Title: More Than Just Me

Text: I John 3:4-10a

FCF: We often struggle having assurance as to whether or not we have been saved.

Prop: Because God’s children are being conformed to the image of Christ, we must analyze our lives to see if we are God’s children.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I John chapter 3. We are hastening on to the end of John’s second wave of teaching in which he provides tests for knowing that you have fellowship with God.

Last week, he provided a doctrinal truth that kissed practical living. Today he will provide practical living rooted in doctrinal truth. John is going to explode some paradigms with concepts of who Christ is, and how being in Him actually plays out in everyday life. But John begins with His head in the clouds, as He looks to the future when all is accomplished.

This is truly a beautiful text this morning to not only provide assurance to God’s children that they are in Christ – but also to heighten the doctrinal beauty of what makes this salvation of ours so great.

Of course, those who are pretenders, those who only have the name Christian and nothing more, to those folks, John’s message is not of beauty but of condemnation. Not of hope, but of shame. Not of assurance but of fear.

I am in chapter 3 starting in verse 4. I am reading from the NASB today but you can follow along in your version or in the pew bible starting on page 1373. If you don’t have a bible of your own you can take the pew bible home with you.

Transition:

This is a very difficult passage with lots of interpretational challenges. I have done my best to keep this as simple as possible – but I need your help. Make sure you are engaged and listening. Let’s begin in verse 4.

I.) You cannot practice sin and be in Christ, so we must analyze our lives to see if we are God’s Children. (4-6)

a. [Slide 2] 4 – Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness;

i. Set in direct contrast to one who is born of God and purifies himself because Christ is pure, John’s opponents practice the opposite of purity.

ii. They practice sin.

iii. The word for “practice” is the word we would use to say follow, live, walk, make or do. It conveys something you see through to fruition. It is a lifestyle, continual, and habitual.

iv. Furthermore, the first time this word is used it is as a participle. The second time it is used as a verb.

v. What does that mean?

vi. In English the point that John is making doesn’t seem that groundbreaking or revealing. But in Greek it would be more like this…

vii. [Slide 3] “The one who has a lifestyle characterized by sin, also walks in lawlessness.”

viii. Even with this translation, John’s point may yet allude us.

ix. Another word we must attempt to understand is this word lawlessness. The translation of the word is actually very good. Literally the word would be without law or no law. However, the way this is used in the New Testament and in writings of the time is interesting.

x. In every single context outside of this one the word is always used of a person’s opposition to God, His will, His program, and His law. The Man of Lawlessness, the lawlessness of false teachers and apostates, and Satan Himself.

xi. Therefore, it may not be exactly the best word to use to translate this simply – lawlessness. Perhaps we should use wickedness, evil, or a word that John has already used in this very context. Anti-Christ.

xii. And so when we put all that together we get this version –

xiii. [Slide 4] CFV – “The one who has a lifestyle characterized by sin, also opposes Christ.”

xiv. We must remember that the false teachers, these proto-gnostics, some of them had conceded that they do still sin, but that their sin was inconsequential because it was committed in the flesh and not their spirit.

xv. John’s point is that if you have a lifestyle characterized by sin then you also oppose Christ. You are an Anti-Christ, John says.

xvi. Which helps us understand John’s follow up point…

b. [Slide 5] And sin is lawlessness

i. Why is it that for those who have a lifestyle characterized by sin that they also practice or walk in opposition to Christ?

ii. [Slide 6] Because sin is opposition to Christ.

iii. To the false teachers John says – you may say that your relationship to the true Father through Christ has made sin inconsequential to your life. But I say to you, sin is rebellion against Christ.

iv. Relabeling or minimalizing sin doesn’t actually help anyone. No matter how we want to try to spin it, if you are living a lifestyle of sin – then you are living in opposition to God’s law, God’s Word, God’s Christ. In short, you are an Anti-Christ.

v. How fitting then is John’s next statements. He compares their view of sin to Christ’s purpose toward sin…

c. [Slide 7] 5 – You know that He appeared in order to take away sins;

i. And here is another reason that relabeling or minimizing sin doesn’t help. Why?

ii. Because one of the reasons Jesus came as a man, lived in obedience, suffered and died on the cross, was raised the third day, and ascended to the Father’s throne, is for the purpose of taking away sins.

iii. If you minimize your sin as something inconsequential, then Christ’s sacrifice is also of inconsequential value.

iv. But if every sin is a symptom of the spirit of the antichrist, opposing God’s purpose and plan – then the value of Christ’s work is infinite. Because He died to take away sins.

v. Since John has already established that all are naturally sinners, and practice sin, we may wonder how it is possible for anyone to take away sins?

d. [Slide 8] And in Him there is no sin.

i. Jesus held the right and power to bear our sins because in Him there was, and IS no sin.

ii. This is an eternal characteristic of our God, His Christ, and His Spirit. There is no sin in God.

iii. Therefore, Christ could bear our sin, suffer our punishment, satisfy the Father’s wrath and remove our sin from us.

iv. Was Jesus successful? Of course He was! That is why John says what he says next.

e. [Slide 9] 6 – No one who abides in Him sins;

i. This is an incredibly difficult verse to understand. There are several ways that we could interpret what John is saying.

1. [Slide 10A] The one who abides in Christ never sins

a. Christians never sin

i. Some would use this to suggest that John is describing perfectionism.

ii. True Christians never actually sin.

iii. Not only does this contradict much of what John has already said, it makes the entirety of John’s letter here much ado about nothing.

iv. If Christians never sin and the false teachers are sinning – the case is closed.

v. If Christians never sin and his audience never sins – the case is closed.

vi. But John spends many words some of them encouraging those whom he has said are in Christ to not sin but rather to be righteous.

vii. This is wasted breath and ink if Christians never sin.

b. Christians never sin while living for Christ

i. This is a plausible solution in the sense that it is true that while we are walking in the Spirit, we cannot also at the same time satisfy the lusts of the flesh.

ii. However, this interpretation relies on an understanding of the word remain that we have dismissed.

iii. Again, remain identifies a person’s status or state of being and not a person’s activity. In fact, according to Jesus’ words in John 15, it is the status of abiding that produces the activity of bearing much fruit.

iv. Therefore, this cannot be what John means.

2. [Slide 10B] The one who abides in Christ doesn’t practice sin

a. This is the opinion of most commentators and Greek Grammars on this matter.

b. Certainly, it is the most widely held opinion.

c. Even though John could have used more specific phrasing to clearly suggest a practicing of sin the verb form he has used can be used of a continual practice of sin.

d. John’s imprecision is chalked up to variation. Since he has talked about practice of opposition and sin already – he varies it to keep the mind thinking about what is being said.

e. This interpretation is a good one and should not be easily cast aside.

3. [Slide 10C] The one who abides in Christ doesn’t commit a specific sin

a. The sin of hatred of their brother

i. This was Augustine of Hippo’s opinion on the matter.

ii. He suggested that given the immediate context, John meant that a person who abides in Christ does not hate his brother.

iii. While this is certainly true, there is no indication of John speaking specifically to this sin at this point. In fact, verse 10 forms a clear transition into a “loving-your-brother” test.

b. The sin unto death

i. Others have suggested that John is saying that it is impossible for a true believer to commit a specific sin, even once.

ii. Since there is only one sin unto death, the unpardonable sin is what is suggested.

iii. Therefore, John would be saying that those who truly remain in Christ will never apostatize and fight against the true work of the Spirit that they know to be truth.

iv. This is certainly fitting with the rest of scripture and even with the context of I John, especially in light of the meaning of the word lawlessness.

v. However, there is no indication that John has any specific sin in mind by his statement here.

4. [Slide 10D] The one who abides in Christ will be presented faultless one day.

a. This is an interpretation that is gaining ground among commentators as a viable alternative to the “practice sin” interpretation.

b. It is actually a very old interpretation, as a few church fathers view this entire passage in an “end times” sort of reference.

c. Consider the lead up to this…

i. A person with a lifestyle of sin also practices opposition to Christ, because all sin is opposition to Christ.

ii. But Christ came to take away sin and in him there is no sin.

iii. Then John uses the word remain – but what we can’t see in English is that John uses remain as a participle. Not a verb. What is the significance of this? Up to this point, John has used this word as a verb. A to be verb. A verb of status. A status that is ongoing. As if it an ongoing or continuous status. But here, for the first time in his epistle John uses this as a participle. A characteristic of the person in question. The one who is an abider in Christ. What does that mean?

iv. Christ came to take away sin and in him there is no sin… so someone who is in him – fully and finally – does not sin.

d. [Slide 10E] I believe John is saying that the ones for whom Christ takes away sin, the ones Christ has been united to, those ones inherit His sinless status now, and one day they will ultimately be without sin. And thus they are, today, viewed that way by God.

e. We know that there is an already but not yet aspect to our salvation. And so John, speaking in an end times context, says that those who are abiders in Christ, will not only be seen as though they are sinless now, but will ultimately and finally be presented faultless before the throne of God.

ii. Assuming this is the correct interpretation, how does that jive with what John says next? If we are talking about ultimate status rather than every day practice, what does John mean when he says…

f. [Slide 11] No one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.

i. So anyone who doesn’t ultimately achieve Christ’s sinless status has not seen Him or known him? This seems awkward. It doesn’t actually give us that great of a test or proof. Afterall, if you have to wait until all things end to discover if you are in Christ, then that is not exactly helpful now.

ii. I agree.

iii. Again, English hides what is happening in the Greek. Because sins is no longer the verb in the sentence. Seen and known are the verbs.

iv. Sin is a participle now. It is helping to describe the kind of person in view. So what does that mean? Instead of the action of sin – the state of sin or the practice of sin is in view. The one who sins has not seen Him or known Him.

v. There is some debate as to whether this is continual or not – but contextually, and historically it has been interpreted as a continual concept.

vi. [Slide 12] In other words the parallel is not “those in Christ will be without sin one day and those not in Christ will not be without sin one day”

vii. Rather the parallel is “those in Christ will be without sin one day and those who practice sin now are without Christ”

g. [Slide 13] Passage Truth: So John, in no uncertain terms, tells his readers that those who are in Christ, are already treated as if they are sinless because they will one day be perfected. But a person who practices sin, is not in Christ.

h. Passage Application: John’s application to his readers is to test the false teachers and themselves with this. Whoever practices sin is not in Christ.

i. [Slide 14] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out from I John, we find this theme is consistent in scripture. We will be judged by our works. This is terrifying for men to consider. But for those in Christ, we are in Him in the sense that we are no longer judged by our works but by His. And therefore, we are declared righteous and will one day be, as Jude says, presented faultless before God’s throne by Christ Himself. But you cannot oppose Christ and be in Him also!

j. Broader Biblical Application: And so we must analyze our lives. Do we practice sin? If we do, then we have not seen Christ, not really. If we have a lifestyle of sin, then we do not know Christ. Not really. Why? Because sin is anti-Christ. How could we be in Him yet oppose Him?

Transition:

[Slide 15(blank)] So John has addressed the negative side, what Christians cannot do because of what they are. Now he will address what Christian must do because of what they are. Let’s look.

II.) Those born of God practice righteousness, so we must analyze our lives to see if we are God’s Children (7-10a)

a. [Slide 16] 7 – Littles children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

i. So leaving the statements of ultimate and actual righteousness in Christ being applied to those who are in Him… John now comes back to the present day.

ii. Don’t be deceived! Just because you who are in Christ will one day be truly righteous and are treated as if you are righteous now, doesn’t mean that you ought not concern yourself about actual righteous living.

iii. NO!

iv. The one who practices or makes a lifestyle of righteousness, who is that person? They are righteous just as He is righteous.

v. Again, this is evidentiary in tone. Our practice of righteousness does not accomplish our status as righteous like Christ.

vi. Rather, it is our practice of righteousness that proves our status as declared righteous and united to Christ the righteous one.

vii. And we know he is talking about evidence of a status because that is exactly where he goes next with the opposite side of the coin…

b. [Slide 17] 8 – the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.

i. The person who makes a lifestyle of sin is of the devil.

ii. It is not their lifestyle of sin that has caused them to belong to the devil.

iii. Rather, it is their practice of sin that proves that they belong to the devil. Why?

iv. Literally this would read “The devil sins from the beginning.”

v. John is saying that the devil has been and continues to go about sinning since the beginning. That is all he does. He is the ultimate practitioner of sin, and is therefore the father of all sinners.

c. [Slide 18] The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil

i. Again, we come to purpose of Christ’s incarnation, obedience, death, resurrection, and ascension. Why did the Son of God appear?

ii. Another reason He did all this – was to destroy the works of the devil.

iii. Just as Christ came to take away sin, he also came to destroy the ultimate practitioner of sin.

iv. Satan is not the master of sin nor is he the master of death. Yet perverting the Word of God he wielded them like weapons to oppose God and His will.

v. The cross of Christ was the end of that. Those weapons are no longer his to wield.

vi. He has taken away sin, and He has died our death. Therefore – there is no longer sting to death, nor power to sin.

vii. That is why John says what he does next.

d. [Slide 19] 9 – No one who is born of God practices sin,

i. Again, John uses a participle to describe the kind of person he is talking about.

ii. Every single “born of God in the past with continuing results in the present” kind of person doesn’t do something. What doesn’t this kind of person do?

iii. They no longer practice sin. They do not make a lifestyle of sin.. A Christian may be found in an act of sin, but they will never be in a lifestyle of sin.

iv. So not only is a person who is in Christ declared righteous, will eventually be made actually righteous, AND they practice righteousness now, but also, a person having been born of God will not practice sin in their lives.

v. But why John? Why is all this true of those in Christ who have been born of God?

e. [Slide 20] Because His seed abides in him

i. What in the world does this mean?

ii. Whatever seed means we know that there is a status united to it. God’s seed remains or is in us. It resides in us, it is planted in us, it is taken root in us.

iii. In Christ’s parables, seed is used of the word of God. Is that what it means here?

iv. It is possible, but since John has used no imagery at all in reference to farming, and the most immediate context suggests being born of God… the natural understanding of this would be to say that seed means offspring, descendant, or relation.

v. If John meant to say Christ, the Son, I think He could have said that.

vi. Given the context of chapter 2 and talking about the anointing residing in God’s people – I would say that the seed here has to be related in some way to the Holy Spirit.

vii. [Slide 21] This language is very similar to John’s gospel when John records a conversation with Nicodemus about the necessity of being re-created or new birthed. Let’s go to John 3 and see if we can get some understanding on this.

viii. We don’t have time to dig into the interpretation of this entire text, and believe me I really want to but we have to stay on track. If I can simply call your attention to verse 8 Jesus says that no one can control the wind. All we see is the effect, but where it comes from, where it is going, is completely out of our control. The same is true of those who are born of the Spirit.

ix. [Slide 22] Titus 3:5 tells us that our regeneration, our new birth, our being brought from death to life is by the Holy Spirit.

x. [Slide 23] But I’d like to link this also to Ephesians 2: 4-5. Here we see that God brings us to live together with Christ by grace. Grace means divine intervention or empowering. Or, divine WIND. The word for Spirit can also be translated wind.

xi. What am I getting at?

xii. This seed that abides in all those who are born of God – what is it?

xiii. It is the Spirit’s work to unite us to Christ the Son. It is the kernel that is guaranteed to produce life. It is God’s grace applied, infused, planted in the soil of our hearts.

xiv. [Slide 24] The seed – is broadly – our union to Christ and all that that entails. And that union, has become a status or a state of being that cannot be undone.

xv. John continues.

f. [Slide 25] And he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

i. We have another perplexing difficulty here.

ii. John explains why we can’t practice sins if we are born of God. That is because of the Spirit’s work to unite us to Christ. Because of God’s seed that remains in us.

iii. However, now John says that we are unable to sin. The Greek literally says “he is not able to sin”

iv. But is that true? Certainly, it isn’t! John even says in chapter 2:1 If you sin… suggesting that we are capable of doing just that.

v. So what could John mean that we are unable to sin?

vi. Very simply, the words to sin form what is called an infinitive. Infinitive verbs in Greek carry no time relevance but they do communicate aspect. Meaning that since this “to sin” is in the present tense, it carries with it the continual aspect.

vii. Meaning that we should probably translate this “He is unable to practice a lifestyle of sin”

viii. Essentially this is saying the same thing he started with. The work of the Spirit to unite us to Christ makes sure that persistence in sin, or sin lifestyle is simply not a possibility for the one born of God. REPEAT

g. [Slide 26] 10a – By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God,

i. Why? Why are they not of God?

ii. Because the part that God has planted in us makes it impossible for us to keep on sinning.

iii. God’s seed in us will kill off our sin and produce in us the righteousness of Christ. Why? Because it is union to Christ the righteous one through whom we are declared righteous and by whom we will one day be presented faultless before the throne of God!

iv. Do you understand what John is saying?

v. He is presenting a theological argument for why in practice a Christian cannot possibly be a person who lives a lifestyle of sin and fails to live a lifestyle of righteousness. Why?

vi. Because you are no longer just you anymore. In fact, YOU, natural YOU is being killed off and replaced by God’s Son! God’s Son cannot sin. God’s Spirit cannot sin. God the Father cannot sin. And the divine nature of God has been fused to us through the work of EVERY PERSON of the Godhead!

vii. We are no longer mere men and women! We are born of God! Born from above! We have been remade into something in which the angels still marvel!

viii. No wonder Jesus said that the gates of hell will not prevail against His true church! Why? Because it is God Himself united to this creature of flesh and bone.

ix. It is a mystery. Even now!

x. You cannot live a lifestyle of sin and be born of God.

h. [Slide 27] Passage Truth: So John conveys the other side of this coin. He reiterates our inability to practice sin citing God’s new birthing as the reason for this. But he also makes sure that his people understand that they will also to practice righteousness. In so doing, they prove that they have been placed into Christ and are Righteous just as He is.

i. Passage Application: So John’s application, again, is self analysis. Do they practice righteousness? Only those born of God can and will. Only those born of God can and will stop having a lifestyle of sin.

j. [Slide 28] Broader Biblical Truth: Again we see this throughout scripture. We saw it in Matthew when Christ knows his sheep by their love for others. Righteousness typifies those who are in Christ. It must. God’s work won’t fail. His seed won’t fail.

k. Broader Biblical Application: And so we too must analyze ourselves. Do I have a lifestyle of sin? Do I practice sin? Not have I fallen recently. Not have I sinned before. No. But have I succumbed to a lifestyle of sin? Do I practice righteousness. Not am I a good person. Not do I treat people well. No. Do I loyally love and obey God’s law? Not perfectly… but is it my lifestyle?

Transition:

[Slide 29(blank)] The message for today although complex in its theology is quite simple in its meaning.

Conclusion:

He who began a good work in you will complete it on that day. What does that mean? It means that if God began something in you at conversion, he will see it done until you are glorified.

Basically, that means we have the start point – conversion. We have the endpoint – glorification. So what does John say? That God starts to move you toward glorification in this life. Why? It is His will, to reveal Himself to the nations, for His glory, and also to assure His people that His seed is in them.

Friends, if you do not see the hand of God on your life – not to bless you with material things, not to give you a good life now, not to help you be a better person… NO… if you don’t see God hand on your life to kill off the lifestyle of sin and empower a new lifestyle of godly obedience then you have absolutely no assurance of salvation. None.

From a theological standpoint – there is no other way this works.

Maybe I am just a slow grower. Maybe I am just a slow learner. Yeah God is still workin on me, but maybe I’m just extra challenging for Him. Friends that is blasphemy!

Can you grieve the Spirit? Of course, but it won’t stay that way for long. God will conform you to the image of His dear Son. If that process never starts, or stalls for several years, you cannot be truly sure that His seed is in you until the sin lifestyle stops and a righteous lifestyle is in its place.

However, if you are His child, you can know with certainty that right now God the Father sees you as He sees His Son. You are perfect. You are Righteous. You are Holy. And one day, you will not simply be seen this way, but you will actually be this way. And God will not, and does not wait until the culmination of all things to make you actually holy! He begins that process today. And if your life bears the evidence of that process – then you can be assured that you are in the Son and that His righteousness is your righteousness.

Those who have been declared righteous, will one day be righteous… but how do we know we have been declared righteous? Do we practice righteousness? Then we are righteous.

Those who are in Christ have had their sins taken away and will one day be sinless… but how do we know that we have had our sins taken away? Do we have a lifestyle of sin? Then we are not in Christ.

This is the only test we have. The test is not whether or not we have prayed something. It is not whether or not we think something to be true. It is not whether or not we feel God’s presence or sense His power.

The only test we have… is whether or not God is conforming us to the image of His Son. Are our lives a living testament to His grace?

And all of this is measured in years, even decades. Not weeks. Weeks is too short a time period to judge this sort of thing. Even months are often too short. Trials often last for years on end. How can we measure lifestyle in weeks or months if trials from the Lord designed to perfect our faith can last several years?

No friends… look at your life. Since your profession of faith… answer these questions…

Do you flee sin? Do you hate sin? Do you express genuine repentance for when you fall into sin? Do you desire to kill off sin in every way it appears in your life? Do you see success? Are sins actually being removed from your life? Are you unearthing sins that you had never even seen before?

Do you run to God? Do you love His law? Do you desire to be everything He commands you to be? Do you desire to do all that He has asked of you without interruption? Do you see success in this? Is obedience to God’s commands a normal part of your life? Are you obeying to greater and greater degrees?

If this is you… then today God sees you as He sees His Son. Perfect. And one day, maybe soon, he will actually make you perfect.

