In the book of 1 John, one more
time, in chapter 3, we're going to not necessarily finish with all
that's in chapter 3, but we're going to finish with looking
at a few verses and comments on the chapter, and then next
time we'll be moving on to chapter 4 in 1 John. Some thoughts? On these latter
verses of chapter three, and indeed on the whole of chapter
three, the chapter opens in verses one and two with the great love
of God to a people that he calls sons and daughters. Behold, it
says in the first verse there of chapter three, behold what
love, manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us to call us
sons of God. And we are now sons and daughters,
not down the road, not with some clearing, cleaning up or remodeling
or work that needs to be done, but with birth from above by
his spirit, by his seed in us. From eternity chosen in Christ
to be adopted to himself in Christ Jesus. To be accepted in the
beloved and sons of God in him. Again as it opens, behold what
manner of love hath the father bestowed on us. And as our standing
before God is as perfect as Christ is perfect. Him our Lord Jesus
Christ has by his blood redeemed us completely. and that the chapter
deals with that all the way through. And we've seen several lessons
now on it, and several times that we've looked at parts of
this, and being pure as he is pure in him, and those things
it speaks about. But I'd like to, this morning,
I'd like to read, starting in verse 11, actually the last half
or the second half of the chapter, before we look at a couple of
things, but I'd like to start with chapter three, 1 John verse
11. For this is the message that
he heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one and slew his brother.
And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil
and his brother's righteous. Didn't say that here that Abel
was a righteous person of himself, but he did that which was righteous.
He did what was required to show that His righteousness was in
that sacrifice, in that Lamb of God, in the true Lamb of God. And as we pointed out many times
over the years, the righteousness which is of God that Abel claimed
and by that sacrifice showed forth and his brother by his
righteousness and that there was no righteousness. and of
what natural man is like. In verse 13 it says, Marvel not
brethren if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from
death unto life because we love the brethren. He that loveth
not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother
is a murderer and you know that no murderer hath eternal life
abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of
God, because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to
lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's goods,
and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of
compassion for him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little
children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but
in deed and in truth. And we're going to look at a
couple of places that speak directly to this, but it says here in
verse 16, hereby we perceive we the love of God because he
laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren. No higher example or picture
of God's love to a people could we have than that he indeed did
sacrifice himself for us and laid down his life, as it said,
for us. Verse 18, my little children,
let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in
truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth. and shall assure our hearts before
him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart
and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn
us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we
ask, we receive of him because we keep his commandments and
do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his
commandment, that we should believe on the name of his son, Jesus
Christ, and love one another as he gave us commandment. and
he that keepeth his commandment dwelleth in him, and he in him,
and hereby we know that he abideth in us by the spirit which he
hath given us. And a couple of comments by review a little bit of some of
this, and that he called us sons, as it says, behold, what manner
of love hath he shown to us? He didn't just decide to just
say that out of the blue with no foundation for that. He's
speaking of the ones that in eternity past were given to the
son, and the Son being the only mediator that could be, that
bore our sins and was that sacrifice for sin and for His people. bought
that, bought that right, redeemed us, redeemed his people. And
by that can call us sons and daughters born from above, born
from him and not of ourselves or of the world. And this, as
it says here, Verse 24, he that keepeth his
commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we
know that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given
us. And we've seen earlier in this chapter that says, his seed
remaineth in us. Those that are God's people,
always were God's people and redeemed in time as far as we,
and carrying out of things in time, but always were and always
are God's people. And it said his seed remains
in us and that spirit remains in us. And here where it talks
about keeping the commandments over the years. Many times, many, many times
we have made it clear of what and has from the scripture seen
clear what it means by keeping his commandments. It's not a
to-do list. It's about who has done those
things for his people. In him, we've done those things.
