Hereby We Know We Are in the Faith

The title today of the sermon, Hereby We Know We Are In The Faith. We will be dissecting the epistle, some call it an epistle, probably it's not an epistle, more about that later, 1 John. If you had to decide on a character other than Jesus Christ to be your role model out of the Bible, who would it be? I think I would choose the Apostle John, if I could be like the Apostle John. John lived to be a ripe old age, as we shall see. I would venture to say that 1 John contains more precise, sound doctrine and Christian living principles than any other five successive chapters of the Bible. Now, some might mention Romans, first eight chapters or so of Romans. In chapter 1, God takes the Gentiles to Tass. In chapter 2, he takes the Jews to Tass. In chapter 3, he says in verse 23, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and then showing how that a person is justified through faith. And to a large degree, first several chapters of Romans is taken up with justification of the believer as he comes into the faith, whereas the book of John, 1 John, is written to those who are in the faith. And 1 John shows us how we can have continual fellowship with God the Father, and Jesus Christ overcomes self, society, and Satan. The beauty and significance of this book is that so much truth is summarized and presented in such concise terms and so few words. It is said that the gospel of John is written on an eighth grade level, and so 1 John is primarily the same way on an eighth grade level, but it is acclaimed as one of the, if you just look at it from strictly literary point of view, is one of the most acclaimed works of literature in history. In many ways, 1 John is a smorgasbord of theological truths and several overlapping concepts. The smorgasbord of theological truths with several overlapping concepts. One commentator writes, quote, it is like throwing rocks close together in a pond. The ripples overlap each other.

That makes it difficult to construct a consistent theme as themes and purposes are everywhere mentioned. 1 John begins similar to the gospel of John in asserting that Jesus Christ exists in eternity but was made flesh and dwelt among us. John asserts that our hands have touched the flesh of Jesus. So let's turn to 1 John. You remember, as you're turning there, I'll quote John 1.1. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God. So in 1 John, in the gospel of John, we see in the beginning was the word existence, and the word was with God, showing relationship, and then and the word was God, showing identity, that he was on the God plane. So in the first epistle of John verse 1, that which was from the beginning, and remember John 1.1 says, in the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life. He actually came in the flesh. And to some degree, 1 John is written to combat Gnosticism. The Gnostics taught that Jesus didn't really come in the flesh because they taught a dual nature of man and a dual nature of separating spirit and the physical things. To the degree they said that Christ would never take on flesh. However, the gospel of John in verse chapter 1 verse 14 says, and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

So John is affirming here that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and that we actually handled him, for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us, that which we have seen, and declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ. And we'll talk later about requirements for that fellowship. So the Gnostics taught that God was pure light, and I hope you remember the study that I gave here. It's been a few years ago with regard to what the Gnostics taught. If you draw several lines and decreasing length of lines on a piece of paper, they said that God was pure light, and then lesser lines going down from God emanated lesser light, and so the way back to God was through these various levels of light and knowledge. And finally, you would come down to complete darkness, the demiurge, which they say created the heavens and the earth. So John combats that in this epistle and also in the Gospel of John. Internal evidence shows three main reasons to support that the Apostle John wrote the epistle. One, the writer states that he is an eyewitness of the earthly life of Christ, which we've just read, that our hands have touched him, we have heard him, we have seen him. He speaks with an air of authority. He clearly delineates that which is false and that which is truth. He expects believers to hear him and to obey what he is saying. And thirdly, the similarities of thought between the Gospel of John and verbal expression with 1 John are strikingly similar. For example, the Apostle John is known as the Apostle of Love.

He is called the beloved Apostle or the beloved disciple. Yet, John, more than any other Apostle, emphasized obedience to the law of God. And one of the greatest verses of all verses in the Bible is in chapter 2. You look just down there from where you are in 1 John 1 to chapter 2, verse 4. He that says, I know him and keeps not his commandments is a liar. And the truth is not in him. He that says he knows God and keeps not his commandments is a liar. And the truth is not in him.

He is the only Apostle that provides a concise definition of the love of God.

And we see that in 1 John 5.3. We will be turning all over 1 John today. So mainly, all of our verses will be taken from 1 John and 1 John 5 and verse 3.

