1 John 2:3-6 | A Call to Obey / with Steven Nunez

This is City Post Church, we're about three things, build

equipped and send all under the lordship of Jesus Christ, a

small Church Plant in Fort Worth Texas, who decided to do things

a little differently. I would almost I had to Crystal,

I love City Post because of the people.

It's where I belong, we truly preach the word.

I love City Post because of the community.

We've been able to build to do ministry.

Like Jesus perlite to push back Darkness.

This is City, Post podcast. Welcome to city post church so

we can put up a picture of that's me and in high school.

So that was thinking like my sophomore year at past school

and show that. Because between my junior and my

senior year, in high school, I made a decision that I was going

to join the Marine Corps. I know what was I thinking,

right? And but I was only 17.

So actually, I had to have my parents signed a waiver.

So, the real question is, what were they thinking?

Right now just signing over their youngest boy off to Uncle

Sam, right? So, but haven't already made

that commitment between my Junior and Senior year, I was

able to use my senior year to attempt to prepare for what was

waiting for me at the other end boot camp, right?

So, I signed up for the ROTC program, you know, try to learn

a little bit of the basics of military life.

I joined the cross country team, try to get myself in shape, you

know. But come graduation time.

That next month I shipped off to San Diego, California and

arrive. At the infamous Marine, Corps

Recruit Depot and In my whole world was flipped upside down,

right? Because in all reality, there's

not much you can do to prepare for the chaos that's waiting for

you when you get there, right? So, but the thing is with the

Marine Corps is really good at besides winning wars is creating

Warriors, right? It's creating Marines.

So they're experts at bringing in young men and women and then

breaking them down. They strip you of everything

this trip, prove your identity, all the bag.

Baggage and garbage, you come with, they get rid of all that,

but then they build you back up and they transform you from a

civilian to a marine. So, after 3 months of heavy

indoctrination and intense training, I returned home, a

different person. I returned home a United States

Marine, you can put that picture up a film, there it is there.

So that's right around my graduation time, right still had

little baby face but I had earned the title United States

Marine and in the process of breaking me down and building me

back up the a transformation had occurred.

You see there were Things that were different about me that you

can notice, especially if you knew me before, I went off to

the Marine Corps. First was the appearance, right?

I walked differently. I was marching everywhere and I

will talk. Different had all this military

jargon and stuff that I would spit out and then of course the

infamous Marine Corps high and tight haircut.

Right? And and it's funny because in

the Marine Corps after you've been in for a little while, when

you're when you first joined the Marine Corps, you're called a

boot because you're very new to the Core.

So after a while you start to make fun of the boots because we

say you can spot them a mile away, right?

Because they just kind of walking robots, you know?

So, so anyhow, those were the physical things that you could

see in me. But there was something deeper

than that. There was a transformation and

character. See, I started addressing people

as yes, sir, yes, ma'am, holding the door, open for people being

more respectful to my parents, I would get up.

Early in the morning and go for runs for no good reason.

You know, these were things that I wouldn't do before, but these

were changes in my character. There were a direct reflection

of the doctrine that I believe to be true.

The values of the Marine Corps, honor, courage, and commitment.

And the Marine Corps model, which is simplified Ellis and

Latin. Meaning always faithful.

So when before I went to boot camp, I was just a little

knucklehead travieso from the south side of Fort Worth.

But once I graduated, there was a visible in objective

transformation that I had occurred and I was now the

United States Marine and I acted in accordance to that belief

actions matching beliefs. Right.

So today, as we walk through, we're going to be back into the

book of First John. On and we'll be picking up where

Pastor Ricky left off a few weeks ago, but the Apostle John

is going to talk to us about this idea of transformation,

what it really means to be transformed.

And but before we jump into that, it's important to have

have an understanding of the context when this letter was

written. Because at this point, the

Apostle, John is up there in age.

He's the last living, Apostle, this is towards the end of the

First century. So as you can imagine, he

doesn't have time on this side. So what's really neat about this

letter is there's a sense of urgency in this message.

He is very clear and Direct in this message, he doesn't have

the luxury to beat around the bush.

He knows that his time is limited and he wants to get his

message across. Because if you remember that,

he's writing this as an open letter to the churches.

And he's addressing his concerns with the false theology that has

infiltrated the church. These it was a gnostics at the

time, there were distorting the true Doctrine and bringing their

Greek philosophies and beliefs and practices and what this was

doing what's causing chaos and division within the church.

