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What Believers Can Be Sure Of – Part 2
1 John 5:13-21 (18-20)
September 18, 2022

Last week we started this look at
The closing thoughts of John in his epistle.
For all intents and purposes the heart of the letter is behind us.

Now John is simply reviewing that which we should have learned.

You see it 7 times in these final verses:
“you may know” or “we know” or “we may know”

These are the things we should have learned.
These are the things that we can be sure of.
• I told you last time that John gives 5 of them here in these final 9 verses.
• I actually might amend that a little and call it 6.
• We may look at the final verse independently.

We are looking at those things which believers can be sure of.

Assurance is a good thing.
Assurance is something which God intends for believers to have.

We saw the first two last time.

Believers can be sure
#1 THAT WE ARE SAVED
1 John 5:13

We actually walked back through several passages throughout John’s epistle and examined “These things I have written to you”

And we saw that over and over and over
John was making the same point.
He was revealing how we can know if we are saved or not.

And if we want to summarize “these things”, we would do so like this:

• We know we are saved when we receive the Holy Spirit.
• We know we have received the Holy Spirit when we walk in practical righteousness and brotherly love.

That’s really the simplest summation I can give you.

One who believes “in the name of the Son of God” receives the Holy Spirit who causes that person to walk in love and righteousness.

IF THAT IS YOU, then you are saved.
If that is you, then “you may know that you have eternal life.”

#2 THAT WE ARE HEARD
1 John 5:14-17

John simply said:
“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

This was another proof that John had written to these believers.
• Those who believe in Jesus are granted the right to become sons of God.
• We are adopted into God’s family.
• And we are welcome to Him.

A believer in Jesus Christ should never be timid
About approaching the Father in prayer.
We have confident access through Jesus.

Even in our sin we are promised that we can approach God,
Confess our sins, and God will forgive us and cleanse us.

We know that God hears and answers our prayers.

And then we saw what we think was JOHN’S EXAMPLE
Of how effective our prayers can be.

• That even when a fellow brother falls into sin
• And is reaping physical consequences for his sin.
• We can pray to God on that brother’s behalf and God will restore him to life.

God hears the prayers of those who believe in Jesus.

So we saw those two last week.
As believers in Jesus Christ we can be sure:
• That we are saved
• That we are heard

#3 THAT WE ARE SECURE
1 John 5:18

Here we have another verse that has been subject to
Many different interpretations and applications.

SO WE NEED TO DO OUR WORK ON IT AS WELL.

In verses 16-17 we were clearly dealing with a brother who sinned.

So in one sense it SEEMS STRANGE
That John would say in verse 18 that, “no one who is born of God sins;”

For starters,
We are well aware of how John started his letter:
TURN BACK TO: 1 John 1:8

We could, I suppose, then say that
We are talking about the habitual practice of sin.

And we could say that “no one who is born of God lives in the continual practice of sin”

That is, after all, what John spoke of back in chapter 3
TURN TO: 1 John 3:7-8

AND WHILE THAT IS TRUE,
I’m NOT certain that this is what John is referring to here.

THE CONTEXT of the verse sheds the needed light on the subject.

John says, “We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him”

From the context it is apparent that what John is referring to here
Is the specific sin of apostasy, or falling away from the faith.

If you’ll remember, that was a major issue for the recipients of this letter.
They were confused as to why some were abandoning the faith
And leaving the church.

JOHN EXPLAINED IT VERY CLEARLY IN THIS LETTER.
TURN TO: 1 John 2:18-20

John had a simple explanation as to why some people
Were abandoning Christ and leaving the church.

The reason is because “they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us”.

Those who are not genuine believers are NOT secure.
They are prone to deception and selfish desires which pull men from the church.

IT IS THE SIN OF APOSTASY.

But John reminds the true believers here that
They need not fear ever committing such a sin.

WHY?
“He who was born of God keeps him”

This is another point of debate among commentators.
• Some say this is referring to Jesus
• Some say it is not Jesus, but rather the believer himself

The latter’s argument is that
Jesus is never referred to as One “who was born of God”

But that’s not true.
John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Jesus is the “only begotten Son”
Jesus was “born of God”

And that is the real distinction in this verse.
It is found in the verb tenses.

You see the difference between the word “is” and “was”

Referring to the believer
John calls him “one who is born of God” indicating a present condition.

Referring to Jesus
John call him “He who was born of God” indicating a past reality.

Beyond that even, we are well-aware that
It has never been us who keeps ourselves.
It has always been Christ who keeps us.

John 17:11-15 “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.”

John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

The security of the sheep has always been because of
The strength of the Shepherd, not the strength of the sheep.

Christ protects His own.
Christ keeps His own.

Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Christ is a faithful High Priest who always lives to make intercession for us.
He is forever pleading our case before the Father.

Romans 5:8-10 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

There Paul speaks of
The IMPLICATIONS of the resurrected and now ascended Jesus.

If His death could reconcile us to God
Then certainly His life can keep us reconciled.

THAT IS THE POINT.
• Those who believe in Jesus are secure.
• We are absolutely certain of this.
• We “know” this.

2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

Jude 24-25 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

AND JOHN WANTED YOU TO KNOW THIS.
There may be some who leave the church and deny Christ,
But that is only because they were not genuine believers.

TRUE BELIEVERS ARE KEPT.

And John says, “the evil one does not touch him.”

Think of it rather as “lay hold of”

• We know, for example, that Satan sifts the wheat as he did to Peter.
• We know that he prowls seeking whom he may devour.
• We know he tempts
• We know he accuses the brethren

But he is NOT allowed to claim believers ever again.
He cannot lay hold of us again.
He cannot enslave us again.

We are protected by Christ.
1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

It really is as simple as that.
You did nothing to get yourself saved
And you do nothing to keep yourself saved.

Your soul is guarded by Christ.
He has purchased you and of those the Father gives Him,
He loses nothing.

John 6:39-40 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

John clearly wanted to remind the church of this.
• Don’t let the apostates confuse you.
• Genuine believers are kept by Jesus.