For this is the love of God. In other words, here is the definition of the love of God.

That we keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous. Also, as you heard in the sermon at the definition of sin. Sin in 1 John 3.4. Sin is the transgression of the law.

The love of God is to keep his commandments. This book was probably written in the 80s A.D. So here we are about 2,000 years down the road. He wrote this book while residing in Ephesus.

Ancient Ephesus was located in the southwestern coast of Asia Minor, which today is modern Turkey, on the Aegean Sea at the mouth of the Castor River. In the ancient world, Ephesus was a center of travel and commerce and was one of the greatest seaports in the ancient world.

Three main roads led from the seaport. One led east toward Babylon. One led to the north through Smyrna, and a third south to the Meander Valley. Also in Ephesus was the temple of Artemis, also called the Temple of Diana. It was a Greek temple dedicated to an ancient local form of the goddess Artemis, who was associated with Diana. Diana is a Roman goddess. The temple was located in Ephesus near the modern town of Selkuk in present-day Turkey. It was completely rebuilt twice and dedicated to the goddess of the hunt. Only the foundation in one column remains of this temple, which was measured as 425 feet long, a football field from the in-line where the gold posts are to the in-line is 360 feet. So then you would have 75 feet added to that, well, 40 and 25 to 65 feet added to that, 220 feet wide and 60 feet high. It is described in Antipater of Sidon's list of the world's seven wonders. Antipater writes the following quote, I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon, which is a road for chariots, a road for chariots on the walls, on top of the walls, and the statue of Zeus by the Alphaeus, and the hanging gardens of Babylon, and the colossus of the sun at Rhodes, and the huge labor of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mosselas. But when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy. And I said, lo, apart from Olympus, of course Olympus was the mount where the gods resided in ancient Greece, and from which we get the name for the Olympic games, which are coming up in China this summer. Lo, apart from Olympus, the sun never looked on Oud so grand.

The import of Paul's teaching and preaching in Ephesus was considered a threat to this very temple. Just show the biblical connection here. It's why we're turning here. Look at Acts 19 verse 26.

Acts 19 verse 26. Of course, the pagans were into imagination.

I don't think they looked at Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, but which are fantasy things that I do not recommend. In Acts 19 verse 26, more we see and hear that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, that Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands, so that not only this our craft is in danger to be said at nothing, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships. So this temple, of course, was of great import in the ancient world. So it's good to understand a little bit about the humanity of a person, where they lived, as we dive into what he wrote with regard to how to know whether or not you're in the faith. The apostle John also received the revelation recorded in the book of Revelation near Ephesus on the Isle of Patmos. Patmos was a small island about 60 miles west of the city of Ephesus. It was about eight miles long, about four and a half miles wide, and there John lived in a grotto. Grotto was another word for cave. He lived in a cave, and there it is, according to legend, received his visions. And as tourists come through there today, this cave is still pointed out. It is called Apokalipsis, where he received the apocalypse or the unveiling of the book of Revelation. Patmos is mentioned by the Uteses, Pliny, and by Strabo and Tertullian. And they mention in the light of John's visions. In other words, they give historical credence to the fact that John was there and received these visions. Of course, we have it from the Bible.

Patmos was one of the places where the Romans would banish those that were political protesters to the powers that be. Domitian was the one who was reigning in Rome while John was preaching. And John was preaching that Jesus was God. And at the same time, Domitian had taken on a title of Domitius et Dus, meaning Lord and God. In other words, Domitian claimed that he was Lord and God, similar to the one who's going to sit in the temple in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verses 3 and 4, the son of Perdition, claiming that he is God. So Domitian tried to get John to hush up to stop preaching that Jesus was Lord and God.

And so they eventually brought John to Rome, and they put him in a pot of boiling oil. They figured that the only way to get rid of John was to kill him.

