05/17/26 - 1 John 5:13-21 - That You May Know Jesus

May 17, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Written Assurance in His Name

John’s pen scratched parchment to declare certainty: believers who trust Jesus’ name have eternal life. No abstraction, no maybe—just concrete reality. The letter’s purpose pulses clear: know you possess life unending. Like a child wearing a parent’s gifted coat, eternal life wraps believers now. [07:29]

This certainty crushes doubt. Jesus’ finished work—His blood, resurrection, and advocacy—secures your standing. Eternal life isn’t a distant reward but a present possession. God’s children wear it daily, stained by grace, frayed by hope.

When anxieties whisper “Do you really belong?”, grip this truth: your belief in Christ’s name seals your destiny. How might today shift if you lived clothed in this assurance?

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
(1 John 5:13, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus aloud for the concrete gift of eternal life, using His full title: “Son of God.”
Challenge: Write 1 John 5:13 on a sticky note. Place it where you’ll see it hourly.

Day 2: Bold Asks in Broken Kitchens

A mother prays for missing socks. Children scramble, then gasp—answered prayer in laundry piles. John insists: ask anything according to God’s will, and He hears. Not cosmic vending-machine wishes, but childlike requests shaped by His heart. [17:45]

Jesus bends low to hear His siblings. His will isn’t a maze to solve but a Father’s good plan to trust. When prayers align with His purposes—for holiness, healing, or daily bread—He answers with “Yes” or “Better.”

What ordinary need have you withheld from prayer? Name it today. Where might God be inviting you to ask boldly, then watch for His reply?

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
(1 John 5:14, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God for one specific, practical need today—groceries, patience, a lost item.
Challenge: Text a believer friend: “How can I pray for you right now?” Respond within 10 minutes.

Day 3: Untouchable in the Sifter’s Hands

Satan demanded to sift Peter like wheat. Jesus prayed, and Peter emerged—scorched, stumbling, but kept. John echoes: “He who was born of God protects them.” Not from pain, but from the Evil One’s final grasp. [29:58]

Believers walk through fire, but the flames don’t own them. Jesus’ grip outmuscles every demonic claw. Your worst failures can’t void His guardianship; His prayers fortify your faith when yours falters.

What storm makes you question His protection? How might Peter’s story reframe your fear?

“We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.”
(1 John 5:18, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one fear to Jesus. Thank Him aloud for being your shield.
Challenge: Memorize 1 John 5:18. Whisper it when anxiety strikes.

Day 4: Knowing the Road to Iowa

John’s travelers knew about Iowa—corn, plains, maps. But knowing Iowa meant dirt under nails, laughter with locals, humid winds. So Christ came: not just a doctrine, but flesh-and-blood Truth to walk beside. [35:45]

Eternal life isn’t mere duration but knowing God Himself. Jesus peeled back heaven’s curtain, saying, “Here’s My Father—taste, touch, follow.” Every Scripture page scrapes away lies, revealing Him truer than your doubts.

When did Jesus last feel more like a concept than a companion? What habit could deepen your experiential knowledge of Him?

“We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true.”
(1 John 5:20, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to make Himself real to you in one area where He feels distant.
Challenge: Spend 10 minutes in John’s Gospel today. Note one detail about Jesus you’d never seen.

Day 5: Idols in the Rearview

John’s final warning flares: “Keep yourselves from idols.” Not just stone statues, but anything dethroning Christ—approval, comfort, control. The true God demands no rivals. Clinging to lesser loves drains eternal life’s vitality. [44:03]

Idols promise life but deliver chains. Jesus—the real God—offers freedom wrapped in His scars. Every moment spent worshiping Him weakens false gods’ grip.

What subtle idol have you glanced toward this week? What step could you take today to recenter on Christ?

“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”
(1 John 5:21, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one competing “god” in your life. Ask Jesus to reclaim that space.
Challenge: Delete one app/account that fuels comparison or greed. Replace it with 5 minutes of worship music.

