DATE: 8-20-23
SERIES: 1 John
SERMON: Finding Life
TEXT: 1 John 5:1-12 (ESV)
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As always it’s good to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main Campus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
If you have your Bibles — please turn with me to First John chapter five — we’ll be looking at verses one through twelve together today. And — while you’re finding First John chapter five — let me remind you that the apostle John wrote this letter so that Those who believe in God can know that they have eternal life.
In First John chapter five — verse thirteen — we read, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. - 1 John 5:13 (ESV)
And — each week in this series — we’ve discovered another way for us to know if we believe and have eternal life — for John has given us a series of tests that help to confirm or deny our faith. Which leads us to the words found in our text of First John chapter five — beginning in verse one.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is he who came by water and blood — Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony — that God gave 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. - 1 John 5:1-12 (ESV)
What would you say if I told you that there’s a guaranteed way for you to overcome all of your fears, doubts, struggles, and depression? What if I told you that the joy you long for, the hope you wish to be true, and the life you constantly struggle to find can be yours?
Does it sound too good to be true? Does it sound like an impossibility — that there’s a way to overcome your fears, doubts, struggles, and depression — that it’s possible to find the joy you long for, the hope you wish to be true, and the life that you’ve been struggling to find — does that sound like a bunch of baloney?
And what if I said you don’t even have to choose between the two? Meaning, you don’t have to choose between overcoming your fears, doubts, struggles, and depression OR finding the joy you long for, the hope you wish to be true, and the life that you’ve been struggling to find. What if you don’t have to choose — what if you can have both? What would you say to that?
Well — hear me out — because I want to show you — from our text in First John — just how this is possible because — the hope we discover in our text is this: Those who believe in Jesus find life. And by life — I mean — that a person’s relationship with Jesus gives them the power to overcome the things of this world like fear and doubt, struggles and even the darkness of depression. And I also mean that a person’s relationship with Jesus gives them an amazing promise of joy, hope, and life that’s better than you dare to dream. So how is this possible? It’s possible because — in believing in Jesus — you find life.
Now — our text builds quite nicely for us today — so we’re going to go slowly through our verses and see how those who believe in Jesus find life.
First, we see that…Those who believe in Jesus have been born of God. Look with me in verse one.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been (what? Has been…) born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. - 1 John 5:1 (ESV)
Those who believe in Jesus have been born of God. OK — so what does it mean to be born of God? Thankfully, John gives us some clues. First we see that to be born of God means that you believe that Jesus is the Christ. In verse one we read, Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God… - 1 John 5:1a (ESV)
This isn’t the first time in his letter that John has brought up the necessity of believing that Jesus is the Christ. In First John chapter two we read, Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. - 1 John 2:23-23 (ESV)
So an implication of being born of God is that you believe something specific about Jesus — that he’s the Christ. Meaning he’s the Son of God — the Messiah — the Savior of the world. To be born of God means you believe that salvation is found in Jesus — and only in him — including your salvation — because he is the Christ.
Second, we see that to be born of God means that you love God. John writes, Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. - 1 John 5:1-3 (ESV)
To be born of God is to have a genuine love for God. And — in these verses — we see that genuine love of God leads to certain behaviors. Or — to say it another way — there are expectations of those who love God — evidence that proves your love is — in fact — genuine, truthful, not pretend. And these expectations of obedience are not a ritualistic duty — but a delight birthed out of your love for God.
As Hazel Simon said, “Love makes obedience a thing of joy! To do the will of one we like to please is never hardship, though it tax our strength. Each privilege of service love will seize! Love makes us loyal, glad to do or go, and eager to defend a name or cause. Love takes the drudgery from common work, and asks no rich reward or great applause…Love sheds a light of glory on our toil, and makes us humbly glad to have a part. Love makes us choose to do the will of God.” - Hazel Hartwell Simon
Notice that this is an action-oriented love. And this action-oriented love for God shows us that John isn’t meaning a mere emotional type of love. As John Stott said, “Love for God is not an emotional experience so much as a moral commitment.”
That’s not meant to imply that our emotions aren’t involved in our love of God — it’s that our emotions aren’t enough. There’s a moral commitment that genuine love for God requires of us — for genuine love for God compels us to live a certain way. You may be wondering, “Well, what exactly is this moral commitment — what’s the expectation of those who claim to love God?”
