1 John 3 - The Test of Righteousness
Tom Shrader examines 1 John 3:4-10, where John addresses false teachers who claimed belief matters more than behavior. He explains that genuine Christians cannot continue in habitual, unrepentant sin because they have been born of God. While Christians do sin, they cannot remain comfortable in ongoing rebellion against God's law.
“If you say you are a Christian, there will be a difference in how you live.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: 1 John
Recorded: March 02, 1989
Duration: 44 min
Themes: righteousness, sin, obedience, holiness, transformation, behavior, deception, truth, struggling with habitual sin, new believer, facing false teaching, questioning salvation, dealing with guilt, spiritual mentor, church member, young adult
Scripture: 1 John 3:4-10, Romans 14, James 4, 1 John 5, Acts, Matthew, Mark
Theological Themes: sanctification, born again, regeneration, false teaching, biblical discernment, spiritual warfare, antinomianism, christian living
Full Transcript
We have been studying this book now for about eight weeks. It's a little book, almost all the way to the back of the Bible, written by the Apostle John. Again, by way of review, and I don't want to belabor points over and over again, but it is really important for us to keep in mind the context in which John writes, especially the historic context.
John is now about 90 years old. John is writing to a church that's about 60 years old. So there have been some changes in this church. The church is now beginning to grow, but what has happened is the attack on the church has intensified, but it has changed direction.
The Changing Nature of Attacks on the Church
It used to be an overt direct attack, just go for the throat. They would grab the Christians and take them out and they would put them in the Colosseum and they would become entertainment. Or they would take them and they would put them along the roads and they would stake them and light them on fire and they would become torches. It was an attack that you could spot pretty easily.
But John says now the attack has changed. It has become a very subtle attack, an indirect attack, and you could blink and miss the attack. We looked at last week, chapter 2, and he said I want you to watch out because there are those out there, verse 26, and it's the same context that we pick up today, there are those out there that are trying to deceive you.
They're trying to pull you away if they could. They're presenting another doctrine in just a little different light, and what they're saying is, hey, this is very similar to what you believe. We really believe the same things, we just express it just a little bit differently. And John says, no, that's not true at all.
You Have an Anointing from the Holy One
Last week we hit a verse, verse 20, that should be a source of encouragement for all of us. We moved through it quickly, and I want you to be able to mark that or somehow make a mental note or tag it because it's a verse that's important. It's important because this was what it says. It said, you have an anointing from the Holy One.
You have an anointing, and that word anointing means literally to rub or to smear, but if we go all the way back in the original derivative of the word, it means to furnish all that is needed. Wow, that really makes a difference. Here's what it says. It said, you have all that you need from the Holy One.
Now here's the context. In the middle of this struggle where people are trying to be deceivers, where there are those that are even in churches that are throwing out and teaching subtle, soft doctrine, little bits of changes, you have been furnished everything you need to be able to make that distinction. There's a sense in which we can walk out of here and say, you know, it's so strong and the battle is so strong that I just feel like I can't fight it anymore. You don't have to. You've been furnished everything that you need. And that is the context in which John teaches.
The Hope That Purifies
Now we left off in 1 John 3, verse 3. This is important, and this is where we pick up for today. 1 John 3, verse 3. He said, "Everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself just as He is pure." Everyone who has this hope. What hope? It's the hope of Jesus Christ.
And the word hope there is different than the way we use it. We use the term, for example, I hope that the Suns win their division. I hope that the Suns go to the playoffs and then ultimately to the finals. That's what we hope. We hope it. Don't know if it's going to happen or not. I hope, I hope, I hope. Maybe it will and maybe it won't.
The Bible, when it uses the word hope, it uses it in this sense, the same as certain. It's a certainty. Those of us that have our eyes fixed on Him have hope. Pretty good word, isn't it?
Living in a Hopeless World
We live in a world that's pretty hopeless. In fact, I almost challenge you to just sit and watch television and not lose, and I don't mean just television in general, I mean the news and CNN and some of the special reports, and not lose a little glimpse of hope, just a little bit. Just to kind of look at the world.
