Shabbat Shalom. Today we are going, by the grace of God, to seek to conclude with the epistle to the letter of 1 John. And we are going to turn into chapter 5. The passage that I'm reading really are the last verses, verses 14 to the end, to verse 21. And please follow me as I'm reading this text. John, Yohanan, is saying, And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desire of him. If any man see his brother sin, a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death.

There is a sin unto death. I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not. But he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one touches him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the wickedness. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. These are the last words Yohanan gave the family of God, the brothers and sisters to whom he wrote, who were believers, they were children of God, they were redeemed people, they were part of the Hebrew Mishpachat Elohim, the family of God. And brothers and sisters, those of us that are here, are part of this family of God. Every one of us that confessed that Yeshua is Lord, Messiah and Savior and acknowledge the price that he paid for us, we are all part of this great family that had began some 2,000 years ago and will conclude when the Messiah Yeshua going to take his own people to be with him in glory.

Those are the final words that the epistle of John present before us. Very important passage here, and I would like to present before you today three points in these last verses of 1 John chapter 5 verses 14 to 21. The first point I want to present before you is verses 14 and 15. We learn that God is answering his people's prayers. Secondly, we learn that God's people do not practice an habitual and continual sinning. We fall into sin, but we don't live in sin. We ought not to live on a continual and habitual life of sin and thirdly verses 20 to 21 God's people know the true God and eternal life three points that we learn here today from these verses let's just talk first of all brothers and sisters about verses 14 and 15 do you know brothers and sisters that God does answer his own people's prayers.

You know, sometimes we wonder, have God answer my prayer? I have a real burden in my heart, you have a real burden in your heart, you went to the Lord, you were on your knees, you have acknowledged the fact that you depend upon God, and you present before him things that are very important for you and for me in our own lives. What we learn from those two verses, verses 14 and 15, that God does answers and he hears the prayers of God's people. And look at this, what John is saying, first of all, in verse 14, any request which is according to God's will, he hears. It is being heard by God.

Look at this, verse 14, he says, And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. Now, brothers and sisters, that word for confidence here in verse 14 is the Greek word that really say that we have not only confidence, but boldness. The word here in the Greek, P-A-R-A-S-E-A, paraseia, speaks of the fact that we have boldness and assurance that God does hear our prayers. Beautiful to know this because it says this is the boldness that we have in him, in the Messiah, in Yeshua, in Christos, in the Mashiach. This is the comfort that we have in him, that if we ask anything, and now notice what he adds here, according to his will.

Now, this is very important in verse 14, according to the will of God. You know, sometimes, brothers and sisters, we are not asking things from God which is according to his will. You remember Yeshua himself, we find him in the Gospels, when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane, Gatshmanim. He was in this garden, and when he was anticipating the death on the tree, he had before him the thought of he's going to bear the sin of this world in his body on the tree. So you remember what Yeshua said, Father, if it is possible, take this cup, the cup of God's righteous indignation against sin.

He said, take this cup away from me. But he didn't stop there. He said, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. And then he submitted to the will of God. Why, beloved brothers and sisters, the will of God was that the Messiah will go to the tree. that he will pay for the penalty of sin, that it will be possible for you and I to be able to be forgiven. Otherwise, if you would have not gone to the cross, to the tree, we would never be able to be forgiven. And so Yeshua submitted to the desire of a holy and righteous God that he will give over his life as a ransom for many.

And that's why he added in the gospel, Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done, Yeshua the Messiah have said. So, what we really learn here from this verse 14, that prayer must be in accordance with God's will. You know, sometimes it's rather sad when we ask from God certain things. And then it's really totally not of the will of the Lord, and we know it. And then we wonder why we don't get what we ask from God. Well, we don't get it because it was not done and not requested in according with His will. And so there are conditions in order for God to hear our prayer and to answer our prayer.

There are conditions. So I want to present before you a few conditions that we have here in the Word of God. Turn with me to 1 John, back a couple of pages, actually a page. 1 John 3, verse 22. One of the conditions that we need in order that our prayer will be heard by God is not to have a condemned heart. 1 John 3, verse 20 and 21, we read those words. John said, If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things. Beloved, if our hearts condemn us not, then we have confidence towards God. Now, you know, sometimes, brothers and sisters, our hearts condemned us because something is wrong in our life.

