Assurance (Part A)

Jesus said you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Holding the Shema of the Jew. He knew he could not do it without God. God knows it to. So the Holy Spirit is given to the church to live this way for Christ to preach the gospel message spirit relates to us the teachings of Christ.

This is cross-referenced with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first John, please stay with us after today's message here. More information about cross-referenced specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick first John chapter 5 as he begins his message assurance. First John chapter 5 verses six through 13.

This is he who came by water and blood. Jesus Christ not only by water but by water and blood and it is the Spirit who bears witness because the Spirit is truth. There are three that bear witness in heaven, the father of the word the Holy Spirit and these three are one. There are three that bear witness on earth the spirit. The water, the blood and these three agree as one. We received the witness of men.

The witness of God is greater with this is the witness of God which he has testified of his son even believes in the son of God has the witness in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar because he is not believed the testimony that God has given of his son. This is the testimony that God has given us eternal life in this life is in his son. He who has the son has life. He who does not have the son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the son of God. You may know that you have eternal life, that you may continue to believe in the name of the son of God. You hear the emphasis the son of God, the son of God, is God the son, God the son, Jesus Christ, and the assurance that the apostle is trying to communicate to the believers that if you believe in God the son, and everything is said about himself and about you and mankind and everything else. Your salvation is sure course, the devil comes along, and his accuser of the brethren. He says yes but you sin and you do this, we respond the blood of Jesus Christ is taken away my guilt and the penalty that that would await me, and I believe in the sun. We've got a lot in this passage of Scripture we go right to verse six now and again we read.

This is he who came by water and blood. Jesus Christ not only by water but by blood by water and blood and it is the Spirit who bears witness because the spirit is true, where he says this is he who came by water and blood.

He's referring to what he is just said at the beginning of this chapter, but particularly verse five where we read. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the son of God. This is he who came by water and blood. The son of God. This Jesus is distinct from everyone else in any age anywhere else in heaven or earth. The baptism in the crucifixion.

That's what's meant by the water and the blood, the baptism of Jesus Christ with the water. John John's baptism and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The blood water and blood familiar familiar emblems and their meanings along with it from the Bible life and times of Jesus Christ the Messiah is characterized by a purified life in a sacrificial death.

The water is a purified life. The blood of course is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ of purity and sacrifice. This weaves together the Old Testament purification rights of the priest that involve the people that was on behalf of all the people priest included in their approach to God and the sacrifices it weaves together those Old Testament rights with the New Testament water baptism and the crucifixion.

Now John he was at the cross, he was likely at the baptism when they pierced the Lord side with a spear on the cross water and blood fell from his side. John took note of that. He was a witness. The blood and water fell from the broken heart of Israel says one of the songs we don't hear too often John's gospel chapter 19 verse 25 and he who has seen an testified, and his testimony is true and he knows that he is telling the truth so that you may believe he continues in this verse not only water but by water and blood. Another one of the significance of the waters is Christ had nothing to repent for when he was want to be get baptized by John Johnson.

I should be baptizing you. I've never seen a sinless person ever. I should be baptized by you, but Christ identifying with sinners demonstrating that he was here among us that he did not write us off that we were not insignificant to him that he was fully aware of our sin in spite of his sinlessness he still is willing to be numbered with the sinners on our behalf. He was crucified between two sinners himself.

Of course perfect and pure. John is dealing with the Gnostic sneezing. This Christ was real.

He walked on earth. He was baptized he was crucified in the spirit of God testifies to this and anyone who rejects this testimony of we eyewitnesses, is an unbeliever. But there's more to it.

Not only by water but by water and blood from his birth is water baptism which he really did not need, but he submitted himself to it. Nonetheless, he humbled himself those hidden years at Nazareth. The Bible says he was obedient all the time.

Luke's gospel chapter 2. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. That is, Joseph and Mary, but his mother kept all these things in her heart he you have someone that wowed him or wowed everyone wowed Mary and anybody else that came in contact with the life of Christ, and he was subject to them because he lived that perfect life. He was real. He always did those things that pleased his father twice it's singled out in his public ministry.

This virtuous life. According to man. Yes, because Manor never could charge him with anything. Not that was on sin charging would be righteous, they could charge them with being the son of God, they could charge and would saying he was the son of God could not charge him with sin. They never his accusers. The murderers of Jesus Christ. They just did not even think for a moment that he could be telling the truth so that was just unacceptable to them.

But that's another sermon. The father was always pleased with Christ. Christ live and on appeal of the unapologetic life you never had to say sorry can't even imagine that not even to God the father so the father voiced disapproval in front of man. This is my beloved son in the amount of transfiguration and at the water baptism will take the Mount of Transfiguration while he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

That is the virtuous life. The purification that we so desperately want in this life with.

