1 JOHN 5:14-21 THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE HAVE2010 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 1 John 5:14-21 The Confidence That We Have

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2010. We're finishing off the book of 1 John this morning, and it's exciting. For me, it's always interesting to consider...

the final thoughts of an author as he's writing this letter. He leaves off with these subjects. It's like these are the things that he wants us to walk away with and to consider as we walk away from this letter. These are the things he wants us to remember.

Here in chapter 5, the Apostle John has been kind of reiterating those things that he's already shared throughout the letter. And so it's a little bit of a summary, but also a reminder and also some more instruction, a little bit more detail about some of the things that he's talked about before.

And so as we look at these things, we can understand that they're important, that John put them here, he left off with these things so that they would stay in our minds and so that we would continue to consider and contemplate these things as we go forward. And so this morning there's four points I want to share with you in regards to the passage that we're looking at, four things that John says are important to consider and to pay attention to.

The first point we find this morning is that we're to pray according to God's will. And we find that in verse 14 and 15, it says this, Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

Here in verse 14 and 15, we have a very powerful promise. A very powerful passage for us. Something that should really stand out and resonate in our hearts. This is something that should blow our minds. You and I, we get to pray according to the will of God. And when we pray according to the will of God...

John says we can have confidence, we can have certainty. This is absolute. It will take place that when we pray according to the will of God, that we can know that God hears us. And if we know that God hears us, John says, then we also know that we will have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

This is an incredible promise. This is a verse or verses that should be ingrained upon our hearts and minds and should inspire us and encourage us to spend time in prayer. Because when we pray according to the will of God, God hears us. And when He hears us, we can be assured, we can have confidence that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

Now, sometimes we wrestle with the subject of prayer and wondering why we should pray if God's, you know, if it's God's will, then he's going to make it come to pass anyways. He doesn't really need our participation or our help. And partially that's true. God doesn't need us. He could do his work without us, of course.

But God gives us the opportunity to participate in that work and that's part of what prayer is all about. That we get to engage with God in the work of the kingdom of God, in a work that has eternal and lasting value and eternal and lasting rewards. And so God invites us to be involved in the work that He is doing. Similar to the prophet Daniel.

The prophet Daniel was with the children of Israel who were captive in the nation of Babylon. The nation had been conquered and they've been in captivity for almost 70 years now. And as Daniel was reading through the prophet Jeremiah, he recognized and saw what the prophet Jeremiah said that the captivity would be for 70 years. So Daniel does the math in his head and he realizes...

It's almost been 70 years. We're right at the end. And so Daniel, recognizing that it's about to be over and the people are about to be set free, he begins to pray. And Daniel gets to be a part of the work of God in setting the people free and taking them back to the promised land and allowing them to be reestablished. He gets to be involved in that work and rewarded and blessed and

as he participates in that work of God because he saw what God said and he prayed accordingly. And so we get that same privilege. We get to participate with God in his work by praying and by interceding for those around us. Now I also like these two verses because it really counters the false doctrine that is taught by faith teachers.

Faith teachers have this doctrine, they teach essentially, some of them are more blatant than others, but essentially that you can command God through prayer and that God is obligated to answer your prayer as long as you pray with enough faith. And as long as you have this amount of faith and say it this way, then God has to

provide and answer that request that you've given to him. You can name it and claim it, they say, and you can tell Jesus what you want and he's supposed to give it to you. But we can see here from John's teaching that that is not the case. What John says is that if we pray according to the will of God,

Now, if we're praying for things that are not according to the will of God, there is no obligation of God to answer the request in the way that we're asking. The promise here is if we pray according to the will of God. And so the key here is to know the will of God so that we can pray according to the will of God, so that we can have our prayers answered, because that is the promise, that when we pray according to His will, we can have confidence.

That He hears us, and if He hears us, then we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. And so I want to focus a little bit on the will of God for just a few moments here, so that we can have an understanding of what types of things we are to pray.

First of all, when we talk about the will of God, a passage that stands out to me is found in 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 3. And in 1 Thessalonians 4, the Apostle Paul tells us, this is the will of God, and he goes on to say, your sanctification.

