IDENTITY CHECK
Series: ILLUMINATE — Message #2
1 John 2
Last week we began a new series called Illuminate — and today we’re going to continue our study of the book of 1st John. So, if you have your Bible, turn there with me.
This morning we’ll be in chapter 2.
TRANSITION:
As you’re turning there, I thought I’d begin with a question:
How many of you are plant people? Do, you love plants?
Over the years, I’ve discovered that I’ve become sort of a plant person. The older I get, and the busier life becomes, the more I find myself drawn towards that which is green and growing.
Now, I’ve always enjoyed gardening and mowing — and caring for the plants and flowers in our yard. But during the long days of 2020 (and the shut-down of the world)…I found a renewed passion for plants and gardening.
Add to that the fast and furious pace of life — and the increase of time spent on digital things — and it seems like getting my hands in the dirt, and gardening and growing things just helps rest the mind and revive the heart.
But, beyond that — I think I probably get my love for plants and gardening from my mom. Because — she’s always been a plant person.
But one of the things I have a hard time with is remembering the names of types of plants I have.
However, a couple of years ago — my brother-in-law said, “They have an app for that.” And, he introduced me to an app called “Plant-Snap”. If you don’t have it — you should.
Plant-snap. It’s pretty awesome. With it, I can point my phone’s camera at any leaf, plant, tree, shrub, or flower — snap a pic, and it will identify the species, giving me the common name, the scientific name, the nature of the plant, where it grows, the details about it’s care and more.
It’s pretty amazing!
But — it got me thinking, what it they had an app like that for helping to identify the nature of people. What it they made something to help determine if someone was a follower of Jesus?
Wouldn’t it be great to have an app like that? One, where you didn’t have to just take someone’s word for it — but you could snap a pic, and discern the authenticity of someone’s claims about Jesus.
More than words, you could determine the genuineness of their commitment to Christ.
Or maybe, you’d like to snap a selfie, to check and see if your life and your faith would qualify as genuine in regards to following Jesus.
MESSAGE:
Well, this morning — in the second chapter of 1st John — we find three distinctive that help us do an IDENTITY CHECK in our lives.
Today we’ll discover three things to help us identify the authenticity of our faith.
So, according to John, the first mark of authentic faith, means that you:
- DO WHAT JESUS SAID!
Beginning in verse 3, John writes:
3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them.
First of all: John says, “If you want to know if you are truly living for God — and following Christ…check to see “if you are obeying what He said.” Are you, keeping his commands!
That’s pretty straightforward, right?
- If you keep the commands of God, that indicates that there is a change in your life.
- It indicates that you have a new heart and a new mind.
- It indicates that the Holy Spirit of God dwells inside of you.
So, are you doing what Jesus said to do?
Just think about that for a second.
We don’t keep the commands of God in order to be noticed, loved, and saved (by God). That happens simply by our surrender to Him and our confession of faith. But, once we’ve given our lives to Jesus, our lives should begin to reflect our profession of faith. John says that we should keep the commands of God.
By the way, it’s not only John who says this; Jesus says this, Paul says this, James says this, Peter says this, Moses says this, Joshua says this, Ezra says this, and many others.
John’s point is this—information alone is never enough.
Just knowing something isn’t sufficient. There must be an application of truth in our lives to really make a difference in us.
It is important to make sure we are thinking RIGHTLY about God’s Word — and have a doctrinally sound faith. But being informed must also be coupled with being transformed…living fully surrendered to God’s Will.
In our culture, we might think about it like this: Talk is cheap!
Just knowing or saying something isn’t sufficient. In order for something to be life-changing, it needs to be lived out. We need to put some legs to it.
And so, John says — “…do what he commands”. Keep the commands of God. Practice what you preach.
Now, don’t misunderstand me (or John) This isn’t about living a PERFECT LIFE. It’s not a TOTAL obedience — but rather a GENERAL obedience.