And so when they put him in the boiling oil, it did not kill him. He was able to climb out of the pot of boiling oil. And according to tradition, he went back to Ephesus, where he lived out the rest of his life. And tradition holds that John was the youngest of the apostles and survived them all. And according to tradition, John's tomb is thought to be located at Selkuk, a small town in the vicinity of Ephesus, near where the temple of Diana was located. Christian tradition holds that John outlived the remaining apostles, and he was the only one not to die the martyr's death. John trained polycarp, and you could do a search on the internet on Google, and you can Google polycarp. He was the bishop of Smyrna. And this was very important because polycarp was able to carry John's message to future generations. But it seems after polycarp died and a few of his disciples that basically the truth became almost invisible on the world scene. First John begins similar to the Gospel of John, as we've already noted, asserting that Jesus Christ existed in eternity and was made flesh and dwelt among us. And as we have seen, John said we actually touched him, we saw him, we heard him. And so John combats the false teaching of the Gnostics.

And once again, I remind you of the Bible study that I gave. Many of you were not there. I think it was at one of our Wednesday monthly Bible studies. In addition to writing to combat Gnosticism, John wrote the treatise for several other reasons. Now, first John, some of them, I would call it at times an epistle. It does not have a salutation. It does not have a complimentary close. And for that reason, many say it's not an epistle. Some say it's a treatise. Some say it's a testament.

But it is a great piece of literature. So in addition to combating Gnosticism, there are several other reasons why John wrote this epistle. So let's go back now to 1 John 1 John 1 1 and verse 4. 1 John 1 verse 4, And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Your joy might be full. David prayed in Psalm 51 that God would restore unto him the joy of his salvation. And several times in recent years, I think that because of the situations that we have faced, both in the church, out of the church, the nation, the world, that people in general don't have a lot of joy today. And it almost seems like the people that have less have more joy than those that have much. Let's note what the apostle Peter writes concerning so great a salvation.

And for this reason, we should have great joy. I don't know if you want to hold your place, but we go now to 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1, very sobering these first nine verses here. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. To the stranger scattered throughout Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, elect according the foreknowledge, that is, the progonosco, the foreknowledge to know beforehand of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling the blood of Jesus Christ, grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again. We are born once of water and blood, the natural birth in which we come into this world, begotten again from God the Father through His Spirit, as begotten sons and daughters of God, begotten us again to a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Remember in John's Gospel in chapter 16 verses 7 and 8, it says that I need to go away because if I go not away the comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, John 14, 26, will not come unto you, but if I go away I will send it to you and it will convict the world of sin. And so through the Word of God and the Spirit of God, one is convicted of their sins. Verse 4, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last times. So our title once again, hereby we know that we are in the faith. This inheritance is kept through faith unto salvation.

Verse 6, wherein we greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold trials, that the trying of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom I, whom having not seen, you love. Of course, Peter had seen him, but the audience to whom he had written this, the strangers in Babylon, as he closes this epistle, in whom though now we see him not, yet believing we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

We rejoice in this salvation with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Glory oftentimes represents the active presence of God, so we glory in this joy unspeakable. I wonder how many of us have experienced joy unspeakable and full of glory. It's not really something you can altogether work up, but I think it has to do with a total surrender, submission, and service to God, where you just come to the point that you surrender everything and say, here am I, send me.

Another reason why John wrote the epistle—we go back now to 1 John—in chapter 2, verse 1, My little children, these things write unto you that you sin not. So one of the reasons that John wrote the epistle was that you sin not. And how do you prevent sin? We recently gave a sermon on that, living the unleavened life, preventing sin, keeping sin out of our lives.

It's through hiding the Word of God in our hearts that is one of the main ways. Remember Psalm 119, verse 11 says, Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Remember that Paul was inspired to write in Romans 10, 17, that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

Hereby we know that we are in the faith. How?

By hearing and doing the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. So we hide the Word of God in our hearts daily, thereby renewing the inward man.

So let's now note what John states as a key for overcoming. That is, for overcoming every trial that we faced. And so we look at chapter 5 now, 1 John chapter 5. Remember we'll be going all over this treatise testament today in verse 4, For whosoever is begotten of God, God, God can be translated as begotten or born. Whosoever begotten of God overcomes the world, and this is a victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. So you want to overcome This is a victory that is through faith that we overcome the world. But once again, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

So the key that John presents of overcoming is to live by faith. Another reason that John writes this epistle, now we go back to chapter 2, is verse 12. I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. His sins are forgiven you. It seems that we have a hard time believing our sins have been forgiven, and living our lives as if they have been forgiven. Note what John writes in 1 John 1 and verse 9 with regard to sins being forgiven.

