CONFIDENCE IN A CHAOTIC WORLD
(Love in action - September 12, 2021)
Series Big Idea: "Close fellowship with Christ silences the destructive beliefs and behaviors of this world"
Sermon Big Idea: "Those who love God, love others"
Key Scripture (1 John 3:16-24)
(1 John 3:16-24)
16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need—how can God’s love reside in him? 18 Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action. 19 This is how we will know we belong to the truth and will convince our conscience in His presence, 20 even if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience, and He knows all things. 21 Dear friends, if our conscience doesn’t condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and can receive whatever we ask from Him because we keep His commands and do what is pleasing in His sight. 23 Now this is His command: that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us. 24 The one who keeps His commands remains in Him, and He in him. And the way we know that He remains in us is from the Spirit He has given us.
There are at least 3 Advantages the Christian will experience as they express the love John is discussing in these verses.
The first advantage is that they will experience Assurance of salvation (verse 19). "This is how we will know" A lifestyle of love is proof of salvation and Christians can have basic assurance they are experiencing salvation. God sees our heart, not just our actions, and He knows the truth concerning our salvation.
"Will convince our conscious in His presence" (love in action is the test) (John 13:34-35). God knows our hearts and yet God is greater than our hearts. He knows all things. Sadly, the false teachers had been teaching they knew the truth by some inner insight. But their lives were the epidemy of greed and hatred. This is where the real danger for them and for us in modern times comes in. Our heart or conscience begins to condemn us. We can't be perfect and Satan and even we remind ourselves of this. The truth is that we are going to fail at times. Think of it, we fall short of our own dreams and goals, much less God's.
Could it be that God has set such a high standard of love, so we might feel deeply our own inadequacy and failure. If our heart does condemn us, we can remind ourselves that God takes into account even the things we ignore. If we as Christians are engaged in the love John has been explaining, even when our hearts are filling us with guilt, we can be encouraged because God is still well aware of our commitment to the truth. He knows whether we truly believe in Him or not. He knows that we regret falling short of His glory. God not only looks at our actions but our heart and that we are born of God. God is the final standard, not our hearts! God's power will keep us secure in Him. God's power and abiding will give us security. (John 10:29).
The second advantage is that they will experience Answered prayer (verse 22). Love IS obedience to the law (Romans 13:8-10). If love is present in a Christians life, this is the evidence this person is being obedient to God and He will bless with answered prayers. But don’t miss this, "Can receive whatever they ask" This is speaking of spiritual things and whatever the Christian needs to do God's work (John 16:23-24). Believers receive what they need and God is faithful to accomplish His work in the Christian. People who keep God's command to love and do what is pleasing to Him and His will, will only ask for what is consistent with what they know of God.
The third advantage is that they will experience the Abiding presence and power of Holy Spirit (verse 24). The Holy Spirit produces doctrinal purity, love for the brethren, and a spirit of obedience to God’s commands. When we see these three things, we can be confident that he lives in us. They are the unmistakable signs of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives.
CONCLUSION
What John has been talking about in these verses thus far leads to a greater spiritual maturity and a greater understanding of God's will. Those who love God must live as He wants them to live. They must not go on sinning; rather, they must love their brothers in Christ not just in words but also in deeds.
To believe in the name of Jesus Christ involves total commitment and obedience to him (John 8:31; Matthew 7:21; Luke 6:46), and this always involves doing what He commanded, ‘to love one another’. There can be no obedience of God’s commands if there is no love for one another, there can be no love for one another if people close their hearts to those in need, and there can be no confidence when approaching God in prayer when people close their hearts to fellow believers in need.
Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideals for this message, are inspired by:
Holman Christian Standard Bible
English Standard Version Bible
King James Version Bible
Christian Standard Bible
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