And — the answer to our questions — is the final piece of what it means to be born of God — for we see that to be born of God means you obey God’s commandments. Back to verse one. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. - 1 John 5:1-3 (ESV)
Two observations. First, there’s a direct and inseparable link between your love of God and your obedience of his commandments. This means you can test to see if your love of God is legitimate by examining your obedience of his commands. But — equally important — and our second observation — is the encouraging description John gives us about God’s commandments — did you see how John describes them? John tells us that God’s commandments are not burdensome.
“Hold up — what does John mean they’re not burdensome? Because — for many people — God’s commandments do feel like a burden.” To be clear, John doesn’t mean that God’s laws are not specific and demanding — for they absolutely are. So what in the world does John mean in saying that God’s commandments are not burdensome?
What John means is that God’s commands are not oppressive or crushing to those who love God — meaning — God’s commandments are not a terrible weight that we cannot bear — God’s commandments are actually freeing for his children. How so?
God’s commandments are not burdensome because God has given us everything we need to obey his commands. For example, God gives his people his power and grace to obey all of his commands. He doesn’t just give us commands to obey — he also gives us the power and desire to obey them. For instance, when we’re tempted to disobey his commands — “God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (1 Corinthians 10:13b NLT) This biblical promise shows us that God isn’t some sort of tyrant or dictator in telling us what to do and how to live. He’s not Pharaoh demanding we make bricks without straw — he’s gracious towards us. God not only tells us the very best way to live — in his commands — he provides us the help we need to live according to his commands.
So — to be born of God means you believe that Jesus is the Christ, you love God, and you obey his commandments. These are evidence that God’s given you new life through a new birth — a spiritual birth resulting in a spiritual life.
And now — if I may — I want to show you an important theological truth that’s found in our verses. The theological truth is this: Being born of God comes before you believe in Christ — meaning new birth comes before faith.
What I’m saying is that there’s a sequence — in our verses — that John is showing us. And this sequence tells us a truth about salvation.
First, comes the new birth or being born of God. Back in verse one we read, Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God… — 1 John 5:1a (ESV)
There are two phrases I want to bring to your attention. The first phrase is “everyone who believes” — which is in the present tense — and the second phrase is “has been born of God” — which is in the perfect tense. Now here’s why that’s important for all of you who — like me — aren’t fans of grammar.
John uses grammar to teach us a truth that many people struggle with. And John’s grammar tells us that our believing — that Jesus is the Christ — which — again — is in the present tense — is a consequence of our new birth — which is in the perfect tense. “Josh, like you, my aversion to grammar is making this all confusing — you’re losing me here?” Grammar lover or not — John’s grammar — inspired by the Holy Spirit, by the way — indicates that our new birth comes before our believing.
Meaning your belief in Jesus — what’s often called faith — your belief in Jesus isn’t the cause of your being born again — your being born again is the cause of your faith — at least according to the apostle John — again — inspired by the Holy Spirit. And the reason why this theological truth is important to John — and why this theological truth should be important to you — is because of his reason for writing this letter in the first place. John wrote this letter so that Those who believe in God can know that they have eternal life.
But how can you know that you have eternal life if — you ignore the grammar and reverse the sequence — where being “born again” is a result of your faith? You can’t — because all you have to do is stop believing and then you’d no longer be born again, right? If everything begins with us — then everything can end with us — and that’s a spiritual pressure cooker of a way to live — a spiritually burdensome way to live — where God’s commands become burdensome instead of freeing. I mean — how would you ever know if you’ve believed enough, done enough, not doubted too much in order to tip the spiritual scales in the wrong direction? You wouldn’t. What I’m trying to stress — in John’s truth to us — a truth all the way down to his grammar — is that there’s a belief about salvation that will leave you with zero confidence in knowing whether or not you have eternal life. And that belief is: I’m born again because I believe.
Yet the whole point of this letter is that John wants his readers to have confidence in knowing that they have eternal life. So he tells them to not forget this truth about their salvation: You were born again first. Your belief in Jesus is because God gave your dead spirit resurrected life. And — having been given life — you now believe. And in believing you now love God. And this sequence — this critical order of salvation that John has shown us — should give all believers — including us today — great confidence. Why?
