22 1 John

Scriptures Used, There may be some omissions. AI Summary, There may be errors. The speaker thanks everyone for joining and talks about the study on the epistle of 1 John. They discuss the witnesses that confirm Jesus is the Son of God and the importance of believing in this. The speaker emphasizes that believers have eternal life in Christ and that prayer is a tool for communication with God. They mention the importance of praying according to God's will and not seeking selfish desires. The speaker concludes by stating that believers can have confidence in God's answer to prayers and the assurance of eternal life. AI Transcript, There may be errors. I want to thank everybody for joining us tonight, and I want to thank everybody for their participation on last night as well. We want to continue in our study on the epistle of 1 John, as we round near the end of it. And we're in 1 John, chapter 5, and we'll come down to verse 11. Now, last night, we talked about witnesses who confirmed that Jesus is the Son of God. We also understood that the water, the blood, and the spirit all are in agreement. But not only that, the Father bears witness of His time, that Jesus is the Son of God. And for anyone to deny this would make God a liar. And we've had a wonderful study on that on last night. But we want to continue in this context in 1 John, chapter 5. And we want to pick up with verse 11, verse 13, and see how that time tells us, that believers have eternal life. So, let's read 1 John, chapter 5, verses 11 through 13. 1 John, chapter 5, verses 11 through 13. 1 John, chapter 5, verses 11 through 13. These things I have written to you in the name of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. Now, Steve, I want you to break up and start with verse 11 and read down the first sentence. 1 John, chapter 5, verses 11 through 13. For the witness is this, that God has given you life, and this life is in the form. He who has the form has the life. He who does not have the form's life does not have the life. These things I have written to you in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. Amen. Alright, so we see here, beginning with verse 11, John stated, if this is the record that God has given to us, eternal life, and this life is, pay attention to these next three words, in His Son. Not everybody is in Him, okay? And the Bible gives us, according to the New Testament, how to be in God's Son, Christ, okay? That is in His Church, alright? So, you have to learn how to be in Christ, and you have to obey that, so that Christ puts you in His Church, so that you can have eternal life, okay? And John stated that this is the record that God has given to us, referring to Christians, us. And what God has given us as Christians is eternal life, and this life is in Christ, okay? So, we see that the record of wisdom of God, and the life of a believer results in eternal life. That's really cool. I don't know about anybody else, but I want eternal life, okay? And everybody should eternal life, okay? And this is the promise that He has promised in eternal life, as John stated. Because I'm about to read 1 John, chapter 2, verse 25. 1 John, chapter 2, verse 25. Done? Yes. And this is the promise that He made to us, eternal life. Eternal life. That is the life, the eternal life. That life is in Christ, alright? We can buy many things in this world, eternal life, okay? And 1 John, chapter 5, verse 12 states, He that hath a son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life, okay? So, whether or not one participates in eternal life depends on what? What are you saying this depends on, Charles? Well, what Charles is telling you is that the Bible, this depends on whether or not he is a believer, and in fellowship with God's Son, okay? So, long as one continues to walk as a believer, he possesses eternal life. But even as one can cease to believe, he likewise can forfeit any claim to eternal life, okay? So, we've got to understand the teaching of how one's faith always stays safe. It's a big lie, the biggest lie ever told. And we see as we go down to verse 13, to 1 John, chapter 5, we see that John wrote these to assure believers of eternal life. So, John states in 1 John, chapter 5, verse 13, These things have I written unto you, that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. So, we see the general purpose for which John has written this, it's summed up here. But not only that, we see that this style reminds us of the way he threw his account of the Gospel closed. He stated that ye may believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that believers, ye may have life in his name. So, we see these things. We see how John provided his readers with the assurance that believers on the name of the Son of God may know that ye have eternal life. So, what he did was, he wrote to remove the possibility of any doubt that may have arisen because of the ill-condition of the Gnostics. And as a Christian, one does not need to hope, or speculate, or imagine that he has eternal life. No! A believer has certain knowledge provided by the testimony of God as revealed by oneness. You are to know you have eternal life, and that life comes by abiding in fellowship with Christ. You can turn away and forfeit the blessings of eternal life, just as you can cease to believe. Let's read John chapter 20, verses 30 and 31. John chapter 20, verses 30 and 31. Thank you for using Global Telling. Okay, let me get to it. Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing, ye may have life in his name. And you can see the tie there. I suppose John is going to draw the parallel back in 513. These are written to you who believe that you may continue to believe in the Son of God. I think you can see the parallel in the passage of his first book called the Gospel. Go ahead, Charles. All right. So, we see here, as we continue in 1 John chapter 5, we want to pick up with verses 14 and 15. Let's go back to 1 John chapter 5, verses 14 and 15. She's good. And we are confident that he hears us, whatever we ask for, anything that speaks to him. And since we know he hears us, when we make our request, we also know that he will give us what we are asking for. And I know these things to be true. As one who has quite many struggles, languishing in prison for the last five, seven years, three more to go, and having nothing at times but prayer. You know, I know that God answers prayer. And I know that my prayers wasn't being answered when I was living in prison before I became a Christian. So, that is one of the best tools in the hands of a Christian is our communication with our Lord, Savior, our Father, and cry out, Father. All right. Now, we see here that a believer knows that God answers prayer. A believer knows this. I'm a believer. I just told you plainly that I know this for a fact that God answers prayer. Okay. And if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. So, we see now that as John brings this letter to a close, he mentions several certain things. Y'all got to know this. All right. And the basis for this knowledge is not merely emotional, nor wishful thinking. But John has spurred us to series of tests by which one can know. They say that you can feel, or you can think, you can know. But John tells you these things that you can know. Okay. As a believer, you can know, love the children of God, and keep God's commandments. Okay. As John stated in 5, verse 2. Okay. You can also know that you have eternal life. John said, he has eternal life because he believes on the name of the Son of God. We read in 5.13. But also in this lesson, we learn three more things. Okay. We're going to take verses 14 and 15. It's come up with three more lessons for the close out for tonight. Okay. And you're going to come to the conclusion of three more shares. Okay. And what it is, the fact that you can know that God answers prayer because He asks us to pray according to His will. And when we pray according to His will, He hears us. All right. And you can know who is born of God because He does not practice sin. And the Christian knows that Jesus Christ is true God because He came into this world and has given it to man. Okay. This is the point that John makes throughout the closing of this epistle. But as we see verse 14, the person on top of the Bible says, and this is the confidence that we have in Him. Hold on. Let me stop now because I don't want you to think that if you're out there robbing, killing, and stealing and drugged, there's a confidence that belongs to you. This is not the confidence of a habitual sinner. I don't care if you obey the gospel, was baptized, and you learn every book of the Bible. If you are not practicing right, it's not reverence. When God answers prayers of repentant, people who are repentant about their sins, who are yet still in their sin, He hears them and answers them. Those who are willing to repent. But He also answers Christian's prayers. This is the confidence that the Christian has that if I pray anything according to God's will, He hears. All right. And not only that, but I have the blessings that I asked for. Now God does not answer the prayers of the sinner. We don't prove that with this Bible because we tell certain people and they say, well, I don't believe that. You can't say that. You ain't the judge of that. Well, I'm not. It's the scriptures. Make it plain. Okay. So we see that with verse 14, John talks about the confidence of the Christian. All right. And the key to answer prayer is if we act accordingly. So God has promised to grant our needs, not our greed. And a true believer who approaches God in prayer will not be seeking the fulfillment of selfish and worldly lusts. So what you saying, Tom? What I'm telling you is that a true believer who approaches God in prayer, he will seek those things that conform to God's will. Ain't no need for me going to pray to God telling Him to give me somebody else's wife because I know that ain't according to His will. Ain't no need for me going to pray to God asking for Him to grant my greed because that's not according to His will. All right. That's not according to His will. And if we pay attention to Jesus, Jesus prayed with the attitude, I will be done. And we ought to imitate Christ. Let's read Matthew chapter 26, verse 39. Matthew chapter 26, verse 39. He went a little farther and fell on his face and prayed, saying, Oh, my father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you. Amen. All right. So we see his request was answered with no, and that this cup did not pass. But however, the answer was yes. Well, you say, well, Tom, how could the answer be yes if the cup didn't pass from him? The answer was still yes in that what was best according to God's will was done. Let me say this. Jesus prayed with the attitude, I will be done. And His request was answered with no, and that this cup did not pass. But however, the answer was yes in that what was best according to God's will was done. Okay. Amen. As we come down to 1 John chapter 5, verse 15, John stated, and if we know, we hear us, whatsoever, we know that we have the petitions that we desire of Elma. Okay. So we have assurance that God hears us because we keep His commandments, as we see in 1 John chapter 3, verse 22. And we also know that the Bible says, for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayer. Let's read 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 12. 