WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:03.980 Bible reading for today is from 1 John chapter 00:00:03.980 --> 00:00:08.460 2 verse 3 to 6 and I'll be reading from the ESV 00:00:08.460 --> 00:00:15.199 version. So chapter 2 starting at verse 3 and 00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:17.699 by this we know that we have come to know him 00:00:17.699 --> 00:00:21.199 if we keep his commandments. Whoever says I know 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:23.699 him but does not keep his commandments is a liar 00:00:23.699 --> 00:00:26.640 and the truth is not in him but whoever keeps 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:30.710 his word in him truly the love of God is perfected 00:00:30.710 --> 00:00:34.210 by this we may be sure that we are in him whoever 00:00:34.210 --> 00:00:37.530 says he abides in him ought to walk in the same 00:00:37.530 --> 00:00:40.570 way in which he walked this is the word of the 00:00:40.570 --> 00:00:47.030 Lord good morning everyone it's great to be together 00:00:47.030 --> 00:00:52.130 as it's said been said already it is really wonderful 00:00:52.130 --> 00:00:55.149 actually to be together to pray together sing 00:00:55.149 --> 00:00:58.280 together praise the Lord together in such a public 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:01.500 way. And now we're about to come around God's 00:01:01.500 --> 00:01:05.099 holy word, the eternal words of life. And so 00:01:05.099 --> 00:01:07.459 would you please pray with me as we turn to scripture 00:01:07.459 --> 00:01:13.299 this morning? Indeed, Father, we ask that you 00:01:13.299 --> 00:01:16.040 would speak to us this morning, that this wouldn't 00:01:16.040 --> 00:01:19.620 be a simple Bible lesson, but you would help 00:01:19.620 --> 00:01:23.579 me, Lord, to proclaim these words truthfully, 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:28.010 clearly. And Lord, that you would be honoured, 00:01:28.269 --> 00:01:30.650 you would be glorified, and you would have our 00:01:30.650 --> 00:01:33.450 praise and affections here this morning. We ask 00:01:33.450 --> 00:01:36.269 for this for the sake of Christ and in your name, 00:01:36.390 --> 00:01:42.510 amen. Church, how do we know that we really know 00:01:42.510 --> 00:01:47.349 Jesus? How do we know that we have really come 00:01:47.349 --> 00:01:50.150 to be in relationship with the living God? How 00:01:50.150 --> 00:01:54.569 do we know that we're actually a Christian and 00:01:54.750 --> 00:01:59.670 have received the very spirit of God? Or to put 00:01:59.670 --> 00:02:02.310 that another way, how do we know that we have 00:02:02.310 --> 00:02:06.109 come into a saving relationship with Almighty 00:02:06.109 --> 00:02:10.949 God and will spend eternity with him in glory? 00:02:12.770 --> 00:02:16.960 Well, these are very important questions. And 00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:19.939 very important questions that our apostle John 00:02:19.939 --> 00:02:23.219 doesn't want us to be in the dark about. And 00:02:23.219 --> 00:02:26.319 so John has given us, in these words that we 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:29.840 have before us this morning, some standards to 00:02:29.840 --> 00:02:33.620 test ourselves against in order to help us come 00:02:33.620 --> 00:02:38.580 to a certain answer about these important questions. 00:02:39.379 --> 00:02:42.060 But first a bit of context. If you've been with 00:02:42.060 --> 00:02:44.419 us for the past few weeks, you'll know that we're 00:02:44.419 --> 00:02:47.960 in the first letter of the Apostle John written 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:51.759 to the church in Ephesus, where John has been 00:02:51.759 --> 00:02:55.479 giving answers to some of the false teaching 00:02:55.479 --> 00:02:58.699 that had found its way into the congregation 00:02:58.699 --> 00:03:02.039 there. The first error that he addressed was 00:03:02.039 --> 00:03:05.599 the false teaching that you can have a saving 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:09.479 relationship with God while still living and 00:03:09.479 --> 00:03:14.379 absolutely life. The second error that he addressed 00:03:14.379 --> 00:03:17.319 was the teaching that once you became a Christian 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:21.539 you're now a person who's perfect and absolutely 00:03:21.539 --> 00:03:25.039 without sin. The third error that he addressed 00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:27.979 was that once you became a follower of Christ 00:03:27.979 --> 00:03:32.520 you no longer committed sin because you no longer 00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:37.870 had a sin nature, it some way disappeared. These 00:03:37.870 --> 00:03:41.409 have been some of the erroneous teachings that 00:03:41.409 --> 00:03:45.270 the Apostle John has addressed for us thus far 00:03:45.270 --> 00:03:48.650 in this letter. And he's had to address these 00:03:48.650 --> 00:03:53.889 things because those Christians are now new creations 00:03:53.889 --> 00:03:57.870 and walking in the light and in the truth of 00:03:57.870 --> 00:04:03.469 the gospel. We still wrestle with sin and we 00:04:03.469 --> 00:04:08.310 need to deal with our sin. realistically. And 00:04:08.310 --> 00:04:11.750 so John has been clear about how we are to do 00:04:11.750 --> 00:04:16.810 that, how we are to deal as Christians with ongoing 00:04:16.810 --> 00:04:22.509 sin. And that's by confessing it to God and experiencing 00:04:22.509 --> 00:04:27.670 His ongoing grace on this side of our Lord's 00:04:27.670 --> 00:04:31.250 return. To put it simply, Christians aren't to 00:04:31.250 --> 00:04:35.069 live in the dark and deny that we have sin still 00:04:35.069 --> 00:04:38.389 attacking and tempting us, but we are to live 00:04:38.389 --> 00:04:42.449 in the light and in the truth and to grow in 00:04:42.449 --> 00:04:45.009 the grace of God and the knowledge of the gospel 00:04:45.009 --> 00:04:50.529 by confessing and experiencing our loving Father's 00:04:50.529 --> 00:04:54.079 ongoing grace in our lives. And we're able to 00:04:54.079 --> 00:04:58.660 do this because as we saw last week, our status, 00:04:59.180 --> 00:05:04.000 our salvation, our righteousness has come from 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:09.889 the work of Christ. He is our propitiation. There's 00:05:09.889 --> 00:05:12.790 that fancy word we had a look at last week, which 00:05:12.790 --> 00:05:17.129 means he is our atoning sacrifice, says John, 00:05:17.430 --> 00:05:21.129 who now stands before our heavenly father as 00:05:21.129 --> 00:05:25.990 our advocate and righteous representative. And 00:05:25.990 --> 00:05:29.709 so far from encouraging the church to live a 00:05:29.709 --> 00:05:33.250 life of sin, our apostle does just the opposite. 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:38.240 He encourages Christians to live a life of holiness 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:42.079 and he does that by pointing out the reality 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:45.420 of the situation that we find ourselves in on 00:05:45.420 --> 00:05:48.220 this side of our Lord's return while reminding 00:05:48.220 --> 00:05:52.399 us to keep looking and going to Christ in the 00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:56.819 midst of our battles and ongoing temptations. 00:05:57.879 --> 00:06:02.170 This morning, John Our apostle presents us with 00:06:02.170 --> 00:06:06.149 a few things in which we can examine ourselves 00:06:06.149 --> 00:06:11.189 so that we might be sure that we are living and 00:06:11.189 --> 00:06:15.410 really walking in the light, while not deceiving 00:06:15.410 --> 00:06:19.209 ourselves by walking in the darkness. He gives 00:06:19.209 --> 00:06:22.610 us three things in fact. First, he says, if you 00:06:22.610 --> 00:06:25.329 know God, if you're following Jesus, you'll obey 00:06:25.329 --> 00:06:28.649 him. Second, he says, if you know God, you'll 00:06:28.649 --> 00:06:31.550 love his word. And third, he says, if you know 00:06:31.550 --> 00:06:36.149 God, and he uses the phrase to abide in Christ, 00:06:36.430 --> 00:06:40.470 it will produce a godly life. One that looks 00:06:40.470 --> 00:06:44.089 more and more and more like the perfect man, 00:06:44.110 --> 00:06:47.949 Jesus Christ. So for the next few moments, let's 00:06:47.949 --> 00:06:50.970 unpack these wonderful truths. If you have your 00:06:50.970 --> 00:06:53.089 Bibles with you this morning, have a look with 00:06:53.089 --> 00:06:57.470 me at verse three there. We read, and by this 00:06:57.470 --> 00:07:01.970 we know that we have come to know him if we keep 00:07:01.970 --> 00:07:07.149 his commandments. Now, I want to make something 00:07:07.149 --> 00:07:11.290 really clear to you from the get -go. We must 00:07:11.290 --> 00:07:15.199 understand... That in light of everything that's 00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:17.920 come before in this series, in this epistle that 00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:20.899 we've been looking at, that John isn't now saying 00:07:20.899 --> 00:07:26.240 to us, this is how you come to know Jesus, by 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:29.519 obeying him. No, it's not like John has told 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:34.160 us the gospel. and then comes to this part of 00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:36.860 his letter and then says if you want to benefit 00:07:36.860 --> 00:07:40.879 from Christ's blood and his intercessionary work 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:44.019 in the heavenlies then you must obey and then 00:07:44.019 --> 00:07:48.360 you'll be saved. Now John is simply saying this 00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:51.699 is how you really know that you're following 00:07:51.699 --> 00:07:57.079 Jesus. It's shown in the way you live. It's shown 00:07:57.079 --> 00:08:01.310 in the way that you act. And so from the get 00:08:01.310 --> 00:08:04.470 -go, it's very important for us to see that John 00:08:04.470 --> 00:08:08.209 isn't saying that we come to know Jesus by keeping 00:08:08.209 --> 00:08:11.050 his commandments. No, he's saying we know that 00:08:11.050 --> 00:08:15.790 we already know Jesus by keeping his commandments. 