I was watching the other night, Secretary Bennett, ex-Secretary Bennett, now drug czar designate Bennett, talk about the drug problem. And it doesn't take long for you to just say, you know, this baby is almost hopeless. I mean, this is a serious, serious, serious situation.
And then he had his number one right hand designate. This guy said something pretty interesting, and it got lost in the daily entourage of news, but this may be more newsworthy than anything that we saw. He said, you know, well, everybody's telling me we've got to get to the source of the drug problem. Everybody's telling me we've got to solve this thing. And all the congressmen had this list of countries. Colombia, and Brazil, and Peru, and then in Asia, Thailand, Afghanistan, drugs coming out of Afghanistan, Libya, some countries in Africa.
He said, you want to know where the source of the drug problem is? He said, it's in you and me. And He's dead right. He said, here's the source of the drug problem. Now they're coming in and we have to deal with that. I'm not minimizing that. He's saying, we're the problem. We can change some of these externals, but we've got to figure out how to change the guy, the gal that's using drugs. He said, here's the only way. They have to have hope.
The Source of True Hope
Now, he didn't go to the next statement, which was they need Jesus Christ, just like you and me. You're in a hopeless business situation. You want some hope? It may not get you out of the business situation, but the business situation pales in comparison to the overall perspective of life. You want real hope, certainty in your future? It's in the person of Jesus Christ.
When I come to Christ, I have the hope of salvation. And we have the ability to discern. Let's, for example, there's a word, discernment, that we use all the time. What does discernment mean? To make a distinction. What sort of a distinction? A value judgment. To make a distinction.
A distinction between what? A distinction between right and wrong. Anything else? Sorting out priorities. Absolutely. Anybody else? Discernment gives me insight into something, into a situation. Great. Anything else?
All of that is true. Discernment, when I hear the word, gives me insight. It gives me ability to make a decision. And generally, I think of it in the context of the decision between right and wrong. But here's a great point: I have the ability now to distinguish between what is vital and what is trivial.
The Gift of Spiritual Discernment
Wouldn't you like to have that discernment? Wouldn't you like to have that discernment in the area of business? To know what's worth working on and what's not? Of course, if we knew that, maybe none of us would have anything to do. But wouldn't you love to have that distinction? Wouldn't you love to know between the trivial and the vital?
Isn't that something in life? To sit down at the end of the day and say, "You know, I think I just busted my pick on stuff that doesn't really matter." Isn't that amazing? To sit down and say, "What was it one year ago today, what was it I was straining with? And did it ever get resolved?" No. In fact, unless we keep a log, we don't even remember what we were straining with.
We have the ability, because we have the hope in Christ, to distinguish between the trivial and the vital. To be engaged in a battle, and yet in the midst of the battle, have rest. That doesn't make sense. Jesus says, "I want you to work for me, but I want you to rest." He said, "I want you to relax, rest, have a sense of peace in the midst of all this. But never lose sight of the target, the hope, that I'm hopeless without Christ, that I have a sin problem." That's what John said to us for three chapters now.
A Burning Issue of Our Time
All that is to set up this issue that we're at today. Can I just tell you something as we get into it? We teach through the book. That's our style, and we never deviate from that. Maybe once in a while, a little bit, but generally we don't deviate from that. And I love that format. I think it's good for you, and I think it's good for me. It allows us to see where we're going.
But oftentimes, it means that we're in a section of Scripture that I'm just kind of going through. I'm teaching it, and I love it and all those things, but it's not exactly maybe where I am right now today. If you'll allow me the term, and I don't mean this in an over-dramatic way, my heart burns with this issue that we're going to look at today. I think we are right at one of the most important issues we can be looking at today. I love this.
The Test of Righteousness Begins
First John chapter 3, verse 4. John says some pretty tough stuff. He's been saying to us all along that you can know that you're a Christian. He said there's a lot of different ways that you can know. Now he's going to tell us two different ways. Verse 3 through 10 says here's the test of righteousness. Verse 11 through 24 gives us another test, and we look at that next week.
