Ron Dunn Podcast - First John Part Seven

Episode Date: March 16, 2022

Ron Dunn continues his First John series

Look at 1 John, the second chapter, 1 John, the second chapter, and we'll read verses 3 through 6. 1 John, the second chapter, verses 3 through 6. I hope that you'll get familiar with this little epistle of 1 John. It's a tremendous little letter. And it is one that, as I said Sunday, that not only tells us who to believe in, but primarily it's how the believers are to behave. And as far as being interested in knowing what the Christian life is all about and how that life is to be lived and what are the obligations and responsibilities of that life,

there's not a greater book in the New Testament, in my opinion, than 1 John. And I hope that you'll get familiar with it and read it again and again in different translations, different versions, because there is so much that is instructive in it, and so much that has to do with the practicality of the Christian life. And perhaps one of the most practical of all the passages in this epistle are found right here in this second chapter in verses 3 through 6. And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him,

and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily isoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked,

even as Jesus walked. Now, it is the opinion of the Apostle John that profession creates obligation. John is one of those fellows that will not simply let you say something and leave it at that. But he expects for what you say to be confirmed and backed up by your life. And so throughout the epistle of 1 John, one of the keys to understanding 1 John is that it is a testing situation. It is a testing situation. And all the way through 1 John, he is applying a certain number of tests, examinations, in order to bring to the light, bring out into the open, into the

life, the true condition of those people who profess to be believers in Jesus Christ. And John is not impressed with theological jargon, and he is not satisfied with simply profession, simply testimony, but he believes, and therefore since he believes it, well then the Lord believes it because he's writing under the direction of the Lord, that every testimony ought to be confirmed by the life that is lived. And in this particular passage of Scripture, you have three testimonies given. And you also have three tests. And I want you to notice the construction of these verses.

There are three testimonies given, and there are three tests to every testimony. And obviously, John must have somebody in mind because you'll notice in verse 4, he says, He that saith. And then in verse 6, he that saith, and then in verse 6, he that saith. And you'll find that particular phrase several times in the epistle, and you get the idea that John perhaps had been in a great many of these testimony meetings where some fellow

stood up and gave a loud testimony and made some kind of profession. And there was some doubt as to the accuracy or the genuineness of his testimony, because John keeps coming back to this phrase, he that says, he that says, he that says. And you can almost see John with somebody in mind, a brother so-and-so who's always saying this, who's always professing this. And so he is coming to the place in this particular passage where he is applying a test to the man's testimony. And I think if you wanted to title that passage, that's what you would title it, Testing Your Testimony. He says, we know that we are in him if we keep his commandments. Verse 5, whosoever keepeth his word, hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself

also so to walk even as he walk. And so this is the context and this is the idea of this present passage. It is the Word of God demanding that those who profess to know Him, those who profess to abide in Him, those who profess to walk in Him, it is demanding that that profession be backed up and confirmed by a consistent lie. And if the testimony does not pass the test, then as far as John is concerned, the fellow's lying. And you'll notice in verse 4, this strong language, he that saith, I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Here again, John is making one of those flat, dogmatic, unproven statements. He doesn't try to argue or prove it or reason it out. He just, you know, makes it a flat statement and says,

if a man says he knows Jesus, but he's not keeping his commandments, then the man's a liar. And you can't get any plainer than that. I was reading some time ago about an evangelist, an old-time evangelist, who when he would go into a church, the first thing he would do is organize a shouting committee. And the shouting committee would sit over here on this side, down close to the front of the auditorium. Now, the function of the shouting committee was this, that as the evangelist was preaching along, if somebody shouted, you know, said,

Amen, praise the Lord, hallelujah, did something like that, they were to take his name, write down his name, and the next day they would go out and investigate that fellow's life. They would talk to his business associates and talk to his neighbors. That'd be very interesting, wouldn't it? And if they found that his life was acceptable and without blame, without reproof, they would not say anything to him. They would allow him to go ahead and shout.