The way we live is not right with God. Now, if we knowingly live a life that is not right with God, and then because there is a situation in our life that we need Him to answer our prayers, and we go to Him and say, God, help me, I need you to answer this situation, this problem that I have in my life, and we know that our hearts condemn us. Well, what we need to do is to settle this issue first. And how many times when we are not right with the Lord, when we behave wrongly and we have sinned against the Lord, and our heart condemns us and we don't have liberty.

And do we expect God answering our prayer and hearing our prayer and answering our prayer when we know knowingly that we are in a wrong? Do you think that we can say, God, well, your will be done, well, in practice, his will is not done in our lives? So John says, listen, one of the things that is important for us to understand, we need to have an uncondemned heart. If our heart condemned us, then we have no liberty. And God, though he is greater than our heart, as we read here in 1 John 3, nevertheless, we need to deal with this issue. Look at another thing. Turn to Psalm 66 and verse 18.

There, listen to this verse. The psalmist said these things. He said, look at this. He said, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

See, this is the psalmist of Israel said long time before the messiah was born yeshua was born long time in anticipation for the coming of the messiah the psalmist of israel says if i regard iniquity in my heart the lord will not hear in other words when sin is allowed and condoned and not being judged and confessed in the life of the believer and then we come into god and we ask him to answer our prayers well what do you think god going to do you're going to say well listen you live a life that is not pleasing to me and then you come from me and you want me to answer your prayers deal

with this first and then i will respond to your prayer look at the third verse that i think is very important it turned to the gospel of matthew chapter 5 yeshua said in the sermon on the mount in the Galil in Galilee, when he was sharing with the nation of Israel there, I'm reading Matthew chapter 5, verse 22, I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgment, and whosoever shall say unto his brother Rekah, that means empty, Rek, empty, shall be in danger of the council, but whosoever shall say thou fool shall be in danger of hell fire therefore and now he's speaking to

the believers the disciples he said if you bring thy gift to the altar and there remember that thy brother has ought against thee look at verse 24 i'm reading leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way be first first reconcile to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Now, brothers and sisters, this is so practical, because how many times we have an internal conflict among the people of God. So what's happening is, when we have conflict with each other, and we don't deal with it, and allow this to carry on, what happens is we are fighting among the people of God, and then we're coming to the altar, you might say, we're coming to the presence of the Lord, to offer our gifts, to praise Him, to pray to Him. But we don't deal with the conflicts that are existing with each other, especially when we are wrong. It's another thing when somebody else has wronged me.

But when I wronged you, the right thing to do is to tell you I've wronged you. To deal with it and then to come and to present myself before the Lord. Don't you think, brothers and sisters, that oftentimes one of the reasons why our prayers are not answered is because we have an internal conflict which are not being dealt with. And that's why there is no liberty in prayer and God does not answer. And friction among the people of God definitely hinders the liberty in prayer, also God's answering prayers because we don't deal with those issues as well in our life. Let me give you one more verse in connection with God's answering prayer.

The Gospel of John in chapter 15 and verse 7, Yeshua said these words to the disciples, if ye abide in me and my words abide in you and listen to what he adds there, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you yeshua says abide with me stay close to me and my words will abide in you and then he said ye shall ask you know just like we have here in first john chapter 5 and verse 14 if we ask anything according to his will he hears us yeshua already said this And John quoted that, and we find here in John chapter 15 and verse 7, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Here is a promise that abiding close to the Messiah, he will answer the prayer. He hears the prayers of the people of God. So, beloved brothers and sisters, prayer is very important. And knowing that we are in a suitable condition before the Lord is very important to assure us that God is hearing our prayers. Now I have searched the scripture and I was thinking to myself, what would be a suitable way in which a person is really asking God according to His will? And the one man that I find that was very impressing to me is Moshe. do you remember when Israel our people have sinned against God and built the golden calf and when Israel built the golden calf God sent Moses down from the mountain and he says these people have violated my word look at that what they have done they have sinned against the Lord and Israel indeed have sinned against the Lord can you imagine they build a golden calf right there and they said to themselves, Israel these are the gods that brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Can you imagine how it grieved the heart of God? The very people whom he loved so much and brought them all the way from Mitzrayim, from Egypt. And he was going on to lead them to the promised land. And he was grieved because Israel had sinned against him and Israel had said that this golden idol calf was the one that had brought them out of the land of Egypt. So God said to Moses, you know what? I'm not going to bring myself, Israel, into the promised land, but I'm going to send an angel to lead them into the promised land. But what do you think Moses did?

