about that in a little bit, but we need to understand how it is a new command to love our brothers and sisters in the new covenant.
! We need to understand how it is truly new and understand that that truth leaves us with two ways of life, one that results in eternal life and one that results in eternal death.
And just to whet your appetite again for this, I want to mention now that this newness of this new command has a lot more to do with broader theology than you may realize.
Um, lots of conversations have been going on and evangelicalism broadly for the last few years in particular, um, what Christians ought to do or not do with the mosaic law, mosaic covenant in Christian life.
Lots of conversations about who belongs to the new covenant community, not new to us today.
Those have been going on for centuries.
In other words, who belongs to the church and who doesn't as well as other things.
And so believe it or not, this topic, this new command that we're going to see from John in an indirect way actually applies to all of these questions.
It provides an insight that helps us answer all of these questions.
And so with these things in mind, please read with me.
First John chapter two, verses seven through 11.
John writes, beloved, I do not write to you a new command, but an old one which you have had from the beginning.
The old command is the word which you have heard.
On the other hand, I do write to you a new command, which is true in him and in you because the darkness is going away and the true light shines even now.
The one who says he is in the light yet hates his brother is in darkness even now.
The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
But the one who hates his brother is in darkness and he walks in darkness and he does not know where he is going for the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Our first heading for this morning, if you want to take notes or are taking notes, our first heading is the old command in verse seven.
We're going to consider this first.
Paul talked or John speaks of this old command.
He says again, read with me, verse seven.
Beloved, I do not write to you a new commandment, but an old one which you have had from the beginning.
The old commandment is the word which you have heard.
So what is this old command?
When exactly did John's audience receive this command?
At first glance, it is easy to think that John is referring to Old Testament law, perhaps even some kind of natural law.
If you're into philosophy and these kind of things, after all, he says from the beginning.
And as is clear from verses nine through 11, he's talking about a command to love one another.
Well, we all know that command is ancient.
That summarizes the law.
Leviticus 19, 18.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Well, that all seems to flow and make sense, but not so fast.
Something more is going on and we ought not to quickly jump so far back.
Now, zooming out, John is actually not referring to the Old Testament directly, but rather is referring to the teaching of Jesus Christ as recorded in the gospel of John.
And that's the same John, right?
John 13 verses 35 or excuse me, 34 through 35.
Jesus says, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you.
You also are to love one another.
By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.
So, again, we have the question, how can Jesus say this is new?
Isn't this the same Jesus who said the whole law is summarized in two commands, one to love God and another like it to love neighbor?
Isn't this really old?
But notice this.
In Leviticus 19, 18.
Moses writes, love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus raises the stakes.
Think about it this way, and this is an amazing thought.
There is nobody who loves you more than you except for Jesus Christ.
In that sense, Jesus is giving a new commandment because he says to all the beloved, to all the faithful, to all Christians everywhere, you and I, that we are to love one another as Jesus loves us.
And don't forget that he says this right after washing a bunch of gross first century sandal bunion ridden feet.
It's that kind of love.
Right?
Humble.
I'm beneath you.
I'm here for you.
I'm here to serve you.
Love one another just as I have loved you.
So, by the time John writes 1 John, this new command from Jesus is old.
By the time John writes 1 John, the church is established.
It's going out.
It's doing all the things.
And they've already heard this new command from the Gospels, from the Jesus traditions, perhaps from Jesus himself, if some of them were around.
And so, in that sense, at the time of the writing of 1 John, this commandment is now old.
This new command is now old.
They know that they are to love one another as Christ has loved them.
The Gospel that they received and responded to in faith with the teachings of Jesus to love one another is, as verse 7 says,
the word which they have heard.
And so, in that sense, John writes to them an old commandment.
This is important in a first century context because unlike our world today, where we're so ugh about the old, they loved it.
Anything new was viewed with deep suspicion.
It was automatically assumed if it's new, it's foolish.
