Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleHe That Believeth, He That Believeth Not
Bible Text1 John 5:10-13
Synopsis He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself, he that believeth not calls God a liar. Listen
Date28-Mar-2019
Series 1 John 2018
Article Type Sermon Notes
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
Audio HI-FI Listen: He That Believeth, He That Believeth Not (32 kbps)
Audio CD Quality Listen: He That Believeth, He That Believeth Not (128 kbps)
Length 37 min.
 

Series: 1 John

Title: He That Believeth, He That Believeth Not

Text: 1 John 5: 10-13

Date: March 28, 2019

Place: SGBC, NJ

 

By God’s grace, I want to preach this message as simply and clearly as God will enable me.  I ask you to follow along in your bibles.  The preaching that benefits my heart most is preaching that declares what the word of God says.  I’m edified by preaching that goes word by word, phrase by phrase, sentence by sentence declaring exactly what God declares in his word.  In Nehemiah, we are told how Ezra and the other ministers of God preached.  This is what I attempt to do each time I preach.

 

Nehemiah 8: 8: So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading (Ne 8:8).

 

Our text is 1 John 5: 10-13.  1 John 5: 10: He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.  11: And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  12: He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.  [Notice, John’s reason for writing these things] 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 [be grown in faith and continue believing] on the name of the Son of God.

 

Subject: He That Believeth, He That Believeth Not

 

Proposition: He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself, he that believeth not calls God a liar.

 

Eternal life is the gift of God given to us in his Son.  The gospel is that simple: God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son.  The gospel is that narrow: if you have the Son, you have life; if you have not the Son you have not life.  You hear me say that salvation is a Person—this is what God declares in our text.  Salvation (eternal life) is having the Son of God, believing on the Son of God.  I pray God use this message to give you that believe, assurance.  I ask God to strengthen your faith.  And I pray he might give faith to you who believe not.

 

HE THAT BELIEVETH

 

1 John 5: 10: He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself:

 

Notice, “believeth.”  The old English “eth” signifies ongoing, present action.  Assurance is found not by looking back to a time or a religious experience.  Assurance is believing on Christ right now!  Do you believe on the Son of God right now?

 

What is it to believe “on” the Son of God?  It is to “cast all our care upon him.”  Not some of our care.  It is to cast all our care on Christ.

 

1 Peter 5: 5:…God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.  6: Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7: Casting ALL your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

 

When you sat down in that pew, you cast all your weight upon that pew.  Believing on Christ is to cast all your weight upon the Son of God and no other.  Not partly—if you partly cast your weight on that pew and partly tried to hold yourself up, you would have no rest!  Faith casts all our care upon the Son of God and there we find rest for our souls.  Assurance comes by casting all your care on Christ!

 

He that believeth—right now—on the Son of God, “hath the witness in himself.”  For you and I who believe, God our Father has sent the Holy Spirit within us bearing witness of Christ, so that we know that God’s testimony of his Son is true!

 

1 John 5: 6: This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.  And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

 

1 John 2: 20: But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.  21: I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth…25: And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

 

The gospel that Christ is the Son of God—the salvation of his sinful people—is a secret to the world.  But the Spirit of God reveals the secret to his people by the witness within us.

 

1 Corinthians 1: 6: Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: 7: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [secret] even the hidden wisdom, [kept secret] which God ordained before the world unto our glory…10: [which] God hath revealed unto us by his Spirit:…12:…that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.  

 

Psalm 25:14: The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

 

Matthew 11:25: At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

 

By the witness within us we believe, and we know that Christ is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life, and that no man cometh to the Father but by him.  We know what we are, and we know who Christ is and we believe on him and bear witness that God’s record is true!  The witness makes you know this personally.  The witness makes me know this personally:

 

I am the perishing sinner—the Son of God is the GodMan, Mediator, the Savior who God the Father gave who has now put all my sin away and the sin of all his elect and reconciled us to the Father!

 

I was the captured, condemned prisoner—Christ is my Redeemer who purchased me with his own blood from the law’s curse and condemnation and right now I am his purchased possession—and so are all God’s chosen people.

 

I was dead in sins, helpless—he is my Physician in whom I am now complete

 

I am a sinner still—but he is right now my Advocate with the Father, my Righteousness, the Propitiation for my sins and for those of his people all over this world.

 

Brethren, we believe because we have the witness in us and by believing his record, we call God true—we bear witness that everything God says of his Son is true—we know that by Christ’s one offering, he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified—he is everything we need to be accepted of God.

