Getting What You Want From God (Part 1 of 2)

Knowing We Are of the Truth

John paints a black-and-white picture in 1 John of what counts as a Christian and what does not. He does this not just to prove our testimony, but to give us assurance. By this we know that we are of the truth and can reassure our heart before Him.

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before Him. For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him. And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another just as He has commanded us. Whoever keeps His commandments abides in God, and God in him, and by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. (1 John 3:19-24)

Here, "truth" is not mere facts like 2 + 2 = 4. It is the truth about reality: God exists, salvation exists, sin is real, and we need Jesus Christ. It is the truth that you are a sinner, eternally condemnable apart from Jesus as your propitiation, the sacrifice for your sins.

John says we lie if we claim no sin, and we do not practice the truth if we deny having sinned. Thus, "by this we know that we are of the truth" means we know we are Christians, with internal assurance of salvation publicly displayed. One of 1 John's big themes is giving ways to know you are a Christian—black and white, like walking in darkness versus light.

Last week, we saw that claiming to be Christian means nothing if you close your heart to a brother in need. Love is the hallmark of a Christian—not mere words, but demonstrated in deed and truth, the gospel of Jesus Christ. We cannot love by tolerating sin; true love aligns with God's Word, calling all to change through the gospel.

The Heart's Condemnation and God's Greater Knowledge

With that backdrop, John addresses the heart: a specific reality absent from Christian hearts is unchecked condemnation. Whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything.

This acknowledges moments when, as Christians, we feel unsaved—our heart condemning us amid fleshly weakness and doubt. This is common, especially among youth raised in church whose faith is not yet their own. Statistics show 87-95% abandon Christianity from youth group to age 25, often due to false salvation or such doubts.

Your sin whispers, "How could God love you after this?" It is distressing, your own heart betraying you. John, as a first-century pastor, equips us: when your heart condemns, reassure it before God by recognizing God is greater than your heart—omniscient, while your heart is ignorant.

God knows your name in the book of life, your citizenship in heaven, your sins laid on His Son, Christ's atonement and advocacy. Your heart lacks this knowledge; it is a weakness of the flesh.

Override emotional doubt with truth: God trumps your heart like a judge's verdict over a clueless child's accusation. Trust the omniscient Judge who declares you not guilty.

For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son... And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)

God speaks of your salvation chain—predestined, called, justified, glorified—in past tense, as completed reality. He transcends time, already victorious.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans 8:31-34)

Nobody—not Satan, not your heart—can charge God's elect. God justifies; Christ intercedes.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us... For I am sure that neither death nor life... nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)

Feelings change nothing; God is greater. Reassure your heart: do you desire God over your condemning heart? Value His knowledge above all.

Confidence Before God

If our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God. Even without condemnation, do not presume self-sufficiency—recall earlier: claiming no sin is a lie. Confidence is not from your heart's silence, but from God—your Advocate with the Father.

Salvation depends not on emotions, but on what God has done. Reassure your heart first for true confidence.

Receiving from God

With reassured heart and confidence, whatever we ask, we receive from Him—because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him.

Without context, this sounds like a genie. But confidence means salvation changes desires: you want good, not sin. Obedient lives pleasing to God ask aligned requests.

Like children receiving from obedient lives, or Psalm 37:

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

Delight reshapes desires to godly ones. Obedient, pleasing lives focus on God's pleasure—even requests further it.

Ask: Is this obedient? Does it please God? In counseling, some claim God wants divorce absent biblical grounds—absurd. Sinful requests get repentance, not provision.

The obedient pray for Christ's likeness, holiness, more of God—not material tangibles first. Like Moses craving God's face, or David panting to see it, despite lethal glory.

James promises wisdom liberally to faithful askers—an infinite storehouse for life's navigation.

The Commandment Summarized

John summarizes: This is His commandment—that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another just as He commanded.

Not 614 laws, but believe (with repentance, righteousness, service, worship) and love. Believing in Jesus' name means trusting His authority and position.

Believing in the Name of Jesus

I believe in Jesus's ability. I believe in his authority to forgive sins. When we were looking through the Gospel of Luke, one of the biggest issues that came up was whether or not Jesus has the authority to forgive sins. You remember why he healed that one guy? It wasn't just to heal him—that wasn't the only goal. He did it to demonstrate that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins.

That's part of it. The other part is that the name Jesus is something you need to believe in because the name Jesus is his mission statement. It's his purpose. That's what he came to do.

Matthew 1:21: "You will call his name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins."

Jesus is the name in the Greek. The Hebrew term would be Yahoshua or Yeshua for short. And that literally means "Yahweh saves." So you will call his name Yahweh saves because Jesus is going to save his people from their sins. You believe in the reality of what his name communicates as well as his ability to actually accomplish it. That's the concept of believing in the name of his Son Jesus Christ.

Loving One Another in Deed

And secondly, to love one another. We know from the context that we shouldn't just love in word or in talk. But how are you going to get what you ask for from God? You believe in the name of his Son and you love each other, not just in talk or in word. It's not like you come to church, say goodbye to each other, go, "Hey, I love you," and they go, "I love you too," and then you say, "See there it is, God. Give me what I asked for."

No, he says to love each other in word and in deed. One of the things that is important in demonstrating the reality of these things—and doing what he has commanded and doing what pleases him—is to actually demonstrate that love toward each other, actually taking care of one another.

He says in verse 32, "Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us."

Of course, the reality of commandment-keeping is promised from Jesus Christ himself in the Gospel of John:

John 15: "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. Whoever obeys me abides in me."

It's the same concept presented here. One of the ways you can know—other than simply keeping God's commandments—that God abides in you is because the Holy Spirit is indicating that to you.

It's interesting because he starts off the context with something you don't necessarily trust in—your heart. And then he ends the context by saying this is who you should actually trust in: the Holy Spirit, what the Holy Spirit is telling you. The way you differentiate between the two is that the Holy Spirit is not the one condemning you. The Holy Spirit is telling you and teaching you, especially as you keep his commandments and do what is pleasing to him, that you are indeed abiding in God and God in you.

Next week he's going to give us even greater clarity as to how you listen to the Holy Spirit and how you understand and hear the Holy Spirit's voice.