want something. 00:31:41.340 --> 00:31:43.160 Fame, power, money. 00:31:44.420 --> 00:31:48.080 I create the idol that I think will satisfy me. 00:31:49.760 --> 00:31:57.660 Because what, ultimately, I worship and love is me." What 00:31:57.660 --> 00:32:00.200 if love for self is what leads you to create idols? 00:32:03.460 --> 00:32:10.480 Rather, if you can trust that thought, what if a love for Jesus gives you 00:32:10.480 --> 00:32:15.090 the freedom to find the very reason for which you were designed? 00:32:15.220 --> 00:32:22.560 Meaning, what if rather, waking up and deciding what pleases you, which ultimately leads 00:32:22.560 --> 00:32:29.760 to disciples, you wake up and decide what pleases Jesus, and in dying to self to come to Christ, you find the purpose for 00:32:29.760 --> 00:32:31.690 which you were created to find satisfaction? 00:32:35.400 --> 00:32:36.620 What if it's not in finding you? 00:32:38.880 --> 00:32:42.540 What if it's found in losing you, and grabbing Jesus? 00:32:44.930 --> 00:32:47.090 I think that's what John's saying here. 00:32:49.900 --> 00:32:54.680 Idolatry brings destruction, Jesus brings life. 00:32:56.960 --> 00:33:05.360 To really get down to idolatry, we oftentimes just look at the object as if it's causing the problem, but 00:33:05.420 --> 00:33:06.240 it's not the object. 00:33:09.600 --> 00:33:16.600 Removing the object is just a symptom, and it's treating a symptom but it's not curing 00:33:16.600 --> 00:33:17.040 the heart. 00:33:19.880 --> 00:33:25.460 The only way to cure the heart is to kill the thing that lives for the idol, that creates the idol, and what is that? 00:33:26.880 --> 00:33:27.420 "It's me. 00:33:30.020 --> 00:33:38.720 It's me." It's why Jesus said, "Take up your cross and follow me." When 00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:41.210 I think about the beauty of Baptism Sunday, that's what it represents. 00:33:43.480 --> 00:33:47.720 A giving of your whole life to Christ, as Christ has given his whole life for you. 00:33:49.100 --> 00:33:53.700 That the idolatry is done away, and the glory of Christ is made known. 00:33:54.860 --> 00:33:59.980 When we think about this section of scripture, we should drive to one place. 00:34:01.320 --> 00:34:04.520 "Is my heart given to Jesus and the life that he gives? 00:34:05.760 --> 00:34:14.860 Is my heart given to Jesus because I want something, or is my heart given to Jesus because he alone is worthy?" "I 00:34:14.880 --> 00:34:15.900 can embrace this life. 00:34:17.760 --> 00:34:24.960 Enjoy this life for which he has created for me, and connect to him in life through prayer, and understand the significance of this life when it's contrasted 00:34:24.960 --> 00:34:33.100 to death, and free myself from idolatry by giving my heart wholly to him, and 00:34:33.100 --> 00:34:34.540 in that, live out his will. 00:34:35.900 --> 00:34:41.060 Not as a dot, but as a river to enjoy a journey with him."