And so, John can't just outright say this is all new because his entire audience, Jew and Gentile alike, would go crazy.
They would be upset by that.
And so, the old is prized unlike us today where we are so enthralled by the new.
And so, this old, prized, true command that John introduces has a certain inherent credibility because of the Old Testament.
And yet, as we read in verse 8, this old, prized, true command is also new in the light of the new creation.
And this leads to our second heading, Dawn of the New Command.
Dawn of the New Command in verse 8.
Read again with me.
So, after talking about this old command, John says, on the other hand, right, at the same time, you might say,
I am writing to you a new command, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is going away.
And the true light shines now.
Or already.
John is not denying that the command is old.
He is simply recognizing it is also new, which is why he says this all-important phrase on the other hand.
And we've already seen how and in what sense this new command is new.
Which love is Christ's love.
John 13 again.
The heights and depths are raised, and so it's new.
But John also points us to the fact that it is new every day in the life of the body.
John says of this command, verse 8, that it is true in him and in you.
This is an ongoing reality.
The idea is that this old new love command is truly expressed in Christ, and that it is truly expressed in and among the church.
So again, in other words, this continues.
It's ongoing.
It's not a box you check one time like baptism.
This is something we just simply do and are.
Love for the brotherhood.
We are to be marked by our love for one another.
And so in that sense, it is ever new.
Well, how can that be?
How can this love be ever new?
Again, he clarifies even further.
John answers in the latter half of verse 8,
Because the darkness is going away,
and the true light shines now.
The true light in John's writings is most often a reference to Jesus Christ.
Jesus says as much in John's gospel, John 8, 12.
He says,
I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.
That sounds very familiar.
And John, in 1 John,
is reflecting on this moment in redemptive history.
He rightly recognizes that in the light of Christ,
everything has changed.
It's new.
The darkness is going away.
It wasn't doing that before.
Now it is.
It is going away.
The true light is already here.
He's describing the dawn of a new day.
Because post Christ's death,
post his resurrection,
post his ascension,
we are in fact in a new day,
with a new covenant,
as the first fruits of the new creation.
James 1.18.
And so this is a classic example of the already not yet paradigm
you see throughout the New Testament,
known as inaugurated eschatology,
if you're familiar.
We see that already the light is here.
We can see a glimpse of its beauty.
As the sun rises,
is the idea,
the imagery,
we have a north star to guide us
as it warms us.
And yet,
it's dawn.
There's still darkness.
We still feel the chill of the night in our bones.
It's warming up on the front
as we walk in the light,
feeling the coldness of this sinful world on our backs.
This is kind of the imagery John uses throughout his writings,
this both and of light and dark,
where darkness is going away.
It's progressively happening day to day,
and yet it's still here,
just as the light is coming,
and yet it's already here.
What a perfect image.
And so,
John says,
triumphantly,
the darkness is going away.
And so,
love is ever new
as the light shines brighter and brighter,
as we walk more and more
and further and further
and closer and closer
in and towards that light
that is actively coming.
Now,
I would be remiss
if I did not take this moment
to show you all something
about the newness
of the new covenant.
This is somewhat of a brief excursus,
but it's important
in light of our text this morning,
but also,
given that our church,
as Nathan mentioned in the announcements,
has been having an ongoing conversation
about progressive covenantalism.
And if you don't know what that is,
come August 1st.
It's going to be sick.
But as has been shown,
things have changed
with the coming of Christ.
John invites reflection
on these changes.
And so we,
as attentive disciples,
do well to pay attention
and consider how our relationship
to the law,
Torah,
has changed
with the establishment
of the new covenant.
This is a massive topic
with massive implications,
answering questions like,
is the new covenant community
mixed or elect only?
Should we keep Sabbath?
Should Jewish believers
still be circumcised today
as a matter of law keeping?
Should I move to Moscow, Idaho?
And I'll just tell you right now,
the answer is an emphatic no,
unless you're going to go plant
the biggest,
baddest,
glorious Baptist church.