00:08:16.689 --> 00:08:21.550 There's a very, very important distinction and 00:08:21.550 --> 00:08:24.269 difference that we need to see there. It's like 00:08:24.269 --> 00:08:26.949 that little fuel gauge that you have on your 00:08:26.949 --> 00:08:30.629 dashboard in your car that tells you how much 00:08:30.629 --> 00:08:34.070 fuel is actually in the car. That little gauge 00:08:34.070 --> 00:08:38.129 doesn't make the engine work, right? Now it simply 00:08:38.129 --> 00:08:41.909 tells you something about what's already going 00:08:41.909 --> 00:08:46.350 on in the engine. It's not the source of power 00:08:46.350 --> 00:08:49.509 in that sense. No, it's just the evidence of 00:08:49.509 --> 00:08:53.850 something that's already going on under the bonnet. 00:08:54.129 --> 00:08:56.389 And so it's important that the people of God, 00:08:56.450 --> 00:08:58.809 the church make that distinction here because 00:08:58.809 --> 00:09:02.649 our apostle, he gives us a standard in which 00:09:02.649 --> 00:09:06.610 we are to reflect on. In order to know if we've 00:09:06.610 --> 00:09:11.870 really come into a living relationship with God 00:09:11.870 --> 00:09:15.710 and to know if we're actually following Christ. 00:09:16.610 --> 00:09:23.370 It's simple. If we know him. will obey him. If 00:09:23.370 --> 00:09:28.110 we know Jesus, we will keep his commandments. 00:09:29.929 --> 00:09:34.830 So brothers and sisters, do you desire to follow 00:09:34.830 --> 00:09:39.210 what God says to us in the Bible? Is the Bible 00:09:39.210 --> 00:09:43.269 your standard and final authority for life and 00:09:43.269 --> 00:09:46.759 faith? Do you hear the word of God and does it 00:09:46.759 --> 00:09:50.120 lead and guide you? Are the words of Christ something 00:09:50.120 --> 00:09:54.559 that you love, that you treasure and deeply desire 00:09:54.559 --> 00:09:58.159 to obey? Is the Bible something that you've come 00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:01.620 to trust is absolutely trustworthy and something 00:10:01.620 --> 00:10:05.379 to be believed and then applied in every which 00:10:05.379 --> 00:10:11.200 way, even when it might cost you, even when it's 00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:17.039 very, very hard to follow? I was reading an article 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:20.759 this week on the Christianity Today's website 00:10:20.759 --> 00:10:26.340 about outspoken comedian and atheist Ricky Gervais. 00:10:26.460 --> 00:10:30.440 Maybe you've heard of him. Surprisingly, as a 00:10:30.440 --> 00:10:34.480 child, he believed in Jesus. Mainly because, 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:37.080 as he put it, that's what he was told to believe. 00:10:37.639 --> 00:10:39.860 The article said that he went to Sunday school 00:10:39.860 --> 00:10:43.389 and he thought Jesus was... Kind of cool, even 00:10:43.389 --> 00:10:46.750 though he didn't understand a lot of the Bible 00:10:46.750 --> 00:10:49.970 stories. Like most kids, Ricky said he put it 00:10:49.970 --> 00:10:53.330 down to what his parents had told him to believe. 00:10:53.470 --> 00:10:56.789 But everything changed, he said, when he was 00:10:56.789 --> 00:11:00.029 asked by his older brother why he didn't believe 00:11:00.029 --> 00:11:04.230 in God. Ricky said, I realized I didn't actually 00:11:04.230 --> 00:11:07.529 have an answer. I realized I had nothing to point 00:11:07.529 --> 00:11:12.830 to to help me to answer that question. And I 00:11:12.830 --> 00:11:16.610 share this with you because Ricky's rejection 00:11:16.610 --> 00:11:20.970 of God doesn't reveal a flaw in the word of God 00:11:20.970 --> 00:11:24.809 which tells us that the living God has spoken 00:11:24.809 --> 00:11:29.029 to us. Now it reveals a flaw in Ricky's faith 00:11:29.029 --> 00:11:33.870 in what God has spoken to us about, about himself 00:11:33.870 --> 00:11:37.480 in his word. I mean, it's as John says here, 00:11:37.659 --> 00:11:40.320 if someone truly believes in the living God, 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:43.919 then they'll also believe in his word and they 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:48.179 will trust what it says and they will obey it. 