Walking With God part 2

“Walking With God” (part 2)

Introduction:

Last week we looked at “Walking with God” being honest

Also looked at a little bit of John’s personality.

This week we are going to continue our series “Walking with God” and we are going to look at, “How Can I Know That I Know God?”

By “Walking in Love”
We are also going to look at a bit of his attitude or purpose in writing this letter.

So with that in mind, why did he write this letter?

He was worried; seriously worried that young Christians he had been nurturing were becoming influenced by people who were mixing Christianity with Greek religion.
For example they taught that God was only interested in the spiritual world.

· Of course this led some into great deception, getting all mystic.

· And some into world-denying, physical body denying

Gnosticism also taught that God could only be known through their secret knowledge and mystical experiences.

· Gnosticism comes from the Greek word meaning “Knowledge”

· John wrote to correct these errors and remind these believers that Christianity is about knowing God through Jesus Christ,

· That is no casual acquaintance.

· Without Jesus there is no Christianity.

· The historical, physical, life, death and resurrection of Jesus is central to an authentic relationship with God. (1 John 1:1-3).

· If you have a NIV Study Bible you can look more deeply into what Gnosticism is. There is a good description in there.

In Last weeks message we ended up with the fact that, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2

Jesus gave his perfect body to save us, dying in our place. #. We grow to know God, therefore, not through having some mystical experience, says John, but by walking with Jesus day by day.
In 1 John 1:7, we are promised, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
We cannot “Walk with God” without Christ blood covering over us and wiping our sins away.

· God cannot look on sin.

· In 1 John 1:9 God says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

· We can only “Walk with God” on His terms and in His way.

This brings us to 1 John 2:3-17
Please follow along as I read
Here in verse 3 we have a wonderful statement, “We know that we have come to know him if we obey His commands.”
Knowing Jesus opens the door to experiencing His power.

But how can we tell if we “know” Him?
Part of our problem is that we can be confused by different meanings of the word “know.” For instance:

· “I know that” means I have information.

· “I know all about steelhead trout” may be a claim that I can catch them.

· “I know Henry” may express friendship, acquaintance, or simply ability to identify a person in a crowd.

· “I know Plato” probably is a claim to understand his philosophy.

· “I know what you mean,” can even be an expression of sympathy.

Then what does it mean to “know” Jesus?

· The Dictionary of New Testament Theology (Zondervan) points out that the Greek word used here, ginosko, means basically “grasping the full reality and nature of an object under consideration.”

· Therefore to know God/Jesus is to grasp his full reality and nature!

· We don’t know him in his entirety but we can still know God and understand Him to a point and at least know all that he has given to us in his word.

How can I know that I know God? And how can I know that my experience is authentic and not counterfeit? John answers this question by giving us three simple tests to apply to our lives.
1. The Authenticity Test (2:3-6)
2. The Paternity Test (2:7-11)
3. The Purity Test (2:12-17)

Outline:

I The Authenticity Test (2:3-6) Read

A The idea of being Authentic

1 What does it mean when something is Authentic?

a It means that it is the real deal, it is not a fake.

b When you want to buy a piece of clothing of your favorite ball player what do you look for?

1) You look for that sticker that says “Authentic NBA, NFL, MLB, Gear”

2) You don’t want to spend your hard earned money on something that is a fake.

2 Take money for an example

a How do bank tellers tell the difference between authentic bills and the counterfeits?

b They study the real thing. They don’t look at counterfeit all the time they spend their time learning the real one and getting to know it as best as possible so that they are not tricked.

1) How it feels, what it looks like, the secret little things that are in there to look for.

B Notice how many times John says the word, “know” in these first couple verses.

1 There is a true sense that it is important to really know God.

2 To truly know him and to never stop trying to know more about him.

3 To spend our lives learning all that we can about him.

4 The more that you learn about God the more you will realize how little you know him.

C Verse 6 “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

1 The true test of an authentic Christian life to if we Walk the Walk or not.

2 You see its more than just talking the talk. It involves practicing what you preach.

3 The integration between your words and your actions.

4 To quote a book by Andy Stanley entitled “Visioneering”

a “Moral authority is the critical, nonnegotiable, can’t-be-without ingredient of sustained influence… Moral authority is the credibility you earn by walking your talk. It is the relationship other people see between what you say and what you do, between what you claim to be and what you are.” “Nothing compensates for a lack of moral authority: No amount of communication skills, wealth, accomplishment, education, talent or position can make up for a lack of moral authority.” He observes, “We will not allow ourselves to be influenced by those who lack moral authority in our eyes. Inconsistency between what is said and what is done inflicts a mortal wound on a leader’s influence. For this reason, moral authority is a fragile thing. It takes a lifetime to earn. But it can be lost in a moment. And once it is lost, it is almost impossible to restore.”

5 How true this is applied to the Christian life.

6 Think about that person that you know who is always saying one thing and doing another.

a They aren’t authentic are they?

b You don’t believe what they have to say because you don’t know if it will hold water or not.