We have to really wait until we get to the we believe and as to his blood. The blood type of Jesus was like no other blood type ever anywhere else. It was absolutely unique, completely sinless and divine, not a drop of blood of Christ was Joseph's not a drop of the blood of Christ was marries either the blood that flowed through his veins and arteries was pure. The blood that flows through the veins and arteries of an unborn child is not the blood of the mother that would create a dangerous condition if they didn't have the same blood type. That's what we are told by those who know about those things and I love that the story is just stands out that way the Holy Spirit calls the blood of Jesus Christ precious first Peter chapter 1 verses 18 and 19.

You were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ. So when John says when he speaks of Christ being born of the of the water in the blood is very very significant. Again we go back to our our verse we read.

This is he who came by water and blood and he is talking about a real person who lived the real life because again, the Gnostics, the primary primary nemesis of the church at this time enemy adversary of the church where the Gnostic Satan was working through this group of heretics is group is group of corrupters and John is refuting the false notions of sensor us the one of the leading heretics who taught that divine Christ sort of took possession of Jesus at the water baptism and then left him before the crucifixion. This is what they were teaching stuff like that we have it in writing. To this day what they were teaching the Gnostics, the Christ possessed Jesus is the kind of nonsense that they were preaching and John is saying this stuff is ridiculous. And so, again, taken together, the reference to water and blood summed up the incarnate ministry of Jesus's life on earth, pure and sacrificial. That's why he came to destroy the works of the devil to die for sinners to offer himself a ransom. We are blood bought because of this, Christ from its beginning at the baptism to the sacrificial death of the cross and the resurrection which on the name at the mention is everything about Christianity has fleshing out the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the return he says here and it is the Spirit who bears witness because the spirit is true, the great work of the Holy Spirit in this world is to bear witness to the conscience to the heart of the mind of the individual when Jesus said you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Holding the Shema of the Jew.

He knew she could not do it without God.

God knows it too.

So the Holy Spirit is given to the church to live this way for Christ to preach the gospel message spirit relates to us the teachings of Christ and also the promises of Pentecost. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. We are his witnesses and be bears witness to the Savior in John 1526. I will read it because of so much ahead of us still bears witness to the saints. He speaks to our hearts. Of course he reaches out to the world to unbelievers Earls no one would get Sebi bears witness to the world. John's Gospel chapter 16 and when he has come that is the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is speaking about the Holy Spirit, he will convict the world of sin. The Holy Spirit is not and it is person he he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment of sin, because they do not believe in me was what he did to me convinced me instantly of my sin of my filth before a pure and righteous sacrificed and risen Jesus Christ. John 16.

He continues Christ because he says however when he the spirit of true has come, he will guide you into all truth for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak and he will tell you things to come, got the book of Revelation. John is privilege with writing the last five books of our New Testament of the Bible. First John the gospel of John, second and third John letters in the. The revelation of Jesus Christ is not the author is the writer. You know those blue Hooters man wrote the Bible are to believe it. He penned the Bible. He screams the scribe not the author get that in your head or you will lose your soul, spirit of life water of cleansing the blood of love. That's what the blood of Christ as it is love. What a price. Now we come to verse seven and eight will take them together because these two verses form one of the most if not the most controversial verses in all the New Testament. Perhaps the Bible verse 74 there are three that bear witness in heaven the father. The word, and the Holy Spirit in these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth spirit and the water and the blood and these three agree as one. Now if you are using one of the Alexandrian source material Bibles the NSA be the NIV, for example, you are the English standard version.

You may have noticed I read words in verses seven and eight that you don't have in your Bible that you may have a footnote. If you are using the bison team text of the Syrian text and you are you may have it in a footnote that tells you this is not in over manuscripts of the Greek looking at verse seven. The words that are there in the older manuscripts.

For there are three that bear witness then it jumps to verse eight the spirit. The water and the blood and these three agree as one.

Manuscripts agree that this was written by John, what about the other information here is that from John. This is called by the scholars Iolani and, all the, your honey and I'll give you both sides as best I can in the short amount of time because we talk how we got our Bible to didn't just show up under a tree you know gift wrapped will look at is the Bible this so much went into getting us this New Testament that we have in our language or French language whatever language you're in the Bible is given to us somewhat fragmented.

