The Commandments
1 John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 4 viewsJohn shares his metaphor or light and darkness. We can walk in light or walk in darkness. But what does it mean and how can we walk in the light today?
Notes
Transcript
In the early 1900s, a small town in America had a law stating that all children must carry a book to school. In a lighthearted twist, students started to carry actual comic books, having fun while still adhering to the 'law.' This led to a culture of shared laughter and discussion about the stories, while instilling the importance of reading. This serves as a reminder that following commandments can lead to unexpected joy and connection, just like carrying God's Word in our hearts instead of viewing it as restrictive.
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
Key Words
Key Words
To Know
To Know
181 / 234 times
77% - experiential knowledge
7% - intellectual knowledge
As SDA Christians,
we may put
too much emphasis upon
intellectual information.
I shared this verse
in the previous sermon:
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Eternal life is
experiential knowledge
of God.
It is to experience
deep relationship
with Him.
Back to Key passage:
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
What is the
experiential knowledge
exampled in this verse?
How can we know
if we are experiencing
experiential knowledge
of our God?
What is the evidence that
we are coming to know God?
Keeping His Commandments!!!
τηρέω
τηρέω
To keep...
to retain in custody, keep watch over, guard
This is used in the context
of guarding a prisoner.
Could also mean:
to cause a state, condition, or activity to continue, keep, hold, reserve, preserve
What sense
are we to keep
the commandments?
Are we to guard them?
or
Are we to preserve them?
Other lexicons and
bible dictionaries
translate the word as:
“observe.”
The word observe
carries both definitions:
to guard
to preserve.
All of these words
seem to indicate
serious and solemn
definitions.
The commandments are holy.
And keeping them holy
is a somewhat solemn matter.
But there are other definitions
that seem to present
a more positive view
celebrate
commemorate
honor
The Bible supports
this point of view
as well:
for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love.
and
The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts; their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law.
The law is not
just something to guard
(although that is true).
It is also something
to commemorate
to celebrate
and to delight in.
If we don’t delight
in the law and commandments,
we won’t continue
to keep and guard
them either.
We will only
guard
preserve
what we love.
If you want to
guard the commandments...
We must also
celebrate the law.
Consider the story of Martin Luther in the 16th century, who challenged the Catholic Church over practices he believed strayed away from Biblical truth. Luther held onto the commandments and teachings of Scripture in a time when corruption was rampant. His commitment to God’s true laws sparked the Protestant Reformation, illustrating how steadfastness to God's commandments can ignite change and lead others to deeper faith. His courage serves as a historical reminder that keeping God’s commandments can lead to transformative movements.
One more concept
in found interesting in
first verse of pericope.
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
I previously quoted
John 17:3
which says:
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Knowing God
Being Know by God
is the essence of
eternal life
salvation!
Our passage says:
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
This verse indicates
that we can have
some assurance of
our salvation.
How can you
know that you
really know God?
In other words:
How can you
be sure that
you are experiencing
eternal life
slavation?
How can a Christian
have:
Assurance of salvation
Assurance of salvation
SDA’s have been
frequently accused that
we don’t offer people
any assurance of salvation.
We don’t believe
in “soul security”
“once saved, always saved.”
We repeatedly teach that
we should
obey
keep law
in addition to belief.
We are accused of
not allowing believers
assurance of salvation.
This verse acutally teaches
that we can have some
type of assurance that
we are
knowing God
eternal life
right standing
experiencing salvation.
How can we know
if we are
in a saving relationship
with our God?
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
What is the evidence
of our right standing?
That we are keeping
the commandments!
That next verse
makes this more plain:
Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
John couldn’t be
more blunt
straight foreward
clear.
Knowing God
(eternal life)
is not just
believing He exists
believing He is good
believing He is your savior
but...
Knowing God
produces fruit
in our lives.
Imagine a young boy learning to swim. He hesitates at the edge of the pool, questioning his ability. His father stands in the water, arms open wide, calling him. Finally, the boy jumps in, and the moment he feels his father's grip, all fear melts away. This hypothetical scenario illustrates how we often wrestle with doubt about our salvation, but God is ever-present, inviting us to trust Him, ensuring us that we are safe in His arms.
