Our Sermons

Bible Passage: 1 John 2:3-11
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  January 22, 2023

Have you ever had a conversation similar to this one? On Monday, Mom says, “You know that your assignment is due next Monday.” Son says, “Mom, I know.” On Wednesday Mom says, “You should really get started on that assignment, it’s due on Monday.” Son says, now rather aggravated, “Mom, I know.” On Saturday, Mom says, “You should really take a couple of hours today to work on that assignment so you don’t have to try and do it all at the last minute..” Son says uninterestedly, “Mom, I know, I know.” It’s Sunday night at 10 pm and the son is feverishly working on this assignment. He has no prayer of finishing it properly and mom says, “I told you that you should have been working on this earlier.” And the son says now regretfully and guiltily, “I know, I know.” I’m sure that little episode has played itself out in many of our households in some form or fashion. The question that begs to be asked is “If you knew, then why didn’t you do it?” Answers could range from, “I forgot,” to “I thought it wouldn’t take me that long,” to “I didn’t want to do it so I kept putting it off.” Whatever the reason, whether it is procrastination or just plain laziness, the fact of the matter is that you knew what should be done, what you said you were going to do and you didn’t do it.

In our reading this morning, the Apostle John starts off by saying, “This is how we know…” What do we know? How do we know? How do we show that we know? Those are all questions that John answers for us and that we want to ponder today. My prayer for you is that the Holy Spirit, who lives in all of you, reminds you of what you know, because, my dear friends, in Christ, We Know!

We’re not told specifically who John wrote this letter to or when he wrote it, but we can make certain educated assumptions. The early church historian Irenaeus, tells us that John, in his later years, was the supervisor of the church at Ephesus and the churches surrounding Ephesus. John, in his letter, refers to his recipients as “children” nine times; and in 2 and 3 John, he refers to himself as “The Elder.” We also know that John was exiled to the island of Patmos and again Irenaeus tells us this took place in AD 95. Based on those factors, it is safe to assume that John wrote these last three letters to the church at Ephesus later in his life, perhaps while he was exiled on Patmos. Besides the who, it’s also important to understand the why. Already, not even a century after Jesus had risen and ascended into heaven, false teaching was making its way into the church. And particularly problematic was the heresy known as Gnosticism. The leaders of Gnosticism claimed that there was a higher spiritual knowledge that the Scriptures did not contain. As a result, believers were losing their confidence in the Scriptures, their certainty of being saved, and drifting into unrepentant sinful lifestyles. John wrote to combat this heresy and to reassure and implore those Christians in what they did already know.

And so John writes, “This is how we know that we have known him: if we keep his commands.” Who is the “him”? In the first two verses of chapter 2, John makes that plain. He says, “My children, I write these things to you so that you will not sin. If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate before the Father: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the whole world.” John is talking about Jesus. Jesus, the perfect, righteous Substitute who made us right with God. Jesus, who right now intercedes for us with the Father, speaking in our defense. We know this about Jesus! We know, John says, that we can be absolutely 100% certain that we know and believe and have faith. How?  “This is how we know that we have known him: if we keep his commands.”

Now, at first this may sound or seem awkward to our Lutheran ears. It almost sounds as if John is promoting work-righteousness, an earning of our relationship with Jesus. But that’s not at all what John is saying. In fact, he’s saying very much the same thing that James said in his letter. James wrote, “So also, such “faith,” if it is alone and has no works, is dead.” Again, initially, to our Lutheran ears, this Word of God sounds foreign. But it’s not at all foreign. What James is saying, what John is saying, what the whole of Scripture says is this: Good works are evidence of faith. In other words, if you truly have faith, then good works will naturally flow from that faith. You cannot separate faith from the good works that follow. John says we know that we are Jesus’ disciples, we know that we are his followers, we know that we are believers and we have saving faith…“if we keep his commands.” The proof is in the pudding, so to speak.