Moses was a man of God, a man who loved God so much, wanted to please him. And Moses didn't want to be led by an angel he wanted Jehovah Jehovah himself to lead our people Israel to the promised land so you know what he did he began to pray he began to speak with the Lord in prayer and I want you to just listen to what Moses said in Exodus chapter 33 verses 12 to 17 and Moses said unto the Lord see thou sayest unto me bring up these people and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me yet thou hast said I know thee by name and thou hast also found grace in my sight now therefore I pray thee here's Moshe praying Moses is praying I pray thee if I have found grace in thy sight show me now thy way that I may know thee that I may find grace in thy sight and consider that this nation is thy people.

And he said, this is Jehovah, the Lord, answering Moshe, and he said, my presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, if thy presence, now Moses is still want to make sure that the presence of the Lord is coming. And he said to him in verse 15, And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherewith shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? Is not in that thou goest with us? So shall we be separated, and I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth, And the Lord, this is Jehovah, Jehovah said unto Moses, I will do this thing.

Also, that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. You see, Moses was very wise. God said to him, I'm going to send an angel to lead you into the promised land in verse 2 of chapter 33. But Moses didn't want an angel. He wanted the presence of Jehovah, of Jehovah himself. So he said to him, you notice how many times he used the word, thy people, thy way. He found find favor in thy sight. See, Moses did not want to take away from God that which really belonged to God. Israel is God's people. Moses want God's way.

Not my way, not my will, God's way. Moses wanted that all the world we know that Israel is God's people. And that's why he's again and again used the word, In thy sight, thy way, thy people. I will not go unless thy presence is going with us. Here's a man that prayed in accordance with God's will. But you see, sometimes, brothers and sisters, we don't want God's will. We want to have our own will. And no wonder God does not answer our prayers. Because we don't say, thy will be done. we say God you turn around and fix things in such a way that I will have my will rather than yours see no wonder we don't have answers to our prayers many many times because we don't ask according to his will so go back now to first John chapter 5 verse 14 says any request in accordance with the will of God is being heard by God the conditions are very important we have to have an uncondemned heart we have to have confessed sins we have to have issues with each other settled and we have to have a fellowship with the messiah abiding with him then our prayers are being heard and then we can receive the requests that we have asked from the lord now notice in verse 15 believers who pray in accordance with god's will have god's answer look at this Prayer is much more than merely vocalizing something.

Prayer is a real expression of dependence. Do you know that the Bible is filled with exhortations for prayer? And honestly, brothers and sisters, let me ask you a real question. I'm speaking to myself. How often do you pray? Don't answer now, but how often do you really pray? We know very well, many times we don't really pray. Prayer is an expression of dependence upon God. Prayer is an expression of a need. Prayer is an expression of fellowship with God. And many times we don't pray. Look at some exhortation that we have in the scripture. In Luke chapter 18 verse 1, Yeshua said, Men are always to pray.

In Romans 12 and verse 12, Paul says, continue instant in prayer. In 1 Corinthians chapter 14 and verse 15, we read, praying with my spirit. In 2 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 11, Paul said, help us by prayer. In Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 18, Paul says, praying at all times. In Philippians chapter 1 and verse 4, Paul is saying, always in every prayer. In Colossians chapter 1 and verse 3, Paul says, praying always. And the famous verse, and one of the shortest verses in the Bible, 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 17, we read the Apostle Paul encouraging the Thessalonians to pray without ceasing. In Hebrews chapter 13, the writers say, pray for us. James chapter 5 and verse 16, pray for one another.

