Focus On Our Assurance

1 John 5:13–21

A Study In The 2nd Half Of First John:

Discernment: The Sound Doctrine Test

On God And His Love: He Took Action

The Home: Teaching The Next Generation Begins At Home

The Supremacy Of Love: To Know And Rely On God's Love

The Victory In Christ: Overcome The World

TODAY:

FOCUS ON OUR ASSURANCE: KNOW WE ARE SAVED

Today: The Last Section Of This Wonderful Book

1 John: THEME:

Living In Fellowship With God Who Is Light And Love

Walking In The Light AND Responding To The God Of Love

HOW TO LIVE RIGHT IN A WORLD GONE WRONG

1 John: OUTLINED: What It Means And Its Purpose

1:5 To 2:11 Obeying

That We May Have Fellowship And Joy

A Joyful Life (1:1 – 10)

In An Angry Dark World A Joyful Christian Is A Bright Light

2:12-27 Perceiving

That We May Not Sin

A Clean Life (2:1 – 17)

In A Lawless Society The Clean Christian Is A Contagious Witness

2:28 To 4:41 Sacrificing

That We May Not Be Deceived

A Discerning Life (I2:18 – 4:6)

In A Deceptive Culture The Discerning Christian Is A Convicting Presence

5:1-21 Believing

That We May Know We Have Eternal Life

A Confident Life (4:7 – 5:21)

In A Confused World The Confident Christian Is A Strong Magnet

NOW, THE ASSURANCE GOD GIVES

God Wants Us To Have The Full Assurance Of Our Faith

God Cultivates Assurance In The Life Of The Christ-Follower

God Gives The Gift Of Full Assurance Of Faith

• This Gift In Us Is Vital To Becoming A Source Of Strength
• This Gift In Us Grows Through Testing
• This Gift In Us Grows Through Various Trials

Faith Is Proven and Refined Through Trials

God Does Not Want Us To Rely On Ourselves

God Wants Us To Rely On Him

James 1:2 – 3: Consider It Pure Joy, My Brothers And Sisters, Whenever You Face Trials Of Many Kinds, Because You Know That The Testing Of Your Faith Produces Perseverance

The Christ-Followers Of John’s Day:

Experienced A World Full Of Difficulties Just Like Us

Experienced Doubts And Fears Within Their Hearts

Experienced Trials And Troubles In The World Around Them

Experienced The Collateral Damage Of Sin

THE ASSURANCE FOR TODAY

• We Can Be Certain Of Eternal Life
• We Can Be Certain Of Answered Prayer
• We Can Be Certain Of Victory Over Sin
• We Can Be Certain We Belong To God
• We Can Be Certain That Jesus Christ Is The True God

SO, REST IN JESUS, PRAY FOR OTHERS, GUARD YOURSELF,

I. REST IN CERTAINTY OF YOUR SALVATION IN JESUS

Don’t Rest Your Salvation On Your Obedience

Don’t Rest Your Salvation On Your Loving One Another

Don’t Rest Your Salvation On How You Feel

Don’t Rest Your Salvation On What Anyone Might Think Of You

Rest Your Salvation Believing In Jesus Christ As Savior And Lord

2. PRAY WITH CONFIDENCE YOUR INTERCESSORY PRAYER FOR OTHER CHRISTIANS

Pray Confidently And Submissively And God Will Hear

3. GUARD YOURSELF AGAINST FALSE TEACHERS

You Belong To God Even In A World Dominated By Satan

You Abide In The Father And In His Son

You Abide In The Only True God And Eternal Life

GUARD

YOUR HEAD

YOUR HEART

YOUR HANDS

FROM FALSE TEACHERS

1. Guard Your Head Against False Teaching

What You Believe

2. Guard Your Heart Against Counterfeit Teachers

Who You Love And What You Love

3. Guard Your Hands Against Deceitful Behaviors

What You Do And What You Do Not Do

4. Guard Yourself Against Idolatry

Objects, Ideas, Things, People

DISCUSSION GUIDE

Explain The Confidence A Christ-Follower Has Before The God Of The Universe. (v.14)

When Believers Approach God They Can Have The Confidence That God Hears Them When They Ask Anything That Is According To His Will.