We know that we are saved
We know that we are heard
We know that we are secure
#4 THAT WE ARE SET APART
1 John 5:19

You can see that John has been addressing various issues
That no doubt caused confusion for the church.

Another one of those issues was that of being hated or persecuted.

IN THIS LETTER John had referenced the sort of attacks that the church had come under by the world.

He mentioned DECEPTION
TURN TO: 1 John 2:26

He mentioned HATRED
TURN TO: 1 John 3:13-14

He mentioned REJECTION
TURN TO: 1 John 4:4-6

All of those can be confusing issues for people to face.

• When someone continually argues with you about your beliefs
• And continually tries to get you to believe their doctrine…
• When someone grows to hate you for your beliefs…
• When someone refuses to listen to your message…

It can cause some doubt and uncertainty.

But John desired to make sure we understand that the reason for the animosity is NOT because we are doing something wrong.

Jesus fully explained in the upper room
Why there is a sharp division between us and the world.

John 15:18-21 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.”

Believers are hated very simply because they are set apart.
They have been chosen out of the world
And this is why they are maligned and attacked and hated.

Jesus would talk about just how hostile this division could become.
John 16:1-4 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. “But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”

In His High Priestly prayer Jesus addressed the issue before the Father.
John 17:14-19 “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.”

Jesus was well aware of the issues.
• We are no longer “of the world”
• But we have been sent “into the world”

And this reality is cause for hatred and animosity and rejection.

And when this happens believers should NOT let such a reality
Be a source of confusion and doubt.
Instead, such a reality
Should be cause for great CONFIRMATION of our salvation.

“We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

The fact that the world hates us
Is only a confirmation that we are no longer with them.

1 Peter 4:3-4 “For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you;”

God has saved you out of their circle and that is why they attack.

Colossians 1:13-14 “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

You see it everywhere in Scripture don’t you.
God has done remarkable things for you.
• He has saved you from sin.
• He has transferred you to His kingdom.
• He has filled you with His Spirit.
• He has called you His child.

That is why there is such hatred for you by the world.
That is why they lie to you and malign you
And hate you and reject you and ignore you.

They do that because they lie to and malign and hate and reject God.
They lie “in the power of the evil one.”
• Their father is the father of lies.
• Their father is adversary against God.
• Their father is the accuser of the brethren.

When they do those things, they are just doing the deeds of their father.

But you have a new Father now and are no longer in that family.
You are set apart and this explains the animosity.

This is one of those things John wrote about that you should know.
TURN TO: 1 John 3:10

John wanted you to be sure of that.

So as believers we are sure:
• That we are saved
• That we are heard
• That we are secure
• That we are set apart

#5 THAT WE ARE CORRECT
1 John 5:20

Oh everyone loves that one!
WE ARE THE ONES WHO ARE RIGHT.

And I know, you’re not supposed to be so dogmatic in this day and age.

I texted you all out a link this week to the sermons from the Truth Matters Conference which was held this past May at the Ark Encounter in Kentucky.

It took me a little while to get to those sermons to listen, Chris put me on them.

I sent out the link because
They are so helpful in this world of deception and confusion.

But as we talk about how you can be sure that you are correct,
I want to read you an excerpt from one of those sermons.

This sermon was by Phil Johnson. He’s the executive director of Grace To You which is the ministry where you hear John MacArthur on the radio.

Phil Johnson preached a sermon called: “A Certain Uncertainty”

As part of his introduction he said this:
“One of the most disastrous developments in Western society since the end of World War II has been the loss of certainty. It’s not politically correct these days to hold strong opinions, to be convicted—to hold convictions about especially biblical truth; and that’s ironic because one of the founding documents of the American way of life, the Declaration of Independence, opens with a short preamble that’s followed by these famous words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” But in postmodern America, no truth is self-evident. We’re not even supposed to be sure what a person’s gender is until that person tells you his, her, or their pronouns, or until the kindergarten teacher figures it out…
People nowadays just don’t believe that it’s possible to know with any kind of certainty what’s really true, and so they just have one bedrock belief. This is their key presupposition: that anyone who is certain about anything is just arrogant, because if you don’t believe it’s possible to know anything for sure, how can you take seriously any truth claims, especially truth claims coming from someone so unenlightened as to believe that God has revealed truth in Scripture…
Postmodern wisdom therefore suggests that simple humility should keep us from ever claiming that we know anything for sure. That is the fundamental idea that’s actually driving human society right now: It’s the belief that no one, no one anywhere, has the authority to declare that anything is absolutely true. You can express your personal opinion as much as you like, but only if you acknowledge that it’s merely your opinion. You cannot make any universal truth claims, and if you do, you’ll be challenged. In fact, if you do, you might be forced off Twitter.
Now as Christians, you ought to recognize instantly, that is not humility, that’s unbelief.”
https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/TM22-5/a-certain-uncertainty-phil-johnson

As Phil would go on to quote:
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

The very essence of your faith…
The very essence of being a believer expects that
You will be a person of assurance and conviction.

God did not give you His word so that you could vacillate.
God gave the truth of His word so that we could be dogmatic.

Or as Steve Lawson likes to say, “Bulldogmatic”

We battle this issue known as Post-Modernism today.
(And I’m going to summarize here a little more of what Phil Johnson had to say)

If you are not familiar with the term.
It used to be that we battled what is called “Modernism” which was the belief that all truth must be verified by science.

If science didn’t verify it then it wasn’t true.
And when the church fell into modernism
We eventually fell into liberalism and finally apostasy.

When people started disregarding the Bible because it didn’t make sense to them scientifically (like Jesus walking on water or multiplying the loaves and the fishes) it led to unbelief.

But our culture is no longer a “MODERNISTIC” culture.

Now we have moved into post-modernism where the culture
No longer believes in absolute truth (even scientific truth).

That is why an entire generation can argue about things like gender
Or whether or not 2+2=4,
It’s because they believe it impossible to know truth.