And finally in Revelation chapter 8 and verse 4, and I didn't read all of them that I could read for you, the writer John speaking about those tribulation saints that their prayers of the saints was heard in the midst of the tribulation, that they were under trials and difficulties, their prayers were heard by the God of the nation of Israel during the tribulation time. The scripture is filled with the necessity of prayer, but prayer must be done in accordance with God's will. So, verses 14 and 15 of 1 John chapter 5, God answer his own people's prayer. And it is important for us to have a suitable condition in order for the Lord to answer our prayer.

So now he's moving on in verses 16 to 19. And now notice this, brothers and sisters, this text is a very difficult text that many Bible teachers perhaps differ on that and try to explain this verse. But it is very important in verses 16 to 19 specifically verse 16 in those four verses the thought we have that God's people do not practice continual habitual life of sin and so John is saying now in verse 16 he says if any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. But then he added, there is a sin unto death, I do not say that he shall pray for it.

Now, this is a very interesting verse, which troubling many who read this text. And it is important for us to understand the verse here in its context, because we just talked about prayer. We just talked about the fact that God would answer prayer. But here, John is saying there is a sin unto death, and I do not say that he shall pray for it. In other words, what Yohanan is saying, that there is a certain sin that leads to death. It is very important for us to understand the context. Here, in 1 John chapter 5, Yohanan is speaking to believers. And oftentimes we mix this verse with another passage that we find in Scripture in Matthew chapter 12, which there we have what you call the unpardonable sin.

You remember that? What is the difference between the unpardonable sin that is found in Matthew chapter 12, verses 31 and 32, and the sin unto death that is in 1 John chapter 5 and verse 16? Important to understand what's the difference between those two. First of all, they are far apart from each other. In Matthew chapter 12, Yeshua was speaking to the unbelievers leaders of Israel who did not accept him as the Messiah. To the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the spiritual leaders who did not accept Yeshua the Messiah. In 1 John chapter 5, Yohanan, John, is not speaking to unbelievers. He is speaking to believers in Yeshua the Messiah who are part of the Mishpacha of the family of God.

It's two different things. In Matthew chapter 12, he is speaking to unbelievers. In 1 John chapter 5, John is speaking to the children of God, to believers. In Matthew chapter 12, the unpardonable sin has to do with spiritual sin that has to do with eternal damnation. In 1 John chapter 5, it doesn't have to do with spiritual separation from God or spiritual death. It has to do with physical death of a believer. There are two different things. Now, go for a moment to Matthew chapter 12. Let me read this verse there before I'm going to deal with the passage of 1 John chapter 5. In Matthew chapter 12, we read in verse 24, But when the Pharisees heard it and they said, This fellow does not cast out demons, but by Baal Zvuv, the prince of the devils or the demons.

When Yeshua had made miracles in the midst of the leaders of Israel who did not accept him as the Messiah, They attribute his healing to none else but to Baal Zavuv, who is called here the Prince of the Demons. In other words, what they really said, he made his healing of that individual in the power of Satan. And they were accusing him to heal in the power of Satan rather than in the power of the Holy Spirit of God. And that's why he said to them in verse 31 and verse 32, he says, Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men.

But the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of God or the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him. But whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, against Ruach HaKodesh, it shall not be forgiven him. Notice that neither in this world, neither in the world to come. You see, he's speaking to unbelievers who rejected the testimony of the Holy Spirit of God that Yeshua the Messiah indeed is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, and all the things that he has done, he has done it in the power of God. And they were saying, no, he was doing it in the power of Baal Zvuv.

It's two Hebrew words. Baal means Lord, Zvuv means fly. They were attributing the miracles that he did to the Baal, the Lord of the flies, meaning to Satan himself. By the way, this expression, Baal Zvuv, become to be known among our people in those days because they were flies, they were so irritating them in those days that they attributed this from Satan, the Lord of those flies that irritate us. And therefore he said to them, I say unto you in verse 31, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men except one. What is this blasphemy? What is this unpardonable sin? It's the blasphemy against Ruach HaKodesh, against the Holy Spirit, saying that Yeshua is not the Messiah, rejecting the testimony of the Holy Spirit of God concerning this person by the name of Jesus from Nazareth.