We can know what God's will is because, well, His Word reveals it. And one of the things that is a part of God's will is that you and I would be sanctified. The word sanctified means to be set apart. That

That is to be set apart from sin and also to be set apart unto God. And so we're to be set apart from, separated from the world system, the flesh, sinful activity. We're to remove ourselves from those types of things. But we're also to be set apart unto God. And that's the idea of being dedicated to God, used spiritually.

solely for His purposes, dedicated to what He desires, dedicated to His will. And that's God's will for us, that we would be sanctified. And so you and I can pray for our sanctification. And there's an incredible promise here that John is giving. When we pray to God,

for our sanctification, we can know that we're praying according to God's will. Because it is the will of God that you and I would be sanctified. And if we pray according to the will of God about our sanctification, then we know that God hears us. And if we know that He hears us, then we know that we have the petitions that we've asked of Him. That is a prayer that God will answer.

And so when you pray about sin in your life, when you pray about those struggles that you have, and we do have struggles, you and I, we do fall into sin. We do have those wrestlings against our flesh. And sometimes it can be very frustrating and very discouraging. But here's what John says...

Listen, when you pray according to the will of God, if you pray to God about that sin in your life and ask Him to help you and to deliver you and to set you free from that sin, you know that God hears you because that's His will for your life.

And so you can pray with confidence, with assurance, with absolute certainty that God will help you with that sin, that God will work in your heart in that area. As you pray to God about holiness and being set apart to Him, you know that's His will for you. And so you can pray with confidence and with certainty that God will hear you and will grant you that request that you've presented to Him.

This is the incredible promise that we have, that when we pray according to God's will, He hears us. And if He hears us, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. Now, of course,

God's timeline is often different than our own. And so this in no way is saying that suddenly you have an all-powerful genie and you can make things happen overnight. No, we pray about sin and we pray about holiness and we pray according to God's will and it happens in God's timing. But we can know

As we pray according to God's will, that it will happen. And that's what John is talking about. We can have that confidence and that faith to believe God at His word and know that He will answer that request.

Well, not only do we have where it's specified this is the will of God in the Scriptures, we also have commands from God in the Scriptures. And when God commands us, of course, we can know then that's His will. As He issues orders for us to fulfill, we know that's God's desire for us, that's God's will for us. And so we can also look at the commands of Scripture and find out what God's will is for us that we might pray according to His will.

One example that we often use is the command in Matthew chapter 28 verse 19 and 20 where Jesus tells us to go and make disciples. That means

that you and I are charged with discipling others and teaching others how to walk with God and how to have a relationship with God. That is God's will for your life, that you would lead others into relationship with God and that you would help build up others who are walking with God and establish them in the faith, that you would be a part of the spiritual lives of others around you. That's God's will for your life. And so if you will pray...

according to God's will, that you would be able to go and to make disciples. If you would pray that you could have a part in people's lives and help them to grow in their relationship with God. If you would pray according to the will of God, you have the confidence, you can know that God will answer that prayer request. He will give you those petitions that you've asked of Him.

We also know from the Scriptures, it's commanded that we are to be filled with the Spirit. Jesus told us to ask God

In Luke chapter 11 verses 9 through 13. And He tells us that when we ask the Father, the Father will give us the Holy Spirit. It's His desire, it's His will that we be filled with the Holy Spirit. And so when we ask God, when we pray that God would fill us with His Holy Spirit, we can know that is according to His will. And we can have the confidence that it's a request that God will grant.

James talks about confessing our sins to one another and praying for one another in James chapter 5. And he says as we pray for one another, he says the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

As we are sharing our lives with one another and our struggles with one another and we say, oh wow, you're struggling, let me pray for you. As we pray for one another in that context, that they would be healed, that they would be delivered, we're praying according to the will of God. And so the prayer is effective. That's why He says, it availeth much. That's why He says it's powerful. Because we're praying according to the will of God. And when we pray according to the will of God,

He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, then we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. And so we can look at the Word of God where God specifies what His will is, where He's given us the commands, where He's proclaimed to us the truths that we find in the Scriptures. We can see these things and pray accordingly and have confidence that as we pray according to His will, that those requests will be answered.

Well, what about the times that we don't know the will of God? Sometimes there's situations that are presented to us and we don't know God's specific will. What do we do in those situations? Well, I suggest to you that we kind of follow the example of Jesus. In Matthew chapter 26, Jesus goes and He prays in the Garden of Gethsemane in preparation for His crucifixion. He's about to be arrested. He knows what's coming.

