WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:22.260 Hi, and welcome to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast. 00:00:22.780 --> 00:00:25.880 This is where you can find audio for our current and past sermons. 00:00:26.080 --> 00:00:31.260 We hope that you enjoy this week's installment, and be sure to check back next week to hear the latest message. 00:00:31.680 --> 00:00:32.460 Thanks for listening. 00:00:45.500 --> 00:00:48.960 Well, hey, everyone. I'm glad that you have joined us. 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:55.200 We are picking back up with where we left off on Sunday in 1 John chapter 4. 00:00:55.740 --> 00:00:57.920 In just a moment, we'll start reading in verse 20. 00:00:58.420 --> 00:01:01.380 Kind of explain to everybody what took place last Sunday. 00:01:01.940 --> 00:01:14.140 When we are doing a partnership study with Right Now Media, which we do often, and that way our small groups and our Sunday morning messages can align and study the same passage of Scripture together, 00:01:14.720 --> 00:01:24.940 what that creates oftentimes is—or not oftentimes, but every time—is I follow the outline or the way that Right Now Media approaches and breaks down the Scripture. 00:01:24.940 --> 00:01:27.580 And so I'll do independent study of them. 00:01:27.720 --> 00:01:35.360 I'll listen to messages, read books, study my Bible, do word studies, but I'll follow through, hey, begin at this verse and end at this verse. 00:01:35.520 --> 00:01:39.200 And so last week as I was doing my prep work, it really felt like a lot. 00:01:39.300 --> 00:01:49.060 It felt like a lot was there and didn't want to miss out on anything because there was so much richness in this passage, these passages of Scripture. 00:01:49.060 --> 00:01:54.360 And so Sunday morning just made the decision to just focus on 4, 17 through 19. 00:01:55.440 --> 00:02:01.440 But we don't want to fall behind as this Sunday we need to begin in 1 John 5, 13. 00:02:01.720 --> 00:02:15.120 So what we decided to do was take a little different alternative to what we normally do and look at these verses in a little midweek video slash podcast, however you're choosing to join us. 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:21.120 And so I thank you for allowing us the opportunity to do this a little bit differently than how we normally would. 00:02:21.660 --> 00:02:26.220 But I thank the Lord for the freedom to have the technology to be able to do these things. 00:02:26.340 --> 00:02:36.820 And so if you are wondering where in the world are you, if you're watching this video, we have a recording room where Berger does all of his magic to create videos and do those things. 00:02:37.460 --> 00:02:41.800 And so that's where I am over in building to getting this to you today. 00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:44.440 So thank you for joining us. 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:51.940 We're going to look at 1 John 4, verse 20, all the way through 1 John 5, verse 12. 00:02:52.200 --> 00:02:53.600 So let's get started. 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:56.660 Let's start reading in chapter 4, verse 20. 00:02:57.520 --> 00:02:57.800 It says, 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:27.780 If anyone says, 00:03:27.780 --> 00:03:52.500 And so what we're going to look at in this passage is testing your love. 00:03:52.500 --> 00:04:07.200 Now, John has been on this pattern, this pastoral pattern as he pleads with people, and he desires for them to be able to stand firm, to stand confidently and not in fear of the return of Christ, which fills out to so many areas of our lives, right? 00:04:07.260 --> 00:04:14.140 Like, if we're confident in the return of Christ, then we're going to be confident not only on that day, but in every day leading up to it. 00:04:14.480 --> 00:04:19.280 And that's the hope of John, that we live these confident lives in who we are and saved in the Lord. 00:04:19.440 --> 00:04:22.540 But in order to be confident, we need to be accurately confident. 00:04:22.540 --> 00:04:24.200 We need to be securely confident. 00:04:24.200 --> 00:04:27.640 We need to be assured in our salvation in Christ. 00:04:28.020 --> 00:04:34.100 And so this is what he has been doing is to help us find assurance if we have it. 00:04:34.320 --> 00:04:38.740 And if we don't have assurance in Christ, then what does that mean to have a relationship in Christ? 00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:44.420 And that's what we're going to look at at the very end of our message this afternoon as I'm recording this. 00:04:44.780 --> 00:04:48.120 And so what he starts off with is testing your love, and he gives us a test. 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:52.780 Now, this test isn't a test the way that we normally think of with tests. 00:04:52.860 --> 00:04:55.760 This isn't a test like, well, answer these questions. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:01.200 And John doesn't give us 10 questions and answer true or false, A or B, or anything like that. 00:05:01.540 --> 00:05:10.440 Instead, this test is more of an examination to look at something, inspect it, and see what conclusion can come from that. 00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:13.920 When I was little, I liked to collect baseball cards. 00:05:14.040 --> 00:05:19.240 I collected football cards and basketball cards, but my true love was collecting baseball cards. 00:05:19.640 --> 00:05:22.780 And I had thousands upon thousands of baseball cards. 00:05:22.940 --> 00:05:27.660 My favorite baseball card was my Don Mattingly rookie card. 00:05:27.660 --> 00:05:31.000 Don Mattingly was my favorite baseball player, first baseman for the New York Yankees. 00:05:31.560 --> 00:05:34.660 And I had his rookie card, and that was my prized possession. 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:43.300 But I believe in the late 80s or early 90s, Donruss, who was a baseball card maker, came out with some cards 00:05:43.300 --> 00:05:46.220 and they were extremely rare cards. 