I John (3)
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How to know that you know Jesus
How to know that you know Jesus
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
7 Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.
8 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.
9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Intro: Its important that we know who that Jesus is God. Know that He is light, knowing that there is no darkness in Him.
Now John wants us to be to be sure that we know Him, to know that we have a relationship with Him.
The key focus in these verses is that
John wants us to know that we have come to know Jesus.
Every believer, at some point in the past, has come to know Jesus.
We believed that Jesus died for us.
It isn’t just an historical fact, or words we read in the Bible.
At some point we believed that Jesus entered our heart.
We confessed our sin.
We called upon his name.
We were saved.
That moment when the sacrifice of Jesus becomes personally applied to our lives. That moment when we said, “I have come to know Jesus”.
But then life happens.
We get busy with our agenda, and put the agenda of Jesus into the background.
We make horrible life decisions that cause brokenness.
We have days when reading our Bible does nothing for us.
We have times in our lives where we have cried out to God and said, “Do you see me? Do you care?”
We go through life quite well without really relying on God and we start to wonder, “Do I even need God?”
We pray … and it feels like we are talking to a brickwall.
We may have been in churches which have done more harm than good and so our faith has taken a beating.
We know our own sin, and the temptations which keep getting us.
We daily face a world that wants to stomp our faith out of us.
Life happens.
And there can be times in that life where we are sitting in this place
… of wondering.
… of doubt.
… or anger.
… or fear.
And as a result of how life is unfolding may find ourselves asking
Did I really come to know Jesus? Or was it all just words?
Was my “come to Jesus moment” a true transformation?
Or was I just saying it?
In the journey of faith there is a Scriptural truth which we must accept.
Knowing that you have come to know Jesus can’t be just words.
John makes this Scriptural truth an aspect of the test.
Know you are forgiven. VS 1-3
Know you are forgiven. VS 1-3
VS 1
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Little Children: This term here is translated “little born ones”. So it is addressed to born again Christians.
These things I write to you, so that you may not sin:
Parents do not want their children to do wrong. Elab
This is the way God is with His Children. Elab
Elab on the term “sin not” Jesus told the women caught in adultery to “sin no more”
Do not practice sin. Do not continue the same sin.
If any man sins:
If: Is conditional. We do sin.
When we do we have an advocate: An intercessor.
Jesus died for our sins, so he has the right to be our advocate.
We have Jesus as an advocate. But this does not give us a license to sin. He wants us to live a righteous life.
Jesus Christ the righteous: What God demanded (righteousness) only God could provide. So God came Himself to man in a body.
Jesus, God in the flesh to righteous one, and being altogether righteous in Himself He possesses the means of rendering others righteousness.
(Righteousness is not attained; it is imputed) Rom 4:4,5; I Corn 1:30-31
We are saved on account of Christ’s righteousness. God will receive us because of His righteousness which is imputed to us.
Jesus (our advocate) is the only person that never sinned. He is altogether righteous. He did all that God wanted, and he is eligible to sit at the right hand of the Majesty and plead our case.
VS 2
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Propitiation: The Greek word for propitiation occurs again in Ch 4: 10 and these are the only times we find this particular translation.
The word propitiation is found in Rom 3:25 where it means mercy seat. The same Greed word is found in Luke 18:13 where the publican prayed, “God be merciful to me a sinner”
The proper meaning here is an offering to appease anger.
“Turning away anger, making reconciliation between God and man”
God is angry with sin, and the truth set forth here is that the wrath of God must be poured out upon sin.
God has been offended and it is needful that His anger be turned away and His wrath against sin satisfied by a suitable sacrifice.
Jesus offered that sacrifice-once, for all, forever, never to be repeated. He offered His own blood.
When we confess our sins in the name of Jesus we are reconciled to God. He anger is turned away and He forgives us for Christ sake. Eph 4:32
God forgives us of our sins, but it does not mean that God over looks our sins.
when a believer sins , God can still be just and forgive us for Christ sake, and on the merit of His finished work.
