Seed Thoughts
Trust and Obey
1 John 2:3–11
INTRODUCTION: If you were in a small aircraft and the pilot slumped over with a heart attack, you would try your best to do exactly what the control tower told you to do. Obedience is a crucial quality in critical times, and it’s a crucial quality all the time as it relates to the Lord.
1. Obedience Is the Sign of Relationships (1 John 2:3–5).
A. Obedience Proves the Reality of Our Faith (1 John 2:3–4).
(1) The Positive Statement (1 John 2:3).
(2) The Negative Statement (1 John 2:4).
B. Obedience Proves the Reality of Our Love (1 John 2:5).
2. Obedience Is the Secret of Fellowship (1 John 2:6–8).
A. The Expectation of Obedience (1 John 2:7).
B. The Explanation of Obedience (1 John 2:8).
C. The Example of Obedience (1 John 2:6).
D. The Expression of Obedience (1 John 2:9–11).
CONCLUSION: Life is like sitting in the pilot’s chair for the first time. But Someone out there is telling you how to fly. Take what He says seriously. He’s the Captain of your salvation. He can guide you safely to your destination but you have to trust Him, and you have to obey.
1 John 2:28-29 - Meeting the Lord Jesus Christ
1 John 2:28–29
The Church of God
abide is the key word in the first two chapters
Fellowship with God is essential if we are going to be what God want’s us to be
1Tim.3:15 says that the Church is the pillar and ground of truth.
Christian’s have certain responsibilities to the Church
1. Your “presence”
a) Hebrews 10:23-25 stir up love & good works, not forsaking the assembling, exhorting one another
b) Proverbs 27:17 iron sharpening iron
c) Galatians 6:1-2 bearing one another’s burdens
d) James 5:16 confess your trespasses, pray for one another
e) 1John 2:19 you must continue in the church
2. Your “prayers”
a) Praying daily for the fellowship that you belong to.
(1) Pastors, Teachers, Staff members, Activities & ministries
(2) 1Cor.16:15-18; Phil.2:25-29
(3) 1Thess.5:12-13; Heb.13:7, 17-18
3. Your “participation”
a) You ought to be involved in something
(1) Sunday morning & Wednsday night service, Communion service, Prayer meetings
The Word of God
1. You owe it to yourself to study the Word of God
a) Acts 17:11 Be a Berean, search the Scriptures
b) John 5:39 The Scriptures testify of Jesus
c) Jesus implies that we are to live by “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
d) Paul did not shun to declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).
e) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God & is profitable (2Tim.3:16)
This is why at Calvary we teach from Genesis to Revelation, the whole counsel of God.
Illustration:Matt.4:5-7, Satan took scripture out of its context, not giving the whole counsel of God.
2. You ought to store up the Word of God
a) Joshua 1:8 God commanded Joshua to memorize the Law
b) Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus was able to quote Scripture when faced with Satan
3. You ought to share the Word of God
a) Philippians 2:16 holding forth the Word of Life
b) Psalm 119:13, 26
(1) Love it (v.97,159)
(2) Prize it (v.72, 128)
(3) Meditate it (v.15, 23, 48, 78, 97, 99, 148)
(4) Trust it (v.42)
(5) Obey it (vv.1-8)
The Spirit of God (Galatians 5:16-21, 24)
1. The Spirit of God enables us to overcome the flesh.
a) The conflict (vv.16-17)
b) The conquering (v.18)
c) The crucifixion (vv.19-21, 24)
d) The production (vv.22-23, 25-26)
The Son of God
1. Practically speaking, what kind of things does a person do?
Scripture says the following:
Abiding in Christ means:
a) A person confesses that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (1John 4:15-16)
b) A person walks & fellowships with Christ (1Jn.2:6; Ps.16:11the narrow gate; Prov.3:5-6)
c) A person openly confesses his sin before God (1Jn.1:6-10)
d) A person continues in the Word of Christ (Jn.8:31-32)
e) A person lets the Word of God abide in their life (1Jn.2:14, 24)
f) A person experience the presence of the indwelling Spirit (1Jn.4:12-13)
g) A person has power to live like he should (Jn.15:7)
h) A person dwells in love, unity, & fellowship with other believers (Jn.17:21-23; 1Jn.4:16, 20)
i) A person bears fruit & lives a fruitful life (Jn.15:5; Gal.5:22-23)
j) A person lives & walks in love toward others (1Jn.4:12-13)
k) A person continues in the church (1Jn.2:19; 3:6)
l) A person possesses confidence, an unashamedness in life that prepares him for eternity (1Jn.2:28)
m) A person actively surrenders himself to obey God’s commandments (1Jn.3:24)
n) A person loves his brother (1Jn.2:10; 3:14-15)
o) A person does the will of God (1Jn.2:17)
APPEAR
A. Appear—the coming again of Jesus, “to come alongside” or “be present with”
1. Hebrews 9:24-28 refers to three appearings of Jesus
a) v.26—The first appearing to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, to be crucified.