Okay?
Now, I can't answer
all those questions today.
Again, come August 1st,
it'll be a moment of revelation.
But from our text,
I want to note something
we've already kind of danced around.
To borrow from Paul,
it is important to remember
that as new covenant Christians,
we are not,
as he says,
under the law.
Okay, Galatians 3, 23,
just one example.
Paul says this clearly.
He says,
before faith came,
we were held captive
under the law,
imprisoned until the coming faith
would be in the law.
That's Romans 2, 12.
He also says we are no longer
from the law,
Romans 4, 14.
So he says it in a multitude of ways
and for a lot of different reasons,
but over and over and over again,
Paul makes the point,
we are not in,
from,
or of,
or under the law.
something has changed,
something dramatic.
Right?
What are we to do with this?
How is God's word,
including the law
of the Mosaic covenant,
made obsolete,
as Hebrews 8, 13 says?
How is,
how is God's word then,
the,
the Mosaic law,
Torah,
how are these things
still profitable
for teaching
and reproof
and rebuke,
as Paul says?
On the other hand,
while recognizing
we're no longer under that,
that's over with,
is he talking out of both sides
of his mouth?
What is going on?
Right?
And likewise,
how can John say
in his epistle
over and over
that we know Jesus
by keeping the commandments,
but be in sync
with Paul and Hebrews,
who seem to remove the law
from the equation
in some sense?
What's going on?
By the work of a New Testament scholar
named Brian Rosner,
he wrote a little book
called Paul and the Law,
highly recommend.
And on this topic,
he argues that for Paul,
we no longer relate
to the law as covenant,
but we relate to the law
as scripture.
I'm going to repeat that.
We no longer relate
to the Mosaic law
as covenant,
but we relate to it
as scripture.
What does this mean?
This means that the Mosaic law
is not binding for us today
as covenant
because that covenant
is obsolete.
That law was baked
into the covenantal framework
of the Mosaic covenant.
And so rather,
it functions as scripture,
specifically in two ways
that Rosner,
I think,
rightfully shows
and argues
from the New Testament,
from Paul in particular.
For us today
in the life of believers,
the Mosaic law
simply functions
as wisdom in prophecy.
And so in that sense,
it is profitable
to read,
to teach,
to use for rebukes,
exhortations,
and all the rest
for discipleship.
Still invaluable,
still sweet as the honeycomb,
still all the things
that the Old Testament
says about itself.
But it's not a covenant
for us anymore.
So it functions
in our lives today
in this moment
of redemptive history
under the New Covenant,
which is enacted
on better promises
and is a better covenant.
In this context,
we relate to it
as wisdom
and prophecy,
but not
as law.
And so just know,
isn't it interesting
that the vast majority
of the time
in 1 John,
when John repeatedly
tells us
to keep commandments,
there is that
all-important
possessive pronoun
fronting it.
I'm going to guess
90% of the time.
You can Google that.
I don't know.
But a lot.
Just one example,
1 John 2, 3.
And by this we know
that we have come
to know him,
he's talking about Jesus,
if we keep
his commandments.
And that's not
to set Jesus
in contrast
to Moses, right?
Moses was looking
forward to Jesus.
What it is to recognize
is that with the coming
of Jesus,
things have changed.
This really is
a new covenant
with a new law.
And this is why
in James' epistle,
he can refer twice
to the, quote,
law of liberty.
In James 1, 12,
in verse 28,
he can refer to,
quote,
the royal law
in James 2, 8.
Designations,
mind you,
that are never
used
of the Mosaic law.
He's not talking
about that law.
He's talking about
the new commandment,
new covenants,
or excuse me,
new covenant,
and the law
with that.
Likewise,
Paul,
in Galatians 6,
second half of verse 2,
he refers to
the law
of Christ.
So we have
Paul,
John,
and James
talking about
a law
that is clearly
not Old Testament
law.
