Since We Are Saved, Christians, How Should We Live?
1 John 2:1-6
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Series: The First Epistle of John
(Prepared November 18, 2023)
BACKGROUND:
*Before we begin our study today, let me remind you that the Apostle John was a very old man by the time he wrote this letter. Bible scholars estimate that it was written between 85 and 100 A.D. John Phillips explained that John was "feeling the weight of his years and aware that his days on earth were about done. A godly life lay behind him and a very long memory thrilled him. His native land of Israel was far away, for John now lived in Ephesus, a pagan city on the edge of the European world. Just as Jesus had prophesied, Israel had been crushed by the Roman army. Jerusalem had fallen, the Temple had been destroyed, and Jewish national life had basically ended.
*Also by this time, false teachings were spreading spiritual poison in God's churches. For example, some false teachers denied the divinity of Christ. Others denied the humanity of Christ. And John denounced these false teachings in the strongest possible way, so one of the greatest themes here is the truth of the Gospel. (1)
*Another great theme is God's kind of agape love. We know this, because the original words show up 51 times this very short letter. Of course God's agape love should radically affect the way we Christians live. And that's our focus today. Please think about it as we read 1 John 2:1-6.
MESSAGE:
*In January of 2015, Daniel and Heather Felton went on a Disney Pacific cruise to Mexico. And that young couple from Louisville, Kentucky did something I don't think I ever would have done: They took their 13-month-old baby along for the trip.
*Guess what: Between the different time zones and all the excitement, little Katherine couldn't get to sleep. They were up most of the night, and as their ship sailed near Mexico, Mom and dad thought: "We're on this big ship. Nobody's awake but us, and there's all this room on deck," so they went outside.
*Mom later told a TV reporter, "We were taking pictures of her, and then we both kind of heard something. We were the only people out on the deck. It was early enough that we didn't see anybody else, and we heard it a second time. I ran out toward the edge of the boat, and I looked down, and someone's going right by, yelling for help!"
*Heather ran and found some crew members. She told them about the life-or-death situation. Seconds later a loudspeaker announced: 'Mr. MOB.'" (That's code for man overboard.) The ship turned around as soon as possible. And the Disney crew was able to rescue the man who had been in the ocean for 5 hours! That 22-year-old was a passenger who had fallen off another cruise liner! (2)
*Think of the infinite odds against that man out in the ocean being heard and seen and rescued. Think how desperate he was to be saved from the sea! There is no doubt that God was watching over that man, and I hope he knows it. What a rescue! What a great story of salvation!
*But Christians: We have a much greater story of salvation! Because of our sin, we were far more hopeless than the man lost at sea. We were completely helpless and hopeless without Jesus. We know this because the first part of Romans 6:23 says "the wages of sin is death," and that is talking about everlasting death. We were helpless and hopeless without Jesus.
*But here is the great news: John 3:16 tells us about the gracious love of God, and says: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Without Jesus Christ we were completely hopeless, because again in Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death. . ." But thank God that verse goes on to say that "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
*Christians: Now we are saved! Now we are forgiven. Now we are born again by the Holy Spirit of God into the Family of God. But how should we live our new life as Christians? The Apostle John helps us see in today's Scripture.
1. FIRST: WE SHOULD REJOICE IN THE MERCY OF OUR MASTER.
*And we can see God's mercy in vs. 1-2, where John said:
1. My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
*God’s mercy has been poured out through the cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! It has been poured out on us, and on everyone else who will receive it. And when we trust in the Lord Jesus, He becomes our "Advocate" with God the Father. The NIV says Jesus "is the one who speaks to the Father in our defense." Jesus is our advocate, intercessor, or lawyer up in Heaven, who pleads our case before our Heavenly Father. And it’s interesting that the word translated "Advocate" here is the same word used for the Holy Spirit in John 14. There this word is translated as "Comforter," and that led A. T. Robertson to say, "The Holy Spirit is God’s Advocate on earth with men, while Christ is man’s Advocate with the Father in Heaven." (3)
*Christians: When we sin, Jesus pleads our case before our Heavenly Father, but He doesn’t plead our righteousness, because we are guilty. And the only thing we can plead is guilty. We saw this truth back in 1 John 1:8-9 where John said, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." So, when Jesus pleads our case before the Father, Christ doesn't plead our righteousness. No -- Jesus pleads His righteousness, and He pleads His blood.
*That's why vs. 2 here talks about the atonement, and says that Jesus Himself "is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Weymouth's New Testament says that Jesus "is an atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
*Jesus is the "propitiation" for our sins, and this isn't a word we normally hear or use. But you might hear that something is "propitious." That means it’s "favorable," "encouraging," "promising, " and nothing is more promising that what we have in Jesus!
