1 John 2:7-11

about that in a little bit, but we need to understand how it is a new command to love our brothers and sisters in the new covenant.

! We need to understand how it is truly new and understand that that truth leaves us with two ways of life, one that results in eternal life and one that results in eternal death.

And just to whet your appetite again for this, I want to mention now that this newness of this new command has a lot more to do with broader theology than you may realize.

Um, lots of conversations have been going on and evangelicalism broadly for the last few years in particular, um, what Christians ought to do or not do with the mosaic law, mosaic covenant in Christian life.

Lots of conversations about who belongs to the new covenant community, not new to us today.

Those have been going on for centuries.

In other words, who belongs to the church and who doesn't as well as other things.

And so believe it or not, this topic, this new command that we're going to see from John in an indirect way actually applies to all of these questions.

It provides an insight that helps us answer all of these questions.

And so with these things in mind, please read with me.

First John chapter two, verses seven through 11.

John writes, beloved, I do not write to you a new command, but an old one which you have had from the beginning.

The old command is the word which you have heard.

On the other hand, I do write to you a new command, which is true in him and in you because the darkness is going away and the true light shines even now.

The one who says he is in the light yet hates his brother is in darkness even now.

The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

But the one who hates his brother is in darkness and he walks in darkness and he does not know where he is going for the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Our first heading for this morning, if you want to take notes or are taking notes, our first heading is the old command in verse seven.

We're going to consider this first.

Paul talked or John speaks of this old command.

He says again, read with me, verse seven.

Beloved, I do not write to you a new commandment, but an old one which you have had from the beginning.

The old commandment is the word which you have heard.

So what is this old command?

When exactly did John's audience receive this command?

At first glance, it is easy to think that John is referring to Old Testament law, perhaps even some kind of natural law.

If you're into philosophy and these kind of things, after all, he says from the beginning.

And as is clear from verses nine through 11, he's talking about a command to love one another.

Well, we all know that command is ancient.

That summarizes the law.

Leviticus 19, 18.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Well, that all seems to flow and make sense, but not so fast.

Something more is going on and we ought not to quickly jump so far back.

Now, zooming out, John is actually not referring to the Old Testament directly, but rather is referring to the teaching of Jesus Christ as recorded in the gospel of John.

And that's the same John, right?

John 13 verses 35 or excuse me, 34 through 35.

John 13:35

Jesus says, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you.

You also are to love one another.

By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.

So, again, we have the question, how can Jesus say this is new?

Isn't this the same Jesus who said the whole law is summarized in two commands, one to love God and another like it to love neighbor?

Isn't this really old?

But notice this.

In Leviticus 19, 18.

Moses writes, love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus raises the stakes.

Think about it this way, and this is an amazing thought.

There is nobody who loves you more than you except for Jesus Christ.

In that sense, Jesus is giving a new commandment because he says to all the beloved, to all the faithful, to all Christians everywhere, you and I, that we are to love one another as Jesus loves us.

And don't forget that he says this right after washing a bunch of gross first century sandal bunion ridden feet.

It's that kind of love.

Right?

Humble.

I'm beneath you.

I'm here for you.

I'm here to serve you.

Love one another just as I have loved you.

So, by the time John writes 1 John, this new command from Jesus is old.

By the time John writes 1 John, the church is established.

It's going out.

It's doing all the things.

And they've already heard this new command from the Gospels, from the Jesus traditions, perhaps from Jesus himself, if some of them were around.

And so, in that sense, at the time of the writing of 1 John, this commandment is now old.

This new command is now old.

They know that they are to love one another as Christ has loved them.

The Gospel that they received and responded to in faith with the teachings of Jesus to love one another is, as verse 7 says,

the word which they have heard.

And so, in that sense, John writes to them an old commandment.

This is important in a first century context because unlike our world today, where we're so ugh about the old, they loved it.

Anything new was viewed with deep suspicion.

It was automatically assumed if it's new, it's foolish.

And so, John can't just outright say this is all new because his entire audience, Jew and Gentile alike, would go crazy.

They would be upset by that.

And so, the old is prized unlike us today where we are so enthralled by the new.

