Turning in our Bibles then to 1st John chapter 5, 1st John chapter 5 and we are reading just, we'll break into the chapter at the verse 18 and we will read from verse 18 down to the end of the chapter and just while you're turning that up, you know sometimes You come to the end of a Bible study, and as I come to the end of the Bible study personally, and I think about what we've looked at over the past number of months, I wonder how much has actually gone in myself, to me. How much have I learned? How much have I taken to heart from the Word of God? And I suppose then, by extension, I start to wonder how much has gone in with everyone else. So I'm not going to say any more than that. I just pray that the Word of God has taken a resting place in your hearts and that we have all learned from it and we don't forget it quickly because When we're dealing with the Word of God, we're dealing with eternal truth. We're dealing with the only thing that is fully truth in this world today. There's nothing else that we can say that is absolute truth in this world other than the Word of God. So when we come to the Word of God and we come to Bible study, we remember that and we don't set it aside easily because, well, we think it maybe doesn't suit us or anything like that. I just trust that as we conclude the Bible study tonight that the lessons we have learned from this epistle of John will take root in our hearts. 1 John chapter 5 and the verse 18, the Word of God says, We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not, but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God has come and has 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. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen, amen. Do you know, whenever we looked at the last Bible study, the previous section in this chapter two weeks ago, we considered the pattern of supplication, supplicatory prayer that John outlined for the early believers in the church. And we remember the generation that he was writing to, as we looked at that, going back to the start of our studies, the generation, it was third-generation Christians, largely. And by that stage, things had started to change in the church, and there were things that were creeping in that were not according to the teaching that should have been there. And John has come to encourage them, he's come to teach them, he's come to instruct them. And one of the things that he's instructed them on is the pattern for prayer and how they ought to pray for one another. And we noted two weeks ago when we looked at that about the pattern for prayer, how we can have confidence in our prayer life. As believers, we can have confidence when we come in prayer before our Father. We also noted that we ought to have clarity in our prayer life. We know what we're praying about, we know who we're praying for, and we bring that to the Lord. And then the final thing that John really highlighted was that there ought to be compassion in our prayer life. And the thrust, remember, of John's letter, as we've looked at it the whole way through, the thrust very clearly has been the theme of love, loving one another and loving God's people and loving the Lord. And when you bring that into the realm of prayer and you consider this idea about having compassion in our prayer life, well really what the obvious conclusion for us is this, that as people who ought to love one another, one of the ways that we can demonstrate that, one of the ways that we can learn actually to do that and to love one another more is to pray for one another and to bring one another before the throne of grace. And I quoted E. M. Bynes. E. M. Bynes is known as a great man of prayer. And E. M. Bynes said this, he said, talking to men for God is a great thing. And so it is. But talking to God for men is a greater thing still. And so it is. And that's the overriding focus of that little section there. It's something that, as God's people, we ought to remember to practice in our daily lives. And do you know, if we really do practice that, as a body of believers who are gathered together as a local church, if we really do practice this idea of praying for one another in the church, of holding one another before the throne of grace, Whenever we know that others are perhaps having difficulties, or we know perhaps that there's, even that there's perhaps conflict, that we pray for one another, because that's what will make a difference in the church of Jesus Christ. As we noted that, and we have noted that, we're gonna move on now to this conclusion. of John's epistle. It's a lengthy letter. When you read it all together, we have taken it in small bites. I think this is week 28, and we've come to the end of it now. But as you come to the conclusion of his letter, you'll notice that he wraps it up In a sense, he concludes in the way he started. He talked at the start about the things that we know, or the things that believers should know. And we looked at that in the very early studies. And he talked about how the things that they should know should impact upon their lives as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then when we come to these verses, do you see that theme comes through again? He starts off in verse 18 with this idea of we know. But it doesn't just say that in verse 18. It says it in verse 19 and verse 20 as well. We know, we know, we know all of those things are there. And these are John's final words, and he's just reinforcing what is happening. So as we come to the final words here, John is reminding us, first of all, really the whole theme here from verse 18 down is that we should know that we are not of this world. And that's what's going to come through as we look at this study this evening. We should know, as the people of God, that we are not of this world. This world has nothing for us. Do we believe that tonight? Or are we busy looking for things in this world that will satisfy us, even in the church? This world has nothing for the church. It has nothing for the Christian. And as believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we should know that. And we should be those who stand out in this world as not looking for satisfaction in the things of this world. And I think if we're honest, all of us, we do know that. but it's whether we actually apply it to our lives and live it out as we ought to. That's actually where the challenge comes in. There's a challenge for us tonight. There's encouragement in what we read tonight, but there's a challenge in this reminder that John is giving to the believers, and so he gives it to us. So I want you to notice three things here this evening. I want you to see, first of all, in verse 18, that we know that our pattern is not of this world. Our pattern is not of this world. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not, but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. Now William Macdonald in his commentary, as he's writing about this conclusion that the apostle John is bringing us to here, he writes this, he says, John brings his epistle to a majestic close by reiterating the great certainties of the Christian faith. And that's what we see in these verses. And this first thing is this, we know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not. What does that mean? Very simply, it's this, that as those who follow Christ, as those who are claiming the name of Christ and declaring that we love him and that we live for him, we know that we ought not to live our lives with a pattern of sin. We don't demonstrate the old character as those who are followers of Christ, or we should not be demonstrating the old character. Really the point here is that we ought not to practice habitual sin in our lives. Remember the studies that we did in Colossians chapter three, going back now, oh, could be two years or more, in Colossians chapter three on the risen man or the risen life. And Paul there, as he writes to the believers in Colossae, he tells the believers there, and by implication, he tells us, because it's in the word of God for our learning, that we are to seek to mortify the flesh or put the flesh to death. Now, it's not implying, neither Paul was implying, and nor is John implying, that we can reach a level of sinless perfection. That's not possible in this life. We will all fall. We will all let the Lord down. We will all fail at times, and you don't need me to tell you that. And I don't need you to tell me that either. We all know what we are, and we're all in that same boat. We all, at times, make those mistakes, and we're in that battle in the spiritual life, and we're in a battle for spiritual growth. And we know that we have spiritual life in Christ. We know that we are in Christ. We know that we're a redeemed people. But growth, as Christians, is a constant struggle in a godless world. And the point that John is making here in this verse 18 where he says, we know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not, he's making this point about a persistent pattern of sin. You see, the word that's translated there is sinneth. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not. That word sinneth is in the present continuous tense. So it's clearly speaking about a pattern of life, about an ongoing behavior, about how we live our lives. Now given that all that John has already said in this letter, and given what we've studied, really what we have here in this conclusion is more a reinforcement. It's reinforcing the truth of what we have already learned. It's not that John is introducing at the very end of his letter something new or something different, something that they've never heard before. In fact, if you go back two chapters to 1 John 3 and verse 9, you find almost exactly the same words. John says there, whosoever is born of God does not commit sin. So what he's saying at the end, As he's reminding the believers of the things that they ought to know, he's reminding us as Christians of the things that we ought to know, what he's really doing is reinforcing this truth that we are new in Christ Jesus, that we have that new life. We are those who are born of God, as he uses the phrase here, whosoever is born of God. We've been born again, we know the phrase. Remember how Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and he asked him, what must I do to be saved? And Jesus said, you must be born again. You must be born again. And that's the same implication here. We are those who are born again. We are born of God. And the point that John is making is because we're born of God, we have to live like it. We have to endeavor to live after that fashion. But John, in the middle of the verse here, and whenever you go into the original, there's a slightly different tense or a slightly different tone that comes across here. In the middle of this verse, John reminds us of the one who sets the pattern for us. Because John says, we know that whosoever is born of God sendeth not, but then he says, but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself. Now there's a difference there. Who is the one who's begotten of God? Who's the one who's the only begotten Son? It's the Lord Jesus Christ. It's Christ he's speaking about in the middle of this verse. He that is begotten of God. We're born of God, but he's begotten. And that's really the implication in the middle of the verse. So what John is saying here is there is one who has saved us, and he's the one who keeps us. He that is begotten of God keepeth himself. But the implication is that he keeps us too. He holds us as well. We're in Christ. We have been redeemed by the work of Christ. We are new creatures in Christ, and we live after the way that he has demonstrated for us, or we strive to live as he is our example. We are kept by him. So we have this security in our lives as believers. And what John's really saying in this verse is that we are those who are in Christ, we are those who are being kept securely by Christ, we are those who cannot be removed from that position by the wicked one. And that's what verse 18 goes on and says, that wicked one toucheth him not. Who's the wicked one? Well, the wicked one's the devil. He touches us not. We have a wonderful security here. a wonderful thing that should bless our hearts at all times. Because while we are striving and while we're endeavoring to live for God, as those who are secure in Christ, we have peace with God. Sometimes we struggle, and sometimes we have difficulties with certain things in our lives. but this assurance should bring joy to our hearts. And it not only should it bring joy to our hearts, but it should cause us to reflect upon how we're living our lives. That the one who died for us is the one who holds us, he's