He's not looking forward to it. It's going to be incredibly painful to be crucified, to be whipped, to be put to death upon the cross. And so Jesus goes off by himself and he prays to God and he says, Oh Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.

And that's a key element for us in our prayers. When we don't know the specifics, when someone comes to you and says, would you pray that I would get this job?

Now maybe God's given you some specific insight, a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, and you know God's will for that person's life, but usually that's not the case. But we can still pray with confidence, like Jesus did. Lord, take this cup from me, but not my will, your will be done. And so we can pray for one another. Lord, would you grant them this job?

But Lord, your will be done. Understanding that God's will overrides our own. We can still pray with confidence, but we also acknowledge and we understand that really what we want is God's will to be accomplished and not our own. And we don't always understand and see and know God's specific will for our lives and for the lives of the people around us.

And so we can pray with confidence according to the will of God. And even when we don't know the will of God, then we can ask God to fulfill His will as we share with Him what our desires and what our will would be.

Another important area of praying according to the will of God, I think, is found in 2 Peter 3, verse 9, where Peter tells us that God is not slack concerning His promises, but He is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Repentance.

Peter is explaining why Jesus hasn't returned yet. And he's saying God's not slack concerning His promise. He's not slacking off on His promise. He is coming back. But the reason He hasn't come back, Peter says, is because He's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God does not desire for anyone to perish. His will is not for anyone to perish.

Although it's not God's will for anyone to perish, He's given us free will. And He will not override our free will. He will not force anyone to love Him. He will not force us to follow Him. He won't force us to receive Jesus. He's not willing that any should perish, but as much as He is not willing that those who reject Him should perish, He will not force them.

to have eternal life with Him. And so here's the thing. You and I, we have the unique and great opportunity to pray for those that we know, for those that we love that are lost. We have the opportunity to pray for those who need Jesus. And the cool thing about it is as we pray for those who are lost, we know that we are praying according to the will of God because God's not willing that any should perish.

And so as we pray according to the will of God about those who are lost, those that we love, those that we want to see come to salvation, to be set free from sin, we know that God hears us. Now God will not override their free will, but listen, God loves them so dearly, even more than you and I love them. Not only that, but God knows everything that they need.

He knows their doubts. He knows their concerns. He knows their questions. He knows what it will take for them to have the opportunity to receive Him as Savior and Lord. And so as we pray for those who are lost, we're participating with God in His reaching out to those people. And He will be reaching out to them

Desiring to bring them to salvation using all of His resources. And you know, God has a lot of resources. Using all of His power. And you know, God has a lot of power. God will be doing everything that He can do to reach out and to bring them to a right relationship with Him. He demonstrated that for us already on the cross. He's doing everything He can

that people would have that opportunity to know Him, to receive Him, and to receive eternal life in His name. And so as we pray for those who are lost, we know that God hears us. We're participating with Him in that work. It's a request that we can know that God will answer, although He will not force Himself upon anyone. He will be doing everything in His power to reach out and to bring them to salvation.

Now again, as we pray for these different types of things, we need to understand that God's timeline is not always our own. And just because we pray for them doesn't mean, even though God hears us, it doesn't mean that the answer and the request will be granted instantly at that moment.

Jesus taught us in Luke chapter 18, He says that we are to always pray and not lose heart. And He gave a parable there, teaching about the importance of persistence, of coming consistently and persistently in prayer, coming to God with our requests, always.

on an ongoing basis and not giving up. Sometimes we're praying for people, we're praying for situations and we get discouraged, we give up, we forget, we move on. And Jesus there taught that we ought to pray always and not lose heart. Don't give up. As you pray according to the will of God, those prayers will be answered at the right time.

I think there's a great example of this and it's an example of salvation, but it also can be applied to all kinds of prayers and situations. It's the example of George Mueller. George Mueller was a man of faith. He was a man who's often looked to as just an incredible man of faith and trusting God to provide for him and the orphanage that he ran.

And George Mueller really had it upon his heart for some of his friends that they would get saved. And so he made a prayer list of five people. Five people he knew, five people that he really wanted to see get right with God. And so he begins to pray for these five people.