You are more than just a man or woman. You are born of God. Born from above. You have God’s seed in you! And that is why these things are true of you and will continue to be true of you.

Title: Children with Hope

Text: I John 2:28-3:3

FCF: We often struggle balancing the place of works in our faith.

Prop: Those who abide in Christ live out that abiding giving them assurance of their genuine new birth, so we must continue to abide in Christ.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I John 2. Last week’s message focused on getting truth and doctrine correct. This week, we focus on practical theology. How doctrine and life coexist.

John is in his second of four waves of teaching. Each wave consists of a doctrinal test and a practical test to determine if you are truly in fellowship with God. Although today technically is still on the doctrinal side of things, it bleeds over quickly into how we ought to then live.

Today’s message is so encouraging to those who are genuine followers of Christ. Of course those who are pretending, it will be another scorcher, but if you are a child of God – this one, this one is gonna be a blessing.

I’m in I John 2. I’ll start reading in verse 28 and we’ll be reading on into chapter 3. I am reading from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1373. If you don’t have a bible of your own, please take a pew bible.

Transition:

Today we deal with what it means to truly abide in Christ. Not just on a theological level, but on a practical level. What does abiding in Christ actually mean? That is where we are headed.

I.) Those who continue to abide in Christ will have confidence when He comes to judge the world, so we must continue to abide in Christ. (28-29)

a. [Slide 2] 28 – And now, little children, remain in him,

i. So we have talked about this word “remain” before. It speaks of status or state of being.

ii. But John is very clearly commanding this of his readers.

iii. Remain in Christ! Abide in Christ!

iv. How can he command something that we either are or we aren’t?

v. I admit that this thought is odd. But sometimes we do this… Be a man! Be yourself! But this means to act like what we are. Is this what John is saying?

vi. Let’s keep reading and see.

vii. One thing we DO understand is important to John is that his little children abide in Christ. Why?

b. [Slide 3] So that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink away form Him in shame when He comes back.

i. The “he” here is the understood Christ throughout John’s epistle.

ii. When Christ appears… when is that?

iii. When He comes back – and in John’s mind, this is in judgment.

iv. Whether or not there is a rapture of the saints or when that takes place, is not on the mind of John. He is talking about the final coming of Christ – when He comes to establish His New Kingdom. He will be judge.

v. So when Christ comes as a judge, his little children will be abiding in Him to the extent that they have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame.

vi. Wait a second. If He is coming to judge, and they already remain in Him, why would they be ashamed at His coming? Remain is either you are or you aren’t. So why does it matter whether we live like it? Is that even what John means?

vii. This is a difficult puzzle. Let’s keep going and hopefully we can resolve all this in the next verse.

c. [Slide 4] 29 – If you know that he is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been fathered by him.

i. If you know, or have come to and continue to know that Christ is righteous. Well what does that mean? That Jesus is righteous?

ii. If you have been convinced at some point in the past and that has continuing effects to now, that Christ is righteous. In the absolute. He is sinless. He is holy. If you know this…

iii. Something else must be true. What is it?

iv. You have also come to know something about any and every person who practices righteousness.

v. Now what does it mean to practice righteousness?

vi. This is a lifestyle. Not to perfection – not perfectly like Christ. But progressively like Christ. They are blameless. They, for all intents and purposes, are living lives that generally and typically look the same as Christ.

vii. So if we know that Christ is holy we should also know that any person who lives like Christ is what?

viii. Fathered. This is an interesting word. Begotten would be the word to use of a Father’s part in reproduction, where as born would be the feminine form.

ix. And this fathered is not simply something that has happened in the past, but has continuing results.

x. So piecing all this together – if we know Christ is holy, we also know that anyone who lives like Christ, not perfectly, but progressively, has become and continues to be Fathered by Christ.

xi. Once again, a lifestyle that hates sin, pursues God’s will and Word, and has been drastically altered from a life consumed by the love of the world to now the love of God and His Will – this is a life that is indicative of someone called Christ’s child. Why? Because no one can live this way apart from being born of Christ.

xii. So what then is John’s command to abide in Christ? Remain in Christ?

xiii. Context can help us understand exactly what John is getting at.

1. First, John has already affirmed the reality of their status. That they are indeed, remaining in Christ. A fact that John says they were taught by the Spirit of God in verse 27.

2. And looking back to what John has been talking about up to this point – it is far more likely that he is commanding this in an evidentiary way. Since they are in Christ, since they are abiding or remaining in Him – his command is to live as though they are. To display that truth by their lifestyle. We find this all throughout the bible. Especially of those in the new covenant. You are called so walk worthy of your call. You are made new so walk in new life. You are free but do not use your freedom to please the flesh.

3. Indeed, looking ahead, this is exactly where John is going with the rest of this wave of his teaching. He has finished the doctrine portion in verse 29, and will continue with an explanatory parenthesis in verses 1-3 of chapter 3 and then move into how to practically abide in Christ.

xiv. If we were to put this in our vernacular then – from verse 27 he says that the spirit has revealed that you are believers, now go and live like it! Why? Because you can, must, and have been predestined to do just that.

d. [Slide 5] Passage Truth: And so John says that those who have been instructed by the Spirit that they are in Christ ought to live as though they are in Christ, because when Christ returns – only those living like Him will be confident or assured by His sudden presence.

e. Passage Application: So his application is apparent. He tells them, keep displaying those good works that prove you are in Christ. Why? So that you don’t have to wonder when Jesus comes… do I have reason to fear?

f. [Slide 6] Broader Biblical Truth: As we zoom out from I John we see this truth in the parables Christ gave at the end of the Olivet Discourse. The slave who was wise and worked hard vs the slave who was foolish and lazy. We saw the same principle in the 5 wise virgins who were prepared for the arrival of the bridegroom and foolishness of the 5 who were not. Finally, we saw it in the slaves who used the talents given to them by the master to yield more talents and the slave who buried his. The relationship between salvation and works is clearly on display here and throughout scripture. If a person is saved, they will endure in the good works prepared for them from the foundation of the world. And if they endure, they have been saved. This is the truth. But what do we do with that truth?

g. Broader Biblical Application: We abide in Christ! We live it out. The only visible assurance we have of our faith being alive is when we live out our “abiding in Christ” nature. Because if your good works cease – there is reason to fear the coming of the righteous judge. Why? He can see your heart… even when you cannot adequately see your heart. He can. That is why John says – REMAIN IN CHRIST! Those for whom this is true are not only able, but guaranteed that they will live it out.

Transition:

[Slide 7(blank)] So if we are in Christ, John is telling us to live like Christ. Because if we can and do, it is assurance that we are God’s child. But what does it mean to be God’s child? That is where he goes next.

II.) Those who are God’s children are being and will be purified like Christ is pure, so we must continue to abide in Christ (3:1-3)

a. [Slide 8] 3:1 – See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called God’s children – and indeed we are!

i. John now introduces a parenthesis to what he just said. He would like to explain further what it means to be fathered of Christ.

ii. It is almost as if this thought suddenly strikes John and he must praise God for it.

iii. Perhaps you are anxious about the apparent subject change. In verse 29 it appeared that we are fathered of Christ and now he has shifted to show that this is the Father’s doing.

iv. But remember, that in the salvation of the soul of a man – there is no person of the Godhead inactive. The whole Triune God is at work not only to save but to continue to preserve, protect and empower His children to be what He has predestined them to be. In a word – Glorified.

v. And so to say our fathering is of the Father, Christ, or the Spirit, is all true in some sense.

vi. God is the giver of the Son and the Spirit.

vii. The Spirit regenerates our souls – bringing us to life.

viii. Through Christ we have been given the right to be called children of God.

ix. And for who’s name sake? Christ’s! We are the reward of His suffering. We are the beautiful bride that He will adorn in pure white robes of good works.

x. Do you see what sort of love the Father has given to us?

xi. That we who were His enemies…

xii. Would be called children?

xiii. We are not just called children – as if it was a meaningless title granted to a powerless royal…

xiv. No… we ARE His children!

xv. Not by creation but by recreation.

xvi. Not by birth but by rebirth.

xvii. Not by right but by adoption.

xviii. Friends – In John 15, Jesus says that there is no greater love than this; That a man would lay down His life for his friends. And He has called us friends.

xix. He laid down His life for ours. Not just to be saved from hell. No. But to be saved from sin. To be saved to righteousness. That we may practice righteousness. That we may be like Him! Which is what it means to be His Sons and Daughters!

xx. Wow. Do you see the love with which God loves His elect?

xxi. Do you see it?

b. [Slide 9] For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know him.

i. Because we are God’s children, and because being His child means that we are being made to be like Him, we have become unknown to the world.

ii. But what does this phrase mean?

iii. He goes on and says that the world does not know us because they did not know Him.

iv. At this point we are probably back to talking about Christ and not the Father. Simply because the world has never met, seen, or otherwise had any opportunity to interact with the Father – but the Son walked among them.

v. So what does it mean that they do not know us as they did not know Him?

vi. Knowledge here is speaking to that intimacy or connection. Understanding and love. The world hated Christ – and we too will be hated. Not because of our politics or arrogance, but because of our Christlikeness. Because of our purity.

vii. John is warning us that if we obey his command to be separated from the world, and God conforms us to the image of Christ to live like Him, the result from the world will be rejection. Separation. When we separate from the world system, the world system and all who buy into it will separate from us.

viii. Truly there is no fellowship with light and darkness.

c. [Slide 10] 2 – Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed.

i. Going deeper into what it means to be God’s child, John tells his readers that even he isn’t quite sure what all that entails.

ii. Certainly, we are God’s children right now – but what will that look like when He returns? What is the ceiling of that? We have not been told. Not even John is aware of how deep, how wide, how vast, and how great the majesty of God’s plan is for His children.

iii. But there is one thing John does know.

d. [Slide 11] We know that whenever it is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is.

i. Whenever we do get a revelation about who we are to be – the sure thing is that we will be like Him.

ii. Why?

iii. Because we will see Him just as He is.

iv. Have you ever spent any time tracing the thread in scripture of people seeing God?

v. Moses sees his glory train as it passes by – what happens? He begs for the forgiveness of the sins of himself and the people.

vi. Isaiah sees the glory of God in a vision, he begs for mercy because he is unclean and lives among a people who are unclean.

vii. Adam and Eve hear Him in the garden and they hide because they knew their own shame. When we see God, man’s natural instinct is to see their own guilt and shame and desperately try to rid themselves of it.

viii. But John says, when we see Him, just as He is, we will be like Him. What is John saying?

ix. Sinless. Purified. Perfected. Glorified.

x. God’s plan, for His children, is to conform them to the image of His Son, progressively in this life and perfectly and permanently in the next! For the first time in human history we will see God and be unashamed because we will be like Him!

xi. Do you see what sort of love the Father has given to us?

e. [Slide 12] 3 – And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself just as Jesus is pure.

i. And here is where it all connects. This is where everything comes full circle.

ii. Everyone who has this hope, this faith, this love – in Christ – what do they do?

iii. They purify themselves – this is either a characteristic or an ongoing and continuous activity. I think either one makes the case.

iv. Just as Christ is pure – his children, His people, continue to be a people who become more like Him now. And it doesn’t start in the new kingdom… it starts the moment you are given life in Christ.

f. [Slide 13] Passage Truth: John elaborates on being a child of God. What that means. In a word… Christlikeness. Not only does he say that we will one day be made like Christ having seen Him as He truly is, but that we will continue to purify ourselves as he is pure if we have this hope.

g. Passage Application: So what is John’s message to his readers… The same as before – Abide in Christ. Live out who you are in Christ. Go and purify yourselves, be hated by the world, practice righteousness. That is what ALL God’s children do. They are, all of them, being conformed to the image of His dear Son!

h. [Slide 14] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out from I John, I am confident to say that there is no context in scripture in which you can go to prove that God has no desire for His children to be like His Son beginning in this life and perfected in the next. Any church, any pastor, any brand of Christianity that advocates that God’s people need not worry about being like Christ, need not care about actually seeing that happen, or need not concern themselves with developing that in their people, is an abomination and should be treated as heretics. I know that is strong language, but to deny what is so clear in scripture is to reject the core tenants of Christianity from Christ until now. And you cannot reject such core tenants and still be called orthodox.

i. Broader Biblical Application: So how does John’s message apply to us? Friends We have the hope that we will one day be truly and completely perfected – but we don’t sit and wallow in our sin waiting for that day to come. Instead, we are busy about the process of being conformed to Christ. [Slide 15] That is certainly, in many respects, his work in us, but it certainly requires us to “work out our own salvation.” We mine, out of the rock of our flesh, the jewels of the Spirit of Christ in us. And we do so, in terror, knowing that both the power to swing the pickaxe and the desire to get the jewels out – come from God. [Slide 16] So if you here today and you do not desire to be like Christ, if you continually fail to see victory over sin or success in obedience to the Lord, if you have not been purifying yourself as Jesus is pure, then friends, are you sure you are His child?

Transition:

[Slide 17(blank)] So how then should we go out and live with all this?

Conclusion:

John writes this to those whom he knows are genuine followers of Christ. He has tested them. He has proved them. He has assured them. And therefore, in that light, his words are not written from a perspective of further testing or proving – but of assurance. He desires that they not only know that they are holding fast to the truth, but that they are confident. So confident that when Christ returns, they can approach him with boldness, knowing that they go to see Him as He is to be like Him.

But even though John’s words are meant to be comforting, some no doubt find them stinging. Some find them challenging. Why? Did John’s words change? No. The only thing that is different is the heart that comes to these passages.

If you have walked through I John, and you have made it through these tests and found that these things are generally true of you, then you should be comforted. Why? Because John doesn’t say that genuine followers of Christ are perfect. He doesn’t say that genuine followers of Christ never sin, although his desire is that they never sin. He doesn’t say that genuine followers never doubt or never have moments of defeat or weakness. To set the bar there would leave all of us in despair.

But generally speaking, John has set the bar at practicing Christlikeness. Hating sin. Loving God’s Law. Pursuing God’s law. Wanting to one day be free of all sinfulness and be perfect like Christ is perfect. So on a desire level and on an ability level we will see victory in the hearts of true followers of God. Why? Because desire and ability is what God provides in our sanctification. With God’s power and passion we purify ourselves knowing that one day we will be pure.

John’s test is not if you read your bible every day, if you pray every day, if you go to church every week, if you x,y, or z every day. John’s test is deeper, higher, greater than that. It is on a fundamental level. Can an unbeliever read the bible every day? Can an unbeliever pray every day? Can an unbeliever go to church every week? Of course they can. It happens every day in a debauched society like our own, where 70% claim to be Christians.

But can an unbeliever hate sin? Can an unbeliever love God’s law? Can an unbeliever practice righteousness? Can an unbeliever purify himself? Absolutely not.

John is telling his readers to look for the scars of God’s grace upon them. Do you see holiness being made in you? Do you see Christlikeness being developed in you? Does the world hate you?

Friends if the answer is no, here’s the thing… you can’t simply conjure hate for sin. You can’t summon the power necessary to purify yourself. You can’t muster the ability to practice righteousness. Because that doesn’t come from you. It only comes from God. Friend you aren’t missing the evidence of genuine faith – you are missing genuine faith. And the source of faith is Christ! You are missing Christ. Cry out to God for mercy. Because you are in a truly helpless state.

But friends, if you generally see God’s grace in your life. You aren’t the same person you were 5 years ago. You are more like Christ today, not because you mustered enough gumption to do it, but because you have availed yourselves of God’s means of grace through His word, prayer, the sacraments and faith, and have seen Him give victory – that is all the evidence that you need that you are His child. That you can be assured at His coming that you can approach Him – knowing that when you see Him as He is – He will make you like him. Pure. Holy. Forever.

Do you see…

Do you see what manner of Love the Father has lavished on us?

We are His children. His Heirs. And He will make us like Him… and so much more!

Do you see? Do you see?

If you see… can you praise the Lord with me this week for His marvelous love for us? Can we start that today? Who will give praise to our great Father and give Him glory for His lavished love for His children?

Title: One Anointing

Text: I John 2:18-27

FCF: We often struggle with assurance that the interpretation of scripture we have is accurate

Prop: Because agreement in doctrine and practice is assured by God’s Spirit in His true church, we can be assured of our status by unity in Doctrine and practice.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I John 2. Today, John begins a new wave of teaching. There are 4 waves in I John designed to test the readers or assure the readers that they are in genuine fellowship with God. Today, John leaves the more practical or lifestyle illustrations and goes back to doctrine.

Doctrine is one of those tricky things. We agree that the bible is the inerrant word of God. But when we think about doctrine, we start to get a little uneasy. Because doctrine is piecing together things from scripture and forming conclusions based on them. We call this interpretation. But here is the problem. How do we know our interpretation of scripture is right?

John is confronting the proto-gnostics. They have an interpretation of scripture that is certainly plausible. We can see some truth in what they say. But, John dismisses it, in the strongest possible language. How do we know that the protestant reformation was not a corrupting of the truth? Did the Roman Catholic church have it right? How do we know that Mormons or Muslims are not correct? Furthermore, how do we discern whether or not a preacher or church leader’s interpretation of the Word of God is accurate? Is there only one interpretation of scripture?

Today – If you listen carefully enough – all these questions will be answered by John.

I’m in I John 2 starting in verse 18. I’ll be reading from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible on 1373. If you don’t have a bible of your own, you can take a pew bible home with you.

Transition:

Lots to discuss today. Let’s dive in.

I.) Assimilation in doctrine and practice is an evidence of genuine fellowship with God, so we must analyze our doctrine and practice for assurance of our status. (18-23)

a. [Slide 2] 18 – Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. We know from this that it is the last hour.

i. John again refers to his readers as children. While this term is used of any child, there is a particular nuance of this word that connotatively means that the child needs instruction or growth.

ii. Indeed, that seems to be exactly where John is going. He moves to instruct his people in doctrine.

iii. Doctrinally John tells his readers – it is the last hour.

iv. Obviously, hour is not literal. For John to write that it was the last hour would mean that by the time they got the letter the hour would have been past.

v. John is indicating that the time for the events of the world to come to completion is near.

vi. He follows up this statement with another observation. That Christ spoke of an Anti-Christ who would come in the last days, and he also spoke of many false prophets or smaller false christs that would rise up in the last days.

vii. It would seem that John understood what Christ said in the Olivet discourse to mean that many antichrists would rise up before The Anti-Christ.

viii. And John is saying that that has happened. Many antichrists have already appeared.

ix. Having seen these antichrists arise, John concludes what he began with… it is indeed the last hour.

x. Who is John calling an antichrist though?

b. [Slide 3] 19 – They went out from us,

i. Very obviously John refers to the proto-gnostic group who have left the church in Asia Minor and have pursued true spiritual light and knowledge of the real God.

ii. He calls them antichrists.

iii. They have gone out from us. Now what does this mean? Did they leave the church?

iv. Well they didn’t have church buildings back then. They met in homes together. They met in the highways and byways. They met in the synagogues. In short, they shared all things in common. They were a community. They lived as a family.

v. So what does it mean that they went out from us? We have to put this into familial language for us to understand.

vi. They disowned us. They divorced us. They cut us out of their lives. So it is more than just leaving a church – it is separation.

vii. John just called his readers to separate from the world. And he says that this group has separated from them.

viii. But it is more than just separation from a community or assembly. This means to remove yourself from the lifestyle of the community as well. Everything that made the church there in Asia Minor, a church, has been separated from.

ix. What does that mean?

x. It means that in doctrine, in values, in ideology, in passions, in pursuits, and in worldview, they had separated themselves from the body.

xi. John just told his readers to not love the world. He told them not to assimilate to the ideology of the world, nor the cravings and boastings the world produces in sinful men. Instead to be separate and holy, doing the will of God.

xii. This is the opposite. They have chosen to not assimilate to the ideology of the apostle’s doctrine, the desires of the Spirit, the boastings in Christ alone, and the guidance of the Word of God and the church leaders. Instead they have separated from them to pursue their own doctrine and practice.

c. [Slide 4] but they did not really belong to us,

i. What does John say this proves? That they never really belonged to the body.

ii. What does that mean? They were never truly followers of Christ friends.

iii. Assimilation to Christ’s church is, in itself, an evidence of true fellowship with Christ Himself.

iv. Although Christ is our “personal” Lord and Savior – we ought not be convinced that individuality is something cherished in the Kingdom of God. We can all be who God has created us to be – but broadly, we are all united to Christ and therefore we are the same in more categories than we are different.

v. And when we choose to not assimilate to the doctrine and practice of the church of Christ, we show that we are not part of the body at all.

vi. Can the arm say left and the rest of the body say right? Of course not. Obviously, this doesn’t mean there won’t be disagreements or differing viewpoints on this or that… but how do we deal with differences of opinion or viewpoint?

d. [Slide 5] because if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But they went out from us to demonstrate that all of them do not belong to us.

i. We remain together. We remain assimilated to each other.

ii. Our ideology and passion are the same. Our purpose and mission are united. The word and the apostle’s teachings from it are the sole authority and guide.

iii. What is clear is that their ideologies and passions were not the same as the rest of the community. And rather than staying and submitting and conforming, they left to create their own group.

iv. What is this evidence of?

v. It demonstrates that they were never part of the community in the first place.

vi. Why? John will explain.

e. [Slide 6] 20 – Nevertheless you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.

i. In contrast to those who have failed to assimilate to doctrine and practice, John reveals that his readers are quite different. How so?