Here we are, verse 4: "Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." You want a definition of sin? You're looking for some definition of sin. The Bible gives us several of them. In Romans 14, Paul said, "Whatever is not of faith is sin." James 4, he said, "To him that knows what's right to do and doesn't do it, to him is sin." First John 5 says this: "All unrighteousness is sin." But for the sake of the point that John wants to make, First John chapter 3, verse 4: sin is lawlessness.
The Problematic Passage
Verse 5: "And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin." Verse 6. This is a problem verse. "No one who abides in Him sins. No one who abides in Him sins. No one who sins has seen Him or knows Him."
"Little children, let no one deceive you. The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. And the one who practices sin is of the devil." The word "of the devil" really is translated literally, "out of the devil." The devil is the source of that sin in that person. "For the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose" - you ever wonder why Jesus came? Here it is - "that He might destroy the works of the devil."
"No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him" - here we go - "and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." And verse 10 kind of summarizes these six or seven verses: "By this, the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious. Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother."
Understanding the Context
Now that's the text for today. That's pretty tough stuff. But John says there is something about the Christian and the way he lives. Remember when we started this? We said, John is writing to the Gnostics. And the Gnostics had all sorts of these beliefs. They didn't believe in the resurrection, and they didn't believe in this, and they didn't believe in that.
But they had two basic fundamental beliefs that characterized the Gnostics. Number one, they didn't think this was the word of God. They thought this was just kind of an interesting book. Some true, some not true. That it was just a book of stories. That Adam and Eve were there just so you and I would have - that was for an ancient man, and they would have some concept of how creation began, because they couldn't be sophisticated enough to understand something as complex as the Big Bang Theory, which says that nothing created something. Now there's sophistication for you.
They weren't sophisticated enough to figure that one out. So they needed, and the Gnostics said, this is just a book, and don't take it seriously. And we made the point when we started, that's where the world is today. And in many cases, that's where the church is today. Watch out. But the Gnostics believed one...
They said what you think and what you believe is more important than what you do. Remember what they said? They said knowledge is superior to virtue. That's what the Gnostics said. They said this is a complex book, and by and large, a group like this would never understand it anyway. But he said it's important to understand this: what you believe is more important than what you do. In fact, they went so far as to say what you do doesn't make any difference at all, because it's just old flesh, and boys will be boys, so it doesn't matter what you do.
Now John is writing to that mindset. It's the mindset that they had 1900 years ago. It's the mindset that much of our world has today—that it's what you believe that's important, it's how sincere you are that's important. And John says no. He said that's not right.
Sin Is Lawlessness
Here you go. Look at verse 4, and that's where it starts. He said, "Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness." He said here's what sin is: sin is when I go and I want to put myself above the law. There's a law, but sin is open rebellion against that law. When we sin, we become practical atheists. We say, "Yeah, there's a law. I believe that there's a law. No question there are some rules, but you know what? I'll be the authority of my life."
And we see this all the time. We understand in the physical realm the importance of these laws: the laws of electricity, the law of physics—I was never very good at that—the law of algebra, the law of gravity. Those are all principles that are in place in the physical realm. And we would be foolish to violate those laws. Not only would we be foolish, we would probably suffer some severe consequences.
Imagine someone looking at this outlet and saying, "You know, this law of electricity—kind of a joke, isn't it? I mean, it works most of the time, but I don't think it applies to me." So he takes his screwdriver and he rams that into that outlet over there. Not a very bright thing to do, is it? And he'll pay a consequence. His hair will just go—it'll look like Don King, and that'll be the last time that we'll see him in here.
The Law of Gravity Illustration
Then there's the law of gravity. We talked about it before. I may want to define the law of gravity. We meet on Tuesday morning down at the American Grill in Mesa, and right next to us is the Western Savings High-Rise. Now, I'm a little concerned because those letters, Western Savings, are up there in Velcro, so I don't know how long they're going to be up there. But it's the Western Savings High-Rise—no offense—so there it is.
