An Obedient Heart
Notes
Transcript
Last week pastor Tony Talked about truth. One of the truest things about truth is sometimes the truth is hard. And as much as that sucks it is a big deal when the truth hurts. It shows that we care and understand the importance of God’s truths.
But as he mentioned we have an advocate! Jesus is our defender, even when we sin now. God is not shocked by human behavior. He has seen it all in advance. He didn’t forgive us at one time to later say, “Look what they did now! If I would have known they would go and do that, I would have never forgiven them.” His forgiveness is available to us now.
We may think that our sin sets God against us. But God’s love is so great that in His love, He went to the ultimate measure to make us able to stand in the face of His holy righteousness. Through Jesus, God can be for us even when we are guilty sinners.
So today we will be seeing more about the importance of keeping God’s commandments and a response that is pleasing to the Lord when we fall short. Because it is not a matter of if but when.
So today we will be in 1 John 2 3-6.
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
That one can leave us saying ouch!
I read this statement that says “We demonstrate that we know God when we keep his commandments.” I agree with the truthfulness of this statement but I would also argue we demonstrate whether we know God or not in how we respond when we fall short of his commandments.
We have to remember that to understand this letter, we must be continually reminded that it seeks to correct problems of belief and behavior of Christians in Ephesus. Every word of the letter comes in response to something that the church needed to hear. Verse 3 tells believers how we can know if we are, indeed, Christians. We know we are Christians if we obey his commands.
Apparently, some people in Ephesus claimed to know God, but they made no effort to keep God’s commands. The religion that came to be known as Gnosticism prided itself in knowing God through mystical enlightenment, though that knowledge had no bearing on their moral behavior. They had no understanding that sin was a barrier to their relationship with God. John set them straight about this claim: “If you know God, you keep his commandments, and if you make no effort to keep his commandments, but still claim to be a Christian, you are a liar.”
This distinction is comforting when we look at extreme sin, assuming we are not involved in extreme sin. It makes it plain that those who clearly live like the devil can make no claim to be Christian. However, it is very discomforting when we consider more subtle sin. How obedient do we have to be? I violated one of God’s commands just last night. Am I a Christian, or am I a liar? Must we obey all commands perfectly? If that is the case, are any of us saved?
Clearly, the Bible is not saying that we have to exhibit perfect obedience.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
First John 1:8 just told us that if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and make God out to be a liar. The issue appears to be whether or not we take God’s commandments seriously and are trying to keep them. We may not keep them perfectly. We may not even have a perfectly consistent desire to keep them. But if we are truly born again, we will not live our lives in disregard for God’s commands. The Gnostics, it can be assumed, weren’t even trying to keep God’s commands. It is their behavior, their heart disposition of no desire for obedience that the Bible condemns.
John now reassures us. If we take seriously the commands of God and desire to keep them, we can be sure we know God. Then God’s love is truly made complete in us.
So I want to spend a some time this morning looking at scripture to point out what these verses are and are not saying. Let’s start with what it’s not saying.
It is not saying that we must be perfect in keeping God’s commandments.(expand on this use the Jews and the law as an example)
The bible says in..
For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
Paul is clearly writing about an internal struggle he is fighting.
We’ve mentioned this one a few times now and I’m sure it’ll come up more.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
This verse highlights the importance of acknowledging our sinful nature and our ongoing need for God’s grace.
For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
James is pointing out that we all stumble or falls short at time. It points out our common imperfection among believers.
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
This verse shows the two proponents of the war in us. Our flesh and the Holy Spirit. Our flesh trying to do whatever pleases us and the Holy Spirit leading us to do that which pleases God.
So now let’s look at what it is saying. It is saying that we should desire to to be obedient to the Lord.
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
This verses shows the transformation that takes place at the moment of redemption and shows that our obedience don’t come from fear but from the heart.
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Here we see a heartfelt desire to seek God and obey His commands and we do that by treasuring his word.
I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
This one expresses a deep longing to align with God’s will.
For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,
Even with our struggles with sin this verse shows us the inner delight we have in God’s law. It shows as believer we have a genuine desire for obedience.
These verses show God’s love for us in how he works in us to lead us to desire fellowship with him and that fellowship is fostered in obedience. Look at...
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
This points out that the desire and ability to obey come from God working within us for His purposes.
So now, how do we know which camp we are in? Are we in...
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
or
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
This is an important one to be able to distinguish. One camp is well done my good and faithful servant. The other is get away from me I never knew you. One camp is salvation one camp is the wrath of God. So how can we distinguish which camp we are in? Like I said it’s not about if we sin. It’s our disposition when we sin.
The first thing we should have is remorse. Are we truly saddened by our sin? We see this example in...
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Second is bringing our sin out into the light through confession and repentance. This is the hardest one for us. It takes acknowledging our sin... exposing our sin... and confessing our sin. To God and those we sinned against. That one get’s more ouches than amen’s.
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
And James says...
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
I want to take a minute and confess to you the struggles I’ve been fighting and as this verse says ask for your prayers.
Shepherding you guys is an important and honorable role.
One of the requirements is shepherd my family well.
This is a strong conviction the Lord has been laying on me.
Lack of patience, compassion and instruction towards my kids at times when they are not behaving. Most of the time my lack of patience is tied more to my flesh and what I want over their actions.
Not serving my wife well because “I worked hard and I’m tired” when in reality she probably worked just as hard at home.
This has put me in a real funk, but just bringing it to the light in sharing it with my wife, the Wednesday night group and now you guys has done a lot in helping to navigate this.
When we dismiss something as a problem it gives us no reason to want to change. But when we expose our darkness into the light it creates a fertile heart disposition for the Holy Spirit to do work in us.
And that which I have been experiencing leads us to right action. Not perfection but an intentional change of direction.
When someone becomes a Christian, there is a change in their relationship with sin. Sin is not eliminated in the believer until they come to glory, but our relationship to sin is changed when we truly become a Christian.
· Christians no longer loves sin as we once did.
· Christians no longer brags about our sin as we once did.
· Christians no longer plans to sin as we once did.
· Christians no longer fondly remembers our sin as we once did.
· Christians never fully enjoy our sin as we once did.
· A Christian is no longer comfortable in habitual sin as we once were.
As we conclude today, I invite you to reflect on the profound truth that Pastor Tony shared last week. That Jesus Christ is not only our Savior but also our Advocate. He stands before the Father on our behalf, interceding for us with a love that knows no bounds. Through Him, we find the courage to embrace obedience, not out of fear or duty, but out of a deep love and gratitude for His grace.
In trusting Jesus as our Advocate, we acknowledge His perfect righteousness covering our imperfections, His wisdom guiding our steps, and His peace calming our hearts in every storm. He empowers us to walk in obedience, not in our own strength, but through the transforming power of His Spirit within us.
Let us therefore hold fast to the promise that in Christ, our Advocate, we have everything we need for life and godliness. May His love compel us to live lives that honor Him, serving others with humility and grace. May we find joy in obedience, knowing that it is the path to true freedom and abundant life.