the one who keeps us, and therefore our lives should be given over to him. And that should be something that motivates us more than anything else, to live godly lives. We're to strive to live godly in Christ Jesus. Isn't that what the word of God says? Maybe sometimes we behave in certain ways because of who we're with or because of the company that we're with. Maybe we do certain things or we don't do certain things because of who we're with. And maybe we're living a life that we don't necessarily always live when we're in the presence of others is the point I'm making. But do we ever contemplate, do we really grasp this fact that we're always in the presence of the one who holds us securely? It doesn't matter who else is there. We're always in his presence. We're always with him. Our lives aren't lived out of his sight. He always is there. And those secret things that we do, Those things that perhaps we say behind closed doors, those things that we think, those things that if we think about them and we do them and we act upon them and we say them, and those are things that perhaps we wouldn't reveal to others. We wouldn't even reveal sometimes the thoughts in our minds to our nearest and dearest for fear of shame and embarrassment if we're truthful, if we're absolutely honest about it. Do we ever consider the fact that all of those things are open in the presence of the one who holds us securely? In Hebrews 11 and 27, we read about the faith of Moses, and it talks there about how he endured, seeing him who is invisible. As I thought about that phrase this week, this idea of seeing him who is invisible, and as I was thinking about this study, and I was thinking about that verse, and I began to think about the application of that principle in light of how we live our lives. Do we live our lives as seeing him who is invisible? That's why Moses endured. He endured as seeing him who is invisible. He knew the Lord was there. at all times, in all circumstances, in every situation. And if that was something that we brought into our lives, you see, our faith is made manifest in how we live before God. We're to endure in the battle against sin, and we're to be those who strive to sin not. Because as far as the reality is, God's always there. Moses couldn't see the visible person of God, but he knew by faith he was there, and so he endured. And we're the same. We're to be those who have that same faith in every situation and in every circumstance. But you know, the devil has nothing on us. The devil has nothing that can cause him to be able to come and grasp us or to take us out of the hand of the Lord. The devil can come and cast up our failings to us. And the devil can come and he can put temptation in our way. But the devil can never take us out of the hand of the great high priest who holds us. In fact, the picture here, whenever it talks about he that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not, that means the wicked one touches us not. And the picture here is that we are in Christ and the devil can't touch us. In fact, it's as though the picture actually that's painted is as though the Savior is keeping him at arm's length. He's keeping him at a distance from us. He's held at a distance from those who are endeavoring to live faithfully and endeavoring to live for the Lord. John Phillips describes it very well. He says, Satan is forced to keep his distance from any child of God who's seeking to maintain a victorious life under the protection of the Son of God. No device of Satan can sever the bond between the believer and Christ. No child of God can be seized by Satan and snatched out of the Lord's almighty hand. That's really the picture here. So in light of that, and in light of this fact that our pattern is not to be of this world and that we're held secure in Christ, the challenge for us is this, are we striving? Are we endeavoring to be in that right place where we are close to the Lord? Or are we giving in to the flesh? Because there's one of two options there. In the pattern of our life, determines the closeness of our relationship with our Savior. The pattern of life determines the closeness of our relationship with Christ. So we see our pattern is not of this world, and we know that. But look at verse 19. We see that our place is not in this world, because verse 19 says, and we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. We know that we're of God. and the whole world lieth in wickedness. So the second thing here, which we can have assurance of, the second thing that we can be comforted by, is that because we're of God, we're not of this world, we have an eternal home. If we're not of this world, then we are of another world. And that other world is our eternal home. And let me say something, our eternal home is nothing like this world. Nothing like it at all. This world lies in wickedness. That's what the word of God says here. The world, the whole world, lies in wickedness, and that's literal. It lies in the power of the wicked one. That's the literal translation of that phrase, that this whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. Now if we set this against the previous verse, against verse 18, where the devil, the wicked one, can reach for us, but he cannot remove us from the hand of the Father. So as we are in this world and we're not of this world, because this world is currently his domain, he's the wicked one. And if he can't reach us because we're held close by the Savior, does that not show us our security? Do you know what Jesus told his followers? He said, the prince of this world cometh. Who's the prince of this world? It's the wicked one, it's the devil. It tells us here the whole world lieth in wickedness, literally the whole cosmos, absolutely everything, absolutely everything in this world, everything that is designed in this world. There's nothing here that provides eternal satisfaction for the Christian. There's absolutely nothing in this world for the Christian which is of any eternal value at all. I don't care what it is that's going through people's minds. I don't care what it is that this world out there says, what about this, what about that, what about the other? And I don't care about the things that might take our attention for a momentary time. There's nothing in this world that is of any eternal value. This whole world lieth in the hands