Turn with me, if you would, to
1 John chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2. Our text, we'll begin in verse
3, but let's begin reading in verse
1. My little children, these things
write I unto you, that you sin not. That is always the commandment. That is always the commandment. Sin not. In any given situation,
what should God's people do? Sin not. Now, are God's people
free from the law? Are they free from the bondage
of trying to win God's favor through the obedience of the
law? Absolutely they are. Completely,
completely free from it. They are saved by God's free
and sovereign grace. That's how people are saved. That's how people are saved.
When we come to talking about A person being saved or unsaved,
with Him or cast away from Him. God's people are saved by His
free and sovereign grace. Now, do we, in response to that,
deliberately sin against Him that His grace may abound? Do
we just stay in the condition we're in, just thrive in that
sinful condition, just because it was His grace that saved us? Having no regard for His Word,
alright? Are we saved through the deeds
of the law? No, we are not. Do we then have no regard for
His Word? Do we throw away His Word and
throw away His commandments and take no thought of them? Absolutely
not. Absolutely not. Do we willingly
bring disgrace to Him just because He saved us in spite of our disgrace
to Him? That's all we brought to Him
in the beginning was disgrace. The Scripture says, and the Apostle
Paul said, and all God's people say, God forbid, God forbid,
absolutely not. We all cry, O wretched man that
I am, O wretched man that I am. Verse 1 says, My little children,
these things write I unto you that you sin not. And if any
man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous. In spite of us, He made intercession
for us. He appeased God's wrath against
our sin by paying our debt with His own body and with His own
blood. And that's what verse 2 says.
He is the propitiation for our sins. He's the payment. He made
the payment. He was the payment. And not for
hours only, John being a Jew, Speaking of the Jews, not for
ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Thank God
He did this for a particular people scattered all over this
world. That just thrills me. He has a people scattered all
over this world. He has advocated for some out
of every nation on this earth. all the way down to every tribe,
every village, every family tree, every tribe, nation, kindred,
and tongue. All right, now here's the question
that I always ask, we all ask, everybody ought to ask. Are we
counted among these people? He has a particular people that
he advocated for. Are we counted among these people? Are we included among the souls
that He advocated for? What that means is, are we saved?
Are we saved? Verse 3, and hereby we do know that we
know Him if we keep His commandments. Hereby we do know that we know
Him, if we keep His commandments. Verse 4, He that saith, I know
Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not
in him. The scripture doesn't pull any
punches, does it? He tells it like it is. Verse 4, He that
saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar,
and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word in
him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that
we are in him. He that saith he abide in him
ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. He said this
is how we can know that we know Him and are in Him, if we keep
His commandments, if we keep His Word. To know Him and to
be found in Him is life. It is life eternal. Our Lord
said in John 17, 3, this is life eternal that they might know
Thee, the only true God in Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. The
Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3 verse 10, that I might know
Him. That's it. Nothing else matters. That I might win Christ and be
found in Him. How can I know if I know Him?
How can I know if I'm in Him? Verse 3, Hereby we do know that
we know Him if we keep His commandments. Turn with me over to John 14. John 14, verse 15, our Lord said,
If you love Me, keep My commandments. If you love Me, keep My commandments.
I'll tell you this, keeping His commandments has everything to
do with love. It has everything to do with
love. He did not say, If you want to be saved, keep my commandments. He did not say that. We are not saved by keeping his
commandments. We are not saved by keeping his
commandments. I would like to repeat that through
the rest of the Bible study. We are not saved by keeping His
commandments. We are saved by the blood that
ran from His veins, the blood that He poured all over our sin. That's how we're saved. He did
not say, if you want to be saved, keep my commandments. He said,
if you love me. If you love me, keep my commandments. Chapter 15 verse 10, John 15
verse 10, he said, if you keep my commandments, you shall abide
in my love. even as I have kept my Father's
commandments and abide in His love." And that's a big statement.
I read it when I studied this. I was turning to verses. I read
that, and I acknowledged what it said, and I read it again.
I put it in my notes, and I read it again and read it again. I
went back over my notes, these notes on Thursday. I went back
over them on Friday. I went back over them on Saturday.
This morning it hit me. If you keep my commandments,
you shall abide in my love." Now listen to this, even as I
have kept my Father's commandments, God gave a whole book full of
commandments. He said, I kept my Father's commandments.
