Confidence Before God: How Our Hearts are Reassured, 1 John 3:19-24, Theology Matters Series

Hello all:

I teach an Adult Bible Community at Thomas Road Baptist Church called the G.A.P. (for Graduates and Professionals), and each week I post the outlines and discussion questions from my lessons on the G.A.P. page on Facebook. A while back I started posting these notes on the blog too. So, here is the outline for our meetings on February 20-27, 2011. A while back we started a new series on 1 John entitled "Theology Matters." This lesson looks at 1 John 3:19-24 and discusses the idea that our hearts can have confidence before God because of God's character and the things his Spirit has done in and through us. When we think rightly about God and love others as he commands, we find assurance for our hearts and minds. If you have any questions or would like to add a comment or two, that would be great!

Confidence Before God
How Our Hearts Are Reassured
1 John 3:19-24
Theology Matters Series

Introduction
Questions
1. What comes to mind when you think of the terms “assurance” or “confidence”?
2. Describe what you think a confident person is like
3. When do you lack confidence?
4. When do you feel confident?

Contrary to appearances, I am not a very self-confident person
I constantly ask my wife (and others) for reassurance
I seem to think I am continually lacking confidence

Many of you can identify with my personal struggles, while others think that these things are a bit strange

Our passage today focuses on the issue of the confidence a Christian can have before God

In 1 John 3:19-24, John lists three ways we can be confident before God
1. Our knowledge gives us confidence/assurance
2. Our kinship with God gives us confidence/assurance
3. God’s commandments are a source of confidence/assurance

God’s character is our confidence

1. Knowledge
1 John 3:19-20, 24b

When I read this passage, I was struck by the repetition of the phrase “by this we . . . know” in verses 19 and 24.

Verse 19—”By this” refers to the information just above this verse—1 John 3:18
John is saying here that we will know (it is future) that we are in the truth (i.e., children of God) if we love in deed and in truth (i.e., we practice the kind of selfless love Jesus exhibited)

Verse 24b—”By this” refers back to the verses just before (vv. 23-24a) and to the end of verse 24

John is saying here that we know (it is present tense) that we abide in Christ if we keep his commandments—the command is to believe in Christ and to love one another (more on these later)

John is also saying that we know we abide in Christ by the Spirit he gave us
The reference to the Spirit here is not necessarily only a reference to the inner witness of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:15-17), but may also refer to the presence of the Spirit in our lives as the One who empowers us to believe in Christ and to love one another

The Spirit here is a reference to God’s character and God’s presence as a means to obey God’s commands

2 Peter 1:3-4

John seems to be saying that our changed behavior is evidence (i.e., something we can know) that should give us confidence

The knowledge that God has changed us is a source of assurance/confidence
But our actions are not based on our own abilities, our changed lives flow from the character of God

In verses 19-20, John brings up the idea of our hearts (or consciences) and the possibility of condemnation

“Whenever our hearts condemn us” speaks to those times when we feel condemned or less than confident in our relationship to God

John assumes that the people to whom he writes have struggled with their confidence, they have felt condemned

Perhaps your heart/conscience has condemned you in the past
a. You aren’t good enough, you can’t live up to God’s standard
b. You don’t do the things you should
c. Why would God choose you?

John responds by noting that we can “reassure” our hearts before God because “God is greater than our hearts and knows everything”

What does John mean by this reference?

When John says that God is greater than our hearts/consciences, he seems to be referring to God’s character –a source of confidence for us is the knowledge of God’s character

God’s character is greater than our conscience—he is the one who redeems us (and as shown in v. 24) who puts his Spirit in us

James Boice states “… whatever our hearts may say, God knows us better than even we ourselves do and, nevertheless, has acquitted us. Therefore, we should reassure ourselves by His judgment, which alone is trustworthy, and refuse to trust our own.”

