Sermon Text: 1 John 5: 1-6
Faith in the Incarnate Son of God
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.
2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.
3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
Morning Message:
I believe that there is a lot of confusion about the commands of God. The world of course does not understand His commands and that is understandable. Those who do not have Jesus in their hearts and the Holy Spirit to guide them have no chance of understanding anything about what God wants in their lives. Until you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior you are blind to what God truly wants for your life. We sing it all of the time, but does it really sink in, “Once I was blind, but now I see.”
Everyone understands the basics of God’s commandments. It’s easy to understand that we should not murder or steal; taking something that does not belong to you just feels wrong from even a human stand point. They feel wrong because we would not want those things done to us, so we understand as a society that allowing this type of behavior would be detrimental. For those of us who have given our lives to Jesus this is not enough. God has given us the ability to know and to understand his commands so that we might live lives that are pleasing to Him. We all struggle with understanding what God wants, not because we don’t have the ability, but because we don’t put forth the effort. We really need to give serious thought to the effort, or the lack there of, that we give to understanding what God wants.
From my daily devotional reading: Be Sure! John 20: 31 says, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” Most biblically-based preachers and teachers avail themselves of insights gained from the original languages of the bible. But one preacher, known for his facility with Greek and Hebrew, told his congregation, “My greatest concern is not that you don’t understand Greek or Hebrew, it’s that you don’t understand English!” When the bible says something over and over, in plain English, and is still not believed, there is a problem deeper than language. For instance, the bible says in many verses and in many ways that those who place their faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can be assured of eternal life. The apostle John said explicitly that he wrote in order that his readers might know that they can have eternal life through faith in Christ. Apparently, some still doubted their salvation. Can a Christian be assured of his or her salvation? Yes! If you have doubts about your salvation, continue to read and meditate on the verses written to assure you. They were written that you may know and be sure! John Calvin wrote, “Let us not seek any other ground of assurance than God’s own testimony.
Now I’m sure that you all know what a birthmark is. A mark somewhere on your body that has been present since birth. There are birthmarks of a believer. John presents five tests that will help to determine if a person is really a Christian. These tests are given as birthmarks to assure true believers of their salvation.
1st Faith Test. What do we believe? Is our doctrine in line with the word of God? Two verses give us the faith test: 1 John 4: 15: “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.” Seems pretty simple, right? You might be surprised how many people call themselves Christian and don’t truly believe that. Ask the Jehovah’s witnesses this question when you want to get rid of them. What do you believe? 1 John 5: 1 says: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.”
2nd Life Test. How do we live? Do we keep God’s commandments? Verses 2 and 3 say: “This is how we know that we love the children of God; by loving God and carrying out his commands.” In fact, this is love for God; to keep his commands. A Christian’s life has to reflect God’s commands. You can’t love God and be a follower of Jesus and ignore what God says is right for your life.
3rd Love Test. Do we love our brothers and sisters? This message is all through John’s writings and God’s word. You cannot love God and be a follower of Jesus without loving your fellow Christians. What did Jesus say the greatest commandment was? “Love the Lord your God and your brother as yourself.”
4th Growth Test. Are we overcoming more and more as we walk with the Lord? Verses 4 and 5 tell us that everyone born of God overcomes the world, only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God overcomes the world. Are we overcoming the world or is it overtaking us?
5th Sin Test. Do we avoid sin, or do we continue sinning and consider it acceptable? God’s commands warn us against sin and remind us that sin is not acceptable to God. When we come to Jesus we are made acceptable to God through His sacrifice on the cross, but that doesn’t give us the right to sin.
If we truly belong to Jesus keeping God’s commands should not be a burden, and they should not be ignored. Remember this, God and His word is always right. You may not understand it, but when there is a choice to be made, God is always right.
In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob
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