I want to give you a little quiz just to see how much you know. If you have a pen and paper, you can write down your answers if you want. Here are the questions:
a. How long did the Hundred Years War last?
b. Which country makes Panama hats?
c. From which animal do we get catgut?
d. In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
e. What is a camel's hairbrush made of?
f. The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?
g. What was King George VI's first name?
h. What color is a purple finch?
i. Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
j. How long did the Thirty Years War last?
Let’s see how well you did. Here are the answers:
a. The Hundred Years War lasted 116 years, from 1337 to 1453.
b. Ecuador is the country that makes Panama Hats.
c. Catgut comes from sheep and horses.
d. The Russians celebrate the October Revolution in November. Their calendar was 13 days behind ours at the time.
e. A camel’s hairbrush is made of squirrel fur.
f. The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after a dog. The Latin name was Insularia Canaria: Island of the Dogs.
g. King Georges VI’s first name was Albert. When he came to the throne in 1936, he respected the wish of Queen Victoria that no future king should ever be called Albert.
h. The purple finch is distinctively crimson.
i. Chinese gooseberries come from New Zealand.
j. The Thirty Years War lasted thirty years, of course, from 1618 to 1648 (www.sermonnotes.com)
How did you do? Sometimes you think you know something when in fact you don’t.
There’s an old Arab proverb which says, “There are four kinds of people, three of which are to be avoided and the fourth cultivated: There are those who don’t know that they don’t know (these are the most dangerous); There are those who know that they don’t know (it’s a sad state in which to be, but at least they’re teachable); There are those who don’t know that they know (they have the knowledge, but they don’t realize it, so they don’t do anything at all); and finally, there are those who know that they know – these are the true experts, who are a true help in a time of need. The question is:
How do we get to the point where we know that we know? How do we become true experts who are truly helpful? How do we develop such knowledge and confidence in the Lord? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 John 2, 1 John 2, where the Bible tells us how to know that we know.
1 John 2:3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (ESV)
If you want to know that you know the Lord…
LISTEN TO HIM.
Keep His commandments. Obey His Word.
1 John 2:4-5a Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. (ESV)
It’s not what we CLAIM to know that counts. It’s what we actually DO that demonstrates our knowledge of and our love for God. You may claim intimacy with Christ, but if you do not live out that intimacy, then you are lying. On the other hand, if you do what Jesus tells you to do, then God’s love is perfected in you. It is made complete. It comes to full maturity in your life.
This is how Warren Wiersbe put it in his commentary on 1 John. He said, “Obedience to God’s Word is proof of our love for Him. There are three motives for obedience. We can obey because we HAVE to, because we NEED to, or because we WANT to. A slave obeys because he HAS to. If he doesn’t obey he will be punished.
“An employee obeys because he NEEDS to. He may not enjoy his work, but he does enjoy his paycheck! He needs to obey because he has a family to feed and clothe.
“But a Christian is to obey his Heavenly Father because he WANTS to – for the relationship between him and God is one of love. ‘If you love Me, keep my commandments’ (John 14:15).
“This is the way we learned obedience when we were children. First, we obeyed because we HAD to. If we didn’t obey, we were spanked! But as we grew up, we discovered that obedience meant enjoyment and reward; so we started obeying because it met certain needs in our lives. And it was a mark of real maturity when we started obeying because of love.
“Baby Christians must constantly be warned or rewarded. Mature Christians listen to God’s Word and obey it simply because they love Him” (Warren Wiersbe, Bible Exposition Commentary).
Where are you at in your relationship with the Lord? Do you obey Him because you fear His discipline? Do you obey Him because you want something from Him? Or do you obey Him simply because you love Him? You know that you know the Lord when you obey Him simply because you love Him.
Blind author and speaker, Jennifer Rothschild, tells the story of Susan, who overcame her blindness with the help of her husband.
When she first became blind, she fell into a deep pit of depression. Her world had crumbled, and her sadness overtook her. Not only was her heart crushed, but so was the heart of her husband, Mark. He loved his wife so much, he wanted to help her; and so, He did. Inch by inch, he helped to pull her out of that pit of depression, helped give her skills and confidence, and helped her regain her sense of self. He was so in love with her that he did all he could to help her in her new state of darkness.
Well, after many months of Susan’s blindness, she began to feel more confident because of Mark’s help. She even felt like she could go back to her old job again. Mark promised to help her with that, as well. He drove his wife to work every day, walked her into her office, made sure she was settled, and then left to go across town to his work at the base as a military officer. This went on for several weeks, but it became increasingly clear to Mark that this could not continue. Helping his wife get settled at work made him late for work.