So although the letters are written to the church, Is he

specifically addressing the gnostics of this time and

there's three tests as we walk through this letter going to see

that John is pointing out to three tests that that have a the

point out or demonstrate that we have a true fellowship with God.

Meaning three tests that demonstrate, the you have been

saved. And the first of those tests, if

you're taking notes Here is the doctrinal test, right?

The doctor No test refers to a Doctrine, a Creed, or a set of

beliefs, right? So something that you hold to be

true. So dr.

No has to do with faith. Now, the moral test, the second

test is concerned with the principles of, right and wrong,

essentially it's a matter of conduct.

So you so, having so has to do with obedience and the third

test, Is a Gothic, which has to do with unconditional love.

So, these three tests our faith, obedience and love.

But it's important to understand that these are not three

isolated test know these three tests are interdependent of each

other meaning that you conduct yourselves in ways that reflect

what you love and hold to be true.

Simply put your morals reflect your doctrinal beliefs, or you

can put it this way. You are obedient to what you

truly love. So, a few weeks ago as Pastor,

Ricky was walking us through chapter one, in the beginning of

chapter 2, that set of scripture address that doctrinal test,

right? It had to do with having a

proper view of Christ and a having a proper view of sin.

Meaning that they believed in Jesus Christ.

Professing that he was the Son of God.

The Messiah that he was born of a virgin lived.

The sinless life was crucified died and rose from the dead and

ascended into heaven, right? And that he was the light and

not the darkness. And it was also important to

understand that he is the savior sent by the father as an

atonement for our sins and not Our sins, but the sins of the

world. And also the, he is the one, and

only way to Salvation in John 14:6.

John 14:6

Jesus says this, I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the father, except through me.

Therefore, we can't say that. We know God, but not believe in

Jesus. That's what he's saying here.

And as, for sin, he's pointing out that we are sinners.

And if we claim to be without sin, we are deceiving ourselves

and we are making him out to be a liar.

And we are liars. But if we have faith in him and

we confess our sins so meaning that we admit that we are

sinners, then we have an advocate in Jesus Christ, right?

He is the propitiation of our sins, okay?

So again, having a proper view of Christ and of sin was the

first test that demonstrates, our Salvation that being the

test of faith. Now in Chapter 2 verses 3

through 6, John is going to be describing the moral test that

that demonstrates our salvation. But before we jump into

scripture, let me pray for us. Heavenly Father, we love you.

Lord, we worship you Lord. And we thank you, we, thank you

for this opportunity to gather today, in Fellowship to gather

in your presence. Lord, we asked that you carry us

through today. That you carried me through

today's message, Lord the the word spoken here today are your

words and your words, only Lord, the you help me to have Clarity

and accuracy my message Lord. So that we may receive Receive

the message that you have prepared for us in advance and

it's foolish. Lord.

And in your name, we pray. Amen.

So now if you have your Bibles and you want to open it up to

the book of First John we're going to be walking through the

verses three through six. So only four verses today.

If you have the black NIV Bible will be in page, twelve eighteen

twelve eighteen. So I'll start off with just

reading it all four verses in its entirety and then we'll

break it down verse by verse. So John goes on to say, we know

that we have come Know him if we keep his commands.

Whoever says I know him but does not do what he commands is a

liar and the truth is not in that person, but if anyone obeys

his word love, for God is truly made complete in them, whoever

claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

That's pretty straightforward, right?

But what's in, what's interesting, is that John has a

couple of favorite words that he likes to use in this letter, to

drive home the message, and those words are no and keep so

to know and to keep and know he uses approximately 40 times in

this letter and it's a short letter, it's only five chapters

and then he uses the word. Keep ten times.

Alright, so therefore there There's something to be said

about the repetition of these two words.

You see, he uses these words to drive home.

The message that our Salvation is objectively.

Demonstrated through our obedience to God's commands.

You know, if you keep right, so keep that in mind as we walk

through the verses. Now in verse 3, John says, we

know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.

So John uses the word? No twice in the word.

Keep once. Now, the first snow is actually

pretty self-explanatory, right? It is its meaning that we have a

sense of assurance. We know, we are for sure.

It is very clear, right? That's that's what is meaning,

what the first one? But what the second know.

