January 26, 2000

EXPLORE THE BIBLE:
We can have confidence
in God's protection
___ 1 John 5:13-21
___By Ellis Orozco
___Calvary Baptist Church, McAllen
___The story is told of a monastery in Portugal, perched high on a 3,000-foot cliff and accessible only by a terrifying ride in a swaying basket. The basket is pulled with a single rope by several strong men, perspiring under the strain of the fully loaded basket. One American tourist who visited the site got nervous halfway up the cliff when he noticed the rope was old and frayed. Hoping to relieve his fear, he asked, "How often do you change the rope?" The monk in charge replied, "Whenever it breaks!"
___The good news is that God's rope is unbreakable.
___ Confidence in our salvation (1 John 5:13). I don't like it when someone gives me something and then threatens to take it back unless I return the favor. That's not much of a gift. That's not much of a gift-giver. The Bible makes it clear that God's salvation is a free gift (John 3:16, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9). God would not give a gift and then threaten to take it back because of something we do or fail to do.
___This line of thinking, taken to its logical conclusion, always leads to salvation by works. John makes it clear that God wants his children to have confidence in the security of their eternal destiny.
___ Confidence in our supplication (1 John 5:14-17). The false teachers were teaching people could lose their salvation because of sins committed after accepting Christ as Savior. John opposes that view by reassuring us that our salvation is secure, and by giving us the key for battling against the sin in our lives. Prayer is the key that overcomes every sin except one. The one sin that John calls the "sin that leads to death" (1 John 5:16) is probably a willful rejection of the gospel message.
___Any other sin can be overcome by the wonderful grace of Jesus Christ.
___Notice the keys for overcoming sin: Approach God (it all starts here); be attuned to God (so that we can pray according to his will); be selfless before God (intercede for others). With these keys we can be confident in our prayers.
___ Confidence in our Savior (1 John 5:18-21). John ends his letter by emphasizing the confidence we can have in Jesus, who has overcome the world. Jesus is strong enough to protect you.
___My grandmother made the best fried chicken in the world. Every once in awhile, she would go into the chicken coop in her backyard, grab a chicken by the neck, twirl it around (breaking its neck) and throw it to the ground.
___The chicken would flop around scratching and pecking at everything that was unfortunate enough to get in its path. It was a frightening sight. For a minute or two, the chicken would wreak havoc on the back yard, but then it would drop dead.
___Satan is running around this world scratching and pecking at everything that is in his path. If you get in the way he'll bite you. But one day Satan will stop in his tracks and drop dead. You can count on it. Jesus has broken his neck.

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