Sermon Tone Analysis

We are called the children of God, but let us consider why John begins to speak about lawlessness.

Remember it is in chapter 3 that John shifted gears, from the focus being on mere fellowship with God through Christ, to a legal relationship, the adoption of sons & daughters by God the Father, which is the result of God’s Incredible love, which also means we are co-heirs with Jesus.

Thabiti Anyabwile, pastor and author, suggested in one of his messages, that John was addressing four different groups of people in this letter.

1.)

Those who are genuinely Christian and fully convinced of their salvation.

2.) Those who are genuinely Christian and struggling with assurance of their salvation.

3.) Those who are wrongly assured of their salvation.

4.) Those who are known non-christians.

The section in John’s letter that we just read, particularly the section from verse 3 through verse 15 are written to the third category.

Those who were wrongly assured of their salvation.

These are the antinomians (those who believed they were saved/adopted into the family of God, but went on to live their lives in utter rebellion to God.

What I hope you are able to see very easily from this text is that. . .

Lawlessness is Incompatible with being a child of God.

Lawlessness Defined-

Open defiance toward the law of God.

Outward acts of lawlessness and inward corruption of the heart.

Persistent practice of rebellion against God and His ordained authority.

One child was asked by his Sunday School teacher to explain what sin was, he answered, “I think it is anything you like to do.”

This is very true, because our hearts are evil, our hearts are wicked and opposed to God.

We are born, sons of Adam, spiritually dead, with a sin nature, as enemies of God.

Lawlessness is evidence that someone is a son of the devil.

Righteousness is evidence that someone is a child of God.

Lawlessness - like a sheep who has gone its own way.

Living like a sheep who has gone astray from the Shepherd.

To be lawless is to live like Cain, who murdered his brother out of spirit of pride and jealousy.

Lawlessness was displayed in the life of the Prodigal Son, before he chose to humble himself and return to his father’s home, wishing to simply be a servant.

Up to that moment, he prodigal was a wayward child, who wanted to do life his own way, calling his own shots, dong what he wanted, when he wanted, how he wanted.

Horatius Bonar

I Was a Wondering Sheep

“I was a wandering sheep,

I did not love the fold,

I did not love my Shepherd’s voice,

I would not be controlled:

I was a wayward child,

I did not love my home,

I did not love my Father’s voice,

I loved afar to roam.”

“No more a wandering sheep,

“I love to be controlled;

I love my tender Shepherd's voice,

I love the peaceful fold:

No more a wayward child,

I seek no more to roam;

I love my heavenly Father's voice;

I love, I love His home.”

I can recall a time in my life when I did not love my father’s voice.

I did not love his home, I did not want to be controlled.

But by God’s grace, He changed that for me.

He allowed me to see, as the prodigal child, that His ways were good.

His ways are a blessing.

A child of God seeks to honor the heavenly Father and obey His commands and the principles that are taught in Scripture.

Jesus came to take away lawlessness.

Remember the words spoken by John the Baptist in John 1:29.

Earlier I referred to Isaiah 53:6, listen to the preceeding verse.

Christ died, not just in order that we could have freedom from the guilt of sin, but so that we can have freedom from the power of sin.

This came up in last week’s sermon.

There is a positional innocence and purity that we have as Children of God by faith in Christ and there is also a progressive purity, which is accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of the word.

Listen to what Paul says in Romans 6

We present ourselves as slaves to righteousness by agreeing with the voice of the Shepherd.

By saying, God’s ways are my ways.

By saying, I am more concerned about the Father’s will than I care about my will.

Unfortunately, as I stated earlier, John, in my opinion is here writing to those who are wrongly convinced of their salvation.

These are antinomianists.

We are living in a time when antinomianism is the most prevalent of any time in history.

We are constantly being told, truth is relative.

IN the words of Dwight Schrute “FALSE”: Truth is not relative!

It is absolute.

God’s Law is absolute!

Warning: Lawlessness leads to death and hell.

Righteousness by the blood bought grace of Jesus Christ, leads to life.

For. . .

we should love one another . .

.not in word or talk but in deed and truth.

We cannot be whitewashed tombs- as the Scribes and Pharisees were accused of being by Jesus.

WARNING: DANGER AHEAD!

To love God is to love others, and to love others is to love God.

The two are inseparable.

If we love God and therefore love everyone created in His image, we will warn people of the dangers of lawlessness.

We will lovingly and gently but also urgently, passionately and faithfully warn them of the danger ahead.

Maybe you’ve heard different news stories over the years of traffic accidents where 50 to 100 vehicles are involved due to fog, snow, smoke or dust creating extreme visibility issues.

One such accident occurred in Great Britain, where over 50 vehicles were involved and 10 people were killed due to fog.

It is said that emergency responders were trying to warn motorists, including the use of an emergency flashing light system.

One police officer even reported that at one point out of desperation and panic, he was hurling traffic cones at windshields to convince drivers to stop.

I don’t suggest that we begin throwing traffic cones at the vehicles driving down the NYS Thruway, or even along Rt 19, but we need to love people enough to warn them against the dangers of lawlessness.

Lawlessness leads to death Love leads to life.

Which road are you on?

Who do you know that needs to be loved enough, to be WARNED of the path they are on?

Will you be the one, that send out a warning message and helps some to place faith in Jesus Christ, to assist some soul to be adopted into the family of God.

If not you, then who?

For the glory of God, lead some to know the God of love, not lawlessness.