Sermon Tone Analysis

*Introduction: *The key phrases are “If we say” and “He who says” or “If someone says” which are found seven times in this epistle.

Our present lesson will cover /profession /vs.

/possession./

Something had raised the issue of the assurance of salvation in the church that John was writing to.

It runs through the whole letter.

There are at least two things that have forced the issue out into the open:

!!! 1.                  *First: *A group of professing believers had left the church (1Jn.2:19).

!!!! a)                   This must have hurt as well as caused confusion to the church.

“I thought the sheep hear Jesus’ voice and no one will snatch them out of His hand… has your theology changed?” 

!!!! b)                  So now the church faces the question: /“how are we going to know who is genuine and who isn't?

How can we even be sure about ourselves?"/

!!! 2.                  *Second: *A group of false teachers behind the /“He who says”/ statements (1Jn.3:7).

!!!! a)                   John says; don’t be deceived by these false prophets that have gone out from you: he who does righteousness is righteous.

When they say that a man can stand righteous before God while going on in an unrighteous life, they are liars.

He who does righteousness is righteous.

!!!! b)                  Now we begin to see what is going on in this church.

There were many in the early church who were taking Paul’s doctrine of justification and distorting it to teach things that Paul rejected.

!!!!! (1)                 Some said, /"Let us do evil that good may come"/ (Romans 3:8).

!!!!! (2)                 Some said, /"Let us sin that grace may abound"/ (Romans 6:1).

!!!!! (3)                 And Paul corrected both of these abuses of the doctrine in the book of Romans.

!!!! c)                  So the second reason why the issue of assurance was brought into the open in this church is the false prophets were teaching that you can enjoy the assurance of standing sinless before God in righteousness even if you walk in darkness, disobey God's commandments, and hate your brother.

This did not square with Paul's teaching or John's or the Lord's.

!

Not everyone who claims to be a Christian really is. 

!!! 1.

People who are not truly Christians can be deceived into thinking they are.

!!!! a)                  If there is no holiness in your life, you have no hope of seeing God, except in judgment:

*The writer of Hebrews says *“Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”

!!!! b)                  There are those who think they are saved but at the same time living a life of unholiness.

Remember, we have, not just the Spirit of God but The Holy Spirit.

!!!! c)                  There are going to be those who will be shocked to discover that in the final judgment, heaven is not their final destiny.

!!! 2.                  A Person /Must Profess/ that Jesus Christ is Lord *(Romans 10:9-10)*, but Not all those who call Him Lord will enter His Kingdom (*Matthew 7:21*).

!!!! a)                  OBEDIENCE, CHARACTER, LIFESTYLE, and CONDUCT is the deciding factor.

!!! 3.                  Two Types of False Believers: /those that/…

!!!! a)                  /“say without doing”/ - empty words (Matt.7:21-23)

!!!! b)                  /“hear without obeying”/ (Matt.7:26-27)

!!! 4.                  Classic Example of Obedience from our Lord (Matthew 21:28-32)

!!!! a)                  Many want Jesus but do not want any alteration of their lifestyle (John 3:19-20).

*Jesus Himself commented on this by saying *"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

(John 3:19-20, NASB95)

!!!!! (1)                 Phone call of person (Maya) last week wanting Jesus for Fire insurance, but then rejecting him and not obeying Him.

!! #1 – “/If we say /that/ /we have fellowship with Him” (1:6).

!!! 1.

All talk, but no walk.

!!!! a)                  Their life does not back up what they “/say/”.

!!!!! (1)                 This is the first of many declarations that John will tell us that people make.

Declarations that in and of themselves are wonderful.

!!!!! (2)                 And of course, these are things that we should say, and should be able to say.

However, oftentimes, people say things but their lives do not back up what they say.

!!!!! (3)                 Their life is not consistent with the things they are professing:

*Paul writing to Timothy says *"to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.

They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”

(Titus 1:15-16, NASB95)

*Paul said to the Jews who thought they were a guide to the blind, and a light to those who are in darkness, he said *“you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself?

You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?

You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery…?

through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?

                                *1 John 2:4**… read this*

!!!!! (4)                 What a person says is not always a true indicator of where their heart is.

!!!! b)                  The Christian life is more than a profession (James 2:14-26).

!!!!! (1)                 Saved by “faith alone”, but not by a “faith that is alone”

!!!!! (2)                 We are /“Saved by faith”/ (Eph.

2:8-9); /“walk by faith”/ (2 Cor.

5:7); /“without faith it is impossible to please God”/ (Heb.

11:6);

!!!!! (3)                 We exercise our faith in many ways everyday: /Elevator; my truck starting in the morning; water we drink; medicine we take/, etc...

!!!!! (4)                 This guy in (v.15-16) claims faith, yet reduces to help the needy.

See, words cannot warm a person’s body, nor can words fill a person’s stomach:

*We are not to love in words only but in deeds as well: *"But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

(1 John 3:17-18, NKJV)

!!!!! (5)                 Homeless ministry

!!!!! (6)                 We must be doers of the Word and not hearers only.

!!! 2.                  All walk (works)… but no relationship – be careful of your love for Christ growing cold.

!!!! a)                  Church of Ephesus (Revelation 2:2-5).

!!!!! (1)                 Don’t judge a church by its cover.

Today, it seems as though the first thing that people judge a church by is “the way the building looks”.

Great buildings might have dead congregations, and modest buildings may be thriving for the Lord.

!!!!! (2)                 The church we think is “rich” may turn out to be poor in God’s sight (Rev.3:17), while the “poor” church is actually rich (Rev.

2:9).

Remember, the Lord looks at the heart (1Sam.16:7).

!!!! b)                  Church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:17).

!!!!! (1)                 What Jesus says of me is much more important than what I say of myself.

!!!!! (2)                 /In the Scriptures I see three “spiritual temperatures”/:

*A burning heart, on fire for God:* When Jesus appeared on the road to Emmaus the disciples said: "To one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"  (Luke 24:32, NKJV)

*A cold heart:* *Jesus said that* "Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

(Matthew 24:12, NKJV)

*A lukewarm heart: *And here to the church in Laodicea He says "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

(Revelation 3:16, NKJV)

\\ */back to 1 John 1/*

 

!!! 3.                  ‘…and walk in darkness…’  (v.6b).

!!!! a)                  What does it mean to walk in the darkness?

!!!!! (1)                 *2:8-11* give some real clear indications.

!!!!!! (a)                 It says that he who hates his brother is in the darkness and he who loves his brother abides in the light.

!!!!!! (b)                Walking in the light means being a loving person and walking in the darkness means being a person of hate.

But there is something more basic than that.

!!!!! (2)                 *2:8* says (at the end), /"The darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining/./"/

!!!!!! (a)                 What is this darkness that is passing away?

Notice that the same word for passing away is used in (2:17), "The world is passing away and the desire of it."

!!!!!! (b)                *From this I would conclude *that walking in darkness means being controlled by desires for this world instead of desires for God.

 

!!!! b)                  Poles that have been taken say that, 90% of America is Christians!

!!!!! (1)                 If so, then why does Hollywood sell so many filthy movies, pornography, etc?

!!!!! (2)                 This only shows that there are those who *“/say/” *they are Christians, who *“/say/’ *they are believers in Jesus Christ, who are actually viewing these things!

!!!!! (3)                 Going and viewing that filth is walking in darkness!