God knows the change he has made in us if we have indeed come to know him through Christ

God judges us not by our conscience but by his justification of us in Christ (Rom. 8:31-39)

When we face condemnation, we can look at two things to reassure ourselves—God’s enduring love and character, and the actions his Spirit has worked out of our changed lives as we obey his command to love

God’s character is our confidence

2. Kinship
1 John 3:21-22—in the previous section, John told us that we can “know” confidence by knowing how we love others and by knowing God’s character. In these verses he introduces the idea that we can be confident before God because we have relationship with him—we are God’s kin

This relationship is shown by two things—answered prayer and God’s abiding Spirit (vv. 23-24)

B. F. Westcott states, “The thought here is of the boldness with which the son appears before the Father, and not of that with which the accused appears before the Judge.”

The Christian has boldness in God’s presence because he or she is a child of God—the child of the emperor has privileges with the king that simple subjects do not have (Rom. 8:16-17; Gal. 4:31-5:1; John 1:9-13)

This family relationship should produce confidence and assurance

John continues this idea by talking about the blessing of answered prayer

What John does NOT mean
a. God is not a cosmic Santa Claus who simply gives you whatever you ask
b. God will not answer all of your requests with “Yes”

What John means
a. God loves to respond to his children
b. God’s children love to respond to their Father
c. When we obey God, we have freedom to come into his presence
d. Of course, when we obey God, we will ask primarily for those things that will give God the most pleasure (i.e., our praying will not be selfish but will be “according to his will”)

God’s character is our confidence

3. Commandment
1 John 3:23-24—John now returns to the idea that our confidence/assurance before God is evidenced by what we believe and by how we live

What “pleases God” (v. 23) is two fold
a. My theology—what I believe about God and Jesus Christ
b. My ethical practice—how I act in response to theology

In fact, theology should drive ethics—right living should flow from right doctrine

John gets very specific here about the commandment
a. We must believe in the name of God’s Son Jesus
b. We must love one another

This commandment is similar to Jesus’ response in Matthew 22:37-40
The call of every Christ follower is to love God and to love others

Believing in the name of Christ refers to the ground of our salvation—it is only in what Christ has accomplished that we can be saved or brought into proper relationship with God

We cannot love God without Christ’s sacrificial love

Our confidence is grounded on what God has done in Jesus

Loving one another is the practical result of our salvation—we show the love God gave in Christ by loving others

This action is not the foundation of our confidence, it is the evidence of it

The gauge of our relationship with God is how we love others

Obedience to God’s command is the manifestation of God’s love poured into our lives (1 John 4:12-17)

Abiding in Jesus is shown by obedience to Jesus

God’s character is our confidence
Our obedient response is the evidence that we have come to know him

Application
The foundation of our assurance or confidence before God is always and only faith in the person and work of Jesus—Jesus is our Rock, our Cornerstone, and our Foundation
Any attempt to have boldness before God without faith in Christ will end in shame
Faith alone in Christ alone is the only means of security before God

Once we have that settled, however, there is room for obedience, and that obedience is also a source of assurance

This week, find ways to obey the word John gives
1. Spend time cultivating your relationship with God—this week set aside an extra 10 minutes a day to get into God’s presence, to pray, to read his Scripture—your confidence is in that relationship

2. Spend time cultivating your relationships with others—this week make time to love one another—be creative, but be purposeful—make a plan to show Christ’s love and follow through—where can you serve this week in a way that would make Christ’s love know?

God’s character is our confidence
What can we do this week that will reveal God’s character to others?

Thanks for reading!

A Matter of Life and Death, 1 John 3:11-18, Theology Matters Series

Hello all:

I teach an Adult Bible Community at Thomas Road Baptist Church called the G.A.P. (for Graduates and Professionals), and each week I post the outlines and discussion questions from my lessons on the G.A.P. page on Facebook. A while back I started posting these notes on the blog too. So, here is the outline for our meetings on February 6-13, 2011. A while back we started a new series on 1 John entitled "Theology Matters." This lesson looks at 1 John 3:11-18 and discusses the idea that how we treat others is a matter of life and death. John indicates that people who are followers of Christ love others and find life, while those who are children of the devil do not show love and are "living dead." If you have any questions or would like to add a comment or two, that would be great!