And so, this old, prized, true command that John introduces has a certain inherent credibility because of the Old Testament.

And yet, as we read in verse 8, this old, prized, true command is also new in the light of the new creation.

And this leads to our second heading, Dawn of the New Command.

Dawn of the New Command in verse 8.

Read again with me.

So, after talking about this old command, John says, on the other hand, right, at the same time, you might say,

I am writing to you a new command, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is going away.

And the true light shines now.

Or already.

John is not denying that the command is old.

He is simply recognizing it is also new, which is why he says this all-important phrase on the other hand.

And we've already seen how and in what sense this new command is new.

Which love is Christ's love.

John 13 again.

The heights and depths are raised, and so it's new.

But John also points us to the fact that it is new every day in the life of the body.

John says of this command, verse 8, that it is true in him and in you.

This is an ongoing reality.

The idea is that this old new love command is truly expressed in Christ, and that it is truly expressed in and among the church.

So again, in other words, this continues.

It's ongoing.

It's not a box you check one time like baptism.

This is something we just simply do and are.

Love for the brotherhood.

We are to be marked by our love for one another.

And so in that sense, it is ever new.

Well, how can that be?

How can this love be ever new?

Again, he clarifies even further.

John answers in the latter half of verse 8,

Because the darkness is going away,

and the true light shines now.

The true light in John's writings is most often a reference to Jesus Christ.

Jesus says as much in John's gospel, John 8, 12.

He says,

I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,

but will have the light of life.

That sounds very familiar.

And John, in 1 John,

is reflecting on this moment in redemptive history.

He rightly recognizes that in the light of Christ,

everything has changed.

It's new.

The darkness is going away.

It wasn't doing that before.

Now it is.

It is going away.

The true light is already here.

He's describing the dawn of a new day.

Because post Christ's death,

post his resurrection,

post his ascension,

we are in fact in a new day,

with a new covenant,

as the first fruits of the new creation.

James 1.18.

And so this is a classic example of the already not yet paradigm

you see throughout the New Testament,

known as inaugurated eschatology,

if you're familiar.

We see that already the light is here.

We can see a glimpse of its beauty.

As the sun rises,

is the idea,

the imagery,

we have a north star to guide us

as it warms us.

And yet,

it's dawn.

There's still darkness.

We still feel the chill of the night in our bones.

It's warming up on the front

as we walk in the light,

feeling the coldness of this sinful world on our backs.

This is kind of the imagery John uses throughout his writings,

this both and of light and dark,

where darkness is going away.

It's progressively happening day to day,

and yet it's still here,

just as the light is coming,

and yet it's already here.

What a perfect image.

And so,

John says,

triumphantly,

the darkness is going away.

And so,

love is ever new

as the light shines brighter and brighter,

as we walk more and more

and further and further

and closer and closer

in and towards that light

that is actively coming.

Now,

I would be remiss

if I did not take this moment

to show you all something

about the newness

of the new covenant.

This is somewhat of a brief excursus,

but it's important

in light of our text this morning,

but also,

given that our church,

as Nathan mentioned in the announcements,

has been having an ongoing conversation

about progressive covenantalism.

And if you don't know what that is,

come August 1st.

It's going to be sick.

But as has been shown,

things have changed

with the coming of Christ.

John invites reflection

on these changes.

And so we,

as attentive disciples,

do well to pay attention

and consider how our relationship

to the law,

Torah,

has changed

with the establishment

of the new covenant.

This is a massive topic

with massive implications,

answering questions like,

is the new covenant community

mixed or elect only?

Should we keep Sabbath?

Should Jewish believers

still be circumcised today

as a matter of law keeping?

Should I move to Moscow, Idaho?

And I'll just tell you right now,

the answer is an emphatic no,

unless you're going to go plant

the biggest,

baddest,

glorious Baptist church.

Okay?

Now, I can't answer

all those questions today.

Again, come August 1st,

it'll be a moment of revelation.

But from our text,

I want to note something

we've already kind of danced around.

To borrow from Paul,

it is important to remember

that as new covenant Christians,

we are not,

as he says,

under the law.