Knowing God
produces fruit
in our lives.
The fruit of the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Why does it say:
“against such things there is no law?”
Because if you are
experiencing the
fruit of the Spirit,
you are keeping the law.
The are the same law
expressed in different words.
10 Commandments
stated in negative:
“Thou Shalt Not...”
The Fruit of the Spirit
Stated in positive
“Have these characteristics...”
The next verse
of key passage
put these together.
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
Notice the passage
states two experiences
that are
different yet synonymous.
Those who
Keep God’s Word
have the
Love of God.
The are two things
but the same experience.
If you have one
you have the other.
If you
keep God’s Word
you also..
Have God’s Love!
Notice that
these phrases are
parallel to
prior concepts.
Keeping God’s Word
= Keeping God’s Commandments
Having God’s Love
= Knowing God.
They are a package deal.
You get one,
You get all.
Let’s now try to
emphasize one
more than the other
they come together.
Keeping God’s Word
Keeping God’s Commandments
Having God’s Love
Knowing God
Walking With God
Walking Like God
Abiding In God
Fruit of Spirit
They are a package deal.
In the early church, Christians risked everything for their faith, often martyred for their belief that Jesus was their Savior. Imagine a courageous believer standing before a judge, boldly proclaiming, 'I know whom I have believed!' Their assurance of salvation fueled their bravery. This historical context reminds us that true assurance can embolden us—knowing our eternal future rests in Christ gives us the strength to face any trial that life may throw our way.
Verse 5 repeats
prior concept:
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
How can we know
that we are
“in Christ?”
How can we know
that we are
truly Christians?
It is a package deal.
We are:
Keeping God’s Word
Keeping God’s Commandments
Having God’s Love
Knowing God
Walking With God
Walking Like God
Abiding In God
Fruit of Spirit
I need to address
one word that I
glossed over previously:
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
This is a word
many Christians fear.
Can we really be perfect?
Does perfect really mean...
well...
perfect?
τελειόω
τελειόω
I looked up the word
guess what it means?
PERFECT.
In fact,
next verse seems to
make this plain:
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.
If we know God
we walk
as he walked.
I can’t think of
a better definition
for “perfect”...
LIVE LIKE JESUS!
We must ask...
Perfection. Is this truly possible?
Perfection. Is this truly possible?
Can we really
Walk as he walked?
Live like Jesus?
First,
let’s be clear
perfection goes
with the package.
Keeping God’s Word
Keeping God’s Commandments
Having God’s Love
Knowing God
Walking With God
Walking Like God
Abiding In God
Fruit of Spirit
Perfection
So...
can we really
be perfect?
In order to
evaluate this questions
let’s look at the word
“liar.”
Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
In previous chapter
John uses same word.
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
Again,
talks about people
lying to themselves.
Saying they are believers
but walking in darkness.
Notice we can
Add more to package
of Christian life:
Keeping God’s Word
Keeping God’s Commandments
Having God’s Love
Knowing God
Walking With God
Walking Like God
Abiding In God
Fruit of Spirit
Perfection
Fellowship With God
Walking In Light
Practicing Truth
But here is the issue.
Back to question
of perfection...
In verse 8
uses same concept:
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Wait a minutes...
We must reconcile these verses....
Look at them again:
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we say,
we have no sin,
we are a liar.
Next verse:
Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
If we say,
“I know Him,”
but don’t keep commandments
we are a liar.
How can these
both be true?
If you deny that
you have sin
you are a liar.
But if you don’t
keep the commandments
you are a liar.
Can you have both?
Can you keep the commandments
and have sin?
Consider the story of Thomas Edison, who famously said, 'I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.' His relentless pursuit of perfection in inventing the lightbulb demonstrates that perfection is not about an end product but rather about the journey and the learning involved in that process. As Christians, we are called to embrace our imperfections while striving for spiritual growth. This realization helps us to accept our failures as part of our path toward becoming more Christ-like.
One chapter later
John says:
Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law.
If you are committing sin
you are breaking the law
that is the definition of sin.
So how can we
have sin
and
keep the commandments?
It must be
what I spoke about
in the previous sermon
the trend of the life.