First John 1 and verse 9. Remember we're dissecting. We're going all over the book of 1 John. So 1 John 1 and 9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So we have to confess our sins, exercise faith in the sacrifice of Christ, and obey. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

So he writes, once again, in 2 John 12, I write unto you little children, because your sins have been forgiven you. Remember in Psalm 103 and verse 12, it says that our sins have been removed from us as far as the east is from the west. Another reason he wrote this epistle in verse 13 of chapter 2. So 1 John 2 and verse 13. I write unto you fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning. See I said that John was written to those who are in the faith. They've already been justified. They have been baptized.

They received the laying out of hands. They have received the Holy Spirit. They are begotten by the very essence of God. I write unto you fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. Satan the devil, you have overcome the wicked one. How do you overcome him by living through faith?

I write unto you little children, because you have known the Father. I have written unto you fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning. Existing in eternity. I have written unto you young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome, once again, the wicked one. So we see here that he writes because they have overcome the evil one, because they are strong, because the word of God abides in them, because they know the truth. And then we look in verse 27. But the anointing which you have received of him abides in you, that is, the Holy Spirit.

We need not that any man teach you, but in the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie. And even as it has taught you, you shall abide in it. And now little children, abide in him, that he may appear, that when he shall appear, he may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

So he writes to them also to combat, to refute, the false teachings that were extant of those who once were a part of it, and had gone out from them. Another thing that is emphasized in, we go back to chapter 1 now in 1 John, is fellowship with the Father, with fellowship with the Father, and fellowship with Jesus Christ, and fellowship with each member of the body of Christ. Actually all three of these go hand in glove. You can't have fellowship with God apart from Jesus Christ. You can't have fellowship with Jesus Christ apart from the Father. And you can't have fellowship with each other in the true spiritual sense, unless you're having fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Now in 1 John chapter 1, verse 6, if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, no doubt where the demiurge is, and Satan is oftentimes referred to as the prince of darkness, we do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses us from all sin.

Now it's not axiomatically, just say I believe in Jesus and her sins are forgiven, because when Jesus began to preach in Mark chapter 1, and when John was put in prison and says that Jesus began to preach the kingdom of God, and he went out saying, repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.

So forgiveness is predicated on repentance, and after one repents and exercises faith in the sacrifice of Christ, Christ paid the penalty for our sins, so we wouldn't have to die because the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. If we say that we have no sin, verse 8, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Now we skip down to verse 2, verse 1 of chapter 2, which we've already read, but we want to get to verse 2 again.

My little children, these things write unto you that you sin not, and if any man sin, you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. This word advocate is the same word that is translated comforter, and comforter, according to John 14, 26, is the Holy Spirit. So we have one alongside the paracletos, the paracletos, as some pronounce it, the paracletos, the one alongside with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Jesus Christ is now sitting on the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us, and He is the propituation for our sins, that is, He went in our stead, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the world.

And hereby we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. So once again, how do you know that you're in the faith? Time after time, John brings us back. We know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. So fellowship is dependent on knowing God, and knowing is dependent on fellowship. And one of the great things that is necessary with regard to fellowship is communication. And communication, in the two-way sense, has to have one who talks and one who listens, one who is saying and one who is listening. And for us, we must listen and believe and then do. If you own your place there, we look at this in Hebrews 13 verse 15. By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise, that is, through Christ, to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name, but to do good and to communicate, forget not.

For with such sacrifices, God is well pleased. So God speaks to us through His Word. We speak to Him through prayer. We have two-way communication. Fellowship is with both God the Father, as we've already noted, and with Jesus Christ, each member of the body of Christ. So it's dependent upon hearing and upon doing. In other words, a person must live by faith. As James writes, show me by your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works. And works might be an unfortunate translation because really the example that he gives following that is of Abraham's obedience. So show me your faith without your obedience, and I'll show you my faith by my obedience.

If Abraham had not obeyed, he surely would not be the father of the faithful. The basic principle of fellowship is that since God is light, believers must walk in the light. So once again, we are back in 1 John 1. Verse 5, this is the message which we have heard of him declaring to you that God is light, and Him is no darkness at all. The necessity of walking in the light.