John has already told us that we can’t live a PERFECT LIFE on our own. In verse 2 of this chapter, John said:
”If anyone sins, he has an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). His point is that you and I will sin — we aren’t perfect. But when we sin, when we stumble and fall, Jesus becomes our advocate (our champion, our supporter, and the one who upholds us).
So, the expectation is not about perfection — but that we would generally obey Jesus.
There’s an expectation that we will strive to obey Him. And John says, if we claim to know God, then we must obey Him. And if we don’t — then that’s a problem.
John says if we don’t obey Jesus — then we are LIARS! But we don’t have to be LIARS. Because, there’s an alternative. And in verse 5, John says,
5 …if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them.
I don’t have time to go through every command that we find in God’s Word — nor all that Jesus said. But, here are a few. Listen to these, and ask yourself if you are obeying these commands.
Jesus said:
Repent.
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17)
Follow Me.
19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19)
Seek God’s Kingdom first.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)
Turn the other cheek.
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. (Matthew 5:38-39)
Go the extra mile.
40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. (Matthew 5:40-41)
Comply with God’s Word — do what Jesus commanded. Obey Him. That’s the first test of IDENTIFYING the authenticity of our faith. Are you doing what Jesus said to do?
Here’s the second test. If you want to determine the authenticity of your faith — then:
- LIVE LIKE JESUS LIVED!
Listen to how verse 5 continues. John says,
5 … This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
1 John 2:5b-6 (NIV)
John says, the next test for an authentic faith in Jesus — is this, are we living like Jesus lived?
Now, at first glance, this is a bit intimidating. But John reminds us that Jesus was our forerunner. And, He lived the life that He came and called us us to live.
I’m sure you’ve heard it said: ‘Actions speak louder than words’, and they do! In fact, that’s what John was saying here. So, don’t just profess to follow Jesus…really follow Him. And, live like Him.
So, how did JESUS live? Well…
Jesus lived in faith. The Bible says Jesus did nothing of Himself. Instead, He chose to depend upon His Heavenly Father for all things.
Jesus practiced contentment.
Jesus acted generously. He gave of himself, His resources, His time, His attention and eventually, His life.
Jesus lived a submissive life. Even though He was fully God, He choose to obey the will of the Father. Even to the extent of laying down his life for the salvation of humankind.
Jesus also lived a life of prayer. He constantly retreated away from distractions in order to spend time with His Father (in prayer). Even though there was work to be done — He practiced a devotion and dependence upon His Father (through prayer). So, before he did miracles, and feed the hungry — before He ministered to the needs of those around Him…He spent time with God in prayer.
But the bigger question is — are you living like Jesus?
There’s a story told about a sculptor who once took a huge piece of granite and determined that he would carve it into the shape of a lion. For weeks he pounded his hammer and chisel against the rock — until one day, he had finished. And the result was a masterpiece.
When the towns-people came to see it, they all asked, “How did you do it? How did you make it look so real?”
To which he responded, “It was easy. All I did was chip away everything that didn’t look like a lion.”
So, let me ask you? How are you doing at living like Jesus? Are you intentionally chipping away those habits and patterns in your life that don’t look like Jesus?
According to John, the first test of IDENTIFYING the authenticity of our faith.
Are you doing what Jesus said to do? And the second is…
Are you living like Jesus lived?
The last command John gives is this — to determine the authenticity of your faith:
- LOVE LIKE JESUS LOVED!
In verse 7, John says,
7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard.
1 John 2:7 (NIV)
Here’s what John is saying: I’m not saying anything that you haven’t heard before, but somethings changed. And it’s JESUS! He changes everything.
I like the way the Eugene Peterson paraphrases that verse in The Message Bible. He puts it this way — he says:
“My dear friends, I’m not writing anything new here. This is the oldest commandment in the book, and you’ve known it from day one. It’s always been implicit in the Message you’ve heard.” (MSG)
John is saying that this idea of following God, obeying His ways, and walking in the light, is an old command. God has always wanted His people to obey His commands. God has always wanted His people to love Him and love others.