Okay, Galatians 3, 23,

just one example.

Paul says this clearly.

He says,

before faith came,

we were held captive

under the law,

imprisoned until the coming faith

would be in the law.

That's Romans 2, 12.

He also says we are no longer

from the law,

Romans 4, 14.

So he says it in a multitude of ways

and for a lot of different reasons,

but over and over and over again,

Paul makes the point,

we are not in,

from,

or of,

or under the law.

something has changed,

something dramatic.

Right?

What are we to do with this?

How is God's word,

including the law

of the Mosaic covenant,

made obsolete,

as Hebrews 8, 13 says?

How is,

how is God's word then,

the,

the Mosaic law,

Torah,

how are these things

still profitable

for teaching

and reproof

and rebuke,

as Paul says?

On the other hand,

while recognizing

we're no longer under that,

that's over with,

is he talking out of both sides

of his mouth?

What is going on?

Right?

And likewise,

how can John say

in his epistle

over and over

that we know Jesus

by keeping the commandments,

but be in sync

with Paul and Hebrews,

who seem to remove the law

from the equation

in some sense?

What's going on?

By the work of a New Testament scholar

named Brian Rosner,

he wrote a little book

called Paul and the Law,

highly recommend.

And on this topic,

he argues that for Paul,

we no longer relate

to the law as covenant,

but we relate to the law

as scripture.

I'm going to repeat that.

We no longer relate

to the Mosaic law

as covenant,

but we relate to it

as scripture.

What does this mean?

This means that the Mosaic law

is not binding for us today

as covenant

because that covenant

is obsolete.

That law was baked

into the covenantal framework

of the Mosaic covenant.

And so rather,

it functions as scripture,

specifically in two ways

that Rosner,

I think,

rightfully shows

and argues

from the New Testament,

from Paul in particular.

For us today

in the life of believers,

the Mosaic law

simply functions

as wisdom in prophecy.

And so in that sense,

it is profitable

to read,

to teach,

to use for rebukes,

exhortations,

and all the rest

for discipleship.

Still invaluable,

still sweet as the honeycomb,

still all the things

that the Old Testament

says about itself.

But it's not a covenant

for us anymore.

So it functions

in our lives today

in this moment

of redemptive history

under the New Covenant,

which is enacted

on better promises

and is a better covenant.

In this context,

we relate to it

as wisdom

and prophecy,

but not

as law.

And so just know,

isn't it interesting

that the vast majority

of the time

in 1 John,

when John repeatedly

tells us

to keep commandments,

there is that

all-important

possessive pronoun

fronting it.

I'm going to guess

90% of the time.

You can Google that.

I don't know.

But a lot.

Just one example,

1 John 2, 3.

And by this we know

that we have come

to know him,

he's talking about Jesus,

if we keep

his commandments.

And that's not

to set Jesus

in contrast

to Moses, right?

Moses was looking

forward to Jesus.

What it is to recognize

is that with the coming

of Jesus,

things have changed.

This really is

a new covenant

with a new law.

And this is why

in James' epistle,

he can refer twice

to the, quote,

law of liberty.

In James 1, 12,

in verse 28,

he can refer to,

quote,

the royal law

in James 2, 8.

Designations,

mind you,

that are never

used

of the Mosaic law.

He's not talking

about that law.

He's talking about

the new commandment,

new covenants,

or excuse me,

new covenant,

and the law

with that.

Likewise,

Paul,

in Galatians 6,

second half of verse 2,

he refers to

the law

of Christ.

So we have

Paul,

John,

and James

talking about

a law

that is clearly

not Old Testament

law.

They use different

words,

but they're talking

about the same

thing.

Not the law

of Moses,

but the law

of Christ.

And so,

friends,

understand this.

The new covenant

really is new,

and it really is better.

Our new covenant

law is the life,

work,

and teaching

of Jesus Christ,

perhaps best summarized

in the Sermon on the Mount.

We can geek out later.

It's great.

And his yoke

is easy.

His burden

is light.

Learn from him.

Love

as he

loves.

Now,

in the dawn

of this new

commandment,

framed by the

new covenant,

John presents

a sort of

test

or evaluation

for the church

to use.

