The Result of True Biblical Fellowship 1 John 2:3-11 by Cooper P Abrams III |
|
INTRODUCTION:   This is the third message on the biblical fellowship. The first message addressed what is biblical fellowship and the message last week was on the importance of fellowship with God and the relationship between believers.
           John is saying, that if we have fellowship with God the Father, through His son Jesus Christ, we may have fellowship one with another. This Epistle is written to show this to us, to instruct us in this promise of God, and benefit of Salvation. One benefit is knowing we are saved and going to heaven.
I. ALL TRUE BELIEVERS KNOW GOD. 1 John 2:3
2. Salvation comes when one knows Christ Jesus. Christ cannot save those who do not know Him. This is a referring to a personal relationship and fellowship with Him. Some mock those of us who preach and teach and profess we have a personal relationship with God.
How blind they are to God's truth and to who He is and what He is to us.
3. Many "Christian religions" teach that salvation is in joining a church, going through regular religious rituals. These false churches are teaching one must "work" for salvation and earn it. They do not teach the biblical truth that God wants a personal relationship with us and the peace that brings to the believer's life.
4. One symptom of believing in a "works" for salvation is a lack of assurance. A person who is trying to earn his salvation cannot have any assurance of being saved. . . because he never knows if he has done enough or even done the right thing. He can never have true peace in his life. This person has no basis on which to know if he/she is saved or not, because the teaching is not found in the Bible. He clearly cannot have a close relationship with God, because he is always struggling to make himself good enough for God to recognize.
ILLUS: When I was in service I saw many men who "played up" to the Sargent or officer in charge. There were miserable little people and never had any real relationship with those who were over them.
2. There are some who may act like Christians to a certain degree, but turn out to be pretender or imposters. Read. 1 John 2:19.
Read: Matt. 7:21-23.
b. I believe most people want to go to Heaven. Sadly, there are a lot of false teachers who will for personal gain mislead people.
John warns us to try the spirits, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)
3. There are people who believe what they have been told, but were not told the truth. Modern "easy-believism" which does not involve turning from sin. There are many false churches and cults teaching lies.
b. 2 Peter 1:3-12 says that we are saved by faith and we the saved person will turn to God away from sin: READ 2 Peter 1:3-12.
Peter is not talking about one losing their salvation, but the assurance that one has salvation.
c. There are Christians who lack confidence in their salvation. Why? Because they lack faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and love that comes with salvation.
d. Peter encourages us as does John, to make sure those qualities are in our lives so we can have the security of knowing we are saved.
2. One is narrow and leads to eternal life, the other is wide and most choose it. The wide gate leads to destruction. The wide way the ends in destruction is trying to earn or merit salvation instead of believing in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our sins. The other is of course believing God and believing in Jesus Christ to as our Savior an not ourselves.
3. Why is the question of one salvation so important? Jesus is saying most are going the wrong way.
D. Basically there are three kinds of assurance.
Do you truly believe you are a sinner and that Jesus Christ died for you sin?.
Do you freely admit you are a sinner and in repentance turn to God to save you?
Do you believe God? Do you believe His promise, is real and true?
Did you turn over your life to Him? Many want to go to heaven, but do not want God controlling their lives.
What effect has Christ had on your life? 2 Cor. 5:17. READ. Did you become a "new creature."
b. If you see the things that Peter describes in 2 Peter 1, it confirms in your mind you have been truly saved.
3. The third kind of assurance is Subjective: (based on personal experience)
b. How does one live, not by the fleshly wisdom, but by the Grace of God?
We know we are saved because we from personal experience know we obey God.
All of this is to test our relationship and therefore our fellowship with the Lord to see if it is true or false.
2. In verse 24, he says that "He who does not love me does not keep My words. . . "
3. You cannot saving know God and reject who God is or reject God's Truth.
Jesus said. "I and My Father are one." (John 10:30) God said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Mat 3:17)
[2] Do you confess sin?" Note 1 John 6,8? Salvation means being "saved from something....that something is sin."
[3] Do you obey God" Do you keep God's commandments.
There is nothing on earth more precious or more important than believing in Jesus Christ as one's Savior and having one's sin forgiven and receiving eternal life. That is the only basis of fellowship with our God and Creator.
2. The result of salvation is as John states: "And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (1 John 3:3) This is what salvation produces in a true believer's life.
3. THERE is no shame in being misled. But sometimes our pride gets in way of our doing right.
Paul instructed us, that we should examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. A child of God will do this and be assured of their salvation if it is real.
The lost man, who may have been misled will be convicted of his lack of salvation, and have the opportunity to truly receive Christ as their savior.
The saved man will see the problem of allowing remaining sin and disobedience in his life and will make the commitment to repent, confess his sin and then live for God.