"FOR THE RECORD"
1 JOHN 5:9-13

INTRO: With all the uncertainties of life what a joy it is to know that we have
no need to worry about the future. All who place their trust in Christ
have a Lively Hope and a Blessed Assurance about tomorrow. We are
secure in Christ and thank God, there is nothing that can separate us
from God’s amazing love! Paul said in Romans 8:38-39, "For I am
persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, not depth,
nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." The phrase "I am persuaded" in the
Greek means "I am convinced." Paul exclaims that is impossible to be
separated from Christ. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable
love. Nothing can stop His contant presence with us. God tells us
how great His love is so we will feel totally secure in Him (1).

John expresses the same idea in our text. He declares in v11, "And
this is the record…." The word record here means "evidence given, a
report, testimony, or witness." In a court case, when needed, an
expert witness is called in many times to give testimony on something
important to the case. In the case before us, whether a man can have
eternal life or whether he cannot, God Himself is the expert witness.
And this is the sum of that testimony, that God hath given us a title
to, and the real beginning of, eternal life; and that this is purchased
by, and treasured up in, his Son, who has all the springs and the
fulness of it in himself, to communicate to his body, the church, first
in grace and then in glory (Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary).
This morning I want to speak on the subject, "FOR THE RECORD," as
we think about the glorious and abundant life we have in Christ Jesus
our Lord.

FOR THE RECORD:

(1) BELIEVERS ARE RECIPIENTS OF ETERNAL LIFE
1 JOHN 5:11—"And this is the record, that God hath given to
us eternal life…"

A. Who are the US God mentions here? We do not have to suppose.
God has already given us the answer in v10, "He that believeth on the
Son of God hath the witness in himself…"

B. Why does this bring us assurance? Two Reasons:

1. We have the witness in us—"…He that believeth on the Son of
God hath the witness in himself." God's Spirit dwelling in him
and witnessing that "Jesus is the Lord," "the Christ," and "the
Son of God" (1Jo_5:1, 1Jo_5:5). The witness of the Spirit in the
believer himself to his own sonship is not here expressed, but
follows as a consequence of believing the witness of God to
Jesus' divine Sonship (Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Commentary). We know we are His because His Spirit dwells
within us. There is no such thing as salvation apart from
assurance; we know that we have passed from death unto life;
we know that our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Because of the Witness with us we know WHOM we have
believed and we can say with John, "Hereby we know that He
abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us" (1 John 3:
24) (2).

2. We have the witness of God—"And this is the record, that God
hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." (v11).
What greater assurance do we need? God Himself has testified
that it is ETERNAL. The word here means "perpetual, for ever,
everlasting." Our Lord Jesus came that we might enjoy a life
that is abundant and everlasting; that never changes regardless
of changes all around us, our everlasting life remains the same.
It never changes, it doesn’t grow old, it is never out of date! We
have God’s promise, God’s witness that it is so. And as v9 tells
us, I will take the witness of God over the witness of man any
day! Why? "The witness of God is greater…" The testimony of
God is greater - Of higher authority, and much more worthy to
be received; namely, this very testimony which God the Father,
together with the Word and the Spirit, hath testified of the Son,
as the Saviour of the world (Wesley’s Explanatory Notes).

ILLUS: Harry Ironside tells the following story in his commentary on
John.