God does not want us to sin but we do sin, and because of that propitiation has been provided He forgives us. I John 1:9
Not for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole world:
Praise God for this part of this verse. Jesus paid the price for the all the sins of all sinners of all times.
There are those that teach limited atonement, hyper-Calvinism. They teach that the “elect” are saved, and all others are damned. The scriptures tell us that Jesus died for the whole world.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
The blood of Jesus is sufficient for our sins, and for the sins of the whole world. Any sinner can be saved if he will hear the Gospel and believe on the name of Jesus.
He did not die for one race, one nationality, or for the elect, or select group. He died for the whole world, and His invitation is to all.
God plan of salvation was to save the entire creation from the curse of sin, and one day in heaven, the whole creation that now suffers from sin will be delivered, and the curse of sin will be completely removed. There will a great peace.
Know that you must keep His word.
Know that you must keep His word.
VS 3
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
The key verse of this epistle 1:3
We cannot have joy in our salvation apart from absolute assurance.
we do know Him:
Any person who does not know without a shadow of that they are save has a counterfeit salvation experience. I Tim 1:12
John 9:25; Rom 8:16
If you are a believer you know it. If you are genuinely saved, you know it. And if you do not know for sure that you are saved then you need to get it right. Elab
We know Him if we keep His commandments: elb
VS 4
4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1. The person that professes to be a believer, but does not keep the Lord’s commandments is a lair.
Lair: Deceiver/misrepresents.
2. Those who keep His commandments/those who practice the ways of Christ (which means first and foremost to love the Lord) that is the life of a true believer. (How can we show our love to the Lord?)
a. If love is not demonstrated in the life of the one that professes to be a believer, than their life is a lie, and they do not possess the nature of the Lord.
Truth is not in him: John 14:6
The same meaning for the word truth: It means just that “truth” reality.
b. Notice we see the word truth and liar in the same verse.
c. Those that not have the truth in them have a lie in them, something that is counterfeit.
VS 5
5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
1. Perfected: Accomplish.
a. Obedience is the test that determines whether or not we are really born again.
b. . Obedience is a measure of how much we love God.
c. We obey His word and follow His commandments, seeking to know and to do His perfect will for us.
John 14:15
d. Back to VS 5 keepeth: is a continuous act, day by day obedience. Not only wile people are watching us, but when we are in secret.
e. True love always accompanied by obedience. If true love exist in our heart it will show in our life. If we love we obey, and if we obey it is because we love.
f. It is Jesus whom we love and obey. Acts 5:29
29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.
g. Without love and obedience it is impossible for a person to develop and grow in grace and know perfect love.
h. Love that produces obedience to God assures the heart that we are truly born again and that the love of God abides in our hearts, because apart from the love of God we could not be obedient to him.
i. The natural man does not obey or follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, because there is no love for God in their heart. I Con 2:14
j. God is love, and when our hearts are permeated by the love of God we will obey Him because we love Him.
VS 6
6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
1. This is the Bible rule concerning the walk of a Christian.
a. Every step Jesus walked upon the earth, everything He did and everything He said was to glorify the father.
b. The miracles He performed were not for his own comfort or satisfaction. His ministry was always to glorify the father and benefit mankind second.
c. When we walk as He walked we are displaying as outward sign that Jesus is within us.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.
2. As we read the gospel of Jesus we see an example of His daily walk. As He walked so should we walk.
a. There are people that set a good example for us. But it is Jesus that we are to live our lives after.
b. Jesus saved us and He gives us the example and strength of how we should walk
c. The born again believer possesses Divine nature. 2 Peter 1:4
4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
d. The born again believer possesses the Holy Spirit. Rom 8:9
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
e. We are lead by the spirit. Rom 8:14
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
f. We are assured by the spirit. Rom 8:16
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
g. Christ dwells in the believer. Col 1:27
27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
h. The believer is hid with Christ in God. Col 3:3
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
i. The believer is united to Jesus. I Corinthians 12:12-14
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
VS 7
7 Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.
1. What John was writing under the inspiration was the same doctrine that was preached from the beginning. It was not manmade; it was not Johns own thought, it came from the Holy Spirit.
a. Even in John’s day there were false teachers preaching manmade doctrines. Some of them were so attractive and inviting that they were leading astray some of the people who had heard John preach the true gospel.