Now walking in the light is a metaphor of hearing, believing, and doing. Once again, walking in the light, a metaphor for hearing, believing, and doing. In Isaiah 2 and verse 5, we see the first reference to walk in the light. Isaiah 2 and verse 5. Isaiah 2 verse 5, and the people shall be oppressed every one.

I think I'm reading 3. In Isaiah 2 and verse 5, O house, if Jacob come you, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. O Israel, remember Jacob's name was changed to Israel. When you see Jacob in the Scriptures, mainly referred to Jacob in the flesh, when you see Israel, remember that Jacob's name was changed to Israel, meaning a prince ruling with God. So the necessity of walking in the light is first mentioned there in Isaiah 2 and verse 5, as we have just read.

And then let's notice John 8 and verse 12. In John 8 and verse 12, now we're back in the gospel of John. The similarity, if you were to do a word search, easy to do with online Bible or a concordance of how many times the word light is used in the gospel of John, you might be amazed. In John 8 and verse 12, Jesus then spoke Jesus unto them, saying, I am the light of the world. He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of light. So we have to walk in the light.

Jesus says that the words that he speaks are spirit in their life. So to walk in the light is to be led by the Spirit and Word of God. And to me, this is summarized by the psalmist. He writes in Psalm 119 verse 105. And what does that say? It says, your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Next, fellowship with God is possible even when we sin if we confess our sins and repent. And we have already made that clear. Forgiveness is made possible by faith and the sacrifice of Christ. We've already covered that. Fellowship with God is dependent on obedience.

And this is like the ripples that go out from the rock thrown in the pond that you have all these overlapping statements. Fellowship with God is dependent upon obedience. Anyone who claims to know God but does not obey his commandments, as we've read from 1 John 2.4, is a liar. And then fellowship with God is squelched when believers give in to the impulses of flesh, hence they are worn not to love the world. So we go to 1 John 2.15. These few verses here, 2.15-16, are so important because of the world in which we live in at the present time.

We're managed to come out of the world. And notice this is in agreement with what John writes, 1 John 2.15, Love not the world. Neither the things that are in the world.

If any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the less of the flesh, the less of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. The world passes away in the less thereof, but he that does the will of the Father, or the will of God, abides forever. The unifying theme of this epistle is found in the verses that say, Hereby we know. So at this time, that's what we're going to do, is we're going to look at those verses that say, Hereby we know. Some we have already read, so we'll just mention them and keep going, because we've already read and talked about, but it has the term, Hereby we know. Remember the title, Hereby we know we are in the faith.

So in 1 John 2 and verse 3, And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

So if you can't say that, it says, Hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

In verse 5, verse 5 is one that we should take some time with.

We've already read 3 once or twice. But whoso keeps his word, in him, barely is the love of God perfected. And one of the things that we're admonished to do in Hebrew 6 is to go on to perfection. But whosoever keeps his word, in him, barely is the love of God perfected.

Hereby know we that we are in him. He that says he abides in him, ought himself also to walk as he walked. So Christ walked in the light, your word is a lamp into my feet, a light into my path.

Christ perfectly obeyed.

So Jesus is the light of the world, and through keeping his commandments, the love of God is perfected. So love and faith, we could say that love and faith are perfected through keeping the commandments. And it is one of the greatest truths revealed in the Bible.

Now we want to look at 1 John 4, 17. Now what are we talking about that his love is perfected through keeping his commandments? Let's read it again. We might have doubters. Verse 5 again, whosoever keeps his word, in him, barely is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that we are in him. Now we look at 1 John 4 and verse 17. In 1 John 4 and verse 17.

Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in the world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear, because fear hath torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. So what is the love of God? For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. 1 John 5 and verse 3. So perfection, the love of God being perfected in faith, is inextricably linked to obedience. Mark that well. If you want to hold your place there in 1 John, we're going to turn back to James 4 and verse 22. Earlier when I quoted about show me your works by your obedience, and I'll show you my show me your faith by your obedience, and I'll show you my faith by my obedience.

I said that wrong, but anyhow, you know what I mean.