What Does John Say Our First Responsibility Should Be When We See Another Christ-Follower Committing A Sin? (v. 16 – 17)

When We See Another Christ-Follower Committing A Sin, We Should Pray For Them (intercessory Prayer)

Pray That The Holy Spirit Would Convict Them And Lead Them Away From Their Sin

What Kind Of Protection Does The Christ-Follower Enjoy? (v. 18)

The Christ-Follower Enjoys The Protection Of “the One Who Was Born Of God” – Jesus

He Keeps Believers Safe And Secure So That The Evil One Cannot Harm Them

John Contrasts Two Groups Of People. Who Do They Serve?

John Draws A Distinction Between The Children Of God And All The Other People Of The World

The People Of The World Are Under The Power Of The Evil One

The Christ-Follower Is Out From Under The Evil One’s Power

Focus On The Victory In Christ

1 John 5: 1-12

A Study In The 2nd Half Of First John:

1st Half: God Is Light:

2nd Half: God Is Love:

Love In Action: God's Love Flows Through Us To One Another

Our Standing Before God: Righteousness Pursued Is An Assurance Of Our Salvation

Discernment: The Sound Doctrine Test

On God And His Love: He Took Action

The Home: Teaching The Next Generation Begins At Home

The Supremacy Of Love: To Know And Rely On God's Love

TODAY:

FOCUS ON OUR VICTORY IN CHRIST: OVERCOME THE WORLD

1 John 5: 1-12 Explained

Faith In The Son Of God

SO WHAT IS OUR VICTORY?
THAT THOSE IN CHRIST :

• WILL HAVE VICTORY OVER BONDAGE OF SIN
• WILL HAVE VICTORY OVER DEATH

1. GOD’S CHILDREN WIN AGAINST THE WORLD

People Who Believe Jesus Is The Messiah Are God’s Children

Anyone Who Loves The Father Also Loves The Father’s Children

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT WE LOVE GOD’S CHILDREN?

We Know Because We Love God And We Obey His Commands

Loving God Means Obeying His Commands

God’s Commands Are Not Too Hard For Us

Everyone Who Is A Child Of God Has The Capacity To Overcome

It Is Our Faith That Has Won The Victory Against The World

SO WHO WINS AGAINST THE WORLD?

Only Those Who Believe That Jesus Is The Son Of God

Note: Believers Are Still In The World But Not Of The World

2. GOD TOLD US ABOUT HIS SON

Jesus Christ Is The One Who Came

He Came With Water And With Blood

• Meaning The Water Of Jesus’ Baptism
• Meaning The Blood He Shed On The Cross

The Holy Spirit Is The Truth

The Holy Spirit Tells Us This Is True

THERE ARE THREE WITNESSES THAT TELL US ABOUT JESUS:

The Spirit

The Water

The Blood

WE BELIEVE PEOPLE WHEN THEY SAY SOMETHING IS TRUE

WHAT GOD SAYS IS MORE IMPORTANT

AND THIS IS WHAT GOD TOLD US

He Told Us The Truth About His Own Son

Whoever Believes In The Son Of God Has The Truth From God

But People Who Do Not Believe God Make God A Liar

They Do Not Believe What God Told Us About His Son

God Has Given Us Eternal Life, And This Life Is In His Son

Whoever Has The Son Has Life But Whoever Does Not Have The Son Of God Does Not Have Life

OUR VICTORY IN CHRIST

Love Within The Divine Family

The Necessary Obedience

The Conquest Of The World

The Triple Witness

The Undeniable Witness

The Heart and Soul Of Our Faith

1. LOVE WITHIN THE DIVINE FAMILY

Everyone Who Believes In Jesus Experiences A Spiritual Birth

Everyone Who Loves The Father Loves All Of His Spiritual Children

In Christ, Love Of God And Love Of Man Are Inseparable

We Must Love God With All Our Heart Soul Mind Strength

We Must Love Our Neighbor As Ourselves

LOVE WITHIN THE DIVINE FAMILY

2. THE NECESSARY OBEDIENCE

For This Is The Love Of God: We Should Keep His Commandments

His Commandments Are Not Heavy

Obedience Is The Only Proof Of This Love

Proof Of This Love: Seeking To Please Him

Obedience To God's Commandments ARE NOT EASY TO ACHIEVE

Christian Love Is Not An Easy Matter BUT NOT BURDENSOME

Is It Easy To Love People That Hurt You Or Injure You?