A preacher a few years ago after the close of the service went
back to the door to greet the people. A lady troubled about her
soul came along, and he reached out his hand and said to her,
"Well, how is it with you tonight? Are you saved?" She said,
"Oh, I don't know, sir; I hope so." He said, "Well, let me show
you this verse, 'He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting
life.' Do you believe on the Son?" "Oh, I do, sir, I do believe
on Him with all my heart." "Well, then have you everlasting
life?" She replied, "I hope so. I hope I have it." The minister
then asked her to read the verse again. She read it, "He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." "Do you believe on
the Son? "I do." "Then have you everlasting life?" "I hope so, I
certainly hope so." "Read it again please." She read it again –
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." Do you
believe on the Son? Again she replied, "I do!" "Then do you
have everlasting life?" She again replied, "I hope so." "Well,"
the minister said, "I see what the trouble is." She asked, "What
is the trouble?" "Why, the trouble," the minister said, "is that
when you were a girl the spelled very differently than they did
when I was a boy." She said, "What do you mean? I am not
that much older than you." He replied, "When you were a girl
h-a-t-h spelled "hope." When I was a boy h-a-t-h spelled
"hath!" "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life."-
Ironside, _John_, page 132.
(2) THE BELIEVER’S GIFT IS A GIFT FROM GOD
1 JOHN 5:11b—"..God hath given to us eternal life…"

*All of God’s gifts are great gifts, as James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and
every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,
with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." But the greatest
gift God has given is the gift of eternal life to all who believe! Salvation is
a gift—it cannot be earned, it cannot be merited through good living or
sacrificial giving. Salvation is God’s gift to hell-deserving sinners—and
the only way to come into possession of the gift is to receive it from the
Giver (3). GOD’S GIFT IS:

A. A Gift of Love (1 John 4:10; John 3:16). God did not have to send
His Son to die in our place, but out of His great love He did just that!
Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

ILLUS: Greek scholars tell us that the word translated "Commended"
in Romans 5:8 means "to place together; of persons, to intro-
duce to one’s acquaintance and favorable notice; hence, to
commend, to represent as worthy." The same Greek word is
translated "stood with" in the account of Moses and Elijah
appearing on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:32).
Therefore, when God commended His love toward us in setting
forth Jesus to be a propitiation for our sins, God the Father
associated Himself with the death of Christ Jesus on the Cross
for sinners. The marvelous Gospel of the grace of God is a
glorious fact about a glorious act by a glorious God who is love.
Christ Jesus our Saviour dying on the cross commends the
fact of God’s love. The arms of Jesus outstretched on the
cross were the arms of Divine love. Only GOD could stretch
out His arms on the cross for men who should rightfully spend
eternity in hell. It was God the Father who commended His
love toward us in the death of His Son, it was God the Father
who sent His Son that "What the law could not do, in that it
was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:3-4) (4).

ILLUS: "The Cross is the proof that there is no length to which the love
of God will refuse to go, in order to win men’s hearts" (5).

B. A Gift of Life (1 John 5:12; John 10:10). Ephesians 2:1 tells us,
"And you hath he quicked, who were dead in trespasses and sins." Life
is one of the great words of the Scriptures. The word "life" and the verb
"to live" or "to have life" have a depth of meaning.

1.Life is the energy, the force, the power of being.

"Jesus saith unto him, I am...the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me" (John 14:6).
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3).

2.Life is the opposite of perishing. It is deliverance from condemnation
and death. It is the stopping or cessation of deterioration, decay, and
corruption.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life" (John 3:16).
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall
not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto
life....And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation" (John 5:24, 29).
"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John
10:28).

3.Life is eternal. It is forever. It is the very life of God Himself (John
17:3). However, eternal life does not refer just to duration. Living
forever would be a curse for some persons. The idea of eternal life is
also quality, a certain kind of life, a life that consistently knows love,
joy, peace, power, and responsibility.

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have
it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

4.Life is satisfaction.

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that
cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me
shall never thirst" (John 6:35).

5.Life is security and enjoyment.

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have
it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

6.Life is found only in God. God is the source and author of life, and it
is God who has appointed Jesus Christ to bring life to man. Jesus
Christ gives the very life of God Himself to believers.

"For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the
Son to have life in himself" (John 5:26).
"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat
which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man
shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed....And
this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth
the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I
will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:27, 40).
"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:28).
"I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in
one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and
hast loved them, as thou hast loved me" (John 17:23).