But if they found some inconsistency in his behavior, if they found out perhaps he wasn't paying his debts or he had a bad reputation, if they found out anything that was inconsistent with his shouting, they went to him and told him to be quiet and not to shout anymore in church. And you know, I've often thought about that. It would be interesting to set up a shouting committee and have them to investigate.

The only problem that I could see is I don't know who would qualify the committee. But I think this is what John is saying. John is saying we're going to have a shouting committee in this fellowship. And if you're going to shout, if you're going to profess something, you're going to claim to know Jesus, then we're going to check you out, and we're going to put your profession and your testimony to the test and see if you're real and genuine. So let's look at these three testimonies and then three tests of these testimonies, and each one is a wider testimony, a greater testimony, indicating a deeper relationship with the Lord.

So let's look at verse 3. And hereby do we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. All right, here's the testimony. The testimony is, I know Him. I know him. I know him. And this, I would say, would be the basic of salvation, knowing Jesus. Knowing Jesus is synonymous with salvation. And the word translated know is a word that means to know personally, intimately, experientially.

It was used of a husband and a wife knowing each other, representing, indicating the marriage relationship between a husband and wife. And it indicates personal knowledge, personal knowledge. And here is a man who stands and gives his testimony, and he professes this, I know Jesus. I know him. And it is, as I said, an experiential knowledge. It is a personal acquaintance with the Lord Jesus.

Not head knowledge, not intellectual knowledge. It's not grasping something, but it's being grasped by somebody, I think would be the way to make the distinction between just intellectual knowledge and experiential knowledge. And so here's the testimony. The fellow says, I know him. I know him. All right? Now, let's look at the test of that testimony. And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. Verse 4, he that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Testimony, I know him.

All right, the test of that testimony is this. Do you keep his commandments? John says, if you profess to know Jesus and you do not keep his commandments, you're a liar. Not only are you a liar, indicating that you're lying about that particular thing, but the truth does not dwell in you. Truth as a way of life, truth as a principle, indicating you are through and through a phony. You're not just lying about this particular moment

and this particular situation, but you're a stranger to the truth if you do not keep His commandments. All right, now it seemed to me that we need to understand what it means to keep His commandments. You know what the commandments are and will not. The commandments here indicate the isolated commandments, taken singly, taken in isolation, whatever He commands us. Remember in John chapter 14 and 15 and 16, Jesus continues to emphasize that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. And the one that loves Jesus is to emphasize that if we love him, we'll keep his commandments. And the one that loves Jesus is the one that has his commandments and keeps them. The key word there is the word keep.

And there are two things about it. First of all, the meaning of that word and then the tense of that word. The meaning of that word means to keep a watchful eye on or to be vigilant. Now let me hasten to say that he is not referring here to sinless perfection. He's not referring to a person who always, always does everything God tells him to do, and if one time you do not keep His commandment, then you're a liar. That's not what the Word indicates at all. The Word means to keep a watchful eye upon. It means to observe. It was used of a sailor who would watch the stars and set his course by watching the stars. It was a very common word back in the New Testament world for a sailor who would be

sailing by the stars. And he would keep an eye on the stars, and he would watch the stars, and he would set his course according to the stars. We could bring it down on our level today and say that a fellow who is going to take a trip, he's never been this way before, and he gets out his road map, and he finds that he's to follow a certain highway. Then as he drives down the highway, he keeps his eye open for the highway signs. He keeps a vigilant eye open for the highway signs. And as he drives down the highway, he watches those signs. And those signs regulate his direction.

And that's the idea of the Word. Now, the Word in verse 4 is in the present tense. And you remember Sunday night, I believe it was, we talked about sinning in the aorist tense and sinning in the present tense. Do you remember that? The present tense in the New Testament language indicates a habitual practice, that which is characteristic of a person's life. Here's what he's saying, verse 4.

He that says, I know him, and is not characterized by watching his commandments, is a liar. Now the idea, to sum it all up, the idea is that if a man says he knows Jesus, but has little or no regard for the commandments of the Lord, and has no interest in them, couldn't care less what the Lord says, he's going to set his own direction, travel his own way, and he's not keeping an eye on the Lord's commandments. He couldn't care less what the Lord has to say about it.