They use different
words,
but they're talking
about the same
thing.
Not the law
of Moses,
but the law
of Christ.
And so,
friends,
understand this.
The new covenant
really is new,
and it really is better.
Our new covenant
law is the life,
work,
and teaching
of Jesus Christ,
perhaps best summarized
in the Sermon on the Mount.
We can geek out later.
It's great.
And his yoke
is easy.
His burden
is light.
Learn from him.
Love
as he
loves.
Now,
in the dawn
of this new
commandment,
framed by the
new covenant,
John presents
a sort of
test
or evaluation
for the church
to use.
He presents
two ways
of life.
One proves
a person
to be a member
of the new covenant,
to be a brother
in the faith,
whereas the other
way of life
proves one
to not
be a brother,
though he
claims to be.
Okay,
so we're not
talking about
people who are
visibly on the
outside.
He's talking about
people visibly
inside,
but who's truly
in and who's
actually
out.
And so,
John continues
in verses 9
through 11.
We'll reread
them.
He says,
the one who
says he's
in the
light,
but hates
his brother,
is in
darkness
even now.
And I'll just
point out,
why does he
say even
now?
Because he's
reflecting on
the fact that
we're in a
new covenant
era,
things have
changed,
it is really
better,
and yet,
there are
still false
sheep in
the fold.
Right?
So the one
who says he's
in the light,
but hates
his brother,
is in
darkness,
even now.
This kind
of thing
still happens.
Verse 10,
the one who
loves his
brother abides
in the light,
and there is
no cause for
stumbling with
him,
but the one
who hates
his brother
is in
darkness,
and walks
in darkness,
and does
not know
where he's
going,
because the
darkness has
blinded his
eyes.
And so,
one way of
life that
John describes
here is that
of self-deception
and hate.
He refers
to the one
who says
he is in
the light.
Verse 9,
light, of
course,
being a
general reference
throughout
scripture for
truth and
wisdom,
but in
John's
case,
he particularly
identifies
the light
with God
the Father
at times,
and God
the Son
at times.
1 John
1.5
being an
example,
and John
8.12
as we saw
earlier.
So the
person John
is imagining
is one who
says he is
a Christian.
This person
says,
I'm with
God,
I'm saved,
I love
Jesus.
And we
have every
reason from
what John's
telling us
to think
that this
person really
believes that
about himself
or herself.
Yet,
verse 9,
this person
hates his
fellow Christians,
his brothers
and sisters.
And it is
by this very
hatred of
brother that
demonstrates he
is deceiving not
only himself,
but possibly
those around
him.
This is why
verse 11
describes him
as blind.
It says he
does not know
where he's
going.
He's deceiving
himself.
Simply put,
this person
says the
right things,
thinks the
right things,
thinks he
believes those
things,
but he does
not do the
right things,
which shows he
does not really
believe those
things.
And so as
James says in
James chapter 2
verse 18,
he says,
but someone
will say,
you have faith
and I have
works.
Show me your
faith apart
from your
works.
And James
says,
I will show
you my
faith by
my works.
But how
do I know
if I hate
my brother?
I think if
we're all
honest,
we've been
frustrated with
somebody in
this room at
some point.
Maybe a lot
of it's not
me, but
that happens.
So what does
it mean to
hate my
brother?
What does
it mean to
hate?
I'm looking
at my actual
brother right
now.
I don't know
why.
In his
commentary on
1 John,
that was
unplanned,
Robert Yarbrough
notes that
Jesus'
description of
hate in
Luke 6
verse 22
is probably
operative in
John's mind.
Jesus says,
blessed are
you when
people hate
you and
when they
exclude you
and revile
you and
spurn your
name as
evil on
account of
the Son
of
man.
A lot
could be
said of
this verse,
but note
the things
that Jesus
says describe
hate.
Exclusion,
insult,
rejection.
And so
brothers and
sisters,
it's perfectly
normal in
church life to
have issues,
grievances,
even annoyances.
