Evidently John never took a course in “HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE”. If he had taken it, he would have had a hard time passing the course. We know this because we see he called those people liars five times. He used “liar(s)” in:
• 1 John 1:10.
• 1 John 2:4.
• 1 John 2:22.
• 1 John 4:20.
• 1 John 5:10.
We need to ask ourselves, “WHY DID JOHN CALL THEM LIARS?”
Did John say this because he was:
• Uncouth, uneducated?
• Because he had a mean streak?
No, he said that because it was the truth. It was the truth THEN, and, it is the truth NOW.
When people claim to know Christ but they walk in darkness, they do not know the Lord. And, John said their profession was no more than a lie!
The Word, “walk,” in our text does not refer to a person who occasionally falls into sin. It refers to a person who WALKS daily in sin.
It is safe to assume that John had some reservations about some of the people in this congregation. His reservation was that some PROFESSED to know Christ, but that was all it was -- JUST A PROFESSION!
John could have done what many liberal preachers do today. He could have just ignored the fact they made a false profession and just went about his business.
But, John recognized what a horrible thing it would be for a person to stand before the Lord, thinking he was saved, when in fact he was not! He knew it was better to confront people with the lie and hope they would do something about it before they had to stand before the Lord, for there they could do nothing about their lost condition.
In chapter two, John reveals a self-examination test. He encouraged everyone to take it to see if they TRULY KNEW GOD.
John gave Christians things they should consider to see if they KNEW GOD. While we consider these things, I want you to see if you KNOW God.
I sincerely hope you can pass the test. If you cannot, it is our prayer you will do something about it now, while you can.
Let us consider THREE of these things briefly to see if we can pass the test to see if we really know the Lord. (We will consider others in following messages.)
The first test is...
I. THE ATTITUDE TEST
Look at verse 3. We read, “And hereby we do know that we know him, IF WE KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.”
THE ATTITUDE TEST is: DO WE DESIRE TO OBEY THE WORD OF GOD? If we really KNOW THE LORD we will keep His commandments!
Look at the word, “know.” He said, “...hereby we do KNOW that we know him...” This is translated from the Greek, “ginosko,” which means: “Absolutely, beyond any doubt whatsoever we can know him!”
Some have the idea that we really can not know God until we get to heaven, but that is not true. John said we can know, “ginosko,” Him. That is, we can absolutely know him now.
BUT, JUST SAYING WE KNOW HIM DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE REALLY KNOW HIM.
Look at verse 4, “HE THAT SAITH, I know him...”
The point John was making is simple - a person can claim to know God, but that does not mean that he really knows God.
Illus: A person can SAY ANYTHING, BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE IT REAL. For example:
• (Insert the name of a church member here) ________ can say he is the smartest man in the world, but that does not make it so.
• I can say that I am the president of the United States, but my saying that does not make it real.
• Also, I can say that I am a Christian, and I KNOW THE LORD, but my saying it does not make it real.
HOW CAN WE KNOW GOD? John said we can know that we know God IF we KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.
Look at verse 5. We read, “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: HEREBY KNOW WE THAT WE ARE IN HIM.”
Look at the word “keepeth.” This is translated from the Greek word, “tereo,” which means: “To watch, to prevent from escaping.”
Illus: We get the impression that Christians keep their eyes upon the commandments of God because they do not want them to escape from their lives. His Word, to them, is of great value.
Then look at these words, “...in him...is the love of God PERFECTED...” The word, “perfected,” is translated from the Greek, “teleioo,” which means: “to consummate, or fulfill.”
The person who truly knows God knows He has put them on earth for a purpose, and they love Him enough to want to fulfill that purpose.
Have you noticed that many people who claim to know the Lord seem to never grow spiritually. That is, many claim to have known the Lord for 10 to 50 years, but through all that time they have not grown spiritually in the slightest. We may wonder why. Then we realize, before there can be GROWTH, there must be A BIRTH. Then we also realize that these have never been born again.
Notice that OBEDIENCE and KNOWING GOD go hand in hand. James lets us know you can not have one without the other.
That is, you can not get to KNOW GOD if you do not OBEY GOD’S WORD. God’s Word reveals God to us. It matters not...
• How spiritual a person may claim to be.
• How many dreams and visions people may claim to have.
• How many degrees they have behind their names.
If they do not obey the Word of God, John says that they are liars if they claim to know God.
Jesus said, Luke 6:46, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
Obeying God is a sure way you can know you know Him. There is a second test, it is...
II. THE ACTION TEST
Look at verse 6. We read, “HE THAT SAITH he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”
Notice again that the man who claims to know the Lord may make the claim, but yet not know Him. He said, “HE THAT SAITH he abideth in him...”
God says the man who truly knows the Lord will, “...WALK, even as he walked.”
James is talking about lifestyle. We are to walk as the Lord walked. If this is the case, then we need to KNOW HOW HE WALKED?
HOW DID HE WALK? He walked in...
• Love.
• Honesty.
• Doing good deeds.
• Holiness.
• Fairness.
• Forgiveness.
• Understanding.
Illus: Charles Sheldon is known for his famous book, “In His Steps.” The whole idea of the book is to point out what a wonderful place the world would be to live in, if we would all walk as Jesus walked.
But, did you know that some of the most horrible situations we face as individuals, family members, and church members are caused by people WHO CLAIM TO KNOW THE LORD, WHOSE LIFESTYLES DO NOT REFLECT THAT THEY TRULY KNOW THE LORD!
Look at the word, “walk” in verse 6. It is translated from the Greek word, “peripatein,” which means: “Continuous action.” That is, we who KNOW THE LORD continue to walk daily “in the foot steps” of Jesus.
• We do not do it occasionally...we DO IT CONTINUOUSLY.
• We do not do it one day a week, or two days a week. We DO IT CONTINUOUSLY!
But there is a third test we can take to see if we know the Lord. It is...
III. THE AFFECTION TEXT
Look at 1 John 2:7-11. We read, “Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that SAITH he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”
Look at verse 9 again. We read these words, “He that saith he is in the light...”
HOW DOES THE LORD SAY WE CAN KNOW A PERSON TRULY KNOWS THE LORD AS HIS/HER PERSONAL SAVIOR.
He did not say we could know by...
• The bumper sticker that is on a car.
• A pin a person might wear on his lapel!
The Lord said that thing that will distinguish His disciples so the world can see they truly know the Lord is that they LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Listen, if this is true, then we should have churches full of people who reflect God’s love instead of being filled with hate, jealousy, and critical spirits.
When we reflect Godly love, then the world can see a difference in our lives.
When we do not see God’s love reflected in the lives of those who claim to know Christ, that indicates that they do not REALLY KNOW the Lord.
John was not being ugly or unkind. He was just being truthful when he said that they that SAID they KNEW CHRIST, but did not “...keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
Conclusion: Do you know the Lord? Did you pass all three of these tests the scriptures give us to take.
I. THE ATTITUDE TEST
II. THE ACTION TEST
III. THE AFFECTION TEST
