Called to Obey / Llamados a Obedecer
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Introduction
Introduction
What is a Christian?
For many centuries the Christian church believed that all those who were baptized as infants were christians. Infant baptism in many traditions is called “christening”, for by it you are made a Christian.
In Church history, there were periods where if the ruler/king/prince of the realm were a Christian then you automatically became a Christian.
In our tradition, where we do not practice infant baptism, many people think you are made a Christian by the act of baptism, praying the sinner’s prayer, or walking the aisle.
1 John teaches us in five chapters what a true Christian is really like. He gives us certain tests that if we apply them to our lives we can understand whether we are Christians according to the teaching of God’s word.
Being a Christian is not something subjective. It is not something that you feel.
Being a Christian is serious because we are dealing with eternal matters. We are dealing with matters of heaven or hell.
We are dealing with peoples souls and their eternal destiny.
Today we will consider:
Jesus’ work on our behalf
Test #1 - Obedience to God
I. Jesus’ work on our behalf
I. Jesus’ work on our behalf
I. La obra de Jesús a nuestro favor
I. La obra de Jesús a nuestro favor
Last Lord’s Day we considered the importance of having a right understanding of sin.
If we walk in darkness we cannot claim to have fellowship with God.
We have all sinned. Those who deny they have sinned make God to be a liar.
Sin is serious because it separates us from God.
The reality is that even as believers we continue to sin. Why?
We continue to sin because of our flesh. Our flesh continues to be affected by the effects of sin.
We are tempted in many ways. Some are tempted through money, fame, fortune. Others are tempted by drugs, adultery, gossip.
We will continue to struggle with our sinful nature until the day when the Lord takes us home to our heavenly reward.
Although we have been forgiven by God and have been granted salvation, we will struggle with temptation and sin this side of glory.
Many of John’s hearers could have been greatly discouraged because they realized how much they continued to sin.
In fact, even the Apostle Paul speaks of his own struggle with sin:
For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
Yo sé que en mí, es decir, en mi naturaleza pecaminosa, nada bueno habita. Aunque deseo hacer lo bueno, no soy capaz de hacerlo. De hecho, no hago el bien que quiero, sino el mal que no quiero. Y si hago lo que no quiero, ya no soy yo quien lo hace sino el pecado que habita en mí.
How much do you and I continue to sin? It is a struggle for us all!
It is for this reason that John addresses this concern by reminding us what Jesus has done for us:
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
John 2:
Mis queridos hijos, les escribo estas cosas para que no pequen. Pero si alguno peca, tenemos ante el Padre a un intercesor, a Jesucristo, el Justo. Él es el sacrificio por el perdón de nuestros pecados, y no sólo por los nuestros sino por los de todo el mundo.
The exhortation is clear.
We are called to flee from sin.
We are called to resist sin.
We are called to stay as far away as we can from sinning against God.
But - if we do sin, there is hope for us.
This hope comes to us because of what Jesus has done for us.
This hope is because Jesus is our advocate before the Father and he is an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus is our advocate.
This term was used to describe someone who presents a defense or intercession on behalf of another.
This term can also be used to describe someone that comes alongside another person as they walk together.
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Jesus is our advocate means that when we do sin, Jesus comes before the presence of the Father and intercedes on our behalf.
Jesus comes before the Father and pleads our case before him, on the basis of his death which has granted us forgiveness.
Because of Jesus’ role as our advocate is that we can have comfort that we cannot loose our salvation because Jesus is our eternal advocate before the Father. He will not fail. He will not loose his case.
Notice how the Bible calls Jesus, not only our advocate, but also the Righteous One.
He is called the Righteous One because he is not bribing the Father to let us off the hook.
He is not asking the Father to be lenient because there something good in us.
He is called the Righteous One because he knows God must punish sin - and yet he gave is own life on our behalf. He knew the terms of God’s justice and determined to be sacrificed for our forgiveness.
Jesus is our atoning sacrifice.