AND NOW WE ARE IN THIS POST-MODERN CULTURE,
Where as Phil Johnson noted the only real error that you can commit
Is to be dogmatic because that is seen as arrogant.

And if you step out and say, “This is true” or “That is true”
Immediately the backlash will fall down on your head
And you’ll be called arrogant or unloving.

THAT IS WHAT WE FACE.

Now in John’s day certainly it wasn’t post-modernism.
In John’s day it was GNOSTICISM.

• John was dealing with people who had a higher knowledge than you.
• They had supposedly had some sort of spiritual encounter that gave them enlightenment that you didn’t have.

It must have been really hard to debate people like that.

I think to probably best give you the feel it would be like
If you find yourself in a college classroom
Debating a professor or some PhD.

You know, they’re educated and you aren’t
So you aren’t qualified to correct or argue with them.

I think that is probably a little more what it felt like for John’s people.

And I think you can see how intimidating this must have been.

Is it not intimidating for you
When you are sucked in to some debate only to know
If you disagree or state the truth they are going to malign you?

IT’S HARD.
No one likes to be called arrogant.
No one likes to be called unloving

BUT…
WE KNOW!!!

“And we know that the Son of God has come”

• We know Jesus is fully God.
• We know He came to this earth in human flesh.
• We know He is the Savior.

“And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may 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.”

Did you catch all the “we know”?
Did you catch all the “true”?

Listen church, they may malign you.
They may call you uneducated and stupid
Or they may call you arrogant and unloving.

But that doesn’t change the fact that we are correct.
WE HAVE THE TRUTH.

How can you say that preacher?

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

John 17:3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

We have the truth!
We know the truth!

Don’t let them bully you.
Don’t let them silence you.

We are the light in the world, not them.
We have the truth, not them.

And this is one of the reason John wrote.

TURN TO: 1 John 2:14

TURN TO: 1 John 2:21-24

TURN TO: 1 John 4:1-6

THE WHOLE IDEA OF THIS LETTER
WAS TO TAKE REGULAR BELIEVERS LIKE YOU AND ME
Who were being silenced by liars
Who had convinced them that they knew what you didn’t,
AND TO CONVINCE US THAT WE HAVE THE TRUTH!

WE DO CHURCH!
We have the word of God.
It is true, every word is true, it cannot pass away.

Believe it and stand on it and proclaim it.
YOU ARE CORRECT!

And this also John wanted you to know.

Now I know there is one more verse,
But I am compelled I think to deal with it on it’s own next week.

But Christian if you believe in Jesus you can be sure:
• That you are saved
• That you are heard
• That you are secure
• That you are set apart
• That you are correct

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What Believers Can Be Sure Of – part 1
1 John 5:13-21 (13-17)
September 11, 2022

This morning we come to the conclusion of the book of 1 John.
• For all intents and purposes the main points of the letter are behind us.
• John has completed his dissertation.

What we get now in the final 9 verses of the book is THE REVIEW
John concludes this book by reinforcing the things
That we should have learned as we studied this book.

Very little in this final segment is new information.
It is meant to reinforce what we have learned.

What we see in these final 9 verses are 5 things believers can be sure of.
• These are the 5 things that John wanted you to know.
• These are the 5 things that John wanted you to be confident about.

And so to make sure we see them,
John concludes his letter by reiterating them again.

What can we as believers be sure of?
#1 THAT WE ARE SAVED
1 John 5:13

It is probably the most famous verse in the entire epistle.
• That believers can and should know that they are saved;
• That they have “eternal life.”

And as John points out,
This is one of the main reasons he wrote this epistle.

This was THE PLAN
“These things I have written to you…”
• The entire purpose of this epistle.
• The entire purpose of this writing was to cause you to learn this.

When God wanted believers to know they were saved
He used John to write this epistle.

It is an authoritative, factual, written letter.
• John is NOT leaving men up to their FEELINGS on this.
• John is NOT leaving men up to their LOGIC on this.
• John is NOT leaving men up to the VIEWS of the culture.

There needed to be a guide.
There needed to be a recorded truth.
Something tangible that you could hold and read.
Something you could measure your life by.

God’s word through John would be that measuring stick.

We are always thankful that GOD HAS SPOKEN
To answer the most pertinent issues of our life.

God has NOT left us to logic or reason or feeling
To determine spiritual things.

But rather God’s magnificent promises have
“granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness.”

God has addressed in His word how you can know if you are saved.

We are blessed to have this letter
And to be able to measure our lives by it as well.
THE PLAN

We also see THE PREREQUISITE
“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God…”

It is really an elemental truth, but it MUST BE STATED over and over.

Not everyone is saved.
Universalism is a lie.

• Our culture wants to believe that everyone and all dogs go to heaven.
• Our culture wants to believe that all roads are leading up the same mountain.
• Our culture wants to believe that a loving God wouldn’t send anyone to hell.

If that is true then there is no need for John to write this letter.
Why bother giving assurance if everyone is saved?

No, the fact of the matter is that salvation is only for “you who believe”.

The offer is qualified.
God doesn’t give eternal life to non-believers.

John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Eternal life is available but it is limited only to those who believe.

And NOT to those who “only believe”
But those “who believe in the name of the Son of God”

Again, the “name” indicates the fullness of His person.
What they believe matters.

There is belief that Jesus is fully God and that He became fully man.
He is the God-man.
He is God made flesh.

It’s not just THAT you believe, but WHAT you believe.
You have to believe and you have to believe that
Jesus is the Son of God who came in human flesh to save sinners.

That is and has always been the prerequisite.
AND JOHN HAS MADE THAT CLEAR.

THE PLAN, THE PREREQUISITE
And we also see THE PURPOSE of John’s writing.
“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

This is ONE OF the purposes.
So that those who believe will “know that you have eternal life”

• It’s NOT a feeling.
• It’s NOT an emotion.
• It’s NOT a hope or a desire.
• It is a conviction; a certainty; an assurance.

This is one of the reasons God inspired John to write this letter
So that believers would know that they are saved.