Right?
Why is that
dude always
sneezing,
right?
Little stuff
to bigger
things,
right?
With one
another at
different times
and in
different ways.
fact,
we all
have and
will all
sin against
one another.
And we'll
talk about
that more
in the next
two weeks.
But I
say to you
now,
in light of
John's
warning,
that when
those difficulties,
when those
challenges
arise,
are
if you
are
responding
hatefully
without
repentance,
you are
a false
believer.
No nuance
needed.
That's what
John is
saying.
If you
are excluding
people within
the body,
insulting
them without
end,
rejecting
them,
I have no
time for
you,
no patience
for you,
right?
This kind
of attitude
all the
time,
perpetually,
without end,
then you
are the
person John
is talking
about.
And again,
I'm sure we
have all
avoided somebody
at some
point out
of frustration.
Things can
get tense
sometimes in
personal
relationships,
and sometimes
that's even
wise to
just distance
for a little
bit.
He's not
talking about
that.
He's talking
about a
way of
life.
He's talking
about somebody
who actively
is doing
these things
with no
stop,
no regret,
no remorse,
perhaps even
justifying it.
Well, you
don't understand
what he's
like,
right?
That kind
of stuff.
Verse 11,
he says,
this person
walks in
darkness.
Walking in
the ancient
world is a
metaphor for
one's way of
life.
That's what he's
talking about.
This person's
way of life
is this
darkness,
this hatred,
this self-deception.
It's not
merely that he
acted hatefully
at one time.
Every person
in here,
myself included,
is guilty
of that.
Who hasn't
done that?
But it is
an entire
way of
life,
and it
shows over
time.
It shows
in the
absence of
love and
the absence
of repentance.
That is
who John
is describing.
Now,
please hear me
when I say
this.
I say
these things
not because
I have
anybody in
mind.
In fact,
while no
church is
perfect,
and we're
going to
unpack this
more in
the next
two weeks,
I'm just
so encouraged,
generally
speaking,
broadly
speaking,
specifically
speaking,
of the
love this
body has
for one
another.
Many of
you know,
I was
gone for
two and
a half
years
when my
wife took
a job
and then
did an
internship.
And at
one point
during that
time,
we got in
a horrible
wreck.
And even
though I
had had
two churches
that I had
been members
at,
and they
were great
and stuff,
so I was
two churches
removed from
this church,
and yet
within 24
hours,
there was a
meal train
set up.
And that's
a special
love.
That's
Christ.
And we
felt so
loved by
that,
and I
hope you
have felt
our love
over the
years in
various
things.
But it
is amazing
the love
this body
has.
So please
hear me say
that.
I am not
rebuking anybody
right now,
but I am
giving the
warning.
Because
nonetheless,
I am one
man with
limited
perspective.
I don't
see any
issues of
ongoing hate
in our
church.
Praise
God.
But perhaps
it is
happening,
and I'm
just missing
it.
So I
say this
out of
love,
as a
warning to
you,
in light
of John's
warning,
to examine
yourself in
light of
this text.
If there
is relational
friction in
your life
right now,
that has
been ongoing,
brooding,
getting worse,
no light at
the end of
the tunnel,
you're
responding with
exclusion,
insult,
rejection,
then go
repent and
make peace.
love,
and remember
the encouraging
words in
John's
epistle.
He says in
1 John 1
9,
famous verse
in the
Bible,
if we
confess our
sins,
he is
faithful and
just to
forgive us
our sins
and to
cleanse us
from all
unrighteousness.
And so
that is
one way
of life,
that of
hate and
self-deception.
It is
darkness which
results in
blindness,
aimlessness.
It is the
opposite of
being a
created being.
It's perpetual
uncreation,
being sub-human,
pursuing that,
and it
results in
eternal
damnation.
But John
presents a
another way
of life,
a good
way,
a wise
way,
the only
true way,
that of
love.