00:05:46.400 --> 00:05:56.800 And so as a young boy, as a card collector, you wanted to go out and you wanted to buy Donruss packs of baseball cards in the hopes that you could get one of these very rare cards. 00:05:57.360 --> 00:06:03.240 But also in these packs, Donruss put in these packs what was called replica cards. 00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:08.200 And so they looked like the rare cards, but they weren't the rare cards. 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:15.960 And so if you got a replica card, that was pretty cool because the card looked cool and they all had popular and good players on them. 00:06:15.960 --> 00:06:20.480 But they weren't valuable because they weren't the real card that you were looking for. 00:06:20.700 --> 00:06:28.840 And the only way that you could tell the difference between a replica card and the real card was to move it from side to side. 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:33.660 And there was this hologram that you would see that would come from the card. 00:06:33.760 --> 00:06:37.040 And if you had the hologram, then you had the real one. 00:06:37.400 --> 00:06:42.000 But if you didn't have the hologram, then you had the replica or you had the fake card. 00:06:42.420 --> 00:06:44.520 So in order to determine this, what did you have to do? 00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:45.720 You had to inspect. 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:53.960 You had to test it by looking deep into who the card or what the card truly was. 00:06:54.420 --> 00:07:05.720 And what John is calling us to is to bring that same type of inspection to be able to see if our love for God is real or not. 00:07:05.720 --> 00:07:07.620 Look at what he says back in verse 20. 00:07:09.060 --> 00:07:15.700 If anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:26.760 For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 00:07:27.620 --> 00:07:35.560 And so John's saying, look, you can't love God if you don't love your brother or sister in Christ. 00:07:35.820 --> 00:07:38.480 Now, this verse 20 is not an empty threat. 00:07:38.620 --> 00:07:44.940 This is not an over-exaggeration of what John is trying to say. 00:07:44.940 --> 00:07:46.800 This is a promise of Scripture. 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:48.620 John's saying, this is true. 00:07:49.160 --> 00:07:52.860 You can't love God and hate your brother. 00:07:53.440 --> 00:08:01.560 He says, you can't love, or I'm sorry, you can't love God whom you haven't seen, 00:08:02.340 --> 00:08:06.860 but claim, but not love the person who you do see. 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:09.520 Like the two do not go hand in hand. 00:08:09.520 --> 00:08:15.560 And he uses, I believe, some intentional language of family imagery here. 00:08:15.740 --> 00:08:18.600 So it kind of impresses on the heart of the reader. 00:08:18.900 --> 00:08:21.460 How can you say you love the parent when you don't love the child? 00:08:22.580 --> 00:08:22.860 Right? 00:08:22.980 --> 00:08:33.760 Like, you can't love me, but yet seek ill will and hatred of my children, of Emma and Grayson. 00:08:34.400 --> 00:08:40.240 So you can't love the parent and hate the child is what John is pushing to in this. 00:08:40.880 --> 00:08:48.300 So when we look at this, he then says, well, then here is how you are to love. 00:08:48.680 --> 00:08:50.660 Here's this test. 00:08:51.100 --> 00:08:56.400 Here is what love should look like and how you should love in this relationship. 00:08:56.520 --> 00:08:57.540 So I'm going to get a sip of water real quick. 00:09:06.500 --> 00:09:08.140 Verses two and three of chapter five. 00:09:09.140 --> 00:09:15.560 By this, we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. 00:09:15.560 --> 00:09:23.560 For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome. 00:09:26.520 --> 00:09:30.320 All right, hopefully I can get this cough gone, right? 00:09:31.300 --> 00:09:33.260 So in this book, we talked about this. 00:09:33.300 --> 00:09:38.980 This is this recurring theme that are you confident in the return of the Lord? 00:09:39.100 --> 00:09:42.160 Are you confident in your relationship with God? 00:09:42.500 --> 00:09:42.640 Right? 00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:43.820 Well, that answer is no. 00:09:44.140 --> 00:09:45.820 Well, then how can I be confident? 00:09:45.820 --> 00:09:48.860 How can I be confident in my relationship with God? 00:09:49.220 --> 00:09:52.100 How can I be confident in the return of the Lord? 00:09:52.760 --> 00:09:59.340 And the answer that keeps coming back to us is, do you love your fellow siblings in Christ? 00:09:59.500 --> 00:10:01.420 Do you love the family of God? 00:10:01.540 --> 00:10:04.200 Do you love your brothers and sisters of faith? 00:10:04.580 --> 00:10:04.780 Right? 00:10:04.900 --> 00:10:07.520 And it's not some, right? 00:10:07.560 --> 00:10:08.940 It's easy to love some. 00:10:09.540 --> 00:10:10.860 It's not most. 00:10:11.540 --> 00:10:15.320 That's harder, but that's still not the standard of scripture. 00:10:16.280 --> 00:10:18.900 It's do you love them all? 00:10:19.500 --> 00:10:27.320 Well, now, 5 verse 2, as he explains what this looks like, there appears that John is giving us a reversal. 00:10:28.340 --> 00:10:30.600 But what I want to see, it's not a reversal. 00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:36.980 It's the continual statement of explaining the truth of what John gives is to love God is to love his children. 00:10:37.900 --> 00:10:38.940 Let's look back at verse 2. 00:10:39.020 --> 00:10:42.420 By this, we know that we love the children of God. 00:10:43.580 --> 00:10:46.480 When we love God, we obey his commandments. 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:49.460 So, what we got was, well, do you love God? 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:53.200 Well, you can tell you love God if you love his children. 