The New Testament, especially, but that fragmentation does not mean we can put it together we can. We have but there are these glitches, there are these bumps in the road and I believe all of them can be dealt with. Because I believe full heartedly. The Bible is self-correcting in its manuscripts and this verse has been again and again the focus of much to me know if you are a King James only type of person you are probably intolerant of everybody else. How dare they disagree with you, and if they don't agree with you that the King James are the only inspired version they are anathema. Unfortunately, that's almost King James only people think that makes them irretrievable emesis of the sad sad deal what you do about people in all the languages that have gotten there Bibles from Greek manuscripts, not from King James at the just point that out because the King James only years have just turned and turned me off with a minute I said this is not likely in the earliest Greek manuscripts like that's it well, but that be as it is the facts of the facts and if you are a person is says don't confuse me with facts. I made up my moral own mind because of how I feel, then you cannot be reasoned with, so that verse in Isaiah come let us reason means nothing to you, what mean something to you is come make me feel good. The Bible is not an habit of making us feel good. It can do it and it will do it, but it also convicts us and nothing could about being convinced you're a sinner and feeling there is good in it but not feelings. I don't enjoy being corrected to you. I know people don't enjoy being corrected is hard to go to someone and say I'm sorry I was wrong and I think we should put a lot of effort into not being wrong, but when we are.

We should also put a lot of effort into owning up to it and not getting becoming indignant and have you met the perfectionist was a problem for everybody else is not as perfect as them. You watch those kind of folks are very nice and friendly until the flesh is offended like everybody else. Anyway, let's get back to this. It's not found in any of the earlier Greek manuscripts. In fact, it doesn't show up in the Greek manuscripts until the 15th century.

That's a long time. All of a sudden it shows up. This does not at all affect the trustworthiness of the inspiration of the Scriptures. Because of that self-correcting feature that I mentioned… We also all you know somebody got all Bibles. Yep, someone also corrected from our Bibles hold doctrines were lost in the dark ages. Let's not act like you know God is not protecting us of the God, the doctrine of the rapture wasn't around and that there was there in the Scriptures. There were some who sought but overall it was lost to humanity because of the Roman Catholicism adorned everybody down no teaching suffers because this is an ongoing approach at this way.

I'm going to give you the evidence you make to your choice whether it's in there or not. If you leave it or take it out.

No teaching in the New Testament, all the old suffers because of his presence, or its extraction rendering pretty much irrelevant, because the New Testament truth on the Trinity, which this Iranian, is about is found elsewhere in the new.

In the Old Testament know truth is lost. No truth is really gained by the Trinity is not dependent on this passage and that is very important because when the church fathers.

The apostolic fathers, those that came after the apostles had to deal with the Arian heresies and other heresies trying to say the Trinity is not taught in the Bible. They refuted them from the Scriptures. This would've been a wonderful verse to use. They never do. We have the writings we have the Apple Store met much of what the apostolic fathers wrote in response to these heresies and they never use the Iranian, that does not work well for it being part of what John originally put in the letter. Is this what were saying. John did not originally right.

Look again verse seven in heaven, the father, the word, and the Holy Spirit in these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth. Those are likely not John's words, if you look at the evidence, how we get our Bible and you can just change occasionally we had for manuscripts in his okay when I go toward manuscript anymore. We get from the Greek manuscript not the Latin and if you don't like that is all I'm going over the Latin then you have another problem because the apostles wrote in the Greek so everything from in heaven.

In verse 72 on earth. In verse eight, is what is being challenged here, no integrity again is loss because of the self-correcting feature fragmented but present. I can take portrait and I can cut it up. I fragmented it but it's all still there unless I get rid of it was for a puzzle is in the Bible is a puzzle.

Even though the understanding of the Scripture, life is a puzzle, a mystery many times. No Christian should be at all bothered by this, should understand it because if you know you sweeping something under the rug. It needs to be on top of the rug and the cultists will bring it up, given the chance they will city of your Bibles a perfect and should have an answer to everyone who asked reason for the faith that is in you so so why did it show up well. The first creeps in and in the Latin version not in the early Vulgate which is the translation by Jerome taking the old and New Testament in the Hebrew and Greek and translating it into the Latin which, by the Roman church spoke for centuries. Only in the Latin, thereby keeping the people in darkness but anyway it then and later copies of the of the Latin Scriptures translated from Greek into Latin. It was a footnote a marginal note, we have them in our Bible study marginal notes. Some of you make your own. Some come with the Bible you purchase. After a while it made it into the actual verse. It crept its way into the verses by the 15th century over almost inaudible almost 1500 years after the birth of Christ. Erasmus that Dutch scholar, he put together two translations he took in the manuscript that he had six or 12 manuscript that we have we have like 5700 will manuscript now in many fragments thousands and then you have the Scripture in the writings of the apostolic fathers also in their commentary so we have many sources.

They call it the eclectic collection. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference cross reference is a ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia.

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We're glad we were able to spend time with you today to the next time to continue learning from the book of first John pastor I hear cross-reference