He presents

two ways

of life.

One proves

a person

to be a member

of the new covenant,

to be a brother

in the faith,

whereas the other

way of life

proves one

to not

be a brother,

though he

claims to be.

Okay,

so we're not

talking about

people who are

visibly on the

outside.

He's talking about

people visibly

inside,

but who's truly

in and who's

actually

out.

And so,

John continues

in verses 9

through 11.

We'll reread

them.

He says,

the one who

says he's

in the

light,

but hates

his brother,

is in

darkness

even now.

And I'll just

point out,

why does he

say even

now?

Because he's

reflecting on

the fact that

we're in a

new covenant

era,

things have

changed,

it is really

better,

and yet,

there are

still false

sheep in

the fold.

Right?

So the one

who says he's

in the light,

but hates

his brother,

is in

darkness,

even now.

This kind

of thing

still happens.

Verse 10,

the one who

loves his

brother abides

in the light,

and there is

no cause for

stumbling with

him,

but the one

who hates

his brother

is in

darkness,

and walks

in darkness,

and does

not know

where he's

going,

because the

darkness has

blinded his

eyes.

And so,

one way of

life that

John describes

here is that

of self-deception

and hate.

He refers

to the one

who says

he is in

the light.

Verse 9,

light, of

course,

being a

general reference

throughout

scripture for

truth and

wisdom,

but in

John's

case,

he particularly

identifies

the light

with God

the Father

at times,

and God

the Son

at times.

1 John

1.5

being an

example,

and John

8.12

as we saw

earlier.

So the

person John

is imagining

is one who

says he is

a Christian.

This person

says,

I'm with

God,

I'm saved,

I love

Jesus.

And we

have every

reason from

what John's

telling us

to think

that this

person really

believes that

about himself

or herself.

Yet,

verse 9,

this person

hates his

fellow Christians,

his brothers

and sisters.

And it is

by this very

hatred of

brother that

demonstrates he

is deceiving not

only himself,

but possibly

those around

him.

This is why

verse 11

describes him

as blind.

It says he

does not know

where he's

going.

He's deceiving

himself.

Simply put,

this person

says the

right things,

thinks the

right things,

thinks he

believes those

things,

but he does

not do the

right things,

which shows he

does not really

believe those

things.

things.

And so as

James says in

James chapter 2

James 2:18

verse 18,

he says,

but someone

will say,

you have faith

and I have

works.

Show me your

faith apart

from your

works.

And James

says,

I will show

you my

faith by

my works.

But how

do I know

if I hate

my brother?

I think if

we're all

honest,

we've been

frustrated with

somebody in

this room at

some point.

Maybe a lot

of it's not

me, but

that happens.

So what does

it mean to

hate my

brother?

What does

it mean to

hate?

I'm looking

at my actual

brother right

now.

I don't know

why.

In his

commentary on

1 John,

that was

unplanned,

Robert Yarbrough

notes that

Jesus'

description of

hate in

Luke 6

Luke 6:22

verse 22

is probably

operative in

John's mind.

Jesus says,

blessed are

you when

people hate

you and

when they

exclude you

and revile

you and

spurn your

name as

evil on

account of

the Son

of

man.

A lot

could be

said of

this verse,

but note

the things

that Jesus

says describe

hate.

Exclusion,

insult,

rejection.

And so

brothers and

sisters,

it's perfectly

normal in

church life to

have issues,

grievances,

even annoyances.

Right?

Why is that

dude always

sneezing,

right?

Little stuff

to bigger

things,

right?

With one

another at

different times

and in

different ways.

fact,

we all

have and

will all

sin against

one another.

And we'll

talk about

that more

in the next

two weeks.

But I

say to you

now,

in light of

John's

warning,

that when

those difficulties,

when those

challenges

arise,

are

if you

are

responding

hatefully

without

repentance,

you are

a false

believer.

No nuance

needed.

That's what

John is

saying.

If you

are excluding

people within

the body,

insulting

them without

end,

rejecting

them,

I have no

time for

you,

no patience

for you,

right?

