1 John 4:7-21 (Finding Confidence in Our Salvation)

How do we know that we have eternal life?

I don't really know how secure most Christians feel in their salvation.  I suspect, like most things, it is a question that, were we able to probe hearts at the deepest level, would elicit a myriad of responses.  It is, after all -- and must be -- an intensely personal question.

While I believe that God wants all of us to be secure in our salvation, the Bible nevertheless tells us unequivocally that some will be surprised to learn that Jesus never knew them.  See Matthew 7:15-23.  Some of those people, I fear, are engaged in the folly of questioning the salvation of others, instead of examining the only heart they will ever have any chance to know -- their own.  Some of these are no doubt the ones who sought to remove sawdust from the eyes of others -- unable to see the planks in their own.  Matthew 7:1-5.

John stated the reason for writing his first epistle plainly:  "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."  1 John 5:13.  God doesn't want us to be confused about our eternal destiny -- AND he has given us the opportunity for clarity.

In effect, John gives us the key to eternal life, along with a litmus test to verify for ourselves that we have received it.

The key should not be any great surprise to those who claim to be followers of Jesus -- yet the letter is written so that those who believe may know that they have eternal life.  John repeats it again and again in this short letter.  Different words perhaps, and perhaps with each repetition he takes us to a deeper understanding of this reality.  But, at the end of the day, the key is simple and solitary.  It stands alone as the only means of enjoying God for eternity.

Faith in Jesus is our only hope.  "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."  1 John 4:9-10.

But, how do we know that we have truly put our faith in Jesus?  We said the prayer and maybe even got baptized.  But, others will prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles in the name of Jesus, and yet Jesus will not know them.  If those people are not saved who can be?!!!

Here in chapter four John tells us for the third time how we can tell for ourselves whether we have truly put our faith in Jesus.  He brings even greater clarity and depth to our understanding than he did the two times before.  His point is unmistakable.

John tells us that "IF anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God."  1 John 4:15.  And here he reveals to us that "if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."  1 John 4:12.  It is not that our love causes God to live in us -- only our faith can do that.  It is that if  we have faith God lives in us, and if God lives in us we love others as He loves.

Jesus himself told us how to recognize those who belong to Him -- by our love for one another.   “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:34-15.  By "disciple" here he does not mean some special class of Christian, but all who claim to follow Christ.  Love is the evidence that God lives in us.

To drive the point whom John presents us with the stark reality that if we do not love others we do not love God.  Indeed, those who claim to love God but do not love their brothers and sisters are liars.

But, our capacity to love is not something to be achieved through discipline or the force of our own will.  It comes instead from the very spirit of God that dwells in us.  It does not lead to faith, but is the result of true faith.  Again, Jesus himself has made this crystal clear for us -- His disciples will be recognized by their fruit.  Matthew 7:15-20.

Moreover, at least twice in this text John tells us that God's love is made "perfect" in those who believe.  1 John 4:12 and 17.  Some might dismiss this as hyperbole.  But God's love is perfect, and his very spirit dwells in us.  The Greek word used here is τελειόω (teleioō), and it or its variants can be found throughout the New Testament.

In Matthew 5:48, for example, Jesus tells us to "[b]e perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."  In John 19:30, Jesus used this word (τελέω [teleō]) to proclaim the completion of his work on the earth: “It is finished.”  And, in John 13:1, Jesus uses it to express the fullness of his love for his disciples.  ("Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.")

Jesus has made us, as beloved children filled with the Holy Spirit, the complete, perfect and final expression of His love on earth to the human race during this church age.  We can have the greatest sermons and worship music in our churches, but we will do so without Jesus if we do not love.  See 1 Corinthians 13:1-4.  

It seems to me that too often we think of the command to love as just that -- a call to obedience to an external command.  We think it is a call by Jesus to improve ourselves -- to become better people than our neighbors who do not know Jesus.  But, it is far more than that.  While desiring to become better people is not a bad thing in and of itself, that is not at all the point of the second part of the greatest commandment.    

