Well, good morning, church.
It's good to be with you all this morning.
Let me invite you to turn to our sermon text,
which is in the book of 1 John, chapter 5, verses 1 through 5.
That's page 961 in the Pew Bible, if you want to follow along there.
I encourage you to have it open while we look at this text this morning.
1 John 5, verses 1 through 5.
All right, let me pray, and then I'll read for us.
Father, as we pause for just a moment this morning
on the cusp of attending to your word,
we acknowledge that without your Holy Spirit
and without your presence,
Lord, we can do nothing.
That's of lasting spiritual value.
That's of lasting good in your kingdom.
And yet we also rejoice
that you, our ascended Lord Jesus,
have poured out your Holy Spirit without measure,
and you delight to work and fulfill all your good promises
to the praise of your name.
So we ask for you, God,
to come and make good on your promises,
to speak through your word,
to sanctify your people,
to grow your church
as we listen to your word this morning.
And we ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
All right.
1 John chapter 5.
Apostle John writes this.
He says,
For this is the love of God,
that we keep His commandments.
And His commandments are not burdensome,
for everyone who has been born of God
overcomes the world.
And this is the victory that has overcome the world,
our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world
except the one who believes that Jesus
is the Son of God?
Well, if you've been following our sermon series this summer,
you'll notice that this paragraph of 1 John
covers a lot of familiar territory, doesn't it?
We find again here in these short couple of verses
that John highlights yet again
these three marks of genuine Christianity
that he's been just weaving throughout this book.
The three marks of belief in Jesus,
that He is the Christ, the Son of God,
come in the flesh.
The other mark, the second mark,
of love for the people of God.
And then the third mark of obedience
to God's commands.
John has been weaving throughout this book
the message that it takes all three of these
woven together to really be a sign
of genuine faith in Christ.
Take any of these three away
and you don't have real faith.
Now, up to this point in the book,
John has been especially warning
against a lack of love
for one's fellow Christians.
For almost a chapter and a half,
maybe more,
John has been saying that it's possible
to believe all the right things,
even keep many of God's commands,
but without love,
it's not genuine faith at all.
A loveless Christianity
is no Christianity at all.
And John restates that important truth
in our text in verse 1.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ
has been born of God,
and everyone who loves the Father
loves whoever has been born of him.
In fact, the way,
if you have an older version,
it might translate that verse
a little more literally
to say,
everyone who loves the begetter
loves those who have been begotten of him.
But in the rest of this paragraph,
John wants us to see
that the opposite is also true.
He wants us to see
not just that loveless Christianity
is no Christianity at all,
that we need to love
and keep the commandments.
He wants us also to see
that loving without keeping God's commandments
isn't really love.
If we say that we love someone,
but we don't keep God's commandments,
it isn't really love.
Look at verse 2.
By this we know that we love
the children of God.
How?
How do we know if we really love them?
When we love God
and obey his commandments.
So John's going to show us two things
in this short paragraph of the letter.
First, he's going to show us
that obedience is the mark of real love.
Obedience is the mark of real love.
But he doesn't just leave it there.
He goes on then to show us, second,
that faith is the power of joyful obedience.
So that's what we're going to cover this morning.
Obedience is the mark of real love,
and faith in Christ
is the power of joyful obedience.
Let's spend a little time
considering that first point.
Obedience is the mark of real love.
We have to admit that verse 2,
it hits us as a bit of a surprise,
doesn't it?
I mean, how would you fill in that blank?
By this we know that we love the children of God.
How do we know?
What is it that demonstrates
or exemplifies our love
for our fellow Christians?
How would you fill in that blank?
Now the world, of course,
can make us think
that real love
is nothing more and nothing less
than just total affirmation, right?
Whatever you want or desire,
that's what you should have,
and if someone loves you,
they won't stand in your way.
The worldly understanding of love
sometimes just
falls into utter permissiveness.
But of course,
it doesn't take long to realize
that this path of complete permissiveness
eventually leads to heartache
and ruin, doesn't it?
I mean, there are real limits
that we have to embrace.
As much as I would like to,
I cannot eat a diet
of nothing but cheesecake
and Diet Coke.
I mean, I could probably go
for a few days, trust me,
especially if it's Japanese cheesecake.