You think of ALL THE THINGS
That WE TRY TO BE SURE OF or to make secure in life.

• We buy auto insurance in case we have a wreck.
• We buy home insurance to protect us against natural disasters.
• We buy life insurance to protect financially against death.
• We buy health insurance to protect against financial ruin in case of medical
costs.

The whole idea is that we want to be certain and confident of the future.
We want to make sure that we are adequately prepared
For whatever may come our way
And that nothing catches us unaware and ruins our life.

And I don’t know your personal budget, but I’d bet that if you total up all that you spend on insurance a month you’re probably spending at least 25% of what you make to try and protect the other 75%.

The point is that we know the future is no certain
And we see the importance of making sure that we are protected.

And that is just the future in this life.
That is just regarding the number of years you have left in this life.

BUT WHAT ABOUT SALVATION?
WHAT ABOUT ETERNITY?

We read the FACTS regarding those who are caught UNPREPARED.
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”

Luke 13:23-24 “And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

Those are people who are not ready when eternity hits.
We’ve read that story about the rich man and Lazarus
And how in the blink of an eye both of those men entered eternity
And things were drastically different for each of them.

You do realize that there is an eternal storm coming?

Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

If you are not familiar with that parable of Jesus…
• We have two men and both are preoccupied with building their life.
• Their life is represented by the house they are building.
• It is a metaphor for everything you build and accomplish and wish to save and
protect in this life.

The problem is that there is a storm coming.
And the storm hits both houses.
The storm hits every house.

The storm is a metaphor for the coming judgment.
• In eternity everything gets tested.
• In eternity everything gets judged.

And the reality is that
While one man was prepared for judgment, one man wasn’t.

One man built on a faulty foundation.
The other man built on the rock.

WHY THE ROCK? Because he knew a storm was coming and he tied his house to the only thing that could withstand the coming storm.

Of course the rock is Jesus.

BUT AGAIN YOU GET THE POINT.
It is foolish to spend so much time seeking to protect and secure
Things in this life but give no thought to eternity.

You will live in this body for 70, 80, 90 years.
But then eternity lasts forever.

A man should really consider what comes then.

Paul said:
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”

Peter said:
2 Peter 1:10 “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;”

You ought to want to settle that issue.
• You ought to want to know if your house will withstand the coming storm.
• You ought to want to know if you are going to live forever or be judged forever.

AND THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THIS LETTER.
These truths only apply to those who believe in Jesus,
And this is how they know they have eternal life.

That is one of the reasons that John wrote “These things”

WHAT THINGS?
Well, let’s do a QUICK REVIEW.

(1:6-7) – There is one definitive fact.

• Those who walk in the light (righteousness) are promised that they are forgiven of all their sin.
• They are promised that they have been atoned for.

So we examine our lives and ask if I am one who walks in the truth or if I am a liar and a phony and a fraud?

(2:3-5) – that’s pretty clear.
Do I keep His commandments?

Is obedience to Christ the characteristic of my life?
• He commanded us to love one another.
• He commanded us to forgive our brother.
• He commanded us to go forth and share the gospel.
• He commanded us to confront our sinning brother.
• He commanded us to serve one another.
• He commanded us to confess Him before men.
• He commanded us to be faithful until death.
• He commanded us to feed the poor, clothe the naked, visit the sick.
• He commanded us to deny ourselves and follow Him.

DO I DO THAT?

(2:9-10) – Do you hate your brother?

We remember that hatred = the absence of love.
Do you hate those whom God loves?

(2:23) – Have you confessed the Son?

(2:29) – Do you practice righteousness?

(3:10) – There they are again.
• Do you practice righteousness?
• Do you love your brother?

(3:14) – And again, do you love your brother?

(3:24) – do you keep His commandments?
Do you have the Holy Spirit of God?

(4:7) – And again, do you love your brother.
This is the one who knows God.

(4:13) – Do you have the Holy Spirit?

(4:15) – Are you confessing that Jesus is the Son of God?

(5:1) – Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

(5:12) – Do you have Christ?

I mean when you lay them all out
It becomes obvious doesn’t it?

1) The one who believes in and confesses Jesus receives the Holy Spirit.

2) And when the Holy Spirit moves in He causes certain behaviors.
• He causes you to continually believe in Christ.
• He causes you to confess Christ publicly.
• He causes you to obey Christ’s commands and live righteous.
• He causes you to love your brother.

John has been more than thorough in that regard.

And thus he says:
“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

AGAIN, the purpose of this letter was NOT to condemn
(though the truth may do that).

John DIDN’T WRITE to expose a bunch of phonies in the church.
John WROTE because he wanted true believers to know they were saved.

HE WROTE TO:
• People who loved Christ, believed in Him, and confessed Him.
• People who had the Holy Spirit.
• People who loved their brothers in deed and truth.

John could see that in their lives and he wanted them to know:
YOU ARE SAVED!

You wouldn’t do those things if you hadn’t been saved.
God has granted you “eternal life”.

And I remind you again that
“eternal life” is not something you receive when you die.

John isn’t telling you that you will get eternal life.
John wants you to see that you already have it.
THE LIFE OF CHRIST IS IN YOU

Eternal life is something you receive when you believe.
When you believe, Christ makes you alive.
He raises you from spiritual death into spiritual life.

It is a new life manifested by love and obedience.

It is called eternal life because it never ends.
You don’t lose it when you die.

At death you lose physical life, but you don’t lose spiritual life;
Spiritual life lasts forever. Spiritual life is eternal.

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus gives spiritual life which is eternal.

And John wants you to know that you have it.

He got this from Jesus in the upper room
And he wants to make sure you know it too.

John 17:1-2 “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.”

Jesus gives eternal life to those who are His

John wrote this letter so that you would know that you have it.
• He wrote this letter so that you would be able to see if your house is indeed built on the rock.

