Tom Mason

If you would turn with me to 1st John chapter 5, we will be reading from verse 5 through verse 13. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came by water and by blood, Jesus Christ, not with water only, but with water and with the blood. It is the Spirit that testifies, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that testify, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and the three are in agreement. If we receive the witness of men, the testimony of God is greater.

For the testimony of God is this, that he has testified concerning his Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. The one who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things have I written unto you, who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

On Wednesday night, June 19th, I reviewed the first four chapters of 1 John, plus the first four verses of chapter 5, because the last time I had preached on 1 John was Wednesday, March 4th, 2020.

So I thought some review was needed, so we did that on Wednesday night. And today, as we look through the verses we have tonight, verses 5 through 13, actually 5 through 8 would be a review of Wednesday night. So let's start with verse 5. Who is the one who has overcome the world? But the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. This word overcome, or overcomer, it's a word that means conqueror, or victorious one. It was used when the ancients would go out to war, and they would war against another king.

The victorious ones would come home with this. They would be the overcomers. So the question is asked here, who is the one who overcomes the world? But the one who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. You and I, believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, puts us in that camp of the overcomers. Now this isn't talking about an intellectual belief, it's talking about a practical belief. If you believe in Christ, that means you trust in and rely upon Christ and what it is He has done for your salvation.

And that believing also brings with it obedience. There is nothing to the idea of being a Christian and not being obedient to God. That's just not in the scriptures at all. And so when we see that, we must understand that. Then in that, he says, the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Everyone who believes. This is a continuing belief. When he talks to us about the ones who have been commanded to believe in God, that's talking about the time that we gave our life to Christ. But every Christian continues from that point of giving their life to Christ, to believing in what it is that God has done for him.

There's never a point to where we as Christians stop believing. Someone else may stop and stop participating with us and walk away, but the Christian never will. And that's what he is bringing to us to help us to understand that. John helps us with that idea in John chapter 5 verse 1. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves the child that is born of him. Everyone who continues to believe he's born of God. That's your proof of how it is that you know that you're born of God.

Then he talked about that one-time thing in 1 John 5, 23. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of Jesus Christ and love one another just as he has commanded us. See, this is that one-time thing. Remember the jailer in Acts chapter 16, when he asked the question, men and brethren, what must I do to be saved? In Acts chapter 16 verse 31, they give him the answer, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved and your whole house. Make a decision now, this point in your life, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

And from that point on, the jailer continued to believe. And that's what's happened to all of us as Christians and we see this. What are we to believe? Believe that Jesus is the Son of God. When John says Jesus is the Son of God, every Jew knew that John was saying that Jesus is God. Every Jew would believe that. Look at the Gospel of John chapter 5, starting at verse 15.

He's already talking about the persecution of Jesus. He says, for this reason, the Jews were persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. What things? He had healed a lame man. He did this on the Sabbath. But he answered them, my father is working until now and I myself am working. For this reason, therefore, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him because he not only was breaking the Sabbath, but he was calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. No person in the Old Testament ever called God his father.

When they saw this, they said, this man has now claimed to be God because he said, my father has worked up until now and now I am working. Look at John chapter 10 verse 33.

The Jews answered him, we are not stoning you for good work but for blasphemy and because you, being a man, made yourself out to be God. Now if you familiar with how they translated the Bible, if you look at those three words, out to be, they're probably in italics in your Bible.

That means they are not in the original. So the phrase would really mean you being man made yourself God. This is why that they were about to stone him, that he being a man had made himself out to be God. But you know, even the disciples didn't really get it. Look at John chapter 14 verses 7 to 9.

Jesus would say to them, if you have known me, you would have known my father also. From now on you know him and have seen him. Philip said unto him, Lord show us the father and it is enough for us. Jesus said unto him, have I been so long time with you and yet you have not come to know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the father. How can you say show us the father? It is clear from scripture that Jesus Christ is God and when John uses this term he is telling us that. Believe that Jesus is the son of God.

