Confidence In Christ

I John 5:13-21 “Confidence in Christ”

We commenced our journey in I John on June 14, and now have safely reached the end, 3 months later. As we looked out the window of our car, we have seen the beautiful landscape of Jesus Christ, who is God and man. We have seen the dangerous cliffs of false teaching, and the guard rails that God has set up to keep us from it. We have stopped at some scenic overlooks and got out our binoculars to find: what is a true Christian. From that overlook, we have spotted the mountains of belief in Jesus, love for fellow Christians, and righteous living. As our journey draws to a close, we find again the destination where John—where God—wants us to arrive. Let’s read and find that destination—that goal—of I John.

What is that goal? Our confidence in Christ. That we will know for sure that we have eternal life. The reason that John has spent so much time counteracting the false teaching, the reason he has given the tests of what makes a true Christian, is not to gut us of our confidence. He writes to bolster our confidence. Lack of confidence in the Christian life is not God’s plan for you.

Think of what you would do if you were invincible. You could do some crazy stuff and not get hurt. When I was young, my brothers and I had a primitive NASCAR racing game on our computer. We would set it on no accidents, and then drive backward around the track, and knock all the other cars out the race. While we are not physically invincible, we are spiritually invincible in Christ. That doesn’t mean you should go drive the wrong way on the highway! Eternal life doesn’t mean that we cannot be harmed, but that we will make it to heaven.

God wants Christians to be assured of their eternal life. A growing Christian is confident, not in themselves, but in what Christ has done in them by his power. In our text, we have 4 rock-solid reasons we can be confident in Christ.

1. We know we have eternal life (13)
You know people that have a hard time getting to the point of what they are saying. Or they are hazy on what their purpose is in speaking to you. Not so John. Verse 13 lays it out plain. His writing of this book is so we would be confident we have eternal life. This is not: I think I might have eternal life. No. This is: I know for sure I have eternal life. Those who have believed in Jesus Christ can have this assurance. But this assurance does not come only from believing in Jesus Christ. It the things that John has written that drive home our assurance of eternal life. And I will repeat them again: we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. We live a righteous life; and we love our fellow Christians. Our assurance is based on what we believe and what we do. And what we believe and how we act shows the reality of God’s work in our lives.

Some of you might struggle with being sure of your salvation. I John was written for you. God wants you to be sure that you belong to Him. The road to that assurance is found not in dissecting your soul every morning. It is not found in sitting on your hands at home, wondering if you are really saved. It is found in opening your Bible and grounding yourself in the truth about Jesus Christ. It is found in passionately pursuing a holy life. It is found in sacrificially serving your fellow Christians. It is not just what we learn about God that shapes our hearts. Our actions, as well, mold our hearts. If you are pursuing what God has set forth for us in I John, those actions push us toward increased confidence in Christ.

We can be confident in Christ, because we know we have eternal life. We can be confidence in Christ because:

2. We know that God hears us (14-17)
Before moving into the parsonage, Emily and I lived in apartments. There are some advantages to living in apartments, such as, if you want to talk to the other person, you don’t need to holler, no matter where they are. Now, with a bigger, two-story house, it would be easier just to call their cell phone. Maybe you’ve had this happen, when you are listening to your spouse talk, and then you walk out of the room, thinking that they are done talking. Then you begin to hear voices down the hall, and wonder who they are talking to. We can’t always be sure our spouse is listening to us, whether in the same room or not. But we can always be confident that God hears us. And when we pray according to his will, he answers our requests.

This seems bold and gutsy to say. God will always answer prayers according to his will. And our growth in prayer, in part, consists of aligning our requests with the will of God. God’s will is not hidden, but is revealed in his Word. Praying according to the will of God is a call to pray the Word of God. This is confidence: when we pray knowing God will answer us.

Then, John seems to switch topics…but not really. He talks about a brother—a fellow Christian—sinning. But this sin does not lead to death. Then there is a sin that DOES lead to death. What is the BIG sin? What is death? What is life? John has talked about the BIG sin before. It is the sin of denying that Jesus is Christ, that he is God, that he has come in the flesh. This is the sin the false teachers committed. That sin leads to eternal death. A Christian who sins, who disobeys a command of God, does commit the BIG sin. If you see a Christian sin, you are to pray for them. AND GOD WILL ANSWER. God will give life. The Christian will live to see the resurrection. They WILL experience the fullness of their eternal life. This is a prayer that God will answer. It is God’s will that a Christian stop sinning and that they reach heaven. SO, PRAY! God will answer that prayer.

This seems unsettling. How will I not commit the BIG sin? Will I miss out on eternal life? Am I going to make it to heaven?

No, because we have confidence in Christ. Why?

3. We know that Christ protects us (18-19)
You won’t commit the big sin because you are born again. You are born of God. You are his child. If you are born a human being, you will continue to be a human being. You can no more cease being a child of God than you can cease being a human. Once we are born again, we have the protection of God in our lives. The one born of God—that is Jesus Christ—protects us. When Jesus Christ is called born of God, it shows that he is the Son of God. And we too are the sons and daughters of God if we have been born again.