Because this truth tells us that — if you believe in Jesus — it’s because God has given you life. And those whom God has made alive can never be separated from him — that’s God’s promise to his people. He gives life which results in you believing — which leads to your justification — which leads to your adoption into the family of God — which means you are his child forever — and nothing will ever separate you from his love — nothing will ever snatch you from his hand.
And that should give somebody a big old dose of confidence right now — that should give you some hope — some joy — some unshakeable swagger — not because you’re all that great — but because God is all that great. And this kind of supernatural confidence in God is what life — true life — is all about. And — we’re not even done with the good news yet.
For — just as everyone who is born of God believes in Jesus and loves God — so also everyone who is born of God overcomes the world. We see this in verses four and five where John writes, For everyone who has been born of God (So everyone who God has given life to…) overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? - 1 John 5:4-5 (ESV)
Now — the word “overcome” is a verb — “great — more grammar!” — but — in being a verb — this tells us that overcoming is something that Christians do — overcoming is a characteristic of a life that’s been given new life by God’s Spirit. Overcoming is a fruit the gospel produces in your life. Christians overcome the world.
But how — this is the question — how do we overcome the world? We find the answer at the end of verse four. Our faith. Our faith in who? Jesus. Our faith in God’s great love for us in sending his Son to die on a cross as a sacrifice for our sins is proof that we’ve been made alive by God’s Spirit.
And this new birth — remember — results in new life — which results in true belief in Jesus Christ — which compels us to love God and to obey his commandments — which strengthens our faith in Christ so that we overcome everything this world can throw at us. I’m gonna say that again because this is some fear crushing, doubts destroying, hope in the midst of struggles, and light in the darkness of depression kind of news.
New birth results in new life — which results in true belief in Jesus Christ — which compels us to love God and to obey his commandments — which strengthens our faith in Christ so that we overcome everything this world can throw at us.
And — again — John’s so encouraging here. Did you see that the word overcome is used three times in verses four and five? Well guess what John’s done to up the ante of our confidence in this new life that’s been given to us? Here’s what he did. John uses two different Greek words that we translate as “overcome.” Who cares? We all should care — here’s why.
The first word means “victory in the past” and the second means “victory in the present.” So our faith in Christ gives us victory in the past and victory in the present. And — because the present is always happening — the implication is that we will always have victory because faith in Christ is an ongoing, never-stopping activity in the life of true believers.
And — if your faith in Christ will always be — because you’ve believed in Jesus which — again — is a result of God giving you new life — guess what else is guaranteed? Eternal life — the ultimate victory — the whole point of John’s letter. Thus you can know with certainty whether or not eternal life is in your future because of your present faith in Jesus.
As one pastor has said, “We (Christians) are overcomers. We are victors. We are conquerors, by definition. And that’s why, in a sense, Satan, the world, illness and even death itself are somehow not a threat to us. You can’t find yourself too overwhelmed by them, too distressed by them, too overwrought with anxiety and concern. They are temporary enemies, temporary annoyances. But the victory is won and some day we’ll enter into our eternal life.” - John MacArthur
Which leads us to ask the most important question for every one of us: Have you believed in Jesus? For it is only those who believe in him that are guaranteed eternal life. And with so many views about Jesus — how do you know if you’ve believed in the same Jesus that John’s referring to? Well there’s another truth that can be drawn from our text. Those who believe in Jesus have received the testimony of God. Look with me in verse six.
This is he who came by water and blood — Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony — that God gave 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. - 1 John 5:6-12 (ESV)
Those who believe in Jesus have received the testimony of God. Let’s look more closely at this testimony of God.
First the testimony of God is that Jesus came by water and blood. We see this beginning in verse six. This is he who came by water and blood — Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. - 1 John 5:6-9 (ESV)
First an observation — then a brief explanation. The observation is this: apparently the false teachers in this church had been teaching others that Jesus came by water only. That seems pretty obvious by John’s statement “not by the water only, but by the water and the blood” in verse six.
Now — if you remember from previous sermons — these false teachers have been trying to lead people in this church astray when it comes to beliefs about Jesus. They’ve denied that Jesus was the Messiah, that Jesus was God’s Son, that Jesus had come in the flesh, and — what we see here — is a denial of Jesus’s death on the cross. “Where’d you get that from, Josh?” From the statement “the water and the blood.”
