FHBC Sermon Notes

Scripture: 1 John 3:19-24
How do we know that he is ours and that we are his?

We are forever learning knew things, finding out that what we knew before wasn't really true. Is there any knowledge that we can really be sure of? We it comes to our relationship with God, how do we know that he has saved us for himself?

This passage looks at this question of assurance, and in turn how we are to live as a result of that assurance.

1. Our need for and God's provision of assurance of salvation. (3:19-20)

Question: Why do we need to have assurance? Isn't it to our benefit to consider our state before God?

We do not know when the time will be when will know longer be afforded the opportunity to consider. Now is truly the time.

Our old nature, our fallen heart will condemn us. But God is greater that our old nature. He give us a new heart, an heart that desires heavenly things, the things of God

Question: What can I do to find assurance?

The bible commends us to the practice of self-examination. John in this letter wrote to help the people he wrote to understand whiter they were truly Christians. They were being told many things that were trying to changed the good news they had been given. 1 John 5:13

We should make this a regular practice. It is not a one time thing, and it should not be put off. Matthew 7:21-23

So how do we know that we have this assurance? What is the basis?
2. The basis for assurance of salvation.
John gives us three tests
a. We obey him and please him. (3:19, 22-24)
i. A correct belief about Jesus. (3:23)
This is the Jesus that is in the scripture. The one who was pierced, but now still lives. Everyone has an opinion about Jesus, but we must seek into scripture to understand his true nature.
ii. A display of biblical love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. (3:23)
iii. A regular practice of obedience to the commands God has given us. (3:22,24)
iv. The resulting: mutual abiding. (3:23-24)
The evidence comes from God, it is ultimately not about us. He cannot and will not abide with those that are not in
Christ, in those who's master is still found in this world.

b. We see evidence of his Spirit at work in us. (3:24)
He inspires us to profess faith in the biblical Jesus. It is our natural inclination to reject Him.
He empowers us to follow God's commands. It is our natural inclination to disobey these commands.
He empowers us to love one another. Real love of any sort does not exist outside the love of Christ. All other forms are simply broken self serving forms, broken, leaky versions of the true vessel that we receive in Jesus.

c. We have God's truth to recalibrate our uncertain heart.
Our emotions, our thoughts are powerful forces. Sexual desires drives us to fornication, to adultery. Bitterness drives us to slander, hatred to revenge to murder.

How do we overcome them? We must expose them to the truth. That truth is what we find in scripture. We must live in the light as he is in the light.

3. The fruit of assurance of salvation. (3:21-22,24)
As we walk in our assurance we have greater obedience, greater love.

We experience a deeper communion with God. We can boldly approach, not presumptuously, but in the joy that being in his presence gives us.

We experience new and afresh the totality of Gods blessings. In his will, we receive that which will see his will be done. And this is the greatest blessing that can ever exist.