Sermon Summary

We read John to be certain that belief in the Son of God gives us eternal life, and John presses that truth into our hands so we will stop doubting it. We hold three firm confidences: Jesus hears us when we pray according to his will, Jesus protects those born of God so the evil one cannot touch them, and Jesus himself is the true God and the very life we possess. We must not reduce these truths to a sentimental slogan; they describe a living, union relationship with Christ that rewires our desires, secures our status, and reorders our hope.

We learn that prayer becomes assurance when it aligns with God’s will. We can bring every need and every broken thing to the Father, trusting that as our wills conform to his, petitions already bear the weight of God’s answer. The striking example of interceding for a brother caught in sin shows prayer as a practical instrument of restoration, with the sober caveat that some sins carry a finality that prayer cannot reverse. We must wrestle with that difficulty honestly while clinging to the promise that God answers for restoration in nearly every case.

We also learn that God’s protection flows from union with the Son. Being born of God changes our status and places us under Jesus’ keeping; trials and attacks may come but the evil one does not finally touch what Christ guards. That protection does not erase suffering, but it preserves faith and brings believers through hardship into the fullness of life.

Finally, we learn that knowing Jesus moves from intellectual assent to deep, ongoing acquaintance. The Son has come to give us understanding so we might know him who is true, and to be in him is to possess eternal life now. Knowing Jesus transforms what we treasure: nothing that competes for our heart should stand where the true God has placed himself. Practically, we respond with three actions pulled straight from the text: pray because Jesus hears, rest because Jesus protects, and keep ourselves from idols because Jesus is our eternal treasure. These responses grow out of the certainty that belief in the Son secures life that will never end.

Key Takeaways

1. Prayer secures our confident access Prayer aligns our longing with God’s will so requests carry the weight of his answer. Intercession for struggling brothers shows prayer as the means God uses to restore life, while the hard reality of sin that leads to death calls for sober discernment and persistent pleading. We must practice bold, constant prayer even when we do not yet see God’s plan. [16:50]
2. Union with Christ means firm protection Being born of God places us under the Son’s keeping so the evil one cannot finally touch what Christ guards. This protection preserves faith through suffering rather than removing all pain, and it reframes hardship as the context in which God sustains and matures us. We rest in God’s keeping while living courageously in a fallen world. [26:58]
3. Jesus is the true God and life The Son came to give us understanding so we might genuinely know him, not merely know about him; to be in him is to possess eternal life here and now. Knowing Jesus reshapes our loves and exposes every competing idol, calling us to persistent communion, scripture study, and obedience. We pursue deeper, experiential knowledge of Christ as the heart of eternal joy. [32:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:43] - Aim: Know You Have Eternal Life
[11:34] - Three Statements of Confidence
[16:50] - Jesus Hears: Prayer and Assurance
[22:04] - Pray for Brothers Caught in Sin
[26:58] - Jesus Protects Those Born of God
[32:33] - Jesus as True God and Life
[39:16] - Apply: Pray, Rest, Keep
[44:25] - Final Exhortation and Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 John 5:13-21 (ESV)
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. 18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Observation questions

What three "we know" statements does John emphasize in this passage to build confidence for believers?
According to 1 John 5:16, how should believers respond when they see a fellow Christian caught in sin? What exception does John note?
The sermon gave an example of praying for lost socks as a way to practice trusting God with small needs. What does this reveal about aligning our desires with God’s will? [17:45]
How does John contrast the status of believers ("we are from God") with the state of the world in verse 19?

Interpretation questions

Why might John specifically mention "sin that leads to death" (v. 16) as a situation where prayer is not encouraged? How does this balance urgency with humility in intercession?
The sermon described being "in Christ" as wearing eternal life like a garment. How does this metaphor help explain the difference between merely knowing about Jesus and being united to Him? [10:18]
In verse 18, John says the evil one "does not touch" believers. How does this protection relate to suffering or trials that Christians still experience?
Why does John end his letter with the command to "keep yourselves from idols" (v. 21) after emphasizing knowing Jesus as the "true God"?

