1 John 5:13 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. Imagine for a moment you and I are standing in a room. The door opens and a man enters that looks a whole lot like me. You ask, is this your dad? I respond… I think so, or he might be. In the case that it actually is my dad who entered, that kind of response would crush him! Only one response would be true and appropriate.
Yes! This is my dad, his name is John. As I write this I weep, for my dad went to Heaven in 2015.
Now consider… if we can be so certain about our earthly father, can we not be just as certain concerning our Heavenly Father? Someone asks, are you a Christian? I hope so, I think so, maybe. One is casting doubt on their relationship with the Father in these responses.
The Bible is telling us in our text that we are to KNOW we have eternal life! How do we know?
Because we believe what is written! God cannot lie! One thing the enemy of our soul wants to accomplish in our lives is to cause us to doubt God’s word. If the devil can keep us focused on our own insecurities he knows we will be of no help to others! I know when I die I’m going to Heaven. Not because of anything I do or have done. It is because my faith is not in my performance, but rather in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ! We do not work in order to be saved, we work because we are saved! I did not obey my dad when I was growing up so he would be my dad, but rather because he WAS my dad! See the difference? If you died today, do you know for sure Heaven would be your home? You can know, our Lord wants you to know. After all, that’s why these things are written, that you might believe, and in believing ye shall KNOW that ye have eternal life. Eternal life will never be found in trying, it is to be found in trusting. Trying is what we can do, trusting is in what Jesus has already done, on an old rugged cross. Amen. Pastor