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:51.299 If only Ricky knew that he could look to the 00:11:51.299 --> 00:11:54.440 Bible for the answer. Maybe he will one day. 00:11:55.179 --> 00:11:57.960 Now just to be crystal clear with you here this 00:11:57.960 --> 00:12:01.620 morning, Church, John isn't saying that Christians 00:12:02.059 --> 00:12:05.600 must keep Christ's commandments as found in the 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:09.980 Bible perfectly in order to have the assurance 00:12:09.980 --> 00:12:13.639 that we're really saved. Now what John is saying 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:17.220 to us here is that because we know that God has 00:12:17.220 --> 00:12:22.299 spoken to us and because we strive to obey, to 00:12:22.299 --> 00:12:25.179 keep his commandments, because of that we can 00:12:25.179 --> 00:12:28.250 know that we have come to know Christ. I mean 00:12:28.250 --> 00:12:32.190 if John was saying that we needed to keep the 00:12:32.190 --> 00:12:35.730 commandments of God perfectly in order to know 00:12:35.730 --> 00:12:40.379 that we're actually saved. then he would be absolutely 00:12:40.379 --> 00:12:44.019 contradicting himself with everything that he's 00:12:44.019 --> 00:12:47.840 just said up until this point in regards to Christ's 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:51.580 blood of atonement, about Christ's sacrifice 00:12:51.580 --> 00:12:54.580 on our behalf, about everything he's told us 00:12:54.580 --> 00:12:59.820 about sin and confession and grace. If we're 00:12:59.820 --> 00:13:02.379 really honest with ourselves, Church, I don't 00:13:02.379 --> 00:13:05.659 think any of us Not one of us in this room would 00:13:05.659 --> 00:13:08.480 have any real assurance of knowing that we're 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:14.080 actually saved if the standard was sinless perfection. 00:13:15.580 --> 00:13:19.840 This isn't a new question. In fact, the reformers 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:23.000 really struggled with this very thing. Martin 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:27.080 Luther, who was a 16th century reformer and theologian, 00:13:27.480 --> 00:13:29.620 he wrestled with this very concept. Listen to 00:13:29.620 --> 00:13:33.740 his words. This life is not perfect righteousness, 00:13:34.100 --> 00:13:38.320 but growth in righteousness, not health, but 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:42.679 healing, not being, but becoming, not rest, but 00:13:42.679 --> 00:13:47.379 exercise. We're not there yet to what we shall 00:13:47.379 --> 00:13:51.620 be, but we are growing towards it. The process 00:13:51.620 --> 00:13:57.220 is not yet finished, but it is going on. And 00:13:57.220 --> 00:14:00.250 so our apostle, he's He's very clear with us 00:14:00.250 --> 00:14:03.889 here this morning. The evidence of really knowing 00:14:03.889 --> 00:14:07.350 God, the evidence that we're walking in the truth 00:14:07.350 --> 00:14:12.389 and in the light of the gospel is that our life 00:14:12.389 --> 00:14:16.269 is being transformed because we obey Christ's 00:14:16.269 --> 00:14:18.730 commands, which we know to be true. It might 00:14:18.730 --> 00:14:23.509 not be perfect obedience, but there is obedience 00:14:23.509 --> 00:14:27.360 nonetheless. John's straight with us here. One 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:30.600 of the ways that we can know that we know God 00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:34.879 is that we believe His word. We follow His word 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:38.059 and we strive to obey the commandments of our 00:14:38.059 --> 00:14:42.740 Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It's the first 00:14:42.740 --> 00:14:44.860 thing that our apostle has to say to us here. 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:47.360 The second thing John says is found there in 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:50.340 verse four and it's a contrast really with what 00:14:50.340 --> 00:14:53.899 he's just said. In verse three, he says, whoever 00:14:53.899 --> 00:14:57.440 says, I know him, but doesn't keep his commandments 00:14:57.440 --> 00:15:05.179 is a liar. And the truth is not in him. Again, 00:15:06.200 --> 00:15:10.320 John is not mincing his words for us this morning, 00:15:10.519 --> 00:15:15.740 is he? If you claim to know God, but there's 00:15:15.740 --> 00:15:20.679 no real change. That's a strong indication that 00:15:20.679 --> 00:15:24.139 you actually don't know God or the truth of the 00:15:24.139 --> 00:15:28.139 gospel at all. It's like if you were to stand 00:15:28.139 --> 00:15:33.240 in a pitch black, dark room while saying to yourself, 00:15:33.460 --> 00:15:36.980 don't worry, the light bulb's plugged in, I've 00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:40.899 studied electricity, I know how it all works, 00:15:41.799 --> 00:15:46.080 but you're still standing in an absolutely pitch 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:51.620 black, dark room. At some point, it doesn't matter 00:15:51.620 --> 00:15:55.340 what you say, if there's no light, something 00:15:55.340 --> 00:15:59.399 is clearly not right. I mean, it doesn't take 00:15:59.399 --> 00:16:03.460 an electrician to point