ii. They have received an anointing. An anointing from the Holy One.

iii. What is this? This word is related to the same Greek word for Messiah. Christ. Just as Messiah and Christ means anointed of God – so also the church of Christ has been given an anointing.

iv. What is that anointing?

v. Whatever it is, it is responsible for all who are genuinely given it, to know.

vi. But to know what?

f. [Slide 7] 21 – I have not written to you that you do not know the truth, but that you do know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

i. Quite simply, John is saying that they know the truth.

ii. They have been given the intimate and personal understanding of what ideology and practice to follow. How?

iii. Through an anointing by God Himself.

iv. And what is that anointing?

v. Let’s not answer that yet. Because John hasn’t yet. Let’s just put that in the back of our minds.

vi. Besides, John isn’t quite done addressing how we can know the antichrists.

g. [Slide 8] 22-23 – Who is the liar but the person who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the person who denies the Father and the Son. Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either. The person who confesses the Son has the Father also.

i. Any person who denies that Jesus is the Messiah of the Old Testament, sent by God to be the eternal King, the Perfect Priest, and the final prophet, is a liar.

ii. You cannot have the Father without the Son nor the Son without the Father. They are linked in that the only way to the Father is through the Son that the Father sent to be the propitiation for the sins of His people.

iii. As we talked about at the introduction to I John, the proto-gnostic groups would conclude that Jesus was sent by the true Father. Not Yahweh of the Old Testament but rather the real Spirit Father. And that Yahweh was the father of the evil physical world, so all things physical are evil. Thus they denied on several levels that Jesus was the Messiah in flesh. Who as the God-Man gave His physical life for His people.

iv. However, John says that a person MUST confess that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God in flesh, and that Yahweh is the Father, and that the only way to the Father is through Jesus His Son and his substitutionary physical death.

h. [Slide 9] Passage Truth: So John returns to doctrinal arguments for knowing if they enjoy genuine fellowship with God. Returning to truths he presented in the first 4 verses of his letter, John indicates that unity in doctrine and practice is the true test of genuine fellowship with God. Specifically, in this section, is the Messiahship of Jesus. And although John will expand upon this in the next section, it is obvious that John wants his readers to understand that they are united in doctrine and practice because they have all been given the same anointing from the Holy One. We don’t know what that anointing is quite yet, but we do know that it unites us in knowing the truth.

i. Passage Application: And so John’s intention is clear. His reassurance and comfort endure. They remained. They submitted themselves to the truth that they have been given. This is supernatural intimate knowledge that is given by God’s anointing. They stayed in conformity to what the apostles taught and how they lived. And that is evidence that they are genuinely God’s children.

j. [Slide 10] Broader Biblical Truth: So as we zoom out, to see the whole bible, not just I John. Is this a theme we see carried out through scripture? Since I have been your Pastor, we have seen from Jude, people who leave the covenant community to live lives of lawlessness. We have seen from Galatians; people leave the covenant community to pursue lives of legalistic ritual. From the Old Testament in Foundations we have seen when Israel chose to do what was right in their own eyes. When they chose to complain and even desire to go back to, of all places, Egypt. The fact of the matter is – that when you leave the reservation, you never belonged in the reservation. God commands and insures assimilation to His Kingdom values and truths. And although there is room for subtle variety, broadly, there is no room for creativity or license. Why? Because God is conforming us to the image of His Son… singular. Therefore, we all ought to look like Him and believe what He has said as communicated by His apostles, down through the ages.

k. Broader Biblical Application: So because I speak to a broader audience than John did, I cannot simply comfort you. I must also challenge you. And again, this is nothing we haven’t already talked about in I John. How are we to know the truth? We are anointed by God Himself. Therefore, any ongoing and purposeful deviation in the doctrine of God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit, is a sign that you do not have the anointing of the Holy One. Any minor ongoing and purposeful deviation in the doctrine of salvation, sin, man, and the church are a sign that you do not have the anointing of the Holy One. These truths are so core to our faith that the early church crafted confessions and creeds to make sure that if you want to be among us, you must adhere to this standard. In short – if you find that you are a revolutionary when it comes to doctrine or practicing that doctrine, if you have discovered some deep theological truth that no one else has ever seen before, or you have been awoken to practices and pursuits that the church has universally come against throughout history… If you insist on dismantling the doctrinal teachings that the church has held since the apostles, you need to stop and rethink what you are doing. All our answers come from God’s Word – this is true. But not our own private interpretations of the scriptures. Rather, the collective anointing so that we all know the truth. John says to rebel against the world. But you dare not rebel against what the church has taught and practiced since the apostles.

Transition:

[Slide 11(blank)] I’m sure after saying all this that John’s readers were no doubt stricken with panic. And perhaps you are too. Indeed, many today doubt or even assume that the church’s doctrine has largely been polluted and twisted over time. That the disciples of the disciples may have understood what was taught them, but now many generations later the likelihood that we actually understand what the writers of the New Testament were trying to teach us is very small. It has been over almost 2000 years. Certainly, we can’t have any confidence that what we believe is what was taught by Christ Himself! What we call doctrine is probably just a bunch of traditions of men. John answers that concern, and he answers it POWERULLY!

II.) God assures assimilation in doctrine and practice by His Spirit in all His children, so we must analyze our doctrine and practice for assurance of our status. (24-27)

a. [Slide 12] 24 – As for you, what you have heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.

i. Again, John uses this word remain or abide. I know we’ve discussed it before, but it is worth saying at least one more time. Especially because John is going to use this word a lot more very soon.

ii. Remain is a word used to describe identity, status, or state of being. When we think of remain, oftentimes we think of an active choice to stay where you are and to not deviate.

iii. However, if that is what this means, John is clearly teaching that you can keep and lose your salvation by your own works.

iv. If we are actively keeping what we have heard from the beginning in us then we will remain in the Son. So not only does our choice or work keep us in Christ, but if we don’t we are no longer in Christ.

v. This CANNOT be what John means by remain or abide.

vi. Clearly, John is dealing, yet again, with evidence. Evidence that proves a certain truth.

vii. John is essentially saying what he has already said. That if you keep on believing the truth that you have heard from the beginning, it is evidence that you have genuinely been given the anointing of the Holy One and that you are in the Son and therefore, in the Father.

viii. In this it is not the ACT of continued belief that SECURES our status, but rather, it is the FACT of continued belief that EVIDENCES our status.

b. [Slide 13] 25 – Now this is the promise that he himself made to us: eternal life.

i. It is somewhat unclear as to whether John is referring to what he has already said or what he is about to say, or both.

ii. What is the promise Christ gave to us?

iii. Christ said if you abide in me and I also in you, you will produce much fruit. Christ also said that if you believe on me you will have eternal life.

iv. In either case, this is what Christ has promised. That the fact of our faith is the evidence of our eternal status of being made alive with Christ.

c. [Slide 14] 26 – These things I have written to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

i. So it is important for John’s readers to not deviate from what they have believed.

ii. Because deviation can lead to lacking this evidence – which can lead to doubt and even questions as to whether or not they are in fellowship with God.

iii. So to avoid all those difficult questions and doubts – don’t listen to these liars.

d. [Slide 15] 27 – Now as for you, the anointing that you received from him resides in you,

i. And finally, we circle back to this talk of anointing.

ii. Perhaps now we can finally understand what exactly this anointing from the Holy One truly is.

iii. We know already that it is responsible for us knowing the truth. Anything else?

iv. The anointing resides in us. This is the same word for remain. It is speaking of status or state of being. The anointing inhabits, indwells, unites to us. Permanently.

v. And what John says next is absolutely astounding…

e. [Slide 16] and you have no need for anyone to teach you.

i. Looks like I need to stop preaching.

ii. For those who have this anointing – we don’t need teachers any longer.

iii. What is John saying?

iv. Let’s keep going – maybe we’ll get our answer.

f. [Slide 17] But as his anointing teaches you about all things, it is true and is not a lie. Just as it has taught you, you reside in him.

i. The anointing of the Holy One, of God the Father, teaches us about all things.

ii. Wait a second. How can something that resides in us teach us?

iii. And how do we know with any certainty that what this anointing teaches us is true and not a lie?

iv. And what could possibly be responsible for teaching us that we abide in Christ?

v. Many of you, have guessed a long time ago what the anointing of God could be.

vi. Let’s look at two passages of scripture.

vii. [Slide 18] John 14:25-26

viii. [Slide 19] John 16:12-15

ix. [Slide 20] So what is this anointing of God the Father, teaching them about abiding in Christ, teaching them truth, guiding genuine followers of Christ? The Spirit of God. All the Father has was given to the Son, and all the Son has was given to the Spirit and that Spirit resides in us.

x. WOW!

xi. When we come together and agree on doctrine, practice, passion and purpose – that is not because we are smart – it is because we have been taught by the Spirit of God.

xii. In this, the Spirit of God is within all who are genuine Christians. And therefore, we do not need any teachers outside of that circle coming in to teach us new things that the Spirit could not. John is in no way saying that we should not have preaching, teaching, or training. If he was, he’d be contradicting Christ who said to teach new disciples to obey all things He commanded.

xiii. Instead, John is saying that the church, relying on the Spirit of God, does not need any outside influence of godless people to inform us and teach us on what to believe. God, His Word, His Spirit in all of us, from the beginning of the church until now, is enough. And when the TRUE church universally studies the Word of God and comes away with the same doctrines over thousands of years, what does that mean? That it is God’s Spirit revealing the truth to them.

g. [Slide 21] Passage Truth: So John to his readers, still comforting them, tells them that if they are genuinely in fellowship with God, they will not depart as the others have. They will remain because the Spirit of God will continue to teach them the truth. And He will remain with them also. They don’t need more teaching, but only what has been and continues to be revealed to them by the Spirit through the Word of God.

h. Passage Application: And the application then for his readers is to take comfort. God has got this. Their assimilation to the body of Christ and the teaching of the apostles doesn’t mean they are lacking something. They don’t need what is new! They need what is old. Because The Spirit is at work in all God’s children to communicate to us all that the Son gave Him. And the Son communicated all that the Father gave to Him. The whole trinity is at work to continue to teach us His ways.

i. [Slide 22] Broader Biblical Truth: When we broaden out to all of scripture, I think it is helpful for us to go to one passage to see this truth. This has been foretold hundreds of years before it happened. Look at Jeremiah 31:31-34. This is the New Covenant. [Slide 23] This is the New Covenant in Christ’s Blood. The Whole Triune God actively works on the behalf of His people to preserve, protect, and empower them to live for Him. The Old Covenant expected obedience but offered mercy for failure - but this was rejected. The New Covenant expects obedience and offers grace to obey – and unending mercy for all sin.

j. Broader Biblical Application: And so for us today we have to ask the question – do I see the scars of grace on my life? Do I see the Spirit teaching me all things? Do I understand scripture? Can I look at the bible, read it, and then go consult study bibles and commentaries, and writings of church fathers and see what they saw also? Not perfectly as if it was collaboration but generally as corroboration. Do we agree with what is being said? That is a testament to the Spirit in us. And it is a great assurance of our status. But if the bible is an enigma to you. You read it and do not understand or worse, you read it and consistently conclude things that no one else concludes, then you have to start wondering… is the Spirit of God in me?

Transition:

[Slide 24 (blank)] So what could we learn from today’s passage of scripture that will apply to us directly in 2020?

Conclusion:

When we talk about not assimilating to the ideology of the world, one key struggle the church has always had is being relevant. Being meaningful to the culture around us. Now how do you do that? Well you have a couple choices. You can either draw the world to you, or you can go to the world. To draw the world to you, you have to have something the world likes or interests them.

At this we could go headlong into a discussion about seeker friendly churches and their missteps. But I think to really strike through to what John is saying, we have to back up from the superficial worldliness churches sometimes adopt to look more closely at the theological underpinnings of that worldliness. Because you see, as we saw last week, it is the ideologies of the world that produce the cravings of the sin nature, and eyes and the boasting of things and status.

So although it may be the free beer, the concert style worship, the entertaining fluffy messages, or other surface level items that get all the attention, I think under that is the fundamental problem. Because before you get to advertising free beer for your church service, you have to conclude that the gospel is so enticing to someone that all they need to do is hear it. If only they hear the gospel they will certainly be saved. So do whatever it takes to get them to hear it.

Before you change your worship from words and music that draw attention to God, to words and music that draws attention to the musicians and how God loves the people singing, you have to conclude that we are the center of God’s world. That we are the apple of His eye. That He is so in love with us and we are so special that He would give up heaven and earth just to have a chance to be with us.

Before you shorten your sermon to 20 minutes, stop calling it a sermon and call it a word or message, and before you shuffle movie clips, jokes, and anecdotes in with only a superficial reading of the text with no context included… before you do all that, you must conclude that Doctrine is stuffy and unimportant. That God’s Word is not powerful in and of itself and that it must be seasoned to be more palatable to the hearer.

None of these decisions we see in evangelical churches today happen overnight. In each case, what has been clearly revealed in scripture and taught by Christ’s apostles and passed on through the years of the church, agreed upon and revealed by the Spirit of God – is simply not enough to stay relevant.

So we must add something. The bible says the gospel is offensive to Jew and Gentile – but that can’t be true. Perhaps it is just hard to get them to listen, so let’s offer them free beer. The Word of God says we are nothing without Christ, but that can’t be true because God gave up His Son to save us – boy we must be special. The Word of God says that it is sharp and powerful and able to awaken us unto salvation – but that can’t be true because so many are falling asleep during sermons. We have to jazz this thing up.

I tell you it is the exact same concept that was found in this church in Asia Minor. When the Doctrine and Practice of Christ and His Apostles, confirmed by the Spirit in all who genuinely follow Christ, when that is NOT ENOUGH – you are an antichrist.

It is the same thought that spurs the cults of our day. The bible and the church’s interpretation of it is not sufficient – we need the book of Mormon, the Quran, the Watchtower bible Society.

And we see this very thing tearing apart groups right now! Right now the SBC has determined that the bible is sufficient to handle all of life’s problems, BUT… we as the church can benefit from Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and Radical Feminism.

Beth Moore just posted this week “Nothing is more corrupting to the church than confusing inerrancy of man’s interpretation of scripture with inerrancy of scripture itself”

John would disagree with her sharply. For when the Spirit of God confirms in the hearts of the true church the doctrine and practice of the church – the matter is settled. In other words, the interpretation of scripture as agreed upon by all genuine followers of Christ by the illumination of the Spirit – IS the inerrant interpretation of scripture.

Incidentally, her tweet is to defend the concept of women pastors. And what do we find when we look back at the history of the church’s interpretation of the New Testament? Do we find the true church accepting an interpretation that allows women preachers? No. The church has ALWAYS held to the office of an Elder being available for qualified male leaders – ONLY.

Friends any time you say the bible is sufficient but… it means it isn’t.

We ought not look at our society today to determine what this book means, and we don’t need NEW revelation. All we need is to depend on God’s Spirit to show us what this book means – but then we check what we think based on what the church has said down through the ages. No private interpretation.

The sad irony is that we live in such a time that this is more possible than ever. Do you want to read the words of Clement of Rome? Do you want to see what Irenaeus wrote? Do you want to read the words of Polycarp – John’s disciple, a man who either received this very letter or perhaps helped John write it? Do you want to see what Luther thought, Aquinas, Calvin, Bunyan, Owen, Augustine of Hippo? Today – all of this is not only available… it has been translated to English! You don’t even need to know the language they wrote in!

And here is the thing. If you persevere in your faith, in your doctrine and practice, if you assimilate in ideology and purpose to what the church has been saying since Christ – not because you follow whatever these people say, but because you listen to the Spirit and it happens to agree with them… that is evidence in and of itself that you are God’s child. Why? Because it is one Spirit in us all. One Christ. One Lord.

But be careful friends. For if you remove yourself from the REAL church and its doctrine and practice, things agreed upon since Christ, and you find yourself dismantling and casting aside things that the church has always held, if you find yourself adding to or taking away from what the church has taught since Christ, then you have no such assurance. In fact, if you remove yourself, John says, it demonstrates that you were never part of us.

Does your doctrine and practice conform to the doctrine and practice affirmed by the Spirit through this book and confirmed by the Spirit’s illumination to the true church through the ages?

Title: Loving A Sinking Ship

Text: I John 2:15-17

FCF: We often struggle being in the world but not of it.

Prop: Because God’s eternal Kingdom is violently opposed to the Kingdom of this world, we must not love the world or the things in it.

Scripture Intro: NIV

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I John chapter 2. Today John will complete the first wave of his teaching. As we discussed before, John has 4 waves of teaching testing whether someone has fellowship with God or not. Last time, John assured his readers of their identity. He told them that their sins were forgiven, and that they knew the Father through knowing His Son. He assured them that they have overcome the evil one. This sets up his final exhortation of this wave. It is still worded in such a way as to be a test of genuine fellowship with God – but it is clear that John’s desire is that they carry on producing this evidence of genuine fellowship with God.

This is very much a “be careful, lest you think you stand firm, that you fall” kind of exhortation. He is sure that his readers are children of light – but that doesn’t mean that they can never walk in darkness.

I am in chapter 2 starting in verse 15. I’ll be reading from the NIV today, but follow along in your version or the pew bible on page 1373. If you don’t have a bible of your own, please take the pew bible home with you.

Transition:

So what is this final exhortation John has before he circles back again?

I.) Loving the world is not able to be reconciled with God’s Love, so do not love the world or the things in it. (15)

a. [Slide 2] 15 – Do not love the world

i. There are two words we need to define in this opening command of John if we hope to understand what he is trying to say.

ii. First is love – What does it mean to love?

1. The Greek word used is Agape. The word is the most thorough expression of love that is possible in the Greek language, and it is used in the New testament to denote a love that is from God. It is actually used to describe God Himself later in this letter.

2. Such a love is pure, unconditional, encompassing mind, soul, strength, and will. Every part of the individual loyally cherishes the object. To the extent that every action, word, thought is always for the good of the object.

3. Rather than commanding hatred of the world, a command that could potentially be muddled in shades of grey

4. John instead uses the most powerful term for love and commands that his readers love NOT the world.

5. Their thoughts, feelings, actions, words, indeed everything they are OUGHT NOT be for the good of the world. Any cherishing of the world ought to be highly conditional, and riddled with exceptions.

6. In that they are in the world, but that is as far as their loyalties take them. For they certainly are not OF the world.

iii. Second, we must define what is meant by the word world.

1. Just a few verses ago, we saw how the whole world is used to refer to God’s elect from all peoples and nations everywhere. Certainly, this would not be the meaning here.

2. The world could refer to all non-elect people – but that is probably not the case since we are commanded to love our enemy.

3. The world could refer to the universe, the physical plane, or the celestial ball on which we spin – but if John is telling us not to love these things, it would unite him to the Gnostics who also claimed that the physical plane was evil.

4. The world could also mean the forces, dominion, powers, culture, system and unseen Anti-Christ ideologies and values at work in the world system.

5. This is exactly what John is referring to.

6. Satan is called the prince of the power of the air and the ruler of this age. He is the commander of demons and the one who seeks to devour God’s people.

7. The world is, in short, the Anti-God. The Anti-Christ. It is the overall worldview that God does not rule here!

iv. So, John issues a command to his readers. Do not loyally cherish, serve, protect or otherwise express any affinity for the systemic rejection of God, better known as, the world.

v. Again – they are in the world but are certainly not of it. They are ambassadors in a foreign and hostile realm, but they dare not lose their cultural heritage and identity. It is the opposite of assimilation that John is preaching. It is separation. It is holiness.

vi. But this is only half the command. Do not love the world…

b. [Slide 3] Or anything in the world

i. Not only are his readers not to love the ideologies and values of the world, but they are also not to love anything in the world.

ii. As was mentioned previously, this world’s natural values and beliefs, its natural culture and convictions, have been wholly and completely subverted by Satan and sin.

iii. Indeed, there is nothing naturally present within culture and society, that has not been infested and twisted by sin and Satan.

iv. It is so bad, that John concludes that anything in the world system is not worthy of love.

v. So John’s command is to have no loyalty or affection for the world’s values or what those values produce or cultivate. Why? Why is John coming so strongly against all this?

c. [Slide 4] If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

i. John makes what is the first, of three truth statements here. First, he gives us a truth statement for why we ought not love the world. In 16 he will give us a truth statement for why we ought not love the things in the world. And in 17 he will give us a truth statement for why we ought not love both.

ii. It is absolutely impossible to love the world’s values and have the love of God too.

iii. Again we wonder is this God’s love for us, our love or God, or God’s love in us.

iv. I think the differences between this is negligible. We cannot love God unless He first loves us. And the Love we offer God and others is a love that is from Him.

v. John’s meaning is plain. You cannot be a Christian and love the ideology, values, and culture of the world.

vi. They are in opposite directions.

vii. Any who would claim to be a follower of Christ, but loves the ideology, culture, and values of society at large – is a liar.

d. [Slide 5] Passage Truth: So John teaches his readers that to have any affinity, loyalty, admiration, acceptance or assimilation to the ideology and values of the kingdom of this world. To agree with the worldview of life lived as if God is not ruler here. This is in direct contradiction to anyone who has inherited the Love of God and any who would claim to love God with that love. They are light and darkness. They are oil and water. The kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God and His Christ, cannot be at peace. And they cannot be at peace in the heart any person.

e. Passage Application: So John’s application is right there on the surface. The very first command in his entire book, given to those whom he has just assured of their spiritual status in Christ. He has just declared that they are forgiven of their sins for Christ’s name’s sake, they know the Father because they know His Son and they have overcome the evil one. To these folks, he writes… do not love the world. Do not pine for the ways of this age. Do not live independent of God’s rule. Do not accent to the system that disregards God in His own creation. Rebel. Rebel against the world.

f. [Slide 6] Broader Biblical Truth: And from all of scripture we see the battle lines drawn. From the garden the two families. One of the serpent, the other of the woman. We see the portion of Yahweh. We see the line of David. We see the Kingdom of light and the Kingdom of darkness. And we see Christ’s victory blow beginning with His incarnation and ending with His resurrection with the cross as the climax of it all. The war is over, but the battle is not. Even still, the world lives in rebellion to its creator. Can a child of God join such rebellion? Of course not! The things valued of the godless world, are things we dare not love.

g. Broader Biblical Application: Instead, we ought to live circumspectly, as foreigners in a far away land. We shall not forget our lineage in Christ. We shall not forget our heritage. Indeed, we will not assimilate. We will separate. We will rebel! We will overcome! We will not bow! We will be holy.