Is It Easy To Solve Problems Of Relationships?

Jesus Said, "My Yoke Is Easy And My Burden Is Light"

Love Turned The Burden Into No Burden At All

LOVE WITHIN THE DIVINE FAMILY

THE NECESSARY OBEDIENCE

3. THE CONQUEST OF THE WORLD

The Conquest Which Has Conquered The World: OUR FAITH

He Who Conquers The World Is He Who Believes In Jesus

Faith In The Incarnation: A Conviction That God Cares For Us

CONQUERING FAITH:

Because With The Commandments Discover Conquering Power

Because We Accept The Commandments Of Jesus Thru Love

Because The Belief That Jesus Is The Son Of God

• It Means That We Believe In The Incarnation
• It Means That Jesus Cared Enough To Limit His Deity
• It Means That He Knows The Trials Of This World
• It Means That Jesus Fully Understands Our Temptations

Once We Possess That Faith Certain Things Follow:

• We Have A Defense To Resist The Evil Of The World
• We Have A Strength To Endure The Attacks Of The World
• We Have The Indestructible Hope Of Final Victory

THE CONQUEST OF THE WORLD

4. THE TRIPLE WITNESS

There Is The Witness Of The Water At His Baptism

John The Baptist Confirmed He Was The Lamb Of God

There Was The Witness Of The Blood On The Cross

The Father Said This Is My Son

There Was The Witness Of The Spirit At The Resurrection

The Spirit Raised Jesus As A Witness That He Is God

THE TRIPLE WITNESS

5. THE UNDENIABLE WITNESS

Accept The Testimony Of Men But The Testimony Of God Is Greater

For This Is The Testimony Of God: Jesus Is His Only Son

For This Is The Evidence Of That Testimony Of God: Confirmed In Us

He Who Does Not Believe God Has Made God A Liar

Because He Has Not Believed In The Testimony Of God About Jesus

If A Man Refuses To Accept

The Evidence Of Men Who Have Experienced What Christ Can Do

The Evidence Of The Deeds Of Christ

The Evidence Of The Scriptures

The Evidence Of God's Holy Spirit

The Evidence Of God Himself

In Effect He Is Calling God A Liar

THE UNDENIABLE WITNESS

6. THE HEART AND SOUL OF OUR FAITH

He Who Has The Son Has Life

He Who Has Not The Son Has Not Life

I Have Written These Things To You Who Believe In The Name Of The Son Of God That You May Know That You Have Eternal Life

Eternal Life Is Nothing Other Than The Life Of God Himself

Summary:

Win The Victory Over The World

• The World System That Is Against God Wants You To Fail Spiritually
• Satan Wants To Defeat You
• False Teachers (antichrists) Want To Defeat You
• The World System That Is Against God Wants To Defeat You

You Can Win The Victory Over The World If You:

• Have Been Spiritually Born From Above
• Love The God Who Is Your Spiritual Father And Love His Spiritual Children
• Obey His Non-Burdensome Commands
• Believe That Jesus Is The Christ, The Son Of God
• Understand The Baptism Of Jesus Was Acknowledged As The Christ And Son Of God
• Understand His Death On The Christ For Our Sins Testifies He Was The Sacrifice Provided By God
• Understand The Indwelling Spirit Testifies That Jesus Is God the Only Son
• Understand The Scripture Testifies That Those Who Believe In Jesus Have Eternal Life

Focus On The Supremacy Of Love

1 John 4:11 – 21

A Study In The 2nd Half Of First John:

1st Half: God Is Light:

2nd Half: God Is Love:

Love In Action: God's Love Flows Through Us To One Another

Our Standing Before God: Righteousness Pursued Is An Assurance Of Our Salvation

Focus On Discernment: The Sound Doctrine Test

Focus On God And His Love: He Took Action

Focus On The Home: Teaching The Next Generation Begins At Home

TODAY:

FOCUS ON THE SUPREMACY OF LOVE: TO KNOW AND RELY ON GOD'S LOVE

1 John 4:11 – 21 Explained

His Love Is Made Perfect In Us

We Know That We Live In God And God Lives In Us

WE KNOW THIS BECAUSE HE GAVE US HIS SPIRIT

This Is How We Live By His Help And He Lives In Us

LOVE GIVES US STRONGER FAITH IN CHRIST

We Have Seen That The Father Sent His Son

To Be The Savior Of The World

This Is What We Tell People Now

Anyone Who Says They Believe That

Jesus Is The Son Of God

Is A Person Who Lives In God

God Lives In That Person

WE HAVE COME TO KNOW

AND RELY ON THE LOVE GOD HAS FOR US

God Is Love

Everyone Who Lives In Love Lives In God

And God Lives In Them

THE LOVE OF GOD HAS POWER OVER FEAR AND HATE

LOVE IS MADE PERFECT IN US

We Will Not Be Ashamed

As We Stand Before Him

On The Day Of Judgment

For We Know That Our Life In This World

Is His Life Lived In Us

There Is No Fear In Love

PERFECT LOVE PUTS FEAR OUT OF OUR HEARTS

People Have Fear When They Are Afraid Of Being Punished

The Man Who Is Afraid Does Not Have Perfect Love

We Love Him Because He Loved Us First

If A Person Says They Love God But Hates His Brother Is A Liar

God Gave Us This Command:

IF WE LOVE GOD WE MUST ALSO LOVE EACH OTHER

THE GOAL OF GOD'S COMMANDMENT THROUGH SALVATION

TO PRODUCE LOVE IN OUR HEART

FOR HIM AND FOR OTHERS

1ST FOR HIM

2ND FOR OTHERS

TO CREATE A FELLOWSHIP OF PEOPLE

WHO SUPREMELY LOVE GOD AND EACH OTHER

NOTE:

SPIRITUAL MATURITY IS MEASURED BY YOUR LOVE

GOD’S LOVE REACHES ITS INTENDED GOAL WHEN WE LOVE OTHERS

I. WE KNOW AND RELY ON GOD’S LOVE
A. GOD IS LOVE
The Proper Starting Point For A Discussion About Love:

• It Doesn't Begin With Us
  
• It Is Not What We Feel Or Experience
  
• It Is Not What We Want Or What We Should Do
  

The Starting Point For A Discussion About Love Is The Recognition Of The Truth That “God Is Love?”

BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SAY THAT GOD IS LOVE?
Love Is A Part Of God’s Character:

• It Assures Us About What We Can Expect Of God
  
• It Assures Us That It Is Completely Within God’s Character To Love
  
• It Assures Us That We Can Expect That God Will Act In A Loving Way
  

God Will Always Love Because He Is Love
God Has Demonstrated His Love Most Clearly And Powerfully By Sending His Son To Be The Savior Of The World

• The Motive For Sending Jesus Was Love
  
• The Method By Which He Came Was A Loving Action
  
• The Result Of The Coming Of Jesus Demonstrates His Love
  

B. KNOWING WE ARE LOVED
We Have Come To Know The Love God Has For Us By His Past Action: Sending Jesus

C. RELYING ON LOVE
The Knowledge Of God’s Love For Us Leads Us To The Place Where We Rely On That Love

D. LIVING IN LOVE
When We Know That We Are Loved And When We Rely On God’s Love We Will Find Ourselves Living In Love

• It Means That We Live With The Assurance That We Are Loved
  
• It Means That We Love God
  
• It Means That Love Is The Defining Characteristic Of Our Life
  

2. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF LIVING IN LOVE
WHAT ARE THESE IMPLICATIONS OF KNOWING AND RELYING ON HIS LOVE ?