This kind

of attitude

all the

time,

perpetually,

without end,

then you

are the

person John

is talking

about.

And again,

I'm sure we

have all

avoided somebody

at some

point out

of frustration.

Things can

get tense

sometimes in

personal

relationships,

and sometimes

that's even

wise to

just distance

for a little

bit.

He's not

talking about

that.

He's talking

about a

way of

life.

He's talking

about somebody

who actively

is doing

these things

with no

stop,

no regret,

no remorse,

perhaps even

justifying it.

Well, you

don't understand

what he's

like,

right?

That kind

of stuff.

Verse 11,

he says,

this person

walks in

darkness.

Walking in

the ancient

world is a

metaphor for

one's way of

life.

That's what he's

talking about.

This person's

way of life

is this

darkness,

this hatred,

this self-deception.

It's not

merely that he

acted hatefully

at one time.

Every person

in here,

myself included,

is guilty

of that.

Who hasn't

done that?

But it is

an entire

way of

life,

and it

shows over

time.

It shows

in the

absence of

love and

the absence

of repentance.

That is

who John

is describing.

Now,

please hear me

when I say

this.

I say

these things

not because

I have

anybody in

mind.

In fact,

while no

church is

perfect,

and we're

going to

unpack this

more in

the next

two weeks,

I'm just

so encouraged,

generally

speaking,

broadly

speaking,

specifically

speaking,

of the

love this

body has

for one

another.

Many of

you know,

I was

gone for

two and

a half

years

when my

wife took

a job

and then

did an

internship.

And at

one point

during that

time,

we got in

a horrible

wreck.

And even

though I

had had

two churches

that I had

been members

at,

and they

were great

and stuff,

so I was

two churches

removed from

this church,

and yet

within 24

hours,

there was a

meal train

set up.

And that's

a special

love.

That's

Christ.

And we

felt so

loved by

that,

and I

hope you

have felt

our love

over the

years in

various

things.

But it

is amazing

the love

this body

has.

So please

hear me say

that.

I am not

rebuking anybody

right now,

but I am

giving the

warning.

Because

nonetheless,

I am one

man with

limited

perspective.

I don't

see any

issues of

ongoing hate

in our

church.

Praise

God.

But perhaps

it is

happening,

and I'm

just missing

it.

So I

say this

out of

love,

as a

warning to

you,

in light

of John's

warning,

to examine

yourself in

light of

this text.

If there

is relational

friction in

your life

right now,

that has

been ongoing,

brooding,

getting worse,

no light at

the end of

the tunnel,

you're

responding with

exclusion,

insult,

rejection,

then go

repent and

make peace.

love,

and remember

the encouraging

words in

John's

epistle.

He says in

1 John 1

9,

famous verse

in the

Bible,

if we

confess our

sins,

he is

faithful and

just to

forgive us

our sins

and to

cleanse us

from all

unrighteousness.

And so

that is

one way

of life,

that of

hate and

self-deception.

It is

darkness which

results in

blindness,

aimlessness.

It is the

opposite of

being a

created being.

It's perpetual

uncreation,

being sub-human,

pursuing that,

and it

results in

eternal

damnation.

But John

presents a

another way

of life,

a good

way,

a wise

way,

the only

true way,

that of

love.

And so

read verse

10 with me

again.

It's

sandwiched

in between

this dark

way that he

describes,

and maybe

it's a

chiasm,

I don't

know,

don't care.

I might

regret that

later.

the one

who loves

his brother

abides in

the light,

and there

is no

cause for

stumbling

with him.

As I

already said,

in many ways,

today's sermon

ends with a

foretaste of a

topic we will

consider heavily

the next two

weeks, and that

topic, of course,

is love.

love.

But I want

to note a

few things

here that

will set us

up well for

that, as I

alluded to

earlier.

Again,

John 13,

35,

Gospel of

John,

Jesus says,

by this all

people will

know that

you are my

disciples,

if you have

love for

one another.

This is the

tell.

This is the

ultimate

proof.

There is no

greater or

more convincing

thing of our

relationship with

Christ than

our love for

him and for

one another.