00:10:54.140 --> 00:11:01.120 Well, then in verse 2, it's to explain what it means to love his children means that you love God, 00:11:01.300 --> 00:11:05.920 but also that you obey his commandments. 00:11:06.920 --> 00:11:13.420 And then what we'll see here in just a moment in verse 3, it's not that you just obey his commandments, 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:21.520 but that his commandments aren't burdensome, which it means that from God's commandments is great joy. 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:24.060 That it's not a burden to obey the Lord. 00:11:24.180 --> 00:11:25.220 It's a joy. 00:11:25.520 --> 00:11:26.580 It's an honor. 00:11:26.920 --> 00:11:30.060 It's a privilege to obey him. 00:11:30.700 --> 00:11:37.360 So, by this, we know that we love the children of God when we love God and we obey him. 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:41.980 So, two parts to this I want us to look at. 00:11:43.920 --> 00:11:49.460 We love what John says when we obey his commandments. 00:11:50.100 --> 00:11:53.800 So, love here is defined specifically. 00:11:54.560 --> 00:12:00.040 And it's not defined by a feeling. 00:12:01.380 --> 00:12:07.940 It's not defined by a particular set of circumstances or a cultural interaction. 00:12:09.060 --> 00:12:13.820 Love here is defined by keeping the commandments of God. 00:12:14.380 --> 00:12:17.140 Now, this isn't something that has not been said before. 00:12:18.020 --> 00:12:19.800 John didn't come up with this on his own. 00:12:20.020 --> 00:12:28.040 In fact, in the Gospel of John, chapter 14, when he is recording his gospel narrative that we see in verse 15, 00:12:28.040 --> 00:12:29.720 Jesus himself says, 00:12:30.700 --> 00:12:35.180 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 00:12:35.960 --> 00:12:43.800 So, love of God, love for God, and love for God's people are both evident. 00:12:44.040 --> 00:12:49.780 Both of these are evident in our lives as we seek to obey him. 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:53.760 So, how do we see the love of God in our life? 00:12:53.760 --> 00:12:59.060 How do we see God's love or our love for others in our life? 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:01.760 Is that we obey him fully. 00:13:02.620 --> 00:13:10.720 So, real love is then guided by, defined by, God's commandments. 00:13:11.880 --> 00:13:12.760 So, just think about this. 00:13:13.740 --> 00:13:17.520 A few weeks ago, we were talking about what it means to love someone. 00:13:17.660 --> 00:13:22.780 And we were talking about and dealing very specifically with the sin that a person faces. 00:13:22.780 --> 00:13:33.900 And so, how do I love someone when they are doing something that we know from God's word that is destructive for them? 00:13:33.980 --> 00:13:35.480 It's destructive for their soul. 00:13:35.920 --> 00:13:38.540 It's destructive for those around them. 00:13:38.660 --> 00:13:42.260 And it's not God's best, and it's not God's plan for them. 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:42.760 What do we do? 00:13:42.840 --> 00:13:48.580 Well, the world says, oftentimes, when we see things like that, that we ignore it, right? 00:13:48.620 --> 00:13:49.540 We're not going to talk about it. 00:13:49.540 --> 00:13:50.200 It's none of our business. 00:13:50.300 --> 00:13:51.180 We've got to stay out of it. 00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:58.460 Oftentimes, we hear and what's taught is that we maybe not ignore it, but instead, we embrace it, right? 00:13:58.640 --> 00:14:02.040 Well, we may think it's destructive, but you don't. 00:14:02.040 --> 00:14:07.360 And since you don't think it's destructive, then we want to affirm the decisions and the things that you make. 00:14:07.540 --> 00:14:11.660 Or maybe even more than that is we excuse it, right? 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:17.620 Well, you're just doing this because, and it's not really your fault, so you shouldn't be called out on it. 00:14:17.680 --> 00:14:24.320 You shouldn't have to deal with it because it's not your fault that you choose this seemingly destructive behavior. 00:14:25.200 --> 00:14:31.360 But if someone is in sin, the Bible says there's a very specific way that we love them, right? 00:14:31.400 --> 00:14:33.300 We taught this a couple weeks ago, right? 00:14:33.740 --> 00:14:35.100 We obey God. 00:14:36.180 --> 00:14:44.500 God gives us a very specific command of what we're to do, that we take the plank out of our eye. 00:14:45.700 --> 00:14:49.820 So to love someone when they're in sin, first, we deal with our sin. 00:14:50.400 --> 00:14:51.940 We come to grips with who we are. 00:14:52.040 --> 00:14:53.560 We come to grips with our struggles. 00:14:53.740 --> 00:14:54.320 We confess. 00:14:54.640 --> 00:14:55.220 We repent. 00:14:55.700 --> 00:14:57.260 We put areas of accountabilities. 00:14:57.480 --> 00:14:58.720 We make intentional steps. 00:14:58.920 --> 00:15:00.060 We confess. 00:15:00.360 --> 00:15:02.920 We struggle through. 00:15:03.160 --> 00:15:06.260 We find the burden of we're broken for our sin. 00:15:06.420 --> 00:15:07.240 We do that first. 00:15:07.300 --> 00:15:08.340 That's what God commands us. 00:15:09.140 --> 00:15:19.280 Then, once the plank of sin has been removed from our eye, then we go to our brother or sister in Christ and we help them remove the speck of sin that's in their eye. 00:15:19.640 --> 00:15:24.780 So we don't just say, well, that was our journey that we went on, but they're on their own journey and they've got to figure that out. 00:15:24.900 --> 00:15:26.060 No, no, no, no, that's not it at all. 00:15:26.320 --> 00:15:28.000 We go, we remove it from ours. 00:15:28.100 --> 00:15:28.580 We celebrate. 00:15:28.700 --> 00:15:32.180 We thank God for his grace and his kindness as he's done that in our lives. 00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:33.040 And then we help them. 