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 12. 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 12. 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 12. For the eyes of the Lord are His ears of prayer, and the patience of the dead to do evil. So you're telling me if I'm out here robbing, killing, drug dealing, and committing adultery, you're telling me that God is the one who's blessing me to bring these drugs up and down the highway from city to city? And God is the one who provides me with all these guns? That's because I pray every time I pull off and I make it back safely? So you're saying God is with me? God does not hear the prayers of evildoers. He hears them, but He doesn't answer them. His face is against them. But His ears are open to the righteous. And God makes no promise to hear the prayers of those who live in sin and refuse to obey Him. Don't be deceitful, but know your Bible. Let's read Psalm 66, verse 18. Psalm 66, verse 18. Psalm 66, verse 18. Okay. Psalm 66, verse 18. If I had cherished iniquity, or if I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. All right. So a lot of practice in life is sin. Even as a Christian, the Lord doesn't hear me. All right. Because I have broken fellowship with Him. No matter how much I have preached, no matter how much I have baptized people, no matter how much I'm full of the Word, I am not walking in the light. And I am not in fellowship with God. I have to repent. Let's read Proverbs chapter 15, verse 29. Proverbs 15, verse 29. Mary, Proverbs 15. Okay. Okay. Proverbs 15, verse 29. I'm sorry. It says, The Lord is far from the wicked, but the hearers in the prayer of the righteous. So the Lord is far from who? The wicked. But He does what? Hear the prayer of who? The righteous. To have to be righteous. Okay. To have to be righteous for God to delight in your prayers. Also, let's read Proverbs chapter 28, verse 9. Proverbs chapter 28, verse 9. Proverbs 28, verse 9. Okay. It says, God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law. So we see that He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayers should be abomination. So come on now. Let's wake up here. So if you out there practicing sin and you said, Look, I ain't gonna repent. I ain't got time for this. Yeah, I ain't got time for no Bible. I'm not finna go over there to Todd's. Every time somebody come over there, he won't talk about the Bible. He sees you doing this here and that there, you ask him a question about your relationship with your spouse or your children. He always won't refer to the Bible. The Bible ain't got nothing to do with everything. I just can't have a normal conversation with him. You're trying to seek advice outside of the Bible. Ain't nobody got time for all that. God understand. God knows this. Christianity is not a feeling according to knowledge and righteousness, okay? And we know according to knowledge that the petition that we ask of God, we have them if we are righteous. We do His will. But He does not hear the prayer of sinners. And some pray all their time with trouble, but God would not hear it. Let's read Jeremiah 11, 14. Jeremiah chapter 11, verse 14. At Jeremiah 11, 14. Okay. Okay, it says, So do not pray for these people or lift up a cry or prayer for them, for I will not hear them in this time that they cry out to me because of their trouble. Right. So we can understand that God does not hear sinners. All right. And it do us no good to even pray for a Christian who is practicing sin, because they won't repent. And that's even for a person who's not a Christian, because there is a sin unto death and there is a sin that is not unto death. But we need to understand that any sin I confess is unto death. So ain't no need to even pray for them if they won't repent. I'm going to give it to you straight. If one thing I refuse to be is a feel-good priest, all right, I'm going to get you straight. Everybody ain't going to like me by the time I get to preaching. All right. And we got to know that as a father who hears his children, the Lord assures us, actually, this is what the Lord tells us. Let's read Matthew chapter 7, verses 7 through 11. Matthew chapter 7, verses 7 through 11. Matthew 7, 7 through 11. Okay. Asking, it will be given to you. Seeking, you will find. Knocking, it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. And he who seeks, finds. And to him who knocks, it will be opened. For what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him? Amen. Amen. So if you are a faithful Christian, learn the assurances that you have in God. Know that you have eternal life. Know that you can pray. But why worry when you pray? Why stay up all night worrying when God ain't gonna go sleep anyway? Isn't that right, Mike? Amen. Why not hold God to his word and pray according to his will? And even if the thing asked for is not approved by God, does the missile believer rejoice? Because what, Charles? Because he knows that God's countenance is for his higher good. It's just like when you tell your child no, and they don't understand, and they cry, and they jump up and down, and they throw themselves at him. And you just know it's for their good. You can take a baby in the parlor store. He'll be crying for a stardom. He won't take a stardom. There ain't nothing he can do to stardom. Just ain't no—they cry for everything. And that's how we are sometimes. God says you cry, and you cry for everything. And you don't even know what you're asking. And you don't know why I said no. And you don't know why I say not right now. But you have to mature in the faith so that you can understand that whatever I tell you is best according to my will, because I am God. I am your Father. I am all-knowing, all-righting, and nothing. Let's read 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 7. 