Traits of a Born-Again Follower of Jesus (1 John 5:1-5)

looks like an duck, swims like a fish, and has venom like a snake, then a duckbill platypus

unique animal of spare parts

platypus breaks the duck test

the duck test

if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it is a duck

by observation you can determine what reality is despite what you are told

except platypus

characteristics, habits, or traits will give something away

no matter what it says or what you are told

Traits of a Born-Again Follower of Jesus

can come over to the spiritual world

especially with those who say they are Christians

2017 study by LifeWay Research

24% of Americans profess to be evangelical (1 out of 4)

a higher % claim to be born again

BUT only 15% of Americans can affirm most basic evangelical beliefs

enter an old problem

can you be a Christian and believe what you want?

can you be a Christian and fail to believe what Christians believe?

can you be a Christian and bear little to no fruit?

in America

there is a gap between those who profess to be born again

and those who possess the reality

likely true of this very congregation

someone can say a Christian

yet continually walk in sin

act like sin is no big deal

no concern about obeying God or following Jesus

not only is it confusing (more than platypus)

at least is misrepresenting or disingenuous

or more tragic

deceived into thinking because

were told they are (mama said)

self-made criteria (baptized, prayed prayer, walked aisle)

entitled (God owes me)

postmodern (if I say that I am, then who are you to question that???)

not everyone that says they are a Christian is in fact a Christian

1:6, 1:8, 1:10, 2:4

John clearly writes that the secessionists are not in fact Christians

no matter what they say or tell you

know them by their fruit

say Christian but does the fruit indicate so

Luke 6:43-45

John 15:4

only way to bear fruit is in Jesus

GOSPEL—transformed life

John comes in to reaffirm that born-again followers of Jesus look and act like this

born-again followers of Jesus

the duck test applied to Christians

characteristics or traits of a born-again follower of Jesus

do these traits describe you?

believe

5:1a pew Bible # 1213

Everyone

not a certain age of people

Jesus focuses on children

active belief by individual

not a select class of people

false belief—only rich could be saved because God had blessed them (Matt 19)

so surely not the poor

Jesus’ response

wealth may be stumbling block, not blessing as so many misunderstood

“Who then can be saved?”

Matthew 19:26 “But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.””

Jesus would say…

Everyone who believes Jesus is the Christ

believe

so fundamental to the community of faith

often we ask if someone is a BELIEVER

do they believe Jesus is the Christ?

for those recipients of John’s letter

NOT those who left the community of faith

for the Jew

not what expected

not conquering King (will be 2nd coming)

not expecting humble servant

BUT also not expecting to be God

necessary to be God or sacrifice not sufficient

for the Gentile

not even a concern (worldview out of whack)

the who believes has been born of God—born again (John 3), spiritual birth

John 1:12-13

is quite different from natural birth

it is initiated by God (4:19) and effected through His Spirit

AND takes place in conjunction with our faith in Jesus

do you believe Jesus is the Christ?

have you been born again?

love

5:1b-2

the One having given them birth (the Father)

naturally (logically)…

BETTER YET supernaturally love spiritual Father (God Almighty)

WORSHIP

Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

our aim is to glorify Him

and the children of the Father (the Father)

John reverses his approach here

usually your claim to love God is tested by your love for your fellow believers

but here REVERSE

if someone loves the children of God

can be determined by the presence of love for God and obedience to His commands

John is clear

love for God and love for His children cannot be separated

Jesus would agree

Matthew 22:37–40 “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.””

do you love God with all your heart/soul/mind?

do you love your spiritual brothers and sisters?

obey

5:2-3

love for God, love for His children, and obedience to God’s commands all go together

cannot separate them

John 15:10

prior slide

but what commands are we talking about?

622 in OT

primary context

3:23

4:21

And his commandments are not burdensome.

the rules put in place by the scribes and Pharisees were burdensome

Matthew 23:4

but not so with God’s commands

Matthew 11:28-30

the commands of God are not restrictive, but life giving

consider our sexualized society

world says let your sexual desires free

God says focus those desire in the confines in marriage

a longterm monogamous relationship is what God desires

2 shall become 1

rewarding, fulfilling, and God’s way to protect from harm and heartache

the command to love one another does not prove to be burdensome for those who are born of God

how is your obedience to God’s commands?

overcome

5:4-5

why are God’s commands not burdensome to His children?

because they are good for us

AND we have been given the possibility to keep them (power of HS)

while God’s commands are burdensome to the world, they are not for His children

overcome the world

overcome = victorious

not by our ingenuity or power from within (no bootstrap theology here)

but because of our birth from God & indwelling HS

John Stott notes:

our new birth is a supernatural event

takes us out from under the rule of Satan in this world

and brings us into the family of God

we have been rescued from the dominion of darkness

and transferred into the kingdom of Christ

the spell of the old life has been broken

the fascination of the world has lost its appeal

the world = value system

2:15-17

moral pressures

cravings of our natural self

sexual lust

power

fame

popularity

darkness rather than light

crude talk and language

active

speech

passive

on screen

intellectual pressures

believe different than Bible to be accepted by world

pressured to compromise on your views of

abortion, marriage, gender, homosexuality

pressured to deny

inerrancy of Scripture (do you really believe everything in the Bible???)

physical pressures

following Jesus may cost you

loss of

job

friends

popularity

comfort

persecution

John comes to assure his audience

victory over the world is through faith

not ingenuity or creativity

not by your work ethic

but in your confidence in the fully God, fully man Jesus

not FAITH for faith’s sake

Kirkland’s wall art

Christmas “believe” decoration

your faith is only as good as the object of your faith

victory only comes through faith in JESUS

believe

5:5—full circle

Traits of a Born-Again Follower of Jesus

these traits are not linear but circular

they cannot be separated

like 3 legged-stool

gotta have all 3 legs

apply duck test to Christians

if believe Jesus is the Christ,

love God and His children,

obey His commands,

and overcome the world

then likely born-again follower of Jesus

does that fit you?

introduce new members

Dan, Cheryl, Brittany, Gideon, Ethan, Jonathan, Jason, and Nathan Schlichter

Laura Culpepper

Jefferson and Alyssa Munchinsky again