We're about to see through the course of this morning, He said,
now I have given you some commandments. All right, so He said, even as
I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His These things
have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that
your joy might be full. This is my commandment that you
love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man
than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You
are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call
you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth."
Meaning he doesn't sit there and tell his servants all the
ins and outs of what he's doing, he just says, go do this. Verse
15, henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth
not what his Lord doeth, but I've called you friends. For
all things that I've heard of My Father, I have made known
unto you. And you have not chosen Me, but
I have chosen you and ordained you, that you should go and bring
forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever
you shall ask of the Father in My Name, He may give it you.
These things I command you that you love one another." That's
what I command you, that you love one another. Now all these
verses that we're looking at have an IF, THEN in them. All of these verses have an IF,
THEN. Look at John 14 verse 15 again. IF YOU LOVE ME, THEN KEEP MY
COMMANDMENTS. IF YOU LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.
John 15 verse 10 again, it says, IF YOU KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS,
THEN YOU SHALL ABIDE IN MY LOVE. Verse 14 again, THEN YOU ARE
MY FRIENDS. if you do whatsoever I command
you. If then, that's the tone of everything
we've seen in 1st John so far. Go with me back to 1st John. Look at chapter 1, 1st John chapter
1, verse 6. If we say that we have fellowship
with Him and walk in darkness, then we lie and do not the truth.
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, then we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ
His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no
sin, then we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If
we confess our sins, then He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If
we say that we have not sinned, then we make Him a liar and His
Word is not in us. My little children, these things
write I unto you, that you sin not, and if any man sin, Then
we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,
and that's what verse 3 is saying. Then we do know that we know
Him if we keep His commandments. All right, now this is the critical
moment, okay? Here's the critical moment of
the Bible study. Every time there is an if in
the Scripture, relating to our salvation. Every time there is an if attached
to our spiritual life or our spiritual walk or our good works,
every time there is an if relating to any of those things. Knowing
the context of what our God has written in His Word. Knowing
that He is the Sovereign over all things. All of these things. Knowing that He is the Author
and the Finisher of everything that pertains to us. He is the
Performer. He is the Doer. And we're just
dead in our sins. Knowing that the Scripture says
that about us. knowing that we cannot and will not do anything
that pertains to eternal life. Knowing that truth, every time
we see the word if in regard to our salvation, that if always
goes to God. Always. It is always attached
to God. It is always credited to God. Look with me at Psalm 14. Psalm 14 verse 1 says, the fool
hath said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt,
they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven
upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand
and seek God." And this is what man will stand up in pulpits
today and say. God looked down through time
at all the people to see who would do good and who would choose
Him, okay? If we do this, then He will do
that, right? God looked down through time
to find the if, if they were good people, if they would give
their heart to Jesus. All right? God did look down
through time. Verse 2, the Lord looked down from heaven upon
the children of men, all of them, every generation, every soul
on earth, to see if there were any that did understand and seek
God. They are all gone aside. They are all together become
filthy. There is none that doeth good."
You tell somebody that and they'll say, none that doeth good? Here's the scriptural answer.
No, not one. Not one. That's repeated in Romans
3. Go with me over to Romans chapter
3. Romans 3 verse 9. What then? Are we better than
they? That's what that whole thing
of if boils down to. If you are better than the rest
of them, Then God will save you. That's what if boils down to.
If they did seek God and if they did choose God, what are those
who are saved? Are we better than they? He goes
through this book of Romans saying we were all cut from the same
lump. Verse 9, what then? Are we better
than they? in no wise, for we have before proved both Jews
and Gentiles that they are all under sin." The Jews said, those
Gentiles are outcasts, they're heathens, they're sinners, they're…okay,
and that's what saved people are better than unsaved people,
they're the outcasts, they're in the gutter. We're all cut
from the same lump. There's no difference in any
of us. They're all under sin. Verse 10, as it is written, there
is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth.