And so
read verse
10 with me
again.
It's
sandwiched
in between
this dark
way that he
describes,
and maybe
it's a
chiasm,
I don't
know,
don't care.
I might
regret that
later.
the one
who loves
his brother
abides in
the light,
and there
is no
cause for
stumbling
with him.
As I
already said,
in many ways,
today's sermon
ends with a
foretaste of a
topic we will
consider heavily
the next two
weeks, and that
topic, of course,
is love.
love.
But I want
to note a
few things
here that
will set us
up well for
that, as I
alluded to
earlier.
Again,
John 13,
35,
Gospel of
John,
Jesus says,
by this all
people will
know that
you are my
disciples,
if you have
love for
one another.
This is the
tell.
This is the
ultimate
proof.
There is no
greater or
more convincing
thing of our
relationship with
Christ than
our love for
him and for
one another.
You can have
all the right
doctrine, all
the right
strategies, all
the best ideas,
the biggest,
growing, coolest
church, reach the
most people for
Christ, and I'm
talking about true
conversions, but
if it's not done
in love, then
on that person's
account, it is
worthless.
So this is not
just a mark of
a Christian, but
it is the mark of
the Christian and
of the true
church.
And this mark,
this love, John
says, says two
things about such
a person.
Number one, it
says he abides in
the light.
And number two,
it says, he says
that there is no
cause for stumbling
with such a
person.
To abide in the
light is John's
way of saying that
one is walking
with God in faith
and obedience.
Dr. Rob Plummer
puts it this way,
to be in the
light is to be in
the realm of
God's people,
the church.
Living in the
light of the new
age dawning,
recognizing that we
are the first
fruits of a new
creation, we're in
a new covenant,
that's what he's
talking about.
Right?
Living in the
light of this
new age dawning,
this moment in
redemptive history,
and he continues
reflecting the
God who is
himself, light.
And so again,
to love one
another as Christ
has loved us.
And this person
has no cause for
stumbling.
This does not
mean that this
brother or sister
does not sin.
John is not
describing sinless
perfection.
That is explicit.
First John 1.8,
if we say we
have no sin,
we deceive
ourselves.
Right?
In other words,
we're the one
walking in darkness.
And the truth,
he says,
is not in us.
So he's not
talking about
sinless
perfection.
Rather,
he is saying
that insofar
as we are
walking in the
light,
as we are
believing in
Christ for
salvation,
loving God,
loving neighbor,
insofar as we
are doing
these things,
he will not
be a terminal
detriment to
himself or to
his brothers
and sisters.
In other words,
he is bound
to prevail.
That the
victory,
the salvation,
the final
vindication is
provided by grace
through faith
from our
Lord.
From beginning
to end,
he began the
work in us
and he will
bring it
to completion.
That is what
John's describing.
There is no
cause for
ultimate,
fatal,
stumbling.
Praise be to
God.
Now,
in closing,
I just want to
offer a few
additional
applications
in light of
our text.
Some of them
may seem
fairly obvious,
but that's not
a bad thing.
That's a good
thing.
John's a fairly
obvious writer,
very direct.
But number
one,
walk with
God in
church community.
Walk in the
light with
the brothers
and sisters,
if you want
to use
John's words.
And what
does this
entail?
Well,
this entails
the regular
and meaningful
reading of
scripture with
brothers and
sisters.
Of course,
we do this
on Sundays
and that's
the chief
gathering of
the church
in which we
faithfully
obey that.
This includes
in homes,
this includes
with one
another in
discipleship
contexts and
just regular
Christian
fellowship.
It should be
normal.
This entails
regular and
meaningful prayer
with brothers
and sisters.
I'll just say
to you,
please come to
the Sunday
evening prayer
meeting.
Admittedly,
it's one of the
hardest ones to
get to.
I totally get
that.
I have
littles.
It's a
hard time.
Usually,
my wife
has to
stay and
we work
that out.