You may NOT KNOW what the future holds for your physical health…
You may NOT KNOW what the future holds for your financial security…
You may NOT KNOW what the future holds for how long you will even live…

But one who genuinely believes in Jesus…
One who has been filled with His Spirit…
One who obeys Christ…
One who loves the brethren…

One thing you can know is that you have eternal life.
YOU ARE SAVED.

It is possible to know it and you should know it.

But that’s just one of the things John wanted you to be sure of.
That we are saved
#2 THAT WE ARE HEARD
1 John 5:14-17

I know the last two verses we just read there
Have probably stirred up your curiosity a little and we’ll get to them.

FIRST: let’s make sure we understand the overwhelming point of John.

As a believer in Jesus Christ you can be confident
That the God of the universe hears your prayers.

“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

It has been important to John
• That those who believe know they are saved,
• But also to know that they are children of God and thus are welcome to Him.

Throughout this letter has been a concentrated effort to make sure
And IDENTIFY BELIEVERS AS the real and actual children of God.

(2:12-14)
John reinforces the family ties believers have with their Heavenly Father.
• We AREN’T just distant slaves.
• We DON’T just have a number among the redeemed.
• We ARE children of God.
• We HAVE been loved and redeemed by our Father.

(3:1)
John uses intimate language to describe our new relationship.
• We are called “children of God”

Perhaps John saw people who were timid to approach God.

Perhaps John saw people who had been saved out of that old Jewish system where God was behind the veil and totally off limits.

And John wants them to know that because of the work of Jesus,
God is not irritated at their presence.

God doesn’t sigh when you knock on His door.
• Because Jesus has clothed us in His righteousness…
• Because Jesus has fully atoned for our sin…
• Because Jesus has removed every ounce of condemnation…

God is our Father.
We walk right through His door and boldly approach Him.

Hebrews 4 says we “draw near with confidence”
Hebrews 6 says we have “a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters the veil”

Hebrews 10:19-22 “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Do you understand that as a redeemed child of God that you are welcome to God?

God not only allows us to present our requests to Him,
But He actually tells us to do it.

Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

THAT IS WHAT JOHN SAYS HERE.

Not only does God hear us, but look at verse 15 “And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”

John wrote this letter so that you would know that
You are encouraged by God to approach Him
And present your requests to Him.

(3:21-22) He had already said it once.
• “we have confidence before God”
• “whatever we ask we receive from Him”

GOD HEARS THE PRAYERS OF HIS CHILDREN

“hears” DOESN’T just indicate that God is aware of what you are praying.

That is true for all men.
Even when non-believers prayer God fully knows what they are saying.

You’ll see in Psalms 139 tonight that God is aware of every word on your tongue before it ever comes out of your mouth.

“hears” DOESN’T just mean He is knowledgeable of what you said.

No, the idea here is of ANSWERING.
• God answers the prayers of His children.
• We have the right to make requests of God.
• And He will do it.

AND AGAIN, WHERE DID JOHN GET THIS FROM?

John 14:13-14 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

John 16:23-24 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”

John 16:26-27 “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.”

If you ask God, He hears you!
He answers you!
He will grant your request!

I heard a great quote the other day:
“God didn’t tell us to pray for His benefit.”

That’s a great perspective isn’t it!
John wants you to know that as a child of God
You may confidently approach God and present your requests.

NOW AGAIN, we do see the PARAMETERS.
“if we ask anything according to His will”

(And incidentally true believers who love God, desire obedience, love their brethren, long for the kingdom, and want to see the lost saved, will pray according His will)

God is NOT promising to be some genie in a bottle
Who just grants your every wish.

As a parent, you don’t grant your children’s every wish.
• They are welcome to you.
• You want them to come.
• You probably tell them to ask you.
• And you delight in granting their requests.
• You have a bigger plan for them than just to grant their selfish desires.

AND SO DOES GOD.

But when we pray according to the will of God, He grants our requests.

And then we come to that CONFUSING PORTION of the text.
(16-17) “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.”

First let’s just say that there a lot of sound theologians who struggle with being dogmatic about what John says here so I’d be foolish to act like I know exactly what John is talking about or why he said it.

However, I can give you my thoughts regarding what is being said.

I think what John is doing here is giving you an example
Of just how effective your prayer can be before God.

John tells you that you can present your requests to God
And then he points out the sort of things that can be accomplished through your prayers.

And one of those things is that God will give life to a sinning brother.

Your prayer is so effective before God that God will “for [you] give life to those who commit sin not leading to death.”

I think John’s purpose is to illustrate just how much God delights
In answering the prayers of His children.

But it is notably a difficult passage to understand.

It is quite likely that when John spoke of sin leading to death that the congregation who received this letter knew what he was talking about, but John doesn’t fill us in and so we are somewhat in the dark.

But let’s take a discerning look at it.

First of all, we must recognize that the sinner in question is a “brother”

“If anyone see his brother committing a sin not leading to death…”

Now there are some cases in which you could make the argument that this could just be a Jewish brother and not necessarily a believer, but throughout this letter John has NOT used the word “brother” in that sense.

In this letter “brother” has always been a fellow child of God.
So I don’t think we can flip flop now.

We are talking here about a sinning brother.

AND SINCE it is a brother that necessitates our understanding of what is meant by “death”.

If the sinner in this scenario is a brother (and we have every reason to believe he is) then “death” here CANNOT be in reference to eternal death or hell.

• There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
• Believers get eternal life and they will never perish Jesus said.

It has to be physical death and physical life which is view here.

SO John speaks of sin which leads believers to physical death
And sin which does not lead to believers physical death.

That almost makes it read as though
We are talking about BAD sins and LESSER sins,

But I would remind you that the wages of all sin is death.
• All sin is insubordination against God…
• All sin is to rebel against His sovereign authority…
• All sin brings death…

• Ask Adam and Eve
• Ask Uzza

We are NOT here talking about bad sins and really bad sins.

What is the determining factor regarding whether or not a sin may lead a believer to physical death or not?

And the answer is REPENTANCE.

So is there precedent in Scripture where God physically kills a believer who does not repent of their sin?
• How about Ananias and Sapphira?