7.Life has now been revealed. It has been unveiled and is clearly seen
in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ shows man what life is.

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light
shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not"
(John 1:4-5).
"For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the
Son to have life in himself" (John 5:26).
"(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear
witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with
the Father, and was manifested unto us)" (1 John 1:2).

Note: God gives us life through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Life
only comes to a man by believing in Jesus Christ. A man outside
Jesus Christ only exists. He merely has an animalistic existence.
Real life is found only in God.

(3) THE BEARER AND BRINGER OF THIS GIFT IS THE SON
1 JOHN 5:11c—"..and this life is in the Son."

* "This is one of the clearest statements anyone will ever read, and yet the
masses misunderstand it. They refuse to believe it. Jesus is LIFE, Jesus
is salvation. All believers have eternal life because they have Jesus in
their hearts. He does not show us the way; HE IS the way. He does not
open the door of salvation, HE IS the door. He not only has power to save
us, He is our SAVIOUR. He not only has power to raise us from the dead,
He is the RESURRECTION and the life" (6).

John 11:25

ILLUS: "Salvation is moving from living death to a deathless life."-Jack
Odell, quoted in Lloyd Cory, Quote Unquote (7).

He gave His Life So We could have Life (Hebrews 2:9).
He grants us Life because of Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Corinthians 8:9).

ILLUS: Legendary Spanish artist Pablo Picasso was virtually unknown
when he painted his famous portrait of American writer
Gertrude Stein in 1906. Picasso gave the portrait to Miss Stein
since, as the artist himself recalled with a smile, at that time in
his career "the difference between a gift and a sale was
negligible." Some years later, the portrait attracted the interest
of millionaire art collector Dr. Albert Barnes, who asked Miss
Stein how much she had paid Picasso for it. "Nothing," she
replied. "Naturally, he gave it to me." Dr. Barnes was
incredulous that such a priceless work of art could have been a
gift. If you've ever thought about the gospel for very long, you
can probably appreciate Dr. Barnes's incredulity. Think of
what we have been given in Christ: forgiveness, eternal life, all
the riches of heaven, all at a cost we could have never paid!
But that's not all, we have the privilege of sharing this treasure
with others.

CLOSING: "FOR THE RECORD," God has testified and left us this testimony:
1) BELIEVERS ARE RECIPIENTS OF ETERNAL LIFE, 2) THE
BELIEVER’S GIFT IS A GIFT FROM GOD, and 3) THE BEARER
AND BRINGER OF THIS GIFT IS THE SON. Friend, not only is
eternal life a gift from God, but also it is something we can know
we have. Notice verse 13, look at the repetition in this verse: "…
you that believe on the name of the Son of God…that ye may believe
on the name of the Son of God." God does not need to say anything
but once to make it true, and when there is repetition of the same
words or phrases in one verse of Scripture we may rest assured of
the Divine importanceof those words or phrases. This verse gives
Divine support of the Bible fact that faith is the principle of the
Christian life. Christianity begins in faith, continues in faith,
climaxes in faith—and whatsoever is NOT of faith is sin! We who
are believers do not merely think we are saved, we do not simply
hope we are saved, we do not just feel like we are saved, we are
not, by good works or holy living, "just trying to make it to
heaven." We KNOW that we are saved. The Word of God declares
it and we believe it, because GOD CANNOT LIFE (8).

My question to you today is, "Do you know you are saved?" "Have
You, by faith, ever received God’s free gift?"

NOTES: 1. Living Letters from the Life Application Bible. Pg. 30.
Oliver B. Greene. The Epistles of John. Pg. 105.
Greene. Pg. 198.
Greene. Pp. 161-162.
Albert M. Wells, Jr. Inspiring Quotation-Contemporary &
Classical. Pg. 52.
Greene. Pg. 200.
Charles R. Swindoll. The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart and 1,501
Other Stories. Pg. 503.
8. Greene. Pg. 201.

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