Sermon Prepared by James McCullen
Email Preach Him with Dr. Jim

Christian Benefits
1 John 4:13-18

(13) By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
{14} And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son <to be> the Savior of the world.   {15} Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
{16} And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.    {17} By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.
{18} There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
 

INTRODUCTION:
I believe Christians receive many benefits from God. These benefits are given only to those
who are the children of God. I see this reality over and over as I have the opportunity to
minister. In recent days I have had the opportunity to see different families relate to death.
Some families have walked closely with the Lord for years and God's peace was evident in
their life.

Some have not walked with God faithfully and they were searching for His comfort. He gives
peace to all His Children but to those who have walked with him through the years His comfort
seems to be in abundance. They can comfort others. There are BENEFITS TO THE CHRISTIAN

please note the following benefits:
 

1. WE HAVE HIS SPIRIT AS OUR COMFORTER

2. WE HAVE HIS SON AS OUR CONFESSION.

3. WE HAVE HIS SECURITY AS OUR CONFIDENCE.
 
 

EXPLANATION:

A.    PHILOSOPHICAL COMFORT. "WE KNOW"

            1. The Spirit gave John this knowledge.
 

B.    POSSESSED COMFORT. "GIVEN US HIS SPIRIT"
            1. The Spirit's presence will comfort us.
 

ILLUSTRATION:
One night while conducting an evangelistic meeting in the Salvation Army Citadel in Chicago, Booth Tucker preached on the sympathy of Jesus. After his message a man approached him and said, "If your wife had just died, like mine has, and your babies were crying for their mother, who would never come back, you wouldn't be saying what you're saying. Tragically, a few days later, Tucker's wife was killed in a train wreck. Her body was brought to Chicago and carried to the same Citadel for the funeral.

After the service the bereaved preacher looked down into the silent face of his wife and then turned to those attending. "The other day a man told me I wouldn't speak of the sympathy of Jesus if my wife had just died. If that man is here, I want to tell him that Christ is sufficient. My heart is broken, but it has a song put there by Jesus. I want that man to know that Jesus Christ speaks comfort to me today."
 

APPLICATION:

Christian Benefits?

WE HAVE HIS SPIRIT AS OUR COMFORTER
 
 

EXPLANATION:

A.    A CONFESSION FOR A WITNESS.

        1. The Witness can TESTIFY concerning his confession.

        2. The witness can WITNESS concerning his confession.
 
 

B.    A CONFESSION FOR A WHOSOEVER.

        1. Whosoever includes all RACES. Rev. 7:9

        2. Whosoever includes all NATIONS. Rev. 7:9

        3. Whosoever includes all LIFESTYLES. 1 Cor. 6:9-11
 

ILLUSTRATION:
On one occasion a witnessing team from the church I pastored in St. Louis called on a family that had visited our church. The husband was out of town but the wife welcomed the visitors. In the course of their witness they asked the lady to share her testimony.

In about a week I followed up on this family and the lady told me she was really angered that these visitors asked her to share her testimony. She hastened to say her husband corrected her and said "you should be thankful this church cares enough to talk to you concerning salvation. Suppose you were not a Christian wouldn't you want them to tell you how?"

Since that time I have been even more diligent to ask people to share their testimony of salvation. Many have thanked me for caring enough to ask them.

APPLICATION:

Christian Benefits?

WE HAVE HIS SON AS OUR CONFESSION.
 
 

EXPLANATION:

A.    SECURITY OF BEING PRIZED. v 16 ". . . love GOD has for us."

B.    SECURITY OF BEING PERFECTED. v 17 "By this love is perfected with us,. . . "

C.    SECURITY OF BEING PROTECTED. v 18 ". . . perfect love cast out fear, . . . "
 

ILLUSTRATION:
A little girl had just finished witnessing to a small group of friends. Joyfully she told of God's saving grace and how His love had touched her heart. With assurance, she appropriately concluded her testimony by quoting these comforting words of Jesus recorded in John's gospel: "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand" (John 10:28.29).

Just then a joshing, doubting friend piped up with the question, "But Maggie, suppose you slip through His fingers?" Quick as a flash, she replied, "Never, never! You see, I'm one of the fingers!" Maggie may not have been well versed in the language of theology, but a biblical principal had been lodged in her heart; namely, that "we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones" (Eph. 5:30). She knew that she had been joined inseparably to Jesus and that she belonged to Him.
 

APPLICATION: Christian Benefits

1. WE HAVE HIS SPIRIT AS OUR COMFORTER

2. WE HAVE HIS SON AS OUR CONFESSION.

3. WE HAVE HIS SECURITY AS OUR CONFIDENCE.