Good evening.  Tonight we are going to finish our study on the book of I John.  Next week we are going to do a fun review of what we have learned over the past several weeks.  But tonight we see how John ends his first letter.

Some Americans today don’t trust the immigration department people anymore.  It seems many terrorists have slipped through their fingers.  There is a fear that more terrorist attacks may come because they cannot keep track of all the illegal immigrants who overstayed their visas and are hiding somewhere in the US, planning their next target.  It was once said that the US government should put Blockbuster Video people to be in charge of Immigration because if you were 2 days late they would be all over you.   They will hunt you down!  Hence life in the US is on the edge for some, and people don’t feel secure anymore.

People traveling by air today go through security checks.  They are told to come early to the airport to go through a vigorous security check.  Post 9/11 we rely on these checks to ensure safety of air travel.  Since April, the federal government has been charging travelers a $24 fee for security upgrades at all Canadian airports.  Don’t want to be blown up, do we?  So we subject ourselves to these security checks and pay the extra $24.  We want to be safe.

Now what about people traveling to Heaven?  How safe are they?  Are there security checks we could use so that we know for sure we’re on the way to Heaven and not the other direction? 

How will you know the minute you die that you are going to be in Paradise?  How do you know you are really a born again Christian believer?  Perhaps you doubt whether you are.  You seem to see all the flaws of your own character.  Every day you live on the earth you see Christians making big mistakes, really blowing it.  The Bible does state that not everyone who calls Jesus “Lord” is a Christian.

To start this evening let’s look at Matthew 7:21-23.  Here in this passage it tells us just that.  In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says, “1”

How can I be a Christian when it is obvious I am not at all perfect?  Could I be the one who calls Him “Lord” and find out later that I am destined for Hell and not Heaven?  I think John wrote his letter to remind us of something…

In tonight’s passage in verse 13 John writes, “2”

So, John does have some more great things to teach us and remind us here in this last chapter of his letter.  Let’s go ahead and look at our passage for this evening.  It will be found in I John 5:6-21.  Here in I John 5:6-21 John ends things up by writing, “2”

Now we see the word know again in this passage.  The word “know” appears almost 40 times in John’s brief letter, and 8 of those times are found here in this last chapter.  In these closing verses of John’s letter we discover 5 certainties on which we can build our lives with confidence.

Here are 5 things that we know:

First, we know that Jesus is God’s Son.  Could I get someone to read verses 6-10 for us again?

Does anyone know what the 3 witnesses are that we find here in this passage?

In Deuteronomy 19:15 it says, “3”

In the Old Testament 3 witnesses where needed in order to prove something.  We see the same thing here in these verses as well.  We see 3 witnesses.  We see the water, which was His Baptism.  We see blood, which occurred at he Cross.  And the third witness is the spirit, and we can see that throughout His Ministry.

In verse we see that Jesus’ identity was gauged by both His baptism, the water and His crucifixion, the blood.

As Christians, we have that witness of the Spirit inside of our hearts as we learn in verse 10.  In Romans 8:16 it says that the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.  The Bible salvation
through faith in Christ is something that is a known and it happens in the heart.  It is not a hope-so or a guess-so.  You may not see fireworks display, but it is displayed inwardly. 

You need to experience within you the evidence of God’s moving you, receiving Son-ship.  It is not good enough to say "I guess I’m saved" You have to know it from the inside out.  Notice later in verse 13 of I John chapter 5 when it says, “2”

A person who says "I guess I’m saved" is automatically put on my question mark list of saved people.  It is the people who know that they are saved, that have the confidence in their salvation.

The second thing that we know, is that Christians have eternal life.  Would someone please read verses 11-13 for us?

Here in verse 13 it talks about what how we know we have eternal life.  John has written several things that indicate that we have a fellowship with God.  They are the tests of life in Christ.  In 2:3 we have the test of obedience.  In 3:9-10 we are tested with sin.  Later in 3:14 is the test of love.  And in 4:13 is the test of the spirit of God.

Do you have Jesus?  I am not asking if you have religion, a church home, a decent life, or a baptismal certificate.  The word "Christian" equals Christ-I-an or how it sounds, Christ’s I am.

If Christ is in us, then we have eternal life awaiting us.  In Our Daily Bread there was this writing: (READ OUR DAILY BREAD PAGE 20)

Moving on, the third thing that we know, is that God answers prayers.  Who would like to read verses 14-15 for us?

Now what is the condition to getting what we ask? (It has to be according to His will)

In James 5:13-15 it says, “4”

A man once wrote, I was taking my usual morning walk when a garbage truck pulled up beside me.  I thought that the driver was going ot ask for directions.  Instead, he showed me a picture of a cure little 5 year old.  “This is my grandson, Jeremiah,” he said.  “He’s on a life support system at a Phoenix hospital.”