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 7. 2 Corinthians 12, 7-10, it reads, 2 Corinthians 12, For the cause of his attacking greatness and revelation, for his reason to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in flesh, a message taken to buff it, keep me from exalting myself. Returning this, I entreated the Lord to inform me that it might be too hard for me. And he said to me, My grace is sufficient, for power is perfected most readily. I will rather boast about my weakness than the power of Christ in glory known. Therefore, I am well content with weakness as insults, as distresses, as persecutions, as difficulties, as hardships. But when I am weak, then I am strong. All right. So we see that God knew what was best for Paul, even though Paul sought him over and over, asking God to remove something from him. All right. And we have to think about these things. God tells us no. And I remember praying, being at that other prison, just begging and begging for years for God to remove me from him. But God did move me good and ready. And by the time he moved me, do you know how many people got a chance to hear the gospel before I was moved? So God knows what's best, even though I didn't like no part of it. And I called and called on him. You have one minute remaining. So also, we've got to understand that this relationship there between a loving father and his children is the reason why we pray without ceasing. All right. Let's read 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, verses 17 and 18. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, verses 17 and 18. Thank you for using Global Telling. Mike, could you get someone else? Okay. I'm sorry. I'm good. 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 17 and 18. Let's start with 16. Rejoice always, 17. Pray without ceasing, 18. Every good thing, for this is the will of God Christ for you, 19. Do not tempt the spirit, 20. Do not despise prophet 21. Test all things. Hold fast to what is, 22. Abstain from every form of evil, 23. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and set your whole spirit, soul, and may your whole, starting over, 5, 20. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved, blameless in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, 24. He who calls you is faithful. You also will do it. Amen, child. All right. So let's also read Colossians chapter 4, verse 2. Bring this study to a close. Colossians chapter 4, verse 2. John, can you read that? Colossians 4, verse 2. Yes. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Amen. So Christians are encouraged by the relationship that we share with our loving Father, okay? So we see that this relationship fell between the loving Father and his children. That's the reason why believers should pray without sin. So how many Christians have lost the right to pray? How many Christians forget to pray? How many times do we wake up and forget to pray? Oh, we get so busy. But we got to understand the power of prayer, okay? We got to understand the power of prayer and the privilege of friendship that has been extended to us. As John stated, the whole amount of love that the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God. He could have provided forgiveness apart from sonship. But not only did he provide forgiveness, but he invited our human rights to become a part of his heavenly family by being in Christ Jesus. And there are so many blessings in Christ, so many assurances. And the ones we read about tonight is that believers have eternal life. You know. You don't have to go say, Charles, do we got eternal life right now? Is that later? Because I'm going to tell you, hey, that's now and later, okay? Promise there is next. But you know for a fact. Because you can lose the benefit of eternal life by ceasing to follow God. You throw away eternal life. You throw away your inheritance. Now just like Esau, you treat something sacred as common. When you go and be worldly and defile yourself with mankind, you'll treat your eternal inheritance in heaven as if it is common. And the Bible tells us, let's not be a godless person like Esau who for one morsel of meat traded his birthright. So that's what you do when you wake up and you decide to practice this. You treat your eternal inheritance as something common. That's just like eternal life ain't nothing. Well, I can go to the store and buy eternal life. Never. So we got to know that as believers, we have eternal life and we have the right to pray and our father promises us, he hears us and that he will grant us the petitions that we ask. Listen to this key part. As long as you ask according to his will, okay? For even a mature Christian accepts and understands what God says no. Because he knows that his father knows what's best for him. And that concludes our study for tonight. And tomorrow's going to be a great lesson to end first time. It's going to be so great. It's going to talk about idolatry and things of this nature. And I know some of you might say, well, I don't commit idolatry. I don't bow down to idols. But we got to understand that idolatry does not always take the form of bow down to a statue, okay? We got to understand the truth of the word of God, okay? And we're going to understand as we come down to verses 16 through 19 on tomorrow. We don't have to know that. As a believer, we ought to know that one part of God keeps himself from sinning. You cannot practice sin and say, hey, I'm a Christian. Because God is saying, no, you're not. And that concludes our study for tonight. Anybody have any questions or thoughts or comments?