Provoking Thoughts From 1 John (4 Of 16)

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.