Jesus died on our behalf.
His sacrifice was necessary for the forgiveness of our sins.
The wrath of had to be satisfied.
Our sin offended the holiness of God. God cannot ignore our sin. If he were to ignore our sin he would be accused of corruption, of injustice, of favoritism.
Jesus went to the cross to experience the punishment for our sin. He took the punishment for our sin.
Why would God require such an awful death? Jesus’ death was truly tragic, gruesome. After all, it was death by crucifixion!
Many who ask why Jesus’ death was necessary do not understand the seriousness of sin.
Sin is an affront before the face of God. Sin is the breaking of God’s law. Sin is man shaking his fist at God. Sin is hatred of God.
For this reason, Jesus had to die because of the hideousness of man’s sin.
Jesus became the sacrifice for our sin, and for the sin of the whole world.
This does not mean all of humanity will be saved!
This means that Jesus’ Christ sacrifice is sufficient to save all those who believe.
Jesus sacrifice is sufficient. There is nothing else we can do to add to what Jesus has done for us. All we must do is believe and accept his forgiveness!
II. Test #1 - Obedience to God
II. Test #1 - Obedience to God
II. Examen #1 - Obediencia a Dios
II. Examen #1 - Obediencia a Dios
How can we know we are truly God’s children?
How can we know we are saved?
How can we know we have experienced the work of regeneration in our life?
John lays out the first test to understand if we are children of God - Do we obey God’s commandments?
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
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¿Cómo sabemos si hemos llegado a conocer a Dios? Si obedecemos sus mandamientos. El que afirma: «Lo conozco», pero no obedece sus mandamientos, es un mentiroso y no tiene la verdad. En cambio, el amor de Dios se manifiesta plenamente en la vida del que obedece su palabra. De este modo sabemos que estamos unidos a él: el que afirma que permanece en él, debe vivir como él vivió.
The test is very simple - do we obey his commandments?
Obedience to God’s commandments does not refer to obedience to the Mosaic law. Otherwise, we would have to stop eating pork, shellfish, we would have to keep the Sabbath, etc.
Obedience to God’s commandments is obeying the law of Christ. But what is the law of Christ?
Obedience of God’s commandments can be summed up with the words: “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”
We cannot claim to be saved if we walk as pagans.
We cannot claim to be saved if we live as godless family.
We cannot claim to be saved if we fail to apply the words of Jesus to our marriage, to our work life, to our finances, to how we raise our children, to our spiritual life.
The church of Christ must be characterized by obedience to the word of God.
Many people think: since we are no longer under the law of Moses we no longer need to keep any of the commandments.
This is true to a certain extent. We already mentioned we are not required to obey the Mosaic law which was given specifically to the people of Israel.
However, Jesus taught us what we will call the law of Christ.
Do not think that the law of Christ represents a relaxed attitude, a do whatever you want attitude.
Jesus said:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Ustedes han oído que se dijo: “No cometas adulterio.” Pero yo les digo que cualquiera que mira a una mujer y la codicia ya ha cometido adulterio con ella en el corazón.
The law of Christ does not consist in external rituals or observances. The law of Christ goes directly to man’s hearts. God knows that sin has its origin in our hearts.
Matthew 5:27-28
The law of Christ calls us to examine our motives, our intentions, the attitude of our hearts - and does not simply focus on external actions.
If we are to truly follow God in obedience we must take drastic measures:
If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Por tanto, si tu ojo derecho te hace pecar, sácatelo y tíralo. Más te vale perder una sola parte de tu cuerpo, y no que todo él sea arrojado al infierno. Y si tu mano derecha te hace pecar, córtatela y arrójala. Más te vale perder una sola parte de tu cuerpo, y no que todo él vaya al infierno.
Mattew 5:29-30
It is a real struggle. The power of sin is intense. We will fail - but rest assured we have an advocate before the Father.
Let us pray that God will grant us power over sin that we may overcome by the power of his Holy Spirit!