Now, let's say I say, "You know, this Bible study's been interesting, but this law of gravity is bothering me. I just don't know if it applies to some guy like me." So I get in the elevator and I go all the way to the top of the Western Savings building. I stand up there and I kind of look around for a while, and I say, "You know, I'm right. This law, in fact, not only doesn't apply to me, I think breaking this law might be a pretty exhilarating experience." So I stand up just above the 19th floor and I say, "Let's go for it." And off I go.
And there's a sense in which, as I begin to fall about the 19th story, I would say, "You know, there's something to this. This is a pretty exhilarating experience. I've never felt anything like this before. My heart is pounding, and this is an exhilarating experience. You know, I was right. I can break that law of gravity. I can break it. Nothing's happened yet."
And now I'm rushing down toward the ground. It's about the 10th floor. A little bit of concern comes up, and I say, "You know, maybe this law of gravity—maybe there's more to it than meets the eye." And all of a sudden, I'm about the 4th floor, and I'm saying, "You know what? This law of gravity, it works. And when I violate it, I'm foolish, and, well, I'm dead."
Now, guys, we laugh at people that would go down to the Western Savings building and jump off, because it would be silly and foolish to violate a physical law of gravity, wouldn't it? God said it is just as real, just as foolish to violate one of His spiritual laws. And if you want to violate Him, you need to understand something: you are in rebellion to God. And He says this—sin is lawlessness. When you violate one of His laws, you're in open rebellion to God. He says it makes a difference how you live.
Christ Came to Take Away Sin
Verse 5: "And you know this, that He appeared in order to take away sin." That's what Jesus did. Jesus came, Jesus lived a perfect life, and then died on the cross, so you and I have the opportunity—and the only opportunity that we can ever possibly have—through Christ, to have our sin removed.
The book of Acts tells us that Jesus came and rose from the dead to give us victory over the sting of death. What does that mean? Physical? No, we're all going to die. Spiritual death? Absolutely. Spiritual separation from God? We can be in union and communion with God again if we come to Christ in repentance and faith. If we put our faith and trust in the person of Jesus Christ, we have life again.
The Test of Righteousness
Now John is telling us that the Gnostics are dead wrong when they say it doesn't matter how you live. Here it is, verse 6, guys: "No one who abides in Him sins, and no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him."
See, they said there's something about this sin thing. Read verse 6 in the NIV: "No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him." Okay, read the first half of that again: "No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning."
Okay, now there's the translation with the verb in the proper tense. No one who knows Him keeps on sinning. Are Christians going to sin? Yes.
going to get into an ongoing habitual sin and stay there? John says absolutely no way. He said that you and I will sin, but we will be miserable in that sin.
I'll never forget the first time, eight or nine years ago, two weeks from now, that I walked into a Bible study that Larry was doing. I heard him talk about sin for the first time. I came out of that with a different perspective, coming from my background into a church environment.
As we've said to you all along, this is not a church. We encourage you to be involved in a church. That's important. Every once in a while in this study, I meet guys that have been in church all their lives. Some of these guys, I think, were conceived in baptismals. They've just been in church forever.
The Reality About Sin
We'll talk about sin, and I'll always hear this: "I don't know how people sin. Sin is not fun." I have to say, I don't want to be argumentative, but let me tell you something. Sin is fun. And if it's not, you're not doing it right. Because sin is fun.
Oh, I forgot. There's another part to that. For a season. It's fun for a season. There's enjoyment in it. There may be an instantaneous shot of pleasure in it. For a season.
Now, if you're a Christian, and you're involved in sin, and it's fun, and you're just living your merry way, let me tell you, based on what John says—you know what John says? He says you're not a Christian. You're not a Christian.
Stories from a Weekend Retreat
We were in California over the weekend doing a husband-wife retreat. It's interesting, because I've never seen these people, and I'm never going to see them again, so I can do whatever I want to do. So I go in and do my thing, and we sit around the table. They had us eat with different people all the time.