In I John, the new birth guarantees that we will exhibit the true marks of a Christian. Those who are born again, believe that Jesus is the Christ. They live righteous lives. They love other Christians. The marks of a true Christian, are the signs of the new birth.

This protection that God gives his children is from the evil one, the devil. Remember, in John’s thought the world is divided up into 2 parts: God, his children, life; and the devil, the world, sin, and death. We won’t commit the BIG sin because we are protected from the evil influences of the devil and the world. You will not deny Christ. You will not be touched by the devil, because you are protected by Christ.

We have confidence in Christ, because we know we have eternal life, because we know that God hears us, and because we know that God protects us. Finally, we are confident in Christ because:

4. Christ gives us understanding
Maybe some of the teaching of I John has been hard for you grasp. Perhaps it has been confusing to you. I have felt that same way as I have studied this book. Remember, simple to read, hard to understand. Whether you are a new Christian, or have been a Christian for some time, there are times when we say: I’m confused! Or, maybe, how will I know if someone is trying to lead me astray from the truth? It was happening to John’s readers, what is keeping me from being deceived by falsehood?

Whenever you are confused, or whenever you are starting something new, it is good to have someone knowledgeable to help you. I believe the reason that I have never had any traffic incidents is because of the careful instruction of my dad. Never assume, he would say, that someone will let you turn in front of them. Don’t assume that they are turning even if their turn signal is on. Whether cooking, hunting, auto repairs, knitting, playing the piano, or electrical work, it is good to have an expert help you.

When we become Christians, we are given more than the Complete Idiot’s Guide to being a Christian. We are given God himself, who is the truth. We know the truth because we got the Way, the Truth, and the Life living inside us. Christ has come and given us understanding. It’s more than a mere information dump. It is a living relationship with Jesus Christ. The truth is given to us, as the text says, so we may know him who is true.

This Christ living in us, is no mere man. No, he is the true God. He is the eternal life. John has pointed to the deity of Jesus Christ several times in his letter. This verse is the clearest expression of the God-ness of Jesus Christ. And because of his work in our lives, we can know him forever.

Conclusion
It seems that John ends on a very strange note. Like eating a pickle after a bowl of ice cream. Little children, keep yourself from idols. This is the only time “idol” is used in the book. Why here? Why now? It would seem that John is drawing on the OT idea of idol worship. Israel was told: don’t follow the nations around you and worship their idols. Instead, worship the true and living God. In the same way, John has spent his letter warning his readers about going astray after false teachers and antichrists. Instead, they are to follow Jesus Christ and obey God’s commandments.

This term here for “keep” or “guard” is a military term. Be on guard against idols. John has set forth the weight of following Christ and the danger of false teachers and the world. The proper response is to be on guard. Christianity is serious. Christ is no play thing. We are called to be vigilant against the world, the devil, and sin.

We live in an entertainment culture. The heroes of our day are those entertain us the best. The TV is little used for information, but for entertainment. You’ll notice that the biggest section of the Sunday paper is the TV Weekly. If we are not careful, this attitude of entertainment can slip into our Christian lives and into the church. If it does, church will not be rated on its biblical faithfulness but entertainment value. And we will seek, if we are not careful, to be entertained in our Christianity. We will look for what is sensational and flashy.

We also live in a culture that values comfort to the extreme. Products are marketed to make our lives easier: ergonomic; plush; simple as 1, 2, 3. Humans have always wanted to be comfortable. It’s not a bad thing. Unfortunately, anything hard or uncomfortable is seen as getting in the way of what is easy and relaxing. Again, this mentality can also creep in our Christianity. We want our Christianity to be comfortable. We want light crosses of plastic, not of rough-hewn wood.

This is not the way of the Bible. Christianity is war. It is hard work. John has set before us in this letter, the war between Christ and the antichrists. Between truth and falsehood. Between apostolic witness and false teachers. Between God and the Evil One. Between God’s children and the evil influence of the world system. When we come to Christ, we are dropped into this war. But not without armor! We are in battle from day one, but the victory is sure.

John doesn’t end his letter by saying: have a comfortable life- I’ll see you in heaven on the beach of the crystal sea. Hardly. Be on guard! The world is filled with evil, and antichrists, and false teachers, and the devil, who will lead you away from the truth, who strive to tear your heart from Christ. But do not fear. Be confident.

We know we have eternal life
We know that God hears us
We know that Christ us, and
We know that Christ has given us the truth and lives in us.

We have overcome all this, says John. If you have the new birth, you will make it to the end.

Martin Luther’s famous hymn, a mighty fortress is our God:

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

As the Lord sends us out in the world this week, the promise of God, is that he will hold us fast. Our charge is to keep ourselves from idols and cling to the living God.