You can have

all the right

doctrine, all

the right

strategies, all

the best ideas,

the biggest,

growing, coolest

church, reach the

most people for

Christ, and I'm

talking about true

conversions, but

if it's not done

in love, then

on that person's

account, it is

worthless.

So this is not

just a mark of

a Christian, but

it is the mark of

the Christian and

of the true

church.

And this mark,

this love, John

says, says two

things about such

a person.

Number one, it

says he abides in

the light.

And number two,

it says, he says

that there is no

cause for stumbling

with such a

person.

To abide in the

light is John's

way of saying that

one is walking

with God in faith

and obedience.

Dr. Rob Plummer

puts it this way,

to be in the

light is to be in

the realm of

God's people,

the church.

Living in the

light of the new

age dawning,

recognizing that we

are the first

fruits of a new

creation, we're in

a new covenant,

that's what he's

talking about.

Right?

Living in the

light of this

new age dawning,

this moment in

redemptive history,

and he continues

reflecting the

God who is

himself, light.

And so again,

to love one

another as Christ

has loved us.

And this person

has no cause for

stumbling.

This does not

mean that this

brother or sister

does not sin.

John is not

describing sinless

perfection.

That is explicit.

First John 1.8,

if we say we

have no sin,

we deceive

ourselves.

Right?

In other words,

we're the one

walking in darkness.

And the truth,

he says,

is not in us.

So he's not

talking about

sinless

perfection.

Rather,

he is saying

that insofar

as we are

walking in the

light,

as we are

believing in

Christ for

salvation,

loving God,

loving neighbor,

insofar as we

are doing

these things,

he will not

be a terminal

detriment to

himself or to

his brothers

and sisters.

In other words,

he is bound

to prevail.

That the

victory,

the salvation,

the final

vindication is

provided by grace

through faith

from our

Lord.

From beginning

to end,

he began the

work in us

and he will

bring it

to completion.

That is what

John's describing.

There is no

cause for

ultimate,

fatal,

stumbling.

Praise be to

God.

Now,

in closing,

I just want to

offer a few

additional

applications

in light of

our text.

Some of them

may seem

fairly obvious,

but that's not

a bad thing.

That's a good

thing.

John's a fairly

obvious writer,

very direct.

But number

one,

walk with

God in

church community.

Walk in the

light with

the brothers

and sisters,

if you want

to use

John's words.

And what

does this

entail?

Well,

this entails

the regular

and meaningful

reading of

scripture with

brothers and

sisters.

Of course,

we do this

on Sundays

and that's

the chief

gathering of

the church

in which we

faithfully

obey that.

This includes

in homes,

this includes

with one

another in

discipleship

contexts and

just regular

Christian

fellowship.

It should be

normal.

This entails

regular and

meaningful prayer

with brothers

and sisters.

I'll just say

to you,

please come to

the Sunday

evening prayer

meeting.

Admittedly,

it's one of the

hardest ones to

get to.

I totally get

that.

I have

littles.

It's a

hard time.

Usually,

my wife

has to

stay and

we work

that out.

I understand

the challenge,

but I promise

it's the

most rewarding.

It is so

great to

pray with

the church

in an

intimate

setting like

that.

Come and

you will

be blessed.

I would

add,

if you

don't already

have a

habit of

doing

this,

pray through

the members

directory.

Thankful I

made the

cut.

text the

person you

are praying

for to

ask how

you can

specifically

be praying.

If you're

a man,

text the

men.

If you're

a woman,

text the

women.

I'll just

tell you as

one encouraging

example,

one of the

many examples

of love in

this church,

for me

particularly,

has been

Daniel Tipton.

I just

want to

commend him.

In

particular,

for reasons

unbeknownst to

me,

maybe he

just sees

it as a

great need.

But he's

been texting

me regularly

to let me

know,

that his

family is

praying for

me during

their family

worship and

my family.

I don't

really know

why that

started,

but it's

been such

an encouragement

to me.

So I just

share that

with you to

say,

what a good

thing to

do.

What a

loving thing

to do.

This entails

singing psalms,

hymns,

and spiritual

songs to

one another.