What are the Lord's commandments? He's not vigilant. He's not even watching out for them. John says that man is a liar. Now, let me emphasize, this is the set habitual pattern of his life. Now, that is extremely important to understand, that this is the set pattern of his life. All of us will go through those occasional setbacks, backslidings,

where we find ourselves not as keen and intense in keeping the commandments of the Lord as we ought to be. And sometimes we're more interested in following the Lord's commandments than we are at other times. That's not what he's referring to. He's talking about a man, his life is set in concrete. It is a habitual practice.

That is his set pattern of acting. His life is set in concrete. It is a habitual practice. That is His set pattern of acting. He has no regard for the commandments of the Lord Jesus. He says, that man, if he professes to know Jesus, that man is a liar. So that's the first test. Testimony is, I know him. Well, if you know him then, you're going to be interested in what he has to say to you. And you're going to be interested in his commandments. And if the set pattern of your life is such, you couldn't care less about his commandments.

And you claim to know him. You're a liar. And the truth is not in you. All right, now let's look at the second testimony and its test. And this is found in verse 5. But whoso keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that we are in him. We are in him.

Now this testimony says, I am in him. Now, this testimony says, I am in Christ. Now, that's a wider relationship, a deeper, more personal relationship than just simply knowing it. I not only know him, but I am in him. I have a vital union with him. I have a close, intimate relationship with Him. He is my environment. He's the air I breathe. He's the sea in which I'm immersed. He's my life source. And I'm plugged into Him, and I live in Him. That's my location. That's where I live. I live in Jesus. And you see, this is a greater testimony than simply saying I know him. To say I'm in him. I am in him. I recognize Jesus to be my environment. I recognize him to be the source of my life. I recognize him to be the boundaries of my existence. I live in him. And he says, if a man is in Jesus, then he will keep his word. Now, this is different than keeping his commandment.

The commandment has the idea of the isolated acts of obedience commandment. This word includes that and goes beyond and has the idea of his desire and his will. Now, let me point out a difference. You'll see this difference over in chapter 3, and it's a very important difference. Chapter 3, verse 22. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him because, notice the two things, we keep his commandments, now notice the second thing, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. Now, is John saying the same thing there twice

just different wording no he's not at all he's saying something greater he says we know we receive the things we ask why number one we keep his commandments that was the first test I keep his commandments to keep his word

is doing those things that are pleasing in his sight. Let me illustrate. Let's suppose that tomorrow you tell one of your children, you say, Johnny, I want you to take the trash, get it out of the kitchen, take it out back, put it in the garbage bin.

And so he says, all right, I'll keep your commandment. And he goes in and he gets the sack of trash, garbage, takes it outside, puts it in the garbage bin. And you keep waiting for him to come back, and he doesn't come back. And you wonder what in the world he's doing. About 15 minutes later, in he walks, and you ask him, you say, John, what took you so long? And he says, you have to use your imagination here. He says, well, Dad, after I did what you commanded me to do, I noticed that there was a lot of trash spilled around the garbage bin. Papers and other things.

A dog had got in there the night before and spilled it over. And, Dad, I knew it would please you if I went ahead and picked all of that up, even though you didn't command me to do it. You see why I said you need to use your imagination? Now, that boy has done two things. Number one, he has done what you've commanded. Number two, he has done something of his own initiative that was pleasing in your sight, and let me ask you a question, which pleased you more, his obeying the letter of your commandment or doing that which was pleasing in your sight? Which? The latter. Absolutely. You see the big difference? All right, now, if a man, now listen carefully, if a person knows Jesus just in salvation, knows him just in salvation,

then he's going to keep his eye on the Lord's commands. But if a fellow has come to the place in his Christian experience where he says, listen, I not only know Jesus, I'm in him. I'm in him. That fellow is not going to be living by the letter of commandments. He's going to be watching for things he can do that will please the Lord. And he's not going to measure or gauge or regulate his life by what the Lord tells me to do. He's going to do those things he knows would be pleasing to the Lord.