Of our own standing, we have no standing. And Norman and I
were talking this morning when Brother Henry's church was called
a church of sinners. And he said, that's right. And
that's what the congregation or the God's people all are and
have been redeemed, but redeemed sinners and not of any inherent
or any taught or learned righteousness that we have and we're going
to look at that too and what righteousness by nature is and
how these connect to a lot of here and on the continuing
in 1st John speaks about the love of the brethren a lot. Love
of the Lord and the love of the brethren and what that is and
what that all consists of and what it's
talking about. But walking as earlier, and we
saw in 1 John, walking in the light as he has given us light. That is that in the commandment we have
from him is to believe in him. and to love his brother. Now, the love of the brethren
that's spoken of in the scriptures, it carries two different connotations.
The love that we have particularly for God's people, There's a true
family resemblance and family lineage there of God's people
that is, as it says, closer than a brother that our Lord is, but
also believers are closer to each other because of God than
we are in the natural relationships. We may have good relationships
with our physical brothers, but it's not the same level if they're
not a believer And we are to love and to do
good to all men, neighbors or whoever, but especially, as it says, the household of
faith. And there's a different mindset
there towards the household of faith than there is just the people of the world in general. In the book of Colossians, and
we're going to be in several different places here today,
in the book of Colossians, the first chapter, first chapter
of Colossians, starting at verse 13, verse 12 of Colossians chapter
one, It says, giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us
meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath
delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated
us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of
the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature, For by him
were all things created that are in heaven and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions,
principalities or powers, all things were created by him and
for him. And he is before all things,
and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased
the Father that in him all fullness should dwell. And having made
peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all
things unto himself, by him I say whether they be things in earth
or things in heaven, and you that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, now hath he reconciled.
in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy, unblameable,
and unreprovable in his sight. If you continue in the faith
grounded, settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the
gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every
creature which is under heaven, whereof I, Paul, am a minister."
Here it shows that, it speaks of how and in whom we stand,
in him we stand, and have the standing that we have that the
head of the body, the church, and he is indeed the head of
the body, the church, and we are reconciled unto God by him. And more than reconciled, we
are as it says, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus
Christ. That's pretty hard to understand,
I guess. comprehend what that means. But here, by him we stand and
have this, and that we are reconciled to him. And as it says here, presented holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in his sight because of him. We are not that. We are in him. He is that, and
we have been imputed that righteousness to us. It's not an inherent righteousness,
and it's not an earned or a developed righteousness. It's been imputed to us, His righteousness,
and we stand in that. All that has to be kept in mind
or in thought when it talks about love of the brethren or love
of God. It has to be in in what he has
done for us, that that can be seen. And it's not just in, we're
gonna look at the book of James somewhat too, and it's not in
just agreeing with the thought, there's action involved in this. Also in the book of Hebrews,
it speaks of many of the faith, but it doesn't just say they
had faith and that's it. Because of faith, there was things
that were done, actions that were taken, And we're going to
mention some things about that. But in the second chapter, as
we go on about this thought of in him we are complete and in
him we can love the brethren and others, and him. Chapter
two here of Colossians, starting at verse six, it says, As ye therefore received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up
in him, established in the faith as ye have been taught, abounding
therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after
the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him
dwell all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete
in him which is the head of all principality and power. In whom
also ye are circumcised with a circumcision made without hands,
in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision
of Christ. Buried with him in baptism, wherein
also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of
God who hath raised him from the dead. and you being dead
in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened
together with him, having forgiven you all your trespasses. And
then it goes on blotting out the handwriting of the ordinances
and dealing them to the cross. But here again in him, the head
here, with verse six, especially here to start with, as it says,
as you have therefore received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk
ye in him." It's not a mental exercise, as it were, and in
belief. We're gonna look at a passage
that says, speaks to what natural man's thoughts on God's word
are, and through him, that if there is life, it's given through
him, and in the understanding, it's given by and through him.
