Skip to content Walking in God's Light and Love: 1 John 3-5 Dec 9 · 16 min ...more
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Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
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God's Love and the Call to Righteousness 0:09 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me this morning. Alright. Our journey takes us to the final 3 chapters of first John as we look at chapters 3 through 5. Verse 2 of chapter 5, by0:21 this, we know that we love the children of God. When we love God and we keep his commandments. Now I'm gonna have to warn you in advance. This is this is like a smorgasbord of truth, and we only0:33 have time for a a takeout plate. So be sure and and read all of these chapters and jot down what the holy spirit shows you because there is there is so much here that,0:45 applies to us today. Now just a reminder, the lord willing, we are going to start a new journey through the bible next month. And so I I hope that you will prayerfully consider 2 requests. Number0:57 1, that you'll join me on this journey again. And number 2, that you'll invite someone to join you on this journey, that someone needs to be encouraged and strengthened by a daily,1:10 just daily abiding in the word of God. So if you if you'll do that, here's what, I'd ask you to do. Text the word bible to 6 7 7 4 2. Bible to 6 7 7 4 2. Now you1:22 may be on this journey and say, I'm just gonna continue it. Well, there's new resources available. We wanna be able to communicate with you about that. So if you will, sign up at, again, text bible to 6 71:34 7 4 2. There's also a place here that you can share that with, with others. You can send it to them. They can sign up as well. Alright. Verse 1, chapter 3. Behold what manner of love the father1:45 has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God. Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know him. Now this first verse1:57 should prompt some soul searching. Who do we want to be known by? God or the world? From whom are we seeking approval and affirmation? God or2:09 the world? As John has made abundantly clear here, it can't be both light and darkness because the 2 are incompatible. We can't be wanting to walk in the light of fellowship with2:21 god and the darkness by being in fellowship with the world. It's 1 or the other. Verse 4, whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. Alright. Any2:33 questions? If policymakers would rediscover the wisdom contained in this verse, I believe it would change our country. It would make America2:45 great again by first making it good again. You know, as sin, and sin is that which is contrary to the word and the will of God, is actually condoned by our2:56 laws and our policy, guess what happens? We get lawlessness. I mean, look what's been happening in our country in the last decade. You see, we cannot pick and choose3:08 what we want to consider lawless. Okay? We can't determine that. Yes. The court can make decisions. Policymakers can pass laws. But here's the reality,3:20 that which violates god's truth is lawless, and lawlessness only breeds more lawlessness. Verse 5, and you know that he was manifested to3:32 take away our sins, and in him there is no sin. Whoever abides in him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen him nor known him. So John is not saying here3:44 that a believer never sins. We know that's not true. Alright? What he is saying is a child of god is not at home in the house of sin. Alright? They're not gonna be comfortable. Not not gonna3:56 take up residence there. Verse 8, he who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the son of god was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Now if4:08 you're living in the house of sin and you're comfortable, well, guess who your landlord is? It's Satan. But you can move out. The lease was broken by4:19 Jesus on the cross, and you can be free. Alright. Verses, 10 through 18, we see, again, the evidence of our unity with god being love and unity with other believers.4:32 Verse 10 chapter 3. In this, the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God nor is he who does not love4:44 his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning that we should love 1 another. Alright. This is getting, it's getting very practical, very real. This is where the rubber meets the road4:56 and it's getting very personal. By this, we know love because he laid down his life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. That's verse 16. Verse 18, my little5:08 children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Verse 23, and this is his commandment that we should believe on the name5:19 of his son, Jesus Christ, and love 1 another as he gave us commandment. I have a a a paperweight on my, a desk at at home that someone that,5:31 someone gave it to me, and it summarizes this verse. Love God, love people. Love God, love people. It's it it it it that is means what Jesus said in the 2 greatest commandments is really the summary of the5:43 10 commandments. Love God, love people. Verse 24. Now he who keeps his commandments abides in him and he in him. And by this, we know that he abides in5:55 us by the spirit whom he has given us. You see, abiding in Christ requires obeying him. Verse 4 verse6:07 1 chapter 4. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this, you know the spirit of God.Testing Spirits and Embracing God's Love 6:19 Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the6:31 antichrist, which you have heard was coming and now already and now and is now already in the world. Now this is this is really the acid test for truth, and we6:43 read this over in chapter 2 last time. Verse 4 of chapter 4, you are of God, little children, and have overcome them because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. We've heard6:55 that verse, great verse. Through Christ, we have overcome the world because as evidenced at the cross, the power of god is greater than the power of Satan, and we need to walk in7:07 that. Satan is a deceiver. He'll try to keep us blinded to that reality, but we need to be reminding ourselves of that through being in the word of god, meditating upon the word of god,7:19 obeying the word of god. Verse 4, they are of the world. Therefore, they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of god. He who knows God hears7:31 us. He who is not of God does not hear us. By this, we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. This is the sheep and the goats. Those that hear the spirit of truth and those who listen to the spirit of error7:43 is the division. It's quite evident. Now here through the rest of the chapter, we see again this major theme of John's letter. Our love of god is evidenced in7:54 our love for our fellow believers. Verse 7. Beloved, let us let us love 1 another for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows8:06 God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this, the love of God was manifested towards that toward us that God has sent his only begotten son8:18 into the world that we might live through him. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love 1 another. No 1 has seen God at any time. If8:30 we love 1 another, God abides in us and his love has been perfected in us. You know, it is through our our through through fellowship with other believers. We we see the characteristics8:43 of god. And and and in his presence, it is in believers' word. Jesus said, where 2 or 3 are gathered, there I am. Verse 16, and we have known and believed the love that8:55 god has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in god and god in him. Love has been perfected among us in this that we may have boldness in the day of judgment9:07 because as he is, so are we in the world. Verse 18, this there is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear because fear involves9:19 torment, but he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love him because he first loved us. If someone says I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. For9:31 he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God who whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from him that he who9:43 loves God must love his brother also. This is, this is challenging. Alright? But it's important to define what John is talking about here when it comes to love.9:55 Okay? Because in our culture, our culture, especially today, has conflated love with affirmation. God did not send Jesus to die on the cross to affirm us in our sin, but to save10:07 us from our sin. So what he's talking about, our love, we love as Jesus, as god loved us, is a perfect standard of love. It is not affirmation. And so10:19 when we're loving some words, we're to love, especially the brother, the brothers, our our brothers and sisters in Christ, that is evidence that god is in us, that we're loving fellow believers. It also10:31 the fact that god is in us, the holy spirit is in us, it enables us to love, but it's loving according to god's standard, not the world standard. We cannot affirm every decision, every10:43 behavior. And also when we're talking about unity, it doesn't mean that we're uniform, uniformity. Doesn't mean that we see everything the same. There can be differences. Many remember Paul's description of the body,10:55 1 body, many members. Every part of the body has a different function. It also has a different perspective, and that's fine.11:07 And and and the body of but we should respect each and everyone, loving them knowing that each and everyone in the body of Christ has a purpose and a calling. Alright.11:20 In the next chapter, he defines what, what love of god looks like. So we'll just just brace yourself for that. We're gonna talk more about that in the next chapter here. By this, we know that we love the children of god11:31 when we love god and keep his commandments. Okay? For this is the love of god that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomesObedience, Victory, and Confident Prayer 11:43 the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. So alright. So here, our our standard is a love for God, and if we love God, we're gonna be loving 1 another. But look what it says here. If11:55 we love God, we obey him. And our faith in him it's our faith in him that overcomes the power of this world. Alright. So it's, you know, love is just12:07 not this free for all if anything goes. Our love for God is demonstrated in our obedience to God. And through that obedience to his word and the power of the holy spirit in12:19 us, we can love others, which is evidence that the holy spirit is working in us. And I I would say it's a challenge. Alright? I I recognize that. But that's why we have to12:31 abide in Christ. That's why we have to be in his word. That's why we have to have the holy spirit prompting us, convicting us, when we fail to meet this standard. And that is the evidence of12:42 god working in our life is that we love the brother. Alright. In the last chapter, John also gives guidance for prayer. Verse 14 of chapter 5. Now this is the confidence that we have in him that if12:54 we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of him. So how do13:06 we know his will? How do we know what to pray? Here it is, the word of God and the Holy Spirit. As John John wrote these words in the gospel in his gospel, he wrote these words of13:18 Jesus. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. That's what Jesus said. Abide in if you my if my words13:30 abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. Well, if if the word of god is abiding in us, well, we're going to be requesting those things of god which are in accordance with his word.13:42 And in Romans 8 verse 26 and 27, Paul wrote this, likewise, the spirit also helps us in our weakness for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the spirit13:54 himself makes intercession for us according to the will of God. It's a good chap a good 3 chapters, a lot, Phil, a lot in there. So I I, again,14:06 I encourage you to to meditate upon that, read it, make those notes that the the the the holy spirit prompts you with. And, it's it's always good to go back sometimes and look at those notes. And,14:18 and and sometimes additional, reading is necessary. So it's always great to have a good commentary. Matthew Henry is a good commentary. There are others. But I encourage you to14:30 make the most of this journey through the word of God. Father, we thank you for your word. And and, Lord, what a high standard. But where we can't we can't meet this standard on our own to love14:42 our brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow followers of Christ. And, Lord, I I know it's just like in a family, there's just disagreements and there are conflicts. And and so in the broader body of Christ, those exist.14:54 But when the Holy Spirit is working in us and we're abiding in you and we love you and we're obeying you, the evidence is that there is15:06 the love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Doesn't mean we all see everything the same. There's differences of opinion and different views, but there is an abiding love. And so, father, I15:18 pray I pray for the body of Christ today, for every follower of Jesus Christ, Christ that the evidence would be there, that we would love 1 another as we15:30 obey you, as, we walk in fellowship with you, loving you because you first loved us. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Again, thanks15:41 for joining me this morning. And, again, be sure to sign up. Text the word bible to 6 7 7 4 2 for our next journey. Until next time, keep standing on the word.15:54 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you16:06 can read through the entire bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 God's Love and the Call to Righteousness6:08 Testing Spirits and Embracing God's Love11:34 Obedience, Victory, and Confident Prayer
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