Application questions

What practical step could you take this week to pray more boldly about both small needs (like lost items) and big struggles, trusting God’s will? [17:45]
When have you felt God’s protection in a situation where fear or hardship threatened your peace? How does that experience shape your confidence in Christ’s keeping power?
Identify one "idol" (a priority, habit, or desire) that competes with your devotion to Jesus. What would it look like to actively "keep yourself" from it this month?
The sermon urged believers to "rest" in God’s protection even amid a broken world. What area of your life feels most vulnerable right now, and how can you practice resting in Christ’s care there? [41:13]
How could you lovingly intercede for a fellow believer you’ve noticed struggling with sin? What would it look like to pray for their restoration without judgment? [22:04]
John says knowing Jesus reshapes our loves. What habit (e.g., Scripture study, worship, serving) could help you grow in experiential knowledge of Christ, not just intellectual agreement?

Sermon Clips

46s

#SeekGodFirst

“What are you looking to in your life for answers instead of God? What is consuming your thoughts? What's consuming your time? What's consuming your money other than him who is true. Keep yourselves stayed on the son of God. Know him who is true. How do we do this? We abide in him. We study him. We search the scriptures and pray and ask the Lord that he would reveal himself to us day after day after day. We pray to him constantly. We follow him fearlessly and know him intimately. He is our eternal treasure. And if you are in Christ, you have eternal life in Jesus, know that.”

29s

#PrayForUnderstanding

“But how it should be different is that we should pray if we have no idea. Like Lord, if I don't understand your will, would you give me the understanding of your will? Would you help me understand what you want me to do? Like would I don't know what you're doing. It's in your hands. My encouragement for all of us this morning is that we pray even if we don't know what God's will might be in certain situations. Ask your heavenly father for what you need and watch what he does. Like prayer is the confidence of eternal life.”

38s

#JesusProtects

“So Jesus protects us. Though the whole world has been placed under the power of the evil one. This is our confidence. Like though the entire planet is full of wickedness, is filled with hardships, is filled with toils and annoyances and it's pressed and it's harassed by labors and disease. If you believe in the name of the son of God, then you can know that Jesus will keep you even in the valley of the shadow of death. He will be faithful to bring us through to eternal life with him and the evil one cannot touch you.”

33s

#RebornAndProtected

“Everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God, Jesus protects him. He protects the Christian and the evil one does not touch him. Now, once we believe in the name of the son of God, we have been reborn. That's a verb by the spirit of God. We've been reborn and are now children of God. Now, if this is true, then we no longer keep on sinning but instead what happens is that we are protected. Specifically, are protected by he who was born of God.”

35s

#JesusHearsPrayer

“Before we even ask him for it. And if and if we ask that he keeps us like you can be sure that he'll hold us when we struggle to remember his goodness. And if we ask that he'd be with us in the hardest of times, you can be sure and confident that he'll be closer to you than any brother. He hears us, he attends to us and he considers what we have to say. And he will give us everything that we need. For the Christian, Jesus hears us. Prayer is the confidence of eternal life.”

34s

#FathersAbundantProvision

“Now, if my kids ask for something to eat, they can have full confidence that I will hear them. But not only will I hear them, I can they can know that I will indeed give them what they need and I will do so in all abundance. They might not know what specifically I'll give them, but they can know that I will give them food that's good for them, that's best for them and I will do so in abundance. Our father is the same way, but man he's so much better than I am.”

31s

#AskInHisWill

“Our father is far better than I am. If we ask for things that align with his will, what he's determined, then we can know. We know with all confidence that we already have what we have asked for. It's as good as done. It's if if we ask for eternal life, you can be sure that we will have it. If we ask that he provide for our every need, you can be sure that he will somehow provide exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.”

22s

#JesusIsGod

“Jesus Christ is God. He's the second person of the trinity. He's fully God and fully man. He is the true God. Not only this, but he himself is eternal life. Meaning that in himself is the very essence of life itself. The one who has been the source of all things in eternity past and who will be the source of all things in eternity future. Like Jesus is that person.”

35s

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05/17/26 - 1 John 5:13-21 - That You May Know Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: Written Assurance in His Name

Day 2: Bold Asks in Broken Kitchens

Day 3: Untouchable in the Sifter’s Hands

Day 4: Knowing the Road to Iowa

Day 5: Idols in the Rearview

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

05/17/26 - 1 John 5:13-21 - That You May Know Jesus

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