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:35.100 And that's obeying the Lord, right? 00:15:35.260 --> 00:15:37.460 That's what he calls us to do. 00:15:37.780 --> 00:15:49.020 But then not only in that, when we love God, we keep his commandments and we find this remarkable truth of Scripture that his commandments aren't burdensome. 00:15:49.580 --> 00:15:52.100 It's a process that we begin to see in our lives. 00:15:53.260 --> 00:15:54.600 Chapter 5, verse 3. 00:15:55.120 --> 00:16:03.680 For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome. 00:16:04.160 --> 00:16:05.560 So that's interesting. 00:16:05.560 --> 00:16:09.980 So as you listen to this, I want you to ask yourself this question. 00:16:10.400 --> 00:16:14.840 How do you view the commands of God, right? 00:16:15.460 --> 00:16:17.300 Do you view the commands of God? 00:16:17.380 --> 00:16:33.240 Do you view God as this detached, away from us God who has just given us these lists of rules to make our lives miserable and to create these spiritual hoops that we need to jump through and do this and don't do that? 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:34.800 And it's just, oh, it's terrible. 00:16:34.860 --> 00:16:35.600 Is that how we view? 00:16:36.160 --> 00:16:42.460 I was thinking about following rules today as I was thinking through, walking through this with you guys. 00:16:42.520 --> 00:16:45.420 And I thought about going to school, especially in elementary school. 00:16:45.520 --> 00:16:47.260 It seemed like this was a big thing in elementary school. 00:16:47.320 --> 00:16:52.260 And I'll never forget, like, the first day of school, the new school year, I went to North Augusta Elementary School. 00:16:52.420 --> 00:16:54.020 We were the Knights, blue and gold. 00:16:54.680 --> 00:17:00.980 And go to North Augusta Elementary School and you'd go into your teacher's class and you would go over the school rules, right? 00:17:01.020 --> 00:17:03.740 The rules that you've heard over and over and over again. 00:17:03.820 --> 00:17:07.640 I went there first through fifth grade and I knew all the school rules. 00:17:07.760 --> 00:17:11.300 I'd accepted the structure of the school rules. 00:17:11.420 --> 00:17:15.020 It was things like walk on the right hand side of the hallway. 00:17:15.020 --> 00:17:19.660 It was follow these procedures as you walk through the cafeteria. 00:17:20.260 --> 00:17:25.360 It was you can only go to the library during your library time, right? 00:17:25.420 --> 00:17:26.160 This was the rules. 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:27.260 This was the rules that you knew. 00:17:27.560 --> 00:17:32.800 These were the rules that everyone followed, whether you're in first grade or fifth grade or anywhere in between. 00:17:33.020 --> 00:17:35.600 These were the rules that you all followed. 00:17:35.940 --> 00:17:39.480 But then the teacher would give their classroom rules. 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:41.320 These were extra rules. 00:17:42.220 --> 00:17:46.580 These were the rules that were there that you must also follow. 00:17:47.260 --> 00:17:50.520 And it felt like these rules changed. 00:17:50.620 --> 00:17:59.900 And it just seemed for me at the time of my, you know, seven-year-old through 11-year-old self that I was always placed in the most strict classroom, right? 00:17:59.900 --> 00:18:06.840 So, and I know this wasn't the case, but it just felt like that at the time that these rules were just more than anybody else had to follow. 00:18:07.020 --> 00:18:08.640 And why do I have to do these things? 00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:15.900 And it doesn't seem like my best friend, Jesse, over in the other class, he doesn't have to do this, but I have to do this. 00:18:17.140 --> 00:18:19.340 And it seemed unfair and unreasonable. 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:23.520 And obeying those rules was not a joy. 00:18:24.040 --> 00:18:25.260 It felt burdensome. 00:18:26.440 --> 00:18:29.760 I think sometimes as Christians, we approach God in the same way. 00:18:30.900 --> 00:18:40.240 We've accepted this general moral set of guidelines and rules that are put out and accepted by our culture. 00:18:40.520 --> 00:18:41.620 And these rules are good, right? 00:18:41.700 --> 00:18:42.640 We need these rules. 00:18:42.760 --> 00:18:44.740 We need order to society. 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:47.320 And so we obey those. 00:18:47.980 --> 00:18:50.260 We want to be good, law-abiding citizens. 00:18:51.140 --> 00:18:56.360 But now when I come to faith in Christ, I find out that there are, well, there are more commands. 00:18:57.260 --> 00:18:58.200 There are more rules. 00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:09.820 There's things that God says, if you're going to be of me, if you're going to be my children, then you're going to do things my way. 00:19:09.900 --> 00:19:11.720 I'm going to call you to this. 00:19:13.220 --> 00:19:16.940 And if we're not careful, those rules aren't a joy. 00:19:18.100 --> 00:19:21.100 They're burdensome in our life. 00:19:21.840 --> 00:19:23.740 Let me give you an example of this. 00:19:24.840 --> 00:19:28.320 In Matthew 18, Jesus commands to forgive. 00:19:29.080 --> 00:19:35.240 It's a great conversation that happens between Jesus and Peter, and Jesus goes into telling a parable about forgiveness. 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:37.800 But it's a command to forgive. 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:42.080 And Jesus does this numerous times throughout the gospel. 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:45.460 He doesn't say forgiveness is a good idea. 00:19:46.420 --> 00:19:51.720 He doesn't say, hey, you know, your life will be better if you choose to do this. 00:19:51.800 --> 00:19:56.940 And so weigh it out, consider it, but you might want to, but, you know, see how you feel about it. 00:19:57.540 --> 00:19:58.560 No, Jesus commands us. 00:19:58.560 --> 00:19:59.740 He commands us to forgive. 