He states that we have come to know them.

So we know that we have come to know him so by no he is

referring that. We have a personal valid and

loving relationship with God. That's what it means by if we

know him so in and then he ends it with the sentences first with

the with if we keep his commands.

So we know that we have come to know him.

So we know that we have a Kinship with God, if we keep his

commands, right? You see that connection?

Now in this verse what John is saying is there's a tangible and

objective expression of knowing Christ.

That is that the way we conduct ourselves by keeping his

commands, is an outward expression of the personal and

valid relationship that we have with Christ.

It is proof that an act of Union with Christ has occurred, and we

have been born again, we have been saved the, you are

objectively different than when you were a non-believer, right?

For example, when I graduated boot camp, I was objective.

I was objectively a different person than when I was in high

school. A transformation had occurred.

And one, could tell that I was a Marine.

Now if we jump into Ephesians 2:1 through to the Apostle, Paul

Ephesians 2:1

puts it this way. Ephesians 2:1 through to Paul

Ephesians 2:1

goes on to say, as for you, you were dead in your transgressions

and sins in which you used to live when you follow the ways of

this world, and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the

spirit, who is now? At work and those who are

disobedient. Essentially, you were once dead

in your transgressions and sins. But now you have been

transformed. However, and this is a big

however for us to understand, let us not confuse what John is

saying with the works based salvation or Works based

theology. He is not saying that we earn

our salvation. Salvation, by keeping his

commands, right? We cannot work our way into

heaven. No, we keep his commands because

we are saved. Very important for us to

understand. And sometimes that's hard for us

because we come from different cultural backgrounds.

Different churches that maybe had taught us in the past that

you have to earn or work your way into heaven.

That's not correct. That's not what he's saying.

The price has already been paid for all starvation.

It is through faith and through the grace of the Lord, that we

are saved. Which he goes on the Apostle

Paul in Ephesians 2 8 through 10.

He goes on to say, for it is by Grace you have been saved

through faith and this is not from yourselves.

It is the gift of God, not by your works.

So that no one can boast for we are God's handiwork created in

Christ. Jesus to do good works which God

prepared in advance for us to do.

And in Romans 3:20 through 22 through 25.

Romans 3:20–22

He puts it this way, this righteousness is given through

faith in Jesus Christ to all, who believe there is no

difference between Jew and Gentile for all, have sinned and

fall short of the glory of God and all are Justified freely by

his grace through the Redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

God presented Christ, as a sacrifice of atonement, through

the shedding of his blood to be received by faith.

The price has been paid through the cross.

You see our Salvation is a gift, this received by faith.

So important for us to understand that.

Now in verse 4, first John, John goes on to say whoever says I

know him but does not do what. He commands is a liar and the

truth is not in that person. So again, John uses the word.

No. And keep and, but in the NIV

version instead of keep it says, does not do what he commands,

but it's the same message. So he continues with this

repetition of the words. No, and keep again.

Emphasizing that there is a correlation between knowing god

and being obedient to his word. But in this verse, John is

bluntly pointing out the hypocrisy.

At the time and then claiming to know him again professing that

they have a personal and valid and love and relationship with

God. But their actions do not reflect

his his commands so he straight up calling them liers.

See, this is the bowed and bluntness of the upon the

Apostle. John.

At this time, he's being very direct with his message and this

is the type of urgency that John has when he's writing this.

Better, because remember he's addressed in the gnostics, at

this time, who are living this dualistic life in which they

separate the spiritual from the physical right from their

bodies. They, they believe that it is,

their bodies is irrelevant to their salvation there.

The way they conduct themselves. So they have this kind of

dichotomy in their thinking, in which they claim to have this

special knowledge, this special power, and a long as they have

that, it doesn't matter what they do with their bodies.

He's that's what they're doing at the time, and that kind of

theology is infiltrating, the church.

So John is, is you know what's beautiful about this?

Is that he's so concerned about his children.

It's not the gnostics that he's concerned about it, they want to

go off and do their own thing. That's it doesn't matter but the

fact that they were infiltrating the church and and messing up

the the true scripture that there were the doctrine that

they were following. That's what he was concerned

about. He was being protective over his

flock. So John lays it down straight

with them and he calls them out on their hypocrisy.

Now, if we go to the Book of James, James addressed it.

This way he goes on to say and James 2 verses 14, through 18.