• How about:
1 Corinthians 11:28-30 “But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.”

Paul said that some of the Corinthians were dying
because of the way they dishonored the Lord’s Supper.

• What about the sinning brother in Corinth?
1 Corinthians 5:5 “I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

God would kill him before he would let him go so far as to lose his salvation.

So John says here that we have a brother who has sinned,
But it is NOT leading to death.

That indicates, I think, two things.
1) His sin has brought a consequence which has brought him near to death.
2) He is repentant for what he has done, and God has decided not to kill him.

John says:
“If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death.”

It is the power of your prayer.
God will restore them to life because you asked Him too.

You say, “Is there any other reference in Scripture which suggests that this is what John might be talking about?”

I believe there is.
James 5:13-16 “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

• Now I know there that James refers to one who is “sick”.
• You should know that the Greek word there can be translated “sick” but it is
also translated “weak” as in one who is in sin.

I actually think that is the preferred translation of that verse since James doesn’t deal with physical sickness anywhere else in his letter, but he deals a lot with spiritual weakness or sin.

But there James tells that “sick” or “weak” brother
Who may in fact be near death as a consequence of his sin
To call on the elders and they will pray in faith and he will be restored.

I think that’s the same thing John is talking about here.

Then what does the next thing John says mean?

“There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this.”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

Well, take that sinning brother who refuses to repent.
• And in his refusal to repent he has ultimately been removed from the church for the destruction of his flesh.

God has determined to take his life because he won’t repent.
It is contrary to the will of God to ask God to spare that man
Since the whole point of his discipline is to push him there.

“All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.”

Specifically it is that sinning believer who repents, and who is prayed for by other believers who is restored to life.

This is John’s example of just how powerful our prayers are before God.

Our prayers before God have the ability
To restore a brother who has been caught in sin back to life.

And the point is:
GOD HEARS AND LISTENS AND RESPONDS TO THE PRAYERS OF HIS CHILDREN.

You should know that!
You should be sure of that!

You are not just sending prayers up into some cosmic void.
You, as a believer, have the right to speak directly to God, and He hears!

Those are two things John wanted believers to be sure of.
• That we are Saved
• That we are Heard

There’s 3 more, and we’ll get to them next time.

Download here

Transparent Worship – Part 1
Psalms 139 (1-6)
September 11, 2022

Tonight we approach another fan favorite of all the Psalms.
It is one of the most frequently quoted because it walks directly into the heavenlies and contemplates the transcendent glories of God.

Ultimately it is a Psalm in which David contemplates
The realities of worshiping a God who knows his heart.

I called this sermon “Transparent Worship”
In a sense that is a little redundant because all worship is transparent.

At least it is transparent to God.

When we come together for corporate worship it is possible if not easy to fool man in regard to the condition of our heart.
• You can watch a person lift their hands…
• You can see a person close their eyes…
• You can hear a person sing at the top of their lungs…

And by all accounts to us it may appear that
They are genuinely and truly worshiping God with all their heart.

AND THEY MAY BE, BUT YOU AND I WILL NEVER KNOW.

BUT GOD KNOWS
Jeremiah 17:10 “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.”

1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well He told her that God seeks those who will worship Him in “Spirit and in truth”

God alone knows if that is occurring or not.

Jesus saw right through the Pharisees.
• Jesus said they “honor Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me”
• Jesus said they “clean the outside of the cup and of the dish but inside are full of robbery and self-indulgence”

GOD KNOWS.

And this is the truth that David contemplates tonight in the 139th Psalm.

And not only does David contemplate the glory of who God is,
But he also applies these realities to his own behaviors
That it might forever change his worship before God.

Tonight we hope to do both as well.

• We gaze upon the transcendence of God and we marvel at the wonder of who He is.

• Then we apply these truths to the way in which we live before Him and let it transform our worship and very lives as well.

Psalms 139 should change our lives.

We’ll break it down into 3 main points tonight.
#1 THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE TRANSCENDENCE OF GOD
Psalms 139:1-18

This is the part of the Psalm that really grabs us
And lifts us into the heavenlies
To behold the very transcendent glory of God.

In fact, even though we may pour over the words there is a sense in which TOTAL COMPREHENSION of this Psalm is IMPOSSIBLE.

Even David says in verse 6, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.”

And I love this about God.
• I love that there is a very distant gap between what I can know and what God
does know.
• I love that He is above me in every possible way.
• I love that He is beyond comprehension.

And I love that even though I cannot fully grasp it all,
That God has seen fit to reveal at least a part of who He is to us.

THESE TRUTHS HERE ARE BEYOND COMPARE.
The things that are said of Him here can be said of no other would-be god.

God is unique here.
God is set-apart here.

And if you will but take a glimpse of God here,
It cannot help but transform the way you live your life
And the way you worship.

18 verses is a lot, so let’s break these down a little further.
Let’s talk about the OMNISCIENCE OF GOD
(1-6) “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.”

Now, for the sake of our understanding of this Psalm as a whole
You need to circle or underline that first line of verse 1.

“O LORD, You have searched me and known me.”

And that is important because by the time David is finished
With this Psalm he will have circled back here.

Look down to verse 23, “Search me, O God, and know my heart;”

So it begins with a declaration that God has known him
And it ends with a request that God would search him even more.

THERE ARE A COUPLE OF REASONS FOR THIS.

1) DECLARATION
And one sense you have David here declaring and almost defending his genuine worship before God.

Look at verse 21, “Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD?”

That is a question David poses to God.
• God, you know everything about me, you know my heart.
• Can’t you see my devotion to You?

Now, that is what David believes about himself.
• David believes that in his heart he is truly and solely devoted to God.
• David believes about himself that he truly loves God and truly hates the wicked.

But it doesn’t end there.
It ends with a request to be searched out even more.

And that is the second reason we see for this Psalm.
2) SUBMISSION

David is appealing to God to see if his assessment of his life is accurate.
David yields all judgment of himself even to God.

Do you understand that you don’t know your own heart?