*The idea in the original language is atonement or reconciliation. By His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus paid the price for our sins. And all who trust in the Lord are brought back together as one with the Heavenly Father. Jesus has bridged the gap and made us one with the Father. That's reconciliation, and that's how this same original word is translated in the KJV of Hebrews 2:17. There God's Word says, "It behoved Him (That is, it was Jesus' duty) to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." Christians: We have been reconciled with God the Father through the Blood of Jesus Christ.
*The other great thought in this word "propitiation" is God's mercy. That's because the most literal translation of this word is "Mercy Seat." Remember that this points us back to the Old Testament days of the tabernacle and temple where the Ark of the Covenant sat in the Holy of Holies. The Mercy Seat was the 2-feet wide, 4-feet long gold covered lid of that unique box. It was a most special box, because it contained the actual Ten Commandments, a pot of manna, and Aaron’s dead, wooden rod that budded and grew almonds in Numbers 17:8. But the Ark was special most of all because that’s where the glory of God came down and rested, -- on the Mercy Seat. And the one time a year that the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies, the mercy seat was where the priest sprinkled the blood, and the people’s sins were symbolically covered by that blood.
*Thank God, we don’t need the mercy seat today, because Jesus Christ is our place of mercy! Jesus is our Mercy Seat! He is the true Lamb of God who gave His blood on the cross to pay for our sins.
*Propitiation is about God's mercy. And basically the same word is translated as "merciful" in Luke 18:9-14. It's the wonderful passage where Jesus:
9. . . spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10. "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
12. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'
13. "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God be MERCIFUL to me a sinner!'
14. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.''
*"God be merciful to me a sinner!" Mercy! -- That’s what Jesus is for us here in vs. 2. He is our Mercy, because Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross.
2. AND SINCE WE ARE SAVED, WE SHOULD REJOICE IN THE MERCY OF OUR MASTER. WE ALSO SHOULD RECOMMIT OURSELVES TO RIGHTEOUS LIVING.
*The Apostle John made this truth clear at the beginning of vs. 1 where he wrote, "My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin." To me, the KJV is more direct and says, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not."
*God reminds us here that He has zero tolerance for our transgressions. God never gives us a green light to sin. And He reinforces this truth to us in vs. 3-4 where John said, "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
*Notice that keeping God's commandments is living proof of our salvation. So God reminds us here that we are not saved to sin. We are saved from sin. And God doesn’t want us to abuse His great mercy. So He is very strong and clear about sin: God never, ever gives us permission to sin.
*Christian author Kay Arthur helped us understand why when she said, "If you tolerate sin in your life, that sin will not only take you farther than you wanted to go. It will keep you longer than you wanted to stay. And it will cost you more than you thought you would pay." (4)
*God knows best both the cost and the consequences of our sin.
3. THAT'S WHY WE MUST RECOMMIT OURSELVES TO RIGHTEOUS LIVING. WE ALSO MUST TREAT GOD'S WORD LIKE A TREASURE.
*We must treat God's Word like the treasure that it truly is. And John made this truth clear in vs. 3-5, where he said:
3. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4. He who says, "I know Him,'' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
*God is looking for the real thing in our lives, and He wants us to know the truth about our lives. But it’s easy to lie, -- even to ourselves. How can we truly know we are saved? The answer in these verses is this: "Keep God's word."
*Again, vs. 3 says, "By this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments." And vs. 5 says, "Whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him." Keep God's commandments. Keep His Word.
*John could have been thinking back to something that Jesus told His disciples on the night before the cross. In John 14:21-24, Jesus said:
21. "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.''
22. Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?''
23. Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
24. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.
*God wants us to "keep" His commandments, keep His Word. And the original word for "keep" means giving careful attention to God's Word, taking care of it, guarding God's Word like a precious treasure in our hearts, because it IS a precious treasure! This is one of the greatest proofs of our salvation. (5)
*I first got to go on a mission trip to Ukraine in 1994. The atheistic Communist dictatorship had only been out of power for three years. We spoke at a community center one night. After the service, a lady came up to me, and through an interpreter she told me, "The things you said here tonight. If you had said them here 10 years ago, we ALL would have been arrested."
*On that same trip, we went to a small house church that was packed with people. We started passing out Bibles at the end of the service, and some dear, elderly Christian ladies were so hungry to have a Bible that they rushed the front of the church twice. The pastor had to make them sit down, as he assured them that we had enough Bibles for everyone to have a copy.
*Those people treasured the Word of God. And that's what the Lord wants us to do. Jesus wants us to keep guarding God's Word like a treasure in our hearts. It is a sure sign of our salvation.
4. AND SINCE WE ARE SAVED, CHRISTIANS, WE MUST TREAT GOD'S WORD LIKE A TREASURE. WE ALSO MUST WALK LIKE THE LORD WALKED.
*This is God's message for us in vs. 6, where John said, "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." God often describes our Christian life as a walk. With only a little research, William Ritter found 382 Bible references to various forms of the word 'walk.' And many Scriptures tell us how we are supposed to walk as Christians:
-Walk in love.