D If Jesus dwells in your heart than you better stand out in a crowd.

1 You are different then the world.

2 You answer to a higher authority and you will desire to do what he tells us to.

3 You will walk your walk.

E John elaborates on this first test and gives us two more tests to help us Know if we really Know God.

F The second one is called

II The Paternity Test (2:7-11)

A Read Verses 7-8 John is saying that what I am about to tell you is not a new command but an age old one, but I tell you the same thing in a new way.

B Read verses 9-11 What a concept for today “LOVE”

1 Tomorrow being Valentines Day I am sure that that is on your mind today

a If it isn’t GUYS you better start thinking about it right after the Service!!!

C But anyway what was the command that he is talking about here?

1 Matthew 22:37-40 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

2 What is the “Golden Rule?” Luke 6:31 “Do to others what you would have them do to you.”

D We are instructed or commanded to Love one another. Galatians 6:10 “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

E The Paternity Test

1 Do we treat our family the way that we should?

2 Is there a love there for each other that only God can give?

3 Are we truly a Family? Or do we just happen to all meet here on Sunday

F In the book by John Maxwell called “There is no such thing as business ethics” he gives these 10 rules of respect. He recommends that all his leaders promise this and live by it and I would ask the same of us as a family here at NBC. This list is based on Matthew 18.

1 If you have a problem with me, come to me (privately).

2 If I have a problem with you, I’ll come to you (privately).

3 If someone has a problem with me and comes to you, send them to me. (I’ll do the same for you.)

4 If someone consistently will not come to me, say, “Let’s go see him together. I am sure he will see us about this.” (I’ll do the same for you.)

5 Be careful how you interpret me – I would rather do that myself. On matters that are unclear, do not feel pressured to interpret my feelings or thoughts. It is easy to misrepresent intentions.

6 I will be careful how I interpret you.

7 If it’s confidential, don’t tell. If you or anyone else comes to me in confidence, I won’t tell, unless (a) the person is going to harm themselves, (b) the person is going to harm someone else, (c) it involves a child who has been physically or sexually abused. I expect the same from you.

8 I do not read unsigned letters or notes.

9 I do not manipulate; I will not be manipulated; do not let others manipulate you. Do not let others try and manipulate me through you.

10 When in doubt, just say it. If I can answer it without misrepresenting something or breaking a confidence, I will.

G This is a great list of rules of respect that I believe each of us should implement.

H Think how our relationships would change if we all loved each other this way.

I And finally we come to the last test,

III The Purity Test (2:12-17) Read

· More specifically verses 15-17

A “Do not love the World, or anything in it.” Vs 15

B Think about this illustration:

1 If you were to go to the bank of a little stream or where there is a pool of water you might see…

a A fly taking a bath, have you ever seen that?

b When they do they will emerge their whole bodies into the water

c But they will keep their wings above the water being very careful not to let them get wet. If they do they are not able to fly!

d Then when they are clean they lift up and fly away with dry wings.

2 What an illustration for our lives

a We are immersed in the cares of this world.

b We all have bills to pay, jobs to get done, food to make, cloths to buy

c We can get our wings wet and get bogged down in this world.

d We need to keep our spiritual wings (soul, faith, love) out of this world

e So that when that day comes we will be ready to “mount up on wings of eagles.” Isaiah.

f And wing our flight to worlds unknown.

C James 4:4 says, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”

D Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

E There are so many things in this world that draws our attention that it is very easy to lose our focus and fall into all kinds of sins that this world has to offer.

F Everything in the world – the cravings of sinful men…

1 The lust of his eyes, and the boasting about what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.

2 “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” Vs 17

a Has anybody ever heard of Hudson Taylor’s brother?

1) There were two sons in the Taylor family in England.

2) The older one set out to make a name for the family and turned his attention toward Parliament and prestige.

3) But Hudson Taylor, the younger, chose to give his life to Christ; so he turned his face toward China and obscurity.

4) Hudson Taylor is known and honored on every continent as a faithful missionary and as the founder of the China Inland Mission.

5) But when you look in the encyclopedia to see what the other son has done, you find these words, “The brother of Hudson Taylor.”

6) Men may have their names inscribed on marble monuments for feats of fame; someday these monuments will fall in fragments.

3 The advertising industry feeds on our physical, mental and emotional hunger for fulfilment, security, significance.

4 But they can never satisfy our deepest needs. If lust speaks of wanting something we don’t have, “the boasting of what he has and does,” describes the pride and arrogance that often comes with having what others crave for. All of these are short-lived, John warns

a “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” Vs 17

Conclusion:

How can I know that I know God? #. We obey his commands. The three tests to prove or disprove our walks are.

Is there integrity in my walk with Jesus?
Is there love in my heart for God’s family?
Is there faithfulness in my behaviour in the world?

Remember that when life is all said and done what will matter?

Integrity, love, purity

John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

We are commanded to love one another, and to treat each other with respect.
Lets strive to pattern our lives after Christ and do as he did, follow his example, because it was a perfect example.