And that is why John logically follows with verse 4 and following.  “The one who says, “I know him,” but does not keep his commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. If anyone keeps God’s word, the love of God is truly made complete in him. This is how we know that we are in him: The one who says he remains in him should walk as Jesus walked.” It’s one thing to know Jesus with head knowledge. But just believing that God exists doesn’t make you a true believer. James writes, “You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder!” Isn’t it interesting that James makes the comparison to demons and John to liars when talking about the lack of doing God’s will? Someone who says they know and then doesn’t do what they say is in some ways no different than a demon, a follower of the devil. Have you ever thought about that? When’s the last time you compared yourself to a demon? When’s the last time you acted like an obstinate teenager and said, “I know,” but then didn’t follow through on what you knew?

Here’s an example. Perhaps one of the more undervalued gifts of God protected by the Ten Commandments is the gift of a good name and a good reputation. Those gifts give us the right to share the gospel with others. So just think of the damage done to that opportunity when our lives are no different than unbelievers. Think of the damage done when our deeds directly contradict what we supposedly believe! Nothing shouts, “Hypocrite!” more than a Christian who claims that their church is important to them, that they are a member of such and such a church, but never attend. Nothing shouts, “Hypocrite!: more than Christians who claim to hold to the Bible’s teachings but then live openly and unabashedly in sin. Just think of the impression that gives! Why would anyone want to be part of that group if they don’t practice what they preach?

John’s point here is not that when we sin that we show our faith and our knowledge of God to be dead. His point is that true faith and knowledge is always known and evidenced by words and actions of obedience to God’s will. It’s knowing God with an experiential knowledge. And this is something we can do! We can do what God has asked us to do! We can grow in our obedience to God’s will. Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” John says very much the same thing when he says, “If anyone keeps God’s word, the love of God is truly made complete in him.”

John writes, “Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one that you have had since the beginning. The old command is the message you heard. At the same time, the command I am writing is new—it is true in Jesus and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.” John’s words shouldn’t have been a shock to those in Ephesus. Nor should they be a shock to us. All of Scripture talks about the seriousness of obeying God’s commands. If you don’t think God was serious, just read again throughout the Old Testament of what happened when the people disobeyed! That’s what John means when he says this command is an old one, one they have had since the beginning. But there is something new; something new that appears with Christ this Epiphany. Christ has obeyed all of those commands perfectly! His obedience serves a dual purpose. It is both the life offering for our disobedience AND it is the motivational example for us to follow. That New Command that John refers to is what Jesus talked about on the Thursday before his death. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, so also you are to love one another.” John says that this new commandment is true in us! The changes that the Gospel brings in the believer are not theoretical or secret or to be seen some time in the future. They are not merely head knowledge. They are actual, practical, experiential knowledge. When the Holy Spirit brings us to faith, it brings about an immediate change, an immediate ability to do what he says. “The true light is already shining.” Everyday we are connected to Jesus, everyday that we are renewed and refreshed by his Word and Sacraments, the darkness of sin that once dominated our lives slowly fades. The Light of Christ in our lives is already shining! Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

“The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is still in the darkness. The one who loves his brother remains in the light, and nothing causes him to stumble. The one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” The disagreement that the Gnostics introduced to the congregation at Ephesus certainly caused conflict in that congregation. This is why John speaks the way he does. He had to remind them, rather sternly, that those who can’t love their brothers and sisters, their fellow believers, are really not in the light of the gospel, but in the darkness of sin. Do we need the same reminder? Certainly, there have been disagreements and possibly even divisions among us. But if we can’t show love to our neighbor and especially our brothers and sisters in the Lord, how can we say that we are following Christ who loved us with an everlasting love, who loved us when we loved him not?

But my dear brothers and sisters, We Know! We know how Christ has loved us. We know all that he so willingly did for us. And, we know what God expects of us. And we know that we can do it! Don’t let Satan convince you otherwise! Don’t let him use differing opinions to stop you from loving one another. Don’t let him introduce any doubt about the love your Savior has for you and the power you have to do what he says. Your faith is sure and certain because its object is everlasting. Jesus is making his love complete in us every day that we do his will! And by God’s grace, let it grow stronger every day! “This is how we know that we have known him: if we keep his commands.” My brothers and sisters, We Know! Amen.