In James chapter 4, the example of faithful in Abraham and Romans chapter 4 is called the father of the faithful. In James chapter 4, we have this example of Abraham. James 2 and verse 22. Seeing you have faith through seeing you have faith wrought or worked with his works, and by works was faith made perfect. The scripture was fulfilled which said Abraham believed God, and it was imputed.

Now this word imputed is so misunderstood by so many in the religious world. The word imputed here means reckoned to one's account. God does not axiomatically impute righteousness to you by just believing, but if you obey, it is reckoned to your account. Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. Verse 24, you see that how by works or obedience a man is justified and not by faith only. You see, you could say all day long, I believe in God, I believe in God, which if you were to go out on the streets and do a survey, there's no telling how many people would say that they believe in God.

But just to believe in God puts you where the devil is, verse 19. You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe and tremble, but they will not obey. They will not do what God says to do. Now, in verse 6, in back to 1 John chapter 3, in verse 16, we continue with the hereby we know. So what we've just seen here is that hereby we know that we're in the faith and that the faith and love are perfected through keeping the commandments.

Now we come to another one of hereby we know in 1 John 3 and verse 16. Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. For whosoever has his world's good and sees his brother have need, shuts up the bowels of compassion unto him, how dwells the love of God in him.

My little children, let us not love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in truth, not just say it but to actually do it. This verse, verse 16, we go back to hereby we perceive the love of God because he laid down his life for us. We ought to lay down our lives one for another. This verse summarizes the foot-washing attitude of humility, which is inextricably linked to being your brother's keeper. Lay down your life. So we go to Leviticus 19, verse 15, and then we'll come back to 1 John 3. Hold your place there. Leviticus 19 and verse 15.

Leviticus 19, verse 15, You shall do no unrighteousness and judgment. You shall not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. But what should you do? But in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. Yes, you have to make judgments whether things are of God or not of God. You shall not go up and down as a tail-bearer among your people, neither shall you stand against the blood of your neighbor. I am the Eternal. You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall in any wise rebuke your neighbor and not bear sin for him. In other words, if you see your brother doing something that's going to lead to his demise spiritually, then you bring it to his attention. From Genesis to Revelation, which we've said many times, the Bible is replete with saying, yes, you are your brother's keeper. The answer to Cain's question when God says, where is your brother Abel? And Cain says, how do I know? Am I my brother's keeper? Well, the resounding answer from Genesis to Revelation is, yes, you are.

Now we go back to 1 John 3, and we'll see the relationship between what we just read from Leviticus with 1 John, regarding, you shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall in any wise rebuke your neighbor and not bear sin for him. So we pick it up again in 1 John 3, verse 10. For in this the children of God are manifesting the children of the devil.

Whoso does righteousness is not of God. All your commandments are righteousness. Psalm 119 verse 172, neither he that loves, not his brother. For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And why did he slay him, kill him? Because his own works were evil and his brother's righteous.

Cain brought a thank offering. He thought perhaps he was a messiah. Big disappointment.

Abel brought a sin offering, realizing that he was a sinner. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren, and he that loves, not his brother, abides in death. Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer. And so we read from Leviticus 19.17, you shall not hate your brother. You shall in any wise rebuke him. So that means that if you don't rebuke him, you hate him. And then John says, if you hate him, you are a murderer. And the ability and the willingness to lay down your life this way is the real test of spiritual courage. Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer, and we know that no murderer hath eternal life and body in him. Hereby we perceive. So how do we know? How do we know we're in the faith? Hereby perceive we the love of God because he lay down his life for us. We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Now we look at verse 19, 20-21. And this is where really the rubber meets the road, as they say.

We'll read the verses in just a moment, but we will preface it with this.

These verses are perhaps the greatest way to know whether or not you're in the faith.

Does your conscience, your heart, nag at you? As long as there are any pains of guilt or in our minds I should do such and such, there will be an absence of joy, peace, and faith. The gnawing aching inside will never be quelled, it will never be put to rest until the issue is faced unless one's conscience is seared.

Now when a conscience is seared, it won't matter. A conscience can be seared, as we read from 1st Timothy 4. One's conscience is seared, and through human reasoning one dismisses what he or she should do. So verse 19, And hereby we know that we are in the truth and shall eschew our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, in other words, if we have those gnawing aching pains of guilt or should have done this or should have done that, there's a country song sort of like that, for if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things.