He mean in the fullest sense of the Bible description of Jesus. He is the Christ from the Old Testament called the Messiah. He has come to us in the flesh that he would die on the cross and be raised the third day.

He would ascend back into heaven to make intercessions for us and he's coming again to receive us unto himself. This is what he's calling us to do when he says believe in Jesus Christ. Let's move further in our review of 1 John chapter 5, 6 through 8. This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with water only but with water and with the blood. It is the spirit who testifies because the spirit is true. For there are three that testify the spirit and the water and the blood and the three are in agreement.

When you're in agreement that means you say the same thing. You are bringing out the same thing. What are the three in agreements about? About who Jesus Christ is. At the baptism the heavens opened, the father spoke, and the spirit came down in the form of a dove and rested up on him, Matthew chapter 3 verses 16 through 18. At the crucifixion the veil was torn from top to bottom, Matthew chapter 7 verse 51, indicating that there is no reason to keep the holies of holies hid from everybody else because he who is holy has died on the cross and paid the penalty for all of our sins.

Therefore all of those who could not go in now and see it, it has been ripped from top to bottom. That brings us to our verses for today. If we receive the testimony of men, verse 9, the testimony of God is greater. For the testimony of God is this, that he has testified concerning his son. John lets the people of his day know that if they accept the testimony of men on lesser issues, how foolish it is to not to accept God's testimony on greater things. If John was writing to us today, he would say something like, if you receive the testimony of the internet or your favorite news channel, how foolish it would be not to receive the testimony of God because God's testimony is greater.

And that's the thing that we have to come to and have to keep in mind and share with those as we go among people of the world today. Donna and I was up in Washington visiting some relatives and having a family reunion and there was a preacher there in the group. He asked me, he said, what's your opinion on the flood? He said, was it a worldwide flood? Was it a local flood? And then he quoted Hugh Ross and I already knew he was in trouble when he said that. So I said to him, my opinion of the flood is the exact as the Bible says it was.

We don't have to wonder was it a worldwide flood, the Bible tells us it was. So why are we debating whether or not it was a worldwide flood or not? I don't care who says it is. When God says it, we can believe it and we can stand on it and that's the thing that we are called to do because God's testimony is greater.

Now look at verse 10. The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in himself. The one who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar because he has not believed the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. Now on Wednesday night, the 19th, when I shared this, I quoted John MacArthur here. He talks about the fact that as John writes in his epistle and as he wrote the gospel, John always make a clear comparison between two things. And John MacArthur says he never adds a third and that's a good point because when he walks through these scriptures with us, he keeps the comparison to two.

The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in himself. By the way, that's a clue. He didn't say he knows this testimony. He says he has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. What arrogance to believe that you know more than God and you're willing to say. Now it doesn't mean that God is a liar. He says for that person, he has made God out to be a liar, and that's what you and I are called to.

By the way, we see a lot of things being passed off as Christianity today. One of our cousins in Washington said to her parents recently, I am giving up on the church but I'm not giving up on God. Now my concern was that the parents didn't ask any questions. My question would have been how do you give up on the church whom God died for and not give up on God? It's impossible. How is it that you forsake the assembling of yourself together with the people who God has told you not to forsake yourself and not give up on God?

There are times to ask questions people, and when you hear some junk like that, you need to ask some questions. In verse 10 here, the one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in himself. Look at 1 John chapter 4 verse 2.

He says, By this you know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. Every spirit that confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. There's a difference between saying that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and confessing that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. When you say something, you're speaking with the mouth. When you confess something, you are agreeing with what has already been said. We have to agree with what the Bible has said about Jesus Christ, not what man says about him.

That's what he's bringing us to understand here. A lot of people will come and knock on your door and tell you about a Jesus that they believe in. It is not the Jesus of the Scripture, and that's what John is pointing out here. You have to believe in the Jesus of the Scripture. 1 John chapter 4 verse 15. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. There's that word again, confess. Whoever agrees with what the Bible has already said, that person has the Spirit of God in him.