Thinking that he would next ask for a contribution to his hospital bills, I reached into my pocket for my wallet.  But he wanted something more valuable than money.  He said, “I’m asking everyone I can to say a prayer for him.  Would you say one for him please?”  I did, and all of my problems didn’t seem like much that day.

We need to pray for those around us that are in need.  God really does listen and He will answer the prayers if they be in His will.

Someone find Proverbs 21:13 for me please?

Could I get someone to look up James 4:3?

God will supply our needs, not our greeds.  So we know that God answers prayers.

The fourth thing that we know, is that true Christians do not deliberately practice sin.  Would someone read verses 16-19 for me please?

You see, Christians are sensitive to sin, and want to stay in a relationship with Christ.  In John’s last 6 verses he touches in a summary way on themes he has already mentioned.  These include love for others by praying for them, the assurance of being children of God, and a final blanket imperative to avoid all God-Substitutes.

What should we do for a wayward brother or sister in Christ?  (Pray for them)

In verse 16 we read about a sin that leads to death.  No one knows for sure, what is the sin that leads to death but from the context of the letter of 1 John it is evident that it speaks to the sin of the antichrist, the false prophets, those who deny Jesus came in the flesh and yet was fully God.  However, a key thought here is that confidence and assurance comes with prayer – approaching God and having a 2 way conversation with a Father who loves you and has given you eternal life through the Son and His Spirit to seal the deal!

John knew that even though Christ wept over Jerusalem in Luke 19:41, and in a sense died for all in I John 2:2, not all will be saved.  Even among those in the church, there are pretenders and deceivers as it says in I John 2:19 and in 4:1.  John may be speaking here of sins that, if persisted in, will result in eternal judgement.  And he tells us to pray for those people.

This sin that it speaks of is not a 1 time act.  The false teachers had denied that Jesus was the Christ.  once you turn your back on the work and person of Jesus Christ, there is no other place for you to go for forgiveness. 

In I John 3:9 John writes, “2”

 This states that a Christian will not sin as a way of life or have a life style of sinning.  In I John 1:8 it says that we have sin.  We are not perfect.  We come short.  We may and will fall but we will not knowingly continue in some sinful practice.  Are you practicing sin?  A Christian may be unaware that they have some sinful practice or habit but a real Christian will begin to fight the sin when God reveals it to him that he is doing wrong. No doubt we will sin but what is said here is a conscious deliberate practice of sin, rebellious attitude, that refuses to listen to God’s Spirit.  It is continuing to sin with no attempt or desire to stop that we are called to turn away from if we are true Christians.

And finally the fifth thing that we know is that the Christian life is the real life.  Would someone finish us off by reading verses 20-21?

The Christian life is the true life.  We read verses like John 14:6 when Jesus says, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.”

Christians are not saved by understanding alone.  But because of salvation comes via Christ and the saving message that points to Him, neither are Christians saved without understanding.  In contrast to this, another Jewish writer of the same era points to philosophical and speculative knowledge as what counts.  Another source likewise states that to live and die properly we need a firm foundation based on reason and education.

In John 17:3 it says, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

This road we travel on called life is littered with obstacles.  Like a Nintendo or Play-station game, every time that you play a game you need to stay alert and avoid the traps, the bad guys, the bombs.  Yes, God keeps us safe but we need to do our part too, by keeping away from idols, dodge the bullets.

Idols were a symbol of all that was wrong and evil in the pagan world.  God had long ago condemned them through Moses in the second commandment.

In conclusion, the 5 things that we know that I shared with you, are a security checklist.  One day when you meet God will you be blown away or will you be welcomed as a child to a loving father’s arms?  Did you pass the test?  Or do you have a problem of a lack of assurance?  Are you sensing an assurance that you are a true Christian?  Perhaps you are sensing your sins have clouded the picture?  God will send His Spirit into your spirit to seal the deal. 

In closing I have some personal inventory questions to ask you.  I will ask each question, and then I will give you a moment to answer them to yourself.

What direction is your life headed, are you walking in the light?

Do you acknowledge the sin in your life and depend on the saving blood of Christ?

Can you honestly characterize your life as being obedient?

Do you really love, do you serve others?

Where do things fall in a list of priorities?

Do you let God work in your life?

Are you practicing sin, or are you trying to turn away from that?

Do you confidently take your requests before God?

Can you see the influence of God’s Spirit in your life?

Are you maturing in Christ?

After all that we have learned from the book of I John you can walk away with assurance of faith, joyful and at peace with God.  Or you can walk away unchanged, unsure, ultimately the choice is yours…

Let’s pray

Invitation