He dreaded having to tell Susan that he could no longer drive her to word; but in the end, he had to. “I can’t ride the bus to work,” she replied. “I’m blind. How am I going to know how may stairs there are? How am I going to know what path to take? I feel like you are abandoning me.”
Marks’ heart was crushed. He promised her, like he had done from the very beginning, that he would do whatever it took to help her until she felt confident and independent on the bus. He helped her with the routes. He helped her learn the stairs and learn the paths. Finally, after several weeks, Susan was confident about riding the bus on her own. So, he went to his base; she went to her work.
Monday morning, she got on the bus. She went to work. She came home. It was flawless. Then Friday morning arrived. Susan made her way onto the bus; and as she went to pay her fare, the bus driver said, “Ma’am, you sure are lucky.”
Susan asked, “Are you talking to me?”
The bus driver said, “Yeah. It must feel good to be cared for as you are.”
Susan replied, “I don’t know what you mean, sir.”
The bus driver said, “Well, you know, every morning when I drop you off at your stop, as soon as those doors open, I can see that man standing over there at the corner, and he watches you. As soon as you step off the bus, his eyes are on you. I think he’s some kind of military officer because of his uniform. His eyes follow you as you walk across the parking lot, and his eyes don’t leave you as you’re trying to walk up those stairs. And when your hand touches that doorknob, his eyes are still on you. And he doesn’t take his eyes off you until you open that door and go inside. Then when the door closes, he stand straight and tall like a sentinel, salutes you, and blows you a kiss.”
Sudan burst into tears. She had no idea that her husband had been watching her, that the lover of her soul never takes his eyes off of her. (Jennifer Rothschild, Fingerprints of God, Life Way, 2005; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s how much God love you even with your spiritual blindness. The lover of your soul never takes His eyes off you. He gives you the confidence to follow Him, and His eyes are on you all the way.
How can you not respond by loving Him back and letting Him guide your every step? When you get to that point in your relationship with God, when you obey Him out of love, then and only then do you know that you know Him.
You know that you know the Lord when you listen to the Lord. Second, if you want to know that you know the Lord, then…
LIVE LIKE THE LORD.
Walk as Jesus walked. Behave as He behaved.
1 John 2:5b-6 By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (ESV)
Those who live in Christ look like Christ. They imitate Him in all their behavior.
Have you ever noticed how people who have been married for a long time tend to look alike? They develop some of the same facial expressions, some of the same mannerisms, and even some of the same physical characteristics. People who LIVE with one another begin to BE like one another (Steve Brown, “The Prime Principle”, Preaching Today Tape #107; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s what happens when you abide, or dwell, or live in Christ. You become more Christlike. You begin to take on the characteristics of Jesus. The key is making your home with Jesus. It is dwelling with Him. It is living with the conscious awareness of His presence wherever you go and whatever you’re doing.
On a wall near the main entrance to the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, is a portrait with the following inscription: “James Butler Bonham – no picture of him exists. This portrait is of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his uncle. It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man who died for freedom.”
No literal portrait of Jesus exists either, but His likeness can be seen in the lives of his true followers. (Bill Morgan, Memphis, Tennessee, Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 4; www.PreachingToday.com)
If you don’t see an increasing resemblance of Christ in your life, then check to make sure you really know Him; check to make sure you have put your trust in Him.
Don’t try to imitate Him in your own strength or by your own efforts. That’s not the way it works. Instead, trust Him with your life; give your life to Him, and let Him begin to change you from the inside out.
Rankin Wilbourne in his book about our Union with Christ asks us to consider two superheroes, Batman and Spider-Man. Batman is a rich and strong man with lots of cool gadgets. His superpowers stem from his external possessions. Spider-Man has a few accessories as well, but he is a superhero because of the spider powers he obtained when he was bitten by a radioactive spider. His nature has been changed. Now he has a new power accessible to him, within him.
Christ in you makes you more like Spider-Man than Batman. Something alien to you, from outside of you, has entered into you and changed your nature. You now have power that you did not 499have before. [You] are becoming more like Christ. (Rankin Wilbourne; Union With Christ: The Way to Know and Enjoy God, David C. Cook, 2016 pages 52-53; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s how you know that you know Jesus: You find yourself resembling Him more and more. You find yourself sinning less and less, exhibiting His goodness more and more.
If you want to know that you know the Lord, listen to the Lord; live like the Lord; and finally…
LOVE LIKE THE LORD.
Demonstrate compassion like Jesus did. Give of yourself sacrificially even to those who don’t deserve it.