First, the love we show to others is probably the greatest testimony of God's work in our own lives. We like to think of a "testimony" as being about the things that God has helped us overcome in our lives -- the addictions, the broken relationships, the cancer, ... the overwhelming grief caused by loss of a child.  I think, though, that the greatest testimony is not about what God has done in our past, but is found in how God is living through us in the present.  It is not the tragedies that God has helped us overcome, but the capacity to love others with the infinite love of Jesus in the midst of our own suffering -- and to continue to do so when the storm has passed -- that demonstrates most clearly the majesty, the power, the glory and the love of God working in and through our lives.

Second, our capacity to love is the test for ourselves of our salvation and our growth in Christ.  "[W]hoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.  And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister."  1 John 4:20-21.  Or viewed from a slightly different angle, and as we shall soon see, we do not love God if we do not obey his commands.  1 John 5:3.

If you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, and if you find yourself loving others in increasing measure, have faith that God will take you the rest of the way and that your eternity is secure.  You are in a good place!!

I pray that God will continue to teach all of us in increasing measure how to live out His perfect love, which is so desperately needed in this hurting and evil world.


Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.  This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us.  Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.  And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. 

                                                                                           1 John 4:7-21

1 John 3:11-24 (Part 3)

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.  Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?  Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

                                                                                                                            1 John 3:14-18

Here we return to the heart of the matter.  When Jesus truly lives in us real transformation takes place.  We take on the heart and mind of Jesus.  We become more like Him.  We are conformed to His very image.  Jesus laid down his life for us, and we are called to lay down our lives for others.

But, the transformation does not result from the strength of our will, our determination or even our self-discipline.  It is Jesus whose exposes us to his refining fire, slowly and methodically separating the impurities and leaving behind hearts of pure gold and pure silver.  It is Jesus himself who changes us.

 

In a very real sense, when we answer the call to serve him, our love for other people becomes the proxy for our love for Jesus.  “Whatever you did for the least of these …” must ring through our ears – like that song that we never seem to be able to get out of our head.

I remember well the moment that Jesus called me into His service.  Bishop Jack DeHart was praying for me in front of the church.  God’s presence was so real in that moment, and I can remember praying that God would use me – and specifically that he would bring me into his army.  I don’t know why I used those words.  Perhaps I was thinking of the words from a hymn from my childhood … “onward Christian soldiers.”  Perhaps the Spirit of God was reminding me that He is Adonai Tzva’ot – the Lord of armies.

It would not be until years later that I became “officially” involved in “ministry.”  More accurately, it would not be until years later that ministry found me.  I had no desire or even thought of ever being on staff at a church.  But that day was still the turning point.  That day my life was changed forever … even if I didn’t realize in that moment how profoundly it had and would change in in the future.

I hope that all of us who truly follow Jesus have had those kinds of moments in our lives.  In fact, I actually think that most of us have had many of those moments.  That Sunday or church camp or whatever, when you were thinking business as usual but God showed up in a way that was anything but usual.  That moment when he was so overwhelming that you wanted to devote everything in your life to him.

Just think about what that moment was like for Isaiah!

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.  With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

                                                                                                               Isaiah 6:1-8

How do we know that those are experiences are real?  And how do we know that Jesus is really in us?  What is the litmus test?  I would say it starts with our love for others.  We begin to love in a way that is so much more than the words coming out of our mouths.  It is love that expresses itself in action and in truth.  It is patient and kind. It does not envy or boast, and it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others and, in sharp contrast to our world today, it is not self-seeking.  It is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs – it is forgiving and merciful. “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.”  It never fails.

And, by the way, I for one am grateful that love is always patient.  I thank God that he is patient with me.  I am grateful that he waited so long for me to be ready, when it would have been so much easier to give up on me long ago.