James 2:14

He goes on to say what good is it?

My brothers and sisters if someone claims to have faith but

has no Deeds, can such Faith save them.

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.

If one of you says to them go in peace, keep warm and well fed.

But does nothing about their physical needs.

What good is it in the same way Faith by itself?

If it is not accompanied by action is dead but one will say

you have faith. I have Deeds.

Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by

my Deeds. You see, our actions are a

reflection of what we believe to be true and acting in.

Contrary to what we claim to believe in is simply hypocrisy.

And this is a point that John is making in this verse.

Now, moving on to verse 5 John goes on to say but if anyone

obeys his word love for God is truly made complete in them.

So now here he uses the word obey which again means to keep

while in verse 3. If you remember he uses it the

other way around. Keep in place of obey And I find

it to be quite interesting because again, remember he

doesn't have much time so he wants to make sure that he gets

his message across. So he frames the message in

different ways and you know, it really reminds me of like when

you have two people and you give them the exact same message and

then you ask them to repeat it and you get two different

responses. So this is kind of the concept

that I understand when I'm reading this is a he wanted to

make sure that That he framed, the message in different ways

that you, there's no way that you could refute the message,

and especially especially the gnostics, right?

He wanted to make sure that they couldn't refute the message that

he was given. And but what John is saying,

here in and this verse is it, our obedience is a completion of

our love for God, so simply put obeying Jesus equals loving

Jesus, you know, I like to I like to see it like a circle,

right? Where love for.

God is at the center and we know that a circle goes complete and

closes in on itself. Right?

So that first doctor, no, test of faith is the first half of

the circle, but our actions, our obedience to God's command is

what completes that Circle of our love for God?

And, you know, if we go to the Gospel of John in chapter 15,

you know, Jesus is addressing his disciples using the metaphor

of the vine and the branches and this Parable he said in Forth

the basis of Christian Living. So he identified himself as a

Vine, the father, as a gardener and the disciples and other True

Believers. As the branches that bear fruit

and the branches that don't bear fruit are people who claim to be

Believers but are not right. So if we jump Forward verses 8

through 10 and the Gospel of John chapter 15.

John 15 · chapter mention

Jesus goes on to say, this is to my father's Glory that you bear

much fruit showing yourselves to be my disciples as the father

has loved me. So have I Loved You Now remain

in my love. If you keep my commands you will

Main in his love. You see if we love Jesus.

We keep his commands. Now, verse 6, John goes on to

say, whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

So, what does he mean by living as Jesus did?

This is really a good question. A good valid question.

So it's important for us to understand that.

It doesn't mean to literally repeat, everything that Jesus.

Did you see Jesus. Perfect and sinless, right?

He's the Messiah and the Savior we don't we don't possess those

attributes, right? So, it doesn't mean you know

that Joseph should walk out of his house and try to walk across

Echo Lake. No, it's not going to happen.

Joseph, I'm sorry you're going to draw and that water is nasty,

right? So you have you definitely don't

want to do that, right? It's not saying that we are to

grow out our hair and walk around and chanclas and and and

you know just trying to mimic Jesus physical appearance.

That's not what he said. He stayed in here.

What John is saying is that we are to live with the same

principle All of relying on our father in Heaven, to work

through us and in us to submit fully and lean into him in all

that we do. To express the same love that

Jesus expressed to his father being that.

He kept all his commands and was faithful, all the way all the

way to the point that he gave his life on the cross as a

sacrifice for our sins. He remained faithful to the end

in Philippians 2. Verses 5 through 8.

The Apostle Paul writes in your relationships with one another

Have the same mindset as Christ. Jesus who being in very nature.

God did not consider equality with God.

Something to be used to his own Advantage, rather, he made

himself Nothing by taking the very nature of a servant being

made in human likeness. And being found in appearance.

As a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even

death on a cross. Now, that's the type of love and

obedience that we are to express to God.

We are to Humble ourselves to offer our lives, not just a

portion of it, but all of it over to God.

You see Jesus. Is the one that set forth the

basis for Christian Living, he set the standard by which we aim

to live our lives. So, I'll end here with the quick

story. Halfway through.

My first enlistment in the Marine Corps, my active duty

enlistment, we had a thing called, a change of Command,

right? We had just gotten back from our

second deployment and the change of command is winning the old

leadership leaves. And you get a new set of leaders

come in in preparation for our next deployment.