I kept hearing this little thing, and I hear this all the time. I'd hear, "Oh, that message this morning. If Carl could have been here, that would have been perfect for Carl." I'd say, "Oh, what's with Carl? Why isn't Carl here?" "Oh, Carl's a Christian man. He's just right now going through some problems." I'd say, "What kind of problems?" "Well, he's just deeply involved in adultery and won't have anything to do with any of it."
And Betty—"I wish Betty were here. Oh, that one over Betty, that was perfect." Because another lady interrupted and said, "Oh, I remember Betty. I remember the day she became a Christian." I said, "Well, what's Betty been doing?" She said, "Well, that was four years ago, but there really hasn't been any change or any fruit in Betty's life."
And then a guy said this: "I've got a friend Bill that could use something like this. Bill's a Christian man. He just doesn't walk with the Lord." Man, let me tell you something. Most people are not Christian.
A Newspaper Illustration
We're over there for four days. No television, no radio. I'm beginning to twitch by Sunday noon. In our hotel room, there's a little place with a little plug. I just watched it and pretended I could see Tom Brokaw.
But when I got back, there was a newspaper article that somebody gave me over the weekend while I was gone. Now, I need to do all sorts of disclaimers at the beginning of this, so that you all understand where I'm coming from. Most of what I read in the paper, and then if I know the people, I get to talk to them, is inaccurate.
So let's, for sake of discussion, assume this is accurate. Understand where I'm coming from now. Don't throw me under the bus on this one. Let's assume that what this article says is true. It's not for purposes of the individual, but for purposes of this illustration, because I think this will graphically demonstrate to you what we're talking about. Let's assume what's reported here is accurate, and the intent or the sentiment is reflected in what is said here. And then let's look at this situation, and let's draw some conclusions from it. Let's learn. That's what we're here for.
The Steve Garvey Story
Dateline San Diego. Former baseball star Steve Garvey, who was married over the weekend, allegedly has impregnated two former girlfriends and may face a paternity suit from one of them, it was reported Thursday.
Rebecca Mendenhall, who was Garvey's fiancée for several weeks—this is long-term commitment, several weeks—in December and January, said her attorney was trying to arrange a meeting with Garvey's attorney. She said, quote, "I was handling this matter in a private manner. Maybe, in His mind, this is damage control. In my mind, it's unnecessary, it's careless, and it's reckless."
Mendenhall, 33, said Garvey, 40, told her on January 4th that an unidentified San Diego woman was pregnant with His child. A woman gave birth February 13th to a girl. Garvey disclosed the pregnancies in an interview with KNSD-TV in San Diego. He said He would support either or both of the children if His paternity was established. He said He was unaware of any legal action.
There's the background. Now we're to the statement. Quote—and this is a direct quote, and again, for our discussion, we're assuming it's accurate—quote: "I will live up to my moral obligations, which I feel strongly about, because I'm a Christian. In both cases, I was led to believe I wasn't responsible for birth control," close quote.
Garvey, who played 18 years in the majors, said His new bride, and was married over the weekend to 30-year-old Candace Thomas. Garvey said His bride offered to adopt any children He might father and told Him, quote, "I'm glad I married you and got you off the streets," close quote. Mendenhall said Garvey—
became engaged over Christmas and planned to marry April 1, but on January 23rd, shortly before he proposed to her, Thomas Mendenhall said Garvey called her and broke off the engagement. He said, "I've had a last couple of weeks alone to think about it, and marriage is not for me." She said that Garvey knew at the time of the breakup that she was pregnant, and he did not question his paternity.
This is kind of a little side note, but I think this is important. Asked if he thought the situation would affect his political aspirations, Garvey said, "I don't think so. I think if I'd have been married at the time, there might have been some criticism." Probably qualifies him not for elected office, but maybe an appointed office or two.
A Test Case in False Christianity
So let's do this. For sake of this discussion and not to dwell on Steve Garvey, let's look at the facts. Here's a man who says he's a Christian, who shows little or no remorse, whose major concern in the midst of all this ongoing situation with at least three women was how it might affect his political aspirations. And then gets up and says, "I'm a Christian." No way. No way. Can't be. Not based on what Scripture says.
