Vital Signs: Walking in Obedience

I want to ask you to think of the person in this world that you know more than any other person. Think about the things that you know about them. You know what they look like. You have probably looked at them for a considerable amount of time. You could probably recognize them in a crowd. You know what makes them smile, what makes them happy, and you know what makes them sad, in fact, you are likely the first person to recognize when they are having a good day or a bad day.

Now I want you to think about, how you got to know them so well.

You came to know them as you spent time with them, talked with them, observed them in a variety of settings and circumstances.

Vital Signs of Fellowship:

Walking in the Light

Confessing Sin

Walking in Obedience

Obedience to God’s Commandment, to God’s Word, God’s Law, God’s Perfect Way, in which we are to live.

Prodigal Son and Older Brother- struggled to believe the father was good.

The Prodigal was an “antinomian” and the older brother was a legalist.

Jesus, the Father in this parable clung to the Prodigal saying, all that I have is yours and I will cover your guilt and shame. He says the same to the older son, who fails to recognize the blessings, which were available to him, especially after his wretched brother was welcomed home. But the Father (Jesus) reiterated that all that He has is available to the older brother as well.

In this epistle, John is giving us the “rest of the story”. What happens when one is Justified? What happened after the Prodigal was welcomed home and justified by the father?

The Chain of Justification is a poor way of viewing this.

John’s message here is that those who have been justified, will, by the work of God’s grace, walk in obedience to the father’s commands, because he has come to KNOW the Father.

Know that you know!

Repentance does not proceed Faith

Be sure that you are sure . . .

Faith doesn’t

Understand, that you understand . . .

Who God is!!!

If you know Him . . .

J.I. Packer, made the following warning to us about knowing God, he said, ““To be preoccupied with getting theological knowledge as an end in itself, to approach Bible study with no higher a motive than a desire to know all the answers, is the direct route to a state of self-satisfied self-deception”

The Gnostics, whose teaching John is writing to dispute, claimed to have a special knowledge of God. Their “special knowledge” is what they were basing their lives on, but they were neglecting the specifics of the law of God. John is making it very clear in these few verses, that if we have an accurate and genuine knowledge of God, we will keep His commands.

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Cor 4:4

Christ was the ultimate example of obedience to the Father, and He understood (knew) the Father intimately and perfectly. Though Christ had a difficult task, He knew it was good.

Isaiah 53:10 ESV

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Psalm 89:19 ESV

19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said: “I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.

If you know God, you know that there are time when He will ask you to do things that seem difficult or “unfair” or that will cost you something.

But if you know God, you will also recognize the truth that what He has commanded you to do, is for the best and . . .

Then you will keep His commands!

As we come to know Him, we increasingly begin to obey His commands.

Think of the first time you went to work for someone. You probably knew them, at least a little bit. But did you know what to expect? Did you know what was expected of you? Did you have to go through some training? I think the first “paying” job that I ever had was to mow my great-grandparent’s lawn. Of course, I had already learned how to mow a lawn. My father and my older brothers taught me the basics, but then I went to work for Ma and Pappy.

Ma was a 70 year old Pennsylvania Dutch, Lutheran woman, who had high standards of excellence in everything that happened at her house. Pappy, was a bit more relaxed in his standards, except for when it came to his garden. But he wasn’t nearly as patient in explaining/training me. Ma was lovingly strict and persistent in educating me. Let’s just say, the more I learned about Ma & Pappy, the better I was able to adhere to their commands, to their wishes, to their standards.

This is much how it is with our Heavenly Father.

He has strict, immoveable standards. They are perfect standards. They are wonderful and loving, and pure and supremely beneficial for everyone. The more we get to know Him, the more we recognize that His ways are good and right and true and they are in our best interest and they are the for the best of others.

As we obey Him, something special happens,

1 John 2:5

1 John 2:5 ESV

5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:

The Love of God is perfected!

It is made complete, effectual, finished. . . in those who obey His commands.

1 John 2:6 ESV

6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

We are being called to live our lives the same way that Jesus lived.