When I was in seminary before I was ever called to pastor a church one of the professors sought to give us a little practical wisdom for the day when we might go and interview with a church.

He said, “When you go and speak to a pastor search committee and you ask them about their church, you need to understand that you are not dealing with 1 church, you are dealing with 3.

They are:
• The church they think they are.
• The church they wish they were.
• The church they really are.

Now that’s true of people too.
In your own life there is:
• The person you think you are.
• The person you wish you were.
• And the person you really are.

You may know the first 2, but only God knows the 3rd.
So David is forced to yield up even what he thinks about himself
To the true knowledge of God.

WE CALL THAT HUMILITY.
You are what God says you are.

In a world where everyone thinks they reserve the right to declare their own heart, we understand that the Bible says you don’t even know your own heart.

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?”

David yields to that.

Remember Paul?
1 Corinthians 4:4 “For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.”

You need to see that theme which permeates this Psalm.
• In one sense David is declaring his heart to God.
• In another sense David is asking God to reveal his heart to him.

And this is how we come before God in worship.
• We come with boldness certainly to declare our praise to God.
• And yet at the same time we come with humility for we know any encounter
with God is sure to expose and change us.

There is a real submission and humility here from David.

It all begins with
DAVID CONTEMPLATING THE OMNISCIENE OF GOD
(omniscience of course is that God is all-knowing)

David does NOT give a detailed theology of God’s omniscience.
David gives a personal testimony of God’s omniscience.

David limits his evidence simply to what God knows about him.
Surely God knows far more than this, but this alone is remarkable.

(2) “You know when I sit down and when I rise up;”

You can underline the phrases:
“You know” – “You understand” – “You scrutinize” – “Intimately acquainted” – “You know it all.”

The point here is of God’s knowledge.
And David says that God is aware of
Even the most mundane and insignificant aspects of his life.

We might marvel if God know about the high points of our day.
• God knew about that moment when you witnessed today.
• God knew about your Bible study
• God knew about your prayer

We might expect God to be caught up on all the high points of our life,
But David says that God knows even the minutest details.

“You know when I sit down and when I rise up;”

Matthew 10:29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.”

God knows everything about your life.

And NOT JUST the outwardly observable things.
“You understand my thought from afar.”

• God knows what you are thinking.
• God knows why you are thinking it.
• God knows the motive behind it all.

He doesn’t just know your thoughts or read your mind,
He “understands” them.

It’s not that God is just chronicling your life
Like some sort of cosmic accountant or like a stat keeper at a baseball game.
• Rory sat down 27 times today.
• He walked 723 steps.
• He preached for 57 minutes.

That brings his sitting to walking average up to .235
And his preaching average to 52 minutes.

You are not a stat to God.

David says, (3) “You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.”

God “scrutinizes” what you are doing.
He examines it, He watches it, He understands it.

His understanding of what you do and why you do it is said to be
“intimately acquainted.”

In this life you might say that no one knows you better than your close family.
Your parent or your spouse; those with whom you’ve been most intimate.

God knows you better than them.

In fact, God knows you better than you know you.
(4) “Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all.”

God knows what you’re going to say
Even before you know what you’re going to say.

David says, (5) “You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid your hand upon me.”

In other words, You are before me and after me.
And David says, “And laid your hand upon me.”

The implication there is that of judgment.
Look down at verse 10 “Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.”

God knows EVERYTHING

WHAT KIND OF KNOWLEDGE IS THAT?
It is Incomprehensible Knowledge.

To which David says, (6) “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.”

That is mind blowing to David.
It is incomprehensible.

We often speak of Satan being an accuser of the brethren.
• He loves to tattle on you to God.

But the reality is that he doesn’t have to
For God has always known everything about you.

• He knows what you do and why you do it.
• He knows what you’ve said and why you said it.
• He knows what you’re thinking and why you thought it.

“You know it all”

STOP AND PONDER THAT FOR A MOMENT.
God is watching and understanding and scrutinizing
And intimately acquainted with everything about you.

Hebrews 4:13 “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

He sees
He knows

And let’s just carry out THE RAMIFICATIONS of such a truth.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN YOUR LIFE?

Well we can certainly start with the most obvious and terrifying negative.

GOD KNOWS ALL YOUR SIN

Do we not remember the Ananias and Sapphira account?
• They gave the money but lied about what they gave.
• And God knew it.
• And God struck them dead for lying.

Do you remember the story of Gehazi in the Old Testament? (the servant of Elisha)
• When Naaman the leper came to Israel was cleansed
• And Gehazi followed him to collect payment:

2 Kings 5:25-27 “But he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.” Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? “Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.”

Do you remember that secret sin of David?
• When he had an affair with Bathsheba
• And then had her husband sent to the front lines to die to cover it up:

2 Samuel 12:9-12 “‘Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. ‘Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ “Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. ‘Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.’”

How about the elders of Israel in the days of Ezekiel?
• Who were secretly worshiping pagan gods and thought no one knew it.

Ezekiel 8:7-12 “Then He brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. He said to me, “Son of man, now dig through the wall.” So I dug through the wall, and behold, an entrance. And He said to me, “Go in and see the wicked abominations that they are committing here.” So I entered and looked, and behold, every form of creeping things and beasts and detestable things, with all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around. Standing in front of them were seventy elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them, each man with his censer in his hand and the fragrance of the cloud of incense rising. Then He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are committing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’”

Or should we talk about Achan and how he took the spoil from Jericho and buried it in his tent, but God exposed him?

Should we talk about how Sarah laughed to herself when God told her she would bear a son and God exposed her?

Do you remember when Jesus declared the paralytic forgiven?
Matthew 9:3-4 “And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.” And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?”

Or how about when the Pharisees scoffed at Jesus’ preaching about money?
Luke 16:14-15 “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.”

ARE YOU STARTING TO GRASP THE IDEA HERE?
GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU.

There are many things which are deceptive about
Our current age of technology and video and pictures and such.

But one of the biggest deceptions that we see in our culture
Is this PERCEIVED ANONYMITY of people.