out to you that if the 00:16:03.460 --> 00:16:07.720 bulb were truly connected to power and the light 00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:14.600 was working, then, well, it would shine. Well, 00:16:14.600 --> 00:16:16.679 as absurd as that picture is, that's the kind 00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:19.419 of thing that John's getting at here. If you 00:16:19.419 --> 00:16:23.279 can say that you're in the light, but your life 00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:27.899 looks like utter darkness, then either you're 00:16:27.899 --> 00:16:31.639 confused, deceived, or worse, completely lying 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:36.860 to yourself. So as John says, if you say, I know 00:16:36.860 --> 00:16:41.740 Jesus, but you reject what he has to say to you, 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:46.500 You reject the word of God, well, you're a liar. 00:16:48.379 --> 00:16:52.899 The truth is not in you, our apostle would say. 00:16:54.360 --> 00:16:56.899 Now, just to be clear, deep Bible study, learning 00:16:56.899 --> 00:17:00.059 original languages, reading theological books, 00:17:00.220 --> 00:17:04.160 listening to church history, podcasts, can I 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:06.900 have an amen, Shelley, and other such things. 00:17:07.349 --> 00:17:11.029 They're all really good and well, and great to 00:17:11.029 --> 00:17:13.490 do, in fact, if you have the time and resource 00:17:13.490 --> 00:17:17.670 to do so. But John, he clearly says to us here, 00:17:17.990 --> 00:17:20.829 no matter what you think you know about God, 00:17:21.470 --> 00:17:24.849 if your heart hasn't been changed by the truth 00:17:24.849 --> 00:17:28.150 of the gospel and that truth isn't evidently 00:17:28.150 --> 00:17:31.529 working itself out in your life, then dear one, 00:17:31.609 --> 00:17:36.460 you are still in the dark. And that's because 00:17:36.460 --> 00:17:40.380 the truth of the gospel. The truth of the gospel 00:17:40.380 --> 00:17:44.839 always results in a change of life and action. 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:50.660 A globe connected to power that's working will 00:17:50.660 --> 00:17:55.500 produce light, we might say. And that's the glorious 00:17:55.500 --> 00:17:59.140 thing about the gospel. The glorious thing, if 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:03.059 it penetrates the heart, if it really gets hold 00:18:03.059 --> 00:18:06.920 of somebody and brings them into a living and 00:18:06.920 --> 00:18:09.859 intimate relationship with God through the work 00:18:09.859 --> 00:18:13.559 and the power of the Holy Spirit, then it will 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:16.619 change everything. It will change everything 00:18:16.619 --> 00:18:21.240 because the heart goes from hating God and wanting 00:18:21.240 --> 00:18:26.750 to be our own gods to loving God. and trusting 00:18:26.750 --> 00:18:31.769 his word. And because of that deep surgery, that 00:18:31.769 --> 00:18:34.150 born again life done by the work and the power 00:18:34.150 --> 00:18:37.049 of the spirit, we will want to obey our Lord 00:18:37.049 --> 00:18:40.049 with all that we are. That's what leads to the 00:18:40.049 --> 00:18:43.890 transformed life. Not all the theological head 00:18:43.890 --> 00:18:47.369 knowledge and rule keeping done in public in 00:18:47.369 --> 00:18:49.390 order for people to think that you're a holy 00:18:49.390 --> 00:18:53.710 person, but the truth. of the gospel penetrating 00:18:53.710 --> 00:18:58.930 our hearts and our hearts being transformed by 00:18:58.930 --> 00:19:05.869 the Holy Spirit so that we might love Jesus and 00:19:05.869 --> 00:19:11.029 love what he tells us. John is very straight 00:19:11.029 --> 00:19:15.349 with us. If we know God, we will want to obey 00:19:15.349 --> 00:19:19.049 him because the truth of the gospel always leads 00:19:19.049 --> 00:19:22.930 to action. To put that simply, there's no real 00:19:22.930 --> 00:19:26.910 knowledge of God that does not lead to a transformed 00:19:26.910 --> 00:19:32.390 life. And so you can see how John contrasts a 00:19:32.390 --> 00:19:35.470 couple of things here with verse three. When 00:19:35.470 --> 00:19:39.309 that transformed life isn't there, when there's 00:19:39.309 --> 00:19:42.549 no evidence of any real change of heart or action, 00:19:42.950 --> 00:19:47.009 well, that's a clear indication that that person 00:19:47.009 --> 00:19:51.289 has never really met. the living Lord Jesus. 00:19:52.329 --> 00:19:55.309 But where there's obedience, where there's striving, 00:19:55.990 --> 00:19:59.589 where there's confession, where there's perseverance, 00:20:00.690 --> 00:20:05.490 where there's faith, what we can know, we can 00:20:05.490 --> 00:20:08.470 know that we've come to know the living God. 00:20:10.269 --> 00:20:13.289 That's the second thing we see here. The third 00:20:13.289 --> 00:20:17.089 thing is found in verse five. And it's pretty 00:20:17.089 --> 00:20:19.769 much what John's already said in verse three, 00:20:19.789 --> 00:20:23.410 but he leans onto a little bit of a different 00:20:23.410 --> 00:20:27.369 emphasis here. He says, but whoever keeps his 00:20:27.369 --> 00:20:31.589 word in him, truly the love of God is perfected. 