I understand
the challenge,
but I promise
it's the
most rewarding.
It is so
great to
pray with
the church
in an
intimate
setting like
that.
Come and
you will
be blessed.
I would
add,
if you
don't already
have a
habit of
doing
this,
pray through
the members
directory.
Thankful I
made the
cut.
text the
person you
are praying
for to
ask how
you can
specifically
be praying.
If you're
a man,
text the
men.
If you're
a woman,
text the
women.
I'll just
tell you as
one encouraging
example,
one of the
many examples
of love in
this church,
for me
particularly,
has been
Daniel Tipton.
I just
want to
commend him.
In
particular,
for reasons
unbeknownst to
me,
maybe he
just sees
it as a
great need.
But he's
been texting
me regularly
to let me
know,
that his
family is
praying for
me during
their family
worship and
my family.
I don't
really know
why that
started,
but it's
been such
an encouragement
to me.
So I just
share that
with you to
say,
what a good
thing to
do.
What a
loving thing
to do.
This entails
singing psalms,
hymns,
and spiritual
songs to
one another.
This entails
hearing the
word preached
and taking
the Lord's
supper
together.
And sure,
it means the
ordinary means
of grace.
being an
active,
meaningful
member of
your church.
Not just
showing up
on Sundays,
but being
present,
and then
also being
open and
hospitable
Monday through,
well,
the whole week,
but you get
the idea,
right?
All the
time.
Application
number two.
This one
might seem
out of left
field.
Practice
regenerate
church
membership.
In other
words,
be a
Baptist,
right?
Jamie
Dunlap
makes the
following
point in
his book,
Love the
Ones Who
Drive You
Crazy.
In his
introduction,
he says that
his entire
book,
which as you
can guess,
deals with
loving church
members that
are not so
easy for you
to love for
whatever reasons,
doctrinal
differences,
personality.
He's an
Ohio State
fan,
get that
one.
You know,
really
difficult
people.
And he
warns that
everything in
his book,
all the
advice he's
going to
give you,
all the
biblical
teaching,
the
motivations,
the
truths
therein,
the
foundations
that the
Bible
itself
gives
for the
new
covenant
community
and why
it is
we are
able and
must love
one another
assumes a
Baptist
ecclesiology,
it assumes
regenerate
church
membership.
And so
this is
why we
constantly in
the New
Testament see
the command
love your
brother,
not just
another.
I was
really proud
of that.
So if you
practice a
mixed community
as our
Paedo Baptist
brothers do,
or if you
do not
guard the
membership and
just let
whoever in
as they walk
the aisle as
some of our
so-called
Baptist
brothers do,
or perhaps
worse,
don't even
practice
membership,
then all
that the
New Testament
says to
encourage and
establish love
among the
brotherhood in
those difficult
relationships is
robbed of its
power.
In that
scenario, we
aren't of the
same spirit,
because you're
letting somebody
in who doesn't
have the
spirit, which
is one of
Paul's big
appeals for
Christian love,
or of the
same spirit.
Conversion.
We've all been
converted.
That's what he's
saying.
And so we
save ourselves
a lot of
heartache, a
lot of
confusion, a
lot of
difficulty in
loving our
fellow members
when we do
the hard work
on the front
end of
ensuring to
the best of
our ability
that new
prospective
members are
true
Christians.
Otherwise,
you are
inviting the
blind, aimless
one who
hates his
brother into
the fold.
And so
brothers and
sisters, let's
work together
to guard
the membership,
to practice
regenerate
church
membership.
Don't just
leave that to
the elders,
though they
lead us in
that.
But we're a
congregational
church.
It's every
member's
responsibility
to do
this.
And some
of you are
thinking he's
telling us
now, you
know, but
I'm in.
So application
number three,
understand where
we are in
redemptive
history.
This is not
just high
brow theology
for sake of
high brow
theology.
This is not
just nerd
stuff.