So we ended up with the new staff, sergeant in my platoon,

right? So he was in charge of us and at

first sight, I'll be honest with you, he I was impressed, right?

Because from a physical standpoint, from a physical

perspective, he fit the part of a marine leader.

You see his uniform was pristine, his boots were shiny.

He spent hours at the gym so he was ripped, right?

He was all jacked up. He kind of reminded me like of a

Ninja Turtle. He was bored.

He had a really shiny head of bald shiny head.

You know, he was just like all jacked up, most of the things.

Popping out of everywhere, you know.

So it reminded me of a Ninja Turtle but however, as time went

by, as we started going through our training because he trained

for a year before we deployed again.

His true color started to show and to start off with, you know,

he didn't lead from the front as we are taught in the Marine

Corps. He wouldn't show up to certain

training exercises. He wouldn't show up to do the

PT's with us in the morning. He spent more time, hanging out

with some of the junior Marine friends that he had and actually

leading us And then come deployment, we're halfway

through our second deployment in Iraq and it comes to light that

he was having an unlawful relationship with one of the

junior Marines in our platoon. And the thing about that is it,

you know, he was removed of his leadership role.

Because not only was he fraternizing amongst the junior

Marines but as a married man with children, he was committing

adultery as well. You see, although he looked the

part. Of a marine.

He didn't demonstrate that with his actions.

He didn't demonstrate the values of the Marine Corps of Honor

courage and commitment. Not to mention the Marine Corps

model of semper, fidelis always faithful.

You see just as a gnostics at the time of John's letter, he

was living a dualistic life and simply put he was being a

hypocrite. And as the Bible teaches us

light will always expose sin and it came to light and the sad

part and there's very lots of sad parts about saying it's all

sad. But thing is it, it doesn't only

affect the person who's living in sin.

It affects everyone around you. Everyone around that person

because you see that experience of serving under that false

leader that fake Marine. It led many of them Marines in

my platoon, to get out of the Marine Corps, once their first,

and listen to what's over because they were tired of the

hypocrisy. They had a bad example of what

it was to be a marine and they wanted nothing to do with it and

they left. You see the same thing happens

in the church when we claim to know Jesus, when we claim to

love Jesus, but then our actions don't reflect What He commands

of us. When we talk the talk, but don't

walk the walk. We to drive away people from the

church. So I'll leave you with these

three questions that I believe we should be asking ourselves.

Are we living as Jesus did? Are we following his commands?

We obey incur his word. And if not, what are we waiting

for? What's keeping you?

From submitting your life. Over to the Lord.

What's keeping you from going all Lin?

Is our love for the world greater than our love for the

Lord. You seem the world would tell us

that you will find happiness. Through our Pursuits of our

selfish and Earthly desires. But let me ask you this.

When you go chasing More Money, More accomplishments more

titles, more recognition, these selfish Ambitions.

Are you less satisfied? When you run two substances to

the bottle, when you have problems, you have different

emotions that you can't deal with.

Are they still there? The next morning when it wrote,

when it wears off? when you're searching for love

in all the wrong places and broken relationships from

partner to partner, do you still feel lonely?

You see, we know the answers to that.

Because our Earthly desires the world was always going to fail

on those promises. It promises to make us happy and

leaves us empty every single time because it's only through a

valid relationship with God that we truly get to experience.

True joy that we get to experience an everlasting

satisfaction It is only through our relationship with Christ

that we are satisfied. He satisfies all of our needs.

So I ask you again. What are you waiting for?

Let us pray. Lord Jesus.

We thank you. We love you, Lord, and we are

grateful for this opportunity. To gather here today to receive

your message. Lord, we ask you that you open

up our minds, open up our hearts to not just receive this message

but also the courage to apply in our lives.

Lord we ask you that. You help us to submit fully to

you. Lord to surrender all aspects of

our Our Lives, Lord, that you help us to walk the talk, Lord,

the you help us to be faithful and obedient to you, Lord, and

not to the world. I asked Lord that if anybody

here is struggling with that and hasn't surrendered their life to

you Lord, that you work in them, you work in their hearts, you

create a transformation in them in which they can surrender to

you Lord and truly experience unconditional.

Love Lord, we ask you that. You guide us.

That you care for us and that you love us.

All this, in your name, we pray. Amen.