Have you ever had this stuff?
It's delicious.
But eventually, you know,
it's just not going to work.
And my family would simply
be participating in my foolishness
to pretend that I could ignore
those limits
and genuinely flourish.
So loving someone inevitably
at times will involve
saying no.
Real love isn't mere affirmation.
Sometimes real love means disagreement
or correction,
even rebuke.
So what is the mark
of genuine love?
If we disagree
with the world's definition,
what do we typically put
in its place?
Well, perhaps our minds
go back to chapter 3
of 1 John.
Remember there,
in that part of the letter,
John defines the nature of love
as sacrificial service.
Do you remember that?
We identify needs
and we meet those needs
with the resources
that God has given us.
1 John 3, 16 through 18,
he says,
By this we know love,
that he laid down his life for us
and we ought to lay down
our lives for the brothers.
But if anyone has the world's good
and sees his brother in need
yet closes his heart against him,
how does God's love abide in him?
Little children,
let us not love in word or talk,
but in deed and in truth.
Now there are probably few
other paragraphs
in the New Testament
that give us
as concise a picture
of genuine Christian love
as that one.
But we do need to be careful.
We need to be careful
because it's very easy for us
to really be operating
with the world's understanding of love,
but then just kind of baptize it
with a Christian veneer.
We think we're exercising Christian love,
we think we're genuinely loving
our brothers and sisters,
but in reality,
we're just operating in the mode
of mere affirmation
or mere permissiveness.
We may be sacrificially
meeting their needs,
but in reality,
we're just doing it
out of that same kind
of operating system
of permissiveness.
How do we know
if we are loving
in deed and in truth?
Well, this is where
John chapter 5 helps us
when he says,
by this we know
that we love the children of God,
when we love God
and obey His commandments.
You see,
the commandments of God
are like the pathways of love.
If we live in those commands
and if we encourage others
to do the same,
then we are on the sure road
of loving each other
in deed and in truth.
after all,
God's commandments
are God's commandments,
right?
And John has just told us
in chapter 4, verse 8,
that God is love.
And if God is love,
then His commandments
must be utterly loving.
They are the sure pathways
of love.
Now let's apply this
in two ways then.
First,
if obedience to God's commands
is the mark of love,
then it's never loving
to encourage someone
or affirm someone
in disobeying them.
You know,
if you saw your best friend
about to pour vegetable oil
in the gas tank
of their car,
you know,
what would you do?
I mean,
you'd probably say,
hey, you know,
that's probably not a good idea.
I don't think your engine
is going to run on that,
right?
But then if your friend
turned to you and said,
but you know,
it just feels so right
to just pour it in there.
I think it's going to work.
I read some articles
on the internet.
All my friends are doing it.
You know,
you're really the one
who's out of step here,
right?
Well, you know,
even if your friend
responded that way,
you'd probably still say
if you're a good friend,
look,
I know that's what
a lot of people are saying
and I know you saw it
on TikTok,
but trust me,
the engine's not going to work
on vegetable oil.
You see,
the commands of God,
they're like the blueprint
of love.
They tell us exactly
how the human heart
is created to work best.
So it's never loving
to just go along
when a fellow Christian
is disobeying God's commands.
Now, of course,
there are helpful
and unhelpful ways
to approach
a fellow church member
who is stepping outside
of God's commands,
right?
Listen to how
the Apostle Paul
describes the right approach
in Galatians chapter 6.
In Galatians 6,
1,
Paul says,
brothers and sisters,
if anyone is caught
in any transgression,
and caught there
means like stuck
or trapped.
So if you come across
someone who seems
to be stuck
or trapped
in disobeying God's commands
and transgression,
he says,
you who are spiritual,
that is,
filled with the Holy Spirit,
should restore him
in a spirit
of gentleness.
Gentleness.
And then he says,
keep watch on yourself
lest you too be tempted.
Bear one another's burdens
and so fulfill
the law of Christ.
So notice
what the right approach is.
The right approach
is marked by gentleness,
right?
We want to restore
our brother or sister,
not condemn them.
And it's marked
by humility.
We recognize
that we too
are tempted.
We're not above
this battle,
this struggle.
And according to Paul,
it's also marked
by compassion.