b) v.24—The present appearing, He is in heaven praying for you & me
c) v.28—The second coming of Jesus
This should cause us to live every moment for our Lord
Having certain attitudes in relation to His coming
If you are “looking” for the coming of the Lord, there will be a sense of urgency in your soul that will vitalize everything you do for God. It will put enthusiasm & fire in your service for God!
Loving: 2Timothy 4:8
1. Do you love Jesus? Then do you love His appearing?
There is a difference between “loving Jesus” & “loving His appearing”
a) Give illustration of Kristi catching me drinking out of the “milk carton”
I love her but at that moment I didn’t love her “appearing”
(1) We must be careful not to be entangled with the affairs of this life (2Tim.2:4 cf. Matt.13:22)
Living: Titus 2:11-13
1. Grace teaches us (v.12)
a) To deny ungodliness (1Cor.6:9-10; Gal.5:19-21; Eph.5:3-6)
b) To live soberly & righteously (1Thess.5:2-6)
c) To be looking for the “imminent” & “at any moment return” of Christ (1Thess.5:6; Titus 2:13; Rev.3:3)
d) Hebrews 9:28
ASHAMED
Appear
1. Christ will return for His Church (John 14:1-3 cf. Rev.22:12)
2. The Judgement Seat of Christ (2Corinthians 5:9-10; Romans 14:10-12)
3. Why is it helpful to know about eternal rewards?
a) When hard times come, they give us refreshing help & hope.
b) Encourages us when we feel weary and overlooked (Heb.6:10)
c) Provides motivation to continue in the service of the King.
d) Good information to pass along when others are discouraged.
4. The time and place of rewards (1Corinthians 3:5-15)
a) The Work (vv.6-8) – Paul uses a farming metaphor to describe how believers work together in the church.
b) The Principle (vv.11-13) – although believers work as a team, God issues rewards individually.
c) The Quality (vv.14-15) – in His eyes, one golden deed done in love outweighs a truckload of straw.
5. Who is our Judge? When will this occur?
a) Christ is our Judge, He alone knows our motives and will have proper Judgment.
b) 1Thessalonians 4:16-17
6. The Crowns
Two types of Crowns:
a) diadema “a blue band trimmed with white, on the tiara, hence a symbol of royalty.
Revelation 19:11-12 – this crown represents regal supremacy and is reserved for Christ alone.
b) stephanos “the wreath or victors crown”
This represents worthy service
· The imperishable crown (1Cor.9:24-25)
· The crown of exultation or joy (Phil.4:1; 1Thess.2:19-20)
· The crown of righteousness (2Tim.4:7)
· The crown of life (James 1:12)
· The crown of glory (1Pet.5:1-4)
c) One more “Crown” that makes all others possible (Mark 15:16-20)
d) Our response: to cast our crowns at His feet (Rev.4:10) & worship the Lamb that was slain (5:11-13)
Acceptable
1. Every Christian is “accepted” (Eph.1:6); “imputed righteousness”
There is a difference between being “accepted” & “acceptable”
2. Some Christians will be “ashamed”
Being caught off guard, to shrink back; to sense guilt and disgrace; to feel embarrassment.
a) The Return of Christ should inspire us to Godly living (1John 3:3)
b) The Bible tells us to redeem the time, buy up the opportunity, take advantage of the time that God has given us (Eph.5:15-16)
PRACTING RIGHTEOUSNESS
Living in the Light: Ephesians 5:8-14
1. The Contrast – v.8
2. The Characteristic – vv.9-10
a) Goodness – “moral excellence, to being good in both nature & effectiveness”
Goodness finds its fullest & highest expression in that which is willingly & sacrificially done for others.
(1) 1Thessalonians 5:15
(2) 2Thessalonians 1:11
(3) Galatians 5:22
b) Righteousness – “this has to do with how we live,” those who are made righteous are commanded to live righteously.
