View the Video Blog by right clicking this link: I John 2:4
“Whoever says “I know
him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,”
THE STUDY:
This morning
we need to take a step back and see what John is saying in this verse. In that
days, John was addressing people who were claiming to “know” Jesus. Claiming it
is one thing but when our actions, words, and motives don’t line up with what we claim we are misrepresenting Jesus. John may have been writing this in
regard to the fact that the Gnostics, who claim to “Know” Jesus, were not
following the teachings of Jesus.
When we make
a claim such as “I know him” and yet
we do not keep his commandments we are negatively affecting ourselves and those
who are watching us as well. John pulls out one of his big words to reveal who
we really are when we do such a thing, “A LIAR!” We lie to ourselves as well as
to others when we claim to know Jesus but we don’t follow his commandments.
The word “liar”
is used only ten times in the N.T. Seven times John uses this word (2 in the
Gospel and 5 times in I John). John uses the same word to describe Satan as “father
of lies” (John 8:44). We can sense that John is revealing to the readers the
fact that if they “know Jesus” but yet they don’t keep his commandments then they are
not of God but of evil. The word liar is defined as an attitude of opposition
to God and the inclination toward what is worthless. It is not a matter of
untrue or incorrect words, but rather of a person’s opposition to God.[1]
The statement, ‘the truth is not in him’, is synonymous
with ‘he is a liar’. Underlying this
whole verse is the recognition that people can’t have an authentic relationship
with God if they do not obey his commands.
WHAT WE CAN WALK
AWAY WITH ….
- What needs to be understood concerning this passage of scripture is the fact that claiming one thing but yet doing the opposite is not only negatively affecting those who are being lied to but the liar as well.
- We cannot have the peace of God dwelling inside of us if we are professing to “know him” but not keeping the commandments.
CONCLUSION:
Let me leave
you with this thought. Next to the one
who does not pay his bill, the doctor’s most annoying patient is the one who
refuses to follow orders. Recently it was estimated that between 16 to 90
percent of all patients leave half-empty pill bottles, cheat on diets, continue
to smoke, or never return for checkups despite careful prescriptions and
cautious advice. [2]
I believe if these statistics were
reversed we would have a healthier nation. However, what happens is we tell the
doctor we have been or we are going to do all of the things recommended by him/her,
yet we leave knowing we haven’t or we will adhere to the doctors recommendations.
This is where
the problem is with our walk with Jesus. We cannot look at His commandments as
recommendations but directives. They are not suggestions but requirements. If
we say we are doing them but yet we are not, WE ARE LIARS! Let us not be liars
but obedient followers of Jesus Christ. This not only will positively affect us
but those around us as well.
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
No comments:
Post a Comment