And as he begins to pray for them, nothing happens right away. In fact, it's five years until anything happens. After five years of praying for these five people, the first guy, or one of the guys, gets saved. He comes to salvation. After five years of George Mueller praying for him.

And so at that point, George doesn't give up and say, okay, great, you know, it works. We got one. And he, you know, gives up on the other four. No, he continues to pray for the other four. And so he waits five years. This guy gets saved. There's four more. He continues to pray for another five years and another one gets saved. These four, he's been praying for for 10 years at this point. And the second one gets saved. And now there's three more.

Again, he doesn't just give up on them. He continues now to pray for these three. He prays for another 15 years and the third one gets saved. So for these three guys, now he's been praying at this point for 25 years altogether. And after 25 years, the third guy gets saved. He gets right with God. He comes into a relationship with Jesus. So there's two more.

Again, he doesn't give up. He continues to pray for those last two. He prays for another 25 years and the fourth one gets right with God. For these last two, he's been praying now for 50 years for their salvation. It's taken quite a while. Now the fourth one is saved. There's one left. And George Mueller continues to pray for this fifth person until the end of his life, which is two years later.

So for 52 years, he was praying for this last one, the fifth one. George died not knowing if he would receive Jesus or not, not knowing if that guy would be saved. But that last guy, that fifth guy, attended George Mueller's funeral. And at his funeral, he received Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord. 52 years of prayer paid off. Those five guys got right with God.

And so you're praying about a problem, you're praying about a situation, you're praying for a person. Commit 52 years to it at least. And then watch God work. You know, we give up quick. We get discouraged. We lose heart. But here's the confidence that we have. If we pray according to the will of God, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, we know that we have the petitions that we've asked of Him. So don't give up in those situations.

You know the will of God. Maybe you're frustrated because of that issue in your life. Why am I still dealing with this anger? Hey, commit it to prayer for 52 years at least and see what God will do. Watch God work because God's will is that you be sanctified. And so we can look at the word of God. We can find out His will for us and we can pray accordingly and we can pray persistently with confidence knowing, hey, it's been 25 years but God's not done with me yet.

And He's going to be faithful. He's going to answer this prayer because it's according to His will. And that's why this promise is so incredible. These two verses are powerful. They should be highlighted for us, you know, plastered all over our refrigerators and walls and cars so that we remember to pray. Because as we pray according to God's will, there's power. God works. It will be accomplished and we can be assured of that.

So the first thing that John tells us here in this final portion of 1 John is that we are to pray according to God's will. The second thing we see found in verse 16 and 17 is that we're to pray for backsliders. Look at verse 16 and 17. It says, If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and he will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death.

There is sin leading to death. I do not say he should pray about that. Verse 17. All unrighteousness is sin and there is sin not leading to death. And so John now deals with this issue of sin in the life of somebody else and how we're to pray for them.

Now he deals with or he makes a distinction between the sin that's leading to death and the sin that's not leading to death. And sometimes that causes some confusion and there's some discussion about what exactly John means when he talks about sin that is leading to death. But first of all, just to understand, he says there in verse 17, he says, all unrighteousness is sin.

Everything that is unrighteous is sinful. Unrighteous simply means to be morally wrong. Sin is anything that is wrong. It's anything that is not right. Sin is anything that God said, you're not to be a part of this. This is not what you're to be involved in. You're not to have any type of participation with these things. But sin is also the absence of what is right. Right?

The word sin simply means to miss the mark. And so God says, "Here's the mark. You need to meet this. You need to meet this standard." And as we miss the mark, there's something missing. There's the absence of what is right. We are sinning. We miss the mark. We don't quite measure up. And so He says, "All unrighteousness is sin." Now He says there's sin leading to death and then there's sin that does not lead to death. What is the sin that is not leading to death?

We know from what Paul said in Romans chapter 6 verse 23 that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. And so we know that the wages of sin is death. So what could John be referring to that would not result in death for those who are involved in the sin? Well, what I believe John is referring to here is very simply what Jesus refers to as the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

In Matthew 12, verse 31, Jesus says, Jesus says, The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the rejection of Jesus Christ as Savior.

Because the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus tells us in John chapter 16, is to convict the world of sin, of righteousness and judgment. That's what the Holy Spirit is at work doing in the world around us. Bringing conviction, bringing forth the testimony and the truth about Jesus Christ. And to reject the message of the Holy Spirit is to reject Jesus Christ.