(1) Romans 6:13
(2) 1Timothy 6:11
(3) 1John 2:29
3. The Command – vv.11a
4. The Commission – vv.11b-13
5. The Call – v.14
Practical Righteousness: Ephesians 6:14
1. Breastplate of Righteousness
a) Obedience – This is to live in a daily, moment by moment obedience to our heavenly Father.
b) Holy Living – (1Jn.2:6; 1Pet.1:13-16; 2Tim.1:9)
c) He supplies the standard & power but we supply the willingness –we must work it out (Phil.2:12-13)
2. Failure to be armed with this piece of armor will:
a) Cause fruitlessness
b) Cause loss of reward (1Cor.3:12-15)
c) Bring reproach on God’s glory (Titus 2:10)
3. The Victory is in:
a) Putting on the armor of righteousness (2Cor.6:7)
b) Abstaining from fleshly lusts (1Pet.2:11)
c) Letting our light shine before men (Matt.5:16; Phil.2:14-16)
d) Taking every thought captive (2Cor.10:5)
e) Setting our mind on things above not on things of the earth (Col.3:2)
f) Casting off the works of darkness & putting on the armor of light (holy living cf. Rom.13:12)
g) Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ & making no provisions to fulfill the flesh(Rom.13:14)
Whoever Hates His Brother
1 John 2:11
Whoever Hates His Brother
Sunday, April 13, 2008
"But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." (1 John 2:11, ESV)
1. John concludes his argument in verse 11 by giving the negative that contrasts verse 10 and further explains verse 9. Those who hate their brothers live in a state of darkness where there is not just an absence of love, but an absence of God and they may love being there.
"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." (John 3:19-21, ESV)
2. In this darkness the individual is exiled from fellowship with the Father, his Son, Jesus Christ, and the believing community. And as we have have seen, whoever hates his brother continues a lifestyle of sin, and doesn't even know where he is going.
"No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother." (1 John 3:6-10, ESV)
3. Far from knowing God, those who hate their brothers walk around confused and lost, not knowing where they are going. Their behavior not only contradicts the claim to be a Christian; it actually confirms that they are lost.
"If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." (1 John 1:6, ESV)
"Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him," (1 John 2:4, ESV)
4. Spiritual darkness is not a passive reality. It goes on the offensive. Darkness attacks those living in it so that they become increasingly trapped in this realm of confusion and blindness.
"We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous." (1 John 3:12, ESV)
"Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." (1 John 3:15, ESV)
5. In a real sense what we do is what we become. How we live is who we are. The longer one remains in this realm of darkness, the more difficult it becomes to see the sin that is in one’s life, and the less likely one is to see his need to confess his sins so that fellowship with God can be restored. Habitual hatred leads to more hatred, and the possibility of loving becomes less and less likely.
" Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:7-8, ESV)
"If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother." (1 John 4:20-21, ESV)
6. Blinded [etuphlosen] is a form of the very verb used in 2 Cor. 4:4 of the god of this age to keep men from beholding the illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.
The first part of the verse repeats verse 9, but adds this vivid touch of the blinding power of darkness. In the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky the fish in Echo River have eye-sockets, but no eyes.
" Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4:1-4, ESV)
7. This passage can be compared to 1 Cor 13 and the answer becomes evident. The world love masqerades and disguises. It loves those who pretend to be something they are not. However, the absence of love it the real proof that the person is living in darkness and pretending to be something they are not.
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, ESV)
8. What happens to a "professing Christian" who does not love the brethren? We have already seen the first tragic result: he lives in the darkness, though he probably thinks he is living in the light (1 John 2:9). He thinks he sees, but he is actually blinded by the darkness of hatred.
9. The contrast between “saying” and “doing” is one we have met before (1 John 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4, 6). It is easy to practice a Christianity of “words”—singing the right songs, using the right vocabulary, praying the right prayers—and, through it all, deceiving ourselves into thinking we are spiritual when in fact we are doomed unless we repent.
"If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." (1 John 1:6, ESV)
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8, ESV)
"If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 John 1:10, ESV)
"Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him," (1 John 2:4, ESV)
"whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." (1 John 2:6, ESV)
10. The second tragic result is that such a "professing Christian" becomes a cause of stumbling (cf. 1 John 2:10). It is bad enough when an unloving "professing Christian" hurts himself (1 John 2:9); but when he starts to hurt others the situation is far more serious. It is serious to walk in the darkness. An unloving "professing Christian" stumbles himself, and in addition he causes others to stumble.
11. The tragedy is that walking in darkness need not take place, for God’s true light is available and for those living in darkness, the door is open so that they may repent and come to the light today.
" Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”" (John 8:12, ESV)
"I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." (John 12:46, ESV)
GracePointe Baptist Church
2209 N Post Road
Oklahoma City, OK 73141
Phone: (405) 769-5050