00:20:31.930 --> 00:20:37.450 By this, we may know that we are in him. Now 00:20:37.450 --> 00:20:41.099 what's interesting here is John's. comment his 00:20:41.099 --> 00:20:44.839 emphasis on love. In verse three, he challenges 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:48.859 the church to test ourselves by asking, are you 00:20:48.859 --> 00:20:52.420 obeying the commands of our Lord? But in verse 00:20:52.420 --> 00:20:56.500 five, you'll notice the emphasis, it's on motivation, 00:20:57.799 --> 00:21:01.900 which is love. You see, John takes our attention 00:21:01.900 --> 00:21:07.119 to love because true love always expresses itself 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:10.420 in some sort of action. Which is to say, it's 00:21:10.420 --> 00:21:13.039 not something, true love isn't something that's 00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:17.059 just a feeling or found in sentimental language. 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:20.220 I mean, if that was the case, then our budgies 00:21:20.220 --> 00:21:23.039 at home would be the most loved little fluff 00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:25.960 balls in the world. Because me and the kids, 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:29.579 we always go on about how much we love these 00:21:29.579 --> 00:21:32.720 little winged creatures. But really, at the end 00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:37.589 of the day, it's only... Haley, who feeds and 00:21:37.589 --> 00:21:42.630 waters them and actually keeps them alive. Our 00:21:42.630 --> 00:21:45.710 words, they're loving, they're cheesy for these 00:21:45.710 --> 00:21:48.509 little things, no doubt, but it doesn't really 00:21:48.509 --> 00:21:53.289 lead to much action. Haley's actions, however, 00:21:54.029 --> 00:21:58.529 they speak louder than words. That's our apostle's 00:21:58.529 --> 00:22:01.970 point. True love is always expressing itself 00:22:01.970 --> 00:22:06.690 in action. And here in this context of this letter 00:22:06.690 --> 00:22:10.670 that we have before us this morning, that action 00:22:10.670 --> 00:22:16.349 is moral obedience to God's commands, to our 00:22:16.349 --> 00:22:21.240 Lord's commands. American theologian and pastor 00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:24.279 Albert Barnes, he puts it like this, if this 00:22:24.279 --> 00:22:26.779 is the true interpretation of the passage, then 00:22:26.779 --> 00:22:30.339 it affirms that if true love exists in the heart 00:22:30.339 --> 00:22:34.359 for God, it will be carried out in the life of 00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:37.299 the one who claims it. Love and obedience are 00:22:37.299 --> 00:22:40.420 two sides of the same coin in that sense. One 00:22:40.420 --> 00:22:42.720 will be manifested by the other. Where there's 00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:47.960 obedience, there is love. Where there is love, 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:53.700 there is obedience. True love for Christ, brothers 00:22:53.700 --> 00:22:57.599 and sisters, it leads to action. And that action 00:22:57.599 --> 00:23:02.099 leads to loyal obedience to the things revealed 00:23:02.099 --> 00:23:07.180 by our God in His Word. It's like a marriage. 00:23:07.609 --> 00:23:10.750 One spouse may say whatever they want, they may 00:23:10.750 --> 00:23:13.569 have the most romantic words, they might write 00:23:13.569 --> 00:23:17.410 the most beautiful poetry, but if they're continually 00:23:17.410 --> 00:23:22.170 cheating on their spouse, then clearly, there's 00:23:22.170 --> 00:23:26.289 no real true love for their spouse. And so in 00:23:26.289 --> 00:23:29.170 very much the same way, John is saying if you 00:23:29.170 --> 00:23:33.559 truly love God, you'll be loyal to him. You'll 00:23:33.559 --> 00:23:36.920 be committed to him and as you obey that love 00:23:36.920 --> 00:23:41.519 will be experienced more and more and more Evidently 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:47.779 as you walk it out Love Church love delights 00:23:47.779 --> 00:23:53.539 in doing and serving not just saying Think with 00:23:53.539 --> 00:23:58.059 me here on John 14 on the night that our Lord 00:23:58.059 --> 00:24:01.900 was betrayed he's going to be handed over into 00:24:01.900 --> 00:24:05.039 the hands of sinners and be crucified. And he 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:09.240 said to his disciples, if you love me, you'll 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:13.480 keep my commandments. If you love me, you'll 00:24:13.480 --> 00:24:17.900 keep my commandments. Brothers and sisters, any 00:24:17.900 --> 00:24:22.460 church, any denomination, any teacher, any theologian, 00:24:22.480 --> 00:24:26.259 any pastor that teaches that you can love Christ 00:24:26.259 --> 00:24:31.279 and not keep his word contradicts the very word 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:38.720 of God. We act because we love. Look what love 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:44.359 caused our Lord and Saviour to do for His people. 