This entails

hearing the

word preached

and taking

the Lord's

supper

together.

And sure,

it means the

ordinary means

of grace.

being an

active,

meaningful

member of

your church.

Not just

showing up

on Sundays,

but being

present,

and then

also being

open and

hospitable

Monday through,

well,

the whole week,

but you get

the idea,

right?

All the

time.

Application

number two.

This one

might seem

out of left

field.

Practice

regenerate

church

membership.

In other

words,

be a

Baptist,

right?

Jamie

Dunlap

makes the

following

point in

his book,

Love the

Ones Who

Drive You

Crazy.

In his

introduction,

he says that

his entire

book,

which as you

can guess,

deals with

loving church

members that

are not so

easy for you

to love for

whatever reasons,

doctrinal

differences,

personality.

He's an

Ohio State

fan,

get that

one.

You know,

really

difficult

people.

And he

warns that

everything in

his book,

all the

advice he's

going to

give you,

all the

biblical

teaching,

the

motivations,

the

truths

therein,

the

foundations

that the

Bible

itself

gives

for the

new

covenant

community

and why

it is

we are

able and

must love

one another

assumes a

Baptist

ecclesiology,

it assumes

regenerate

church

membership.

And so

this is

why we

constantly in

the New

Testament see

the command

love your

brother,

not just

another.

I was

really proud

of that.

So if you

practice a

mixed community

as our

Paedo Baptist

brothers do,

or if you

do not

guard the

membership and

just let

whoever in

as they walk

the aisle as

some of our

so-called

Baptist

brothers do,

or perhaps

worse,

don't even

practice

membership,

then all

that the

New Testament

says to

encourage and

establish love

among the

brotherhood in

those difficult

relationships is

robbed of its

power.

In that

scenario, we

aren't of the

same spirit,

because you're

letting somebody

in who doesn't

have the

spirit, which

is one of

Paul's big

appeals for

Christian love,

or of the

same spirit.

Conversion.

We've all been

converted.

That's what he's

saying.

And so we

save ourselves

a lot of

heartache, a

lot of

confusion, a

lot of

difficulty in

loving our

fellow members

when we do

the hard work

on the front

end of

ensuring to

the best of

our ability

that new

prospective

members are

true

Christians.

Otherwise,

you are

inviting the

blind, aimless

one who

hates his

brother into

the fold.

And so

brothers and

sisters, let's

work together

to guard

the membership,

to practice

regenerate

church

membership.

Don't just

leave that to

the elders,

though they

lead us in

that.

But we're a

congregational

church.

It's every

member's

responsibility

to do

this.

And some

of you are

thinking he's

telling us

now, you

know, but

I'm in.

So application

number three,

understand where

we are in

redemptive

history.

This is not

just high

brow theology

for sake of

high brow

theology.

This is not

just nerd

stuff.

This matters

practically,

day to day,

for every

Christian.

John's word

for us today

only makes

sense when

one has a

deep

understanding

of the,

what you

might call

the meta

narrative of

scripture.

That is the

overarching story

from Genesis

to Revelation

and how

God's

redemption

has worked

itself out

through his

covenants.

Right?

No one can

begin to

fathom what

John means

just in our

passage alone

by this old

new covenant

without

understanding

how the

storyline of

scripture

unfolds and

the developments

therein.

And so

practically,

this means a

few things,

means a lot of

things,

but I'm going

to share a

few.

Read and

reread your

Old Testament.

Right?

Know the

story for

yourself.

And this

one probably

needs more

unpacking.

So you

have more

time in

systematic

theology and

more time in

biblical theology.

Okay?

If you don't

know the

difference,

again,

come August

1st,

progressive

cow.

But when

you spend

more time in

biblical theology,

in other words,

when you study

the whole

storyline of

scripture,

the actual

text,

the actual

God-breathed

stuff,

and not just

Brudum or

Frame or

MacArthur or

whoever,

as great as

those guys

are,

you're going to

have a much

better understanding.

You're going to

see a lot of

pitfalls when

people only read

systematics and

don't actually pay

attention to the

storyline of

scripture.

And it's just

going to bless you.