Grosey's Messages

1 JOHN 2:3-11.      Matthew 22:34-40  Luke 13:22-35

Walking in the Light.

1John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.4 Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

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.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.9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.11 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.

Psalm 80 ESV 2 stir up your might and come to save us! 3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! 7 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!

18 Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name!

19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

NASB  ³  O God, restore us And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.

NKJV  ¹⁹ Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!

Restore us.   1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sns and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Maybe you have heard of the name "Ivan the Terrible." You may be thinking, "Yeah, I kept that kid last week in Sunday School." Ivan the Terrible was crowned the first Czar of all of Russia in 1547. The term Czar means "Caesar." He was cruel and ruthless. He gouged out the eyes of the architects who built the beautiful St. Basil's Cathedral so they would never be able to build anything more beautiful. He had seven wives and abused them all. He even killed his own son in a fit of anger. There were many other reasons why later generations gave him the title "terrible." When he died in 1584, the leaders of the church followed his strange instructions. They shaved his head, and dressed him in a Monk's robe. Ivan knew he was such a wicked man that he was hoping God would mistake him for a monk and let him into heaven. I call him "Ivan the Stupid." My friend, you can't get into heaven by disguising yourself as someone and hoping God will mistake you for him or her. There is only one door and that door is Jesus.

Mark Twain once wrote: "Having spent a considerable amount of time with religious people, I can understand why Jesus liked to be with tax collectors and sinners."

Calvin "John here reminds us that the knowledge of God derived from the Gospel is not ineffectual, but that obedience flows from it."

And by this we know that we have come to know him,

WHOEVER says 4, 6, 9    4 Whoever says "I know him" but …. 6 Whoever says he abides in Him, (but…)   9 Whoever says he is in the light and …

Has the light of God's face been eclipsed in your life by sin getting between you and your Lord?

And when you come to know Jesus, He remakes you from the inside out. You get to know Him, and knowing Him changes you from within. "know" can mean "believe," or "approve," or even "love":"I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine" (John 10:14). But its commonest meaning is to be sure or assured, as in "One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25).  Knowing God is moving from being in the dark into being in the light. Remember 1John 1:5 God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

"The knowledge of Christ has become expressive of a personal and saving interest in His work and grace. There is great propriety in this use of the term. Knowledge is the result of observation and experience. It implies certainty. If we say we know a man, it supposes we have had fellowship with him, and have proved what sort he is. If we know a country we must have been there and seen it and become versant with its inhabitants, soil, and products. If we know a medicine, we must have used or analyzed it, and so become acquainted with its constituents and properties. Now this is precisely the force of the term when we speak of the knowledge of Christ. Hence it is the characteristic of believers in our text: 'we know Him.' We know His power, for we have proved it; we know His wisdom, for we have been guided by it; we know His love, for we have enjoyed it; and we know His truth, for we have ever found Him faithful. How thankful we should be that this is the nature of true religion. It is not a speculation about which there is uncertainty. It is not a doubtful opinion. It is knowledge. It is a reality of which we may know ourselves. They who attained it may say 'we know him'" (J. Morgan).

When a person becomes a Christian there is a lot of changes: It is like moving to another country.

There is a new residency.         There are new responsibilities.   There are new relations.

Augustine… chased by a prostitute, a former friend.. "Augustine, it is I!"  Augustine running calls back: "Yes but is no longer I!"

Pink:  The truth of Christ being  our redeeming sacrifice and our advocate, His atoning sacrifice will not induce a careless walk or encourage a spirit of lawlessness. Where Christ is truly known as Lord and Savior, His authority is gladly owned; if He is loved, there will be no question about obedience. A spiritual apprehension of what Christ has done and is now doing for us is the most effective means and motive unto a God-honoring life.  In fact, John is encouraging you to have assurance of your salvation. Assurance..comes from the cross.      Evidences: assist that assurance by letting us know there has been a great change in us because we have recognised what Jesus has done for us.

The Truth Test      -Gospel         The Moral Test      -Righteousness       The Social Test       -Love

Here John is saying to us that there is a new desire from within to keep God's commandments, particularly the commandment to love. The Old and New Testaments fit together to say that there is an inward change that occurs in the person who really believes. They move from just keeping the commandments to loving God and loving people. Just like the Lord Jesus said in Matthew.. you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and you shall love your neighbour as yourself.

Tis A Thing I Long To Know, Do I Love The Lord Or No?