Transition:

No doubt, John could have stopped right there. We also could stop right there, but I do not wish to break up his thought. If you thought John’s message was powerful, he’s got two more haymakers waiting.

II.) Everything sinful is produced by the world, not God, so do not love the world or the things in it. (16)

a. [Slide 7] 16 - For everything in the world:

i. John has already shown that to love the values of the world is to not have the love of God.

ii. But now he wishes to show the other side of his command. Not just to not love the world but also the things in the world.

iii. So now John is going to list 3 products of the values, culture, ideology, and system of the world.

b. [Slide 8] The cravings of sinful man

i. No doubt you remember the KJV of this “the lusts of the flesh”

ii. The word translated cravings in the NIV is the word for desire. This word is used most often in the New Testament and even in secular writings of the time, to discuss deviant and often sexual desires. 1st century Jews used this word almost exclusively to talk about passions and cravings for wickedness.

iii. And so, contextually, this interpretation is highly appropriate. Superior to desire, and even to the term lust.

iv. And the flesh can mean body – but oftentimes flesh is used metaphorically to speak of the sinful nature of man. And since John’s context speaks of what is being produced by a world system opposed to God, it seems to follow that such an interpretation is obvious.

v. So, the NIV does an excellent job here.

vi. Cravings of sinful man - is another of those “of” constructions in the bible. Is this a craving for sinful man or a craving originated from sinful man or by sinful man. If we were to leave this as flesh you could potentially see this referring to craving flesh or the body… but understanding flesh as the sin nature – the meaning is apparent.

vii. What does the values and system of the world produce?

viii. All the cravings that flow from the heart of the wicked. Why?

ix. Because the world – society – the world system and its culture is made up of what?

x. Sinful men. Children of wrath. Sons of Disobedience.

xi. John’s discussion clearly says that society is the problem, but only because it is made up of wicked individuals who are of their father the devil.

xii. What he is saying is that the world system does absolutely nothing to restrain the natural, evil cravings of the heart of sinful man. It may curb, at times, the practice of those desires… but it certainly does not stop the desire itself. In fact, I would argue, what John is saying, is that the world system feeds these desires.

xiii. This is certainly a very broad category. Probably, the next two items John lists are subpoints of this first one.

c. [Slide 9] The lust of his eyes

i. The word for lust here is the same as before. The cravings of the eyes.

ii. Again, we should interpret the eyes as the source for this desire.

iii. And so John leaves us to imagine all that could be a result of our eyes beholding something and craving it.

iv. James asks – where to quarrels and fights arise among you? From your passions in you. You desire and do not have.

v. Envy and jealousy certainly are in mind here – but also murder, adultery, covetousness, hatred, backbiting, and a whole host of other deviant behaviors flow from the cravings our eyes and sin nature.

vi. The world system does absolutely nothing to restrain these desires – in fact, the world flaunts individuality and achievement. The world is the haves and the have nots. The world never says be content. Enjoy what you have.

vii. Instead – it is consumed with how you deserve what you want. Just reach out and take it. The serpent said something similar in the garden.

d. [Slide 10] And the boasting of what he has and does

i. The translation here in the NIV is bold, but I think the best one out there.

ii. You probably are used to the phrase “The pride of life” from the KJV here.

iii. This is not a poor translation. In fact, it is a good, literal translation. However, it probably does not capture the force of what John is trying to say.

iv. This word for life is used in the New Testament for livelihood or possessions. These possessions can be tangible material things or status and honor.

v. And the “of” construction here again leaves us wondering, is this pride to acquire these things or is this pride that flows from having these things.

vi. The NIV takes a stand on this in agreement with the context up to this point. The sin nature produces the cravings, the eyes produce the cravings, and the possessions or status produces the pride.

vii. And so, what John is saying is that the world system does absolutely nothing to restrain the arrogance that comes with possessing more things or more fame than another person.

viii. In fact, it feeds such an end.

e. [Slide 11] Comes not from the Father but from the world.

i. All of these things, could never have been said to have come from God. Instead, they come from the world.

ii. Not only does the world system NOT stop these from happening… as we have seen… the world system, culture, and values – feed such things. They create them.

iii. The world system is the soil for these seeds to germinate and thrive.

f. [Slide 12] Passage Truth: John tells his readers that everything in such a system, that would reject God’s authority in every way, everything in such a culture is Godless in its creation. How could it be otherwise? All that the natural heart of man produces is wicked cravings. All that the eye of sinful men produces is wicked cravings. All that possessions and fame produce in wicked men, is arrogance and boasting. You can’t love anything in this kind of system. Why? Because it is wholly perverted. It is altogether, twisted.

g. Passage Application: So he tells his readers. Do not love what is in the world. There is nothing produced by this system that is worthy of loving. It is totally, and completely, depraved. Not that it is as wicked as it could be, but rather that it is godless even when it appears good.

h. [Slide 13] Broader Biblical Truth: This truth is presented to us throughout all of scripture. The heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked. All you have to do is read the old testament to see that men of all societies are wicked. If every society on the planet is wicked and godless in their natural state, from the dawn of time till now, how can we possibly conclude that society is to blame. Is it not far more likely, that man, natural man is the problem? Satan pulling the strings, and men the willing sinful puppet.

i. Broader Biblical Application: Oh friends – what possible affinity could any of us, the children of God, have with any of that. There is no loyalty to this. To the system of the world or to its ways and what its values produce. There is nothing worthy of love in this world’s system, nor is there anything worthy of love in what this world’s system cultivates in its greenhouse.

Transition:

But neither the system, nor what is cultivated in the system, can be detested independently. But instead, we must love neither. We must reject both.

III.) The world and all its products are fading away, so do not love the world or the things in it. (17)

a. [Slide 14] 17 – The world and its desires pass away

i. John stated his command first, and has then given us 3 consecutive truth statements for why that command must be followed.

ii. Do not love the world nor the things in the world. Why?

1. If you love the world the love of God is not in you.

2. If you love what is in the world it didn’t come from God but from the world.

iii. And the third reason is here in verse 17.

iv. Why ought God’s people not love the world and its desires?

v. It is a sinking ship my friends. I has been struck with the torpedo of the cross of Christ and it is going down.

vi. There is nothing on the ship worth saving except that which the Lord has chosen to save.

vii. We dare not cling to treasure, fame, status, passions. Pleasures, or any such things… because the ship is sinking. And the life boat of God’s grace waits for us as we seek to spread the news about the boat of salvation.

viii. How foolish would it be to see a person running around grabbing this thing or that, hoping to take it with him to the bottom of the sea? How foolish would it be for people to seek that pleasure or entertain that activity so that they can drown with it? How senseless would it be to declare yourself king of the sea as you succumb to the icy depths?

ix. This is John’s thought. It is foolish to love the world and its cravings… because it is fading. A new Kingdom has come. A Kingdom that will endure… forever.

x. What is the alternative to loving the world and the things in it?

b. [Slide 15] But the man who does the will of God

i. I love the contrast that John sets up here. There is no question what he means by loving the world or what is in the world.

ii. What you obey proves what you love. The commands you keep evidence your identity.

iii. In case you were having trouble understanding what it means to love the world and the things in the world. It is simply that… not obeying God or walking in His ways.

iv. We don’t have to spend a lot of time learning about what the world values, desires, or cherishes. All we must do is find out what the Lord values, desires, or cherishes and we will know. Because the world system and all that is in the world is Anti-God. It is Anti-Christ.

v. And the man who does the will of God… what is promised to such a man?

c. [Slide 16] Lives forever.

i. The NIV misses it a little here.

ii. John says that the one who does the will of God remains or abides eternally.

iii. Set in sharp contrast to the world, a sinking ship, the one who does the will of God – abides. He abides in the light. He abides in Christ. He abides in life.

iv. As we have noted before, this word does not convey any suggestion that a person could ever leave. We see remain or abide and think that it is a constant choice to stay. Rather we should look at abide or remain as a state of being.

v. The person who does the will of God proves something. What does he prove? That his status has been changed from drowner to rescued. He is God’s child. When the last call is made, he will join his brothers and sisters, and His Savior on the grace boat, and so shall he remain forever.

d. [Slide 17] Passage Truth: What is the truth John states? The world has already lost. The war is over. The victory of Christ has been achieved. And the world is sinking. What fool would love what is moments away from being fuel for the fire? The values of the world and its cultivated lusts and pride, will burn. But, the one who does the will of God, that man will live forever. That man will endure.

e. Passage Application: So John’s application is, still, don’t love the world. And we’d expect him to say – instead – love God. But he doesn’t does he? Again, John correlates how our love for God is manifested. Obedience. Those who do the will of God, those are the ones who are citizens of a different kingdom. And that Kingdom will never fade.

f. [Slide 18] Broader Biblical Truth: So from the whole of scriptures we understand that this world has been reconquered by our King. And that All who manifest obedience to His law are those whom He has lavishly poured out His mercy and grace upon. We are the forgiven ones, and we love God, with the Love He made possible for us through being united to His Son. Therefore, we love Him, because He first loved us. And if we love Him, we will keep His Commands.

g. Broader Biblical Application: And so, the application is still… do not love the world. Do not bow to the system of this age, designed and manipulated by the evil one. Instead, you have overcome the evil one. So go out and live in victory. Do as God has commanded you.

Transition:

[Slide 19(end)] So, what can we learn from this today? How then shall we live?

Conclusion:

The threefold truth coming out of this passage today states that love for God, gifts from God, and Eternal existence with God cannot coexist in the heart of someone who loves the world’s ideology, loves the passions the world’s ideology produces, or follows after the world and its ways.

Children of light, dwell in light, and pursue the Kingdom of light. Children of darkness, dwell in darkness, and pursue the Kingdom of darkness.

So why does John tell his readers, that he has just assured that they are God’s people, to not love the world? I mean if it is impossible for a genuine Christian to love the world and the things in the world, then why tell them not to?

It is the same reason Paul says to bear fruit but in the same breath says that the fruit is produced by The Holy Spirit. It is the same reason Paul says to work out your own salvation, but to do so with terrible amazement because the one giving you power and passion to do it, is God. It is the same reason Christ says come unto me you who are weary and heavy laden, I will give you rest. His burden is easy and his yoke light. So join in the work with Him.

Just because the power of God will accomplish His purpose in us. Just because the passion of God will join with us to accomplish His purpose. Just because a perpetual and ongoing love for the world is not possible in the heart of a child of God – does not mean we need not worry, work, or participate. We don’t throw it into auto-pilot and wait for God to do it or us.

John exhorts His readers by telling them that they are God’s children. He then says God’s children can’t love the world. So, DON”T LOVE THE WORLD!

Be careful if you think you are standing firm, lest you fall. Not perpetually, but temporarily. John’s desire, remember, is that his little children would not sin… at all. Ever!

So let’s unpack this a little bit.

What does it mean for God’s people not to love the world?

The values, virtues, worldview and general direction of society ought not be our values, virtues, worldviews, and direction. On an ideological level, if you find yourself agreeing with godless people more often than you agree with God’s people, if you value the same things that godless people value. If you put high priority on the same virtues that godless people do. Odds are, you are loving the world.

In short, any ideology that elevates man, diminishes God, or otherwise seeks to minimize or discredit God’s right to decide how we ought to think, feel, and live… is an ideology of the world.

Humanism says mankind is basically good – God says we are wicked

Postmodernism says that mankind can decide what is truth – God says that HE is truth and His Word is truth

Even our concepts of freedom have been infiltrated by wickedness. Does mankind actually have a right to choose… anything? God’s law was established to restrain the will of man. To keep him from using his freedom to destroy others or to blaspheme. When we become followers of Christ are we free? In one sense yes, but in another, we are slaves to Christ. We are free to be slaves of Christ. We were not free to be His slaves before.

As Children of light, we ought to be careful that we do not loyally align ourselves with any ideology, value, political agenda, cause, or system that is opposed to the will of God. Instead, we ought to rebel against such things.

This is what it means to not love the world.

What does it mean to not love the things in the world?

Even if we do not love the ideology, the virtue, the values, and the agendas of the Kingdom of Darkness, we can still transgress and love the things that the soil of this ideology grows.

The ideology of hell has permeated every facet of our culture. Not only is sexual immorality on every channel, but basic concepts as gender, marriage, personhood aand identity have been blurred and corrupted. Every desire of the sinful heart is available in our world. If you want something here – all you need to do is reach out and take it. There is nothing stopping you from having whatever you want… in fact, you deserve it!

Do you desire? Buy. Don’t have the money? Here is a card to do it. Don’t have the credit? Here is a more expensive card to do it. Can’t pay your debts? Declare bankruptcy and it all goes away.

Do you desire? Take. It isn’t yours? Vote this person into office so they can take it from another. Afterall, they have plenty.

Do you desire? Grab. It isn’t yours? Who cares? You deserve it.

Do you lack self-love? Go buy something. Still lack self-love? Make something of yourself! Still lack self-love? Lavish gifts on yourself and surround yourself with people who want to be like you? Still lack self-love? Kill yourself – then they will be sorry they didn’t love you more.

This is what the ideology of the world produces… In a word. Death.

Do you love death? How about the things that reek of death? Do you love the desires of the sin nature? Do you love the desires enflamed by what you see that you do not have? Do you love the superiority of titles, honor, possessions and toys? Do you celebrate debauchery on your tv screen? Do you fantasize of what life might be like with a different spouse, car, TV, job, position?

We ought not love the ideology of the world or the things that that ideology produces. Every anti-God, Anti-law, Anti-Christ ideology will lead to cultivating desires of our sin nature, desires of our eyes and arrogance at status or possessions.

But when we do not love the world, or the things in the world, what does that look like? We do the will of God.

Our cravings do not come from our flesh, but His Spirit.

Our cravings are not selfishly motivated but motivated by love for God and others.

Our pride is in who we are in Christ, not who we are in this life.

Our ideology is strictly informed and guided by the Word of God. And anything His Word disagrees with, is false.

If you are a child of God, the encouragement here is to be careful to not give a foothold to even the smallest measure of acceptance or assimilation to the world’s ideology or the fruit of that ideology. Be separate. Be holy.

If you are here today and you have given in a little. You have assimilated with the ideology or desires of the world –repent. Crucify it with Christ, and rise up in life. The ship is sinking my friend. Don’t cling to anything on that boat.

If you are here today, and you are a wholesale, lover of this world, and the things in it. If would willingly go down with the ship so you can keep the way you think, or what you want, regardless of what God says about it. Then friend… there is no love of God in you. Stop claiming to be His child.

And if you are here and can say, by God’s grace, I do not love the world, or the things in the world, and I am doing the will of God. Not perfectly, but progressively. Then praise the Lord. But be careful, lest you think you stand. Love for the world and its ways can creep in, in various ways. Be watchful. Be vigilant. Be immersed in God’s Word. And above all, be separate. Be holy.

Title: Assembly Required

Text: Various

FCF: We often struggle expressing the communal aspects of our faith.

Prop: Because the discipleship of the family is the job of the church, we must as an assembly disciple one another.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Samuel 2:6. Normally when we have a children’s dedication, it is only a component of the service. However, this time we have 8 children from 6 families being dedicated. That is a lot! I decided to separate the teaching time from the ceremony and do a more robust sermon focusing on a single question. That question is, what are the duties of a Christian when it comes to children? Not their own children necessarily – but children in general. What are our responsibilities to these little humans?

Transition:

The teaching of scripture on this topic is quite extensive. For today I will only focus on two particular groups of people. First the duties of the parents of the children. What has God ordained for you?

I.) What are the Christian duties of parents?

a. [Slide 2] Worship God for His sovereignty over all things including life and death

i. Hannah, mother of Samuel, promised to dedicate Samuel to the Lord if she would have a son. God gave her Samuel, and she followed through on her promise. This was her song at his dedication in I Samuel 2…

ii. [Slide 3]“6 “The LORD brings death and makes alive;

he brings down to the grave and raises up.

iii. We must recognize that God alone is worthy of praise for blessing us with a new life in our care. And since God is sovereign over all things – even if your child is not biologically yours, God still wove the child in the womb of his or her mother and providentially led the events to unfold so that you would be their parent.

iv. No court, judge, nameless force, natural means or byproduct can be praised or blamed for life or death. God alone is sovereign over all things.

v. We ought to praise the Lord for His sovereign hand in giving life to our children.

vi. This cannot be a one-time thing anymore than life is a one time thing. Everyday we must worship the Lord for His provisioning and sovereign will to offer us these little ones.

b. [Slide 4] Thank the Lord with regard to His choosing to gift you a life to help shape–

i. [Slide 5] Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Psalm 127:3

ii. [Slide 6] We must also realize that they are a temporary gift. We know this to be true in several ways.

1. All things belong to the Lord. Even our children are not ours. Ultimately, this world and all that is in it belongs to the creator.

2. The scriptures also clearly teach that our children are being raised to be their own household someday. We know that although they will always be our children, the clock starts ticking the moment they are born. We only have a few years with them before they leave our family to form their own household. This is the nature of families. This is how God has designed them.

3. In submission to God’s sovereignty we also know that there is no guarantee that we will be entrusted with our children’s care for any length of time. God may not plan for them to outlive us.

iii. The temporary nature of the gifting of children to parents should not lead us to fight and claw to save every moment. But we do cherish each moment with them, thanking the Lord for giving us the privilege and responsibility of caring for them.

c. [Slide 7] Submit to God and the responsibility He has placed on you as parents

i. [Slide 8] Deut 6:4-7 - 4 “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one. 5 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

1. [Slide 9] Parents have a responsibility to love God above all else

a. Parents are not to sacrifice God’s word or ways on the altar of their children. Children are not idols to be worshipped but students to be taught.

b. Parents do the best for their children when they clearly show them that they are not the first priority in the family. But God first, spouse second, and they are third. Only then will the biblical values be solidified in the heart of a child to treat their future husbands and wives with the proper love and respect God desires them to give. And only then will the child understand the proper place of God – above all else.

c. Ultimately, parents loving God above their children is the best way to show love to their children.

2. Parents have a responsibility to teach their children -

a. The buck stops at the parent.

b. It is not a professional school teacher’s job to teach your child. It is your job.

c. It is not a pastor’s job to spiritually lead your child, it is your job.

d. And to be even more precise, ultimately the responsibility for the child’s nurture and counseling or admonition is the father.

i. We see this spelled out overtly in Ephesians 6:4 - 6:4 Fathers,7 do not provoke your children to anger,8 but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

ii. We also see this demonstrated in Nehemiah 8:13 –

1. 8:13 On the second day of the month the family leaders21 met with22 Ezra the scribe, together with all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to consider the words of the law.

2. After the reading of the law to all the people, the families went home in joy at what was read to them. After this, the family leaders or rather the fathers of the households, came to meet with Ezra to consider further the application of the law of God.

iii. Ultimately then, the spiritual instruction and discipline of God is to come from the father.

3. But this is not always in formal training or devotions, but as the Deuteronomy passage said - when you lie down or get up - it should be during life, should be obvious to your children who you serve by your words AND your lifestyle

4. And this is not a duty that expires when they leave your home to form their own household. In fact, for the rest of your life, they will come to you for guidance, advice, and direction. And if we do it right, they will eventually be teaching you.

d. [Slide 10] Bringing all this together, we might say that God has given you an 18 year floor to ceiling discipleship opportunity where you MUST do life together with this individual. You will see each other at your worst and best. You will know each other better than any other relationship save your marriage. And every single relationship outside of the one you have to your children, will be tested. Your only hope, is to cling to the Lord, desperately lean on Him for understanding, trust him in all you do, and He will guide you. He will help you to teach His ways to your children, in word and deed.

Transition:

[Slide 11(blank)] Truly the Christian duties of a parent are monumental. But God has provisioned another ally in this endeavor, His church, for exactly this purpose as well. What then, is the role of the Assembly as their members are blessed with children? How can the rest of the assembly help?