2. an old commandment which from the beginning: John was preaching the Word of God that was from the beginning. John 1:1
VS 8
I John 2:8.
8 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.
New commandment. (VS 7)
1. This may sound like a contradiction in scripture, but it is not. John is speaking of the commandment of Jesus that we love one another.
a. He speaks of it as a new commandment. This is the commandment that Jesus gave His disciples so that the world might recognize the true Christian. John 13:35
35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
b. Sermon on the Mount. Mat 5:43-48
2. New commandment” which thing is true in Him: (that is Jesus)
a. The law of love was perfected in Jesus. It was illustrated in Jesus. It was manifested in Jesus. All of this was done as He ministered here on earth. John 13:1
b. because it is true in him, and in you: Here John is speaking to believers.
c. He is saying that among believers brotherly love should be displayed. He show our love one for another as we fellowship together.
because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining
3. Here we are reminded that we are not children of darkness, we are children of light.
a. He who is the light of the world has come for the believer, darkness no longer exist. I Jn 1:5
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
b. His word is a light unto our feet, and a light unto our path. We walk in the light because God is love, Christianity is love.
c. We love Him because He first loved us. If we do not love each other, if we do not love our Christian brother whom we have seen, than how can we love God whom we have not seen?
d. If we only love those who love us and do good to us than we are not better than those that are lost.
John 1:4, 5, 9; I Thes 5:4-6; Col 1:12-14
e. Believers are children of light, we possess light, we have been translated into the kingdom of light. T
f. There is no excuse for spiritual ignorance concerning the commandments of Jesus as related to the believer.
VS 9-11
9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
1. Hatred is of the devil, it is of the kingdom of darkness and it proceeds from a dark heart. These verse give us a terrible picture of a man who hates his brother: he abides in darkness.
a. Illustration plant in a basement with no light. It may live for a while, but it will die.
b. This is what the spirit of hatred does do the soul. There are few things a man can do that are ugly as hate; and unloving, unforgiving spirit, the spirit of hatred will cause its victim to become sick with darkness.
c. Few people really like darkness. John 3:19
2. The man who hates his brother not only lives in darkness, he VS 11
a. The man who harbors hatred in his heart does not know where he is going, has no idea where that hatred will lead him.
b. This hatred can lead to bloodshed or murder. It can lead to lies being told about a person to try to hurt them. I John 3:15
2. From a spiritual standpoint hatred is a deadly poison; it dulls the mind, warps the soul, remove the smile from the face, and unless it is uprooted by the grace of God, it will poison the body, mind and soul.
a. We a person lives in the spirit of hatred, the seeds of hate grow into deeds that are unthinkable.
b. Many times, words cannot describe what hatred will cause one to do, because VS 11
darkness hath blinded the eyes.
3. One who hates gropes in darkness; he is in a more pitiful condition than if he was physically blind.
a. A blind person can use a cane, be led by a friend, or a seeing eye dog.
b. The person whose eyes are blinded by hatred cannot be led by anyone until God works a miracle in the heart and the love of God comes into the soul.
c. The Holy Spirit can then take over and the hatred will depart.
4. Hate blinds the mind. A person that lives in the spirit of hatred cannot see reason., he cannot recognize the truth. II Cor 4:3,4
a. When hatred permeates the soul the mind cannot think in the right direction. Luke 18:41
Mat 5:14
a. Some believer need to clean their lamps. Elab
b. Some need to move their lamps from under the bushel.
c. If we have received light from the true light and we should shine in this dark world to point unbelievers Jesus.
5. The man who walks in the light VS 10 there is none occasion of stumbling in him:
a. When we walk in the light we are walking in Jesus, and when we walk with Him in the light of His love, we can rest assured that we will not stumble. .
b. When we walk in the light we can see the pitfalls and stumblingblocks.
c. It is sad but not all believers desire to live a separated spirit filled life that will glorify the Lord.
d. God wants us to live in the light, and he is always there for us. Rom 8:31, 37
