Soaring Above the Rain Clouds I John 3: 21-24

 I John 3: 21-24  Soaring Above the Rain Clouds

  Have you ever experienced one of those days when everything is going your way?  " O What a Beautiful Morning, O what a Beautiful day!  I've got a wonderful feeling everything's going my way" ( from the musical " Oklahoma")

   A bit ago we saw that are times when our hearts will condemn us , vs. 20, and may happen to believers when things are not going as planned, or sometimes from no fault of their own.  The Confession of faith tells of times when God withdraws His light .  

In 3:21 of I John God continues to talk to believers, " Beloved"  and he says when our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.  These are perhaps spiritual mountain top experiences ( after a Retreat or Renewal/Revival) .  Or we may climb a large hill , or such, with rain all the way up, to have the sun burst out when we reach the top?  

Have you ever traveled in an airplane /jet and been in a thunder/rain storm?  Then the pilot climbs to about 23,000'.  Suddenly there is not any rain, or clouds at all. You have climbed above them!

How can we be confident toward God?----------------

 In this section John re-issues again those same three tests of our Christian profession that have been the hallmark of this letter.

1.  3:22 We keep His commandments ( Obedience test) and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.  We have confidence before God, lit. freedom of speech, or all speech in the original, boldness, openness in our communication with God.

Some like Naaman in the OT II Kings 5 thought obedience too simple. ( To wor

Richard W. De Haan had a short piece, " Testing Your Integrity" in " Discovery Digest".  " Integrity is demonstrated when:

You mean what you say. You live the way you believe. You do not pretend to be someone you are not.  You have motives that are pure and unhidden. You do not keep silent when you should speak up.  You are honest with God about the real you. You can be trusted to do what you promise.  You enjoy a close walk with God. You do not misrepresent the facts. You do not teach others something that you will not do."

I John 3:22- " And do those things that are pleasing in His sight"  " Whatsoever we ask we receive of Him" ( Stott qualifies this if a prayer is to be answered it must be according to His will 5:14, pray in Christ's name, Jn 16:23, for God's glory Ja 4:2,3, be cleansed from our sins Ja 5:16, forgiven and himself forgiving others Mk 11:25)

Sabbath Day Observance 

" and do the things that are pleasing in His sight"  How is the Sabbath to be set aside?  By a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God's worship, except such works of necessity and mercy.

2. Belief test  3:23 believe- aorist tense " And this is His commandment ( singular here), that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ"

2:23 " the one who confesses the Son has the Father also"

If we truly believe this about Jesus then it is something we should not be ashamed of.  The world scoffs at this. We glory in it!

3.  3:23 and love one another -present tense

In the Presbyterian Journal there was a series of articles on Revival, in the article on love it says these are the elements of love:

  a. self-sacrifice- show interest in someone who is unlovely

  b. Reconciliation- all of us can pray for those who oppose our ideas/ plans.

  c.  Love expressed in a concrete way in the family.

  d. Speaking the truth- " careless words" Jesus did not break the " bruised reed"

   e. Unity of the church- in the past week/month have you stirred up more controversy or have you made a contribution to peace among those who are genuinely brothers and sisters in Christ?

Conclusion- results of being in such a condition /state

If our hearts do not condemn us, we have a clear conscience. 

 1.  We have confidence toward God.  2:28 ( " And now little children, abide in Him;that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming"

2.  3:22 Whatever we ask , we receive ( present tense) from Him  Mt 7:7 " Ask , and it shall be given to you..."  What a wonderful experience with the balance of I John 5:14 " According to His will in Christ's name and for God's glory"

3.  3:24 We abide in Him , and He in us.

How do we know?  By the Spirit which He has given us.  There may be too few Christians that experience the blessings of the uncondemning heart.  Why?  Because they love the world too much.  Look at our lives today, and cut those things that are hindrances to the uncondemning heart.  Our relationship to God is more important than our job, or our status in the community.  It is more important than what our family thinks of us.

Seek first the kingdom of God.  ..there is nothing sadder than to see two friends have a disagreement, and then to be friends no longer.  God says to come back to Him, to enjoy that relationship with Him we enjoyed when we first came to know Him.