We're willing to bear
one another's burdens.
We're willing to do
what it takes
to come alongside
our brother or sister
and help them get out
of whatever mess
they're stuck in,
even if it takes
some sacrifice
on our part.
So this is one application
of what John's saying here.
If obedience
to God's commands
is the mark of love,
then we need to be willing
to do this gentle work
of correction
and not merely be affirming
when a brother or sister
strays from God's commands.
But there's another application.
If obedience
to God's commands
is a mark of love,
then the pursuit
of personal holiness
is a critical component
to loving your fellow Christians well.
In other words,
if you want to love well,
then pursue holiness,
Christ-likeness,
pursue obedience
in your own life.
The 19th century
Scottish pastor
Robert Murray McShane
famously said,
the greatest need
of my people
is my personal holiness.
Speaking about his role
as a pastor,
the greatest need
of my people
isn't his great preaching,
isn't his wonderful
pastoral care.
Those are great.
but his personal holiness.
Now,
this 19th century pastor
wasn't being conceited
when he said that.
He knew
that the greatest gift
that we can give
to each other
in the family of God
is our sanctified lives.
For when we are
pursuing holiness,
it is then
that we speak
the truth in love.
It is then
that we give generously.
It is then
that we're patient
and kind
and humble
and steadfast
and faithful
and gentle.
But more than that,
when we pursue
personal righteousness,
personal holiness,
when we seek
to obey God's commands,
then our lives
begin to
begin to become
like reflections
of the love of God.
our lives
begin to shine forth
with the character
of God.
Remember,
the commandments
of God
are God's commandments.
They're the pathways
of love.
And as we live
in line
with his commands,
we begin to radiate
more and more
of the character
of God.
And then the aroma
of Christ,
the great lover
of our souls,
begins to fill
our life together.
And that,
friends,
is an end
in itself.
To enjoy
the glorious
display of Christ
in each other.
Like the sunlight
that shines
through the stained
glass windows
that kind of shines
with a hundred
different colors.
This is the church
that's pursuing
righteousness
and holiness.
It shines
with the glory
of Christ.
And that means
as we pursue
holiness,
we become more
than just examples
or encouragements
to one another.
Of course,
we are that.
But more than that,
we're not just
a moral example
for others to follow,
but we become
a foretaste
of the glory
of Christ together.
A foretaste
of the glory
of Christ
that will one day
be revealed
in full
when he returns.
Remember the beginning
of John chapter 3?
John says,
Beloved,
we are God's children
now,
and what we will be
has not yet appeared,
but we know
that when he appears,
we shall be like him
because we shall see him
as he is.
And then John adds this,
and everyone
who thus hopes
in him
purifies himself
even as he is pure.
Looking forward
to that great day
when Christ is revealed
in glory
and we participate
in it,
we long
to start now.
So obedience
is the mark
of real love
for one another.
Not just love
for God,
but love for each other
as well.
But that leads
to a question,
doesn't it?
A question of
where we get the power
to actually live out
God's commands.
Where do we get the power?
Where do we get the energy
to not just begrudgingly
go along
with God's commands,
but to joyfully
obey them?
Because we have to admit
that at times,
at times,
God's commandments
don't feel
like the pathways
of love,
do they?
At times,
God's commands
feel burdensome.
But John is reminding us
that it doesn't have
to be that way.
Let's pick up
our passage
in verse 3.
John writes,
for this is the love
of God
that we keep
his commandments,
and his commandments
are not burdensome.
For everyone
who has been born
of God
overcomes the world.
And this is the victory
that has overcome
the world,
our faith.
Who is it
that overcomes
the world
except the one
who believes
that Jesus
is the Son of God?
Faith in Jesus Christ,
John says,
is the power
of joyful obedience
because through faith
in Christ,
we overcome
the world.
Now, what exactly
does that mean?
We overcome
the world.
Well, earlier
in the letter,
you'll remember
that the Apostle John
described the world
like this.
He said,
all that is in the world,
the desires
of the flesh
and the desires
of the eyes
and the pride
of life,
it's not from the Father
but from the world,
and the world
is passing away
along with its desires,
but whoever does
the will of God
abides forever.
Okay, so when John
talks about the world
in this book,
he's talking about
human life lived
according to our
merely self-centered
or human-centered desires.