People think they can get alone on their phone
And it gives them the illusion of secrecy and privacy.
And it is anything but!

Everything is public now, and it always has been to God.
He knows everything you’ve done, thought, and said.

HE WITNESSED IT ALL.

There were two tribes
• That wanted to take their land on the wilderness side of the Jordan
• And they promised after they settled their land that they would go and help the other tribes secure their land.
• Moses warned them against breaking their promise:

Numbers 32:23 “But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.”

WHAT A STATEMENT!

Listen, God knows everything and that means that
He knows about every single one of your sins.

You aren’t fooling Him.

It is remarkable that He loves us still.

But it is also IMPERATIVE that
You repent of your sin for He already knows.

Someone hit one of the posts in front of Carrie’s salon this week and kept going.
We watched the security camera footage and saw the truck and printed out a picture of the truck hitting the post from the footage.
We found out whose truck it was and went by their house and said, “Hey, you hit the post in front of our building.” He kind of paused a second and then I handed him the paper with the picture of his truck hitting the post. He said, “I admit it.”

Well yeah, I mean, you kind of have to admit it.

So do you with your sin.
God’s got you dead to rights.

He knows, and it is nothing but the patience and kindness of God
That has caused Him to allow you time to repent.

Romans 2:4-6 “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:”

So when you think about the implications of God’s omniscience
First think about it in regard to your sin.

ALL YOUR SIN IS KNOWN.

But there’s more to contemplate.
ALL YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS KNOWN TOO

And this is remarkable since we have a God
Who has promised to reward us for all our righteous deeds.

Do you remember Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon on the Mount?
• In Matthew 6 He confronted the hypocrites for their giving and prayer and fasting
• And how they did it all to receive glory from men.

But Jesus said:
Matthew 6:3-4 “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Matthew 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Matthew 6:17-18 “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

The emphasis there of course is that God “sees what is done in secret”

Or do you remember when Jesus talked to the disciples about going out into the world to share the gospel?

Matthew 10:42 “And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

THAT IS GOOD NEWS ISN’T IT!
God knows everything about you,
But it’s not like he’s some spy waiting in the bushes
Just trying to catch you in some evil deed.

No, God is just as eager to reward you for your obedience.

When you know that God is watching everything you do,
It is so much easier to serve Him in secret.

When you know that God is intimately acquainted with all your ways,
It is so much easier to not worry how you are perceived by men.

GOD SEES IT, GOD KNOWS IT.

Listen to Paul:
Romans 1:9 “For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you,”

2 Corinthians 1:23 “But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I did not come again to Corinth.”

Philippians 1:8 “For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 2:5 “For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness”

What is Paul saying there?
• You don’t know how devoted I am to you, but God does.
• You don’t know how much I pray for you, but God does.
• You don’t know my motives for serving you, but God does.

AND Just as God is aware of our sinful MOTIVES,
He is always aware of our righteous ones.

Listen to Jesus when He called Nicodemus:
John 1:46-48 “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

There was no fooling Jesus.
• He knew Judas was a devil
• And He knew Nathanael was trustworthy
• And He would reward them both.

God knows all your sin,
And God knows all your righteousness too.

A SINNER should not think he will escape UNDETECTED
A RIGHTEOUS man should not worry that he will go UNREWARDED.

GOD KNOWS.

But that’s not all we think about when we think about His omniscience.

Because God knows all things about our life, HE IS HELP IN TROUBLE

Do you remember Hagar?
• She was the mistress of Sarah and the mother of Ishmael.
• When she was treated roughly by Sarah she fled and found herself in the wilderness.
• God came to her and promised her that her son would also be a great nation.

Genesis 16:13-14 “Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.”

“Beer-lahai-roi” means “God sees”

You are never in danger…
You are never in trouble…
You are never in a predicament…
That God doesn’t see and know exactly what is going on.

You are never outside of His gaze or His knowledge.
You never go outside of His observation zone.
HE KNOWS IT ALL.

One more encouraging thing about His omniscience.

AS IT RELATES TO SANCTIFICATION

God knows about sin that you don’t even know about.
God knows about offenses in you that are not apparent to you.

We are prone to give ourselves a pass.
We are prone to justify ourselves.

And if it were left up to us we would never be fully sanctified
For would stop well short of the mark
Convinced that we had finally arrived.

But God sees things about our selves that we don’t see.
God sees sin that we haven’t even contemplated.

And sure this can be a cause for fear of judgment,
But it is also a cause for hope of sanctification.

Have you ever gone to the doctor with a negative symptom but have been frustrated because the doctor doesn’t know why you are suffering in such a way?

They can run tests and MRI’s and Cat scans and procedures that end in “oscopy” and do blood tests and sorts of other things and still they can’t find it.

It’s kind of hopeless isn’t it?

You know there is something wrong but you don’t know how to attack it
Because no one can tell you what it is.

BUT GOD KNOWS.
And He can fix it.

Do you remember Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well?
John 4:16-18 “He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”

And alter after offering her living water do you remember what she did?
John 4:28-29 “So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?”

Yes there was a confrontation of sin, but she wasn’t upset about it.
She finally found a man who knew her sin and could help her with it.

Your Sanctifier knows what needs to be fixed.
• He is intimately acquainted with all your ways.
• He is well-aware of your sin and how to remove it.
• He knows it all.

He was at your beginning, He will be at your end.
His hand is already upon you.

He knows the smallest details and He knows the deepest motives.
He knows things about you that you don’t even know about yourself.
• Do you know how many hairs are on your head?
• Do you know the day of your death?
• God does.

So do you understand now when we talk about “Transparent Worship”?
He knows…
Be honest before Him.
Be honest with Him.

He has already searched you.
He has already known you.
But in spite of that He has loved you.
• We know that because He has yet to destroy you.
• We know that because He sent His Son to save you.

Be true and honest with Him.

We’ll stop here for tonight
And pick back up next week with this wonderful Psalm.

This week you can simply contemplate that
God knows all that there is to know about you
And you should respond accordingly.