God knows what's there already. You can hide it from man, but not God. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, see then if our conscience is clear, we have joy unspeakable and full of glory, if we have peace that surpasses all understanding, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God, and whatsoever we ask, we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

And this is a commandment that we should believe on the name of his son Jesus Christ, love one another, as he gave commandment. And we have just talked about that from Leviticus and also from chapter 3. And he that keeps his commandments dwells in him and he and him, and hereby we know that he abides in us by the Spirit which he has given us. See, we know by the Spirit that he has given us, if you did not have God's Spirit, you would not understand the plan, the purpose, the providence of God. God through his Spirit has given you the Spirit of understanding and a new conscience, a new knowing within that allows you to be led by God's Spirit in his word and for the word to be written on our inward parts. These verses harken back to John's reputation of Gnosticism. Jesus Christ has come and is coming in each one of us.

So, brethren, if we did not have God's Spirit, we wouldn't know the plan, the purpose, the providence of God. God would not write our or his laws on our inward parts. Now let's go to verse John 4.

Verse 1, Beloved, believe not every spirit. In other words, you have to try the spirits whether they are of God. How do you try the spirits? You compare them with the Word of God, because many false prophets are going out into the world. Hereby know we the Spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ and this word is come is present tense is coming could be translated is coming in the flesh is of God. Of course, Jesus Christ has come in the flesh literally, but at the same time, he is living in every one of us. And every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is coming in the is not come in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of antichrist.

Where have you have heard that it should come? Even now already, is it in the world?

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them. So why in the world would you go back to the false teachers? You have the unction of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been rubbed into your very being and your hearts and mind. You have a new knowing within.

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. See, Satan is the God of this world. Love not the world. They are of the world. Therefore speak they of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He that knows God hears us. And of course, the apostles were the ones that were inspired to write the word of God.

He that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of era.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loves God is begotten of God and knows God. Once again, the word begotten, we'll have more about that in just a moment. So once again, if you did not have a God's spirit, you would not know the plan, the purpose, and the providence of God. The verses we just read harkens back to John's refutation, refutation, refuting of, Gnosticism. Some points, some people point to a dual meaning in this verse that we have noticed that Jesus has come in the flesh, and he is living in each one of us.

So those that are of God hears us, John says, they hear the inspired word of God. You see, if God exists, and so many people say, once again, they say that God exists. If we say and believe that God exists, then he must have some way of communicating with us. It's not what we think God would do, and I hear expressions like, oh, the God that I serve would not do such and such. Well, maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't. What are you saying?

He must have some way of communicating with us, and that way is through his word and spirit, yet people will say that they believe in God, but they will not obey the words of God.

At one point, Jesus cried out, why do you call me Lord and Master, and will it not do the things that I say? So just to believe in God is no better than that of the devil. We read James 2.19, the devils believe and tremble, but they have crossed the line, and there is no way back.

So we know that we have been given the Spirit of God because of the understanding that we have. Once again, you couldn't possibly understand the things of God apart from the Spirit of God. Knowing and understanding are handmaidens. They're inseparable. You can't have one without the other, and both are dead if not acted upon. Now, we look at chapter 5 for a moment, and we'll be through. In 1 John 5 and verse 2, by this we know that we love the children of God and we love God and keep His commandments. It's just time after time after time. The apostle of love emphasizes keeping the commandments more than anybody else. Of course, save Jesus, who God and Christ have inspired the whole thing.

And yet, some want to say that the Ten Commandments have been done away with because Jesus Christ perfectly kept the commandments.

By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. And then, once again, the definition of love, for this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments and His commandments are not grievous.

Now, we look at verse 15.

And we know that He hears us. Whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.

So, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. Answered prayer is one of the greatest ways to know if we're in the faith.

Answered prayer reinforces faith. However, on the other hand, sometimes God does not answer our prayers, and it doesn't necessarily mean you're not in the faith.

But we always pray in the name of Jesus Christ, and we pray that God's will be done.

Now, let's look at verse 18 that might cause some people some trouble, along with 1 John 3, 7.

We know that whosoever is, and that Greek word is ganao.

Ganao can be translated born or begotten.