As we continue on this journey together, I do think it important to celebrate the change God has already made in our lives – instead of either wallowing in our guilt from the past or being overwhelmed by the thought of how much further we have to go.  (Although either of those is probably better than complacency or thinking we have already arrived!!)

Let’s praise God for what he has already done, and look forward with hopeful expectation to the work he has yet to do in each of us!

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

                                                                                                     Philippians 3: 10-14

https://vimeopro.com/theheartlandchurch/radical

1 John 3:11-24 (Part 2)

Far too often the things happening in our lives, and in the world, do not seem to make sense.  We try to do the right things, we go to church, and we try to put our trust in God.  And yet, we see the good suffer and those who do evil prosper.  We face hardships and setbacks and wonder at times whether God is even listening to our prayers.

I have come to think that one of the reasons we find life so confusing is that, despite our faith in Jesus, we think our story is a story primarily about, well, us.  In truth, though, if we really have made the decision to follow Jesus our story has become a story about Him.  As we strained this week to begin to bridge the gap between the greatest commandment – to love the Lord God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength – and the second greatest commandment – to love our neighbor as ourselves – we needed to be reminded of this reality. 

As we talked about last week, God could have through a spoken word moved the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land.  Instead, he hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not be moved either by the miracles Moses performed or by the plea to let his people go.  The story was about God’s glory, and it would not end until the Egyptians and the Israelites feared the name Adonai.

The reason I raise all of this is because, at the end of the day, our obedience to both the greatest commandment and the second greatest commandment actually have the same ultimate purpose – to bring glory to God.  In fact, we were created for God’s glory!!

“But now, thus says the Lord, your creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. Since you are precious in My sight, since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed even whom I have made."

                                                                                                              Isaiah 43:1-7   

It’s funny, but one of the verses that in the Bible that people tend to cling to in difficult times is Romans 8:28:  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.”  We look at this verse in times of hardship or trouble and think about God improving our circumstances – saving us or lifting us out of our broken relationships, financial setbacks or emotional or physical pain.  The point of the verse, though, is that God is going to use any and every situation to make us more like Jesus.  The very next sentence says:  “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”  Romans 8:29.  Interestingly, to better understand the relationship between the two greatest commandments and to drive this point home God took us this week to the Book of Malachi.

We often think about Malachi in the context of tithing, but the book is far more important than that.  In fact, Malachi uses tithing as one symptom of a much greater problem.  Yes, the people had been bringing God a blemished sacrifice, but the reason was because they had turned away from him.  The priests, for their part, were no longer teaching the truth and were causing people to stumble.  Malachi 2:7-9.  The people had broken the faith, and were engaged in detestable things.  Malachi 2:11-16.

In the midst of this chaos, God delivered both a promise and a warning.  The promise was this: “I will send a messenger, who will prepare the way before me.  Then suddenly the Lord will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come ….”  We are also told that “he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.”  Malachi 3:1-4.

Of course, we now know that, just as Malachi foretold, a messenger did come to prepare the way for the Lord, and then Jesus came to earth himself.  The Spirit of the Lord remains with us (and in us) now, refining us with his fire – working all things out for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. 

Malachi 1:14 says, “For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.”  The name for God used here that we render in English as “Lord Almighty” is in Hebrew Adonai Tzva’ot.  It means “Lord of Hosts” or “Lord of armies.”  And while God is certainly assembling a heavenly army for the final days, he is also assembling an earthly one.

It is this earthly army that is even now being refined with fire.  And, that fire is not only refining the gross sin out of our lives -- it is leaving pure hearts.  Hearts that love holiness and righteousness.  Hearts that love God.  And, hearts that love people with the infinite love of Jesus.

Our love for others is not just obedience to a command, it is one of the principal means by which God is glorified on earth.  His Spirit compels us to love not only our friends, but our enemies … and His enemies.  It compels us to love those who hate Jesus and who hate the truth.  We love for His glory.  God's promise given in Malachi is that we are invited to be part of His story and His army.   