00:20:00.760 --> 00:20:05.840 The apostle Paul even commands in Ephesians 4, and I want to be careful when I say the apostle Paul. 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:13.200 Paul commands, it's the writing of the apostle Paul and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in which he commands us to forgive. 00:20:14.300 --> 00:20:20.960 And Paul says in Ephesians 4, 32, forgive one another as God has forgiven you. 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:28.540 And so we see this command that God places on us. 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:47.960 Well, John says that back to 1 John 5, that when we love God, when we obey his commandments, that we shouldn't do it burdensome, but that we should do it with joy. 00:20:48.660 --> 00:20:54.700 So we should not be like I was in elementary school, thinking, well, why do I have to follow these? 00:20:55.620 --> 00:20:58.320 But we should go, oh, God's got a plan. 00:20:58.440 --> 00:20:59.220 God's got a purpose. 00:20:59.360 --> 00:20:59.960 God's got a desire. 00:21:00.180 --> 00:21:01.220 And I get to. 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:03.640 But it's difficult to do that, right? 00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:05.920 It's hard sometimes. 00:21:07.420 --> 00:21:08.900 But God gives us the power to do it. 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:12.800 Look at 1 John, let's look at verses 4 through 5. 00:21:12.800 --> 00:21:42.000 So here's why in this world, God's commands that are for our good, that God's commands that are for our betterment, 00:21:42.420 --> 00:21:50.540 that God's commands that are for his glory, that God's commands that bring great joy in our life. 00:21:50.540 --> 00:22:09.600 This is why, though, God's commands oftentimes feel burdensome, because the world tempts us to believe that disobedience to God is more satisfying and more joy-filled than obeying God. 00:22:10.660 --> 00:22:17.460 And so when you've experienced that, what you're feeling is the temptation, the draw on this world to go, no, no, no, no, no, no. 00:22:17.580 --> 00:22:21.020 I know God says this, this, this, this, and this. 00:22:21.140 --> 00:22:25.160 And God tells you that you experience joy when you obey him. 00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:34.740 But what the world is tempting you to do is that actually satisfaction, that actual joy is found when you disobey God. 00:22:35.860 --> 00:22:44.940 And so we're convinced to believe that being sexually pure is not a source of joy, but is a source of burden. 00:22:45.660 --> 00:22:55.980 That the world convinces us that cheating on our taxes and taking what's not ours, that's joyous, not being honest. 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:57.540 That's a burden. 00:22:58.540 --> 00:23:13.580 The world teaches us that when we hear gossip, that joy is found in and engaging in that conversation so that we can find out more about others to their detriment, but to our sinful benefit. 00:23:14.360 --> 00:23:16.400 And that's not joy at all. 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:42.980 God teaches us that we, through our faith, can overcome the world because we can overcome this draw of temptation because of the Holy Spirit that God gives us in salvation that causes us to live as victors who have overcome the world. 00:23:43.560 --> 00:24:13.140 And in this, we see, this is when we see the spiritual maturity, that being obedient to the Lord, it's not a punishment, that being obedient to the Lord is not burdensome, but being obedient to the Lord is where we find such a great renewal of our spirit, where we find joy, where we find contentment, and where we find satisfaction. 00:24:14.100 --> 00:24:18.300 I want to share a story where God really taught me this in my life. 00:24:19.340 --> 00:24:28.640 Several years ago, there was a person who goes, who went then to Willow Ridge Church and attends Willow Ridge Church now. 00:24:29.600 --> 00:24:39.500 And not to get into the details specifically, because they don't matter, but to say this individual and I had a moment of conflict. 00:24:40.640 --> 00:24:43.860 We had a pretty bad disagreement with one another. 00:24:45.460 --> 00:24:49.020 And I don't want to speak for them, so I'll just speak for myself. 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:53.360 The disagreement on my part was not handled well. 00:24:54.740 --> 00:24:56.740 It wasn't handled with the right heart. 00:24:57.300 --> 00:24:59.620 This disagreement wasn't handled in the right manner. 00:25:00.520 --> 00:25:07.240 And when I left, what consumed me was anger and bitterness. 00:25:08.360 --> 00:25:13.260 Now, I knew that I needed to forgive. 00:25:14.500 --> 00:25:17.480 And I knew that I needed to ask for forgiveness. 00:25:18.620 --> 00:25:20.320 But I didn't want to do either one of them. 00:25:21.080 --> 00:25:23.000 It felt like a burden to do that. 00:25:24.080 --> 00:25:26.980 I said things like, well, why should I have to? 00:25:28.280 --> 00:25:33.260 But what they did to me was worse than what I did to them. 00:25:34.780 --> 00:25:44.720 But God, in His grace, as I didn't deserve it, was better to me, way better to me than I deserved, wouldn't leave me alone with this. 00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:49.460 And wouldn't leave the other individual alone for this. 00:25:49.580 --> 00:25:51.760 And so they asked if we could meet. 00:25:52.600 --> 00:25:54.380 And so we did, and we sat down and we talked. 00:25:55.180 --> 00:25:56.680 We talked for a couple hours. 00:25:57.600 --> 00:25:59.380 And here's what was remarkable. 00:26:00.460 --> 00:26:04.880 When we got done with our conversation, we still disagreed. 00:26:06.440 --> 00:26:15.260 We didn't come to this magical agreement that I now agreed that they were right or they then agreed that I was right. 00:26:15.700 --> 00:26:16.700 We disagreed. 00:26:17.580 --> 00:26:22.640 But what we had put aside was our anger, our bitterness. 