1 John 3:19-24 New International Version

¹⁹ This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: ²⁰ If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ²¹ Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God ²² and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. ²³ And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. ²⁴ The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

First Impression?

• I was impacted by the phrase “set our hearts at rest”. My natural defaults are go as fast as I can or do nothing. This whole idea of being relaxed while doing something is unnatural and why I need to pray constantly.

What is importance of knowing we belong to the truth?

• Best answer is so that we can be effective in sharing God’s love with the world. Being confident in our convictions allows us to charge full steam ahead.

What is the benefit of setting our hearts at rest in His presence?

• The same as effectiveness above, but with an added sense of victory is assured no matter how imperfect our efforts.

Have you done that before? Set your heart at rest?

• I have, but its much rarer than it should be. I remember a moment when I realized my expert testimony sat upon my expertise and not some piece of paper. My confidence in God is based on my life with Him and not some single verse.

Our hearts condemn us. Is this guilt? How does this happen?

• Yes, it is guilt. This happens when we listen to the Holy Spirit and influence of God to discern when an action is not holy and needs to be eliminated.

God is greater than our hearts. What does this mean to you?

• It means that He can guide us through any situation and overcome the sinful nature of our human desires.

He knows everything. How does this bother you?

• Only when I want to do something I know I should not.

Confidence before God. Is this a good thing?

• Our only confidence is that God will provide us eternal life based on the sacrifice of His Son. There is nothing in this world more unshakable that the power of God.

Anything we ask? How often do you ask what He delivers?

• The first goal of this was to show that God blesses us beyond measure with all the things we never ask for. Any push to remember to ask Him for anything and everything is secondary to being in position to thank Him for what we do not ask for.

Verse 23. Is this one command? Two? A new one? The same? Who is He?

• We did not get this far this morning, but the goal was to differentiate the commands to love and the command to believe. If we believe, we can love. Without belief, our love is noise. I got lost with the pronouns and whether the command was from God or Jesus, but the idea is that they are one and a command from either is divine.

Can anyone keep His commands without the Holy Spirit living in them?

• I think not.

When was the last time you knew the Holy Spirit was leading you against what you wanted to do?

• One of our group told a story of how he was recently confronted with just such a thing. It is great to be convicted of selfishness before you commit it to action. If we were never reproved, then we are either Christ or not in Him (i.e. He is not in us).

While he was speaking of hearing aids, our friend mentioned one outcome of being hearing impaired is a higher likelihood of Alzheimer’s or dementia. My mind twisted this around to the following: If we do not listen to the Holy Spirit, we are more likely to sin. Admittedly not rocket science, but truth none the less. Are you listening? Are you hearing?