II.) What is the role of rest of the Assembly as members are blessed with children?

a. [Slide 12] The purpose of the assembly is to glorify God by knowing Him, obeying Him, and making disciples of Christ.

i. [Slide 13] Matthew 28:19-20 - 28:19 Therefore go27 and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,28 28:20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember,29 I am with you30 always, to the end of the age.”31

ii. Churches have tried to fulfill this purpose in various ways over the years. And today the struggle is no different.

iii. How do we reach our communities with the gospel? How do we impact those around our church for the sake of His name.

iv. For the past few years, the church leadership and I have viewed this much like a Chinese finger trap. Our natural impulse is to take the full force of the church and turn it outward. We could have this event, that program, this concert or that ministry. None of these are wrong per se, we just don’t really see them as legitimate fulfillment of this command from Christ. Rather than reaching out into our communities with evangelistic programs and grand and expensive efforts to share our faith or help those in need –

v. [Slide 14] We see the primary role of the assembly is to build up the body of Christ, 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God – a mature person, attaining to16 the measure of Christ’s full stature.17 4:14 So18 we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes.19 4:15 But practicing the truth in love,20 we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head. 4:16 From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together21 through every supporting ligament.22 As each one does its part, the body grows in love. Ephesians 4:12b-16

vi. And as we all grow up in love, we take that into our work places, grocery stores, hospitals, family gatherings, indeed every single human interaction is an opportunity for us to represent Christ and His Kingdom to the world both in word and deed.

vii. The more like Christ we are, the more impact we will have on our community.

viii. The buzzword surrounding many churches in our nation is “outreach” but because we are not your average church, we have playfully described God’s pattern for us as “inreach”.

ix. Of course this doesn’t mean we do not connect with the lost in our community or help those in need. Of course we do – sometimes even as a church organization.

x. But the primary purpose of our ministry is not a museum for the healthy, nor a hospital for the sick, but rather, a med school for doctors who have the cure for all that ails the world. Namely the gospel of Jesus Christ.

xi. That being said… the opportunity that is afforded to the Assembly when its members are blessed with children becomes all the more apparent. Inherent within our members having children are opportunities for making disciples and sharing the gospel. We need not strain ourselves to look outside these walls. Especially when God has blessed us with SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES. You were here for Columbus Christmas right? You saw the SLEW of kids we have here?

xii. But the role of the assembly is not only toward the children, but also the parents.

b. [Slide 15] The assembly must always be discipling the ones who come after them.

i. [Slide 16]Titus 2:1-8 2:1 But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with1 sound teaching. 2:2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled,2 sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.3 2:3 Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good. 2:4 In this way4 they will train5 the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, 2:5 to be self-controlled,6 pure, fulfilling their duties at home,7 kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the message8 of God may not be discredited.9 2:6 Encourage younger men likewise to be self-controlled,10 2:7 showing yourself to be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, 2:8 and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss,11 because he has nothing evil to say about us.

ii. How can a new mother be encouraged to love their husbands? How can they be encouraged to love their children? How can be self-controlled, pure, and fulfilling their duties at home, being kind, and submissive to their husbands? How can they NOT inhibit the gospel of Christ by their motherhood? – By the older women, who are holy, not slaves to vice or gossip, pouring into these women. Wow! It doesn’t even say grandmothers friends. Just older women. You don’t have to be my wife’s mother or grandmother to teach or encourage her.

iii. How can a young father be self-controlled, an example in good works in every way, including an example to his kids and wife? How? By older men who are self-controlled, honorable and grounded in doctrine and love and perseverance – pouring into these men. You don’t have to be my father or grandfather to do this.

iv. [Slide 17] This is trickle down godliness my friends. God has given His church to be an instrument for discipleship.

v. And when members of the assembly have children of their own, they give the assembly that many more opportunities to disciple.

vi. As the assembly of Columbus Baptist Church – you have no need of wondering who God is calling you to minister to. That question has been answered.

Transition:

[Slide 18] So how then shall we live?

Conclusion:

Parents, God has given you a marvelous and daunting privilege and responsibility to raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Now we can’t go too far here. Their success and failure, spiritually and physically does not all depend on you. In fact, more correctly, it all depends on God. However, God has allowed you to share in His work and has promised to be with you.

He has also given you His family, His body, His Assembly to assist you too.

First he gave church leaders, who are responsible to equip you with everything you will need to accomplish this task.

But you are not equipped in isolation. The whole church is equipped for the ministry. The ministry is to build up the body of Christ. To grow them in the knowledge of the Son of God. To grow them into the stature of Christ. This is the ministry. And the ministry is the responsibility of the whole assembly.

And so to the assembly, God has given you a marvelous and daunting privilege and responsibility as well. Namely, to learn from your leaders, so that you can be equipped to do the work of the ministry, which is to build up the body of Christ, growing in the knowledge of Christ and growing up into the full stature of Christ.

Literally every person in the church is responsible for the physical and spiritual needs of every other person in the church – without distinction. We have already seen this with regard to church discipline, that when 1 leaves the 99 we pursue the one. But this transcends correction and goes to all areas and walks of life. Encouragement, admonishing, edification, teaching, mercy, love, counsel, peacemaking, etc.

If this assembly is to be what God has intended it to be, the body of Christ, we must pour into one another’s lives.

Empty-Nesters – Fill your lives and your home with new children that are not your own. Humbly advise and guide those who are young parents. Tell them about your successes, confess your failures.

Single Adults – God may not have blessed you with a mate yet, or perhaps your mate has passed away, but you probably have enough resources to be able to assist those who have less. The time, money, and energy you are not devoting to a mate or children, could be spent on those who have little.

Young Singles – You may be deeply and frantically looking for a mate – but in the process of that what you do have is a strong back and fewer commitments. The elderly need your back, and the couples with young children need your time and energy. They need it so much they might even pay you for it. The children need role models to follow. Their parents are easily ignored… but you won’t be. Be a godly role model for other people’s kids. The elderly may need someone to talk to. It can be lonely. They may just want to tell you stories. Listen and learn.

Retirees - You may not be wealthy, you may not have the energy or strength to keep up with our kids. But what you do have is in short supply in the assembly. You have an abundance of wisdom and time. We need you to spend time with the younger generation and sharing your wisdom. We will listen. Don’t waste your time and wisdom on selfish pursuits. I know you have worked all your life for retirement. But there will be plenty of rest for you in the New Kingdom. Finish strong. Any rest you clamor for here is not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to come. Time is short. We need you. Get back in the fight!

Parents of young children – While your time may be full and your wallets light, you have the most direct connection to the youth of our church. Because they are your kids and your kids friends. Do not squander any opportunity you have to make sure you interact with the children of your children’s age. Babysit for other parents so they can go on a date. Encourage and edify other young parents. You cannot afford to be spiritually dry during this time. When you are dry there is nothing for you to pour out. And do not forget to serve. Rather than filling your Saturday mornings with cartoons or sports, go to the nursing homes or visit the sick with your children – provided that they themselves are not sick. Your kids, and your kid’s friends, must see Christian service demonstrated. They must see you learn from God’s word if they are to learn from God’s word. Seek out those older than you, with skills you do not have, and either learn those skills or let those folks teach your children.

Couples with no children – With no time constraints and no attachments save yourselves, you ought to be growing your marriage as an illustration of God’s love to all the single people in the church. Teach them what to look for in a mate. Teach them the scriptures and be a role model for them. You may not know it but every young adult who is single is looking to you and wanting to be like you. So – no pressure or anything.

These are suggestions. They are not commands. But I hope you understand. All of us have spiritual and physical needs, and we can lean on God and His people to meet.

It truly does take a village to raise a child – and truly, if we are to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord – The Assembly is required.

Title: A Belated Greeting

Text: I John 2:12-14

FCF: We often struggle with obeying the Lord by Faith.

Prop: Because we have been assured of our new identity in Christ, we can do whatever God calls us to.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I John chapter 2. Last week we saw another aspect of those who are genuinely followers of Christ. We saw two weeks ago how those who are in God mimic His Son. And last week we saw, as an application of mimicking Christ, how those who are in Christ love other believers like Christ loved them. We looked at I Corinthians 13, and it just so happened that the TableTalk Magazine dealt with I Corinthians 13 all week. So I hope that you were given wonderful supplemental material to the sermon last week, as you analyzed if this supernatural love is present in you to a progressing degree.

Today, John pivots his letter. When we looked at the outline of I John, we talked about how John structures his book in 4 waves. Each wave is essentially repackaging the same test of genuine fellowship with God in 4 unique expressions. John is nearing the end of the first wave. And so, he gives us the introduction to his letter. Everything that has come before this was a necessary prologue to get us to the heartbeat of his letter.

Essentially 1:1-2:11 has been to specify exactly who he is writing to. He is writing to these kinds of people. And if you make it through verse 11 and realize that this is you… then what John says in 12-14 is a personal, albeit belated, greeting of purpose to you.

This personal greeting serves as the spring board, not just for the rest of his letter but also for a final challenge that he has for his readers before he starts a second wave.

What we find here is incredibly encouraging. But, unfortunately, there are several interpretational difficulties in this passage. As your pastor, I cannot simply ignore them, nor can I simply tell you what I think. It is my duty to make you aware of these interpretational challenges. However, it is also my duty to relay what John is saying to his readers and thus, what God is saying to us. And to do that clearly and concisely.

The fortunate thing is, that when the dust settles, and we come back up from the interpretational problems no matter what direction you turn on the details – the meaning is clear. John desires his readers to be GREATLY encouraged and to face all that he is going to tell them, with confidence that Christ in them can see it done.

So with all that in mind, let’s begin reading in verse 12 of chapter 2. I am reading from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible starting on 1372, or whatever version you have. If you don’t have a bible of your own, please take a pew bible home with you today.

Transition:

So again – much to get to today. Let’s get crackin.

I.) Because your sins have been forgiven, you can do what I am asking in this letter. (12-13)

a. [Slide 2] 12 – I am writing to you, little children, that your sins have been forgiven because of his name.

i. John clearly sets up, what will be, 6 statements of purpose.

ii. Although this is quite a beautiful greeting by John to his readers, it is also quite baffling to interpreters. As I mentioned there are 4 major difficulties of interpretation in these 3 verses.

iii. The first two of which we will notice right off the bat in verse 12.

iv. The first and most obvious to even casual readers is the threefold description of his audience.

v. [Slide 3A] He writes to children, fathers, and young people or young men.

vi. So what are we to make of this?

vii. There are three basic positions we could go with.

1. [Slide 3B] That these are three different classes of people.

a. Age – That John is writing to very young readers, adolescent readers, and the elderly. But this certainly has not been in view up to this point. Furthermore, why is it more necessary for the young children to be told that their sins are forgiven and not the elderly?

b. Spiritual maturity – John is writing to baby Christians, growing Christians, and mature Christians. This is a very attractive interpretation, but it inherits the same critique as the first. Why do baby Christians need to be reminded of their forgiveness but growing Christians or the mature Christians do not? Are we to assume that they add John’s statement for them to what has already been said? This could be.

2. [Slide 3C] The second opinion is that this is actually two groups of people. How do you get two out of 3?

a. The point here is that following John’s previous treatment of the term, children, his address to the children includes all his readers. What follows then are two subpoints of that.

b. And so the difference in opinion is over whether the fathers and young men represent age or spiritual maturity.

3. [Slide 3D] The third opinion is that this is John expressing 3 aspects of his readers

a. The term “children” is applied to all his readers, as they are like children in their faith, in humility and dependence, that they have been forgiven of their sins as they shed them from their lives.

b. The term “fathers” is applied to all his readers as they, like older men, are staunchly rooted in their growing knowledge of Christ.

c. The term “young men” is applied to all his readers as they tenaciously battle the forces of darkness.

d. So the descriptions serve as unique aspects of their existence in Christ.

viii. I have somewhat of a hybrid opinion. That John designed this to point us back to what he has talked about previously in the letter. The other terms he uses besides children, still represent all his readers but serve as two components of the previous teaching to which he is referring. If you don’t understand yet, I’ll make it clear in a bit here.

ix. [Slide 4] So by children here, John makes a special association between their humility and childlike faith in receiving the gospel of Christ. They are not just children but his children. And he is writing to those whom he loves, these humble and dependent ones to give them assurance of something.

x. But what?

xi. That brings us to the second interpretational challenge in the passage.

xii. [Slide 5A]The word translated “that” in the NET is translated in almost every other version “because” and this is the center of the discussion.

xiii. This word, like most conjunctions in Greek, can be quite fluid in it’s meaning. Context helps us in most cases to determine exactly how it should be translated. But here, context doesn’t quite help us.

xiv. There are three major ways that this word can be translated.

1. [Slide 5B] That – as here in the NET.

a. This translation would mean that the message that John is writing to his readers in this letter is being spelled out in each of the 6 clauses.

b. So John is attempting to summarize his entire letter for his readers with these 6 purpose statements.

c. Looking broadly over the teaching of I John – we would be forced to conclude that this is indeed a relatively thorough summary of the message of the book.

2. [Slide 5C] Because – as it is in many other translations.

a. This translation would mean that John is writing this epistle because he believes his readers are this kind of person.

b. The message of the book is not to communicate these things, but rather that these things are what caused him to write to them.

c. Thus they are able to do as he asks them to because all this is true of them.

d. Theologically this is true. Certainly, all that John is asking could not be possible unless they are genuinely believers.

3. [Slide 5D] Sometimes this word is used as quotation marks

a. We have actually seen this in verse 1:5, 8, 10, 2:4 – When John says, “the one who says” after this he has this word “that.” We don’t translate it there because it is clear that he is quoting something.

b. The verb “to write” can be treated the same way.

c. And so what John is saying is not that he is writing that or because… We would translate it this way.

d. I am writing to you little children, “Your sins have been forgiven you for the sake of His name”

e. This actually accomplishes both of the previous things. It not only expresses that the letter is to communicate this purpose, but also that these things are true of them.

xv. This last interpretation is the one I favor.

xvi. So putting all this together, we can finally try to understand verse 12 as a whole.

xvii. [Slide 6] I am writing to you, my readers, you who are humble and childlike in your faith, “You have been and remain forgiven of your sins for His name’s sake”

xviii. We who are placed into Christ, in whom all our faith rests, are forgiven, not for our sakes, but for His name’s sake. Because His name is precious to the Father. And for Christ’s name, The Father has forgiven all who are in Christ.

xix. This is what it means to call on the name of the Lord! It is in His name, by His work, and through His sacrifice alone that we are forgiven. Not by our choice, faith, repentance, or any other means that we offer but only by His name. We cast all our hope on His name. Because our name is worthless.

xx. John wants his readers to know that they have been set free of their sin for His name’s sake.

xxi. And if you recall, what was the message of I John 1:5-2:2? It was the gospel that God is light and in him there is no darkness. But man is a child of darkness. And thus, true believers are evident by their new relationship to sin. They flee it, agree with God about it, and are cleansed of it by the intercession and atonement of Christ.

xxii. Thus, John’s opening words here in verse 12 serve to quickly summarize all of what he said through verse 2:2.

xxiii. Now John breaks that down into two components.

b. [Slide 7] 13a – I am writing to you, fathers, that you have known him who has been from the beginning.

i. Fathers, being another way to refer to his readers in the sense that they are wise, grounded and unshaken. But what does he declare to them?

ii. You have known and still know him who has been from the beginning!

iii. Although this could refer to God the Father, as we will see later, the two are distinct in this context. More likely, this is referring to the Word of Life that John spoke of in the introduction to the entire book. Whom, he said, was from the beginning. This is Jesus Christ – The Word of God.

iv. John is writing to his wise and faithful readers, those who staunchly hold to the truth and he wants to assure them that they know this Christ who he has described as their intercessor and atonement.

v. They know Him intimately. They know Him relationally.

vi. And so, still within the confines of 1:5-2:2, John declares to those firmly rooted, that they know Christ, their intercessor and atonement for their sin.

c. [Slide 8] 13b – I am writing to you, young people, that you have conquered the evil one.

i. Young men, being a way to refer to his readers in the sense that they are energetic, tenacious and growing. They have fire in their veins. They have grit.

ii. And he writes them to tell them what?

iii. You have conquered the evil one!

iv. God will crush Satan under your feet! The gates of hell shall not prevail against Christ’s church! And the schemes of the evil one, even his temptations in which you succumb, like we saw in 2:1 and 2 – will only serve to refine you!

v. And not just you, but God’s elect from the whole world!

vi. There is no stopping the church of Christ.

d. [Slide 9] Passage Truth: What a rally cry for his readers. He gives them three statements of assurance. You have been and continue to be forgiven of your sin. You have known and continue to know Christ. You have conquered and are continuing to conquer Satan and his forces of darkness. This IS you! Christ’s true church – you – cannot be undone by sin, heresy or Satan Himself. For His name’s sake – His church will endure. Nay. It will thrive.

e. Passage Application: Do you think that John’s words had a positive effect upon those to whom he wrote? How do you feel after hearing such things? I don’t know about you – but I feel pumped. No doubt His readers felt the same. They were ready for anything John was about to tell them, because they were confident that there was nothing, he could ask them to do in the will of God that they could not do.

f. [Slide 10] Broader Biblical Truth: This message is for us also. If you have made it this far, and have been comforted by the message of John. If you have come through verse 11 and have found assurance of your identity in Christ because you have been changed. Your view of sin has turned to hatred, your view of God’s law has turned to love, and your love toward others who are of Christ has grown in supernatural ways… then this message is for you. You are freed from sin for Christ’s name’s sake. You know Christ. And you have routed the forces of the evil one. The gates of hell cannot prevail against the church of Jesus Christ. And that means you. Nothing God desires of you can be undone by sin, heresy, or Satan.

g. Broader Biblical Application: Much of I John so far has been introspection. Much of I John’s application for us thus far has been to assess whether or not we are of Christ. John pivots here. He tells us, for those who have made it this far, that we have passed the test. That doesn’t mean we are done. He has 3 more ways of presenting the test. But it does mean that we are ready to receive exhortation from him. John is about ready to give a command to his readers. A command that only now are they prepared to hear. And so for us, since we will stop short of that command today, the application is simply this. To believe what John is saying: that whatever he is about to command is achievable by those who are in Christ, because they are in Christ.

Transition:

[Slide 11(blank)] But John is not actually done pepping up his readers. Perhaps you feel pretty pepped up. Well prepare to be taken up a notch. John is about to crank it up to 11.

II.) Because you know God, you can do what I am asking in this letter. (14)

a. [Slide 12] 14a – I have written to you, children, that you have known the Father.

i. As a minor note, although the NET starts verse 14 here, as do several other modern translations, most translations are still in verse 13.

ii. In any case careful observers notice two things in this next purpose statement that are perplexing.

iii. First there is a shift in the tense of the verb – from “I am writing” to “I have written”. Second, it seems as though John repeats himself here.

iv. So, let me deal with these in reverse order.

v. [Slide 13A] Why do we see repetition here?

1. [Slide 13B] Some have suggested that John lost his place, or was interrupted, or perhaps even this was two pieces of the letter put together without smoothing over what was being said. All of these explanations are without any evidence. They are at best suggestion.

2. [Slide 13C] Some have suggested that John repeats what was said to add emphasis. This could be, but I think we need to ask ourselves a question…

3. [Slide 13D] Is it truly repetition? Certainly, what is said of fathers and young men are more the same than they are different. However, what is said to the children is very different. Not only is the statement of assurance different, but the word John uses to describe them is a different word for children than he used before. It seems that the writer is trying to tell us that this is not mere repetition.

vi. [Slide 14A] Adding to that, this issue with the tense of the verb being changed. From I am writing to I have written or I wrote. What is the significance here?

1. [Slide 14B] Some have suggested that John is referring to his gospel that he wrote before. But if this is true, there is very little for us to go on to believe it.

2. [Slide 14C] Some have suggested that what John wrote about in the present tense is of things still to come, and what John wrote about in the past tense is about things he has already covered. But as we saw in our last point, John addresses in the present what he has already talked about in the letter.