00:26:23.720 --> 00:26:25.400 And we forgave one another. 00:26:25.960 --> 00:26:27.260 And we loved one another. 00:26:28.340 --> 00:26:35.960 And now, some years later, our relationship is stronger now than it's ever been. 00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:44.800 And I would say that my relationship with this individual was one of the strongest relationships that God has blessed me with in the history of my ministry. 00:26:46.440 --> 00:26:48.080 And, folks, that's how God works. 00:26:50.020 --> 00:26:51.780 When we decide to keep His commands. 00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:56.160 And joy was found in forgiveness. 00:26:57.160 --> 00:27:00.180 You see, joy wasn't found because I was proven right. 00:27:01.180 --> 00:27:03.920 And joy was not found because this individual was proven right. 00:27:05.200 --> 00:27:08.220 Joy was found because we forgave one another. 00:27:09.380 --> 00:27:12.680 And in that, we love the Lord. 00:27:13.660 --> 00:27:15.140 And in that, we love one another. 00:27:16.640 --> 00:27:21.600 You see, that's what God longs for in us. 00:27:21.600 --> 00:27:36.380 The desire, the change to be able to see in the heart of His children that we obey Him, not because we're afraid that we'll get caught, but that we'll obey Him because that's what glorifies and honors Him. 00:27:37.100 --> 00:27:37.860 And we get to. 00:27:39.540 --> 00:27:49.640 And when we follow the commandments, when we do as God has instructed, that's where we experience a lot of the tangible joy of our salvation. 00:27:50.900 --> 00:28:00.040 I want to keep reading and look at the last parts of 1 John 5, 6 through 13. 00:28:01.480 --> 00:28:01.980 It says, 00:28:01.980 --> 00:28:04.520 This is He who came by water and blood. 00:28:05.320 --> 00:28:11.040 Jesus Christ, not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. 00:28:11.600 --> 00:28:15.900 And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is truth. 00:28:16.580 --> 00:28:23.040 For there are three that testify, the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree. 00:28:23.760 --> 00:28:28.340 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater. 00:28:28.880 --> 00:28:32.720 For this is the testimony of God that He has borne concerning His Son. 00:28:33.340 --> 00:28:36.900 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in Himself. 00:28:37.580 --> 00:28:45.740 Whoever does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning His Son. 00:28:46.280 --> 00:28:50.060 And this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life. 00:28:50.620 --> 00:28:52.700 And this life is in His Son. 00:28:53.380 --> 00:28:55.640 Whoever has the Son has life. 00:28:56.300 --> 00:29:00.240 And whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:05.540 And so in closing, what I want us to talk about is this, is believing in the Son. 00:29:06.700 --> 00:29:12.560 Believing in the Son, because that is the means by which eternal life will be given. 00:29:13.240 --> 00:29:15.920 Life and hope with Christ and Christ alone. 00:29:17.040 --> 00:29:18.340 Verse 12 says that. 00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:22.020 Whoever has the Son has life. 00:29:22.600 --> 00:29:26.940 Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 00:29:27.800 --> 00:29:32.880 You see, so many times we want to think that there's more to this or less to this, and there's not. 00:29:33.560 --> 00:29:36.320 It's the truth of this sentence. 00:29:37.020 --> 00:29:42.860 Whoever has the Son, whoever has Jesus, has life. 00:29:43.820 --> 00:29:51.580 And then so if you have Him, so you have life, then the opposite of both of those must be true as well. 00:29:52.040 --> 00:29:55.440 Then if you do not have the Son, then you do not have life. 00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:57.840 There isn't another option. 00:29:58.620 --> 00:30:00.780 This isn't 1A, 1B, where's 1C? 00:30:01.160 --> 00:30:04.440 This isn't where's 1, there's 1 and 2, and where's 3, 4 and 5. 00:30:04.580 --> 00:30:06.040 There isn't multi-parts of this. 00:30:06.100 --> 00:30:10.460 It's the truth of either you're found in Christ or you're not. 00:30:12.500 --> 00:30:15.780 And so that's the question that we are drawn to. 00:30:16.700 --> 00:30:22.280 Whoever has the Son has life, and whoever does not have the Son does not. 00:30:22.920 --> 00:30:24.480 So what does that mean? 00:30:24.560 --> 00:30:29.800 I have eternal life when I have Christ. 00:30:30.220 --> 00:30:33.800 What does it mean to have Jesus? 00:30:34.740 --> 00:30:37.400 Now, that's maybe a common phrase in the church. 00:30:37.500 --> 00:30:39.380 I would say that's a phrase that we use a lot. 00:30:39.620 --> 00:30:45.480 And if you go to churches or you've been to church or you were raised in church, you may have heard that phrase before. 00:30:45.660 --> 00:30:47.180 Well, do you have Jesus? 00:30:47.400 --> 00:30:49.480 Well, yes, I have Jesus. 00:30:50.140 --> 00:30:53.140 And if you just hear that, like if I walk up to somebody on the street and I say, 00:30:53.300 --> 00:30:57.340 do you know I have something, they will say, well, can I see it? 00:30:57.560 --> 00:30:58.220 Like, show me that. 00:30:58.500 --> 00:31:02.460 You say you have Jesus, then show me Jesus. 00:31:03.040 --> 00:31:07.820 So what does it mean to say that we have Jesus? 00:31:08.660 --> 00:31:14.200 Well, to have something is to imply that an action can also exist. 00:31:14.360 --> 00:31:15.560 And here's what I mean by that. 00:31:16.260 --> 00:31:19.920 I'm going to give you three examples from three different things. 00:31:20.080 --> 00:31:22.900 One is a personality thing, so you can't touch it. 00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:27.100 One's a physical object explanation, and one's a relationship explanation. 00:31:27.640 --> 00:31:30.000 All three ring true about having something. 00:31:30.600 --> 00:31:36.420 So if I say that I have a particular sense of humor, I have a sarcastic sense of humor. 