And then while we're here in Colossians chapter three, just
a couple of verses, starting with verse 12, It says, put on, therefore, as
the elect of God, holy and beloved, vows of mercies, kindness, humbleness
of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving
one another. If any man have a quarrel against
any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all
these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule
in your hearts to the which also you are called in one body and
be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word
or deed, do all in the name of Jesus, the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God and the Father by him. And if you start up here
a little bit with verse 12 and down a few verses, there's a
few things that if it were not in Him that we
have done these things and do these things, it would not be
done. These are things that once in a while people try to work
up, like a New Year's resolution, and they last about that long.
But God has to put in us these qualities, and as the elect of
God it says, holy and beloved, and then it says, these different
things here, forebearing one another, these things all are
part and parcel with love of the brethren and somewhat love
of other people too, but of the particularly love of the brethren
as he has done this and as he has puts these desires in us. And as Paul says, and believers
can really relate to that, that what our abilities are, and what
they are not, and in whom we have hope. It's in him alone
that we have hope, not in those things that we can do or that
we do not do. But he puts the desires in us. He puts that bent in us. We're leaning the
right way, even if outwardly it doesn't always appear that. God's love towards us reflected
to the brethren, and indeed, especially the household of faith,
as I've mentioned before. In 1 John, chapter four, that
we'll get to in a bit, down the road some, But in chapter 4 of 1 John, starting
with verse 7, it says, Beloved, let us love
one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born
of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not
God, for God is love. In this was manifested the love
of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son
into the world, that we might live through him. That, again,
a restatement of what we saw in Colossians there, that he
has done this. I guess the highest picture or
the highest evidence of God's love towards us is that it says,
sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live
through him. Here in his love, not that we
love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation
for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us,
we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth
in us and his love is perfected in us. Hereby we know that we
dwell in him and him in us because he hath given us of his spirit. Once again, as we looked earlier
in in 1 John chapter 3, in the middle of chapter 3 there, it's
of His Spirit that we have life. It's given from above. It's like
talking to Nicodemus, the Lord was. It's being born from above,
and this is in us. And it says, because he is in
us because he hath given us of his spirit. And I don't have
the reference in front of me for that, but this passage that
says, his spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are sons
of God. And it is by his witness to us,
that others may not be able to look at us and say that, but
by His Spirit we know this. And it goes on and speaks in
this about the love of the brethren and the love of God and what
it is in chapter four and chapter five as we go in future days
down to 1 John here. In 1 Peter, turn back just a
bit to the book of 1 Peter, 1 Peter in the first chapter. And it goes back to what was said
in chapters one, two, and three in 1 John about being born from
above. It says, starting with verse
18, 1 Peter chapter one, It says, for as much as you know that
you are not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold from
your vain conversation, received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation
of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead,
and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God.
seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through
the spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren. See that you
love one another with a pure heart, fervently being born again,
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word
of God, which liveth and abideth forever. Again, just restating,
um, where we have our standing, where
we have life from, it's from above. And as Brother Lauren
brought a while back of the difference between grace and works, and
that is always the contrast. It's by God's grace that he has
a people and that he delivered a people. That's the only standing
that God's people will claim is of his doing and not of our
doing. And that is always the contrast
between the grace of God and the works or proposed righteousness
that man has that doesn't exist. And then in the book of James, In the book of James, a couple
of spots. James chapter one. And James
doesn't, he doesn't waste any time getting to the point of
what things should be like and are like by God in his people. But in
the first chapter of James in verse 18, It said, of his own will begat
he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first
fruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren,
let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath,
for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
That's pretty evident at those things. Swift to hear, slow to
speak, slow to wrath. That's not natural. That's pretty tough if you try
to make it yourself. For the wrath of man worketh
not the righteousness of God, verse 20, wherefore lay apart
all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with
meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls. But
be doers of the word. and not hears only deceiving
your own selves. For if any man be a hearer of
the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his
natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself and
goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man
he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect
law of liberty and continueth therein, He being not a forgetful
hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in
his deed. Excuse me. And the thought here being remember
where you come from and remember who you stand in. And that is
the only foundation that we have. And those things that we strive
to do, and it says to strive to do, in him we're were perfect in him. And as Paul
says, it doesn't look like it. It looks like it's not doable,
but in him it is. And with this here in James, in chapter two of James, he says,
starting in verse 14, It says, verse 14, it says, what
profit, what doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say
he hath faith and hath not works? Can faith save him? If a brother
or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you
say unto him, depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding
you give him not those things which are needful to the body,
what profit doth it profit? Even so, faith, if it hath not
works, is dead, being alone. A man may say thou hath faith and
I have works, show me thy faith without thy works and I will
show you my faith by my works. And then with that in mind, what
we are like of nature and of God, turn to the book of Ezekiel. If you would please join the
book of Ezekiel. This Bible's pages are different
or something. Chapter 33, we're gonna read
just a little bit in Ezekiel and I think you'll see the connection
here of what we see in In 1 John, faith given to us of God is shown
in actions caused by it. By God's grace, we believe his
word and act upon it. As the cloud of witnesses in
Hebrew 11, these believers' faith was shown. Our God-given faith
leads to actions or works that otherwise would not be so. In Ezekiel chapter 33, and we're
gonna do some reading here in chapter 33 and 34, but chapter
33, first verse. It speaks here about the watchmen,
and that's what preachers and the prophets were, and God's
people are watchmen that bring out the warning. But I'd like
to read a little bit of it here. Chapter 33, verse 1, it says,
again the word of the Lord came unto me saying, son of man, speak
to the children of thy people and say unto them, when I bring
this sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man
of their coast and set him for their watchman, And if when he
seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet and
warn the people, then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet
and taketh not warning, if the sword come and take him away,
his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the
trumpet and took not warning, his blood shall be upon him.
but he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. What he said
here, if the watchman gives the word and the bad guys are coming,
and the ones of the land take not a heed, blood's on their
head if they don't flee that and take heed from that. And
that it says he will, the blood be on their head. In
verse six, but if the watchman see the sword coming and blow
not the trumpet, and the people be not warned if the sword come
and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his
iniquity, but his blood I require at the watchman's hand. So the
watchman, if the sword's coming and the watchman doesn't say
anything, Anybody that gets taken because of that, he said, is
on the watchman's head. And he's speaking to Ezekiel
here about being the prophet and the watchman. And then verse
seven, it says, so thou, O son of man, I have sent thee a watchman
unto the house of Israel. Therefore, thou shalt hear the
word at my mouth and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O
wicked man, thou shalt surely die, if thou dost not speak to
warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in
his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. Nevertheless,
if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he do
not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou
hast delivered thy soul. Therefore, O son of man, speak
unto the house of Israel. Thus ye speak, saying, If our
transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in
them, how shall we then live? saith to them, as I live, saith
the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but
that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye from your
evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? Therefore,
thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, the righteousness
of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression.
For as the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby
in the day that he turneth from his wickedness, neither shall
the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the
day that he sinneth. And then verse 13, when I shall
say to the righteous that he shall surely live, if he trusts
his own righteousness and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses
shall not be remembered, but for his iniquity that he hath
committed, he shall die for it. Again, when I say unto the wicked,
thou shalt surely die, if he turn from his sin and do that
which is lawful and right, If the wicked restore the pledge,
give again that he had robbed, walk in the statues of life,
without committing iniquity, he shall surely live, he shall
not die. In verse 16, none of his sins
that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him. He that
done that which he hath done that which is lawful and right,
he shall surely live." And what this is speaking of here is righteousness
that man has or the righteousness that God provides. And when it
says in this passage that the righteous shall die, that means
righteous in their own eyes, not righteous in in the Lord
himself. And what it says here, and it
speaks here about, if he turned from his sin and do that which
is lawful and right, doesn't mean necessarily follow the Ten
Commandments, but that which is lawful and right is the proper
sacrifice. That proper sacrifice that is
only effective for sin of God's people, and that's his righteousness.