A. LOVE OVERCOMES FEAR
1.  THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE BECAUSE LOVE OVERCOMES FEAR
Love And Fear Can’t Coexist
Because We Have Come To Know And Rely On The Love God Has For Us We Do Not Fear The Day Of Judgment
If We Have Accepted The Sacrifice Of Jesus On The Cross As The Atonement For Our Sins We Are Accepted
But When We Know And Rely On The Love God Has For Us That Fear Is Cast Out
The Love Of God Casts Out Fear

2. WE ARE MADE PERFECT IN LOVE
Think on God's Love For Us and We Become More Fearless
Rely on God's Love For Us and We Become More Confident

THINK AND KNOW AND RELY ON GOD'S LOVE FOR US

 WILL PERFECT HIS LOVE IN US

B. WE ARE FREE TO LOVE OTHERS

We Love Because He First Loved Us
We Love Others As A Response To The Love Received
We Love Others Because We Have Been Loved

Love For Others Must Be Present If We Claim To Love God

Love Is An Action Word And It Does Something

A Simple And Direct Command

If The Life Of God Is In Us

We Are Called To Obey Him By Loving Others

The Children Of God Sure Obey Their Heavenly Father

SUMMARY:

AS THE ABIDING GOD

MATURES THE BELIEVER’S LOVE

ALL FEAR OF FUTURE JUDGMENT

IS DISPLACED BY BOLDNESS

-God’s Great Love For Believers Motivates Love For Others

-The Believer’s Love For Others Proves That God Makes Himself At Home Within The Believer:

Through Confession Of Jesus As God’s Divine Son

Through Experience Of The Holy Spirit Living In The Believer

• Perfects His Love In The Believer
• Provides Confidence That God Abides In The Believer
• Benefits The Believer Displacing Fear With Boldness

THE INVISIBLE GOD WHO INITIATES LOVE

DEMANDS THE BELIEVER’S LOVE FOR THOSE WHO CAN BE SEEN !

Focus On The Home

Deuteronomy 6:4-12

BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING ELSE: LET'S FIRST RECOGNIZE

THE VALUE OF ALL WOMEN ON THIS MOTHERS DAY

Cherishing Women

“fearfully And Wonderfully Made.” (Psalm 139:14)

“treasured Possession.” (Exodus 19:5)

“glorious Inheritance.” (Ephesians 1:18, Niv)

“precious” (Isaiah 43:4)

“masterpiece…” (Ephesians 2:10, Nlt)

Recognize The Value Of Women

Women Are Gracious With Their Words Of Affirmation

Women Are Prayer Warriors

Women Are Hard Workers

Women Are Tremendous Helpers

Women Express More Empathy And Compassion

Women Are Better At Multitasking

Tell Them How Valuable They Are To You !!

Communicate With Them As An Equal

Communicate With Them By Accepting Their Influence

Amen MEN !!

We Have Been Doing A Study In The 2nd Half Of First John:

1st Half: God Is Light:

2nd Half: God Is Love:

Love In Action: God's Love Flows Through Us To One Another.

Our Standing Before God: Righteousness Pursued Is An Assurance Of Our Salvation.

Focus On Discernment: The Sound Doctrine Test.

Focus On God And His Love: He Took Action

TODAY: We deviate from the Book of First John for this week only:

FOCUS ON THE HOME: TEACHING THE NEXT GENERATION BEGINS AT HOME

Deuteronomy 6:4-12 Explained

Listen (SHEMA) People Of Israel !!