3. [Slide 14D] Some say that this is a way for the writer to say the same thing as before but from the perspective of the completed letter, even though it is not written yet. Almost as if John is saying, when you receive this letter this is what I wrote it for.

vii. In all of this, I think John is changing the tense and switching up things ever so slightly so as to communicate that he has similar encouragements but directed toward a new body of truth.

viii. Before we saw how John seemed to be referring to the content of I John 1:5-2:2 in his statements to the little children about their relationship to sin.

ix. [Slide 15] And so as John switches tenses here, I think we see a new target of previous content, on which to place some of the same assurances.

x. John says, I wrote to you and then he uses the word for children that denotes a boy or girl. A youngling. Someone who is immature in age. Although I may be putting too much in here, perhaps John is indicating ever so slightly the need in them for discipline and perseverance.

xi. And so John says I wrote to you children, “You have known and continue to know the Father”

xii. Now that is a curious thing to say of his readers. Simply because he just addressed this very thing in 2:3-11. How do we know that we have come to know God? We keep His commands and Word.

xiii. And so John now draws his readers attention (through various grammatical stylistic devices) to change the content in which these assurance are to be applied. Specifically to 2:3-11.

xiv. You have come to know God! You are keepers of His commands. You are keepers of His Word.

b. [Slide 16] 14b – I have written to you, fathers, that you have known him who has been from the beginning.

i. You firmly grounded and faithful ones, you have known Him who has been from the beginning.

ii. This is an exact repetition of what was said before, but as we said, it is aimed at a different body of information. Which is, that the way we know we are in Him is when we mimic His Son, from verse 6.

iii. And so, John writes, you have come to know and continue to know in an intimate way, the Son of God. You are mimickers of Christ.

c. [Slide 17] 14c – I have written to you, young people, that you are strong and the word of God resides in you and you have conquered the evil one.

i. Finally, John says to his energetic, fiery, tenacious readers that they are strong in the word of God and have conquered Satan.

ii. Again referencing the obedience to the Word, to the extent that they keep the law of God – yes even to love their fellow believers, from verses 5 and 7-11.

d. [Slide 18] Passage Truth: So although my conclusions about where these assurances are aimed are cautious ones, what I can be certain of is this… John wants to tell his readers… You have known and continue to know God. You have known and continue to know Christ. You are strong because God’s Word dwells in you and you have conquered and are continuing to conquer Satan.

e. Passage Application: Wow! To a bunch of believers who were told they were missing something. To a bunch of folks who were left behind as a rogue group went off claiming to be the true Christians… this would be an amazing message. Wouldn’t it?

f. [Slide 19] Broader Biblical Truth: And for us then, we need to hear this truth sometimes. Oftentimes the Word of God challenges us. We often walk away feeling as though we are a great sinner. And we should. But if we do not also walk away and realize that Christ is a great savior, then we are only getting half the message. We walk away from God’s word and know that there is nothing good in us. And yet, somehow, we are more like Christ today than we have ever been. Somehow He is refining us, even though we feel farther from Him. But it must be this way. Do you think play DOUGH undergoes no pain or pressure as it is pressed into the mold or passed through a sieve? Do you think water does not fight against the ice-cube tray as it is slowly frozen into place? All who are being conformed to the image of Christ will paradoxically understand that they bring nothing to that activity except their out of image self. And the more we are pressed in… the more we feel the pain of our deformity being corrected.

g. Broader Biblical Application: So what an encouragement to be shown this truth. That in hating sin, in fleeing sin, in loving God’s law and keeping it. In loving other believers with the love of Christ, we gain these absolute assurances. That we have known God and His Christ and continue to know them. That we are strong in the Word and have conquered and continue to conquer Satan and His forces. That Christ’s church will not be stopped! With this assurance, we can go forth and do, not just what John will call us to in the next couple verses, not just what John will call us to in the rest of his letter, but everything that God desires of us is achievable because we are in Christ. And for His name’s sake, God will conform us into His image.

Transition:

[Slide 20(blank)(end)] So how do we apply this text to us today?

Conclusion:

You know I think sometimes as believers we can succumb to the lies of the evil one and honestly start to believe the lie of “I can’t”. When we think about it, it is the same lie he told Eve in the garden.

God has this magnificent plan for His children, in that he will teach us his ways, and show us how to live for Him. But the serpent comes in and says… has God said? He isn’t going to do that for you. You can’t get there with Him. But what you can do, is you can reach out your hand and take it for yourself right now.

And so we succumb to two versions of the same lie. First, we either doubt that God will enable us to be and do what He commands through His grace, given by Christ and His Spirit. We throw our hands up when God expects so much of us and say… I can’t do that! In this with our lips we speak truth but with our heart what we are actually saying is – God you aren’t going to keep your promise. It is true that we can’t do it – but what is not true is that God will abandon us to do it on our own. He knows we can’t.

The second version of this lie is that we sometimes convince ourselves of the possibility of doing as God asks without Him. I can just reach out my hand and take it. Then I will be like God, knowing good and evil. Then I will fast track my way to what He is showing me. When in reality we know that nothing God has asked of us is attainable except through the grace that He provides. And He provides it to us liberally, but not to those who try to earn it. It is given to those who operate by faith. Faith cries out for help.

In both of these lies we see flavors of anti-law. In both of these lies we see flavors of legalism. They are expressions of the same doctrine of Satan that he has preached since the garden.

But faith is means by which God offers us grace. Faith in Christ’s finished work. Faith in Christ to grow in grace. Dependence on God, the Father, Son and Spirit for all we need. The whole Godhead is involved in our sanctification my friend.

Faith doesn’t try harder. Faith cries out in desperation. Faith doesn’t pull itself up by its bootstraps, faith recognizes that we aren’t wearing boots, and our legs are broken, and we are in a pit, and there is 10,000 lbs of rubble on top of us, oh and we’re dead… Faith cries out for the life of Christ.

Faith understands that if we are in Christ – Our sins have been forgiven, we know God the Father through Knowing His Son Jesus Christ. We have inherited the Spirit of adoption that joins with our voice to cry out with us ABBA, FATHER!

Faith knows that as one united with Christ, we gain strength when we remain in His Word. And when we remain in His Word, we are given enough of His power that we have conquered and continue to conquer all schemes of the Evil One!

When given a command of God Faith never says – I CAN’T! It says – LORD HELP!

This is exactly what Paul was saying when he wrote “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me!”

Anything God commands is achievable in His Son… why? Because His Son has already done it! His Son continues to be our intercessor, our advocate, our atonement, and our example. He is the Word in which we dwell richly. He is the Light in which we walk. He is the Bread in which we are sustained. He is the Life that we now live.

He is the Good Shepherd. We are His Sheep. And His sheep hear His voice and they follow Him! You, Christian, you will be perfected! You are being pressed into the mold of Christ. Anything He asks of you, will be done in you.

It won’t be a painless process. It won’t be easy. We will see ourselves for who we truly are. But we will also see Christ for who He truly is. And remember, it is Christ that lives in us.

If you are believer today – this is a great comfort. That He who began and good work in you, will continue to perfect you until you are perfected. This is the core of the gospel! And it means whatever He asks of you, He calls out – Cast all your cares on me – for my yoke is easy. My burden is light. God demands perfection, but He has united us with His perfect Son.

But if you are not a believer today – perhaps you understand now why you continue to fail to hate sin, love God’s law, or have any semblance of Christ-likeness. You have too much you (meaning any amount) and you have not enough Christ (meaning none). Cry out to the Lord, oh sinner. Beg Him for His Son to be in you. To live in you and thus bring you to life. If you cry out, God promises that He will hear those who diligently seek Him.

Title: The Law of Christ

Text: I John 2:7-11

FCF: We often struggle assessing the reality of falsity of our faith.

Prop: In Christ, a child of light can love as Christ loves, so we must analyze ourselves to see if we are children of light.

Scripture Intro: ESV

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I John chapter 2. John has been confronting the false teaching that has greatly troubled the church in Asia Minor. He began the letter explaining the source of truth and the message of truth and then moved to how a person can know they are of God by how they view sin. Last week John showed how a person can know they are of God by how they view God’s law.

John made it plain that two proofs for knowing that you are God’s child is that you love, cherish and obey His Word and that you live a lifestyle that mimics His Son.

Today John will expand on this concept. Not just obedience to God’s law, but even mimicking Christ. Today he will draw out one specific command that if kept can prove that you are God’s.

As has been the case all throughout I John so far, if you are a child of God – this passage is latent with hope and comfort for you. But if you are only pretending to be His child, if you are only claiming to be His child, this passage will be quite troubling for you.

I am in verse 7 of chapter 2. I will be reading from the ESV but you can follow along in your own version or in the pew bible on page 1372. If you don’t have a bible of your own, you can take the pew bible home with you.

Transition:

I realize I say this every week, but there is so much to cover. So, let’s get right to it, shall we?

I.) Because Christ continues to give greater success to His children, we must analyze ourselves to see if we are children of light. (7-8)

a. [Slide 2] 7 – Beloved I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning.

i. John wants to be clear that he is not introducing new concepts to their faith.

ii. This is something that the false teachers he was facing could not say.

iii. John brings an old command. A command that they were having from the beginning. But we are left to wonder, the beginning of what?

iv. Is John talking about the beginning of time? Is this a command that they had since Adam and Eve?

v. If that were true, would John have better said, an old commandment that we have had from the beginning rather than you had from the beginning?

vi. Let’s get some more context from John …

b. [Slide 3] The old commandment is the word that you have heard.

i. As we see here, the old commandment is the message that they have heard. Although this could refer to a command from the Mosaic Covenant, more likely…

ii. This is the gospel, or at least was included in their gospel instruction. Namely what they had heard about Christ and His law.

iii. So as John builds to his point, the reader is on the edge of his seat waiting for this old command that they have been taught since they first heard the gospel message. A command that was included in the gospel message. What old command could this be?

iv. John refuses to answer and instead continues to build the anticipation.

c. [Slide 4] 8 – At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you,

i. So in one way, the command is old, as old as their receiving of the gospel message. But in another way this command is new.

ii. How could it be true that it is both old and new?

iii. In Him and in you.

iv. What does that mean?

v. First the Him most obviously refers to Christ here. Christ, after all, has been the unspoken subject of the entire discussion since verse 1 of chapter 2.

vi. So in Christ this command is both old and new.

vii. And in you. In their hearts, in their souls, in their persons, this command is both old and new.

viii. It may help us to understand that the Greek language has a few ways of expressing something that is new. This particular word does not express something that is new in essence or existence. In our vernacular, it is not brand spankin new.

Title: By This We Know

Text: I John 2:3-6

FCF: We often struggle feeling sure that we are God’s child.

Prop: Because God recreates all His children to follow and obey Him, we must analyze our lifestyles to see if we are His.

Scripture Intro: ESV

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I John 2. Well we have had several interruptions over the last several weeks, but I have been anxious to get back to our study of I John. I know the last sermon on I John was a difficult pill to swallow. I want to remind you that my office is open to you if you would like to discuss that or anything really.

As we come back to I John, it will be helpful for us remember what we have seen so far. John is writing his letter to defend against some pre-gnostic teachings that put priority on a special knowledge of God only achievable by those in a particular bloodline. They also taught a antinomian or anti-law lifestyle, even suggesting that they were not able to or ever had sinned in their lifetimes.

And so, John, wanting to comfort his little flock in Asia Minor, writes to assure them of the gospel truth in their hearts.

He begins by establishing the firm foundation of truth. That he and the other apostles had heard directly from the God-Man’s lips the message of the gospel. That if any claimed to know this truth, it must come from and be in agreement with what the apostles taught. Otherwise it was not from Christ.

[Slide 2] He then proceeds to describe the essence of the gospel. It is simply that God is light and the children He makes are children of light! Mankind is naturally of the dark, and they love the darkness. God doesn’t half-change anyone. Those whom God is saving, He will continue to save! He will perfect His Children!

And so John’s first real message to the false teachers is that God being light has children who are of the light. But they are still of darkness as is shown by their view of sin.

So now John will transition to another topic, although it is related to what he has been saying. I’m in verse 3 of chapter 2. I’ll be reading from the ESV, but follow along in the pew bible on 1372 or whatever version you have. If you don’t have a bible of your own, the pew bible is yours to take.

Transition:

We’ve seen how being God’s child changes our perspective of sin. That we flee it, agree with God about it, and His atonement sustains us in it. But what about God’s ways? What about walking in light? John next wants to show that not only does our disposition toward sin assures us of our standing with God, but also our disposition toward righteousness.

I.) Keeping God’s Word proves we know God, so we must analyze our lifestyles to see if we are His. (3-5a)

a. [Slide 3] 3 – And by this we know that we have come to know him,

i. As we said before, John has been defending truth by attacking the false teachings that have crept into the church in Asia Minor.

ii. Now John moves to 3 more claims of the false teachers. Two we will look at today, and one next week. But John changes his tactic. Rather than refuting the claims of the false teachers, he repurposes them, and presents them correctly. The reason for this is because It can never be true of anyone that they have fellowship with God yet live a lifestyle of sin. It can never be true that we do not have the ability to sin. It can never be true that we have never sinned. But with the next three claims of the false teachers… there is actually a way for it to be true.

iii. The claim of the false teachers here in verse 3, is that they know God. That they possess secret and mystical knowledge of God that the others are unable to have.

iv. John does not outright reject such a claim – but he wants his readers to understand that there is a way that they can know that they have come to know God. But it isn’t the way the false teachers have said. So let’s unpack this.

v. [Slide 4A] The two “knows” in this verse, although the same word, are clearly used in different senses. The first “know” is a know of understanding or assurance. John wants his readers to be assured that they have come to know Him.

vi. [Slide 4B] The second “know” is directed toward a person. When this word “know” is directed toward a thing in scripture, oftentimes that means knowledge or conviction as it was previously. But when directed toward a person, it has a more intimate meaning. Knowledge in this sense means connection, relation, or intimacy.

vii. Also, concerning this “know” the ESV does a masterful job translating the verb tense here. This is a verb that has been completed in the past. It is done. However, it is a completed action that has continuing effects into the present.

viii. This connection or relationship was established in the past – but is ongoing to the very moment John is writing it to his readers.

ix. So John is about to explain to his readers how they can be assured that they have been and still are connected to God.

x. How can they be assured of that fact?

b. [Slide 5] if we keep His commandments.

i. How can we be assured that we have begun a relationship with God that has endured?

ii. We have been remade. We are new creatures. Before we loved darkness rather than light because our deeds were evil. Before we followed the passions of our flesh. Before we were slaves to sin. Before we were children of wrath. Before we were sinners.

iii. But now…

iv. We keep His law.

v. [Slide 6] When we read this word “keep” we ought not simply put obey in its place. To do so would be to short change the word. Broad strokes, it means to obey – sure.

vi. But when we see keep, we ought to think of a keep like in a castle. A fortress. This word means to guard, to pen up, to imprison, or to withhold.

vii. When John says we can know that we have come to know Him if we keep his commands, he means if we loyally protect, cherish, preserve, and yes… obey his commands.

viii. If his commands are our life! If his commands are our oxygen! If we keep them as if we could not live without them. Yes obey – but more….

ix. [Slide 7] Psalm 1 – how blessed is the one who delights in the law of God. He is like a tree planted by flowing streams, who yields fruit in his proper time, and his leaves never fall off.

x. This is how we know we have come to know Him. If we delight in His law.

xi. [Slide 8] We must be careful not to invert this though. We can’t see this as a formula. If we desire to Know God, or we desire the assurance that we do know God, we cannot begin to keep His commands in order to gain assurance or intimacy with God. Both of these are false. This only flows one way. The knowledge of God is the cause producing the effect of keeping His commands. So when we see the effect we can become assured of the cause.

1. It is like this. If you want proof that yeast is alive and working, you put it in a lump of dough and see if the dough rises. That proves that the yeast is alive and working.

2. But if you want the yeast to be alive and you want to be sure the yeast works, you can’t put it in the dough along with an air hose and inflate the dough yourself.

3. Producing the effect of rising, or attempting to, does not force the yeast to be alive, nor does it really prove anything about the yeast at all.

xii. And so, if you want to be sure that you are connected to God, the only thing you can do is examine who you are currently. You can’t become that person to gain assurance or intimacy.

xiii. John continues his thoughts…

c. [Slide 9] 4 – Whoever says “I know Him”

i. As great as the ESV did in translating the tense of the Greek last time, they fail this time.

ii. This is the exact same word. We may think that this person is claiming something different than what John just said.

iii. But that is not the case.

iv. Any person, in John’s estimation, who says I have come to know Him in the sense that I am His child and He is my God.

d. [Slide 10] but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

i. Whoever claims to be intimately connected to God but does not cherish, cling to, or obey his commands… now think about that.

ii. What could we say about such a person? The same thing that John says!

iii. They are a liar. They do not possess truth, and specifically, they do not possess God’s truth.

iv. Notice that John does not say that whoever does not keep his commands is a liar and needs to start keeping God’s commands. No. This person does not possess the truth. The truth is not in them. They don’t need to start doing something – they lack something. That is their problem.

e. [Slide 11] 5a – but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.

i. But anyone who keeps God’s Word… yes anyone who loves, clings to, and obeys God’s commands and teachings … that person has been changed.

ii. John provides his readers with a solid guarantee. That person – has had something happen to them.

iii. [Slide 12A] The love of God is perfected in them. But what does that mean?

1. [Slide 12B] First of all, perfected means completed. It means fulfilled. And it is that verb tense (again) that means completed action with continuing results. Also this is in a passive voice. Meaning that the subject of the sentence is not the one doing the action. So the one who keeps God’s Word is not the one perfecting the love of God. So we should translate this “has been completed” . This gives us both the completed and passive concepts. We just need to remember that that has continuing results on us.

2. [Slide 12C] Secondly, In Greek, as in English, the word “of” can mean a number of things. How we determine what it means is primarily through context. Here in I John 2, there are three possibly four options to what John is saying.

a. [Slide 12D] Whoever keeps God’s Word, in him truly God’s love for him has been completed. – So God is the subject of the Love. Basically we are saying that a person who keeps God’s Word is a person whom God has loved by applying Christ to them. (God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us Rom 5:8)

b. [Slide 12E] Another option is - whoever keeps God’s Word, in him truly the love for God has been completed. So in this God is the object of the love. And therefore a person who keeps God’s Word, is a person who gives complete evidence of their love for God. (if you love me, keep my commands John 14:15)

c. [Slide 12F] A third option is – whoever keeps God’s Word, in him truly the love from God has been completed. So God is the source of love. And therefore a person who keeps God’s Word, is a person who’s love he received from God has been completed (we love because he first loved us I John 4:19)

d. [Slide 12G] And a fourth possibility is the politician’s position – that John left this ambiguous because all are true and he did not want to tighten the meaning up too much here.

3. So which is it?

4. Contextually, we could see that it is our love for God, because John parallels this to our knowing God. However, I am uncomfortable concluding that my keeping God’s Word indicates that my love for God is complete. I’m not sure my love for God will ever be complete. In this life or the next. Can a finite being ever love an infinite being perfectly?

5. I could take the fourth option and see John being intentionally ambiguous to denote all three concepts.

6. [Slide 12H] However, I prefer to understand this in the subjective sense. That when I display a loyalty, delight, love for, and obedience to the Word of God, it is an evidence that God has completed His perfect love in me, and that that love has continued to produce its effect.

7. That is how I understand what John is saying- but there is plenty of room for interpretational differences here.

f. [Slide 13] Passage Truth: John wants his readers to take comfort in knowing that the claims of the false teachers are things that are within their grasp. They say these things without evidence, but John says they can judge these things by evidence in their own lives. And so, the first thing John says to his readers is that they can be assured that they are intimately connected to God if they cherish, cling to, and obey His Word. That is a bona fide, bulletproof, undeniable evidence that they are in an intimate and peaceful relationship with Him.

g. Passage Application: So for his readers this would have produced an immeasurable amount of comfort. These Gnostics have said – we know God. We know Him more than you could ever know Him. We know Him deeply, spiritually, mystically. John’s readers would have been so discouraged by this. Fearing and fretting that they had missed something. Do they truly know God? John says, do you cherish, cling to, and practice obedience to His commands? No doubt, most of his readers were saying … Of course! To which John says – that is how you know you know God. Because you weren’t like that before. Now you are.

h. [Slide 14] Broader Biblical Truth: And for us, from the whole bible, we see this truth plainly. Those whom the Lord redeems, He has prepared good works for them to do. He has brought us into light from darkness. He has opened our eyes. Our faith is alive and produces works. Therefore, we can look at our fruit and know that such fruit could never have come from something dead. Out of the heart the mouth speaks, and from a good tree comes good fruit. And our bearing fruit means we are alive and good. God has made us alive and good. Therefore we have come to know God.

i. Broader Biblical Application: And so for many of you this truth is so relieving. In times of darkest doubt, when we are plagued with uncertainty. Am I a child of God? We cry out into the night, and hear no response. Am I yours oh God!? The Holy Spirit, through God’s Word yells back – YOU CAN KNOW! And it is not if God answers. It is not if you feel Him. It is not if you sense His presence, or any other silly assurance we have come to expect. No. It is this. Does your heart delight in His word? Does your heart desire His will, His ways? Is your lifestyle characterized by obedience? Is this you? Not perfectly, but perpetually and progressively. If you say yes – then that is all the assurance you need. You know God because being intimately connected to God produces a love for His Word. But perhaps today, you say you know God. Perhaps you say that you have made Him your Lord and Savior… but you do not delight in His law, you do not keep His Word, and His commands are at best ignored by you, and at worst, appalled by you. Friend, no assurance can be given to you. You have none. And your only hope is to cry out to God for mercy. That He might change you, and give you a new heart. One that is capable of loving and obeying His Word.

Transition:

[Slide 15(blank)] But there is another claim by the false teachers that John wishes to address. A claim that he wants his readers to know is also within their grasp.

