Christian, God Brought You To Himself And Will Keep You, Now Be Vigilant (1 John 5:18-21)
When I was in Green Forest my office was on the way to the pastor’s office and right by the door that everyone walked by to get to the pastor. Green Forest isn’t a big town, but a lot of people pass through there on their way to Northwest Arkansas or Eureka Springs. So, I had the opportunity to speak with a lot of people who were in need. Sometimes it was genuine need. Sometimes it was not.
I would ask the people that came to the church about the state of their souls before figuring out a way to help them, if that’s the way we were going to proceed. It sometimes took a significant amount of time to get things figured out. Our church partnered with a group of churches to help those in need, so we would have to get a hold of the person in charge of certain needs to help. But, this did give me time to talk with them. The answer I received from some of these folks was jarring. No one ever told me that they were lost. Most of them never told me that they needed the Savior. “I already did that,” was the answer I received most often…as if Jesus was just something that you checked off of a box. They hadn’t been to church in years, but they had checked Jesus off of the box.
This is not the only time I’ve heard this lingo. I have talked with students who grew up in a church but lived like a devil and heard the phrase “I already did that.”
I have talked with people that haven’t dawned the doors of a church in years about their salvation and heard the words, “I already did that,” in response.
God did that. We don’t save ourselves. When was the last time you saw a dead person make their self alive again? When was the last time you saw a person sinking to the bottom of the ocean pull their self up out of the water?
I love 1 John, and have truly enjoyed getting to take a closer look at it. And as I think about the way that John ends this message, it seems very fitting. He states a few things that are true of us and then gives us a command. Everything in this last message has been discussed in some form elsewhere in the Book of 1 John, but one last time John wants to give to say to us,
Christian, you are born of God, brought into fellowship with Him and kept by Him, now guard yourself.
We Are Born Of God And Freed From The Power Of Sin And Satan (1 John 5:18-19)
Throughout the Book of 1 John we have seen that the person who has been born again does not “keep on sinning”. God has given them new life. They are transformed and now want to follow after Christ.
I keep using the pig illustration because it is just so perfect in describing the new birth. And you’ll get to see it again one more time in the Book of 1 John. But if I were to lay out two meals on opposite ends of our church sanctuary one being a bucket of slop and the other being a steak and potato dinner and release a pig into this place he would run headlong happily into the slop. And he would be totally content there. But if I were to transform that pig into a human the slop would make him sick. And after he recovered from the illness, he would want the steak dinner. The Christian is changed, and they no longer want to live in the ways of this world. They long for what is better. That does not mean that they will never sin, but they have been changed and that shows up in their behavior.
Think back to 1 John 1:8-10. John is not saying that we will never sin, but that our life will not be characterized by sin.
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10 ESV)
Remember, the Christian both understands that they sin and their life is not characterized by sin. This understanding will last throughout all of the Christian life. God really does make a difference in our life. As John Stott put it,
“The new birth results in new behaviour. Sin and the child of God are incompatible. They may occasionally meet; they cannot live together in harmony.”—John Stott, taken from his commentary on 1 John.
And the work of God does not end with the new birth. God also keeps the believer. God protects the believer from falling away and keeps him from Satan. And though the entire world is in the power of Satan himself, God will keep us safe. The Christian can still be tempted, but cannot be overcome by Satan. As Jesus taught John and many others,
“So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:24-28 ESV)
To whom do we give all the credit and glory for our salvation? What did you do to earn your salvation? What did you do to make yourself one of God’s people? God did it all. He did it all.
So, let us say with Jonah after he had spent sufficient time in the belly of a great fish to make him think correctly,
“But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” (Jonah 2:9 ESV)
And with David, let us cry out,
“Salvation belongs to the LORD: your blessing be on your people!” (Psalm 3:8 ESV)
Let us agree with God when He says,
“I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.” (Isaiah 43:11 ESV)
We don’t save ourselves, only the Lord can do that. We have favor with God because He brought us to Himself. It’s not something we could do or earn for ourselves. God did it for us. Let us give Him all the honor and praise.
And to whom do we give all the credit and glory for remaining a believer? To God.
Do we strive? Do we work and follow the Lord? Yes. Who is it that protects us and keeps us in this salvation? God.
God Gave Us Understanding, So That We Know Christ (V. 20)
We know that God the Son came to Earth. He took on human flesh and dwelt among us. The heretics did not know this. They believed that Jesus was not God the Son who had come to Earth, but those who God gave understanding did know this.
So, in this verse there are people who have understanding and people who don’t. Those who God has given understanding know the gospel. They know that God the Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us. And that He lived a perfect life on behalf of those He came to save. He also died on the cross in place of wicked sinners and rose from the grave three days later. God gave understanding to those who know this. But the heretics did not know and were teaching otherwise. Without the powerful work of God in our life, we could not know God and could not overcome sin as discussed above.
God gave us understanding to know “Him who is true”, that is “the true God. This is truly an amazing statement about the salvation we have. God is the one that gives understanding. There are many, many ideas about who Jesus is. And we see here that God has give understanding to those who believe rightly. And notice the rather incredible statement here by John. Who is it that John calls “the true God”? “His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”
The heretics did not believe Jesus to be God and many people today agree with them. But John tells us plainly that Jesus Christ is God and eternal life. This is an incredibly emphatic ending to the Book of 1 John. One last time John stands against the heretics and makes an emphatic statement on who Jesus is. He is “the true God and eternal life”.
Again, who do we give credit for accomplishing our salvation? Who do we give credit for understanding who Jesus really is?
And when we begin to think about who Jesus is we see the demand on us to be very clear. We believe in the Son. The one who trusts in Him has eternal life. God the Son has eternal life in Himself. The one who believes has fellowship with God that will last forever.
Christian, what does this mean about evangelism? It means that we share the gospel with others and call them to trust in the Lord. And God works in them to give them a true understanding of who Jesus is. We are called to deliver the message of the gospel to a lost and dying world and God works in the delivery of that message.
Parents, what does this mean about teaching your children about Jesus? It means you need to be doing it. And you do it praying and trusting that the Lord will open your children’s eyes as to who Jesus really is. God does that part, not you. You teach your child, and God gives understanding. He opens their eyes so that they see the beauty of Christ and trust in Him.
Guard Yourself (1 John 5:21)
If I were to be totally honest right now, it wasn’t until recently that I understood that this command makes sense in 1 John. It always felt to me like he was bringing this from out of left field. And now, I think it is perfect.
“Little children, guard yourself from idols.” (1 Corinthians 10:12 ESV)
John, one last time addresses this church with the endearing phrase “little children”. He had been there since the church’s inception. And this warning comes from John with a lot of love and care.
So, what is the warning. It’s similar to the warning that Paul gives in 1 Corinthians 10:12.
“Therefore let anyone who things that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12 ESV)
This is not a new topic, but a tremendous warning. John has spent the entire book of 1 John bringing comfort to believers. Now, don’t get too puffed up lest you too fall into error.
There are a lot of false views about Jesus all over the place in our day. Be careful, some of those people are convincing. This Jesus, who was delivered to us by the Apostles is the one true God. Do not stray. Do not think that you can find your salvation elsewhere. Do not think that you will find your satisfaction elsewhere. Do not think that you can find a substitute for Jesus anywhere else on this planet. This Jesus is the one true God and our life is to be found in Him. As Stott aptly stated it,
“What is certain is that all ‘God-substitutes’, all alternatives to the true God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, are properly called ‘idols’, and that from them the Christian must vigilantly guard himself.” – John Stott
So, the book ends with a warning to be vigilant. Even though we as Christians should have confidence and assurance of our salvation, we should be vigilant.
Be vigilant. Don’t let your guard down. Our heart is always seeking after new idols to follow after.
Ours is a culture of self-gratification. Our narcissistic age would have you seek the most pleasure you could out of the things of this world. Find your joy, life, and pleasure in Him. Keep yourself from idols.
The idol of money will not do. Keep yourself from idols.
The idol of stuff will not do. Keep yourself from idols.
The idol of affirmations from people on social media will not do. Keep yourself from idols.
The idol of leisure is not for you. Keep yourself from idols.
Recreation should not be worshipped by you. Keep yourself from idols.
Keep your guard up. Be vigilant.
Conclusion
I want to end the Book of 1 John just as John does. I want to leave us with a warning. We have been born of God and are kept by God, but we must be a vigilant people. We must be on guard.
I have been reading “The Letters of Samuel Rutherford” and in it there is a letter to an older, and it seemed like sick person in his church. In this letter he wrote,
After speaking of the immense loveliness of Christ and His supremacy over all other things especially in bringing true happiness, Rutherford says,
“Now, when ye are drinking the grounds of your cup, and ye are upon the utmost end of the last link of time, and old age, like death’s long shadow, is casting a covering upon your days, it is no time to court this vain life, and to set love and heart upon it. It is near after-supper; seek rest and ease for your soul in God through Christ.” (Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford, Moody Press, 1980)
For the rest of our lives, let us be people who seek Christ. Let us be people who seek our satisfaction and rest in Christ and not the things of this world.
R. Dwain Minor