And up till today, by the way, Matthew chapter 12, it was a national sin of our own nation, Israel. but today there are those who reject the testimony of the Holy Spirit of God concerning Yeshua the Messiah and they say he is not the Messiah and rejecting the testimony of the Holy Spirit of God is rejecting the Messiah and rejecting life and he says to them it shall not be forgiven him in verse 32 at the end neither in this world but notice he continues and he said neither in the world to come so brothers and sisters don't mix this up Matthew chapter 12 the unpardonable sin the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God is for unbelievers who reject the testimony of the Holy Spirit of God concerning Yeshua the Messiah but in 1st John chapter 5 and verse 16 he doesn't speak to unbelievers he speaks to believers like you and i and what does he say and i'm reading this verse again if any man see his brother notice his brother he's talking to believers who are brothers and sisters in the messiah And he says, if any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death.

And then he adds, there is a sin unto death, and I do not say that he shall pray for it. Now let's just talk a little bit about this sin unto death. While we already said that the unpardonable sin is a sin of rejecting the Messiah, which brings a person to eternal death, here he doesn't talk about eternal death. Here he's talking about physical death. You see, there may be a sin in a believer's life that God will say, listen, I'm not going to allow you, my child, to remain here in this world. I'm going to take you away from this world unto myself because your testimony in this world is ended because of a certain sin that a believer has committed.

Now, it may be different sin in every individual situation and you and I really do not know what it would be for a certain person. But let me give you some illustrations from the Word of God. I'm not going to take you to all the verses, but let me just read you something. For example, we read in the life of Korach. Korach was part of the Levites. He was part of the servants of God. But Korach said to Moshe, to Moses and to Aaron, who made you so great that only you are going to serve the Lord and to do those things among all the people of Israel.

We can do this as well. There was pride in Korach's life. He wanted to take something that God did not give him. You remember Moses said to him, do you want also to take the priesthood? Sons of Levi? How much blessing God has blessed you. You have served God in so many ways. And you want to take that which does not belong to you as well. And you remember what happened. The ground opened. And the whole family of Korach, Korach himself, died. And those who followed him died physical death. Korach was a believer among our people Israel. And he was taken outside of this sin prematurely because of certain sin.

In his case, it was the sin of pride. but notice for example in Leviticus chapter 10 Nadav and Abihu the two sons of Aaron they were priests but what did they do in their ministry they offered a strange fire and what God said he smoked them on the spot and he removed them out of this sin they did not die eternally they did not die spiritually they died physically God removed them out of this world and took away their lives here from this earth. They were no longer suitable for his service because of this particular sin. We can mention so many others, but I just particularly want to mention the verses that we read in Numbers chapter 20.

I want you to turn to them for a moment. I wanted to mention for a moment Aaron and Moses who also sinned a sin unto physical death. Look at Numbers chapter 20. You know what happened with them when God told them to go to Moses. He said, Moses, you go speak to the rock. Already earlier in chapter 17 of Exodus, he told him to smite the rock. But now Moses was called to speak to the rock. And so in chapter 20 of the book of Numbers, God said to him to go to speak to the rock. Notice verse 7. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Take thy rod, gather thou the assembly together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak.

Notice. Tedaber. Speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, and each shall give forth water, and thou shalt bring forth for them water out of the rock. so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts to drink. But what Moses did, he was a servant of God. He wanted to please God, but he was not happy with the congregation of Israel. So we read, And Moses took the rod, verse 9, from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, And he said unto them, hear now, ye rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock?

He was upset and angry with the people of Israel. So Moses lifted up his hand, and what did he do? Something that he shouldn't have done. God told him, speak to the rock. But Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod, he smote the rock twice. And the waters came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and the beasts also. And look what we read in verse 12. And the Lord spoke unto Moshe and Aaron, Because ye believe me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. God was not pleased with the disobedience of Moses and Aaron.