Here are some tests to let you know that you have truly believed in Jesus and been saved.

1. DO YOU HAVE A LOYAL LOVE FOR THE LORD?  The Loyalty Factor

A loyalty to our Lord     if we keep His commandments."

The word commandment refers to injunctions or orders – this is not the word nomos as a reference to the Mosaic Law. He's specifically thinking of the commandments of Christ for the New Testament believer.  This is the great commission of Christ to His apostles – to make disciples, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you.  The New Testament letters are filled with commands of Christ.  And the believer is to keep them, John writes here.  The word translated "keep" has the idea of observant, watchful obedience. While the Christian will not perfectly or at times even consistently obey the Lord – which is why John began his letter by giving us the means and methods of confession – the believer wants to obey.  The believer is grieved by his disobedience.

The idea here of "keeping his commandments" has to do with determination and desire.  The believer wants to match his walk to his talk.

 "The believer cannot keep Christ's commandments perfectly, but he can keep them purposefully. The believer can rise each day with longing in our heart to do what God would desire.

Obedience is more than just "keeping the commandments." There is a love there. Remember.. love the Lord your God!        Commanding love is very difficult.  Responding to love is very easy.

I would not work my soul to save, that work my Lord has done.

But I will work like any slave for love of God's dear Son.

Our obedience to Christ is regarded by John as evidence of our experience of Christ . That initial step of knowing Him experimentally was a step of faith and faith, if it is true faith, is a blend of dependence and obedience. Dependence upon Christ's work on the Cross and His word to us in scripture, but obedience to His will . The old obediences that marked our lives before our conversion have been replaced with a new obedience. We no longer walk "according to the course of this world' i .e. doing what others do; nor do we walk any longer "fulfilling the desires of the flesh and-of the mind" i.e. doing what we want. But now the supreme question that dominates our conduct is the question Saul of Tarsus asked in the first moments of his conversion experience "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" To claim an experimental knowledge of Christ as Saviour and to pay no regard at all to His commandments is to be branded a liar v.4. The reason for this is surely that part of the experience of the new life within which is mediated to us through the Holy Spirit is a new awareness of the claims' of Jesus Christ.  If the Holy Spirit is there dwelling in us then we shall become conscious of this new obedience, this new loyalty that must dominate our conduct.

2. DO YOU HAVE A MATURING LOVE FOR THE LORD

Look at 5: Whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.

The word translated perfected means "accomplished". In other words, John is encouraging us that when we keep His word, the love of God is accomplishing its purpose in our lives.  One author put it this way; the more we treasure the word of God, the more we open the door for his love to accomplish his purpose in our lives. I love this verb – to keep – His word. It opens up the meaning of what John is intending to convey here.  The word was used in John's day of a sentry, on duty, walking his post.

Joel Beeke, The Epistles of John (Evangelical Press, 2006), p. 63  

It was used for guarding carefully as if a person were guarding a treasure "the love of God" Some scholars say it means God's love for us; others say it means our love for God, but surely i t means just exactly what it says "the love of God" - that new love which is now present in us. A new love that has been received with the new life. Compare Romans 5:5 where Paul states "the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." But the love which comes to us as a gift must then be allowed to grow and develop into what John cal l s later on in chapter A:18 "a perfect love that casts out fear " a love which is marked by a complete and utter confidence in the one loved. This maturing, this growing of love into a deepening confidence will come only out of a constant and growing obedience. As we obey more and more the will of God in our lives s|o God will unveil, more and more of His mind and will to those He has learned Ho can trust. This is what our Lord said in John 14:21 "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest myself to him."

And out of that deepening insight will come a deepening love and a growing confidence in the one loved, a growing recognition of His utter worth and of His utter trustworthiness. So our assurance experimentally and practically will rest upon these two things; this will be something for ourselves and something for others see in any genuine Christian life a loyalty in the love. We will to the Lord and a maturity in The thought of the claim stated in v.5 "hereby we know that we are in him" seems to lead John on into v.6 where w4 read "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to wall even as he walked."

3. DO YOU HAVE A DETERMINED LOVE FOR CHRIST AND OTHERS

 God uses a word that doesn't talk about falling in love; He uses a word that talks about choosing to love.  Warren Wiersbe comments on this term here by writing that biblical agape isn't about attraction, it's about determination. It's not a matter of working it up . . . it's a matter of willing it out.  And the surprising thing is that this kind of self-sacrificing love isn't just for our spouses and family members, it's for the entire body of Christ and beyond.