II.) Living like Christ proves we abide in God, so we must analyze our lifestyles to see if we are His. (5b-6)

a. [Slide 16] 5b – By this we may know that we are in Him

i. This claim is that they are in God – which John says that there is a way for his readers to know that this is true about them.

ii. Before John said that there is a way to know that we know Him.

iii. Now John says that there is a way to know that we are in Him.

iv. So we must ask, what is the difference between knowing Him and being in Him?

v. Let me first say that generally, there is absolutely no difference. They are talking about being a child of God.

vi. Specifically, though the subtle difference between knowing God and being in God is that one speaks of relationship and the other of being. One is connection and the other proximity.

vii. One cannot be in God without knowing Him, nor can a person know Him without being in Him. That is where the similarities harmonize all of this. However, there is a subtle difference.

viii. Before, John speaks of something legal, relational, and covenantal. There is connection between two parties.

ix. But here John speaks of not mere connection, but appropriation, a takeover, and absorption.

x. When John speaks of us knowing God, He speaks of us having agreement and peace with God.

xi. When John speaks of us being in God, He speaks of the means of that peace in that God conquers every part of us.

xii. So how do you know that you have been conquered, subjugated, and acquired by God? That is where John is going next.

b. [Slide 17] 6 – whoever says he abides in him ought to

i. [Slide 18] This word abide is one that John uses often, but it has been abused by many in the church who place too heavy a role on human responsibility and not enough on God’s sovereignty.

ii. Some would say that there is a possibility that a person is unable remain or abide in Christ. They would say that Christ’s statements in John to abide in Him, is an ongoing command whereby a person must make sure that they are continually remaining in Christ.

iii. Although this word can mean to rest or wait, the predominant use of this word theologically is something that is immutable or unchangeable. It does not rest on someone’s choice or present any element of uncertainty at all.

iv. This word to rest or remain is used to speak of God’s relationship to His Son and His Word. Certainly, we would not want to suggest any uncertainty with regard to the relationship of the Father to the Son and His Word.

v. So when Jesus said “whoever abides in me he will bear much fruit”, he is not saying whatever Christian stays with me will bear much fruit but those who do not wont…rather He is saying all Christians will bear much fruit.

vi. Which is exactly how John is using this phrase here. He is speaking of being not choice. Identity not performance.

vii. Meaning that what John has just said “by this you will know that you are in God (that you have been conquered, subjugated and acquired by God)” is exactly what the person is claiming by saying they abide in Him.

viii. Putting all this together, John is saying – you wanna know who is in or who abides in God? Here’s how. A person who claims to have been conquered and acquired by God ought to what?

c. [Slide 19] walk in the same way in which he walked.

i. Walk here is the New Testament’s idiomatic way of saying – lifestyle or practice.

ii. So the lifestyle or practice of that person will be what?

iii. The same as the lifestyle or practice of Him or in the Greek Literally – that one.

iv. Well who is “that one”?

v. You’ll find that John uses this phrase often, and in every case he refers to Jesus. Afterall- he is the one who lived among us as one of us. He was tempted in all points as we were yet without sin.

vi. So how do we know we are in God?

vii. Are we following the standard of His Son? Are we imitating Him?

d. [Slide 20] Passage Truth: So John to his readers addresses this claim of the false teachers that they are in God. They are one with God. John doesn’t deny being able to claim such a thing, but wants his readers to know that there is a way to validate whether such a claim is true. A person is united to God, overtaken and conquered, acquired and absorbed, if they live like Christ. Again, John is not speaking in the perfect sense. He can’t be, otherwise he is denying things he has already said in verses 1:5-2:2. But as a whole, if a person endeavors and is relatively successful at following Christ, this is evidence that such a person has been united to God, absorbed and conquered by Him.

e. Passage Application: Again, such a teaching produces either great comfort or great concern. For most of his readers, probably they felt overwhelming peace and joy – knowing that they want to be like Christ above all else. Not only do they want to be like Christ, but they actually see that happening in their lives.

f. [Slide 21] Broader Biblical Truth: From the whole bible, we know this is true. That is why we have been redeemed. Romans 8:29 tells us that all who have been foreknown have been predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. That IS the future of all God’s children.

g. Broader Biblical Application: So for us, we also gain either great comfort or great trepidation from this second test of John. Do you desire to be like Christ? When you see His obedience to the Father, His preaching, His love for others, does this translate to you desiring that in your life, and to an imperfect but progressive degree, seeing it actually happen? If you have become more like Him, it is evidence that you have been conquered. But some of you here today, that isn’t true. You aren’t more like Him today than when you first claimed Him. In fact, perhaps, you are less like Him. What does that mean? It means that you have no assurance friend. You are resting and hoping in empty words and human decisions rather than the power of God. But if that concerns you, you may not yet be without hope. Cry out to the Lord, seek Him. Again, his promises are to answer those who diligently seek Him.

Transition:

[Slide 22(blank)] So we have already gotten a lot from this text this morning, but how can we bring all these thoughts to our lives today?

Conclusion:

Overall, from today’s passage, we are humbled by our Father’s overwhelming love for us in that He has provisioned a way for us to know that we know Him and that we are in Him. And that is by His work to continually conform us to the image of His Son.

Before we close let me apply this text in two ways.

First, I want to take what we have learned here in this passage and compare it to a very dangerous and destructive teaching that is pervasive in the American Christian Church. I want to do this so that you can see the disconnect between what is being taught in churches in our area, and what the scriptures teach. Ultimately this is a false understanding of the way God’s grace and God’s law interact. Oftentimes we hear people say that the law has been fulfilled by Christ and therefore we are not bound by God’s law but live according to His grace. Now although, most of what I just said is coming from the bible itself, what is truly being said is that we can do whatever we want because God has freed us from the law. A person can sin with no impunity, stagnate, and perhaps even apostatize without losing assurance of their salvation. Furthermore, to question someone’s salvation who is living in a life of sin, far from God, and disregarding God’s laws, becomes judgmental. We are met with that famously misinterpreted pithy statement “judge not.”

But the scriptures today put the keeping of God’s law and Word as a proof of knowing God. Living in the pattern set forth by Christ is proof that we are united to God. So to suggest that we are no longer bound to keep God’s law effectively moves in the opposite direction of what John teaches as the means by which we can know that we are God’s child. This is catastrophe. This is a recipe for hopelessness, doubt, depression, and constant fear. Is it any wonder that people in our churches struggle with assurance to know that they are God’s child? Has God truly freed us from His law? Or has He freed us TO His law? Furthermore, to suggest that we are being judgmental to question someone’s salvation based on their lack of keeping God’s commands and lack of Christlikeness, seems to align them, not with John… but with his opponents. Was it not John’s opponents that suggested they knew God without keeping his laws? That they were in Him without being like His Son?

Which brings me quite naturally to the other way I’d like to apply this text.

Perhaps you were one who was lied to by this false teaching. Perhaps you were one who was told to pray a prayer or do something to gain your salvation. And here today you sit, and you measure your life and you are no more like Christ today than you were when you prayed. There is no evidence in you that God is conforming you to His Son. Friend I bring little comfort for you today. Let me be clear. You have absolutely no reason to think you are God’s child. None. And you can’t start obeying God today, hoping that somehow that will generate a relationship with Him or assure you that you are His child. Because God produces that obedience in you… not your own human effort. But may I offer some hope to you. What you truly lack is not assurance or even ability. The real thing you lack is God Himself. And none come to the Father except through the Son. Cry out to God. Seek Him. He promises that he will answer those who diligently seek Him.

[Slide 23] My final word this morning though, is of joy. Because friend, if you are here today and you look at your life and you see the scars of the Holy Spirit’s hostile takeover on your soul. If you bear the marks of His power and grace. If you look over your life and see the indentations of God’s pressing you into the mold of Christ. Not perfect yet, but definitely not the same. If you see that today, then you can have assurance that you are His. Why? Because that assurance does not come from your performance, but from the power of God in you. Any child of God who looks at their life and sees what He has done, realizes that they have no room for boasting. I saw this this week. In 55AD Paul wrote I Corinthians and called himself the least of the apostles. In 60AD Paul wrote Ephesians and called himself the least of the saints. In 62AD Paul wrote I Timothy and called himself the chief of sinners. It is a marvelous mystery. The more we are made into the image of Christ, the more we obey, the more we become what God wants us to be, the more we realize how little we bring to the table. If this is you… if you realize how unworthy you are while simultaneously noticing how He is changing you… then BE COMFORTED! Because you are His child. He has made you worthy in His Son.

Title: Unlimited Atonement

Text: I John 2:2 and many others

FCF: We often struggle with what God clearly says to be true

Prop: Because

Sermon Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I John 1. As your shepherd, primary teacher, leader, family member, and friend – I understand that I have asked much from you over the last few years. I have challenged you in ways that you may never have anticipated being challenged. I have called into question teachings you have counted as truth for many years. I have no doubt caused many debates to surface at your dinner tables. Before we begin this sermon in earnest, I need you to know two things.

1.) I am a slave to scripture. I take absolutely NO pleasure in preaching doctrines that challenge your understanding. I have NO desire to push any agenda of any movement, systematized theological position or group, or any man. I am following what the bible says – considering every aspect prayerfully – and delivering to you what I think God is saying. I am a slave to scripture. That doesn’t mean I’m always right, but it does mean I never want to disagree with God.

2.) Secondly, I think it is important that you know that EVERY WEEK God drags me kicking and screaming to the teachings you receive on Sunday. Every week He shoves my nose in it and the more I fight the harder he presses me into His word to look.

Why am I speaking this way? It seems like an odd way to begin a sermon. Friends, I have been very anxious about this sermon for quite some time. Since before Thanksgiving, this sermon has been mostly written. Why am I so anxious? Because as your Shepherd, I know, that this will probably be one of the most challenging sermons you have received from me. I began the sermon the way I did, because I want you to know that for all the wrestling you will have ahead of you, it is a product of about a year of wrestling on my part. Ever since I knew that I was moving to I John after Matthew, which was fairly early in 2019, I knew that I would have to deal with I John 2:2.

I want you to know that I don’t expect you to take everything I say without pause or consideration. I actually see this sermon as the beginning of a greater conversation we can have. I know you will have questions. And I know you will have objections. I won’t be able to answer it all today, but know that my office is always open to discuss these things.

With an introduction like that – I’m sure I’ve made you all very uneasy. Let me pray now, prior to reading our text and ask the Lord to calm us all, and speak through His word.

Scripture Intro:

So for us to understand any passage of scripture, we need to understand it first in the context in which it resides. Therefore, let’s begin at I John 1:1 and read through to I John 2:2. I’m reading from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1372.

[Slide 2A] Culturally we understand the backdrop of this book is to confront a very troubled church. False teachers have come into their midst and sewn confusion with their false teachings. So John responds.

[Slide 2B] 1-4 – In the opening of the epistle, John desires to set the foundation of all that he is about to say. That foundation is, that the apostles were the ones who heard the gospel from Christ Himself. They saw Him, touched Him, heard Him, walked with Him. The test of any teaching is does it match what they have taught? If not, then it is false. It is only through agreement with the apostle’s doctrines that a person has fellowship with them and they with Christ. John seeks to unify this church in doctrine.

[Slide 2C] 1:5-2:2 – It is no surprise then that John sets out straight away to put clearly what the gospel is. What is that message? God is light without darkness. Holy without sin. Wise without folly. Truth without lie. What does that mean? It means that if we walk in the ways of God than we are partnered to Him. But if we do not, we are not. This basic message is explained in three particular ways.

[Slide 2D] 1:6-7 – John says that a person who claims to be of God but lives a lifestyle of sin- is a liar. However, a person who lives a lifestyle of righteousness proves that they are part of the gospel community and that Jesus is currently cleansing them.

[Slide 2E] 1:8-9 – John says that a person who says they are not capable of sin is lying to themselves. However, a person who agrees with God about their own sin, proves that God is faithful and just to that person, resulting in them being forgiven and cleansed.

[Slide 2F] 1:10-2:2 – Finally, John says that a person who says they have never sinned, makes God a liar and shows they don’t have the truth. However, a genuine believer though not desiring to sin, should they fall into sin, can rest on the promise that they have an intercessor pleading to God on their behalf for favor while simultaneously presenting Himself as their complete satisfaction for their sin problem.

[Slide 3A] And so the gospel message is this.

[Slide 3B (in two parts)] God is light and the children He makes are children of Light.

[Slide 3C (in two parts)] Mankind though, is naturally of the darkness. And they love the darkness.

[Slide 3D] God doesn’t half change anyone.

[Slide 3E (in two parts)] Those whom He is saving, He will continue to save.

[Slide 3F] He will perfect them.

[Slide 4] But at the end of all this – John has this perplexing phrase. After saying that Christ is the believer’s intercessor and atonement for their sins, he continues “And not only for our sins but also for the whole world.”

Transition:

Although we are in I John, this sermon is very much like a topical sermon – so I will structure it in that way – asking questions.

I.) [Slide 5] Who is the “we, our, us” of this passage?

a. In verses 1-5 of chapter 1, John clearly uses “we” to refer to the collected apostles and their testimony of Christ and His gospel message. He establishes that they are the ones to turn to for the true gospel message.

b. Moving into verses 6 – 2:2, it is not extremely clear, but there appears to be a shift in the usage of “we”. Although it could be “we” the apostles, or it could be referring to John and his readers, the principles listed are clearly intended to be universal. Meaning any person. John is setting up hypothetical situations based on the teaching of the false teachers. And so, any person who says what they say proves themselves to be false. But any person who does what John says, proves themselves to be of God.

c. Where this gets tricky is right at chapter 2. John deviates from his pattern.

d. First, John includes a little note that he is writing so that his readers would never sin. This is a personal note. A note of particularity. He is not making this a universal statement to any – but rather a particular group.

e. Then John seems to pick his pattern back up again in verse 1 of chapter two but instead of saying But if we sin we have an advocate – he says but if anyone sins we have an advocate. Last time we saw how John intends this as any one of us.

f. So John had been saying – if anyone says something or does something then it proves something else. But here John says my desire is that you all, my little children in the faith, never sin, but if any one of us individually does sin.

g. And so when we get to the “we” in verse 1 where he says “we have an advocate”, what makes the most sense is not the universal anyone but rather John and his readers. Therefore, until John widens that context on who he is referring, we must assume that he is still talking about himself and his readers when he comes to the “our” in verse 2 when he says our sins and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world.

h. Why is this important?

i. The intent of John is to say, not to all Christians everywhere, but specifically to this church which John is writing to, that when they sin, they have an advocate and atonement in Christ for their sins, and not for their sins only but for the whole world.

j. But didn’t we apply that to us when we looked at it last? Yes we did.

k. When we broaden a text to apply to us, we cannot always take that broadness and put it back into the text. Although the certainty of Christ being our intercessor and advocate can be taken from John’s personal words to his little children, we cannot force John to be speaking to all Christians everywhere when he says this. It doesn’t work that way.

l. As a silly example of this – Jesus told his disciples to carry a sword. We are His disciples so our application is that we should protect ourselves. But is Jesus actually telling every single disciple of His from all time to carry a sword? If so – where is yours? Put down your bible! HAHA.

m. Bottom line – although the intercessory and atonement work of Christ is for all believers, we have to remember that John isn’t talking to all believers in this context.

Transition:

But…

II.) [Slide 6] What does atonement mean again?

a. We looked at this last time in detail. But let me remind you.

b. Christ’s atoning work is both the putting away of sin and the satisfaction of God’s wrath against sin.

c. It has both a mercy and grace element. Both not giving us what we have earned and giving us abundant favor and power of God to be who He wants us to be.

d. John is telling his readers that they have a perfect, complete, and unlimited atonement.

Transition:

So now comes the tricky part.

III.) [Slide 7] What could “the whole world” mean?

a. It is clear that John’s wish is not to limit the scope of that atonement to himself and his readers… but to broaden that out significantly. But how broad are we talking?

b. Depending on how broad we make this phrase it has significant theological impact.

c. [Slide 8] So the first interpretation of “the whole world” is that it is referring to every single person who has ever existed and ever will exist. Every human, ever. With this understanding it produces these doctrines.

i. Universalism – Jesus satisfied fully the sins of the whole world, therefore all will be saved.

1. This cannot be true because internally John clearly speaks of those who have no fellowship with God.

2. Externally the bible often includes eternal judgment for those who are not in Christ

3. This would make it necessary that all men, even the anti-Christ, and perhaps even Satan himself would be forgiven. When the bible clearly says otherwise.

ii. Potential Universalism – Jesus satisfies fully the sins of the whole world, therefore it is up to men to choose to repent and believe.

1. [Slide 9] This is an attractive option. And in fact, perhaps, this is what you believe. However, and I want to be gentle here, this cannot be what John means by this text for several reasons.

a. [Slide 10] We have already talked about election and how God foreordained those whom He would predestine to be conformed to the image of His Son. And those whom God predestined he called, those whom He called He Justified, those whom He Justified, He also Glorified. (Romans 8:28-29)

i. Notice how certain Paul is to the point that he puts it all in the past tense. As if God has already decreed this will happen. Not potential for it to happen, but certainty.

ii. Notice also that God foreordained whom He would glorify. The path is unbroken. It won’t be stopped. If God has foreordained someone – they will be glorified.

iii. And at the end of that, before glorification, the atonement or satisfaction for sin takes place in justification.

iv. So how is it that God is responsible to foreordain, predestine, call and justify, but it is up to man’s choice to determine if he continues on to God glorifying him?

v. The doctrines of election and the teaching that Christ has satisfied every single man, woman, child’s sin that has ever lived and only waits for that man to choose Him, are only compatible if all men are saved… which we covered already.

b. [Slide 11] A second problem with this view is its inherent limits on Christ’s atonement.

i. If we conclude that Christ’s payment reached back and forward and took care of the sin of all men for all time in all places and lands, and that God only waits for them to choose Him… there is a very large problem… Why would God choose 1 family? 1 nation? Wait 5000 years to send His Messiah? Why would God send His Son to a backwater county in the armpit of the Roman Empire? When Christ died, do you think anyone outside of Judea knew what happened? How long did it take the church to spread the gospel to the uttermost part of the earth? It is still happening. So, 2000 years and counting.

ii. [Slide 12] So the natural conclusion is this – if God supplied all mankind’s satisfaction of their sin in Christ, and merely wants them to repent and believe to be saved, if that is all that is standing in their way, is their choice, Then God chose the most ineffective way possible to spread that message.

iii. The only logical conclusion, is that God doesn’t actually want to save very many people. He has chosen a very slow and ineffective way to get that message to people. What at first appears to be an unlimited atonement, meaning it is given for everyone, in application, it becomes overwhelmingly limited. Meaning that what Christ accomplished in extent, will ultimately be extremely limited in effect.

c. [Slide 13] We have seen that there are serious scriptural and logical problems with this conclusion, that Jesus Satisfied God for the sins all of mankind and merely waits for them to choose Him. But this final argument was one espoused by Puritan John Owen, and one that tipped the scales for me. I hope it helps you as much as it did me.

i. [Slide 14A] If Christ satisfied the sin debt for all mankind and God commands all mankind to repent and believe to be saved. What if they don’t?

ii. You say, they are sent to hell. But why? Isn’t that double jeopardy? God condemns someone to hell after being fully satisfied with Christ’s payment for their sin?

iii. [Slide 14B] You say, God sends someone to hell for not repenting and believing.

1. Firstly, is this consistent with scripture? No. The New Testament writers agree, that it is for the practice of sins, that someone will not inherit the kingdom of God. Not for the failure to obey only this specific command of God.

2. Secondly, does God command repentance and belief of all men? Yes! Yes He does. So since God has commanded it that presents us with two very uncomfortable conclusions.

a. [Slide 14C] What do we call it when we disobey God’s commands?

i. Sin.

ii. So if Christ satisfied the sins of all men, why would God hold them accountable for the sin of not repenting and not believing?

iii. [Slide 14D] Did Christ satisfy all the sin of men except for 1?

iv. [Slide 14E] You say, This is the unpardonable sin! Is it?

v. We don’t have time to re-go over what the unpardonable sin is, but the cliff notes is that it is not a refusal to repent and believe rather it is belief and opposition.

vi. If you’d like to look into that further you can listen to the sermon from February 18th 2018. The title of the message is “The Unforgiveable Sin – Fighting for the Wrong Team”

b. [Slide 15A] The second uncomfortable conclusion is, what do we call it when we obey God’s command?

i. [Slide 15B] Is it not a work? Is it not a work of righteousness?

ii. [Slide 15C] But how can man be saved by obeying God? How is this by grace through faith?

iii. If God commands something, you obey it, and by this you are saved… it is no longer grace but merit that saves you.

iv. [Slide 15D] Furthermore, if the only difference between those in hell and those in heaven is that those in heaven chose to repent and believe, then all glory goes to the believer for believing.

v. Christ, then, is no longer the all sufficient answer for man’s sin because they must add their choice to His sacrifice for it to take effect.

2. Therefore, both scripturally, and logically, this passage cannot mean that Christ fully satisfied the sins of every man, woman and child from all time from all eras from all nations who has ever lived and simply waits for them to repent and believe to apply that to them.

iii. [Slide 16] Sufficient for Universalism but not Effective to Universalism

1. Taking what we have seen above, there are some who see Christ’s work as being the atonement, not only that satisfies God for the sins of the elect, but was also sufficient to satisfy God for the sins of the reprobate.

2. Although Christ’s payment was infinite, and therefore has infinite value, it is only applied to the elect.

3. This would be very encouraging for John’s readers to hear… that Christ’s sacrifice was not only sufficient for them but was enough to cover the sins of the whole world. They need not fear that His intercession or atonement runs dry. It can’t.

4. I believe that this is a valid way to understand this passage, but I still have some minor problems with it.

a. If Christ’s atonement was sufficient to satisfy God for the sins of all mankind, we have to wonder why God doesn’t apply it to all mankind? This is an easily defended critique because, we could say, who are you to question. God will show mercy to whom He will show mercy. Still – it is odd that the payment is available but not applied.

b. Finally, it comes down to God’s purposes. (Isaiah 46:10) God has decreed the end from the beginning. He has determined all that will be before the world began. What then is the point of Christ providing satisfaction for all men, if God’s purpose is to apply it only to some? Again, this may be easily defended by saying – Perhaps for John’s purpose right here… to encourage the elect to know that the payment was more than sufficient for them.

5. Still in the end, I think there are better explanations that coincide better with the whole of scripture.

iv. [Slide 17] Universal benefit but not universal atonement

1. When John says that Christ is the satisfaction for our sins and not for our sins only but for the sin of the whole world, some may say that John is not using atonement in the same sense to each group.

2. To the elect, to those who are God’s children, His satisfaction is complete and eternal.

3. However, to the rest, to those who are in the whole world across all time who are not God’s elect, to those Christ also has provided a satisfaction to God. Although it is temporary.