There's none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of
the way. They are together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good. No, not one. Alright, now go with me to Philippians
chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2 verse 13,
for it is God which worketh in you both to
will and to do of His good pleasure. If we keep His commandments,
that is an evidence of His work His doing, period. That EF is credited to Him. Now
here is an illustration of how all of this is worded, okay? Here's an illustration to try
to clarify why everything is worded this way and how we understand
that. Let's say that a man or a woman
goes to college and gets a degree to become an engineer. I believe
it would be a structural engineer. And then that person goes to
work for a company designing bridges, bridges for cars to
travel over, people to walk over, whatever, bridges. And this person
designs a bridge in a way that no one has ever seen before and
gives that design to the contractors and the contractors build the
bridge to exact specifications. Now, there's the bridge. This
can be said. If the bridge stands, then it
is a perfectly designed bridge. That's true, isn't it? If the
bridge stands, then it's a perfectly designed bridge. All right, that's
the truth. But where does the credit for
the if go? To the bridge? Mm-mm. To the engineer. To the master
builder. If the bridge stands, that is
the evidence, that is the result of the wisdom and the design
of the master builder. The bridge did not design itself. The bridge did not build itself. The bridge gets no credit for
anything. No credit at all. And that's
how it is spiritually with all of God's people. We are His workmanship. We are His workmanship. We do
not naturally keep His commandments. We didn't before and in the flesh,
we don't now. We didn't then and we don't now.
If we keep His commandments, it is a work that He performs
for us and in us. if we do. And that's what verse
5 is telling us back in our text. If you'll look back at 1 John
2, verse 5, but whoso keepeth His
Word in Him verily, that means truly, is the love of God perfected. revealed, evidenced. It's God which worketh in us,
both to will and do. He starts the work, He performs
the work, He finishes the work. So here's the truth of the matter.
When we read these verses, they could only speak of Christ. These verses could only speak
of Christ. Only one man has ever kept God's
commandment perfectly, Christ Jesus the Lord. Only one man
has ever done that. Now, we're going to flip back
and forth. Hold your place right here, and
I'm going to be really quick about it, but hold your place
and turn with me to Matthew 5. Matthew 5 verse 17. Think not
that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not
come to destroy, but to fulfill. I came to fulfill every jot and
tittle of it. Verse 18, for verily I say unto
you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in
no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. What the law
could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, what
could the law not do? Save us. It could not save us,
because no man or woman could keep the law. So God sent His
own Son, and He said, Lo, I come to do Thy will. No sinner could
do it. So Christ said, I'll go do it.
I come to do thy will. Christ is the only man who's
ever kept the commandments. Only man. All right, now flip
back to 1 John 2. Verse 4 says, he that saith,
I know him. Whoever says, I know him, must
keep his commandments. Whoever says that. Listen to
the words of our Lord. Hold your place. Go to John 7.
John 7 verse 28. Then cried Jesus in the temple,
as He taught, saying, You both know Me, and you know whence
I am. And I am not come of Myself,
but He that sent Me is true, whom you know not. But I know
Him, for I am from Him, and He hath sent Me. He said, I know
Him. And in John chapter 8, verse
54, John 8, 54, Jesus answered, if
I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It is my Father that honoreth
me, of whom you say that He is your God, yet ye have not known
Him, but I know Him. And if I should say I know Him
not, I shall be a liar like unto you. But I know Him, and He said,
I keep His saying." I know Him and I keep His commandments.
Go back to 1 John 2. Verse 5, But whoso keepeth His
word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. Where is the
love of God found? Don't turn, I'll just read it
to you. This is Romans 8, verses 38 and 39. I am persuaded that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Him verily is the love of
God perfected. Verse 5. But whoso keepeth his
word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know
we that we are in him, he that saith he abideth in him." Whoever
says, I abide in him, ought himself also so to walk
even as he walked. Who said, I abide in him? I'll read this to you, in John
14, Philip said, show us the Father. He said, if you've seen me, you've
seen the Father. He said, Believest thou that
I am in the Father, this is verse 10, Believest thou not that I
am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak
unto you I speak not of Myself, but the Father that dwelleth
in Me, He doeth the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father,
and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the very works'
sake." Christ is the only One who kept the commandments. Christ
is the only One who knows the Father directly. Christ is the
only One who has the truth in Him with no lie at all. Christ
is the one who perfected the love of God. Christ is the one
who walked as He walked. But He said right here, in this
same chapter, verse 12, He said, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that believeth on Me, the works that I do, shall he do
also. And greater works than these
shall he do, because I go to my Father. My work is going to
be seen in them. They will keep what I've commanded
them to keep, and we're about to look at it in the message.
All right, now, we're going to close this with the same verse
that we're going to open the message with. This will be a
transitional verse. Go to 1 John 3, two verses. 1
John 3. Verse 23, 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 commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in Him, and hereby
we know that He abideth in us by the Spirit which He hath given
unto us. All right, we'll look at that
in just a minute. You're dismissed.