Sunday, November 21, 2010 Speaker: Phil Hainaut Can I get a witness? 1 John 5:6-21 Message 5 in our series on The Three Epistles of John.

(1) Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God… (5) Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. John 1:11-13: He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

A. The three witnesses to Jesus and our consequent assurance of eternal life and answered prayer (6-17) 1. The three witnesses to Jesus (6-12) a. The nature of the testimony (6-9) (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. (7) For there are three that testify: (8) the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. (9) We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.

He, did not come by or through (dia) water only, but by or in (en) water and blood. Acts 1:21,22: Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.

(1:1-3): That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.

(2:20,27):  (20) But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. (27) As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. John 15:26 and 16:13,14: When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me… But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.

2Corinthians 4:4-6 says: The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God… For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. (7)For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; (8) and the three are in agreement.

A. The three witnesses to Jesus and our consequent assurance of eternal life and answered prayer (6-17) 1. The three witnesses to Jesus (6-12) a. The nature of the testimony (6-9) b. The human response to this testimony (9,10) (9) We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. (10) Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

A. The three witnesses to Jesus and our consequent assurance of eternal life and answered prayer (6-17) 1. The three witnesses to Jesus (6-12) a. The nature of the testimony (6-9) b. The human response to this testimony (9,10) c. The content of the testimony and its results (10-12) (11) And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (12) Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

A. The three witnesses to Jesus and our consequent assurance of eternal life and answered prayer (6-17) 1. The three witnesses to Jesus (6-12) 2. Our consequent assurances (v.13) a. The assurance of eternal life (v.13) (13) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. John 20:30,31: 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 you may have life in his name.

A. The three witnesses to Jesus and our consequent assurance of eternal life and answered prayer (6-17) 1. The three witnesses to Jesus (6-12) 2. Our consequent assurances (v.13) a. The assurance of eternal life (v.13) b. The assurance of answered prayer (v.14-17) i. It includes confidence in approaching God (v.14a) (14) This is the confidence we have in approaching God.

Romans 8:31,32: What, then, shall we say in response to these things Romans 8:31,32: What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

1. The three witnesses to Jesus (6-12) 2. Our consequent assurances (v.13) a. The assurance of eternal life (v.13) b. The assurance of answered prayer (v.14-17) i. It includes confidence in approaching God (v.14a) ii. It includes knowing we have whatever we ask according to His will (v.14b-17) 1) The truth explained (V.14,15) (14) This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (15) And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

1. The three witnesses to Jesus (6-12) 2. Our consequent assurances (v.13) a. The assurance of eternal life (v.13) b. The assurance of answered prayer (v.14-17) i. It includes confidence in approaching God (v.14a) ii. It includes knowing we have whatever we ask according to His will (v.14b-17) 1) The truth explained (V.14,15) 2) The truth applied to praying for a believer who sins (v.16,17) (16) If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. (17) All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

1) A specific sin or specific sins 2) Apostasy, the denial of Christ, or the renunciation of the faith Hebrews 6:4-6 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

(11-13): And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (v.18): We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. (2:18,19):  Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

1) A specific sin or specific sins 2) Apostasy, the denial of Christ, or the renunciation of the faith 3) The sin against the Holy Spirit Matthew 12:22-32 They brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you… “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

John 3:16-19:  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death (which is possible for Christians), you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death (Because they are Christians). There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that (Because, although it does occur with unbelievers, he is speaking about believers). All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death (Even for Christians whom he is asking us to pray for). We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin (And therefore the sin unto death does not apply to them).

Matthew 10:11-14: Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.

God has provided us with incredible historical evidence that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was our Lord and Saviour through the details of his life recorded for us by eye-witnesses in the pages of the New Testament documents. He has also given to us the internal witness through the illumination given by His Holy Spirit. That witness is that God has given us eternal life and that that life is in Jesus. If we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour by faith, God gives us eternal life with Him. We then have the assurance that we now have eternal life and that we can approach God for fellowship and for all our needs through the privilege and potential of prayer. God promises that if we pray for anything according to His will, we already have it! We should therefore see and pray for our brothers and sisters who sin, that God would give them life.