How Can I Be Sure?

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and 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, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
1 John 5:11-13 NKJV

Here are 4 things I want to share with you today…

#1 Your Story Matters—John proves it in this block of text from the Bible. It comes from the book of 1 John, which is written by, well, John. It’s HIS story. He tells of the things HE was an eyewitness to. Hence the beginning, “And this is the testimony…” When was the last time you told YOURS? Somebody needs to hear about what God’s DONE and IS DOING in your life!

#2 There’s Always Hope—And that hope has a name and his name is JESUS! God has GIVEN us eternal life and that life is in His son, Jesus. It’s a GIFT! I’d be willing to suggest it’s the GREATEST gift ever REFUSED! If you KNOW Jesus, you HAVE eternal life. It’s that simple. He gave you HIS life, you give him YOURS. How can you know him? Believe. Believe that he died on a cross for you, as you, bearing the burden of our sins. Then, three days later, he was resurrected, defeating death and overcoming grave. THAT’S why he gives eternal (he rules and reigns OVER death).

#3 You Either Know Him Or You Don’t—And depending on how you answer this determines whether or not you have eternal life. It doesn’t matter how good society says you are or how generous you live, if you don’t know Jesus you won’t see heaven. Jesus says he is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE and NO ONE gets in God’s presence except through him. Bold, right? Well, he either told a lie, which discredits everything else he said, or he was telling the truth. Do you know him?

#4 Encouragement Goes A Long Way—I LOVE John. He is an encourager. Granted, he might have struggled a little with pride (referring to himself as the “disciple Jesus loved most” and naming all of his books after himself), but, regardless, the words he shared throughout his books inspire me! That’s the POWER in sharing your story! People experience God’s grace through our stories. People who don’t know Jesus want to know why they should. There’s NOTHING wrong with that! Haven’t you ever asked, “What’s in it for me?” Well, John does that here. He writes to confirm what we believe. He says, “Here’s what’s in it for you… in Christ you have eternal life.” Are you living as an encouragement?

Reflect:

• Do you remember the first time you heard someone’s story? What did you think?
• When was the last you shared your story?
• How can your story be an encouragement to someone else?
• Take a few moments this week to write your story, then share it with someone.