That's why the Bible tells us that we confess our sins. It's not really telling us to tell God our sins. It's telling us to agree with the Holy Spirit who has convicted us that we have sinned. And when we do that, he says he's faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Moving on to verse 11, and this is the testimony that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He just keeps coming back to this, this thing about eternal life. John has a point that he wants to make here for the believers, and he's bringing it home to them.

Look back at 1 John chapter 1 verse 2, and the life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was revealed to us. He says this life was revealed, and we have seen it, and we have testified and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and has been revealed to us. Now who was that? Jesus Christ. He says we've seen him. He would go on to say we have touched him. Our eyes have seen him. We have touched him with our hands, and we've handled him.

He says this is eternal life. First John chapter 2 verse 25, this is the promise which he himself made to us, eternal life.

This is the promise. You know people make promises all the time. Sometimes they are kept, sometimes they are not. Paul as he was writing to Timothy, I'm sorry to Titus in Titus chapter 1 verses 1 and 2, Paul a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness in the hope of eternal life which God who cannot lie promised ages ago. Now isn't it good to have a testimony about God that he is the one who can not lie?

He has promised. What has he promised? He's promised to us the hope of eternal life, and I just want to keep going over this word hope because the English word isn't good enough for us. You know I hope I get to tomorrow. I don't know if I will or not, but I hope I get there. That's the English word, but the Greek word here is the assured expectation. So let's read it that way. In the assured expectation of eternal life which God who cannot lie promised a long time ago. What does an assured expectation mean?

Something that you are sure of that you do not have right now. He says that's the hope that we live in. That's how we live this life, and we get this from the God who cannot lie who has promised. So John as he writes in 1 John 2 25, he says this is the promise which he himself made to us eternal life. John would further on this in 1 John 5 20. He says and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we might know Him who is true and we are in Him who is true in His Son Jesus Christ.

This is the true God and eternal life. John just keeps on bringing this out that Jesus Christ is eternal life and that He has come to share this with us. In this next verse would be verse 12. John breaks the whole world into two groups of people. He breaks the whole world into two groups of people. Verse 12 says the one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. There's not a room here for a third group.

You either have the Son and have life or you do not have the Son of God and you do not have life and the life that is being talked about here is eternal life. John makes it clear this is how we can know where we stand. You know you can just about Google anything today. So I went and googled what was the population of the earth at the time of Christ. It came back with an answer. They said there was about 300 million people living on the earth at the time that this was written. John broke those 300 million people into two groups.

The one who has the Son and the one who does not have the Son. The same report goes on to tell us that the population of the earth was unchanged for about another thousand years and then in 1804 the population surpassed the one billion. But it was still true that the ones who had the Son had life and the one who did not have the Son did not have life. Our population records tells us today that we are approaching eight billion people in the world. The Bible is still true. The one who has the Son has life and the one who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

It's just that simple people. There are two groups of people in the world. Two. You and I as Christians make up one of those groups and the other group would be those who do not have the Son or as the scripture would say, they're sinners for you and for me. Every time we meet a new person, our thought should be, what group are you in? Donna and I was down in Texas recently. If you don't know this, Texas has a travel center called Bucky's. If you're ever in Texas, you want to stop by Bucky's. So Donna and I had visited Bucky's early in the morning.

Donna had gone back to the car and I was walking out to the car and there was this young lady walked up beside me. She said, good morning sir. I said, good morning. She says, I just want you to know that Jesus loves you and he has a wonderful plan for your life. As we chatted there for a couple of moments and decided that we were both on our way to heaven, we greeted each other and we went our separate ways. Have a question for you. Why did she approach me? She wanted to know what group I was in.

When she found out, then we had a short time of fellowship. Here are two people leaving Bucky's and she decided I'm going to find out what group this guy's in. And the benefit was we got the fellowship for a little bit. You and I have to be in that same mind reference. Meet this new person. How can I get to the question of what group is this person in? If it's a believer, we get to rejoice. If it's not a believer, then we look for an opportunity to share. That we might proclaim him. You see this third mark on the board over here?