A Matter of Life and Death
1 John 3:11-18
Theology Matters Series

Introduction
A visit to the doctor
Needed to get some prescriptions refilled
A spot on my head removed
What could it be?
Good news, by the way

When we visit the doctor, the folks there often take our vital signs

We talked about spiritual vital signs a couple of weeks ago, focusing on our heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure

We asked if our signs towards Jesus were healthy or indicated a sickness that needed to be address

Vital signs are also used in many cases to know the difference between a dead and a live person

Our passage in 1 John today discusses the most important vital sign that distinguishes between life and death

Let’s read 1 John 3:11-18

John tells us that love is a matter of life and death
If we don’t show love, we are dead
If we love others, we are alive

Four things to see from our passage today
1. All you need is love
2. Cain: An Example of Death
3. A Contrast
4. Christ: An Example of Life

Love is a matter of life and death
Our love reveals whether we are dead or alive

1. All You Need is Love

From the start, John reminds his readers of “the beginning”
a. In chapter 1, verse 1, he reminds us that the message he writes is what he experienced from the beginning
b. In 2:7, he reminds them of the old commandment that they had from the beginning
c. In 2:24 he tells them to remember what they learned from the beginning and to abide in it
d. In all of the instances John seems to have in mind the beginning of the Christian movement rather than the beginning of the universe

Here in 3:11, then, John points his readers to that message which they heard from the beginning of the Christian life, the beginning of the church

That message has not changed
It is simple
“Love one another”

It is the command Jesus gives in John 13:34-35
This command is built upon the very character of God

Doctrine and ethics must go together
Theology should point to a way of life—in fact what you believe is revealed in how you live

For Christians, there is no life without Love because God is Love (1 John 4:8)

The distinguishing mark of Christians should be love

Love is a matter of life and death

John turns now to an example of death

2. Cain: An Example of Death

Beginning in verse 12, John elaborates on the negative example. We could call this the example of death or hatred, for all hatred ultimately leads to some kind of death, doesn’t it?

Cain is the negative example

What do you know about Cain’s story?
a. Cain’s story can be found in Genesis 4
b. Cain was the first child born to Adam and Eve after the fall
c. Cain had a brother, Abel. The two of them offered sacrifices to God, and Abel’s was acceptable (Hebrews 11:4 says that what distinguished Abel’s sacrifice from Cain’s was that it was offered in faith)
d. Cain apparently was jealous of his brother, so much so that God warned him of impending sin
e. Cain’s jealousy and anger led to the first murder in Scripture
f. Cain’s actions depict death instead of life

Cain chose to hate or reject his brother
That very hatred caused not only his brother’s death but also revealed the deadness in Cain’s own soul
Cain acted in unrighteousness, did not love his brother, and ended in death

John then reminds his readers that Cain’s example is part of the world’s system

The world, although it sometimes reveals glimpses of love, does not accept God’s divine love (John 1:9-13)

In fact, because Christians do not belong to the world and its system (see 1 John 2:15-16), the world actually hates them

Jesus warned us of this problem (John 15:18-19)

Love is a matter of life and death
If we follow Cain’s example, we are dead

John now contrasts his readers with the world

3. The Contrast: An Encouragement

In verse 14, we find an encouragement

John speaks of assurance when he states that we “know” we have passed from death to life

But what is the defining characteristic that gives this assurance?
Simply stated, John says it is revealed in our love for one another
Because we have experienced God’s amazing love, we cannot help but give that same love to others
That is the mark of a true Christian

The story of Jacob De Shazer, WWII Pilot and POW in Japan--Here is a link: Jacob De Shazer Story

Love is a matter of life and death
If we love, we are alive

The Contrast: A Warning

In verse 15, John issues a warning (continuing his example of Cain, it seems)

When we fail to love others, we are essentially acting like Cain

We may not commit the act, but the anger, animosity, and indifference in our hearts is simply one step removed from taking a life

When we tear down someone’s character, when we highlight faults to make ourselves look better, it is a murderous attitude and it is sin.