And if you reject Jesus Christ, you have no forgiveness. Because the only way to forgiveness, the only way of salvation, the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. Last week, as we were looking at the first part of 1 John 5, we talked about the portion where it says that John declares that those who reject Jesus as the Messiah are calling God a liar.

And that's the same type of thing that John is dealing with here as the sin that's leading to death and the sin that's not leading to death. The sin that's leading to death is the rejection of Jesus Christ. It's saying, God, you're a liar. I do not receive Jesus. I don't want him as my Savior. I don't want to listen to what you have to say. That's the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. It's saying, Spirit, I don't want to listen to what you have to say about Jesus. I reject that he's the Messiah. I will not receive him.

it's calling the Spirit a liar, blaspheming the Holy Spirit. It's calling God a liar. It's blasphemy against God to say that Jesus is not the Savior. And so a sin leading to death is the rejection of Jesus Christ. Every other sin is forgivable, but that one cannot be forgiven.

And so what John is talking about here, I believe, is this rejection of Jesus Christ versus those who are involved in sin that is not an outright rejection of Jesus or a walking away from God, but it's an involvement of sin, and that's the sin not leading to death. But there are those who shipwreck their faith, who reject Jesus Christ. Paul tells Timothy about these guys in 1 Timothy 1.

He says, he tells Timothy to have faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected. And he says, concerning the faith, they've suffered shipwreck. They've shipwrecked their faith. They've abandoned their faith. He goes on to tell Timothy their names, Hymenaeus and Alexander. He says, whom I delivered to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. Again, not to call God a liar, not to reject Satan.

Jesus Christ as Savior. And so there are those who shipwreck their faith, who reject Jesus Christ. And that is a sin leading to death because that sin cannot be forgiven. But John also says there's sin not leading to death. And he says, look, when you see your brother sinning a sin that does not lead to death, that we are to ask and that God will give this brother life.

He will restore this brother. So he's talking about Christians and he's saying for us as believers that when we see another believer involved in sin, that we're to pray for them. And that's why I made the point to pray for backsliders, those who have involved themselves now in a sinful practice, a sinful situation.

He says, "...if anyone sees his brother." The word see here is a word that means to perceive with the outward senses. That is, physically you saw this person involved in sin. He's not saying, you know, you've heard about it, or there's a rumor, or not talking about gossip, but that you've personally witnessed that this is the case, that this person is involving themselves in a sinful practice, in a sinful lifestyle.

And it's not just a one-time type of stumbling or situation. The word sin here is in the present active tense, which we've dealt with a lot here in the book of 1 John. It means continuous and repeated action. And so you've seen, you've eyewitnessed that this person is involved in a continual practice of sin, not a one-time stumbling or mistake. It's a lifestyle of sin that they're involved with.

And so you as a Christian, you're living your life, you have relationships with people around you, and someone that you know, you see them, you know because you've been around them or by the conversations that you've had with them, you know that they are involving themselves in sin. What should you do? I'll give you a test. It's multiple choice, okay? So you see this brother or sister in sin. Should you A, tell Pastor Jerry,

B, tell your friends to pray for them. C, tell the prayer chain. D, post it on Facebook. Or E, pray for that person. Not all of the above. Not all of the above. We're to pray for that person. It's amazing how often we disregard the Word of God as Christians.

And specifically in this area. This really is something where I wish we as Christians would take the Word of God more seriously. Because we deal with sin, because of course we all sin, and very often we deal with it inappropriately as a body or as a church, not just this body, but worldwide, universally. Instead of responding to sin the way that God calls us to,

we kind of do what we think or we follow our own ideas. We just try to turn our head, ignore it. We pay no attention to it. We don't like confrontation. We don't want to deal with it.

Or we pass it on. Well, I'll just go tell Pastor Sisko about it. And then, you know, that way he can take care of it. He can confront this person. Or we use it as a material for gossip. And we share with others. And we say, oh, you know, let's pray. And, oh, Lord, we lift up this person. And instead of dealing with them individually or praying for them personally, it's dealt with inappropriately.