Actually, he said to both of them to speak to the rock, but Moses smite the rock twice. And really, both of them, Aaron and Moshe, Aaron and Moses, both of them sinned. that sin which is called, 1 John 5, verse 16, the sin unto physical death. And you know what happened? You read in the very same chapter, beloved brothers and sisters, in Numbers chapter 20, and look at this. It says here in verse 23, And the Lord spoke out to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, Aaron shall be gathered, he will die. Aaron shall be gathered unto his people. And he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel.

Why, God? Why he shall die? Look at the reason. Because he rebelled against my word at the water of Merivah. And then Aaron died on that mountain there on Mount Hor. Now what about Moses? Turn to the Deuteronomy chapter 3 for a moment. Look where we read about Moses.

I was really fascinated when I was reading these verses concerning Moses as well, because in chapter 3 of the book of Deuteronomy, we read in verse 23, And I besought the Lord at that time, saying, O Lord God, thou hast begun to show thy servant thy greatness and thy mighty hand for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works and according to thy might i pray thee verse 25 let me go over and see the good land that is beyond the jordan the goodly mountain and lebanon look what the lord said to him in verse 26 but the lord was rough with me for your sakes and

he would not hear me and the Lord said unto me let it suffice thee speak no more unto me of this matter get thee up to the top of Pisgah lift up thine eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward and behold it with thine eyes for thou shall not go over this Jordan now God was serious about Moshe and he says Moses don't even ask me now you see what we read in 1st John 5 16 there is a sin unto this and I say I do not say that ye shall pray for it Moses was praying that God will not take away his life and allow him to enter into the promised land

and God said to him no Moses now you and I might say God why is it that you not allow thy servant Moses to enter into the land he was longing to see it and that's why brothers and sisters God knows best we don't know best he knows what better for his own people for the human race he knows better than all of us and that's why we need to be in tune with his mind with his will many times we are not now what about new testament people you might say well those were old testament people they were long before the Mashiach came and that does not apply to us because we are believers

of the present day dispensation of the church age that does not apply to us doesn't it apply to us well what about Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5 you know what was their sins they lied to the Holy Spirit they sold the possession they came to the meeting hall and they say, here is the amount of money that we sold the possession.

And Peter asks, is that the amount? Hananiah says yes. And because he lied, he died on the spot. Then it didn't take too long that they took his body out. His wife, Shafira, she's coming to the meeting only. She says, he asked her, is that the amount of money that you sold the property that you say the dead? She says yes. She died on the spot. And he says, why did you lie against Ruach HaKodesh? Now remember, they didn't have to give anything from the property that they have sold. It's theirs. But they wanted to appear as if they were doing and pleasing the Lord and doing.

And everybody would say, wow, look at these people. And God smote them on the spot. They were part of their local assembly in the city of Jerusalem. They died on the spot. Now, I have to mention this because the greatest passage that alluded to that is 1 Corinthians chapter 11. I want you to turn there for a moment, please. We have this expression that Apostle Paul mentioned to the Corinthian local assembly. He was writing to them, and in verse 23, he says, I have received of the Lord that which I have delivered unto you, that the Lord Yeshua, at the same night in which he was betrayed, he took bread.

And when he had given thanks, he breaketh and he said, Take it, this is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And then he said, after he took the cup which he supped and he said, This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death until he come. And then he said in verse 27, Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, or in unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.

But let the man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup, and he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, in unworthy manner, He eateth and drinketh damnation unto himself, not discerning the Lord's body. And listen to what he said in verse 30. For this cause, many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep, many die. Apparently, what happened in the local assembly at Corinth, the condition in which they were meeting together was in an unworthily manner. It's not unworthy because nobody is worthy. Neither you, neither I. No one is worthy.

