Friday, May 18, 2012

A New Commandment?: 1 John 2:3-11 by Steve Shank

This is a transcription of a sermon by Steve Shank one of the leaders of Sovereign Grace Ministries. It's a rough transcription of an older sermon-but gives you something of an idea of what Sov Grace people hear weekly- nothing fancy but solid. 
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 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. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
The New Commandment
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. 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. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 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.
  • First John is an easy book to translate in the Greek. There are less than 500 words used. However, it can be a difficult book to understand.
  • "The three letters in the New Testament ascribed to the Apostle John have long been recognized for their simple Greek style--so much so that beginning students of KoinÈ Greek often do their first translation work in 1 John.† When it comes to the meaning of the material, however, few portions of the New Testament could rival these three short letters in complexity and difficulty."† W.H. Harris
  • John's style makes it hard to understand. He is not writing the way we think or in I away that we are familiar with. He is writing in a meandering and almost circular style. He doesn't explain what he means when he says something. The best way to read 1 John is the shmorgasboard approach – read the whole book all the way through a few times. Then slowly go back and pick out the things that stand out. Start in the beginning and go to the end. Different themes are started and then later picked up. Then his situation makes it difficult.
  • The situation is such that there are individuals that are maligning the gospel, redefining the person and work of Christ and shaking up churches that John loved very, very much. John speaks authoritatively to these people, but he also speaks with affection and compassion. He cared for this church deeply. Authority and Affection are the two twin marks of effective pastoral care.
  • In 2:18, John calls these teachers "anti-christs". He calls them liars and deceivers and false prophets. And according to 1 John 2:19, it seems that they were once in the congregation. They were eroding people's confidence in the teachings of the apostle, in their confidence in their salvation. John is writing to strengthen these believers.
"The issues at stake are not speculative or academic.† The question at issue is where eternal life is to be found and experienced.† We are to read verse 13, therefore, not simply as a concluding state about the purpose of the letter, but as the climactic assertion to which the preceding chapters have been relentlessly moving.† These things must surely refer to the whole letter rather than simply to the immediately preceding sentences.† When John began his letter, he expressed his purpose in writing, 'to make our joy complete' (1:4).† Now he shows us what the content of that joy is.† It comes at seeing his 'dear children' continuing in the faith, believing in the name of the Son of God, and rejoicing in the certainty of eternal life.† Joy, for the apostle, for his 'children', and for the Christians in every generation, is found in the conscious experience of fellowship with God the Father, through Jesus the Son, within the community of his family, the church."-John Stott
What we believe about Jesus, his person and incarnation and work on the cross are of vital important to us, and these are often attacked today. 
  • So what were these opponents teaching? In 1:6 John is quoting the heretics. These people were saying that they had no sin. They were trying to redefine the doctrine of sin. They were no longer standing on the teaching of the Apostle's and their teaching of indwelling sin. John says that if we have no sin and that we don't sin, Christ is made out to be a liar. The lives of these teachers were completely unaffected by the teachings of Jesus. So whoever says they have encountered Christ, but their lives have no changed, they are liars. Their lives were not reflecting an impact of good news. So John exposes this disconnect. If someone prays a prayer on a television show, and because they are wealthy and famous and they give credit to God, but they continue to live in vice and sin and immorality, there is genuine ground to question their new birth and salvation. Someone who is genuinely born again will have evidences in their lives. He wants to encourage them that these evidences are in them.
  • Is it possible that genuine born again Christians can focus on their failure so much, that that is all they see? Yes, that is possible. But where that occurs, the gospel needs to be preached and the cross needs to be focused on with grace. So should Christians review the gospel more than their sins – absolutely! If we just focus on sin over and over, that is out of balance. However, should we say things like "We talk about sin too much, we focus too much on sin here." That is a repetition of the problem in this church that John is writing to. If we reduce the seriousness of sin, we reduce the importance of the Cross.
It's erroneous to think that because someone mouths a prayer, that they are born again. Hopefully they are, but there are ways to tell. 
Here are 2 ways to tell:
1) v. 3-6 : Do they Follow and Obey Christ?
a. How can we know is someone knows Christ? How can we know if we know him, or our children know him? We ask – what is their disposition towards Christ's commandments? They ought to have a new affection for, desire for, attraction to and association with Christ's commandments. If we know him we want to obey and follow his commandments. Do Christians who are generally born again go through seasons of dryness and struggle with sin? Of course. Our basic orientation, our consistent orientation is to be continually drawing us back to God's word. Do you have a desire to walk the way Jesus walked, obey his word, see him in his word and submit to his word? That is strong evidence of the saving grace of the Spirit of God in your life.
b. Parents, how does this translate into how your kids view scripture? Start at an early age by impressing upon them the indispensable place of scripture. Communicate your love for it, submission to it, defense of it, etc. Show them that this is to be their heart disposition as well. Don't just assume that a few obedience's means they're saved. Work continually and pray continually and model continually.
c. Meetings on Sunday are great. We get into the word and hear preaching and sing worship. However, meetings don't save. We must be in the word, obeying it constantly and trusting Him. Though none of us are perfect in any way, the orientation of our heart is to be to looking at Christ for light and instruction.
d. Does someone resist the authority of the Bible? Do they like the hangout, the singles group, and the music, but not the whole "Bible thing?" Their conversion should probably be challenged. John would say so. We are to walk in the way that Jesus walked.
e. If you are abiding in Jesus, and he is abiding in you, it will affect how you live. Prior to regeneration, you were not thinking benevolently of anyone else. You would never give money to anyone else you didn't know. But now that you are saved, and Christ abides in you and you in him and you recognize that He gives you your money and enables you to earn it and he commands you to give it to the poor and so you joyfully do so.
f. If you love the word, live the word, read the word, follow the word, seek more of Christ in your life and strive to live the way Christ did, then be encouraged for you have great signs of new birth!
2) v. 7-11 : Do they Love One Another?
g. This beginning on verse 7 is the beginning of the ministry of Christ. From the beginning of this movement, the commandments is the same: love one another. Though decades have passed since Jesus gave this command in John 13:33. John says the same command is essential. John 15:7-15.
h.What is a sign of conversion? Love. Obeying Him is essential. But loving the brothers is as well essential in the Christian life. 
What is John referring to:
i. Christ like love – Jesus was defined by his love. This love is not defined by culture or by emotion or by chemical reactions that we have with some and no others. Christ is our motivation. We are to love God's church and that means loving one another. Others were once lost like us but they are now saved – therefore love one another. The entire law is summed up in loving God and loving one another.
ii. It is a command. Commands are not just prohibitions. We are commanded to love one another. That doesn't mean marshalling up warm fuzzies for people we don't like. It's much harder than that. Love is a command and it is to be real. To refuse to love others and not love our brothers in therefore sin, because it is a command.
iii. It is continual. It's not a new command, but an old one. We're decades into this movement. It wasn't like the "love-thing" was good for a start, but now it was time to move on. No, we never graduate from this. This is not beginner material only. Our locations and schedules are no excuse. We do not progress away from this. Growing in knowledge and service is much easier, but we must grow in love too.
iv. It is costly. 1 John 3:16. Love is a verb in the Christian life. It is a radical laying down of our lives for each other. It is tangible. Who's burdens are you aware of? Who could use your help?
i. Do you want to follow Christ? Do you want assurance? Listen to these things; follow them dearly and closely.
j. Every time we look to Christ and we look at the cross, we hear these words infinitely over and over – "I love you." But do we also hear, "Love one another?" We can and should.

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