First, Jesus came by water — something both John and the false teachers agreed on. This most likely refers to Jesus’ baptism by John the baptizer because — if you recall — Jesus’ baptism was the beginning of his earthly ministry.
But Jesus didn’t just come by water — he came by water and the blood. And — as the water describes the initiation of his earthly ministry — the blood signifies the culmination — or ending — of his earthly ministry. For — when his blood was shed on the cross — the defeat of Satan, sin, death, and Hell was finished.
So do you see what the false teachers were denying? These false teachers were denying that Jesus died on the cross. They were denying the importance of his death. And — as some of you are already thinking — to deny Jesus’ death on the cross is about as far as you can go away from the truth that’s found in the Bible. To deny that Jesus shed his blood on the cross is to deny the only means by which we have hope that eternal life with God is possible. For “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins,” the Bible tells us. (Hebrews 9:22)
So part of the testimony of God is that Jesus died on the cross — he shed his blood as a sacrifice for the remissions — or the removal — of the sins of all who would believe in him. And — second — the testimony of God is that eternal life is found in his Son. We see this in verse ten where John writes, Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony — that God gave 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. - 1 John 5:10-12 (ESV)
Here we see that those who believe in Jesus have the testimony of God in them. Meaning — God’s Spirit enlightens your spirit to know with certainty that Jesus came by water and blood. You don’t need physical evidence. You don’t need the incident captured on high def video. There’s a spiritual aspect here that confirms in the depths of your soul that Christ shed his blood for the removal of your sins.
And this belief — that Christ shed his blood — is what separates those who have eternal life from those who don’t. For — as John tells us in verses eleven and twelve — life is found in God’s Son. And — not just life — but eternal life. Again — John couldn’t have said it any more clearly: Those who have the Son have eternal life — those who do not have the Son — do not have eternal life. John leaves no wiggle room here.
So the testimony of God is that Jesus — the Son of God — came by water and blood and eternal life is found only in his Son — to deny this testimony is to call God a liar. But the One who’s both Creator and Savior is not a liar — instead he’s graciously revealed to all of us the truth about eternal life.
And why has he revealed this truth to you today? Because he loves you — and he doesn’t want you to live in darkness any more — he doesn’t want you to fall prey to the lies of the world any longer — so he’s shared his truth with you so that you will believe in his Son and have eternal life.
And — the confidence you’ll find in Christ — will give you a guaranteed way to overcome all fears, doubts, struggles, and depressions this world can throw your way. And — your belief in Christ — will allow you to experience the joy you’ve longed for, the hope you’ve wished to be true, and the life you’ve been struggling to find. How?
Because those who believe in Jesus find life. And — by life — I mean — that your relationship with Jesus will give you the power to overcome the things of this world like fear, doubt, struggles, and depression — even though they may never fully go away in this life — but your relationship with Jesus guarantees you amazing promises of joy and hope even as you face fears, doubts, struggles, and depression. For Jesus gives his people something better than any of us dare to dream — he gives us life. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, I pray that all of us would see the beauty and attractiveness of your love for us. Help us to trust that you’ve secured eternal victory for all who believe in your Son. That — through the shedding of Jesus’ blood — eternal life has been guaranteed for those who believe in him.
Spirit of God, as an apple tree produces apples — because that’s what apple trees do — I pray that all of us — who claim to be Christians — would examine our own lives to see if we’re producing the fruit of your Word. For this is what true love for you does — it produces godly fruit.
For those who need to repent of sins in their life — may your Word produce the fruit of repentance. And I thank you that you offer forgiveness to all who cry out to you with a sincere heart. I pray that pride, laziness, or indifference would not keep any of us from living a fruitful life of obedience — for there’s no such thing as an unfruitful Christian.
For those who need to believe in Jesus — Spirit — I humbly ask that you would give them new life right now. A spiritual resurrected life. The new life that always results in faith in your Son, love for him, obedience of your commands, and living for his glory.
And — Jesus — we thank you for your faithfulness in loving us even when we’re unfaithful. Thank you for your patience with us even when we stumble. Thank you for your Spirit in us — who enlightens our souls in the darkest of depressions. And thank you for your power that’s been given to us — enabling us to overcome all of our fears. In your name we pray. Amen.
May you go believing in Jesus — living in the new life that’s given to all who believe in him. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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