This matters
practically,
day to day,
for every
Christian.
John's word
for us today
only makes
sense when
one has a
deep
understanding
of the,
what you
might call
the meta
narrative of
scripture.
That is the
overarching story
from Genesis
to Revelation
and how
God's
redemption
has worked
itself out
through his
covenants.
Right?
No one can
begin to
fathom what
John means
just in our
passage alone
by this old
new covenant
without
understanding
how the
storyline of
scripture
unfolds and
the developments
therein.
And so
practically,
this means a
few things,
means a lot of
things,
but I'm going
to share a
few.
Read and
reread your
Old Testament.
Right?
Know the
story for
yourself.
And this
one probably
needs more
unpacking.
So you
have more
time in
systematic
theology and
more time in
biblical theology.
Okay?
If you don't
know the
difference,
again,
come August
1st,
progressive
cow.
But when
you spend
more time in
biblical theology,
in other words,
when you study
the whole
storyline of
scripture,
the actual
text,
the actual
God-breathed
stuff,
and not just
Brudum or
Frame or
MacArthur or
whoever,
as great as
those guys
are,
you're going to
have a much
better understanding.
You're going to
see a lot of
pitfalls when
people only read
systematics and
don't actually pay
attention to the
storyline of
scripture.
And it's just
going to bless you.
It's going to
bless you.
You're going to
be closer to
the Lord.
I mean,
that's just
easy math.
More time in the
Bible,
more time with
God.
That's not
rocket science.
And no,
I'm not saying
no time in
systematics.
I'm just
pleading with
you that it's
God's word that's
inspired and
inerrant and
infallible and
good and all
these things.
Spend more time
in that and then
work out to
those things.
Another implication
of this is pay
attention to how
the covenants,
which reveal God's
redemptive acts
in each period of
redemptive history,
build on one
another and
culminate and
climax in Jesus
Christ.
Only when you
pay attention to
that will you
see how the
Bible truly fits
together and be
able to approach
these really hard
questions about
the law, the
Sabbath, should
you still be
circumcised, and
a whole bunch of
other stuff related
to politics,
nations, all the
rest.
If you're really
into Christian
nationalism, which
I hope you
are, but if you
are, this will
save you from
that.
So please pay
attention to
that storyline.
And then the
fourth application,
the most obvious
one, and the
one that I'm not
going to say a
lot about, because
again, we've got
two more weeks to
talk about it, but
application number
four, love one
another.
And so again, if
you want to know
more about that,
come the next two
weeks, but I will
tell you now a bit
of a not-so-secret
tease.
Look to God,
right?
That is the key.
We're going to
see that right
away next week
in 1 John 4.
And so, before
praying this out, I
just want to say
how excited I am
for these next
two weeks.
People have
asked me, what
made you come
back for the
second time?
If you don't
know, I've been
a member here
now three times.
I've moved for
seminary and jobs
and come back
and different
things.
And people ask,
why did you
come back?
And I always
tell them, it's
because I heard
the plumbing
got fixed.
In all
seriousness,
Crohn's
awareness, by
the way, in
all seriousness,
it is love
for you all.
I have family
here.
I mean, I
mean, literal
biological family.
Some of my
closest friends
since college
are still here.
but I mean
all of you.
And as I
said earlier,
one of the
amazing things
is my wife
and I know
how loved
we are here
as well.
Nobody loves
perfectly.
You don't,
we don't.
And yet, oh
my goodness,
so much love.
And so I
mention that to
say it is so
good when
brothers and
sisters dwell
in unity.
So I just
want to remind
you all as an
encouragement that
this is a true
church marked
by true
love.
Praise God.
And I'm so
thrilled to
unpack more of
that in the
coming weeks.
I won't talk
about progressive
covenantalism,
most likely,
but I will be
talking about love.
My love for you,
your love for me,
and our shared
love for our
risen Savior,
our God who
is love and
from whom love
flows.
Let's pray.
All right.