When used to the mother, it means to bring forth, to be born.

When used to the father, it means to engender, to beget. This should be translated. We know that whosoever is begotten of God, sins not.

He does not practice sin, as we shall see.

Or we could look at it from the other point of view. Now, the other point of view is this.

When we are born of God, if you hold your place right there, let's look at Revelation 1.5.

Just my Bible is one page over, maybe more than yours.

In Revelation 1.5, and from Jesus Christ, who is a faithful witness and the first-born of the dead. How did he become the first-born of the dead? By the resurrection from the dead. The father raised him from the dead. And he had restored to him the glory that he had with the father before the world began. He was raised from the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. So Jesus Christ is the first-born from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15, the resurrection chapter, talks about Jesus Christ being the first of the first fruits. And each man in his own order after that. So if we look at it from the point of view, we know that whosoever is literally born of the spirit, as Jesus Christ was born of the spirit at the resurrection, we will be born of the spirit at the resurrection. And once we are glorious, radiant spirit beings in the kingdom of God, obviously we cannot sin. But he that is begotten, and see the same Greek word now is translated begotten. But he that is begotten of God keeps himself and that wicked one touches him not.

Now we want to go to 1 John 3 and verse 7 and gain the understanding of what we should have from this.

And perhaps we should, before we do this, go back to chapter 1 and read that verse again, because this verse will tell you clearly that John is not saying that after a person is begotten, or is some, you know, one of the things that people say today, just, are you born again?

Well, we have received new life from above, and God's essence is in us. But the literal birth into the kingdom of God occurs at the resurrection, as we know. But with regard to sin and one who is begotten, verse 8 in chapter 1, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. So John says, I know you're going to sin. Then you look at verse 1 of chapter 2. My little children, these things I write unto you that you sin not, and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous.

Now, you look back at verse 9 in chapter 1. If we confess our sins, we've talked about this, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Now we go to chapter 3. You see, what John is saying in the begotten stage, as we'll read here in just a moment, those who are begotten of God, who are truly in the faith, do not practice sin.

But they will sin, as we just read, and they can be forgiven. But once you are born, literally at the resurrection, a spirit being, you cannot sin.

Okay, verse 3, verse 7. Little children, let no man deceive you, he that does righteousness even as he is righteous. Little children, let no man deceive you, he that does righteousness, is righteous even as he is righteous. He that commits sin, and this word, commit.

In the Greek, it is poio, p-o-i-e-o, p-o-i-e-o. It's important because this word, poio, is an adverb. It's used 579 times in the New Testament.

357 times it is translated as do, d-o, and nine times as commit.

And there are various other, of course, translations of this word, poio, but it means to habitually, regularly do something or make something.

So, whosoever is begotten of God does not practice sin. Now, once again, if you want to look at the literal, born into the family of God as a spirit being, no, you don't sin after that.

For his seed remains in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God.

In this, the children of God are manifesting the children of the devil. Whosoever does not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loves, not his brother. So, the intent is those that are begotten does not practice sin. But once you are born into the family of God at the resurrection, you cannot sin because you are a glorious, radiant spirit being. You're on the same plane, and let's prove that. Romans 8, 17 says, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.

If so be that we suffer together, we may be glorified together. And we call him, we're not ashamed to call him our elder brother.

Now verse 19, 1 John 5, 19. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness.

So we know that the Son of God has come, have given us understanding that we may know him that is true, that we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. Verse 20, this is the true God and eternal life. So, brethren, in summary, and we will leave some things out. We can't say everything that we have talked about here today. We've gone all over the place. In summary, what shall we say? We must walk in light. Chapter 1. We must maintain fellowship with God in Christ, chapter 1 and throughout. We must love as Christ gave commandment throughout.

We must not love the world. We must understand that we are the children of God.

Beloved, now are we the children of God. We must not practice sin.

We must lay down our lives for each other. It is more important to do it in a spiritual sense than physical. We must have a clear conscience.

We must listen to the Word of God and not false teachers, because we have an unction that is a rubbing in, an anointing of the Spirit. We must live by faith. We must be thankful for what we have and realize how blessed we are.

Brethren, if we master these things, we can remain in the faith and be more than overcomers.