 

Also, the Spirit of God bears witness giving us assurance that we are the sons of God that we might know that we have eternal life.  When he says we have the witness in us, he is saying we have the thing witnessed: Christ’s blood and righteousness.  We have sanctification by Christ.  We have God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit within.  We have eternal life in his Son.  We have the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace with God, and a good hope!

 

John 6: 47: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

 

1 John 4:13: Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.  14: And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.  15: Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

 

Romans 8:16: The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

 

So, he that believeth hath the witness in himself.  Thereby, we know that God is true, and we are in him that is true.  By the witness within, we know we have eternal life as sons of God.   We bear record that God’s witness is true. 

 

1 John 5:20: 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

 

John 3:33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

 

HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT

 

1 John 5: 10…he that believeth not God, hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.  

 

Now, let me say to you who do not believe that I would not do anything to hurt you.  For that reason, I will tell you to the truth.  This is what God himself says of you who do not believe on God’s Son right here, right now.  God says that by not believing his record—his testimony of his Son—you are calling God himself a liar.

 

For our young people that do not know, Charles Spurgeon was preacher in the 1800’s in London, England.  A woman came to see him one day.  He declared to her that the Lord Jesus Christ is the salvation of his people through faith in him.  She said, “I cannot believe on Christ.”  Then Spurgeon said, “Stand up right now and yell out to God and call him a liar!”  She said, “I would not dare do that!”  He said, “But you did say so just now.  And by your unbelief you have been saying so for years.  And you are practically saying it every moment that you remain in unbelief.” 

 

Every time we hear the gospel preached, we are hearing God himself bear record.  This is God “testifying”, “bearing witness” that his Son is eternal life to all who believe.

 

1 Corinthians 2: 1: And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you THE TESTIMONY [the witness, the record] OF GOD.  2: For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

 

So, God says by your unbelief, you are calling God a liar “because [you] believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.”  Oh, that you might believe the record God has given of his Son!  That is my prayer for you! 

 

THIS IS THE RECORD

 

1 John 5: 11: And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  12: He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

 

Remember, believer, John is writing this to you who believe.  He is writing so that you may know that you have eternal life and that your faith might be strengthened to continue believing on Christ.  And for you who do not believe, hear God’s testimony.  But do not hear it only.  Hear it and cast all your care upon Christ now!

 

This is God’s record.  This is God’s own witness.  This is God’s own testimony of his Son.

 

God hath GIVEN to us eternal life—eternal life cannot be earned by our works.  You cannot bribe God into giving eternal life to you by a pretense of religious works.  It is the gift of God through faith in his Son!  All who believe on his Son, call God true.   We have the witness within.  We know God’s record is true.  Therefore, we bear witness that God’s record is true.  And we have the thing witnessed in us right now, eternal life by his Son!  But all who continue in their works for salvation call God a liar!

 

God hath given to us ETERNAL LIFE—that means every sinner without Christ is dead in sins.  We do not come into this world having eternal life.  God must give us eternal life through faith in his Son!  All who believe have the witness in themselves.  We know this is true and we bear witness that God’s record is true, and we have eternal life right now!  But all who deny that they are sinners in need of Christ—by not believing on Christ—they call God a liar.

 

1 John 1:10: If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

 

God hath given to us eternal life and THIS LIFE IS IN HIS SON—Christ Jesus the Son of God is THE LIFE—there is life in no other.  He is righteousness—therefore he is life!  He is holiness—therefore he is life!  He is the truth—therefore he is life!

 

This is God’s record—He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.  Do you believe on the Son of God?  Then you have the Son and you have life!  That is God’s record.  That should assure you and give you the greatest comfort!   Do you not believe on the Son of God?  Then you do not have the Son and you do not have life.  That is God’s record of you.  That should terrify you and leave you crying out to God to have mercy on you right now!

 

THE PURPOSE OF THIS EPISTLE

 

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.

 

If you believe on Christ but you do not have assurance, John is telling us how God gives assurance.  It through hearing God’s record preached.  It is through hearing Jesus Christ and him crucified declared in all his triumphant glory!  Give yourself to the gospel—this is how God gives assurance.  And this is how God gives faith in Christ and how he strengthens faith that we might continue believing on him!  Give yourself to the gospel!  Assurance is not by looking to ourselves but by looking to Christ!  Look only to Christ!

Amen!