Christians should be different in how they treat each other

Love is a matter of life and death
If we do not love, we bring death

4. Christ: An Example of Life

John has looked at the negative (how we shouldn’t act), and beginning in verse 16 he now considers the positive (what we should do)

John fills out his understanding of Christian love by giving an example of life in contrast to Cain’s example of death

Ironically, this example of life is still tied to death in a sense

How did Jesus love us?
Philippians 2:5-8
a. He humbled himself
b. He served
c. His obedience led to the cross
d. He laid down his own life so that we might live

How would we describe Jesus’ love?

Christ’s love was
a. Without discrimination—he didn’t look at ethnicity, orientation, religious persuasion, or even denomination.

b. Offered freely—Jesus put no restrictions on his love for others, he simply gave it

c. Enduring—Jesus does not love for a short season, his mercy is enduring

d. Sacrificial—he gave himself for others without expectation or complaint

e. Transforming—people were changed when they encountered Jesus’ love

Story of the killings in an Amish community in Oct. 2006--Two links on the story: 1. Amish Shooting 2. Grace and Forgiveness

These young ladies were willing to die that others may live
Their love showed the true and eternal life that throbbed in their soul

Christ’s love brings life—are we alive or dead?

So, how are we doing? Are we laying down our lives for others?

John tells us in verses 17 and 18 what our love should look like
a. We must give what we have received—love is practical. You give from what you have (“the world’s goods”) or from what God has given you

b. We must notice others (“sees his brother in need”)—this means that we take time to pay attention to those around us. We need to act with empathy. We ought to feel their pain and rejoice in their joy. Their situations should move us to action and not just arouse emotions. Much of the reason we don’t love is that we don’t see how desperately love is needed in others. The implication is more that just material goods here, it refers to time and community. We must be involved in their lives and not simply write a check.

c. We must take action—John warns us not to love in word only, but we need to love in deeds as well.

This kind of love usually makes us uncomfortable, but we know we need it and we also know we need to give it

Love is a matter of life and death
If we follow Christ’s example, we are alive eternally

Application

The result of this kind of exhortation should be obvious, right? If we want to be known as children of God, as followers of Christ, then we must find ourselves doing as our Master has done—we must love one another

The starting point is obvious—have we passed from death to life? Are we living dead or are we in possession of God’s life?

The only way to distinguish is to look at how we treat each other

Here are some things you can do as Christ followers to show your commitment to God’s life in you

1. First, make sure that God’s life is in you. If you have not made a commitment to Christ, start here

2. Spend some time in God’s Word seeing how Jesus loved others. Read 1 John 3 and 4, Philippians 2, or any of the stories of Christ’s passion in the Gospels
Be a friend to one who has failed, go out of your way to encourage the one everyone avoids, stick closer than a brother to the one who is alone in his or her struggle

3. Give time to bless others this week—listen to someone who needs to be heard, be patient, be kind to the angry person

4. Step outside of your convenient cage of comfort—take a risk to love someone in the name of Christ. Share your faith, tell your story, simply show and tell what love God has done for you

Love is a matter of life and death

Thanks for reading!

What Jesus Wants: Love One Another, Theology Matters Series 1 John 2:7-11

Hello all:

I teach an Adult Bible Community at Thomas Road Baptist Church called the G.A.P. (for Graduates and Professionals), and each week I post the outlines and discussion questions from my lessons on the G.A.P. page on Facebook. A while back I started posting these notes on the blog too. So, here is the outline and questions for our meetings on August 29-September 5, 2010. A couple of weeks ago, we started a new series on 1 John entitled "Theology Matters." This lesson looks at 1 John 2:7-11 and discusses the necessity of loving one another as an example of being obedient to Jesus. If you have any questions or would like to add a comment or two, that would be great!