-Walk in wisdom.
-Walk in the light.
-Walk in the path.
-Walk in the Spirit.
-Walk in the law of the Lord.
-Walk in the way of the Lord.
-Walk in the fear of the Lord.
-Walk in the peace of the Lord.
-Walk honestly, forthrightly, and courageously.
-Walk worthily.
-And walk humbly." (6)
*For example, in Micah 6:8 God's Word says, "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" In Romans 6:4 Paul tells us that "just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Galatians 5:25 says, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." And in 2 Corinthians 5:7, Paul tells Christians that "we walk by faith, not by sight."
*Please understand that there is only one way to walk with God, and that is by faith. We must open our hearts to trust in Jesus Christ, and through faith, receive Him as the Lord and Savior of our lives. Then we need to intentionally start walking with the Lord every day. I know it's obvious, but we can't walk without walking, so we have to get started. Then, we have to keep walking by faith, one step at a time. But just like babies, Christians have to learn how to walk with the Lord by faith, and just like babies, we will stumble, but the Lord will never let us fall.
*In John 10:27-29 Jesus said:
27. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
29. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."
*Here Jesus gives us 4 sure promises about His gift of eternal life:
-"I give them eternal life."
-"They shall never perish."
-"Neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."
-"And no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."
*That's 4 sure promises in 2 short verses! And Christians, we are forever safe in the Hands of God. Fred Musser reminds us in a testimony he heard from his pastor, Bro. Temple. The old preacher told Fred this story a few days before Fred left home to prepare for the ministry.
*Bro. Temple said, "When my son was small, we often walked together out through the fields and neighboring pasture behind the parsonage. At first the little fellow would hold onto my little finger. But he found that when he stepped into a hoof-print or stumbled over something, his grip would fail and down he'd go in the dust or snow. Not giving it much thought, my mind on other matters, I'd stop, and he'd get up, brush himself off, and grab my little finger again, gripping a little harder this time.
*Needless to say, this occurred frequently, until one day as he was brushing himself off, he looked at me and said, 'Daddy?' I replied, 'Yes, Son, what is it?' He said, 'I think if you would hold my hand, I wouldn't fall.'"
*Pastor Temple then turned to Fred, and with a tear in his eye, he said, "You know, he still stumbled many times after that, but he never hit the ground. Now, as you walk with God, don't try to hold on to Him, let Him hold on to you. You may stumble but He'll never let you fall." (7)
*Psalm 37:23-24 says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand."
CONCLUSION:
*Christians: Our confidence is not in our grip. It's in our Heavenly Father's grip! Our confidence is not in ourselves. Our confidence is in God! And He will never let us fall.
*So put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Call on our crucified and risen Savior to save you today. Then keep trusting in the Lord. And always remember that we are saved! So, rejoice in the mercy of our Master. Recommit yourself to righteous living. Treat God's Word like a treasure. And walk like Jesus walked down here. Let's ask for the Lord's help, as we go back God in prayer.
(1) Sources:
-Adapted from EXPLORING THE EPISTLES OF JOHN by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Exploring John’s First Epistle - Introduction" - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
-WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas (A. T.) Robertson - Published in 1930-1933 - 1 John - THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN - ABOUT A.D. 85 TO 90 - By Way of Introduction - Relation to the Fourth Gospel - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(2) Sources:
-"13-Month-Old Baby Keeps Parents Awake on Cruise Ship, Causing Them to Venture on Deck -- Some Will Believe It Was Fate" - Jan. 16, 2015 - by Dave Urbanski
-http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/01/16/13-month-old-baby-keeps-parents-awake-on-cruise-ship-causing-them-to-venture-on-deck-some-will-believe-it-was-fate/
(3) WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas (A. T.) Robertson - Published in 1930-1933 - 1 John 2:1 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(4) SermonCentral illustration contributed by Joel Vicente
(5) Sources:
-STRONG'S HEBREW AND GREEK DICTIONARIES - from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D. - Published in 1890; public domain. - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-THAYER'S GREEK DEFINITIONS - Published in 1886, 1889; public domain. - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-SermonCentral sermon "Three Tests for Salvation" by Ed Wood - 1 John 2:3-11
(6) Adapted from Sermons.com sermon "Take a Hike" by William A. Ritter - Genesis 5:21-24
(7) Fred Musser, "The Tabernacle" from James S. Hewett, "Illustrations Unlimited" - Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988 - p. 244 - Source: "Bible Illustrator for Windows" - Topic: Love - Subtopic: Of God - Index: 2206 - Date: 7/1996.777 - Title: I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