That's the world.
Human life lived,
human society arranged
according to our
merely human-centered desires.
and that becomes
like a vortex
that leads ultimately
to a place,
John says,
of wanting
what you don't have,
that's the desire
of the eyes,
and boasting
in what you do,
the pride of life.
And it becomes
like this never-ending
pendulum
back and forth
at the one end
suffering from
a feeling of
radical insignificance,
always wanting,
always wanting
because there's
always someone
who's richer
or smarter
or prettier
or more talented
and feeling like
you need it
or you want it
and you're so
radically insignificant.
But then,
because you can't
live there for long,
you swing the other way
to a feeling
of radical superiority,
the pride of life
because surely
you're at least
better than that person
or that person
and back and forth
you go.
the desires
of the eyes,
the pride of life,
from radical insecurity
to radical superiority.
Back and forth
you go.
But how do you
overcome it?
How do you get free
from the constant need
to build your identity
on what you own
or what you've accomplished?
How do you overcome
what John calls
the world
and all the world's desires
that run counter to God
and make God's commands
seem so burdensome?
I mean,
after all,
think about it.
If the world says,
build your identity
on what you possess
or what you accomplish,
that's your drive
in life.
Then the commands
of God come
and they do feel
like a burden.
They feel like
an intruder.
They're playing
a totally different tune
than the world
is playing.
But what if you could
overcome those desires
of the world?
What if you could
break free from them?
What if you could
get off the pendulum swing
and no longer
be their slave?
What if your life
wasn't ruled
by a gnawing insecurity
or insignificance anymore?
What if your life
wasn't justified
by how accomplished
or successful you were?
What if you had been
set free from all that?
John says,
it's not just possible
to be liberated
from the world.
It's not just possible
to overcome it.
He says,
it's already happened.
The one who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God
has already overcome
the world.
This is the victory
that overcomes the world.
Our faith,
not just faith in general,
but faith in Jesus Christ,
the risen Son of God.
But how is that so?
In what way does faith
in Christ mean
our victory
over the world?
Well, let's pause
and meditate for a moment.
Consider first
what faith in Christ means
about your past.
The world, friends,
wants you to live
in constant guilt
and shame
because the more
you live in guilt
and shame
and regret,
the more you will buy things
to fill the hole
in your soul.
So it's very convenient
for the world
to keep you guilty
and regretful
and ashamed
so that you continue
to churn the wheel
of consumerism.
But friends,
Christ has forgiven
your sins
through His death
on the cross,
through His blood
shed for you.
He's taken your past
and wiped it clean.
You don't need to pay
for your sins
and mistakes.
You don't need to keep
trying to live them down.
You've been released
through His death
and resurrection
on your behalf.
and your status
is now secure.
The verdict
has been cast
over your life
before the only court
that matters.
In the eyes
of God,
the Creator
and the Redeemer,
you are forgiven
and loved.
The only gavel
that matters
in the cosmos
has come down
and it is said
you're forgiven
and you're loved
and you're accepted
because my Son
paid the price
for you.
Your slate is clean.
And if that's
what's true
when you're united
to Christ,
if that's what's true
of your past,
then the commands
of God
are no longer
burdensome rules.
They're no longer
burdensome rules
whereby we try
to earn heavenly favor
or get back
into God's good graces.
No!
God has already
justified us
in Christ.
The commands
aren't there
so that we can
earn God's favor.
They're there
so that we can
run in the pathway
of His love.
So that we can
live a life
of love
to the God
who gave His only Son
to make us His children
and welcome us home.
Consider what
faith in Christ
means not just
about your past
but about your future.
fear.
The world wants you
to live in constant
anxiety and fear.
Fear that you'll
miss out.
Anxiety that you've
got to live your
best life now
and not miss out
on a single opportunity.
You've got to leave
all your options open
for as long as possible
because you never
want to close the door
because you might
miss something.
Isn't this the,
isn't this the tale
that the world tells?
But friends,
the resurrection
of Jesus Christ
shatters
that limited perspective.
When Jesus Christ
rose from the grave,
He inaugurated,
He began
the new creation.
It was the first fruits.
It was the swinging
open of the door
of a healed
and restored creation.