That’s why some translations
say this:
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
The verb tense is
present active indicative .
This expresses
continuous or habitual action
in present time,
where the subject
performs the action.
"I am eating."
Lawlessness is a lifestyle.
ergo
Perfection is a lifestyle,
not a momentary experience.
Practicing Perfections
is not a snapshot in time.
That is true but
lets look at the tense
of our perfected verse:
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
Here the tense is
perfect passive indicative.
First lets explain
passive voice.
Passive voice means
the action happened
to the subject.
Active Voice:
The boy hit the ball.
Subject?
“The boy”
Verb:
“hit”
Voice:
“Active”
The boy
does the hitting.
Passive Voice:
The boy got hit by the ball.
Subject:
“The boy”
Verb:
“got hit”
Voice:
“Passive”
The subject receives the verb.
Look at our passage:
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
Perfection is passive.
meaning that it is something
that happens to us.
Not something that we do.
Perfection is not
something that
we accomplish.
Perfection just happens
as we abide in Him
and keep His word.
Much like a potter at work, shaping a vessel from clay, God takes our flawed lives and molds them into instruments of His purpose. When the potter throws a pot onto the wheel, there are moments of pushing and pulling, where the clay may feel stretched or even torn. Yet through the process of refining, each imperfection is worked out, leading to a creation that is beautiful and functional. This illustrates that experiencing God's perfection in our lives requires us to endure challenges and be reshaped in His image.
The mood is Indicative.
What does that mean?
Here are 4 Greek Moods:
indicative - facts
imperative - commands
subjunctive - contingent/expected action
optative - wishes/possibilities
Indicative: "He is going."
Imperative: "Go!"
Subjunctive: "That he may go."
Optative: "May he go."
In our verse,
perfect is indicative:
a fact!
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
Being perfected is not
a wish
a command
or a possibility
it is a fact!
It is the
natural result
of the package deal:
Keeping God’s Word
Keeping God’s Commandments
Having God’s Love
Knowing God
Walking With God
Walking Like God
Abiding In God
Fruit of Spirit
Perfection
Fellowship With God
Walking In Light
Practicing Truth
Lastly,
the verb tense is
perfect tense.
What is perfect tense?
Perfect Tense -
represents a completed action in the past with ongoing results in the present
It has already
been done.
But we are still
reaping the benefits.
Take a look at other
Greek verb tenses.
Imperfect:
Ongoing, continuous, or habitual action in the past
"Last year, I was eating a lot."
Past tense,
ongoing.
Experience of
the past.
Aorist:
Simple, undefined past action
"I ate"
Is it still happening?
Am I still full?
by it?
Who knows...
Pluperfect:
Completed action with results in the past
"Last month, I had eaten Mexican food every Tuesday.”
Perfect:
Completed action with ongoing results in the present
"I have eaten a large breakfast."
It already happened
but I’m still experiencing
the results of it.
In our passage
the tense is Perfect tense.
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
We have been perfected
but we are still
experiencing the ongoing
results of being perfected.
What have we learned
about perfection
used in this context?
Passive Voice
It happens to us.
It is not something that
we work to accomplish.
Indicative Mood
Being Perfected is a reality
it is not
just wishful thinking
possibly in only certain circumstances
it is not a command.
It is a true experience
for those who know God.
Perfect Tense
It occured
in the past
the results are
an ongoing experience.
We often hear of the Olympic athlete who trains for years, pursuing the elusive goal of perfection in their sport. Take the case of Michael Phelps, who practiced relentlessly, setting record after record but still faced adversity, setbacks, and moments of defeat. His journey teaches us that perfection is not about never failing but about resilience, pushing through challenges, and learning from mistakes. As Christians, we are called to strive for excellence in our lives, knowing that God’s grace covers our failures as we seek to reflect His glory.
APPEAL
APPEAL
Invest in
the whole package.
Keeping God’s Word
Keeping God’s Commandments
Having God’s Love
Knowing God
Walking With God
Walking Like God
Abiding In God
Fruit of Spirit
Perfection
Fellowship With God
Walking In Light
Practicing Truth
Experience being perfected!