The Lord Is Our God

The Lord Is The Only God

You Must Love The Lord Your God

With All Your Heart

With All Your Soul

With All Your Strength

Always Remember These Commands That I Give You Today

Be Sure To Teach Them To Your Children

Talk About These Commands

When You Sit In Your House

When You Walk On The Road

When You Lie Down

When You Get Up

Tie Them On Your Hands

Wear Them On Your Foreheads

Write Them On The Doorposts

Write Them On The Gates

To Help You Remember My Teachings

The Lord Your God Made A Promise To Your Ancestors

Abraham, Isaac, And Jacob

He Promised To Give You This Land

He Will Give It To You

He Will Give You Great And Rich Cities You Did Not Build

He Will Give You Houses You Did Not Construct

He Will Give You Wells You Did Not Dig

He Will Give You Vineyards And Olive Trees You Did Not Plant

But Be Careful

Don’t Forget The Lord

You Were Slaves In Egypt

But He Brought You Out Of The Land Of Egypt

In the New Testament listen to how Jesus spoke about the SHEMA:

This Is Where Jesus Said To The Jewish Leaders That The Most Important 2 Commandments Are These:

Mark 12:28–30 Explained

Which Command Is The Most Important?

One Of The Teachers Of The Law Came To Jesus.

He Heard Jesus Arguing With The Sadducees And The Pharisees.

He Saw That Jesus Gave Good Answers To Their Questions.

So He Asked Him, “Which Of The Commands Is The Most Important?”

Jesus Answered, “The Most Important Command Is This:

People Of Israel, Listen!

The Lord Our God Is The Only Lord

LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH:

ALL YOUR HEART

ALL YOUR SOUL

ALL YOUR MIND,

ALL YOUR STRENGTH

Matthew 22:39 Explained

Jesus Answered,

The 2^nd Most Important Command Is Like Unto The 1^st:

YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF

SO, BUILDING A HOME STARTS WITH A STRONG FOUNDATION.

WHAT IS FOUNDATIONAL TO LOVING GOD ?

A. THE LORD IS OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE

Israel Lived In A Polytheistic World

There Were False Gods Everywhere Throughout The Land

There Were Fabrications By Demons And Men

There Is Only One True God

The Lord Is The One True God

B. WHAT DRIVES THIS OBEDIENCE TO LOVING GOD ?

Do Not Divide Your Allegiance Between Many Gods

You Only Need To Love One God

BECAUSE THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE GOD

And You Need To Love Him With All Your Being

This Is What Drives This Obedience

Love, For God, That Is:
The Love Of Your Intellect (Your Mind)

The Love Of Your Will

The Love Of Your Emotion

The Love Of Purpose

The Love Of Choice

The Love Of Sacrifice

The Love Of Obedience

It’s Easy To Say We Love God

But It’s Another Thing Altogether To Do It

IT BEGINS:

By Loving God Who Came In The Flesh

LOVING GOD MEANS TO OBEY HIM

Love For Him Grows Through Obedience To His Word

THIS HAS TO BE AN INTERNAL LOVE

IT CONTINUES:

In Loving Others Even Our Enemies

THIS HAS TO BE AN EXTERNAL LOVE

SO, WHAT IS FOUNDATIONAL FOR LOVING OTHERS ?

IT IS THE EXTERNAL EXPRESSION OF OUR INTERNAL LOVE

His Love Is Lived Through His Obedient Children

Through The Biblical Ways Of Expressing

The Love Of God To One Another

AND:

WHO IT RESPONSIBLE TO TEACH THE NEXT GENERATION ?

It Is From Generation To Generation

It Is Taught Primarily In The Home By God's Design

It Strips Away The Complexities Of Ministry In A Modern World

It Is Focused On The Basic Biblical Truth Of Loving God And Man

It Is A Goal That Is Clear, Simple, And Universally Agreeable

It Is Not The Job Of The Church As The Primary Way To Teach

It Does Not Happen By Accident

It Is Your Grand Privilege And Honor

It Looks Different Depending On Our Season Of Life

It Is Where Families And Church Communities Journey Together In Their Relationship With God

It Is Always An Opportunity To Invest In Those Around You

Deuteronomy 6:4 SETS THE STAGE FOR INSTRUCTION:

Deuteronomy 6:5-6 IT BEGINS WITH YOU AND ME:

Deuteronomy 6:7-9 IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY: