And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 1 John 5:20

We live in what is probably known as the “information age” . With technology today, information is available at our fingertips, literally. When we are having conversations with people today or giving sermons, people are “fact-checking” while we are talking. Which is good, we all need to know the truth. The problem is most of the information available online is false. People rely upon Google or AI as their source of truth, this is a grave mistake, as you will easily be deceived and misled

So how can we know the truth? Well Jesus said “I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life” (John 14:6) Christ is the living Word of God in the flesh, there is no better source of truth than the living God. If you truly want to “fact check” someone, compare what they say against scripture. The Word of God is our source of truth, if what people are saying contradicts the Word of God, then don’t believe them. You might say “Why should I put that much faith in the Bible”? Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, affirming who He is, affirming that every word in the Bible is true, as Jesus said ““These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” (Luke 24:44)

The Apostle John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit says this “the Son of God is come, and has given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true” Jesus Christ is the truth, and Christ will also give us the understanding of truth, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth,  to be our teacher , guide, and counselor (John 14:26) If you don’t want to be deceived, put your faith in Christ as your Lord

Jesus also said “I have come into this world to testify of truth” Pontius Pilate responded rhetorically “What is Truth”? (John 18:37-38) This is the same attitude of the world today, people want to believe there is no foundational truth, that whatever we believe in our mind becomes truth, this is why we see the insanity of the world today. But we know this is not logical or reasonable, we know their is inherit truth in the world. For example the laws of mathematics will always be true, 0+0 will always equal 0, even though Atheists like to believe otherwise, it goes against all logic and reasoning

The Apostle John finishes by saying “And we are in him that is true” If you want to know the truth, then seek the truth, and Jesus Christ is the truth. If your tired of being deceived by this world, if your tired of being misled by mass confusion of this world, turn to Jesus Christ and put your full faith and trust in him! Amen!

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 that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. 1 John 5:16-17

One of the many reasons you should belong to a Church community is to be held accountable in your walk with Christ. Alot of people don’t want to “go to Church” simply because their conscience has the guilt of their sins upon them. Many people feel by neglecting the Church they can neglect their sins. We need to remember Jesus said this Christian walk would be a “Narrow path and very few will find it” (Matthew 7:14) 

We must remember God is full of grace and mercy, his forgiveness is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23) Don’t allow your sin to keep you away from Jesus, as Christ paid the penalty for your sins on the cross, we need to repent and turn away from our sins and turn to Christ as our Lord (Mark 1:15), we have been reconciled back to God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:18)  Allow the Holy Spirit to continue to work in you and conform you into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29)

As the Apostle John says here “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin, he will ask, and he will give him life” When you see a brother or sister stuck in sin, what is your response? Do you gossip about them behind their back? How about praying for them? Have you prayed for your brothers and sisters to deliver them from the temptation of the evil one? A praying Church is a powerful Church as Charles Spurgeon said, as we read the words of The Lords Prayer , every day is going to be a spiritual battle!

Have you talked to your brother or sister in Christ? Being part of a Church is being part of a family of God. If you see someone struggling, why don’t you reach out to them and talk about it. What’s going on in their life? Are they going through a great battle they feel like they can’t overcome? Let them know we are united in Christ, there is power in the blood of Christ and the sanctification Holy Spirit. 

Now the Apostle John mentions there are some sins that we shouldn’t pray for? “There is sin leading to death, I do not say we should pray about that” What sin is the Apostle referring to? I think we can speculate he is referring to the “Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 12:31, Luke 12:10, Mark 3:29) If someone rejects Christ, there is no hope for them, “God has give them up over to their own depraved and reprobate mind” (Romans 1:28)

Our responsibility as the Church is with each other, we need to be there for one another, and they will be there for you also. To neglect the body of Christ, is to allow your brothers and sisters to fall away, sometimes into eternal damnation. Don’t forsake the Church (Hebrews 10:29) Amen!

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1 John 5:14-15

Today’s Christianity has become a “consumer Christianity” it’s all about what can God do for me? What can the Church do for me? It’s all about keeping us entertained and feeling good. But people who fall for this false gospel will quickly be disappointed and realize, Gods not here for him to serve us, we are here to serve God. As Jesus said “If anyone wants to be my disciple (Christian) they must deny themselves, carry their cross, and follow me (Christ)” (Matthew 16:24)

Most Christians are familiar with The Lord’s prayer, and most of you recite it on Sunday or maybe everyday, but do you actually take the time to listen to these words of Christ? “Your kingdom come, Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10) When you declare these words to God, do you really mean them? Are you really asking for God’s Kingdom to come now? Are you really asking to do God’s will? Because the reality is , most Christians want their own will be done and to build their own Kingdom where they are the King, this is not Biblical Christianity

As the Apostle John says “If we ask anything according to His will, he hears us” Many people will complain “God didn’t answer my prayer”, the question you should ask yourself, did you ask in the will of God? Everything we do should be in the will of God, remember when Jesus told his disciples he was going to the cross, Peter rebuked Jesus and said “may it never be” What was Christ’s response? Get behind me Satan, For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Mark 8:32-33)

Gods will was Jesus was going to the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins and to rise again on the 3rd day defeating sin and death. Peter’s will was for Jesus to neglect the cross and establish the Messianic Kingdom now. Peter’s heart might have been in the right place, but he was wrong, Christ needed to die for the sins of the world to bring salvation to the world. God knows better than us, this is why we ask for Gods will to be done. 

If we ask anything according to Gods will , God will hear us! We must be obedient and stay in the will of God. This will sometimes disappoint us, as we often believe we know best, however we don’t. To be a disciple of Christ we must be in obedience and submission to Christ, as Christ is our Lord and King. Christianity isn’t just a checkbox you check off on a form, Christ is your life, and you live to fulfill the will of God

I’ll end with the Apostle John “We know that we have the petitions or requests that we desired of him” We are praying for Gods will to be done, not the requests we desire of ourselves, because we are not our own, we were bought with a price, by the Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Corinthians 6:20)  Amen

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:11-13

The question or challenge I would like to ask you today, is do you believe in eternal life? Often this question makes people stop and think, because this question isn’t about religion or beliefs, this is about the state of your soul. Many will try to run away from God by stating their distrust in religion, however nobody can run away from death. We are all under the death sentence because of the curse of sin. This is the reality of everyone’s world, however God has provided a solution for sinners just like you and me

As the Apostle John says “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” The next question is “Do you want eternal life”? Alot of people have endured great pain and suffering in this world, to the point of eternal life doesn’t sound very good. But realize this eternal life is an eternity of no more pain, no more death, no more sorrow (Revelation 21) This is an eternal paradise where we can return to our glorified state, in which God intended for us in the beginning

As the Apostle John says “He that has the Son has life, and he that has not the Son has not life” There is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ (John 14:6, Acts 4:12) If you are not Born Again in Christ, you don’t have salvation. The world will promise you many different paths to eternal life, however there is only one way to eternal life, Jesus Christ. You might ask why? Because Christ is God who became flesh, and paid the penalty for your sins, there is no other who can do this for you! God has provided the way, and that way is Jesus Christ!

“Believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know you have eternal life” Put your full faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and you will be saved! It sounds so simple, yet many don’t fully trust in The Lord for salvation. They rather trust religious works or worldly schemes, but do you fully trust in Jesus Christ for the salvation of your soul? Did you completely surrender your life to Christ? Is Christ truly your Lord or Master?

“Believe on the name of the Son of God” If you want eternal life, repent of your sins and put your full faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. There is no other way for salvation, live for Jesus because Christ has already died for you! Amen!

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 1 John 5:9-10

The Word of God is greater than the word of man. Ever since the beginning, man has been trying to make themselves “like God”, man has followed the errors of Satan to believe they can exalt themselves, man believes he doesn’t need God, that he can rule over himself. And what happens is what we are seeing today in society, total depravity overruns the human race as God has given them up to a debased or reprobate  mind (Romans 1)

As the Apostle John says under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit “The witness of God is greater than the witness of men ” Today we see liberal , progressive “Christians’ ‘ who want to rewrite and reinterpret the Bible to fit their agenda. They will say “The BIble is not the Word of God” they will say “These are not literal stories in the BIble” and so this gives them their justification to rewrite the Bible in their mind and make up a false god of their liking. 

This is the same thing Satan has been doing since the garden of Eden, “You surely won’t die” (Genesis 3:4)  Satan tried to rewrite the Word of God to Adam and Eve, however Satan is a liar and Adam and Eve spiritually and physically died in paradise. The Word of God stating “In the day you will eat of it, you will surely die” (Genesis 2:7) The Word of God will always be true and the words of man are false. Don’t put your faith and trust in a fallen world with fallen people, salvation is in Christ alone

So how do we overcome this curse of death from the wages of our sins? (Romans 3:23) As the Apostle John states “He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself, He who does not believe has made him a liar” There is the dividing line once again, are you Born Again in Christ or are you still dead in your trespasses? (John 3, Ephesians 2)

Who is the witness that lives inside of you? It’s the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, that shall regenerate you and indwell inside of you, teaching you the things of God. Without the Holy Spirit you are walking in darkness, being deceived by the lies of this world and Satan. The Word of God is our standard of truth, without the Word of God how do we evaluate truth in a deceived world?

As Jesus said “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32) Jesus Christ will set you free from sin and death, and will give you the Holy Spirit to guide you through this life, Amen!

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5

Life is not easy, this is a simple truth that everyone can agree upon. And when you become a Born Again Christian, life can become even harder, as Jesus said “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first” (John 15:18) But we need to remember ultimately no matter how hard life gets, we have the final victory in Jesus Christ. Whatever schemes or plans Satan has to come against us, remember “It Is Finished”, Christ has already defeated Satan at the cross! You are victorious through Jesus Christ

The Apostle John says this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit “Whoever is Born of God (Born Again) overcomes the world” Wow think about that, whoever calls upon the name of The Lord , whoever is washed in the blood of Christ, whoever is baptized with the Holy Spirit, has already overcome the world! You don’t need to be afraid of Satan and the demons, they need to be afraid of You! 

As the Bible says “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17) The question is, do you really believe that you are victorious in Jesus Christ? Do you really believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who defeated sin and death forever? If you say you believe this, is your life reflecting this? Faith is an action, an allegiance to God, if we claim to have faith in Christ, then let our lives demonstrate this! 

So how do you overcome the world? The Apostle John says “He that believes Jesus Christ is the Son of God” The original Greek word here translated as “believe” is Pistis, the same word that faith is often translated as. When you see Believe and Faith in the English Bible, they are typically used interchangeably. Believing in Jesus Christ, means having true faith in Christ as Lord, that you submit to his authority as your Master!

We overcome the world because Christ has already overcome the world (John 16:33) Our identity , our hope, and our victory is in and through Jesus Christ our Lord! You are victorious in Christ because you have been Born Again as a Child of God and a Temple of the Holy Spirit, Amen!

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 1 John 5:1-3

What is the difference between the true believer and the false believer? As Jesus said “Unless you are Born Again, you can’t see the Kingdom of Heaven” (John 3:3) The dividing line between the wheat and the tare, the sheep and the goat, is the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. While we look at the state of Christianity today, it’s a mess, how do we decipher the true remnant from the false convert? There has to be a regeneration of the Holy Spirit, as the Apostle Paul said “You are either Alive in Christ or dead in your sins” (Ephesians 2)

Notice what the Apostle John says here “Everyone who believes Jesus is The Christ is Born of God” What does “Born of God” mean? Well as I quoted earlier the teaching by Jesus is the gospel of John, its about being Born Again, the regeneration of the soul in Christ. A Christian has become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) Not only do you put your faith in Christ for your salvation, but you have received a new heart, a new mind, your life has been totally transformed by Jesus.

As the Apostle Paul says “Nobody can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3) The confession that Christ is Lord, is the first step to your salvation. It’s evidence of the Holy Spirit working inside of you, however does your relationship end there? Do you quench the Holy Spirit after this? Are you being led and driven by the Holy Spirit, just as Christ was in the wilderness? (Matthew 4, Luke 4)

The Apostle John goes on to say “By This We Know We love the Children of God, WHEN we love God and Keep His Commandments” How are we known as true Christians? We are known by our love and actions, this is evidence of the Holy Spirit. If we truly confess to be Christians then we keep Gods commandments. But you say, didn’t Christ fulfill The Law? (Matthew 5:17) Yes Christ has fulfilled The Law, but The Law of God is written in our hearts by The Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:3, Romans 2, Ezekiel 36:26)

As Jesus said “You will be known by your fruits” (Matthew 7:16) If you are wondering if someone is a “true Christian” check their fruit. Does their lifestyle align with the Word of God? Are they walking in the Spirit or walking in the flesh? Have you received the Holy Spirit? Have you been baptized with the Holy Spirit? (John 3:5) To be a Child of God you must be Born of God in Jesus name, Amen!

We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. 1 John 4:19-21

If I asked you “Do you love Jesus”? Many of you might say “Yes” or if I ask you “Are you a Christian”? Many of you would say “Yes”, but why? Why do you love Jesus? Why are you a Christian at all? Well the scripture is clear, we love Jesus because He loved us first! This is the amazing love of God, that he pursued us first , before we had any care for God whatsoever. It’s by the love of Christ you are saved, not by ourselves.

As the Apostle Paul said “God demonstrated His love towards us, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) I want you to really meditate upon what was just said there, while we still hated God, while we were still dead in our sins, Christ already willingly laid down his life to pay for our sins, God demonstrated His love towards us, He loved us first before we could even possibly have loved Him. That’s the amazing love and grace of God!

Now Jesus summed up The Law by saying “Love God and Love Your Neighbor”this is the fulfillment of The Law(Matthew 22, Mark 12) If you truly love God, because He loved you first, you must also love your neighbor as yourself, otherwise you are a liar and a hypocrite. Notice what the Apostle John says here “If a man says I love God, and hates his brother, he is liar” You can’t say you are a Christian and hate the Church, you can’t say you love Christ and hate this person and that person, the Holy Spirit is not within you.

Your question is “Why should I love my neighbor”? Your neighbor might not “love” you, in fact your neighbor might hate and persecute you. But remember we love because Christ loved us first. We don’t deserve the love of God but He loves us anyway, we don’t deserve the grace and mercy of God, but he gave it to us anyway. The same, your neighbor might not deserve to be loved, but love them anyway because Christ has loved us first. As Jesus said “Love your enemies and bless those who curse you” (Matthew 5:44)

As the Apostle John said “He who loves God, must love his brother also” Did you forget that you were dead in your sins when Christ brought you back to life? Did you forget you were the prodigal son living with the pigs, until the Father called you home? We love because Christ has loved us first, Amen!