But the manner in which they were coming together and he's saying to them, if you're coming in this way to remember the Messiah and his death, burial, and resurrection and you're coming in an unworthily manner in such a way you are not discerning the body of the messiah and what you have done you really bringing upon yourself damnation and judgment of god among the people of god and that's why he says that's why some of you many of you he said are weak god judge us in weakness and then others many are sick among you he's saying to the corinthians and then he said and many are sleeping now he doesn't talk here about sleeping

natural sleep he says many of you are sleeping and that means God removed them out of this world he actually physically removed them out of this testimony in this world because of the manner in which they were behaving and there is a sin unto death John is saying in Moses case it was disobedience in the fact of Hananiah it was lying in the case of the Corinthians it was disorder in the assembly in the case of others of Old Testament time that we've just read like Nadav and Avihu it was putting a strange fire in the service of God in the case of Korach it was pride and seeking to usurp a place that is

not his and we can go on and on and on we do not know which particular sin that one has committed will remove that person out of this world by the Lord and so that's why he says I do not want you to pray for that how do we know whether we should pray or we should not pray one thing for sure it must be really discerned by a believer that is really in tune with the Lord in order to discern such a thing.

We cannot discern this on our own. We need the help of the Spirit of God to discern it. Secondly, it is important that we encourage each other when sin is being allowed and condoned in our lives that we are to deal with it, to confess it, and forsake it. Because notice what he says in verse 17, all unrighteousness is sin. And there is a sin not unto death. In other words, everything that we do that is unrighteous is sin. And how many times, brothers and sisters, if God is going to deal with us in the way he dealt with Hananiah and Shafira, in the way that he dealt with the Corinthians, in the way that he dealt with Moshe and Aaron, in the way that he dealt with Korach, in the day that he dealt with others, none of us would be at a meeting here today.

And so the important thing is to repent of our sin and sin that come a time into our lives and as we have in 1st John chapter 1 verse 9 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and sometime if there is a sin that God in our lives that God says listen I cannot allow you to continue I'm going to take you to be with me at home for the believer this sin unto death is physical death. All our sins have been already forgiven by Yeshua the Messiah for our eternal relationship with him.

But sins that allow to be condoned on an ongoing basis in the life of a believer here and now, God is intending to deal with it unless we repent and confess and turn back to the Lord. And We need his help to help us to turn to him back when sins happen in our life. Now notice, let's move on in our chapter here, in 1 John chapter 5, and now I'm in the next verses here, verses 18 and 19. In verse 18, a person who is born of God do not habitually practice sin. He says here in verse 18, And we know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not. But he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and the wicked one touches him not.

In other words, a believer that is born of God does not live habitual, continual sin. We may fall into sin, we don't have to, but we have to realize that the believer is not carrying on and carrying on habitually, continually living a life of sin. Because we have a new nature, a new life. Notice this again in verse 19. And we know that we are of God and the whole world lieth in the wicked one. It should be wicked one rather than in the wickedness. The whole world is lying in that wicked one who influenced them. But we, but the believer, we know that we are of God.

We belong to Yeshua the Messiah. We have a new nature, a new life. We don't have to live anymore like we lived before we became believers in Yeshua the Messiah. And yet, brothers and sisters, the world lieth in the wicked one. Who is that wicked one? It's Satan himself. Satan is an enemy of every believer. He's shooting darts at you and I. He knows our weaknesses. He knows where we are lacking. He finds a place where we are not in communion with the Lord at time and so on. And he shoots these darts in order to tempt us, to beguile us, to cause us to fall and to stumble.

Satan is our enemy. The world is our enemy. That's why John said in 1 John 2, Love not the world, not the things that are in the world. For all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of God. 1 John chapter 2. And thirdly, the enemy that is the closest to us is the flesh within us. The old nature. The old nature, Yeshua said, the flesh profiteth nothing. With this old nature, we have sinned against God. This old nature we have received from Adam when we were born into this world. And this sin nature was judged when Yeshua the Messiah died for us on the tree.

When those of us who are going to get baptized in the will of the Lord very soon, what they say by being baptized, going under the water, they say, I died with the Messiah. Coming out of the water, I seek to live in newness of life. I seek to please my Lord and my Messiah. So we have an enemy, yes. Satan, the world and the flesh. But what we read here in this verse 19, we know that we are of God. We are not of this world. And the whole world is lying in that wicked one. The God of this world that blinded the mind of them that believe not the gospel.