The command to love is an old commandment, which is at the foundation of our faith. It’s at the core of who we are as believers in Christ.
1 John 2:7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. (ESV)
Jesus Himself said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40).
The command to love God and neighbor is as old as the Old Testament itself, but it is always fresh and new.
1 John 2:8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. (ESV)
When Jesus came into this world, the truth of God’s love shone from Him to us, and soon it will overcome all the darkness in the world. Jesus brought the light of love, which can never be extinguished. It is ever fresh and new, powerful to overcome the darkness in any relationship.
Pastor Bruce Thielemann described a teaching hospital where one of its young residents had a profound effect on children. They would do things for him that they wouldn’t do for anybody else on staff, even the most experienced doctors and nurses. So an administrator assigned a nurse to discover the young resident’s secret.
In the first week, she didn’t see anything unusual; but in the second week, when she was on the night shift, she discovered his secret. It was simple. Every night, on his last round, he would kiss and hug and tuck in every one of the children. (Bruce W. Thielemann, “Telltale Tears.” Preaching Today, Tape #40; www. PreachingToday.com)
His love, more than is knowledge, his love, more than his skill, his love, more than anything else, made the difference in the lives of those children.
To be sure, strength is power. If you’re bigger and stronger than anybody else, people tend to let you have your way. To be sure, money is power, just like the Golden Rule says: “He who has the gold makes the rules.” And to be sure, knowledge is power – People will follow someone with wisdom and insight more than someone without. But more powerful than all of these is LOVE, because “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” They may cower before strength, money, and superior knowledge, but they will gladly follow one who loves them like Jesus did.
He had no servants, yet they called Him Master. He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. He had no medicine, yet they called Him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today (unknown).
His influence did not come from His omnipotence or omniscience. It came from His sacrificial love, demonstrated on a cross, on which He died for the sins of the whole world, including yours. That’s why millions of people around the world still follow Him today.
How about you? Will you trust the One who loved you enough to die for you? Will you trust the Lover of your soul with your life? Will you trust Jesus enough to follow Him anywhere?
Such love is irresistible, isn’t it? But that’s the power of love. Love is powerful to push away the darkness in any situation. It’s as old as the Old Testament, but it is always fresh and new.
So love people like Jesus did, and don’t hate them.
1 John 2:9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. (ESV)
You are ignorant if you are living in hate.
1 John 2:10-11 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (ESV)
Some people say, “Love is blind,” but true love opens your eyes. It helps you see more clearly than ever before.
Remember the Titans is a movie based on the true story of a Virginia high school football team's climb to the top in 1971, the year they were desegregated. Because of government mandated redistricting, black students and white students, for the first time in their lives, had to attend the same high school.
Early in the movie, Gary, a white athlete, and Julius, a black athlete, display overt racial hostility toward one another, but eventually they learn to respect each other and more.
After the Titans win the regional championship, Gary is involved in a serious car accident that leaves him paralyzed from the waist down. The entire football team is present at the hospital, but Gary requests to see only Julius. … Take a look (show video: Remember the Titans, Gary and Julius in Hospital)
Mustering all the emotional strength he has, Julius walks into the room. A nurse immediately responds, “Only kin are allowed in here.”
Gary reassures her, “It's alright, Alice.” Jokingly, he continues, “Can't you see the family resemblance? He's my brother.”
There is some laughter, but there is truth to the comment. As Julius stands at Gary's bedside, Gary says, “When I first met you, I was scared of you, Julius. I only saw what I was afraid of.” Through tears he confesses, “But then I saw I was only hating my brother.” (Remember the Titans, Disney, 2000, written by Adam Coleman Howard and Gregory Allen Howard, directed by Boaz Yakin, starting at 01:27:20; www.PreachingToday.com)
Hate blinds us to so much, but love opens our eyes.
Do you want to know that you know the Lord? Then listen to the Lord; live like the Lord; but most importantly, love like the Lord.
Several years ago, I read about a dad and his boy who were one an airplane with several psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors. They had just completed a big conference on mental health, and they were on their way home.
Then, about halfway through the flight, a female passenger experienced a panic attack. The attendants tried to calm her down, but she only got worse. In fact, the lady got so bad, the plane had to make an emergency landing, so she could get the medical attention she needed.
When they were back up in the air, the boy asked his dad, “How come none of the psychiatrists or psychologists did anything to help the lady?”
The dad responded, “It takes courage to care, son. It takes courage to care.”
You can have all the intelligence and skill in the world, but unless you have the courage to care, it means nothing. My dear friends, if you want to know that you know, then draw close to Christ and let Him give you the courage to care.
