Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Fine - 1 John 5:1-12 | A.C. Caswell | Week 10

I opened with a story about a friend quietly hiding “contraband” in the back of an SUV—dozens of MP3 players loaded with the New Testament in a restricted country. He was risking prison so people could hear about Jesus. That risk sits in tension with our own December lives—deadlines, shopping, family burdens, and the ache of things that aren’t turning out like we hoped. Into that mix John says: everyone born of God loves God, keeps His commandments, loves His people—and these commands aren’t a burden because faith in Jesus overcomes the world.

By “world,” John means more than geography. He’s talking about the whole system—politics, culture, customs, ambitions—that shapes what we think is important. For John’s first hearers, Rome felt omnipresent and immovable; for us, it’s the quieter script of the “good life”: education, career, spouse, kids, house, trips. Those are good gifts, but they’re cruel masters. When we put our faith in the world, it usually looks like grasping for control or chasing pleasure. Control works—until it doesn’t. Pleasure soothes—until it doesn’t. A diagnosis, a betrayal, a funeral exposes how thin those saviors are.

John answers with a Person: Jesus Christ, testified by water, blood, and Spirit. The water points to His baptism and the Father’s public declaration. The blood points to His cross and resurrection. The Spirit bears witness in us now, making obedience a joy rather than a grind, and sealing in our hearts that whoever has the Son has life. Paul says nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love in Christ. So we don’t just “have faith”; we place our faith in the crucified and risen Lord.

That’s why we live into ordinary means—gathering, Scripture, prayer, confession, sacrificial generosity, the Table. Not to manipulate God, but to regularly place ourselves where the Spirit loves to assure, reshape, and strengthen. And that assurance travels with us—from smuggling Scripture across borders to soothing a toddler in Target. The world will keep calling you back to control or to comfort. Jesus calls you to Himself. He doesn’t fail. His death gives us life.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Faith that overcomes reorders our loves Obedience is not a ladder to earn God’s favor; it’s evidence that the Spirit is rewriting our desires. Loving God naturally births love for His people and a willingness to lay down our preferences. As loves are reordered, commands stop feeling like burdens and begin to feel like freedom. Overcoming starts with who we adore. [04:31]
• 2. Control is a counterfeit power The urge to manage every outcome—at home, work, or with our kids—masquerades as wisdom, but it’s really fear dressed as strategy. Control can produce short-term order, but it cannot prevent suffering or secure joy. Faith releases the white-knuckle grip and entrusts outcomes to the One who holds us. Surrender is not passivity; it’s rightly placed dependence. [15:03]
• 3. Pleasure numbs; Presence actually heals Chasing the next trip, meal, drink, or experience can quiet the noise but cannot mend the fracture. The ache we feel is spiritual, and it requires the nearness of God, not another diversion. The Spirit’s witness brings a deeper consolation—peace that outlasts the party and steadies us in pain. Pleasure is a gift; Presence is the cure. [18:02]
• 4. Water, blood, and Spirit testify Jesus’ baptism, cross, and the Spirit’s inner witness converge to give concrete, historical, and personal assurance. Our faith rests not on vague spirituality but on the Son who entered history, died, rose, and now indwells His people. This testimony is stronger than shifting feelings or cultural winds. Whoever has the Son has life—eternal and now. [21:12]
• 5. Ordinary practices invite extraordinary assurance Gathering with the church, opening Scripture, praying, confessing, and sharing the Table are not busywork; they are places where the Spirit loves to meet us. These rhythms form a durable hope that can weather blessing and burden. Over time, they train our reflexes toward trust rather than panic. Faith grows where it is planted regularly. [30:19]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:24] - “Contraband” in the SUV
• [01:14] - Smuggling Scripture to pastors
• [02:47] - Christmas and daily pressures
• [04:31] - Faith that overcomes the world
• [06:22] - What “world” (kosmos) means
• [07:49] - Rome’s power and Christian fears
• [11:11] - The American good-life script
• [15:03] - Control as a false savior
• [18:02] - Pleasure’s promise and letdown
• [19:43] - The true source of overcoming
• [21:12] - Water, blood, and the Spirit
• [25:58] - Cross, resurrection, and life
• [30:19] - Gathering to meet the Spirit
• [33:29] - Communion: His death gives life

1. In 1 John 5:1-5, what links are made between being born of God, loving God, obeying His commands, and loving His children?
2. According to 1 John 5:4-5, how does John define the “victory” that overcomes the world, and who is it that overcomes?
3. In 1 John 5:6-12, what are the “water,” the “blood,” and the “Spirit,” and what do they testify about?
4. “World” (kosmos) was described as a whole system shaping what we think is important. What present-day examples were named? [06:22]

1. God’s commands are “not burdensome.” How does the Spirit make obedience feel like freedom instead of pressure? [28:26]
2. What does it practically mean that faith in Jesus overcomes the world, not just generic “faith” or spirituality? [04:31]
3. How do the testimonies of water, blood, and Spirit work together to give a thicker, steadier assurance than emotions or culture can give? [21:12]
4. Control and pleasure can seem wise and soothing. What exposes them as counterfeit saviors, and why do they ultimately fail? [18:02]

1. Where are you gripping for control right now—home, work, kids, or finances? What one outcome will you entrust to God this week, and what concrete step of surrender will show it? [15:29]
2. Where are you turning to pleasure to numb pain (trips, food, drinks, scrolling, purchases)? What could you swap this week with a practice that welcomes God’s presence? [18:02]
3. Which ordinary rhythms will you commit to for the next 30 days—gathering weekly, daily Scripture and prayer, confession with a trusted friend, sacrificial generosity, the Table? What time and place will you set? [30:19]
4. As loves are reordered, commands stop feeling like burdens. Which command of Jesus feels heavy right now, and what desire under it might the Spirit want to rewrite into freedom? [04:08]
5. When did you last sense the Spirit assuring you that you belong to God? What helps you notice His witness more clearly, and how will you seek that this week? [27:23]
6. “Whoever has the Son has life.” Where do you feel lifeless right now? What would it look like to bring that specific place under Jesus’ leadership this week? [22:02]
7. Who near you needs to hear about Jesus—across a border or across an aisle? What is one courageous, loving step you could take this week to move toward them? [32:53]