00:31:36.520 --> 00:31:39.180 So for better or for worse, I can be sarcastic. 00:31:39.280 --> 00:31:41.680 For better or for worse, I find sarcasm funny. 00:31:41.680 --> 00:31:42.680 Now, some people don't. 00:31:42.760 --> 00:31:48.160 Some people don't find that type of comedy or that sense of humor funny. 00:31:48.380 --> 00:31:53.580 But that's the type of personality, the sense of humor that I have. 00:31:53.780 --> 00:31:55.400 This is the particular sense of humor. 00:31:55.820 --> 00:31:59.960 So because of that, there's an action, which means that I find certain things funny. 00:32:00.280 --> 00:32:02.080 So something sarcastic, you'll probably see me laugh. 00:32:02.320 --> 00:32:03.640 You'll probably see me chuckle. 00:32:03.680 --> 00:32:06.640 You might even hear me say those things from time to time. 00:32:06.640 --> 00:32:13.460 So there's an action because I have something, something as simple as when we have an object. 00:32:13.460 --> 00:32:19.000 So if I say to you, and I've got one sitting right here with me with my notes, that I have a pen. 00:32:19.460 --> 00:32:22.460 Well, that pen can do something for me, right? 00:32:22.740 --> 00:32:24.640 That pen can point to things. 00:32:24.780 --> 00:32:29.100 That pen can very intentionally write things when I pick it up and use it. 00:32:29.100 --> 00:32:37.020 Because I have something, I then therefore have an action that comes along with having that particular instrument. 00:32:37.740 --> 00:32:45.020 But not only do I have a personality or sense of humor, not only do I have this pen, but I have a marriage. 00:32:45.480 --> 00:32:47.700 I have a marriage to a particular individual. 00:32:47.900 --> 00:32:50.340 I have a marriage to my wife, Erin. 00:32:50.340 --> 00:33:00.140 And so since I have this relationship with her, this marriage, I then have a particular relationship 00:33:00.140 --> 00:33:08.140 that is marked by actions and things and behaviors and conversations that I don't have with other 00:33:08.140 --> 00:33:13.960 individuals, but is special and unique because I have this relationship. 00:33:14.580 --> 00:33:22.480 To say that you have Jesus implies an action from Jesus. 00:33:23.400 --> 00:33:24.620 I have him. 00:33:25.020 --> 00:33:27.260 So then the question is, well, then what do you have? 00:33:27.820 --> 00:33:31.360 What do you have as a result of having Jesus? 00:33:31.860 --> 00:33:33.840 What does verse 12 mean? 00:33:34.200 --> 00:33:38.380 That if you have the son, then you have life. 00:33:39.280 --> 00:33:41.720 Well, Jesus talks about this in John 10, 10. 00:33:42.140 --> 00:33:43.660 Jesus describes life with him. 00:33:43.660 --> 00:33:44.700 And what does that mean? 00:33:45.120 --> 00:33:50.620 And he says, I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly. 00:33:51.360 --> 00:33:52.780 And so Jesus talks about this. 00:33:53.360 --> 00:33:54.820 But what does it mean to have Jesus? 00:33:55.560 --> 00:33:59.900 Well, he talks about that you have life, but you have life in two different ways. 00:34:00.620 --> 00:34:03.120 He says that you have life before the grave, right? 00:34:03.780 --> 00:34:08.840 Jesus says, I've come that you may have life right here in the now, in the tangible ways 00:34:08.840 --> 00:34:11.460 that your life is marked differently. 00:34:11.460 --> 00:34:13.400 Your life is marked with joy. 00:34:13.700 --> 00:34:15.360 Your life is marked with love. 00:34:15.480 --> 00:34:17.520 Your life is marked with obedience. 00:34:17.660 --> 00:34:17.840 Why? 00:34:17.940 --> 00:34:20.540 Because you have Jesus. 00:34:21.540 --> 00:34:24.040 But then also your life after the grave. 00:34:24.880 --> 00:34:28.960 The eternal life that you're promised in Jesus. 00:34:29.600 --> 00:34:36.660 Because you've put your faith, your hope, your trust, because you believe in him, as John tells 00:34:36.660 --> 00:34:43.840 us in 1 John 5, verse 10, that we've believed in this testimony of Christ. 00:34:44.620 --> 00:34:48.640 So as we talk about what does it mean to have Jesus, I also want to raise the question of 00:34:48.640 --> 00:34:51.340 what does it mean to say that I believe in Jesus? 00:34:52.620 --> 00:34:58.180 Now, to say I believe in Jesus, it's a good thing. 00:34:58.660 --> 00:35:01.340 It's a good thing to say that I believe in Jesus, right? 00:35:01.640 --> 00:35:03.120 We hear that expression a lot. 00:35:04.200 --> 00:35:11.400 But if what we mean when we say we believe in Jesus is I believe in a historical Jesus, 00:35:12.440 --> 00:35:19.020 or even more so, I believe in theological facts about Jesus, or theological truths, I'm sorry, 00:35:19.100 --> 00:35:25.660 I believe in theological truths about Jesus, then our statement of belief in Jesus is good. 00:35:25.820 --> 00:35:26.940 It's a good statement. 00:35:27.640 --> 00:35:31.420 We believe historically who Jesus is. 00:35:31.980 --> 00:35:36.260 We believe theologically who Jesus is. 00:35:37.080 --> 00:35:46.680 But our statement of belief is incomplete if it just rests in historical and theological. 00:35:47.880 --> 00:35:50.180 It's got to be a practical sense to it as well. 00:35:51.140 --> 00:35:52.040 Here's what I mean. 00:35:54.040 --> 00:35:59.820 Do you believe that Jesus Christ came to earth as God in human form? 00:36:01.000 --> 00:36:02.420 I hope your answer is yes. 00:36:03.100 --> 00:36:05.780 And if you said yes, the answer to that question is correct. 00:36:05.920 --> 00:36:08.280 I'm glad that that's what you believe. 00:36:09.420 --> 00:36:11.980 Do you believe Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, 00:36:11.980 --> 00:36:17.180 and while he lived on this earth, lived a sinless life? 00:36:18.700 --> 00:36:20.080 I hope your answer is yes. 00:36:20.140 --> 00:36:22.440 And if you answered yes again, you're two for two. 00:36:22.520 --> 00:36:23.460 That's the correct answer. 00:36:24.740 --> 00:36:33.460 Do you believe that Jesus Christ stood trial, was convicted, and sentenced to death on a cross? 