00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:49.019 Look what the Lord did for us because of love. 00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:52.680 One last thing that I want to draw your attention 00:24:52.680 --> 00:24:57.519 to here is found in verse 6. We read, whoever 00:24:57.519 --> 00:25:00.779 says he abides in him ought to walk in the same 00:25:00.779 --> 00:25:04.539 way in which he walked. Essentially, John is 00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:07.660 saying to us that we can say we love God, we 00:25:07.660 --> 00:25:10.339 can say that we're a Christian, that we can say 00:25:10.339 --> 00:25:13.859 we've gone to church our entire lives, but if 00:25:13.859 --> 00:25:17.220 you're truly living in the light and if you truly 00:25:17.220 --> 00:25:20.319 know God, if you're abiding in Christ, then you'll 00:25:20.319 --> 00:25:26.720 live like Christ. How did Christ live? Well, 00:25:26.759 --> 00:25:32.059 he loved his father and he lived in obedience. 00:25:32.380 --> 00:25:36.740 to him. The thing that separates the sheep from 00:25:36.740 --> 00:25:39.200 the goats, the light from the dark, the true 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:43.339 disciple from the deluded one, isn't so much 00:25:43.339 --> 00:25:46.259 what we say, though that's very important, our 00:25:46.259 --> 00:25:49.859 words do matter, but it's how we live out our 00:25:49.859 --> 00:25:54.720 lives in light of the Word of God. To abide in 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:58.559 Christ is, as we've seen, to experience a life 00:25:58.559 --> 00:26:02.559 -giving relationship that comes through the grace 00:26:02.559 --> 00:26:06.119 of God, through the Holy Spirit. If we abide 00:26:06.119 --> 00:26:10.960 in Christ, if we truly belong to Him, that will 00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:15.140 change everything about us from the inside out. 00:26:15.400 --> 00:26:19.019 It's as Jesus said to Nicodemus, we will be born 00:26:19.019 --> 00:26:24.019 again. Church, the real Christian life isn't 00:26:24.019 --> 00:26:28.839 a religious life that's lived out in public exclusively. 00:26:29.319 --> 00:26:32.559 so that you can tick a whole bunch of boxes to 00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:37.700 gain people's approval. Now the real Christian 00:26:37.700 --> 00:26:41.220 life is a living and breathing relationship of 00:26:41.220 --> 00:26:44.339 love and obedience and activity and loyalty to 00:26:44.339 --> 00:26:48.099 God's Word and obeying Christ in all that we 00:26:48.099 --> 00:26:51.440 do because the Holy Spirit has so done something 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:55.640 in our hearts that we desperately want to be. 00:26:55.930 --> 00:27:01.809 like our Lord and Saviour Jesus. So John says, 00:27:02.029 --> 00:27:05.130 for the one who abides in Christ, everything 00:27:05.130 --> 00:27:07.890 about you will be transformed because your heart, 00:27:08.309 --> 00:27:12.329 your will, your hopes, your affections have found 00:27:12.329 --> 00:27:17.630 their joy in Christ. To put that simply, Christ 00:27:17.630 --> 00:27:20.250 is your treasure and because of that life in 00:27:20.250 --> 00:27:24.289 Christ, because of that fellowship of love and 00:27:24.289 --> 00:27:27.250 relationship, your whole life will be changing 00:27:27.250 --> 00:27:32.009 more and more and more into the image of Christ. 00:27:33.109 --> 00:27:37.509 Christ who loved and obeyed his Father, no matter 00:27:37.509 --> 00:27:42.279 the cost to himself. As we finish, brothers and 00:27:42.279 --> 00:27:45.200 sisters, if perfect obedience and perfect love 00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:48.660 for that matter is the test, then every single 00:27:48.660 --> 00:27:52.640 one of us in this room has failed miserably. 00:27:53.799 --> 00:27:58.619 Failed miserably. That's why Christ had to pass 00:27:58.619 --> 00:28:02.910 the test. for us. And by God's grace alone, He 00:28:02.910 --> 00:28:07.849 calls us to Himself through the Gospel. He transforms 00:28:07.849 --> 00:28:11.630 us by the power of the Spirit so that from the 00:28:11.630 --> 00:28:13.910 inside out, from the seat of the heart, from 00:28:13.910 --> 00:28:19.150 the depth of our very souls, love for God, obedience 00:28:19.150 --> 00:28:23.470 to His Word is our delight. It's not a burden. 