What Jesus Wants
Love One Another
1 John 2:7-11

Introduction

Our study of first John until now
1. The importance of a good theological foundation via the Incarnation (1 John 1:1-4)
2. The importance of living in God’s spotlight (1 John 1:5-10)
3. The importance of knowing Jesus and keeping his commandments (1 John 2:1-6)

Last week we took a brief side trip to look at the greatest commandments and to consider the importance of loving God and others (Matthew 22:34-40)

This week John brings us to a description of what keeping Jesus’ commandments looks like

If 1 John 2:1-6 describe how we love God (by keeping his commandments), then 2:7-11 explains how loving each other perfects God’s love in us and reveals God’s life and light in us

This week, we look at what Jesus wants according to John

1. The Commandment
1 John 2:7-8

The first six verses of 1 John 2 remind us to love God and to see God’s love perfected in us

These next verses (7-11) teach us how to make that love obvious in our lives—it is by loving others that God’s love is perfected in us

A couple of weeks ago we spoke about knowing Jesus and how that relationship is expressed by doing what Jesus tells us to do—by keeping Jesus’ commandments

In today’s verses, John says that he is writing this letter to give his church an old and new commandment

Questions
What is the difference between old and new?
How can something be old and yet also be new?

What does Jesus want?
Jesus wants us to keep his commandments

The description of this commandment
a. Something old—it is not brand new or just made up
b. Something they had from the beginning—probably a reference to what they learned early on as Christians as opposed to something that is being taught as a recent doctrine or a “new revelation”
c. Something that they heard—it was taught, preached, talked about
d. Something new—the Greek word here means “fresh” as opposed to “recent”—this command is “new in kind” not “new in time”
e. Something true—it reflects the true Light of God (remember our discussion about the spotlight of God?)

This old/new commandment is true in Jesus and it is true in his followers

How is it “true” in Jesus? How is it true in His followers?
It is truly revealed in the life and ministry of Christ and it is proven in the experience of his believers

It is Light that causes the darkness to fade away
It dawned with Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and it continues to push the darkness back as the children of God continue to live it

This command is clear—love one another (John 13: 34-35 cf. vv. 1-17 and the footwashing)—this is the specific test of true obedience—God’s love is perfected in us as we learn to love one another (more on this in a minute)

What does Jesus want?
Jesus wants us to love one another

Side Note: What does John want?
John is writing to help the church become a loving, caring, sincere family where each member is intimately and genuinely concerned about others. He wants a church where truth and living co-exist. John envisions a church in which brothers and sisters are slow to take offense, quick to forgive, ready to accept one another (warts and all), and quick to encourage.

John was no doubt profoundly influenced by Jesus’ love and ministry. He probably recalled Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” The words of Jesus concerning the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:39), “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” were still ringing in John’s ears. John wants a church that looks like Jesus.

2. The Contrast
1 John 2:9

In the verses above, John contrasts (and combines) old and new, but also includes true (and by implication) versus false. Now he distinguishes these further by the contrast of light and darkness in the lives of people

What does John say characterizes light?
a. Light is true in Christ (v. 8)
b. Light shines and causes darkness to fade (v. 8)
c. A person walking in the light (i.e., fellowship with God—1 John 1:6-7; speaking truth—1 John 1:7-8; confessing sins—1 John 1:9-10) is one who does not hate
There is no wiggle room here—John sees light as love and darkness as hate—no middle ground
d. If you are in the Light you will not hate your brother

What does John say characterizes darkness?
a. Darkness is false
b. Darkness does not comprehend Jesus (John 1:5)
c. Darkness does not fellowship with God, does not speak truth, and does not confess sin
d. Darkness hates

The contrast is pretty clear here—we cannot claim to walk in God’s light and continue to live in any way that does not reflect God’s love
To hate others is to reject God’s command and to remain in darkness