I mentioned that, through Malachi, God gave us both a promise and a warning.  The warning is this:  we will all go through fire.  And there are two types of fires.  One is a refining fire – the fire that makes us more like Jesus.  The other is a consuming fire.  The choice is ours.

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them.  But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.  Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.  He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

                                                                                           

                                                                                                      Malachi 4:1-5


Here is a link to the audio from this week. 

https://vimeopro.com/theheartlandchurch/radical

 And, you might want to check out this video if you don't have time for the full audio!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wffHBQKq74

1 John 3:11-24 (Part 1)

As we see so often in the whole of the Bible, in these verses John takes us to the heart of the matter – those who truly love God obey His commands.  He has shown us elsewhere that being “in Jesus” and Jesus being “in” us is not some sort of metaphor or symbolism, but spiritual reality.  We are called God’s children because that is what we are!  And here we are told in no uncertain terms that “those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.”  In fact, we will see soon enough that if we claim to know God but do not love we are fooling only ourselves.

“Love” is, to put it plainly, the hallmark of a follower of Jesus.  When Jesus was asked which commandment is the greatest, he responded with two:  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”       Matthew 22:37-40.

Some people would say that the difference in importance between these two commandments is marginal – even razor thin.  And, indeed, these very words of Jesus would seem to confirm this view.  The commandment to love our neighbor is, after all, “like” the commandment to love God.  The Greek word here is ὅμοιος (homoios) which means “like, similar, or resembling.”  It has the same root as English words like homogeneous, which means “of the same kind”, or “alike.”

Others would say that there is a wide gulf between these two commands in terms of priority or importance.  In Luke chapter 14, for example, Jesus gives us a clear picture of where our priorities need to be if we want to follow him.  “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.  And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”             Luke 14:25-27.

Personally, I believe that both views are true.  It’s what we call a paradox – “something (such as a situation) that is made up of two opposite things and that seems impossible but is actually true or possible.”

Loving others, as we continue to see in John’s first letter, is the tangible evidence of our love for God.  In this sense, the two commands are inextricably linked.  Not even a razor blade can be wedged between the two!!

At the same time, we serve a jealous God - El Kanah.  He is a God who calls us to die to ourselves, and instead to live for the one who died on the cross for us.  The Bible is certainly a story about God’s redemptive plan for mankind.  But it is primarily a story about Jesus and his kingdom.  It is a story about the glory of God!!

When Moses encountered the burning bush he was told to take off his sandals (because he was on holy ground) and he hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.  The encounter was not so much about Moses as it was about the glory of God.

When Moses protested that he was not qualified for the mission (“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?")” God answered “I will surely be with you ….”  The story that was coming was not about how Moses saved his people.  Moses was not qualified for such a mission.  God picked Moses because he was unqualified -- the story was about God’s glory.

When Moses asked God what he should say if people asked for the name of the one who sent him, the Lord responded “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” – I am who I am (or I am who I will be).  God owed the people no explanation.  He had no need to justify himself.  The story, after all, is about his glory.

If God spoke the universe into existence, then he could have through a mere spoken word moved the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land.  But this would not have served his purpose.  Instead, he sent Moses to Pharaoh to show Pharaoh the wonders that God had enabled Moses to do and to demand the release of his people in the name of Adonai.  But God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let the people go.  God wanted things to get worse for the Israelites before they got better.

It is not that God did not love his people.  But, their freedom from bondage was the subplot.  The story was about the glory of God.

When Moses appeared before Pharaoh and told him of God’s demand, Pharaoh responded “Who is Adonai that I should obey him when he says to let Israel go?”  Pharaoh would find out soon enough more about Adonai than he ever wanted to know.  Knowing Adonai would cost Pharaoh and the Egyptians dearly.  The story, after all, is about God’s glory.

“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am Adonai, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.  I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am Adonai your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.  And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Adonai.’”

https://vimeopro.com/theheartlandchurch/radical