A creation without death.
A creation without decay.
A creation without loss.
A creation that isn't
winding down
under its own steam,
but a creation
that's being remade
and made new.
And so for those
in Christ,
the future is not
a clock that's running out.
So we better get
as much as we can.
We better get as much
pleasure before it's too late.
No!
For those in Christ,
it's not a clock
that's winding down.
The future is an
ever-expanding horizon.
The future for the believer
in Christ
is the dawn of a day
that will not end.
where the beauties
of this life
are seen to be
just a foretaste
of even greater
glories to come.
And so the commands
of God
are not
burdensome
distractions
or cosmic
killjoys
keeping us
from having fun
while this fleeting
life
lasts.
No,
the commands
of God
are like the blueprint
of the new creation.
They are paths
of joy
on a road
that stretches out
into eternal life.
Do you think
you will miss out
on joy
if you follow
God's commands?
No
is the answer.
No.
But last,
consider what faith
in Christ
means not just
about your past
or your future
but your present.
The world
wants you to build
your right now
identity
on consumption
and performance.
You are what you
purchase,
you are what you
produce,
you are what you
achieve,
but faith in Christ
means a whole
new identity.
Everyone who
believes that
Jesus is the Christ
has been born
of God.
You are right now
a child of God
in Christ,
a son,
a daughter
of the King.
Apart from
your production,
apart from
your possessions,
you have the
most dignified
identity
in the universe
and it has
nothing to do
with that.
So you don't
need to play
the world's games
anymore.
Jesus once
said,
a man's life
does not
consist in
the abundance
of his
possessions,
nor does it
consist in
the abundance
of worldly
approval or
applause.
Friends in
Christ,
you are part
of a new
kingdom
now,
a new
reign,
a new
movement,
a new way
of doing
things.
And God's
commands aren't
burdensome,
just the
opposite.
They are
freedom and
life.
They are the
ways of the
kingdom for
the sons and
daughters of
the King
right now.
So friends,
it's faith.
It's faith in
Jesus that is
the victory
that overcomes
the world.
And it's
that that
empowers
joyful
obedience.
And through
joyful obedience,
genuine love.
Jesus is the
crucified and
risen Son of
God.
He is the
victor over
sin and
death and
condemnation.
Jesus'
glory will
not fade or
perish.
His kingdom
will know no
end.
His word will
endure for
eternity.
And in the
new heavens and
the new earth,
His commands
will be seen
as what they
truly are,
by everyone.
The expression
of perfect
love.
The will of
a King whose
name is love
and whose life
cannot be
diminished.
So church,
let's live
these commands
now.
Out of
grateful love
for Christ
who saved
us, united
to Him by
faith, let's
follow His
commands in
love, overcoming
the world and
its lives
through Him
and through
faith in His
name.
Let's pray.
Father, we
take just a
moment and we
pause before
You.
God, we
admit, God, that
oftentimes we
become so
confused, it's
so easy for us
to slide as
Christians back
into thinking
that it is our
obedience that
earns Your
favor, and then
Your commands do
become burdensome.
Father, by Your
Holy Spirit right
now, would You
come and remind
us again of
the gospel of
grace, that we
are forgiven and
accepted by
grace, and we
are set free to
then obey.
But Father, we
also acknowledge
this morning that
for those apart
from Christ, for
those outside of
Him, for those who
have not put
their trust in
Him.
Lord, the
realities of the
world are all
that remain.
Lord, I pray
that if there are
any here this
morning who are
not in Christ and
have not tasted of
the joy and
freedom that come
through His
forgiving grace,
God, I pray that
this morning would
be the day of
salvation for
them, and that
by Your Holy
Spirit, You
would pour into
their hearts this
faith that
overcomes the
world, this
faith in Jesus.
God, cause them
to be born again
that they might
believe.
And Lord, would
they reach out to
You, take hold
of You, and
know that any
who come to
You, any who
come to You, You
will in no
wise cast out,
because You
are a God of
mercy.
Lastly, Jesus, we
pray that we
would live in
this victory, we
would live in
this joy, we
would live in
this celebration
that You have
overcome, and we
have overcome in
You.
Be glorified in our
lives and our
church, Father.
We pray.
Father, we
pray.
Amen.