So it's no coincidence that as John begins telling us all that we are commanded to love each other – he opens by telling us that he loves us too – and he loves us with this kind of deep affection and fidelity and commitment – expressed in this term, beloved.

What is surprising, and I'm sure John's childhood friends thought the same thing, is that John would grow old and affectionate, rather than old and bitter and irritable.

That was John when Jesus called him as one of His disciples.

John was nicknamed early on as a son of thunder, by Jesus, because of his temper (Mark 3).

Luke chapter 9 records that John wanted to call down fire from heaven on a village that had refused to give them shelter for the night – Lord, let's torch all of 'em . . . they deserve it!

It was John's mother who came to Jesus and said, "What can we do to make sure John and his brother James get to sit next to you in the kingdom . . . they want to be at the top of the ladder."

Fiery, passionate, self-centered, judgmental . . .

But now you read this old Apostles letter and although John is still passionate and fearless and confrontational, he makes sure we all understand, underneath it all is agape . . . he loves us dearly.

With that, he begins to tell us how to make sure we avoid the darkness of hatred and walk in the light of love.

Verse 7. Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.

In other words, the concept of loving one another is not new stuff.

The truth was, by the time John wrote this letter, the command to love God and one another wasn't new, but it was neglected.

The rabbis had long since started on their vast work of elaborating on the Law of Moses. They scoured the Torah – the first five Books of the Old Testament, written by Moses – and they looked for every command, every mandate, every charge, every prohibition and every rule and from them they created many of their traditions along with their long lists of do's and don'ts.

For instance, they catalogued 613 commandments from the Old Testament law – which they believed matched the 613 things that made up a human body; they also catalogued 365 negative commandments or prohibitions which they also found significant because that made one prohibition for every day of the year. They loved this stuff.  The problem was – all that stuff replaced love.

John says, effectively – you remember the great commandment – it's really old – it goes all the way back to the beginning – To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind . . . and love your neighbor as yourself (Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19) – you guys are praying this every morning and evening.  In all of your lists, have you overlooked the commandment to love?

Well unbury it . . . dust it off . . . it isn't new . . . it goes all the way back to God's original design.

But then . . . John writes in the very next verse – verse 8, On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you.

Wait a minute . . . I thought it wasn't new?!  Well, the word John uses for "new" here isn't referring to something new in time (kairos); but something new in quality (kainos).

In other words, John isn't saying, "Look, here's something brand new that's never come along until now; no, John is actually saying, "Look, there's a brand new quality – a fresh demonstration – of agape/love that is totally unique."  Notice, he goes on to tell us how – middle part of verse 8 – I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him.

In other words, Jesus Christ has shown us new, fresh quality to love. And He expects us to imitate His demonstration of love in our own demonstrations of self-sacrifice.

That's how He could say to His disciples, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you." (John 13:34)

So, don't let your list of 613 commandments – your 365 prohibitions and your 248 affirmations – get in the way of the most important command of all.

verse 8 – On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him  – and, in you.

This isn't just for Jesus . . . it's for all of us to demonstrate too.  John is actually informing us that this a bigger deal than we might think; we're not only demonstrating the love of Christ, we're demonstrating the light of Christ.  Notice the last part of verse 8 – because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. Notice the warning in verse 9. The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.

And John is effectively saying, Beloved, none of you belong in the shadows . . . get into the Light . . . demonstrate the Light of Christ and the love of Christ.  Get out of the shadows of hatred and un-forgiveness and bitterness and jealousy and all those things that belong in the dark.

Notice verse 11. But the one who hates his brother (get this, we're still talking about Christians) – the one who 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.

Again, John's use of the present-tense participle translated "hating his brother, simply depicts a persistent, characteristic attitude. This person is known for simply being hateful.  John says, this person has chosen to live in the shadows – to turn off the light and walk a dark path.  John even adds, his eyes are blinded – a verb that records the blinding impact of hatred in this person's heart

What pitfalls are you dangerously close to falling into because you're harboring a hateful spirit toward another?

 Who is it in your world who would be greatly encouraged if they knew you cared?

 Who is it that could use your insight to help them regain their footing on the path of light?

 Who is God asking you to selflessly serve today?   What is God asking you to faithfully commit to all over again?   Who is God asking you to love today?