Scriptures: 1 John 2:3-6
Opening Statement:
Obedience is a central theme throughout Scripture. Remember, Jesus not only said, "Believe me," he also said, "Follow me." God places a high premium on our obedience.
I have a question I want you to think about as I preach this morning, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would they find enough evidence to convict you?”
John gives us four reasons for obeying God’s commands in these verses.
I) Obedience Provides Evidence of Our Salvation. (1 John 2:3)
Let me be very clear, John is not answering the question, "How does one become a Christian?" He is not saying that if you want to be saved or receive God's grace or know God, then you have to obey. He is saying, "Here's how you know that you know God: it's manifested in the way you live. It's manifested in your obedience." In other words, we know that we know God because we keep his commandments.
John is not teaching that salvation is conditional on obedience. John is teaching that salvation is evidenced by obedience John 14:15.
II) Obedience Proves Our Lives are Transformed. (1 John 2:4)
John restated verse three with a warning. His point is: If you claim to know God but your life is not changed by knowing him, then that is a certain sign that you don't know God.
He is not saying that the truth is in one's head and has not made it to their hearts, but maybe someday it will. He is saying that once you know the truth it changes us. It transforms us. God's truth always leads to love; it always leads to obedience; it always leads to a transformed life. So, when that transformed life is not present, you can be certain that the person has never had the truth; he or she has never known God.
III) Obedience Grows Out of Love from Him and for Him. (1 John 2:5)
In this verse John broadens the scope from "obey his commands" to "obeys his word." But it is the second half of the verse that gets my attention, "God's love is truly made complete in him." John seems to be saying that our love for God is a reflection of God's love for us and a response to it, so that our keeping of God's word could be a sign that God's love had done its full work in us.
If we love God, we will keep his commands and that obedience will in turn be evidence of our love for God.
IV) Obedience Can be Seen Through Our Walk. (1 John 2:5-6)
John employs another expression of being a Christian: in him. The phrase is synonymous with "live [abide] in him." It implies a living relationship of the deepest and closest sorts with God through Jesus Christ. This relationship issues forth, not in passivity and indifference and inattention to duty, but in activity and commitment and love for God's will, imitating Christ's way of living.
Are you living in Christ? You are if you're resting in Jesus Christ, if you've found him to be the source of every spiritual blessing, you're trusting in him for salvation; you're fellowshipping with him in grace; then your whole life will have been changed.
In Closing:
This message is important for at least two reasons. It's important because some people profess to be Christians but are not living in accordance with God's word and really have no deep desire to do so.
This message is important because some people wrestle with a lack of assurance because of imperfections in their lives. And John would say, "I'm not asking for perfect obedience to God's word; I'm asking you to look at your heart and answer this question: Are you keeping God's commandments?"
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