If I was making the rules, I'd probably find a way for it. But God says there's no way. Can I be involved in sin and be a Christian? Absolutely. But it is going to tear me apart. It's going to break me apart.
It's not my concern, when I read that, for those of you that are strong Christian men who say, "Well, here we go again. It's been a rough year. Under the bus we go." Guys, that's life and we take that. My concern is for those of you that might be here who think you're Christians and you're not, who look at Steve Garvey and say, "Gosh, I guess it's okay for old squeaky clean Steve. It must be for me." No way, men. Absolutely no way.
What You Believe Affects How You Behave
God's Word says this: it matters what you believe and what you believe will affect how you behave. You can't make a distinction. If you say you're a Christian, you cannot be in ongoing, habitual sin and be happy. You can't even be in it.
The Scripture says—you know what John says? Let's read this because this is serious stuff. He said, "Nobody who abides in Him sins. Nobody who abides in Christ, nobody who is a real Christian continues in that sin. No one who sins has seen Him or knows Him."
Little children, don't be deceived. Remember the context? These people are trying to deceive them with two things. One with false doctrine. We got that spotted. They were coming and saying, "You know, Jesus, you're close with this, but you're not there." It's that deception: "I'd like to talk to you about Jesus. If I could just have a minute of your time." And then you come in and you talk to that person and you find that that Jesus is different than the Jesus of the Bible.
Two Kinds of Deception
You discovered that everybody who says Jesus isn't talking about the same Jesus you and I talk about and believe in? John writes to these guys and says, "Watch out for false deception. Watch out for these guys that come in with false doctrine." But he said there's another deception.
Flip back to verse 19 of chapter 2. Actually, we'll go to verse 18 just to put it in context. John said this: "Children, it's the last hours. And just as you have heard the Antichrist is coming, even now many Antichrists have risen." He said there's many around who are Antichrist, who are opposed to Christ openly and who are counterfeiting.
And He says this, verse 19: "They went out from us." You know what he's saying, literally? They were in our group and left. They said they were Christians and they weren't. John said these guys are trying to deceive you in two ways: one with false doctrine, two by telling you they're Christian when they're not.
The Personal Application
Now we go through a message like this to try to bring you and me to the realization that not everybody who says they're a Christian is a Christian. And we don't do this to try to figure out where Steve Garvey is. We do this not so you can figure out the guy to your left or the guy to your right or the little lady at home or to try to figure out where your boss is. We'll get around all that later.
What we're trying to figure out today is where are you? Because if you say you are a Christian, there will be a difference in how you live. If there's not, based on the Word of God and what John says, he says, "No way. There's going to be a difference. There's going to be a difference."
My favorite story, and I know we've told it before, is an acquaintance of mine who says, "I've sat under the best teaching there is in this country. I've been in California with all those men and I've been all over and I listened to tapes." He said, "I've sat under the best teaching in this country." But he said, "I can tell you this: all of these Christian beliefs I have have not affected at all the way I do business." And I had to agree with him. And they hadn't. Nope, not one drop.
True Belief Changes Behavior
Guys, if that's the kind of statement that you would make—"All these things, they haven't really affected me"—then you don't believe them. Because what I believe is going to be exhibited in how I behave.
If I believe that the price of gold is going Monday to $4,000 an ounce, we're going to liquidate and get all the gold we can tomorrow. Because what I believe affects how I behave. If I believe that this building was going to come tumbling down in 30 seconds, where am I going? There might be a couple of you that would pray it up, but I would pray it up from the courtyard and say, "Okay God, keep that building up." Because if I really believe something, it's going to affect how I behave.
My behavior is affected by what I believe. Here's what John says: If you say Jesus is Lord, if you say you've trusted Christ, if you say "Abba Father"—do you pray that way? Father? If He's really your Father, then John says it's going to make a difference in how you live your life. Heavy stuff.