00:36:34.340 --> 00:36:39.900 And on that cross, he died as a payment for sin. 00:36:41.000 --> 00:36:44.660 If you believe that again, three for three, you're doing wonderful. 00:36:45.080 --> 00:36:46.000 Great job, right? 00:36:46.080 --> 00:36:47.400 We need to believe these things. 00:36:47.460 --> 00:36:47.980 This is important. 00:36:48.860 --> 00:36:49.460 Well, let's keep going. 00:36:49.540 --> 00:36:55.460 Do you believe that Jesus was buried in a tomb, was there for three days? 00:36:55.940 --> 00:36:56.780 He was not asleep. 00:36:56.900 --> 00:36:59.100 He was not unconscious, and he was dead. 00:37:00.100 --> 00:37:02.800 And on the third day, he rose again. 00:37:03.920 --> 00:37:04.820 Do you believe that? 00:37:05.720 --> 00:37:06.640 And again, yes. 00:37:07.880 --> 00:37:13.660 If you believe all those things, and there are many, many more from Scripture that we could draw. 00:37:13.660 --> 00:37:18.940 But if you believe those things and all the others, right, that's good. 00:37:19.540 --> 00:37:21.200 That's a good thing. 00:37:22.240 --> 00:37:28.940 But if your belief is simply believing in historical facts, which all of those are, 00:37:29.840 --> 00:37:37.980 or if your belief is added to that theological truths, which all of those are, 00:37:39.080 --> 00:37:42.600 it's good, but it's incomplete. 00:37:44.600 --> 00:37:49.780 Because biblical belief doesn't just say that I agree that these things are true. 00:37:51.180 --> 00:37:56.360 That biblical belief calls for a response and a trust of him. 00:37:57.480 --> 00:38:03.680 So because we believe all of these things, we trust Jesus. 00:38:04.460 --> 00:38:08.980 And we trust that his death is a payment for our sins. 00:38:09.600 --> 00:38:14.980 It's not just a fact, but it's a truth that we cling to and that we trust. 00:38:16.000 --> 00:38:18.300 That I can't make atonement for my sins. 00:38:18.820 --> 00:38:20.860 That I can't make a payment for my sins. 00:38:21.660 --> 00:38:27.760 That that can only be found through the life and death of Christ and Christ alone. 00:38:29.220 --> 00:38:35.600 We not only believe in his resurrection, we believe historically that it happened. 00:38:36.440 --> 00:38:41.800 We believe the theological truths that Scripture teach us of the resurrection. 00:38:42.360 --> 00:38:48.360 But we also trust his resurrection as a promise that just as Christ was raised, 00:38:48.440 --> 00:38:52.180 that we too will be raised for eternal life. 00:38:52.980 --> 00:39:00.640 You see, believing in Jesus requires more than an acknowledgement of the mind, 00:39:01.300 --> 00:39:04.800 more than an agreement to a list of facts. 00:39:05.880 --> 00:39:13.020 Believing in Jesus is trusting and placing our faith and our hope in him and him alone. 00:39:14.100 --> 00:39:16.720 Acknowledging that we can't save ourselves. 00:39:17.600 --> 00:39:22.560 We can't mend our relationship with the Father, but it could only be done through the Son 00:39:22.560 --> 00:39:24.640 and through the Son alone. 00:39:25.640 --> 00:39:38.580 And when we begin to understand this, that it requires a trust in who Jesus is and a surrender 00:39:38.580 --> 00:39:46.980 to him, then we move from a belief of facts to a belief and trust of faith in Christ. 00:39:47.600 --> 00:39:55.520 I want to thank you for joining us as we do this little different way to wrap up this section of Scripture. 00:39:56.460 --> 00:40:02.900 And I pray that within your life and within mine as well, that God is drawing us to him. 00:40:03.840 --> 00:40:10.300 That where we find ourselves is in a desire to be obedient to him and who he is. 00:40:11.020 --> 00:40:16.300 Not because he's an angry God up above us looking down to punish those who disobey. 00:40:17.220 --> 00:40:22.360 But because he's a God who loves us and wants to experience the joy of his way. 00:40:22.940 --> 00:40:26.660 That he wants us to experience the joy in obedience to him. 00:40:27.440 --> 00:40:35.060 I pray for you that if you're here today or you're listening today and you've acknowledged a set of facts about Jesus, 00:40:35.180 --> 00:40:38.880 I'm so grateful that it resonates with you. 00:40:38.980 --> 00:40:41.620 All of the things that Scripture claims of Christ are true. 00:40:42.420 --> 00:40:49.240 But I pray it would move beyond an acknowledgement of the mind and that it would become a surrender of the heart. 00:40:50.240 --> 00:40:55.160 That you would recognize Jesus is who he is as Lord and Savior. 00:40:56.100 --> 00:40:59.220 And that he would be the Lord and Savior of your life. 00:41:00.020 --> 00:41:00.740 Would you pray with me? 00:41:02.200 --> 00:41:05.280 God, I thank you so much for our time that we could spend together. 00:41:06.100 --> 00:41:08.280 Lord, may your truth penetrate our hearts. 00:41:09.120 --> 00:41:11.980 May it change us and draw us closer to you. 00:41:12.860 --> 00:41:13.940 And it's in Jesus' name we pray. 00:41:14.640 --> 00:41:14.960 Amen. 00:41:14.960 --> 00:41:15.080 Amen. 00:41:15.080 --> 00:41:15.080 Amen. 00:41:20.240 --> 00:41:31.180 Thanks again for listening to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast. 00:41:31.640 --> 00:41:33.800 We hope that you enjoyed listening to this week's message. 00:41:34.400 --> 00:41:37.820 If you'd like to learn more about who we are or explore additional resources, 00:41:38.420 --> 00:41:42.860 visit us online at www.willowridgechurch.com 00:41:42.860 --> 00:41:46.420 or by searching for Willow Ridge Church on Facebook and Instagram. 00:41:50.240 --> 00:41:53.820 We hope that you'd like to learn more about who we are or are aware of what we are or are aware of. 00:41:53.820 --> 00:41:54.760 We hope that you'll be able to learn more about who we are or are aware of. 00:41:54.760 --> 00:41:56.940 We hope that you'll be able to learn more about who we are or are aware of. 00:41:56.940 --> 00:41:57.880 We hope that you'll be able to learn more about who we are or are aware of. 00:41:57.880 --> 00:41:58.880 We hope that you'll be able to learn more about who we are or are aware of.