And then skip down to the last few verses of chapter 33, and
this was very interesting when I read this. I wasn't looking
for this, but it appeared. Ezekiel 33, verse 30. Also thou son of man, the children
of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls in
the doors of the houses, and speak to one another, every one
to his brother, saying, come, I pray you, and hear what is
the word that cometh from the Lord. Okay, so that sounds good. Let's go hear what the word of
the Lord says. 31, and they come unto thee as
the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, Those
verses there, what that's saying is, they come as if they're my
people coming, and as my people come. And they hear thy words,
but they will not do them, for their mouth they show much love,
but their heart goeth after their covetousness. Doesn't have any
effect. Verse 32, and lo, thou art unto
them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice
and can play well on an instrument, for thy hear thy words, but they
do not do them. And when this cometh to pass,
lo, it will come, then shall they know that a prophet hath
been among them. But here in verse 32, where it
says, they like the words of it. Beautiful passage, beautiful
sermon pastor, and that type of thing, and it has no effect,
and they go their way. And that is what, We are like by nature, we can
say, oh, we love, the psalm sounds so nice, and then disregard who
it's speaking of or who it's speaking to. And here it's speaking,
again, we're speaking of the love of the brethren, and then
I can't be in this spot without going to chapter 34. Chapter 34 of Ezekiel, and just
a couple of chosen spots, starting with verse 11. Verse 11, Ezekiel
34 says, for thus saith the Lord God, behold I, even I will both
search my sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out
his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered,
so will I seek out my sheep and will deliver them out of all
places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from
the people and gather them from the countries and will bring
them to their own land and feed them upon the mountains of Israel
by the rivers and in all the inhabited places of the country.
I will feed them in a good pasture and upon the high mountains of
Israel shall their fold be. There shall they lie in a good
fold and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon. the mountains
of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will
cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will seek that
which was lost, and bring again that which driven away, and bind
up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was
sick. but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will feed
them with judgment. And here, not speaking to national
Israel as the future is on the hills of the physical land of
Israel, but God's pasture, God's hill, God's place. God's the
true Israel of God, true place of God, and that he will seek
them out and he feeds them and takes care of them. And this
is in contrast to the, to the ones that will go their way that
hear the word. And the only difference between those ones that thought
it was pleasant to hear but went their way was God's power in
them, God's spirit in them, giving them the new birth. That's
the only difference as we can see from our from our standing
of that. And then in chapter 36 of Ezekiel,
just a couple of verses and we'll finish up for today, but Ezekiel
36. This here is, this is what God's
people see it from when he opens their eyes and delivers them
from the waste wilderness to what the view is now. It says,
they shall say this land that was desolate is become like the
Garden of Eden. And the waste and desolate and
ruined cities are become fenced and inhabited. Then the heathen
that are left round about you shall know that I, the Lord,
build the ruined places and plant that which is desolate. I, the
Lord, have spoken it and I will do it. Thus saith the Lord God,
I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to
do it for them. I will increase them with men
like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock
of Jerusalem enter solemn peace, so shall the way cities be filled
with flocks of men, and they shall know that I am the Lord.
And the difference here, the new birth, new eyes, places that
had no appeal or were waste before, God's people see them as Eden,
in Him, as Eden and as the watered places and indeed the green pasture
that only He can bring about and He does bring about. And
then we're gonna And how this applies to chapter three and
the love of the brethren is if this is not there, then there
is no true love of the brethren. If the new birth is not there,
we can love as men love, which is not as God loves, but by his
life in us and his love for us. example of his love. It says,
hereby we know what love is because he gave his self for us. And
then the thoughts will keep going down this way of love of God
and love of the brethren. And in chapter four, a verse
there that we're going to spend some time in is greater is he
that is in you that is he that is in the world. And with that,
we'll pick this up another time in chapter four. Thank you for
your attention and be free.