What does Jesus want?
Jesus wants us to walk in his light

1 John 2:10-11
John continues his restatement of the command as a contrast between love and hate (or light and darkness)

Characteristics of one who walks in darkness/hate
a. The one in darkness does not know where he is going (i.e., he is “lost” in the night)
b. The one in darkness stumbles over obstacles
c. The one in darkness is “blind” and unable to see (cf. John 9 and the healing of the blind man—who is really blind?)
d. The one in darkness hates his brother and does not look out for his brother—the main concern is probably selfish but certainly is not focused on the needs, encouragement, or improvement of his neighbor’s life

Characteristics of one who abides in light/love
a. The one in the light knows where he is going (i.e., he can see to follow Christ)
b. The one in the light does not stumble nor causes others to stumble
c. The one in the light is not blind but able to see what God is doing and to rejoice in God’s work
d. The one in the light loves his brother and looks out for the needs, encouragement, and improvement of his neighbor’s life

What does Jesus want?
Jesus wants us to walk in love for one another

Loving One Another
What does it mean to love other believers? In 1 John 3:16 John defines it, “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

Love is characterized by being willing to give up everything, including life itself, for the sake of another.

Jesus loved us in this way (cf. Phil. 2:5-8). He willingly, of his own free will, gave up his life for us when we were yet sinners and enemies of God (Rom. 5:8-10). This is the example of love we have been given! This is how we should love each other.

What does Jesus want?
He wants us to love as he loves

Side Note 2: What about John?
Church history tells us that when John was old and unable to walk, members of the church where he lived would pick him up and carry him to the meeting place, so that John could address his beloved brothers and sisters. On the way, John was often heard saying, “Little children, love one another.” In fact, the testimony of the early church was that they did love one another. Tertullian notes that the love of the early church was so obvious that it impressed even those who did not believe in God. Tragically, this spirit disappeared, and in view of the controversies of the fourth century, a non-Christian writer named Ammianus would state, “The enmity of the Christians toward each other surpassed the fury of savage beasts against man.” Something changed from the first century to the fourth century. Controversies arose in the church, and instead of treating one another with love, factions developed, and with factions came anger and hatred, so much so that by the time of the Reformation those who claimed to be followers of Jesus Christ were killing each other over doctrinal disputes and differences. (W. Robertson Nicoll, commentary on 1 John)

Sad, but true. How are we like this today?

Application
In 1 John 2:1-6 we were encouraged to keep Jesus’ commandments and have God’s love perfected in us. This week we are told more directly that Jesus’ commandment is that we love one another.

How can we do this?
Do we really need instruction?

This week:
1. Ask the hard question—where is the evidence in my life that I love others? Other Christians? Other people (non-Christians)? What do I do that looks like God’s love in Christ? We need to search our hearts and ask for God’s conviction about this situation. Is there a relationship we need to improve? Do we need to show love by reconciling? This week ask God about it and act on what he tells you.

2. Spend time in God’s Word—get out a concordance and look up the word “love” and read the passages. Go on-line to http://www.blueletterbible.org/ and search the word “love” in the Gospel of John and 1 John (it occurs 26 times in the Gospel and 36 times in 1 John). Learn about love from God’s Word.

3. Go out and love others. Give a larger tip than usual, encourage a friend, write that note you intended to write, be kind to one another and even to strangers, share your faith with someone, or simply give your time to helping others. Make it a priority to do love. It isn’t just about words, it is about actions
Love one another and walk in the light—that’s what Jesus wants

Discussion Questions
1. Give some reasons why it is impossible to walk in the light and hate others at the same time.

2. In what practical ways have you been showing love to other Christians? To other people? Do such acts define or motivate your goals in life?

3. What priority do the commands of God have in your life?

4. What is different about the new commandment compare to say the 10 commandments?

5. The person hating his brother apparently has a stumbling block in him. How may hating a brother cause him to stumble?

6. What affect does this have on the world's perspective of Christianity?

7. What would the church look like if we took seriously Jesus’ command to love one another?

8. Who needs God’s love this week? How will you show it to them?

Thanks for reading!