00:28:25.029 --> 00:28:29.019 It's our want to do what He wants. You and I 00:28:29.019 --> 00:28:34.740 aren't there yet. We're not in sinless perfection 00:28:34.740 --> 00:28:39.339 just yet. We are what the theologians call an 00:28:39.339 --> 00:28:45.119 already but not yet people, already saved, yet 00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:49.319 still being sanctified, already separated from 00:28:49.319 --> 00:28:53.940 our old slave master, yet still learning to live 00:28:53.940 --> 00:28:59.390 out our new lives in Christ. How do we know that 00:28:59.390 --> 00:29:01.470 we know God? This was the question we started 00:29:01.470 --> 00:29:05.710 with. We know that we know God according to the 00:29:05.710 --> 00:29:08.549 Apostle John here because we love him and that 00:29:08.549 --> 00:29:13.049 love manifests itself in heartfelt obedience 00:29:13.049 --> 00:29:19.130 and loyalty to our Lord and Saviour Jesus. This 00:29:19.130 --> 00:29:23.539 is an incredibly important message. Because there 00:29:23.539 --> 00:29:25.799 may be some of you here this morning that as 00:29:25.799 --> 00:29:28.839 soon as you're not around church, that as soon 00:29:28.839 --> 00:29:32.859 as you're back out into the world, into the workplace, 00:29:32.880 --> 00:29:36.140 around other people, it's just business as usual. 00:29:36.140 --> 00:29:40.240 And in no way are you living in accordance with 00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:45.220 God's word, nor do you really want to. Well, 00:29:45.220 --> 00:29:50.980 John would say, come to grips, come to grips 00:29:50.980 --> 00:29:56.519 with the reality of what that shows you. Come 00:29:56.519 --> 00:29:59.339 to grips with the reality of the darkness that 00:29:59.339 --> 00:30:03.680 you are still walking in, dear one, and cry out 00:30:03.680 --> 00:30:07.799 to God for mercy. You're not here by any mistake 00:30:07.799 --> 00:30:11.480 this morning. You're meant to hear these words, 00:30:11.599 --> 00:30:15.039 cry out to Him today while it is still called 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:20.180 today. Ask God to come and rescue you. The promise 00:30:20.180 --> 00:30:24.569 from Scripture is that he will in no way cast 00:30:24.569 --> 00:30:29.710 out anyone who comes to him. There may be others 00:30:29.710 --> 00:30:32.730 of you here this morning that are really wrestling 00:30:32.730 --> 00:30:35.549 with your faith and wondering if you're saved 00:30:35.549 --> 00:30:39.470 at all because of the sin that still seems to 00:30:39.470 --> 00:30:44.509 hinder and taunt and test and tribulate you and 00:30:44.509 --> 00:30:50.190 you fall into it. You may be wondering if you 00:30:50.190 --> 00:30:54.200 are saved. Well, John would say to you that God 00:30:54.200 --> 00:31:01.680 isn't asking for perfect obedience. Though he 00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:06.019 would ask, do you long to obey God's word? If 00:31:06.019 --> 00:31:11.099 the answer is yes, I so desperately want to follow 00:31:11.099 --> 00:31:14.859 our Lord, then be encouraged, brother, sister. 00:31:15.960 --> 00:31:19.259 Be encouraged, a heart. that has been changed 00:31:19.259 --> 00:31:23.079 by the work of the Holy Spirit wants to live 00:31:23.079 --> 00:31:27.339 in accordance with our Lord's will and will strive 00:31:27.339 --> 00:31:33.460 to do so. And so go to him. Go to him and call 00:31:33.460 --> 00:31:37.180 out to him as your father and ask him for the 00:31:37.180 --> 00:31:42.140 grace that he provides for his people as we confess 00:31:42.140 --> 00:31:45.960 our sin. He provides for us in the Lord Jesus 00:31:45.960 --> 00:31:49.150 Christ. Might you be encouraged by these words 00:31:49.150 --> 00:31:57.630 this morning? Let's pray. Father we thank you 00:31:57.630 --> 00:32:02.309 so much for the words of eternal life. We thank 00:32:02.309 --> 00:32:06.470 you that we are not clamouring around blind and 00:32:06.470 --> 00:32:08.890 in the darkness wondering what you're like but 00:32:08.890 --> 00:32:13.470 you have revealed yourself and Lord you have 00:32:13.470 --> 00:32:17.279 saved your people. You have rescued your people. 00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:24.579 And Lord, as we seek to obey, as we seek to walk 00:32:24.579 --> 00:32:29.180 in the truth, Lord, we stumble. So we'd ask that 00:32:29.180 --> 00:32:31.539 you would please have mercy on us, that you would 00:32:31.539 --> 00:32:35.019 have grace, that you would show us the things 00:32:35.019 --> 00:32:40.680 that we err in. And Lord, that we would continually 00:32:40.680 --> 00:32:44.089 be a people looking to you. A people knowing 00:32:44.089 --> 00:32:48.630 your ongoing grace, growing in love and experience 00:32:48.630 --> 00:32:52.190 of your salvation. We ask that we would be a 00:32:52.190 --> 00:32:55.269 church that doesn't just talk about these things, 00:32:55.690 --> 00:32:58.410 but holds these things out to the city of Armidale 00:32:58.410 --> 00:33:01.769 and beyond. Lord, we ask for this for your glory 00:33:01.769 --> 00:33:03.509 and in your name. Amen.