4. This seems to be what Paul has in view in I Timothy 4:10 when God is called the savior of all people, especially believers. That God delivers and preserves all people, but in a special way He does this for the elect.

5. God was satisfied with the elect through Christ and therefore His longsuffering was extended to all men in that they have been allowed to continue to experience the mercy of God on earth, because God was satisfied with Christ’s payment for the elect.

6. My problem with this view is that it doesn’t really fit in the context of what John is saying. John is saying that if any one of them sins they all (he included) have an intercessor and atonement for their sins which also has provided continued mercy to those who are unbelievers. If you were in this church, hounded by false teachers, how would this be encouraging? So these false teachers are here, not being judged because of what Christ did?

d. [Slide 18(blank)] So far, all we’ve seen is from the understanding that “the whole world” means every single person ever. But what if “the whole world” doesn’t mean that? What if by “the whole world” John is not expanding to all humans but rather all kinds of humans? A group not limited by space, time, language, culture or nation. That is where the next theological position comes in.

i. [Slide 19] Definite or Particular Satisfaction – Jesus Christ is the atonement for His elect.

1. [Slide 20] In various writings of 1st Century Jews outside the scriptures this phrase is used to mean a large group. A group of great number. Or even, a group that is not limited by what would normally limit them. As an example, one Rabbi writes that when a certain person entered the synagogue “The whole world stood up for him.” Obviously, this means a great number, not every single person who ever lived.

2. And you might be saying – this is complicating the plain text of scripture. After all – the bible says the whole world. That means the whole world. That is interesting. Go to I John 5:19.

a. [Slide 21] Here we – the elect ones – are from God.

b. But the whole world lies in the power of Satan.

c. In this context, the whole world means, the whole of those who are not from God. Obviously, it doesn’t mean every man, woman, child who has ever lived, lies (present tense) in the power of the evil one. We understand contextually from that, that this is not meaning everyone.

d. [Slide 22] In fact, when the bible uses this expression “The whole world” it can mean many different things. In general, the whole world means a collective of some kind.

i. [Slide 23] The created universe – so the collective of created things (Job 34:13; Jn 21:25)

ii. The earth – so the collective of the physical realm (Mt 16:26; Mk 8:36; Lk 9:25; Jn 21:25)

iii. In an innumerable number of or many places (Jer 50:23; 51:17; Ez 34:6; Romans 1:8)

iv. The whole Roman world (Lk 2:1)

v. The whole of the human race – so the collective of mankind (Rom 3:19; Rev 12:9)

vi. Humanity minus believers (as we saw in I John 5:19) – so the collective of non-elect ones (also in Rev 3:10; 13:3 16:14)

vii. Gentiles in addition to Jews – all people groups or nations – (Is 27:6; Mt 24:14; Rom 10:18; Col 1:6)

3. [Slide 24] And so with this understanding of how “the whole world” can be used, the primary thoughts diverge in two directions.

a. John, being an apostle commissioned to the Jews, is explaining to Jewish Christians that it is not them alone who will experience the satisfaction of their sin in Christ but also the whole world. Meaning the full scope of humanity in the sense that all races and tribes.

i. I have one major problem with this view. It is simply the fact that John in NO WAY seems to be talking to Jews.

ii. In fact, if this was written from Ephesus in the late 80s to early 90s, it seems as though John’s “Jewish Ministry” after the fall of Jerusalem would be very much over.

b. Another way to see this “whole world” is to understand the context of I John. Remember the Gnostics said that only a select group of people would be picked for this special knowledge. Only those of a spiritual lineage would inherit that knowledge.

c. So what a comfort and encouragement to John’s readers to know, that not only is it true that when any one of them sins, they all, John included, have an advocate and an atonement for their sins… but that they are not alone. That Christ’s satisfaction is not done.

d. It reaches back to save God’s people from Eden and will continue to grow and extend, not just in Ephesus, but throughout the whole world, throughout all time. God’s satisfaction is sufficient to save those whom He has foreordained. Not simply those of a certain lineage – but all who God has predestined, will be called, will be justified, and will be glorified.

e. Which means us.

Title: Our First Lord’s Supper

Text: I Corinthians 11:23-26

FCF: We often struggle to comprehend the nature of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.

Prop: Because we have failed in the past, we must correct course for the Lord’s Supper.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Corinthians chapter 11. Today is going to be a different kind of message for a lot of reasons. First, you already know that this is not going to be a sermon from our I John study, although we will reference what we have learned from I John because it is quite appropriate to what we are talking about. Second, you notice that this sermon is again dealing with the Lord’s Supper. And you might be thinking – wait – didn’t we have a Lord’s Supper Sermon recently? You’d be right. Hence the reason that this sermon is going to be quite different today.

The last message on the Lord’s Supper was primarily a polemic. It was a sermon designed to advocate and or prove a different way of understanding the Lord’s Supper. In fact, it was a different way of viewing grace and how God gives grace to us. In that sermon, from scripture, we established that God gives us mercy (forgiveness and removal of sin) and grace (power of God and passion from God to do His will) through the completed work of Christ, which is perpetually applied to us through faith. This alone may have been somewhat radical for you to consider. That God continues to apply the benefits of the atonement to us actively. But we have since seen this very truth presented in I John.

In the sermon from October 27th, we saw from scripture that God has established a sign of a spiritual truth. The spiritual truth is that Christ sustains us as we are conformed into the image of Christ. The sign of this truth is the Lord’s Supper. That not only can we be united with Christ - but there is a physical sign of that truth that God has arranged, to offer His children more grace. We saw how the sign not only symbolizes our being sustained by Christ, but the sign also helps to sustain us.

At the end of this sermon, I concluded by asking you to pray for the leadership as they consider what was spoken and potentially challenge my interpretation. Well, at our deacons retreat – there was no objection. There was consensus that as the Lord revealed to me, so the Lord revealed to them. The church leadership and I are in agreement. That theologically we must change our perspective on the Lord’s Supper.

So if you are looking for a strong scriptural message proving the way that we have come to view the Lord’s Supper, then you need to go back and listen to the message from October 27th.

So what is our message for today?

Today will be a hybrid of teaching and preaching. Today we will pull from church history, CBC church history, and scripture to answer one question that may be on your mind. That question is… “What’s the big difference?”

It occurred to me as I was looking over the previous sermon, that it may be beneficial to have a message that directly compares how we at CBC have traditionally viewed the Lord’s Supper or Communion and how we are coming to view it now. It is my hope that in such a direct comparison, we can truly see what the big difference is and know exactly what is changing and what to expect from the gathering tonight.

So this may be a tad unconventional but let me begin with prayer and ask for the Lord’ to help us.

Transition:

So the first question I think we need to answer to explore all this is simply …

I.) [Slide 2] What was our view of the Lord’s Supper (Communion)?

a. There is shockingly little information regarding the Lord’s Supper in our constitution. Only a few line items that primarily relate to when it is practiced and who prepares it.

b. Therefore, we rely primarily on experience and observing how we have always done it.

c. I think the best summary of how we viewed the Lord’s Supper previously was that it was a memorial service.

d. It was a service designed to remember what Christ did on the cross. In some of our more creative services we would even draw attention to the fact that the bread was mangled in our mouths and the grape juice spilled freely.

e. We would even have recognized how the blood was the beginning of the New Covenant for us.

f. We would praise the Lord for what He had done through His Son.

g. You might be thinking… well all of this sounds pretty good. I’m not sure what’s wrong with the way we had things.

h. You’d be right. There was nothing really inherently “wrong” or sinful with what we were doing before.

i. But what if I offered you a legally binding agreement to give you 10 million dollars. And I gave you two options. The first, is to receive the 10 million up front, minus taxes, minus fees. So it translates into around $6 million in one day. Now without listening to the second option, you take that one. Is there anything wrong with getting a check for 6 million dollars? Of course not. That is great. But 30 years after this event, you are getting up in years, what is the likelihood that that the 6 million is still having a significant impact on your life? I can tell you that statistically it is very unlikely. In fact, most people who inherit such cash have it spent within 5 years. But if you had waited for the second option, the second option was to receive the 10 million tax free in $8,000 monthly installments for the next 104 years. Not only would you have been given the full 10 million, but you also would have been completely and perpetually sustained by the money for the duration of your life and probably even your children’s lives. I mean you can probably get by on spending 8,000 a month, right?

j. The way we viewed The Lord’s Supper before is like receiving the lump sum. We are always looking back at what Christ has done for us. Always remembering what He gave. And there is nothing wrong with remembering what He did. We are going to continue to do that. But perhaps… it is more than that?

II.) [Slide 3] Where did we come up with this memorial view?

a. It is a view derived from scripture. I Corinthians 11 if you are there, starting in verse 23 reading through verse 26.

b. Here we see Jesus specifically say to remember. To do this in remembrance of Him. And while we can dig deeper to find more there, it certainly would still include looking back and remembering what He accomplished.

c. We also have to understand church history on this. Coming out of the Medieval period, there was only one organized global visible church. The Roman Catholic Church. While there were dissenters, they were fairly small pockets.

d. And the view of the Roman Catholic Church regarding the Lord’s Supper is one that is quite different than both what we believed and what we are moving toward. They would say that Christ is brought down from heaven at the command of the priest. That Christ is actually, and really, sacrificed again for the sake of believers. That his literal flesh and literal blood are fused with the bread and wine themselves. So that when they eat and drink, the person eating and drinking receive a locally present and corporeally real body and blood of Christ. That although all 5 senses may consider it bread or wine – it is actually, in substance, Christ’s literal human body and blood.

e. Through this, the believer is given grace. But the grace received in Roman Catholic Communion is not the grace we have been and will be discussing. At baptism, within the Roman Catholic Church, a person has their original sin washed away. Meaning that the sign of baptism does not point to the spiritual reality of being baptized with Christ, nor does God use the sign to accomplish the washing, but rather it is the means by which a person is washed and able to believe. It is literally regeneration by works. Getting baptized regenerates them to a state of grace.

f. However, when a Roman Catholic sins, they lose that state of grace. If they commit lesser sins, then they lose a little bit of ground in their grace state… if they commit a serious sin, they lose that grace entirely. They are then required to perform the sacraments to earn grace back. These include among others, penance and the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper.

g. Therefore, taking of mass, or the Lord’s Supper, restores them to a state of grace, actually forgiving any lesser sins outright, and helping to offset penance they may need for greater sins. And as long as they are in that state of grace or close to it when they die, they will endure little purgatory and be ushered into heaven.

h. I hope you can see the differences in what we are learning in I John. The work of God is on display in I John when we sin… but in the Roman Catholic faith, it is primarily the work of man that is on display.

i. Luther – broke from this view to say that Christ’s presence was with, under, around the elements. Like a sponge soaked in water. A sponge is not water, nor water a sponge, but they are linked. So Christ’s body and blood are linked to the bread and wine although they remain bread and wine. Luther still would view the Lord’s Supper as a way to forgive sin.

j. In reaction to both of these views, Ulrich Zwingli put forward the memorial view, to deny any real presence of Christ in the elements themselves and only in the gathering together of the people of God.. The Lord’s Table for Zwingli was a symbol or a memorial of what Christ’s body. Even still, Zwingli did not deny the presence of Christ at the table in His people, nor did he deny the concept of God using the table to grow His people, although he staunchly opposed the mere eating and drinking earning God’s action.

k. So, traveling back in time in church history we see that CBC held to a heavily modified and paired down version of what Zwingli taught. I’d like to think that if Zwingli were alive and observed what we were doing, he might have pulled me aside and told me to get my theology right.

III.) [Slide 4] What are the problems with this and why are we changing?

a. As we’ve already said… the raw or simple memorial view is absolutely true. It is wholly biblical.

b. However, in viewing the Lord’s table as a raw memorial, there are some unfortunate side effects. Side effects that I can confirm were present in our practice of the Lord’s Supper.

i. If it is simply a reminder of what Jesus has done in the past, why is it repeated? This is something I thought often. In fact, most of the time, although it was scheduled for the first of the month, I admit, I forgot it was happening. I didn’t forget Christ died for me, and I had been drawn to that very fact from the pages of scripture during that very week. But I needed a reminder to remember the reminder service. If it is only a reminder of what Christ did – I found… at the risk of sounding arrogant… I didn’t really need it.

ii. If it is simply a reminder of what Jesus has done in the past, why are unbelievers excluded? Should we not remind them also of what Christ did? Isn’t that what Evangelism is? Should we not illustrate Christ’s death vividly by having them eat the symbol of what He went through? It seems like this is a vivid evangelistic illustration that we are missing the opportunity to have. And yet scripture forbids unbelievers from partaking.

iii. As is typical with other memorial events – it is easily absorbed in ritual and tradition. Memorial day has become get the boat out day. July 4th has become fireworks and hotdog day. Christmas has become a great many things besides celebrating Christ’s birth. When we have an event to remember something only – it tends to devolve into something less than what it was. And so for me, it was far easier to read the passage, take the cracker and juice, pray, sing, and be done with it than it was to be creative and try to come up with a unique way to present the same thing we have known for some time.

iv. If it is only a memorial, we structure it like a memorial. 1 person delivering a eulogy. Everyone participating in one way or another. Remembering how the dead person affected them. We all leave. One wonders how the Corinthian church was able to make it a drunken party from a raw memorial? And don’t we serve a risen savior? Why are memorializing His death only? Does He say to do it in remembrance of His death, or in remembrance of Him?

v. Finally, since it is only a memorial of something that has happened. We might be convinced that there is no longer anything we need but what has been provided. In one way that is true. We need nothing else. But the truth is that we need the reality of Him every day of our lives.

IV.) [Slide 5] What is different about the new way we understand the Lord’s Supper?

a. The Lord’s Supper is a way that God has prepared to give grace to His children. It is a means of grace.

b. Now I must confess that I absolutely hate that terminology. I hate it because it can be misunderstood.

c. By saying this, we are in no way talking about the Roman Catholic view of grace. We are not talking about returning to a condition of no original sin. From John’s epistle, we know, that that is not actually possible. All have sinned. All are sinners. We cannot erase that fact. We are not talking about doing good works to earn grace from God.

d. The Lord’s Supper is not a way that we can earn God’s favor by eating His Son.

e. Instead, The Lord’s Supper is a way that God gives grace to His children by uniting them to Christ spiritually by the bread and the juice. So linked is the symbol and the thing symbolized, that by faith, one who is truly of Christ, is given God’s power to grow through this event, which is a special expression of how His power is always given – through Christ. We are spiritually fed by the very words of God, and Jesus is the Word – therefore we are spiritually fed by the benefits of the atonement of Christ. Namely His body and His blood. Not by the bread and juice alone, nor by Christ’s actual human flesh or human blood, but by the effect His body and blood produced.

f. In Hebrews 9 and 10 as we saw last time – His body secures us a new and ongoing way to access the Father and His blood sprinkles us clean as we enter that presence, inaugurating for us a New Covenant. We are free of the guilt of sin and we can enter His throne room as a child. Receiving mercy because that is always offered and finding grace because that is a gift we may not have expected, but that God freely gives through Christ. We don’t see the Lord’s Supper as a way to forgive our sin. Our sins ARE forgiven. Rather, we see the Lord’s Supper as a way that God has promised to further unite us to His Son and dispense to us grace to conform us to be more like Him.

g. Before we saw the Lord’s Supper as a raw memorial of what Christ has done. Now we see The Lord’s Supper as a way to be united to Christ by faith through all 5 senses participating in realizing our real plight – that we are perpetually sustained by Christ alone. In this faith, in believing this very truth, while partaking of the Lord’s Table, God gives grace which is the strength to do His good pleasure and the passion to do His good pleasure.

h. In short, God uses this memorial to nourish and grow His dear children.

i. There is the difference.

j. This is no raw memorial. It is not a ritual. It is a sermon we all get to preach. It is the gospel encapsulated, It is sanctification on display. And it is a sign that we have – only until our Lord returns. For when He does we will no longer need to be sustained by Him – for we will be with Him and we will be like Him.

k. The sign signifies the truth of God sustaining us in Christ and God actually sustains us with Christ as we partake in the sign. It is like a husband’s kiss. Wives – does your husband’s kiss symbolize the truth of his love for you, or does his kiss give his love to you? Are you merely convinced of the truth or do you partake in the truth when he kisses you? Both! Right? The same is true of the Lord’s Supper. It is a sign of a deeper spiritual truth that is communicated to us when we who are His children observe the sign.

l. The Lord's Supper then, is a celebration of God's grace, not human achievement. The power of it is not found in our ability to meditate deeply, but rather on the way in which God's Spirit uses this celebration to nourish our hearts.

m. Going back to our illustration from before. Christ’s death is that 10 million dollar gift. But he did not pay that to us in a lump sum. Instead he has paid it once, and continues to support us with that one-time payment. The atonement itself is the $8,000 monthly check. We are not sustained by Him in one lump sum but rather, we continue to draw spiritual life from Him. And there is more there than we alone could ever use. The Lord’s Supper then, is one way, a special way by which God delivers that monthly check. If I can be so crude, The Lord’s Supper is a direct deposit. Giving us immediate life and grace by spiritually feasting on Christ’s atonement, together. Communally.

Conclusion:

[Slide 6 (blank)] So when we have the Lord’s Supper together… it is a chance for all of us to come together and be nourished by the grace of God. We all lack the power and desire to do what God wants of us. We know this is true. How does that change? Through Christ, exclusively. And in the Lord’s Supper, God offers us Christ. Not physically or in some cannibalistic sense. But spiritually in the benefits of the atonement sense.

Tonight we will observe the Lord’s table this way, for the first time. It will be the first time for many of you. May it comfort you to know that it will be for the first time for me too. We are doing this together, for the first time.

[Slide 7] When it comes down to it- in function what will be different?

1.) It is not during our morning service but rather at night. The time of this may fluctuate as we go on, but we will probably always try to disconnect the morning service from the Lord’s Supper to bring a level of importance to the event.

2.) It will be longer. Most of time, we were able to complete the Lord’s Supper segment in our service within 10 minutes. This will no longer be the case. Tonight – for many reasons – we will be keeping it cut to about 30 minutes. But as we move forward we may be expanding that to an hour or beyond.

3.) It will include more than just eating the bread and drinking the juice. There may be songs, scriptures read, prayers prayed, reminders of the meaning of the event and warnings not to partake lightly. There are many forms it could take – and we will try to make it our own as we go.

4.) Expect the event to be much more intimate, facing one another, and even leading to confession of sin to one another and prayer for one another.

Ahead of this though, let me give you a “do partake” and “don’t partake” list. Let me start with the don’ts.

[Slide 8] “Don’t partake if”

1.) You are not a believer. You can come and observe if you like. You can come and see what we do. But do not come to partake in the elements. Why?

a. Because there is absolutely nothing there for you. Because the benefits of the Supper are only given to those who are believing, there is no benefit for you.

b. There are actually warnings for those who partake in an unworthy way. If you are not of Christ, this is included in that list. God has, and continues to actually cause sickness and even death of those who partake of this event in an unworthy way.

2.) You are a believer who is harboring sin. The Corinthians were being selfish and treating the event as another meal. As we saw in I John, it is our agreement with God about our sin that proves that God is faithful and just with the result of forgiving and cleansing. If you are disagreeing with God about your sin, you are lacking the evidence that you have the faith necessary for this meal. And the sin in question matters little. It is the heart that matters. If you will not give up a sin, even if it is something like unforgiveness or even pride. If you do not wish to crucify that sin, and have no intention of forsaking it, you should not partake of this meal. Instead you should repent. And turn from your sin. Turning does not imply victory over the sin. If you turn from it and it is nipping at your heels – come to the table and find grace to defeat it.

3.) You are a believer who holds to any view of the Lord’s Supper other than what scripture suggests. If you do not believe that you are partnered to Christ’s body and blood in this event. If you do not believe that God sustains you by grace through Christ. If you believe that your partaking earns God’s grace or forgiveness. I would encourage you not to partake also. I would not say with certainty that you would be guilty of the unworthy manner, but you certainly would not be united with us. Please take time to square this teaching in your head. Only partake if you are convinced of what scripture teaches.

Perhaps in these three, you have discovered that you should not partake. If you are worried that we will notice you are not there – well that is probably true. We are a fairly small church. We will notice you aren’t there. We will notice if you are there and don’t partake. But you don’t need to fear that. There will be no judgment. There may be someone coming to you to try to help you. But it will be with a heart of love – I guarantee it. It is far better to be asked why you did not eat from a person who loves you than to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ and endure punishment from God.

[Slide 9] “Do partake if”

1.) You are a believer struggling to get victory over a sin.

2.) You are a believer feeling disconnected from Christ

3.) You are a believer feeling disconnected from other believers

4.) You are a believer who desires to live a life more like Christ

5.) You are a believer who wishes to obey Christ

6.) You are a believer who desires to proclaim Christ’s atonement with your life.

7.) You are a believer who wants to celebrate the mercy and grace of God as He gives it.

Why? Because that is what the Lord’s Supper is for. It is for you. His body is for you. His blood is for you. The Lord’s Supper is a gift to us… His people. So that we may remember our Lord, commune with Him and with one another, and hope in the day when we will eat the marriage supper with Christ.

With that in mind, go home this afternoon and examine your life for the evidence of this covenant of grace that God has made with you. Examine as a family. Examine your heart for any harbored sin. And if after examination, you are in that “Do partake” list – then joyfully come and celebrate with us.