A Continuing Study In The 2nd Half Of First John:
- 1st Half: God Is Light:
- 2nd Half: God Is Love:
ONE: Love In Action: God's Love Flows Through Us To One Another.
TODAY:
TWO: OUR STANDING BEFORE GOD:
RIGHTEOUSNESS PURSUED IS AN ASSURANCE OF OUR SALVATION
1 JOHN 3:19-24 EXPLAINED:
Our Actions Confirm That We Belong To The Way Of Truth.
If We Are Guilty In Our Hearts,
We Can Still Have Peace Before God,
Because God Is Greater Than Our Hearts.
He Knows Everything.
If We Are Confident In Our Pure Hearts,
We Can Be Without Fear When We Come To God.
God Gives Us What We Ask Because We Obey God’s Commands.
And What Does God Command?
- That We Believe In His Son Jesus Christ.
- That We Love Each Other.
All Who Obey God’s Commands Live In God.
And God Lives In Them.
How Do We Know That God Lives In Us?
We Know Because Of The Indwelling Holy Spirit Tells Us So.
1 JOHN 3:19-24 OUTLINED:
THE ASSURANCE FROM THE PRESENCE OF LOVE
Two Sections:
(1) THE CONDEMNING HEART AND THE BASIS FOR ASSURANCE (3:19-20);
When Our Hearts Condemn Us, We Must Rest On The Basis Of Assurance;
THE ASSURANCE OF BEING IN THE TRUTH, 1 JOHN 3:19-20
Love is the evidence that we belong to Him and it is how we can set our hearts at rest. (v.18-19)
When your heart condemns you, look back and ask “Why?” (v. 19-20)
Your conscience is not there to cause you to doubt your salvation, but to help you live in a way that pleases God. (v. 19-20)
Assurance Is Based:
- On The Knowledge Of How God Has Already Worked In Your Life:
- Love Expressing Itself In Practical Good Deeds In His Name.
- Self-Sacrificing Love Is The Mark Of The Christian,
- When Troubled By Doubts And Self-Condemnation, Don’t Focus On Your Failures.
- Focus On Times That God’s Love Has Flowed Through You Since You Became A Believer.
- Those Acts Of Self-Sacrifice Are Your Evidence You Are Of The Truth So Cease Doubting.
- Self-Centered Hatred Is The Mark Of The World.
- On The Knowledge Of God’s Greater Knowledge Of Your Heart:
- Who Will Bring A Charge Against God’s Elect?
- God Is The One Who Justifies; Who Is The One Who Condemns?
- God Is Greater Than Your Heart.
- He Wants You To Be Confident In His Love.
- He Wants To Assure You That You Are His Child.
- While You Were A Sinner, He Saved You Anyway !
- He Wants All Of His Children To Be Assured Of His Great Love.
Our Hearts Condemn Us--That Is Inevitable.
But God Is Greater Than Our Hearts; He Knows All Things.
Not Only Does He Know Our Sins; He Also Knows Our Love, Our Longings, Our Intentions;
And The Greatness Of His Knowledge Gives Him The Sympathy Which Can Understand And Forgive.
It Is This Very Knowledge Of God Which Gives Us Our Hope.
Mankind Sees The Deed, But God Knows The Intention.
Men Can Judge Us Only By Our Actions,
But God Can Judge Us By The Longings Which Never Became Deeds
And The Dreams Which Never Came True.
God Judges Us By The Deep Emotions Of The Heart;
If In Our Heart There Is Love,
Then, However Feeble And Imperfect That Love May Be,
We Can With Confidence Enter Into His Presence.
The Perfect Knowledge Which Belongs To God,
And To God Alone, Is Not Our Terror But Our Hope.
(2) THE CONFIDENT HEART AND THE BLESSINGS OF ASSURANCE (3:21-24);
When Our Hearts Are Confident, We Will Enjoy The Blessings Of Assurance.
THE ASSURANCE OF ANSWERED PRAYER, 1 JOHN 3:21-22
We receive what we ask from God because we obey His command and do what pleases him. (v. 21-22)
Confidence Before God Gives Us The Blessing Of Answered Prayer (3:22-23):
John Makes A Staggering Claim (3:22), “and Whatever We Ask We Receive From Him….”
John 14:13-14: Whatever You Ask In My Name, That Will I Do, So That The Father May Be Glorified In The Son.
There Are Conditions Attached To The Promises.
The Bible Never Teaches That We Can Pray For Selfish Wishes.
To Pray In Jesus’ Name Is To Pray In Accord With His Will.
Because We Keep His Commandments And Do The Things That Are Pleasing In His Sight.
NOTE: God Does Not Answer The Prayers Of The Disobedient.
THE ASSURANCE OF UNION WITH CHRIST, 1 JOHN 3:23-24
This is God’s command: believe in the name of His Son and love one another. (v. 23)
We know he lives in us by the Spirit he gave us. (v. 24)
Confidence Before God Gives Us The Blessing Of The Abiding Relationship Through The Spirit (3:24).
Obedience Is The Condition Of The Abiding Relationship.
Walking In Obedience To The Lord Jesus:
- We Can Enjoy Close Fellowship With Him
- He Can Enjoy Close Fellowship With Us.
His Life Flows Through Us: Producing Fruit: Pleases Him.
THE GOSPEL MOTIVATES US
TO BE IN OUR DAILY EXPERIENCE
WHAT WE ARE IN OUR STANDING BEFORE GOD
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