Summary of my sermon, based on 1 John 3:19-24. Preached at Greenhills Christian Fellowship Toronto on March 5, 2023.
In a world where self-doubt can be crippling, the Gospel provides us with the assurance and confidence we need. By turning to God and embracing His unconditional love, we can find strength in His perfect knowledge of us. Let us explore the biblical passages that reveal the power of confidence in God and how it transforms our prayer life and obedience.
Have Confidence that God Knows Everything
The Scriptures emphasize that God knows everything about us, even our deepest thoughts and secrets. In Psalm 139, David acknowledges God’s complete knowledge of his life, emphasizing that God knows his every move and word before he even speaks. This may seem overwhelming, but it also means that God understands us completely, including our weaknesses and struggles.
Additionally, the Apostle John assures us that God’s knowledge surpasses our self-condemnation. Whenever our hearts condemn us, we can take comfort in knowing that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything. This knowledge provides us with confidence, assuring us that even in our darkest moments, God’s love and mercy extend towards us.
The pinnacle of our confidence lies in the sacrificial love of God. The Apostle Paul, who was once a persecutor of the church, experienced the transformative power of God’s grace and mercy. Despite his past actions, God’s love overflowed for him, leading to his salvation. Paul’s example teaches us that the Gospel saves us even at our worst, reminding us that God’s love is unconditional.
In Romans 5, Paul highlights the extraordinary nature of God’s love. He states that while someone might be willing to die for a righteous or good person, God demonstrated His love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. This profound act of sacrifice should instill in us great confidence in the Gospel.
Have Confidence to Pray
With the confidence we have in God’s love and sacrificial nature, we can approach Him boldly in prayer. God desires us to bring our needs, concerns, and desires to Him, acknowledging our dependence on His guidance and provision. The Scriptures encourage us to pray fervently, persistently, and in the company of other believers.
Jesus Himself emphasizes the importance of persistent prayer, urging us to ask, seek, and knock. He assures us that those who ask will receive, those who seek will find, and to those who knock, doors will be opened. This passage encourages us to continually bring our requests before God, trusting in His timing and sovereignty.
Moreover, Jesus teaches us the significance of praying together as a community of believers. When two or three gather in His name, there is a promise that whatever they ask will be done by the Father in heaven. This highlights the power of communal prayer and the importance of being part of a supportive and prayerful community.
Have Confidence and Obey His Commandments
Our confidence in prayer and in our relationship with God is intimately connected to our obedience to His commandments. The Apostle John emphasizes that keeping God’s commandments is essential for receiving what we ask for in prayer. The two primary commandments are to believe in the name of Jesus and to love one another.
Believing in Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior is crucial to our relationship with God. Additionally, loving one another as Jesus has commanded us strengthens our connection to Him and fellow believers. When we keep His commandments, we abide in God, and He abides in us through the Holy Spirit’s presence within us.
Confidence in the Gospel provides us with the assurance we need to approach God in prayer and live in obedience to His commandments. Knowing that God understands us completely and still loves us unconditionally empowers us to pray boldly and persistently. Let us cultivate confidence in the Gospel, embracing the power of prayer and obedience, as we walk with God in our daily lives.
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