So…Love, it seems, is a Bible basic…it’s an OLD COMMAND! But, now there’s something different about the way we love and serve Him.
Because, now we are to be empowered to: Obey, Live, and Love — by the power of Christ in us! No longer doing these things on our own. Now doing them through Jesus.
So, in verse 8, John goes on to say,
8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
1 John 2:8 (NIV)
And that light that John’s referencing is Jesus. In chapter 1, John said God was light. And that LIGHT came from heaven to earth in the person of Jesus. And here in chapter 2, John reminds us that that LIGHT now lives in us. And His name is Jesus!
And so, when we love — it is the love of Christ that should flow through us.
But let be clear about something. Just as we need to identify who we are (in Christ). We also need to identify WHO JESUS IS. Because in our world, people try everyday to redefine HIM!
Everyone seems to have an opinion about WHO JESUS IS and WHAT HE’S LIKE. And quite often, people define Jesus through their biased agendas.
Maybe you’ve heard people make Jesus out to be someone He’s not. All in an effort to support their views of life. So, they make Jesus out to be:
- A Republican Jesus.
- Or a Democrat Jesus.
- Or sometimes a free-loving Jesus without any convictions.
- A sort of milk-toast, light-weight, non-confrontational Jesus.
- And sometimes, they make Him out to be an angry or bigoted Jesus.
- Sometimes He’s viewed as a pro-Gay Jesus.
- Or a feminist Jesus.
- Or an environmentally aggressive Jesus.
- Or recently, a Georgia Gubernatorial candidate described Him as a pro-abortion Jesus.
- Or…you fill in the blank.
Here’s the thing. Jesus came with His own agenda…and it looks very different than ours. His agenda was to LOVE THE WORLD…and to conform us to His views…not the other way around!
The truth is, I don’t like any of those descriptions of Jesus. Like John, I prefer the O.G. Jesus. The incredibly divine, completely holy — original Jesus!
So, let’s identify Jesus as the Bible defines Him.
- Jesus, the only begotten Son of God.
- Who responded to the total depravity of man, by coming and giving of Himself.
- So, because of His love, He entered our world and lived among us.
- Let’s remember that He is the Jesus who never sinned…but took ours and nailed it to the cross.
- He’s the Jesus, who bridged the gap of God’s holiness and our sinfulness.
- He’s the one who was crucified, died, and rose again.
- He’s the Jesus who came once — and has promised to come again.
And that’s who Jesus is — and that’s how He has shown His love!
And…I don’t know about you — but I’m prefer that Jesus. He’s the real deal!
So, in verse 9 — John says:
9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.
1 John 2:9-10 (NIV)
So if you know Jesus — then you’ll LOVE like Jesus. Even when it’s not easy. But it can be done when we allow Christ in us to shine through us.
- It means we will treat everyone with dignity and respect — always.
- It means that we will speak truth with gentleness to a culture that often refuses to listen.
- It means that we will guard our mouths and speak in ways that build up and not tear down.
- It means that we will show kindness to those who refuse to show it back.
- It means that we will forgive those who do wrongs against us.
- So, loving like Jesus means that we’ll put the needs of others first.
- It means that we will show compassion to the neglected and overlooked.
That’s what it means to LOVE LIKE JESUS.
CONCLUSION:
Listen, John mentions these three distinctive to help check our Identity in Christ — and evaluate the authenticity of our faith. So, how are you doing with these?
Are you DOING what Jesus said to do?
Are you LIVING like Jesus lived?
And, are you LOVING like Jesus loved?
If not…make a change. Start today. Change your habits, change your actions, and change the way you treat others.
And if you are doing these — then commit to being even more intentional about maintaining Godliness. Keep proclaiming your faith and continue living for Him.