|
Sermons from 1
John |
KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS |
|
Other sermons from 1 John
Sharing The Word Of Life (1:1-3) This series of sermons is presently being preached and will be added to as available
|
There is a story told in Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography of a pastor who was ordered to read the proclamation issued by Charles I, bidding the people to return to sports on Sundays. To his congregation’s horror and amazement, he did read the royal edict in church, which many preachers had refused to do. But he followed it with the words, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” and added: “Brethren, I have laid before you the commandment of your king and the Commandment of your God. I leave it to you to judge which of the two ought rather to be observed.” John speaks to us concerning keeping the commandments of God. What the commandments are is defined in verse 5 where we are told to keep “His Word.” The commandments are the Word of God and when we are told to keep His commandments we are being told to keep His Word. A little boy saw his father use a square to see if a board he was planing was straight. “Why are you so careful, Daddy?” asked the boy. “We can’t guess in carpenter work,” his dad said. “You have to be just right. People guess at too many things. God does not like that way of living.” “I guess there are no squares for living by,” said the boy. “Yes, there are squares to live by, and you will find them in the Bible. Test all that you do by them, and you go straight in life, my boy.” The Bible gives us “squares” to live by and as believers we are to both guard and guide our life by these squares. The commandments of the Bible are to be obeyed and followed. Now let’s look at what John has to say about keeping the commandments of God. 1. WHAT KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS DECLARES In verses 3-4 we find that keeping the commandments is a tattle-tale of our profession. If we keep the commandments of God it proves something and if we do not keep the commandments of God it proves something. What does it prove? A) It Proves The Reality Of Our Profession We read in verse 3, “And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” It has been well stated that the Gospel of John was written that we might know how to be saved and the epistle of 1 John was written that we might know we are saved. The believer can know that they are saved. We do not have to wonder or hope we are saved, but we can know. It is our right and privilege to be able to sing with Fanny Crosby, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.”
On
several different occasions in 1 John we are given tests or reasons by
which we can know that we are saved. John wants us to “know” that we
are saved (Cp. 1 John 2:3, Let me make it very clear that John is not saying that we are saved because we keep His commandments, but rather we keep His commandments because we are saved. The point that John makes is that when we are saved we will keep the commandments of God. The word “keep” speaks of a person guarding a treasure. The word means, “to keep the eye upon.” What John is saying is that within a person is a desire to keep God’s commandments. A saved person wants to keep the commandments of God. You remember when you first got saved how there was put in your heart a desire to live for God. These desires to keep God’s commandments and guard them in your heart and life were and is, evidence that you have been saved. Now this does not mean that we will not break God’s commandments or that there will not be times when we fail to keep the commandments. We have already seen in past studies that no one can say they are without sin or have not sinned. It is not an absolute or perfect keeping of the commandments but a truly saved person desires to keep God’s commandments. There is a "want to" in his heart. Just as the presence of this desire is very revealing, also the absence of this desire is also revealing. B) It Proves The Falsity Of Our Profession We read in verse 4, “He that saith I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” If we keep the commandments of God it is evidence that we are saved. On the other hand, if we do not keep the commandments of God it is evidence that we have not been saved. Or to put it another way, if there is a desire to keep God’s commandments, this desire is evidence that we are saved. Yet, if this desire is missing, it is evidence that we are not saved. If we claim to be saved, yet have no desire to live for God, John says that person is a liar and the truth is not in him. There are many who say they are saved, but when it comes to God, He means nothing to them. They have no desire to obey God, serve God, or live for Him. This person only has a profession, but not a possession. As I said earlier, the keeping of the commandments of God is a tattle-tale of the heart. Our keeping of the commandments declares that we are saved. I remember hearing someone give the testimony, “Since I got saved I cuss all I want to, I drink all I want to, I party all I want to, but since I got saved I don’t want to cuss, drink, or party.” 2. WHAT THE KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS DEVELOPS We read in verse 5, “But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.” Once again John states that keeping God’s commandments is proof of our salvation, but he also describes the result of keeping His commandments. The keeping of His commandments results in the love of God being perfected in us. The word “perfected” speaks of that which is accomplished or completed in our life. This suggests two things: A) The Intimacy That Is Enjoyed As we keep His commandments we enjoy a special sense of His love toward us. We are already and always loved by God, but as we keep God’s commandments that love becomes even more real and special to us. John has already had much to say about fellowship, and as we live in fellowship with Him, we get closer to Him and He gets closer to us. We enjoy a sense of His presence and enjoy an awareness of His love that is special. To put it another way, in proportion that we show our love for God, in greater proportion God makes His love known to us. It is more than knowledge of His love; it is an experience of His love. It is intimate relationship and fellowship of His love. If you stand amazed at God’s love now, the keeping of His commandments will only make His love even more special. B) The Maturity That Is Experienced The word “perfected” indicates there is a growth or maturing that is being accomplished in us. The tense of the word “keepeth” is that we keep on keeping His commandments. As we keep on keeping His commandments we grow spiritually and the love of God becomes even more real and special to us. I think of Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:18-19: “May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; [19] And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” The word “comprehend” means, "to seize, possess." Paul’s prayer was that there be a growing knowledge and seizing of the love of Christ. As we keep His commandments we experience this growing knowledge and seize the depths, height, breadth, and length of His love for us. We read in verse 6, “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” If we are to keep His commandments it demands that we walk with the Lord. Walking with the Lord has been a major emphasis of John up to this point. Once again John reminds us that if we are to have fellowship with God, we must walk with him. Notice this walk: A) A Walk That Reflects The Profession of our Faith John tells us that if we say we abide in Him we ought to walk with the Lord. In other words, our walk ought to match our talk; our practice ought to reflect our profession. B) A Walk That Reflects The Person of our Faith How are we to walk? Even as He walked. Jesus is the example of how we are to walk. |