There are clues in the Greek, that help us to understand that the “Him” in the phrase abides in Him, is referring to Jesus, as the Greek word Ekeinos, which means “that one” which Identifies a specific “one” in this case

Whoever is in Him will walk like Him.

The same way! Walk this way! Just like my brothers and I walk just like my dad. Want to know how my dad walked. You’ll never get the chance to see him walk on this earth, but I can show you how. Watch me.

Whoever abides in Him will walk like Him.

This can never be twisted around to allow us to believe that those who walk like Him will abide in Him.

This would be salvation through the law, not grace.

It is a common failure of many professing Christians to come to believe that they are able to somehow add to their justification. This is false and we need to train ourselves to think and believe in such a way as the Complete Context of Scripture teaches. For example, James teaches against what has been termed Antinomianism

Otherwise known as (Free Grace), which teaches that one can be legitimately a child of God and continue to live in their sinful fleshly ways. It is the belief that the believer can continue acting and behaving just as if they were not a believer.

James 2:17 ESV

17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James

Paul on the other hand, teaches against the need for us to put off sin, or sanctify ourselves in order to be justified or to be made new. Paul fights against the notion that we must walk in such a way that we are acceptable in God’s sight. Instead, we are brought to Christ and come to be “In Christ” by grace through faith (and that not of yourself) it is a gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.

John in this portion of the letter is identifying certain character traits that will be evident (Vital signs) in the life of the Believer, who is the person who has Come to Know Him, and they Know that they Know Him, if they keep His commands. If they “ABIDE” in Him (Jesus Christ) they will obey His commands and walk in the same way that He walks.

Matthew 11:29 ESV

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

God the Father is not an inconsiderate, brutal task master. His ways are not burdensome. As we come to know Him, we realize this.

1 John 5:3 ESV

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

We walk humbly

2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Phil

We walk in Submission to authorities

1 Peter 2:

1 Peter 2:21 ESV

21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

Isaac comes to my mind when I think of this kind of obedience and submission.

We walk well through suffering and trials

Hebrews 5:8 ESV

8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.

We put off the old, ungodly, worldly passions and we begin to obey, living disciplined and pure lives.

Titus 2:11–12 ESV

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

Titus 2:11-12

God, the one who we know and obey, provides for us and gives us all that we need for life and godliness THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM.

2 Peter 1:3–8 ESV

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:

Similar to the example of going to work for someone, who you are still getting to know, there will be new things, new responsibilities and new details, new projects that you will be asked to take on. Did you pick up on the phrase “Make every effort to supplement” in

This is a continuation of John helping us to understand the Vital Signs of our Fellowship with God. First we need to walk in the light, Second as we walk in the light we will find it necessary to confess our sins and we will “Obey His commands”, which is the working out of the Love of God, being accomplished. This is God’s love being put into action in an increasing way.

Think of the first time you went to work for someone. You probably knew them, at least a little bit. But did you know what to expect? Did you know what was expected of you? Did you have to go through some training? I think the first “paying” job that I ever had was to mow my great-grandmother’s lawn. Of course, I had already learned how to mow a lawn. My father and my older brothers taught me that basics, but then I went to work for Ma.

Ma was a 70 year old Pennsylvania Dutch, Lutheran woman, who had some pretty high standards of excellence in everything that happened at her house. Pappy, was a bit more relaxed in his standards, except for when it came to his garden. But he wasn’t nearly as patient in explaining/training me. Ma was lovingly strict and persistent in educating me. Let’s just say, the more I learned about Ma & Pappy, the better I was able to adhere to their commands, to their wishes, to their standards.

This is much how it is with our Heavenly Father.

He has strict, immoveable standards. They are perfect standards. They are wonderful and loving, and pure and supremely beneficial for everyone. The more we get to know Him, the more we recognize that His ways are good and right and true and they are in our best interest and they are the for the best of others.

1 John 2:5 ESV

5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:

1 Jn 2:

1 John 2:6 ESV

6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

We are being called to live our lives the same way that Jesus lived.

There are clues in the Greek, that help us to understand that the “Him” in the phrase abides in Him, is referring to Jesus, as the Greek word Ekonos