You see the big difference? Now, what John is saying is this. Friend, the closer your fellowship and relationship to Jesus becomes the farther away you get from the old legalistic just doing what He commands. And your heart now is not simply trying to get by and not sin, but your heart is now trying to do anything and everything that would please him.

You can pretty well tell where a Christian's fellowship with Jesus Christ is by some questions he'll ask. Sometimes young people are prone to ask a question like this. How far can I go without sinning? What can I do without sinning? How much can I do without sinning? What's wrong with this? What's wrong with that?

You see, the whole spirit of that person is negative. I just want to know how close I can get to the line. I want to know what is the barest essential. I want to be able to run as free as I can. I don't really want to sin. And so if you'll tell me how much I can do without sinning, I'd appreciate it very much. And that is the mark of a very immature believer.

And when you come to the place where you are in Him and you have come to know Him as your life and your environment, you're not going to be wanting to know know how little can I do and get by. But what you're going to be wanting to know is not negatively what's wrong with this, but you're going to be wanting to know positively what all can I do that will please him. There's a vast difference in that. And it might be good tonight for you just to check yourself out and see where you are. All right, let's come to the third testimony and the third test.

This is found in verse 6. He that saith he abideth in him, in Christ, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Now you see, both of them are bigger. One thing to say, I know him. Another to say, I'm in him. And now he comes and says, I abide in him. And this is that very familiar word that John uses. A very strong word that means I am permanently lodged in Him.

I am permanently lodged in Him. The word means to be at home. I'm at home in Jesus. Not only am I in Him, just in Him, but I'm permanently lodged there. And it's home for me. It's home for me. Now, that's a greater and deeper fellowship.

And notice the test. If a man says he abides in Jesus, he ought. Notice that word ought. There's no choice in the matter. He must. He ought. He must walk as Jesus walked, or else he doesn't know anything about that abiding.

And to walk as Jesus walked, you see, well, that just includes the whole life, the disposition, the attitude. That, as you know, is an expression that means your whole manner of life. Your whole manner of life. Your whole manner of life. Everything. You become Christ-like.

Now listen carefully. The first two, the first two, you are obeying Christ. The first one, you're obeying Christ. The second one, you're pleasing Christ.. The second one, you're pleasing Christ. And the third one, you're like Christ. And you can see the graduation of relationship. And as a man abides in Christ and sees Jesus as his permanent lodging, his permanent dwelling place, he's home. He's home. What's happening? Well, that influence of Christ is so affecting his life, he's becoming Christ-like, and he's walking just as Jesus walked, just as Jesus walked. And now it's not a matter of saying to himself,

now what are those commandments? Now listen carefully. It's not a matter of saying, I wonder what will please him. Because his relationship with Jesus now is so real, he doesn't even have to think. Now what's his commandment? He doesn't even have to try to Now, what's his commandment? He doesn't even have to try to

figure. Now, what would please him? He finds himself just naturally walking as Jesus would walk. And naturally, he keeps his commandments. And naturally, he does those things that are pleasing in his sight. Because why? He's just walking as Jesus walks. The result, the effect of that deeper and more intense relationship and fellowship with Jesus. So John's saying, where are you? What testimony do you give? I know there have been times I've given testimony number three, and I haven't passed it. And I think sometimes I need to back up and say, Lord, about all I can really claim is I know you because I do keep an eye on your commandments.

And what 1 John is all about is to so instruct us to bring us to the place so that all of us can say it and say it honestly, I'm abiding in him. Therefore, I'm walking even as Christ walks. The Ron Dunn Podcast is available only for personal edification, not to be duplicated, uploaded to the web, or resold without prior written consent. It is managed and operated by Sherwood Baptist Church. If you would like to listen to additional Ron Dunn messages, visit sherwoodbaptist.net slash bookstore and search Ron Dunn.

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