We need to take the Word of God seriously and specifically in this area. Because here's what John says. When we pray for those who are involved in sin, those who have backslidden, John says, He will give them life. God will answer that prayer. He will give them life. You know why? Because it's God's will that they be restored.

It's God's will that they be set free from that sin. It's God's will that they be delivered. And so as we pray for them, we're praying according to the will of God. And so we don't have to make a public spectacle or a big scene. We can pray for them and believe the word of God that God will deliver them. Now, of course, again, God will not override their free will. And if they choose to rebel against God and reject him, that that's what they choose and God won't force them.

But as we pray according to the will of God for those who have been caught up in sin, who have been entangled again in sin, we're joining with God in that work. And they will be given life, John says.

In Matthew 18, verses 15 through 20, Jesus gives us some clear instruction as well in dealing with sin. And again, these instructions that Jesus gives are very often neglected or ignored when we come across it in our own lives, when we face it for real. Jesus says, look, if someone comes against or sins against you...

That you're to go to them personally, individually, just between you two. And you're to share with them what they've done against you, that sin that they committed. And in doing so, you give them the opportunity to confess, to repent, or maybe explain themselves and show you that you think that what they did was wrong, but perhaps it wasn't.

wasn't quite right, or wasn't quite wrong rather, and maybe you're in the wrong. And so it gives the opportunity for the situation to be resolved without affecting a lot of people and without much drama. Now then Jesus goes on to say, "Hey, if they reject you and they're involved in sin, well then you take a couple people with you and then you go and confront, and the multitude, the two or three witnesses there, then have the opportunity to correct that person."

But so often we kind of disregard, we throw out those instructions, we throw out the praying for another and we publicize it, we share it with others, we talk to other people about it. Well, let me get some counsel here. You know, my friend's really involved in sin and I can't tell you his name, but you know, his initials are Pule. And no, I'm just kidding. And what do you think I should do? I think you should follow what the Bible says. You should pray for that person. You should pray for that person.

And God will give him life. That's his promise. And so we're to pray for those who are backslidden. Now those who have rejected Jesus Christ, those who say, I want nothing to do with God, John says, look, I'm not saying you should pray for them. Now, not saying that, you know, we can't pray for those who are backslidden, but he's saying, look, you can't ask God to give them life when they're rejecting the life that is offered in Jesus Christ because there's no other life to be given.

And so we can pray for them, for their blinders to be removed. We can pray for them that they would see, that their heart would be softened, that they would have the opportunity to turn and come back. But we can't pray and ask God to give them life when they're rejecting the life that he's offering to them in Jesus Christ. And so we're to pray for those who are backslidden, those who get caught up in sin. Point number three.

He tells us now what we know. We know the world is in Satan's grip. Look at verse 18 and 19. He says, We know that whoever is born of God does not sin, but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. Verse 19. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. The world is in Satan's grip.

And this is something that we forget and it's hard for us to understand sometimes because we've been set free. Sometimes I think we forget what it was like before Christ set us free. Starting here in verse 18 though, he says, whoever is born of God does not sin. We've dealt with this before.

Quite a few times here in the book of 1 John. So I'm not going to go into detail here. What he's saying though, the word sin is in the present tense, which again means continuous repeated action. What he's saying is whoever is born of God, they don't continue in a lifestyle of sin. They don't continue to practice sin on an ongoing basis.

We all sin. We fall short. But because of what Christ has done for us and the new life that we have in Him, we are set free from the bondage. We get to say no to sin. And we get to live the life that God has called us to. And even though we will stumble and fall short, we won't continue to pursue a sinful lifestyle. We won't continue to pursue sinful practices.

He goes on to say that he who is born of God keeps himself and the wicked one does not touch him. Whoever is born of God, he says, keeps himself.

Now this is another area of the book of John where there is some discussion and dispute between scholars. Is John saying that Jesus keeps us or is he saying that we keep ourselves? And there's discussion about the grammatical details of each one and how each one would fit better and so on and so forth. But as you look at it, the reality is both are true. And we'll see that in a couple of weeks as we get into the book of Jude.

Jesus keeps us, we're in his hands, but also he gives us responsibility to keep ourselves and we're to keep ourselves in the love of God. And so we have personal responsibility, but we also are in Jesus's hands. And so whichever one you want to emphasize or pay attention to, that's fine because both are true. But the point that he's making here, he says the wicked one does not touch him.