and in the power of the wicked one." That's what the Word of God says. There's a clear contrast set in this verse between those who are in Christ and those who are not in Christ. It says, we know that we are of God, so we're the we. Those who are saved are included in that one little word, we. We know that we are of God. Those who are not saved, they're included in the phrase, the whole world. And do we see that? Those who are not saved are subject to another authority, they're under another authority, subject to the God of this world. And the Bible teaches us this. According to their current standing outside of Christ, they are currently at enmity with God, enemies of God. But we're not, because we're of God. What does that tell us? What does all of this teach us in this one verse? It simply tells us this. This world is not our home. It's not our home. Praise God, it's not our home. Can you imagine as the old apostle John aged in years? We don't know what his health was like, whether he was infirmed, whether he had mobility problems, and all of those things, and he's been, bear in mind that he's gonna be exiled, or he's exiled on the Isle of Patmos, and as he's writing to these young believers, and he's trying to encourage them about these fundamental and foundational principles of the faith, John knew they were gonna be challenged. John knew they were going to face difficulties. He knew they were going to be tempted in this old world. He knew that there were things that were going to come across their path that would take their attention. He knew there were things that were going to come across their path that would distract them from the things that were eternal. He knew all of that. He knew they were going to face opposition. He knew they would face resistance in the world and from the world. And he knew that they wouldn't have all the answers to the world's ideologies, and neither do we. No matter what we might think, we don't have all the answers to the world's ideologies. We might not be able to coherently argue against everything that society throws at us, and we might not be able to be the great world's apologists in terms of defending our faith. We might not know everything, and we don't. We're only scratching the surface. But I'll tell you what we do know. And I'll tell you what each one of us can say. As John says, we are of God. And that's all we need. That's all the assurance we need. We can say with the apostle Paul, I know whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded that he's able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. And that's the basis of everything for us. That's the basis of everything for the Christian, that we have committed everything into his hands. We have committed our very eternity. The most important thing that we have, the most valuable thing that each one of us has is our eternal soul. And we have committed that into his hands. And we know that. We're not looking to find value in this world. We shouldn't be. If as a Christian, we're pinning our hopes, we're pinning our dreams upon temporal things, and we're running after the next thing of value and the next thing that everybody else wants and we think we need it too because that's what's gonna make us happy. And we're looking at others and we're thinking, I wish I had what they have because that would make me happy. Our focus is on the wrong thing. We're being distracted by the world. The hope of the Christian isn't in the world. The hope of the Christian is in eternity. Our hope is outside of anything that this world, this old, wicked world offers. People are searching for many things today. People are searching for peace, searching for contentment. And listen, peace doesn't come when a world is full of wickedness. Contentment doesn't come in a world that's full of trouble. It comes in something else, it comes from something else. Sometimes we might get moments of what we can call peace, and really peace is, in many ways, it's just the absence of trouble. At least that's what our definition of it is in time. The moments whenever we will get the most peace in our lives is when we're simply resting in our God. when we're simply trusting in him. But peace that lasts, peace that will be lasting will only come, truly only come whenever we are in our eternal home, not a moment before. Remember what Paul said to the Corinthian believers? He said, now we see through a glass darkly, but then, face to face, now I know in part, but then shall I know even as I am known. It's only then, face to face, only then will we truly know the fullness of what God has for us. It's like whenever you, Paul and Paul was talking there, it's like going to get your photograph taken for your driving license or for your passport, and it gives a likeness. It's not always a very pleasant likeness, and particularly when you're not allowed to smile, it makes it even worse sometimes for those things. It just gives a likeness, but it's not the person. It's not the whole. We see through a glass darkly now. But then, that word then is so important. There's so much wrapped up in one word there. But then, face to face. When we enter our eternal home, our eternal destination, we will fully only realize then that we are finally home. This world isn't our home. And what a joy it will bring when we enter into the presence of our Savior, when we finally leave this wicked world. We know that we're of God. Our pattern's not of this world. Our place is not in this world. I want you to see in verse 20, our provision is not from this world. Because John goes on and he says, and we know that the Son of God has 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. Now, if you take that little phrase there at the start, we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding. Now, flick back just to 1 John chapter one. We're looking at the first four verses here again. And as we read these verses here, I want you just to read along with me as I'm reading. It says, 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. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son, Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. John, at the very start of the letter, introduces the whole letter by focusing upon the coming of Christ into this world. That's what those verses are about, that Christ has come. And he focuses upon the fact that he knew him. that John knew Christ, that he'd walked with him, and he'd talked with him, and he'd learned with him, and he'd leaned upon him, and all of those wonderful privileges that John had because he knew the person of Christ. And John, as he has written those opening words, he has expounded thereupon the reason for his coming. Why did he come? He came that we might have life. He came that we might fellowship with Him. He came that we might live for Him, and He came so that our joy may be full. And that's what it says, that our joy may be full. So now as you come to the end of the letter, and John's concluding, he's wrapping it all together, and he returns to this theme, the theme of the coming of the Lord. He says, we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true. What's he saying here? He says he's come, and it's true. We know him, and we know it's true. We know who he is. He's the one who brings us real eternal life, who has given us eternal life. We can't attain eternal life ourselves. We can't work it up. We couldn't do that. We're not able. We're not fitted for it. This world can't give it to us. This world is a wicked place. That's what John has said in verse 19. The whole world lieth in wickedness. Life comes from the Son of God. That's what he says at the end here. The Son of God who has come. So that's an affirmative statement. It's not John making a proposition. It's not John saying this is a possibility, this is a probability. John says this is something that we know. that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him, that is true. And John speaks here about what we know. He declares it as truth in this verse. Do you see that? See the word truth three times. He says 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. If you reverse the phrasing there in those first two little times that he says that is true, it maybe helps us to understand it a little bit better. He says, he has given us an understanding, and it is true that we know him. That's where we are. It is true that we know him. And it is true that we are in him. We've already developed that thought a little bit tonight already. We're in Him, we have that security in Him, we have hope and we have assurance for all of our eternity. But you know why John here, as he's come to the conclusion, is emphasizing this thought of truth? He's doing that because of the growing influence of false teachers. who are seeking to lead the church astray, seeking to lead believers astray, teaching false things about Christ, and John is simply saying, do you see anything else you hear about Jesus Christ? It's not true. This is truth. This is the word of truth. And it's the same for us today. We're in Christ, and it's true. We have hope. And it's true. We have assurance, and it's true. We have nothing to fear because we're in Christ. And that's true. People today, sadly, sadly in the church, and we alluded to this on Sunday morning past, people just won't accept that Jesus is enough. They won't accept it. We're so busy trying to grasp onto the world's crutches, as it were, to lean upon the things that this world offers, when all we need to do is grasp Christ, hold onto Him. See, if we're in Him, there's nothing that can touch us, there's nothing that can harm us if we stay close to Him. No matter what challenges we face in this wicked world, no matter what difficulties come our way, and no matter where they come from, Doesn't matter whether it's external pressures, whether it's temptations, doesn't matter whether it's internal torment because of things that have happened or things that we've done, the Lord Jesus Christ provides the assurance that we need because we're in him. And he provides all the assurance that we need. And John reaffirms this one last time here by declaring this. He says, this is, speaking about Jesus Christ, This is the true God and eternal life. One preacher once put it like this, he says, the great prize for the Christian is God himself. What are we looking for? What are we looking for now? What are we striving after? What are we seeking to get? Our objective is God. our prize is him. Is that enough? Is that enough for us today? That our provision is Christ, that he cares for us now and that He has provided our salvation through the work of the cross, that He has given us His Spirit, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, so that the Lord is with us at all times, and then He pours out blessing upon blessing upon blessing. And He's the one who's loved us, and He's prepared a place for us. And we get the reward of eternity with Him. That's what we receive in Christ Jesus. And we get it from the true God. And we get eternal life. Do we see here what John is saying? That this world has nothing for us? That Jesus is enough? This world's gonna be burned up one day. Everything in it. Every last thing. See all those crumbs that we're running after? Those things that really don't satisfy us? They're gonna be gone. They won't be important. We won't even think about them in eternity. But will we regret having wasted time chasing after them in life? Are the things that we're living for, are they things that matter? Because that's how John concludes this letter at the very end. Because he is caringly reminding these young believers one last time of the greatness of God, of all that God has done. And as he does that, he sets everything else as a contrast against him. And then as we read these words, and John calls them little children. Remember, it's a term of endearment. He loves them. And as he speaks to these people with compassion in his heart and in his voice, he says, lovingly, little children, keep yourselves from idols, all those other things. Charles Swindoll says, an idol can be anything in our hearts, minds, or lives that we elevate above the living God. Anything. And yet the reality is, as John has been teaching here, everything is secondary to the one who loves us more than we could ever imagine, more than we can comprehend. So our responsibility in this is to live for him. Our responsibility is to love him. Our responsibility is to love his church as we're instructed to do and as we have been instructed to do. So what do we know? We know that we're in Christ. We know that that's enough. We know the world is nothing for us. And we know we have an eternal home. and we praise God for it. Amen.