This is none else but Satan himself. So, we spoke about God's answering his people's prayer, verses 14 and 15. We spoke about God's people do not practice habitual, continual sin. This is verses 16 and 19. Let me conclude with verses 20 and 21. And with this we'll conclude the whole letter of 1 John. God's people know the true God and eternal life and so we read verse 20 and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true and we are in Him that is true even in His Son Yeshua the Messiah this is the true God and eternal life.

I love this verse, brothers and sisters, because this verse only shows us who Yeshua is. Notice that because many people reject his divine nature. They say Jesus is not God. They say Yeshua is only a man. Some say, as in John time, they say that he is a phantom that the Messiah kind of came upon him at his baptism beginning of his ministry and went off him at his crucifixion when he died on the tree and that he was only a phantom. But here's very clear passage for all those that belong to Yeshua the Messiah. Notice he said, and we know. We know. We know it by faith.

We know it on the basis of God's word. We know it because the Holy Spirit of God is indwelled in every believer. We know that the Son of God has come. Peter said to him in Matthew 16, verse 16, Atahu ha-Mashiach, you are the Messiah, ben Elohim Chaim, the Son of the Living God. He declared there, you are the Mashiach, the Messiah, the son of the living God. He said that even before Yeshua went to the tree, before he had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within him. He understood that in light of what the word of God said. The psalmist in Psalm 2 said, Kiss the son lest he be angry and he perish from the way.

The Proverbs said, Who has ascended unto heaven and descended? And he said in Proverbs chapter 30, What is his name and what is his son's name? Can you tell me? Agur Enukal said this in the Proverbs chapter 30 and verse 4. he is the son we know that the son of god has come we know that he is the promised messiah of israel and the savior of the world we know this because the bible tells us this the hebrew scripture teaches us this the holy spirit declared this to us we know it and what did he do he had given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son, Yeshua the Messiah.

And then he says, this is the true God. You tell this to those who do not believe that Yeshua is divine. This is the true God. He's speaking about Yeshua. And also he says, an eternal life. He that has the Son has life. He that does not have the Son hath not life. Having relationship with Yeshua the Messiah given us an assurance that we have eternal life because He is eternal life. John 17, verse 3 says, He's speaking about Himself, speaking to the Father. He says, To know Thee the only true God and Jesus the Messiah whom Thou had sent. This is eternal life. And brothers and sisters, you and I can be assured on the basis of who Yeshua is that we have eternal life because He is that true God and He is that eternal life.

It was the Holy Spirit of God that revealed this unto every believer. And finally, brothers and sisters, His final word of exhortation, He said to them, little children, now again, He's writing to the mishpachah, to the family, All of us are considered as children of the father, little children, part of the family of God. It doesn't matter what age we are. Some of us are younger here. Some of us are older here. Every believer is considered to be a child of God. He says, little children, all you mishpacha, family of God, he says, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. Why? Because idols take the place of God in the life of the family of God.

Idols take away a relationship with our Father. Idols, they draw us away from God. An idol can be anything in our lives. You may have your idol, I may have my idol. It can be anything. It can be your position at work. It can be your look. It can be your possession. It can be your pride and arrogance, my pride and arrogance. It can be everything in our life. It can be anything. It doesn't have to be a little figurine that you worship somewhere in your home. It can be anything in our life that takes away from the relationship with our Abba, our Father, and that hinders us from a fellowship with the Father.

He says, little children, keep yourselves from idols. Do you think only Israel have built a golden calf and had an idol to say, this is your God? Believers in the present-day dispensation of the church age do the very same thing. And we have greater responsibility than the nation of Israel because believers today have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God in each and every one of us. We have the complete canon of Scripture. We have the risen and exalted Messiah. We have everything, far more than what Israel have ever had. And that's why a believer in Yeshua the Messiah has a greater responsibility than even the nation of Israel before the coming of the Messiah.

Little children, John is saying, keep yourselves from idols. And he closed the letter of 1 John with the word, Amen. So let it be. Well, brothers and sisters, may the Lord bless us with these thoughts and encourage us to continue to follow with the Lord's strength after Yeshua the Messiah.