And so the one who is born of God, he says, the wicked one, Satan, the devil, does not touch him. The word touch here is not just simply a touch or a light touch. It's more the idea of a grip or a grasp. And that's what John is saying here, that Satan does not have his grasp upon the one who is born of God. The child of God who is born again

has been set free from the grip of Satan. We're no longer bound as we once were to his grip. We've been delivered. He does not have a hold on us any longer. We're set free by the power of God through Jesus Christ. And so John says in verse 19, we know that we are of God. We've been set free. But he goes on to say the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

So in contrast to those who are the children of God, to those who are born again, who Satan no longer has his grip upon them, the world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And to lie under the sway is the idea of being laid down as if a foundation. It's to be set or to be placed. The world is placed. It's founded in the plans and purposes of

The world's foundations are in the devil. They're in his plans and his purposes of keeping people from right relationship with God. The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. The whole world is under the grip or within the grasp of the wicked one.

of the wicked one. You and I as children of God, we've been delivered. And Jesus describes us as being in the Father's hand. And no one can pluck us out of the Father's hand. We've been set free. But the rest of the world are in the grip of Satan. This world system is founded in the plans and purposes of the enemy. Do you think that the political scene that we see around the world is by accident? Do you think the...

persecution that takes place against Christians throughout the world is just by chance. It's just so happened. It's by design. It's the plans and purposes of the devil. And it's because the world is founded in the wicked one that these things take place. Do you think that the entertainment industry is what it is by accident? Or do you understand that by design the enemy is using entertainment to dull our senses?

And to keep us from realizing that we need a Savior. Do you think it's by accident that pornography is what it is and it's accessible and addicting and powerful and blinding and deceiving? It's because it's part of what the enemy is using to keep people bound and to not let them understand that they need the Savior and to turn and be set free.

Do you think that the court system is by accident? That, you know, the abortion versus pro-life, that the things that we're facing legally, do you think that's by accident? No, it's by design. It's part of the system that the enemy has control of. The world is in his grasp.

And that's why we cannot really fix the world through legislation. We can't really fix the world through laws because laws can't set people free from the enemy's grasp. What we really need is a fresh work of God because only God can set people free from Satan's grip.

Paul describes that to us in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 through 7, how at one time we were dead in trespasses and sins, and we walked according to the course of this world among the sons of disobedience, under the influence and the power of the prince of this world, which is the devil. And we were caught up in his grip. We were caught up in his system. But God set us free. He made us alive. He gave us new life. And we've been delivered from his grasp.

And so the world is in Satan's grasp. It's in Satan's grip. And this is important for us because, first of all, we can thank God that we've been set free, but that we can also understand what we're dealing with as we're praying for those around us to be saved, as we're praying for people to get right with God.

Sometimes it can be frustrating. Have you ever been sharing with somebody about the truth? You've been sharing with them the gospel message. You've been sharing with them about the Bible. And they're really antagonistic against you. You mention God and then they're angry, they're upset, and it turns into something that's not pleasant. It's because they're in the grasp of the devil.

Sometimes we look at things and it doesn't even make sense what you're saying in your rejection of God. Your emotional response to this isn't proportionate to what I'm sharing with you. It doesn't make sense. You know, the issue of creation versus evolution. It doesn't make sense for you to be so against the idea of creation, but to hold fast to the idea of evolution, which has no scientific support. It's another religion. It's not logical.

And yet there's such strong opinions and feelings because they're under the grasp of the devil. I heard a good example to kind of give us some perspective on how to deal with those who are, well, they're blinded by Satan. If you were next to somebody who is physically blind, you wouldn't be frustrated and upset with them that they don't see.

But when we are next to people who are spiritually blind, we get frustrated and upset that they don't see. Don't you understand? How come you can't see this? Doesn't it make sense to you? Well, we've been given understanding. John says that in the next verse. In verse 20 he says, We know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding. We've been given understanding. Our eyes have been opened in Jesus Christ.

But those who are lost are blind. We once were blind, but now we see. Our prayer for them is that those blinders would be removed, that they would be able to see. Because what they need is to be set free. But they cannot be set free by logical argument or by some kind of debate. It's a spiritual battle and it needs to take place on a spiritual level that their eyes would be opened.