Let Nobody Deceive You
Verse 7: "Little children, let nobody deceive you. The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous." He said if you're not practicing righteousness and it hasn't made a difference, the one who practices sin is from the devil. For the devil has sinned from the beginning.
Jesus at one point in His ministry was talking about the devil to a group of Pharisees, and He said this: "You are of your father the devil. You want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and did not stand in truth because in Him there was no truth. Whenever he speaks, he speaks a lie. He speaks from his own nature. He is a liar."
If my life doesn't change, I'm not in the family of God. I'm in the devil's family.
The Great Hope
Here's the great hope, men. If maybe this morning you've come to the conclusion that maybe you aren't a Christian, it is not hopeless at all. Here it is, verse 8: "The Son of God appeared for this purpose that He might destroy the works of the devil."
Men, there is a real, live power in this world. You can no longer say, "Hey, I had no choice but to sin." If you're a Christian, you have the power to not sin, which you've never had before. You have the power to not sin. And you'll never be tempted beyond that which you can endure. You're always going to have a way out.
Now, as you sit here today, you as a Christian have inside you a living and holy God that is your comforter and your guider and your strength in all that you do. And He came to break the bonds of sin. First, for those that don't know Christ, to break the bond of eternal separation by coming to Him in repentance and faith.
The Gospel Made Clear
Here's how that's done. We want to make that very, very clear. I think we talk about this almost every week, but we're going to tell you exactly what we mean by that.
It means that you and I come into this world sinful people. Anybody don't think they sin? That's easy. I mean, that's always an easy one. The question is, what's the remedy to sin? What's the antidote to sin? Because that sin produces, the Bible says, in my life spiritual death, spiritual separation from God.
What's the antidote to death? Well, there's only one thing that's an antidote to death, and that's life. Jesus said, "I'm the way and I'm the truth and I'm the life." He and He alone will put life into a spiritually dead person. He came to destroy the work of the devil.
You can come today to Christ in repentance and faith. Repentance—that's a key word. Jesus' first words recorded in the Gospel of Mark: "Repent." That means to turn, to change. It means it's going to make a difference in how you live. And if it doesn't, He says, you know what? It's not real.
Two Families Only
Here's the summary, verse 10. He says again, something we've looked at before: There's two families. "By this, the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious."
Whose family are you in today? God's or Satan's? No other alternative. No spiritual Switzerland. No place where you can stand and say, "Well, I'm really not in God's family, but I'm not over there either." Jesus said, "You're either for Me or you're against Me."
In fact, the Gnostics, the very group that John writes to—Gnostic means "to learn." They were learners. We call guys that can't make a decision or don't know yet, we call them agnostics. They haven't quite got all the facts yet. Then you got all the facts you need.
You'll never—now grab this—you'll never be able to stand before God or man and say you haven't heard the gospel. You just heard it this morning. And if you say you're a Christian, John says—and guys, John didn't write this book. The Holy Spirit did. John was just the vehicle that God used to write this book. God said you cannot continue in a life of sin. Your life is going to change.
Beyond Don'ts to Do's
That's a heavy message. That's really tough. In fact, for a long time, I thought that was all that the Christian message had. Don't do this and don't do that and don't and don't and don't and don't. But that's only half of it. Now there's a "do" message.
Next time when we get together, we look at the second part of John's message on how a Christian is to live.
Let's pray. Father, a day like today is one we especially—as we do every week, but especially today—pray that what we hear are Your words and Your thoughts and Your ideas. Father, I thank You so much for each man in the room, and I thank You for what You're doing to us in the room, how You're changing lives.
Father, help us understand today where we are from a spiritual position. Help us understand if we say we're a Christian, there should be evidence of it. Lord, right now we're going to pray and ask You to break apart each one of us, to do whatever it takes to make us men effective for You.
God, give us eyes to see and ears to hear. Give us eyes to see and make a distinction between what is vital and what is trivial, what really matters and what is essentially insignificant, what is useful and what is useless.
Father, thanks so much for the guys that are here. We just ask You to pray and to watch us and to use us and to continue to work in our lives to bring us back together again next week to look at Your word. And Father, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.