March 3, 2019
Morning Service

In the first 3 verses of chapter 3, we were shown the promise from God that we are considered His children and heirs to all that He has.  We reviewed what that meant for us in our future home in heaven.  John then encouraged us to use the reality of our future to motivate us in the present.  We need to choose the path that leads us to a closer walk with God and follow it; purifying ourselves and becoming more like Jesus along the way.  That choice will lead us towards a path of righteousness and away from the path of sin.  John now returns to the subject of sin again.

1Jn 3:4-8  Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.  (5)  And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.  (6)  Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.  (7)  Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.  (8)  He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

            Here is one of the 5 definitions of sin that we reviewed a couple of weeks ago.  To break the law (law of the land or the righteous law of God) is sin.  The purpose for which Jesus came was to take away our sins because He was the only one who lived without sin.  If we say we abide in Him, then we too need to not abide in sin or practice sin.  This does not mean we are free from sin and don’t sin at all, but that we don’t practice sin or live in a sinful lifestyle.  Our lifestyle reflects who owns our heart.  If we practice righteousness and seek to be a Jesus follower, then we are abiding in Christ.  If we practice a sinful lifestyle, then we are allowing the devil to rule our heart and control us for he sinned in the beginning and continues to do it even now.  Jesus came to this world to destroy the works of the devil and to free us from sin’s bondage.  It all boils down to whether we are following the Spirit or following the flesh.  Paul told this to the Roman church:

 

Rom 8:4-5  that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  (5)  For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

            Who owns and controls your heart and mind?   What thoughts and desires fill your soul?  If our thoughts are of the flesh and this sinful world, then it is the devil that is king of our heart.  If our thoughts are of God and His righteousness, then it is the Spirit that rules.  John now just lays it on the table for us about our perspective of sin.

 

1Jn 3:9-10  Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.  (10)  In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

            This verse alone can lead Christians down the same dark path of deception that many in the early church ventured down.  That deception is that once we have accepted Christ as our Savior we are free to live any way we please; not avoiding sin but embracing it.

            When we accept the gift of salvation and choose to follow Jesus, there is a change deep down in our soul.  The Holy Spirit takes up residence in our heart and abides within us at all times and the core of who we are changes.  We have found out that sin will always be a battle we must fight, but a faithful follower will do just that; fight it.  We must however recognize our sin, own it, confess it and then accept God’s forgiveness for it and do our best not to go down that path again.  A true follower of Jesus will not be able to stay in a lifestyle of sin with a clear conscience; we may sin but we do not practice sin.  If God owns our heart our lives will reflect it.  If the devil rules our heart our lives will reflect it.  John switches gears her slightly and uses our love for others to help us gauge who owns our heart.

 

1Jn 3:11-18  For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,  (12)  not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous.  (13)  Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.  (14)  We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.  (15)  Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.  (16)  By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  (17)  But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?  (18)  My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

            John here restates the same message James gave us that our faith must not be only words, but works and actions.  Our love and commitment to Christ will be manifested in our lives exemplified by the things we do.  We are to love not hate our brothers as he gives us the example of Cain’s murder of his own brother Abel.  Verse 16 really illuminates the difference as he gives the example of how hate causes us to kill our brother and how love causes us to die for our brother.  Love is an action, not a feeling (I Cor. 13).  It produces selfless, sacrificial, and servant like attitude in our lives (imitating Jesus) as we care enough for others to place their needs above our own.  This is a great challenge for us as we try to imitate the Jesus and then consider how He gave His all for us and we need to do the same for others.  It becomes who we are not what we do.  It reflects who owns our heart.

 

1Jn 3:19-21  And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.  (20)  For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.  (21)  Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

            God knows our heart, works and the motivation that drives us to do what we do.  The devil is very good at using guilt through our conscience to drag us down that we are not doing enough.  John encourages us to simply trust God who is greater than our conscience. 

Romans 8:1 says “There is therefore now no condemnation in those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”  The meaning is simple; follow your heart and do your best.  We are not super humans who have unlimited resources or energy, there are limits to our sacrifice.  If your motivation is driven by your love for God, you will receive no condemnation from Him.  He walks with us along our journey.

 

1Jn 3:22-24  And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.  (23)  And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.  (24)  Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

            When we have given Jesus our heart and are diligently seeking to follow Him, He promises to hear and answer our prayers.  It is by believing on Christ that we enter into a relationship with Him and it is by keeping His commands that we continue in it and draw closer to Him.  As we examine our own lives and see the areas that we are truly imitating Christ, it should build our faith that He abides in us.  We are doing things and loving others far outside the reach of our own abilities and know that it is God in our lives using us as tools from His tool belt.  Examine your heart today and see who is ruling over it.

 

Heavenly Father help us all to yield our will to Yours and please give us the strength and courage to live a life pleasing in Your sight.