That the blinders would be removed. That they would be able to see what God has provided for them in Jesus Christ.

And so the third point is that the world is in Satan's grip. And as we pray for them, as we relate to those who are lost, don't get frustrated, don't get upset because they can't see. Instead, let it be an indication of where you need to pray and how you need to pray for them. The fact that they're blind means that we need to pray that God would open their eyes.

Finally, the fourth point found in verse 20 and 21 is that eternal life is knowing God. Look at verse 20. It says, And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding 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. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. He concludes with this last thought.

The true God versus false gods. The true God, he says, we know that Jesus has come. He's given us understanding that we might know the one who is true, that we might know the Father, that we might know the God who loved us so much, who sent his only begotten Son to die upon the cross for our sins. Jesus came that we might know God.

We always talk about Christianity being a relationship, and this is why. Jesus came that we might know God, that we might walk with Him, that we might have that relationship with Him, this One who is true. And He says we're in Him who is true. So we know God, we're in God, because we've been born again. We have a place in the body of Christ. We have a place in the kingdom of God.

And he says, this is the true God and eternal life. And then he tells us to keep ourselves from idols. And so he's contrasting the true God that we know, the true God that we are in, the true God who is our heavenly father and false gods or idols. He says, keep yourselves from idols.

Today we think about idols and we think about the statue. We think about the form. We think about the wood or the gold or the silver, whatever they were made out of. But there was more to idolatry than just the statue. The things that people were worshipping were representative of what was important to them and what they desired.

And so they worshipped these gods that meant different things to them. And so if they wanted wealth, if they wanted really a lot of prosperity, then they would worship a god that was supposed to provide prosperity for them. If they wanted to just live in pleasure and involve themselves in all types of sexual immorality, then they would worship a god that would allow them to participate in those practices and worship.

bless those practices of sexual immorality. We worship the same gods today. The gods haven't changed. It's just we don't have the statue in front of us necessarily. The same ideas, the same principles, the same desires are worshipped by people all over. And so John says, keep yourselves from idols. And you might say, well, I'm safe. I don't have any statues in my home that I bow down to. Well, what John is saying is, guard your heart and make sure that you keep

Do not have a divided heart so that you are pursuing one of these other gods. That you're not pursuing pleasure and that is taking the place of God in your life. That you're not pursuing greed or covetousness and that's taking the place of God in your life. That nothing in your life overrides God's position and place of prominence in your life.

He says, keep yourselves from idols. An idol can be anything that takes the place of God in our hearts. The place that he deserves, the place that he belongs is the place of highest priority, highest passion, preeminence. He is number one.

He's most important. More important than our own thoughts and feelings and what we want. More important than our friends. More important than our family. More important than our jobs. More important than our country. More important than our location. More important than what we drive. More important than anything else. He comes first. And His will is first and foremost. And His desires are most important to us. And our life is centered upon Him. Is there anything in your life

that's more important to you than your relationship with God. Because if there's anything in your life that's more important to you than your relationship with God, that is idolatry. And John says, keep yourself from idols. Is knowing God the passion and pursuit of your life? Because knowing God is eternal life. That's what eternal life is all about. Jesus came, John says, that we may know Him who is true. And so if knowing God is not the most important thing for us,

There's something else in God's place. We need to keep ourselves from idols. This is a great way to close the book, to challenge us to make sure that our hearts are right with God and that nothing has taken the place of God in our hearts and lives. And so the worship team is going to come up at this time and close us in a song. And as they do, I want to challenge you and encourage you to let this be a time where you examine your heart and you allow God to work in your heart and to show you if there's some idols that have been set up

Within your life. That you have the opportunity to remove those idols. And to make sure that God has that place of importance and priority and passion that He deserves. Now this morning I also want to share that eternal life is knowing God through Jesus Christ. And if you don't know God. And if you don't have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. If you don't have eternal life. God offers that to you through His Son. He's paid the price. He's taking care of everything. And He's taking care of everything.

All He requires of us is that we believe Him at His word, that we receive Him, and that we follow Him with all of our heart. And so if you want to get right with God this morning, after the song, there's going to be some people up here. We'd love to help you begin that journey or get back to that journey that you've walked away from and get right with God and to have the hope and the promise of eternal life. Let's worship the Lord together.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.