Our purpose is to proclaim him. That's what our purpose is. That's why we have been left here on this earth, to proclaim him. Who are we proclaiming him to? To those who do not know him. That's what our responsibility is. Now let's look at verse 13.

These things have I written unto you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you might know that you have eternal life. When I was studying this years ago and I reviewed this this time when I'm studying it, I looked this word know up in about 20 different versions of the scripture. All of them translate it the same way, that you may know that you have eternal life. One writer said this is a no soul salvation. We aren't wondering whether we are saved or not. We can know that we are saved. When John says in this verse these things, he is referring back to everything that he has written up to this point.

These things have I written unto you. Let us look at a similar statement in John's gospel. In John chapter 20 and verse 31, the gospel of John chapter 20 verse 31. These things, excuse me, but these have been written so that you may believe in that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in his name. These things have been written. John is referring back to what he has written from the first of the gospel up to this point.

Now he tells us who he is writing to and why. He is writing to unbelievers so that they might come to believe. I find it interesting that John waits until chapter 5 of first John to tell us who he's writing to.

These things have I written unto you who believe. So now he's writing to believers. For what purpose? So that we may know that we have eternal life. If someone asks you today for the address of your home, you wouldn't say, well, I think it's this. You would tell them what it is. When someone asks you, are you saved? We're not to say, I think so. We are to say, I know so. Why? Because of my belief in who Jesus Christ is and what it is that he has done, and by the evidence in my life of my obeying him, having put my faith in him.

This is not the first time, by the way, that John has made it clear that we can know this. In first John chapter 3 verse 10, he says, by this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious.

Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. John is clear. There's a way to know whether you are of the children of God or the children of the devil, and he says it's obvious. You don't have to, well, I think that person is saved, or I think I'm saved. He says it's obvious. Why is it obvious? It's obvious because of your conduct. He says the one who does not practice righteousness is not of God. If your lifestyle is more of unrighteousness than it is of righteousness, John says there's a problem.

You can claim all you want to that you are his child, but you're not. My middle son lives in that category, and when I challenged him on it, he said, Dad, you are too serious about this stuff. My response is, son, you are not serious enough, and if you die in that condition, you're headed for a godless eternity. Now, we can't change people, but we can share, and that's what you and I have been called to do. Our purpose is to proclaim him. John says, I write unto those who believe so that they might know that they have eternal life.

First John chapter 1 verse 4, John says, these things we write so that our joy may be complete. I write these things so that our joy may be complete. John is telling us to know that you have eternal life is to know complete joy. It doesn't mean there are no problems. It doesn't mean that death won't come into your family. It means when it does, God gives you comfort, and that's the thing that he's pointing to us. John, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wants us to know that eternal life, that we have eternal life.

Although eternal life is living with God forever, it is more than just living forever. It is the quality of life we live now and forever. As a Christian, I'm not waiting to get to heaven to enjoy my eternal life. I experience it now with the joy that God brings to me and with the comfort he gives to me and the opportunity he gives me to share and to bring this to others. That's because I have the eternal life that he has given unto us that we might know him and that we might follow him. It is with this knowledge that we, the children of God, know that we have eternal life, that we come to receive the elements this morning that's on the table.

It is out of that confidence that we come to this time. We don't just come because we did it last first Sunday or because we've been doing this for years.

We do it because of the confidence that God gives us in him that we have eternal life. And if you're here this morning and not a member of the church, but you are a believer, you're welcome to join us as we come to this point. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11, starting at verse 23. He says, For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you.

Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, he took the cup after supper, saying, This is the cup in the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Every time we take the cup, we are saying that it represents the blood that Jesus Christ has shed for us on the cross, and therefore, we are proclaiming to each other that this has been done so we can then go out and proclaim to others that they might come and join us and have this fellowship that we have in him.

As the men come down, let us pray. Father, we thank you for our time in your word. I ask that you would direct us now as we prepare our hearts to receive this representation of your body and your blood. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.