WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:02.720 All right, all right, I don't I don't like to 2 00:00:02.759 --> 00:00:04.599 compare services. Right, They're like kids. 3 00:00:04.839 --> 00:00:05.679 You know you can't. 4 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:09.919 You can't have your favorite, no favorites. But you are 5 00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:16.160 more awake. Sorry, ushers. Ushers are coming down the aisles Bibles, 6 00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:19.679 bulletin pens. It'll be super super helpful for you. As 7 00:00:19.719 --> 00:00:23.519 you turn to first John, turn to first John. Whoa 8 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:25.000 First John? 9 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:30.199 Cool? Okay, okay, uh yeah. 10 00:00:30.199 --> 00:00:32.399 If you need a Bible, bulletin or pen, they have that. 11 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:34.759 They're happy to help you. Just range your hand, catch 12 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:38.159 their eyes. They will love to just serve you in 13 00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:41.799 that way this morning. I also I want to say, 14 00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:44.159 if you haven't filled out a connection cart, oh. 15 00:00:44.079 --> 00:00:45.920 Have I introduced myself? My name is Richard. 16 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:49.759 I thank you. I work here at Crossway. I'm one 17 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:54.479 of the pastors here and. 18 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:57.119 It is a joy to be here with you this morning. 19 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:02.039 If you haven't filled out a connection card, please go 20 00:01:02.039 --> 00:01:04.760 ahead take just a minute to do that. We do 21 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:06.319 want to know that you're here. We want to know 22 00:01:06.359 --> 00:01:08.480 that you're here by name. We want to know how 23 00:01:08.519 --> 00:01:11.120 we can be praying for you. There are the team 24 00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:13.959 of men and women who actually go through and pray 25 00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:16.799 for the connection cards. That are filled out. If you 26 00:01:16.879 --> 00:01:19.280 do leave a pray request, so please do that. If 27 00:01:19.319 --> 00:01:21.719 you're new, you can leave some contact information for you 28 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:24.439 or even better than that, go to the Step one 29 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:28.159 table after the service. It'll be a great time. It's 30 00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:33.200 like a small party every week at the Step one table. 31 00:01:33.239 --> 00:01:37.840 We have a great time, all right. So usually usually 32 00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:40.439 our practice is to kind of make our way passage 33 00:01:40.439 --> 00:01:43.719 by passage through a book of the Bible. This next 34 00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:46.959 book we're going to be in is First John. So 35 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:49.680 we're going to do a three weeks on this. It'll 36 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:54.159 be so much fun. And that's not the weird part. 37 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:57.000 There is a weird part, and that is. 38 00:01:57.000 --> 00:01:58.680 Well, let's just let's call it unique. 39 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:04.560 If you've read John, you understand that John he doesn't 40 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:09.439 use words and sentences and structure the way that like 41 00:02:09.479 --> 00:02:12.360 Paul does. For example, Paul makes a lot of sense. 42 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:18.280 John very hard to read. If you haven't heard it before, 43 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:21.000 you'll see some of that. Essentially, what he likes to 44 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:23.039 do is he will go he'll have a thought, he'll 45 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:25.080 talk about that thought, and he'll be like, oh, and 46 00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:28.400 the next thought and they're not related. And then after 47 00:02:28.439 --> 00:02:29.840 he was talking about this thought, he's like, you know what, 48 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:31.960 let's go back to this one. I got some more 49 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:35.240 stuff to say about this, So we're not gonna be linear. 50 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:38.759 I'm not just gonna be in one passage this week 51 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:42.319 or the next two weeks after that. He loves commas, 52 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:46.199 long sentences, just drawing out his stuff. That's why I 53 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:50.280 think he and I get along so well. I would 54 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:53.080 call it circular, but I like how the ESV Study 55 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:57.159 Bible puts it. They said it has also been termed symphonic, 56 00:02:58.919 --> 00:03:02.879 and that he eight themes, moves away from them and 57 00:03:02.919 --> 00:03:05.960 then revisits them with variations. 58 00:03:06.199 --> 00:03:08.280 I love that. I'm gonna start using that. 59 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:10.919 When Liz and I are having a conversation and she 60 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:12.919 doesn't understand what I'm saying, I'm gonna be like, oh, 61 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:16.199 that's just because you don't understand my symphonic argument. 62 00:03:17.479 --> 00:03:19.840 You don't know anything about symphonies. 63 00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:25.199 So we will not go passages by passage, but we'll 64 00:03:25.240 --> 00:03:28.240 kind of pick up three big themes over the next 65 00:03:28.280 --> 00:03:32.879 three weeks. As Josh said last week, there will be 66 00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:35.560 plenty of grapes left on the vine of First John. 67 00:03:35.879 --> 00:03:38.960 I will not hit everything, but do look with me. 68 00:03:39.319 --> 00:03:43.080 Everything is going to center around First John five thirteen. 69 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:49.800 First John five thirteen says, I write these things to 70 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:53.520 you who believe in the name of the Son of God, 71 00:03:53.919 --> 00:04:00.560 that you may know that you have eternal life. Wrote 72 00:04:00.599 --> 00:04:03.960 these words to a church that was going through an 73 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:09.639 unbelievable challenge. Some key people, right, some teachers, some leaders, 74 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:14.120 some good friends had all left the church and kind 75 00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:16.800 of started started their own church. So think of it 76 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:20.480 this as like a really bad church split. And to 77 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:23.800 the people who remained, these people who left, they weren't 78 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:24.959 just names on a list. 79 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:26.959 They were church family. 80 00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:31.079 They had done life together, and they were grieved by 81 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:32.319 the leaving of these people. 82 00:04:32.360 --> 00:04:34.199 And they were also confused. 83 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:39.120 Because this other, this new church is now teaching what 84 00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:42.240 seems like a different gospel. They're they're teaching something different 85 00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:46.600 about Jesus is and and so they might be asking themselves, 86 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:51.399 do I have the gospel wrong? Maybe like maybe I 87 00:04:51.439 --> 00:04:53.560 don't actually understand who Jesus is. 88 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:55.959 Maybe they have it right. 89 00:04:56.959 --> 00:05:00.439 Well, John wanted them to know that they already knew 90 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:03.720 the truth, that they had it in God's word, and 91 00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:06.319 that they that that they did not need to know 92 00:05:06.439 --> 00:05:10.399 anything beyond that that that that they could have confidence 93 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:14.759 in their relationship with God. And their salvation, and this 94 00:05:14.839 --> 00:05:17.000 still applies to us today. 95 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:17.600 Uh. 96 00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:21.319 We we want to know, how can I be sure 97 00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:22.000 I'm saved? 98 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:24.399 And and maybe that's you today. 99 00:05:24.439 --> 00:05:27.600 Maybe you're here thinking how how can I know? And 100 00:05:27.639 --> 00:05:30.079 if it's not you, maybe it's been you in the past, 101 00:05:30.199 --> 00:05:33.079 or maybe that that will be you in the future. Well, 102 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:35.040 over the next three weeks, we're gonna look at what 103 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:37.759 John has to say about how we can have confidence 104 00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:43.279 in knowing that we are saved. This week we will 105 00:05:43.279 --> 00:05:45.439 see that we can be assured we that we have 106 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:49.959 eternal life when we have a right relationship with the truth. 107 00:05:51.399 --> 00:05:54.720 That we can be assured we have eternal life when 108 00:05:54.759 --> 00:06:00.560 we have a right relationship with the truth. John will 109 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:02.680 in the next two weeks include a whole lot of 110 00:06:03.319 --> 00:06:07.480 looking at the fruit of our own lives. But I 111 00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:10.759 don't want to start there. And I think it's really 112 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:14.319 important because when we're when we're talking about assurance of salvation, 113 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:18.720 there's actually quite a bit about knowing that we have 114 00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:22.480 eternal life that has nothing to do with what we 115 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:26.399 do right. It has to do with what God has done. 116 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:28.240 It has everything to do with the life that we 117 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:30.920 can find in the truth of the Gospel. And that's 118 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:36.600 why I've named the sermon true Life in Truth. Now, 119 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:41.720 since John connects our assurance of salvation to the truth symphonically, 120 00:06:42.120 --> 00:06:45.120 we are going to be in a couple different passages today, 121 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:48.120 but I think a good representative passage is First John 122 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:52.360 two twenty one to twenty seven. First John two twenty 123 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:54.839 one to twenty seven. If you would turn with me there, 124 00:06:55.399 --> 00:07:02.560 that would be delightful. John says this in verse twenty one. 125 00:07:04.439 --> 00:07:07.120 I write to you not because you do not know 126 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:10.680 the truth, but because you know it, And because no 127 00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:14.120 lie is of the truth. Who is the liar? But 128 00:07:14.199 --> 00:07:17.959 he who denies that Jesus is the Christ. This is 129 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:22.240 the Antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 130 00:07:23.319 --> 00:07:26.160 No one who denies the son has the Father. Whoever 131 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:29.639 confesses the son has the Father. Also, let what you 132 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:33.480 heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you 133 00:07:33.560 --> 00:07:36.360 have heard from the beginning abides in you, then you 134 00:07:36.439 --> 00:07:39.439 two will abide in the Son and in the Father. 135 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:42.360 And this is the promise that he made to us 136 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:44.759 eternal life. 137 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:48.199 I write these scenes to you about those who are 138 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:51.920 trying to deceive you, But the anointing that you receive 139 00:07:52.040 --> 00:07:55.120 from Him, that is the Holy Spirit abides in you, 140 00:07:55.560 --> 00:07:57.800 and you have no need that anyone else should teach you. 141 00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:02.560 But as his anointing, the Holy Spirit teaches you about 142 00:08:02.839 --> 00:08:05.480 everything and is true and is no lie, just as 143 00:08:05.519 --> 00:08:06.199 it has taught you. 144 00:08:06.759 --> 00:08:09.519 Abide in him. 145 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:15.600 Would you pray with me, God, would you help us 146 00:08:15.639 --> 00:08:19.360 to know and love the truth of your word. Would 147 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:24.240 you help us to receive assurance? Would your children receive 148 00:08:24.279 --> 00:08:27.120 assurance from your word today that we are in you. 149 00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:29.720 God, You are. 150 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:32.279 The one who changes hearts. You are the one who 151 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:34.200 works in our hearts. And so we ask for you 152 00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:36.919 to do that this morning, in each and every one 153 00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:37.240 of us. 154 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:38.399 Amen. 155 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:44.279 All right, this morning, we're going to look at We're 156 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:48.279 going to explore three ways that the truth can give 157 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:52.279 us assurance of our salvation. Three ways if we number one, 158 00:08:52.679 --> 00:08:56.480 if we know the truth, number two if we test 159 00:08:56.600 --> 00:09:00.759 the truth, and number three if we abide in the truth. 160 00:09:02.519 --> 00:09:05.519 Let's start with the first point, knowing the truth right. 161 00:09:05.679 --> 00:09:10.440 Knowing the truth helps give us assurance of our salvation. 162 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:15.559 First John two twenty one says I write to you 163 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:18.639 not because you do not know the truth, but because 164 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:22.320 you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 165 00:09:23.559 --> 00:09:27.279 It is so important for us to start here. One 166 00:09:27.320 --> 00:09:29.960 of the central claims of the Bible is that God 167 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:34.440 has actually revealed himself who he is in this text 168 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:39.080 of scripture. Though he is infinite, though he is eternal, 169 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:43.240 it doesn't mean that he's unknowable. He actually has made 170 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:46.519 himself known through his word. There is ultimate truth that 171 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:49.679 we can be assured of. There is truth that we 172 00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:53.399 can know and put our trust in. John is convinced 173 00:09:53.639 --> 00:09:58.320 that the church already has the truth, that they already 174 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:00.879 know it, and at this point they just need to 175 00:10:00.919 --> 00:10:04.320 stand firm in that. I think that's what John has 176 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:07.799 for us today too. I want to be clear, there 177 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:09.919 is a whole lot of truth that John kind of 178 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:12.320 dips in and out of. So I'm going to try 179 00:10:12.360 --> 00:10:16.879 to synthesize this into kind of three big points, three 180 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:21.039 big truths about Jesus that he wanted to emphasize. The 181 00:10:21.080 --> 00:10:25.320 first one, Jesus is God. Right, this is very important. Well, 182 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:29.039 you need to be clear on this. Jesus is God. 183 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:32.600 The deity of Jesus is one of those truths that 184 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:36.240 John wanted to make sure he defended, make sure that 185 00:10:36.279 --> 00:10:41.120 the people stood firm in Jesus has eternally existed as 186 00:10:41.159 --> 00:10:44.240 the second member of the Trinity, along with the Father 187 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:45.559 and the Holy Spirit. 188 00:10:46.360 --> 00:10:48.120 Eighteen times in this letter. 189 00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:52.200 In first John, John refers to Jesus as the son 190 00:10:52.639 --> 00:10:57.879 or the son of God or the son Jesus Christ. 191 00:10:58.519 --> 00:11:02.320 And while Jesus was still one hundred percent God even 192 00:11:02.360 --> 00:11:05.279 after he was born in the flesh, this is important 193 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:07.960 to say that that he was still God right. Jesus 194 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:11.320 even showed some of his his character traits that that 195 00:11:11.480 --> 00:11:12.879 only God is right. 196 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:17.879 He was. He was omnipotent. There's lots of omnies out there. 197 00:11:17.960 --> 00:11:18.559 He was he was. 198 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:22.799 He was omnipotent. He showed this when he calmed the 199 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:25.000 storm with a word, I can't do that. 200 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:27.279 He did this when. 201 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:30.799 He healed the sick, when he raised the dead. He 202 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:33.519 was showing, yeah, I have the power to do these things. 203 00:11:33.559 --> 00:11:38.519 I'm I'm man, but I am God. He showed his 204 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:41.919 his omniscience when he he knew the thoughts of those 205 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:44.879 around him. I don't even know my own thoughts sometimes 206 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:49.960 much less someone else's. And then at the end of 207 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:53.519 the letter, John gives us this clear affirmation of Jesus 208 00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:56.559 being gone. One John five point twenty. It says, and 209 00:11:56.600 --> 00:11:59.639 we know that the Son of God has come and 210 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:03.360 is get us understanding so that we may know him 211 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:06.200 who is true, and we are in him who is true, 212 00:12:06.759 --> 00:12:10.399 in his son, Jesus Christ, he is the true God 213 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:15.519 and eternal life. That's a first big truth that John 214 00:12:15.559 --> 00:12:17.879 wants us to know. And then he also wants us 215 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:22.679 to know that Jesus is man. Jesus is man, the 216 00:12:23.159 --> 00:12:24.200 humanity of God. 217 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:24.720 Right. 218 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:28.360 At different points these things are under attack from different 219 00:12:28.559 --> 00:12:32.200 false teachings, but the false teacher specifically that John was 220 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:36.519 talking about, we're actually denying that Jesus was a person, 221 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:41.840 that Jesus had flesh, had skin and bones, that Jesus, 222 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:45.440 although he had always been God, had always existed forever. 223 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:47.639 I don't know how long that is, but that's a while. 224 00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:52.799 He was actually born in the flesh about two thousand 225 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:56.320 years ago and became both fully God, which he always was, 226 00:12:56.600 --> 00:13:02.279 and added to that fully man. This wondrous mystery is 227 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:07.320 known as the incarnation. Just like you and me, he 228 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:11.799 was hungry, he was thirsty, he was tired. The God 229 00:13:11.799 --> 00:13:14.080 of the universe needed a nap. 230 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:16.799 That is crazy. 231 00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:24.519 But unlike you and me, he lived a perfect sinless life. 232 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:29.360 There was no thought, no deed, no word that came 233 00:13:29.399 --> 00:13:32.200 out of his mouth that was rude, that was out 234 00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:36.799 of place, that was out of line. He was perfect 235 00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:38.960 in all of his words, in all of his actions, 236 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:42.039 in all of his deeds. One John four to two 237 00:13:42.080 --> 00:13:45.840 gives us this clear affirmation of his humanity as well. 238 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:49.200 By this, you know the spirit of God. Every spirit 239 00:13:49.279 --> 00:13:52.240 that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh 240 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:56.519 is from God. Again, very important God and man. And 241 00:13:56.559 --> 00:13:58.960 then the third big thing John wanted to make sure 242 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:05.559 they knew jesus Us is savior. Jesus is savior, that 243 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:09.279 he is the way to eternal life and salvation. One 244 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:12.840 John four fourteen says, we have seen and testified that 245 00:14:12.919 --> 00:14:16.039 the Father has sent the son to be the savior 246 00:14:16.360 --> 00:14:21.759 of the world. And Jesus died as are as a 247 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:24.399 substitute in the place of those who would put their 248 00:14:24.519 --> 00:14:30.399 trust in him. He took our sins upon himself and 249 00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:33.279 was punished for it so that he could give us 250 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:36.879 his perfection and we could have eternal life, a real 251 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:42.000 relationship with God. A couple of times in First John 252 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:47.000 he uses this big word propitiation, which I don't know 253 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:50.799 about you, but I've never heard outside of a church, right, 254 00:14:50.879 --> 00:14:54.200 I'm not just in the hub parking lot. 255 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:56.840 Oh yeah, I was thinking about propitiation the other day 256 00:14:56.879 --> 00:15:00.720 and what it's a big word. But we don't need 257 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:03.600 to be scared of big words of people. Okay, we 258 00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:05.559 can do this. It's a very important word. 259 00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:10.399 It means that Jesus not only bore our wrath, he 260 00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:14.799 bore our sins. He satisfied God's wrath and actually moved 261 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:17.480 us from being in a place of a place where 262 00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:20.679 we were under God's wrath to being under his favor. 263 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:23.399 All of that is encompassed in. 264 00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:26.840 The word propitiation, and that's why it's so important. We're 265 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:31.440 no longer under his wrath. Jesus is satisfied that and 266 00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:35.840 now we can be his children. All of this was 267 00:15:35.879 --> 00:15:38.639 made complete when Jesus rose from the dead on the 268 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:41.399 third Day and is now with the Father, where one 269 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:44.120 day he will return and set everything right. He will 270 00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:48.120 bring perfect, perfect justice. He will punish those who have 271 00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:52.039 sinned against him and then not trusted him for their salvation. 272 00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:54.960 And he will fulfill the promise that he made in 273 00:15:55.039 --> 00:15:59.679 One John two twenty five, bringing eternal life to those 274 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:05.000 who have trusted in him. These big truths are just 275 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:08.320 a quick summary of what John wanted to make sure 276 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:11.879 that his people knew. And we want to make sure 277 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:15.240 that you know this too, right. Jesus, life, death, and 278 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:19.080 resurrection is the central part of the gospel. So if 279 00:16:19.080 --> 00:16:21.840 you're here today and you don't know these truths about Jesus, 280 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:24.600 or if you have questions about them, please go to 281 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:27.120 the Step one table after the service or men and 282 00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:29.320 women there who will want to talk to you about 283 00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:31.200 these things want to make sure that you understand them. 284 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:34.080 They'll give you a Bible. We've got some books there 285 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:38.200 as well to this one. What is the gospel? 286 00:16:38.279 --> 00:16:38.440 Right? 287 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:41.200 We want to be crystal clear. What is the gospel 288 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:45.440 is knowable? And then who is Jesus again another big thing. 289 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:48.679 If you don't have clarity on who Jesus was, this 290 00:16:48.759 --> 00:16:52.320 will really help you in that really good conversation. 291 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:52.960 Partners. 292 00:16:54.039 --> 00:16:57.159 We want to help everyone here have a relationship with 293 00:16:57.240 --> 00:16:59.799 God based on the truth of who he is. 294 00:17:01.879 --> 00:17:02.159 Now. 295 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:08.240 There is way more to trusting Christ than just knowing 296 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:16.720 the truth. But we can't trust Christ without knowing the 297 00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:21.680 truth about who he is, and that includes those three 298 00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:22.440 big truths we. 299 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:23.480 Just talked about. 300 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:27.599 And putting these truths about the incarnation This is essential 301 00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:30.880 to having faith in him as he has revealed himself, 302 00:17:31.319 --> 00:17:33.720 and we can be assured that we have eternal life 303 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:40.440 when we have a right relationship with the truth. I 304 00:17:40.519 --> 00:17:44.640 love my wife Liz. I will not apologize for this. 305 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:50.880 I love so many things about her. She is godly, 306 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:53.119 she is amazing, and if you don't know her, you should, 307 00:17:53.200 --> 00:17:57.640 really you should get to know her. I love that 308 00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:01.000 she just always wants to be the life of the party. 309 00:18:01.799 --> 00:18:05.319 She just she's so excited to just show up to everything. 310 00:18:05.960 --> 00:18:11.920 And I think her short blonde hair is stunning. And 311 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:15.039 sometimes I just like stare at her in her deep 312 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:21.359 blue eyes and just get lost like an ocean. And 313 00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:23.640 I love that she's so short. I tell her I 314 00:18:23.720 --> 00:18:27.319 joke with her. I'm like, You're like, like, you might 315 00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:29.480 keep growing at some point, but for right now, like 316 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:35.480 you were just pocket sized. Now, what's a problem with 317 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:39.519 what I just said. There's so many problems with what 318 00:18:39.559 --> 00:18:40.039 I just said. 319 00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:43.000 For some of you who. 320 00:18:42.880 --> 00:18:45.079 Don't know her, you're like, Okay, well, that's a guy 321 00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:47.799 who just gave a really weird description about his wife. 322 00:18:48.279 --> 00:18:48.799 That's cool. 323 00:18:50.279 --> 00:18:53.720 But if you know Liz, then you know that the 324 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:59.559 woman I just described is definitely not my wife. Now again, 325 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:02.119 I don't. She is amazing, she is godly, So those 326 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:03.440 things were true. 327 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:06.519 But long brown. 328 00:19:06.279 --> 00:19:12.160 Hair, like very long, very brown, very hair, her eyes 329 00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:16.559 hazel not blue, okay, And she's like six foot tall 330 00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:24.640 and so be a big pocket. And if you don't 331 00:19:24.680 --> 00:19:26.880 know her, you could have been fooled by that, right, 332 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:32.319 it just sounds it sounds good. But if you know her, 333 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:35.240 if you spend time with her, then you saw right 334 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:37.680 through that. And there were several there was so much 335 00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:39.960 laughter that I'm like, Okay, I think they're catching on. 336 00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:41.920 In the same way. 337 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:46.079 I'd love to know how well do we know that 338 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:50.279 the Jesus that we serve, the Jesus that we love. 339 00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:55.839 How much time do we spend getting to know his character, 340 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:59.640 getting to know about him? 341 00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:00.960 Do we know his heart? 342 00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:04.559 Do we actually long to be in relationship with the 343 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:07.920 God of the universe who has come to us so 344 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:13.000 that we might know him. God has has given us 345 00:20:13.079 --> 00:20:16.039 his words so that so that we don't have to guess, 346 00:20:16.119 --> 00:20:16.960 so that we don't have to. 347 00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:17.519 Make stuff up. 348 00:20:17.559 --> 00:20:20.079 He tells us who he is, and so we can 349 00:20:20.119 --> 00:20:23.079 go to his word and see if if what we 350 00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:27.279 have lines up with with with. 351 00:20:27.160 --> 00:20:28.680 What is true about him? 352 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:33.640 Now, if someone came up to you and started describing Jesus, 353 00:20:35.559 --> 00:20:39.960 but this Jesus kind of sounded a little off, right, 354 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:43.240 didn't didn't sound like the Jesus that. 355 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:43.920 We know here? 356 00:20:45.400 --> 00:20:51.559 Would would your spidy senses start going off? And this 357 00:20:51.640 --> 00:20:55.000 actually leads to our second point this morning, testing the 358 00:20:55.079 --> 00:20:59.799 truth right, Testing the truth helps give us assurance of 359 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:00.599 our salvation. 360 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:04.720 Now, remember what these people were going through. 361 00:21:05.079 --> 00:21:08.839 Well known teachers and leaders and friends leave the church 362 00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:12.920 and start preaching another gospel, start talking about another Jesus. 363 00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:15.759 And John is trying to bolster them up, trying to 364 00:21:15.880 --> 00:21:19.519 strengthen them and say, hey, you don't. 365 00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:21.880 Need to question whether you know the real Jesus. You do. 366 00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:24.799 John gives them a simple test here, he gives them 367 00:21:24.839 --> 00:21:29.000 a warning, and he gives them hope for the simple test. 368 00:21:29.079 --> 00:21:32.279 We see it a couple times, but let's reread it 369 00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:37.519 in first John two twenty two and twenty three, where 370 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:40.279 he says who is a liar? But he who denies 371 00:21:40.319 --> 00:21:43.839 that Jesus is the Christ. This is the anti Christ. 372 00:21:44.359 --> 00:21:47.400 He who denies the father and the son. No one 373 00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:51.000 who denies the son has the father. Whoever confesses the 374 00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:56.440 son has the Father. Also, here is a huge test 375 00:21:56.519 --> 00:21:59.680 that we can actually still use today. What does someone 376 00:21:59.799 --> 00:22:02.160 say say about Jesus? 377 00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:02.640 Right? 378 00:22:02.880 --> 00:22:05.400 What does someone say about who Jesus is? 379 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:08.480 Was he just a rabbi? Right? 380 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:12.880 Was he just a guru? Was he just a good 381 00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:17.160 teacher who lived two thousand years ago? Was he merely 382 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:22.799 a prophet and not God himself? Was he God the 383 00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:29.279 Father's greatest creation but not equal to the Father. Or 384 00:22:29.400 --> 00:22:33.079 was he someone that actually became God at his baptism 385 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:36.640 or became God after he lived a good life. These 386 00:22:36.680 --> 00:22:41.799 are all pictures of what people believe about Jesus. But 387 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:48.319 there is more to true theology than just Jesus. But 388 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:52.359 man that has to be our starting point. See in 389 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:54.880 John's day, there were a couple of false teachings that 390 00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:58.160 were kind of in the early stages of development. One 391 00:22:58.200 --> 00:23:02.880 group probably haven't heard of them called the Dosetists. I 392 00:23:02.920 --> 00:23:05.720 don't know what a doseetist is me neither until I 393 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:11.880 studied dostists. These were people who said, well, Jesus only 394 00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:15.720 appeared to be in the flesh, like he just he 395 00:23:15.880 --> 00:23:19.000 seemed like he had a body, but he didn't really 396 00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:23.519 have a body. And this is why John goes through 397 00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:26.519 the pains of emphasizing not just that Jesus was God, 398 00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:30.240 but that Jesus came in the flesh, was skin and 399 00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:33.680 bones as well. Listen to Chapter four, verses one to three. 400 00:23:33.839 --> 00:23:34.319 Belove it. 401 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:36.920