Amen. If you would please turn to 1 John once again.
A little bit different. We will be in Chapter 2 for our text tonight. The title of my message is, Practicing Righteousness, a Critical Demonstration of Abiding in Christ. Practicing Righteousness, a Critical Demonstration of Abiding in Christ. In this book, John has explained that a real Christian lives a life of obediently walking in light, not darkness, a life of love, and a life of truth. It is impossible to live in fellowship with God if you make a habitual practice of sin out of love for self and fail to make a habitual practice of righteousness out of love for God.
I want to read that statement again and then go on. This is the essence of the message today. It is impossible to live in fellowship with God if you make a habitual practice of sin out of love for self and fail to make a habitual practice of righteousness out of love for God. Like wave after wave sweeping on the shore, we will see the repeated connection of a three-fold truth in the book of 1 John. Abiding in Christ, practicing righteousness, and loving God and our neighbor are all strong indicators that an individual is a Christian.
An individual is truly a child of God who will not be ashamed at his coming. Our foundational text is in 1 John 2, 28 and 29. And as you're looking at those verses, let me say this. We'll be looking at several verses out of the various headings that I have tonight. But all of the verses we will look at will be in the book of 1 John. 1 John 2, 28 and 29. It says to him that when he appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him. In sharp contrast, our text is 1 John 3, 10. If you look over a page, it says in this, the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not.
Love his brother. I don't know about you folks, but that comes across as a very sobering truth to me. He says, whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. It's a sobering warning that faith is not demonstrated by works of righteousness. If it's not demonstrated by works of righteousness, it's not saving faith. You've read James 2, and I'll read a few verses for us tonight. James 2, 14. What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Can that type of faith save him? Verse 18. But someone will say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Verse 26. Then warns, for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. This is an excellent insight into the relationship of faith and works, and listen as I read that, if you will. The New Testament does not teach justification by works, but it also does not teach justification by the profession of faith or the claim to faith. It teaches justification by the possession of true faith, and true faith always bears the fruit of love for God and neighbor.
That's a sobering thought that we need to ask ourselves. Let me give you an illustration of that. Genuine faith obviously produces fruitful works, which is evidence that will prove the truthfulness of our claim at the judgment of Christ. The illustration, like genuine faith, genuine love is made evident and is strengthened by the action it prompts.
What would you think of my marriage if all I did is tell my wife I love you and then practice things that no offender? And that's exactly what sin is, practicing things that we know offend God. The same is true spiritually. Faith will demonstrate itself in practical righteousness that glorifies the Lord.
Let me insert here, folks, for it to be profitable, it has to be consistent. It has to be conspicuous to be a witness for the Lord. We're gonna reference several verses in 1 John. They'll require varied exposition in the context of our focus, and here's the focus again. Practicing righteousness and love is a critical demonstration that one is abiding in Christ.
We're gonna ask three questions tonight. The first is, who is John addressing? It was a blessing to me to hear part of what Pastor prayed. He referenced the second coming of Christ, which will be in this message, and then the song that Greg chose, dealing with little children. Who is John addressing? Little children. Little children is a term of affection by a teacher to his disciples under circumstances requiring a tender appeal. He uses the term children in 3 John 1.4, where he writes, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Scholars tell us that the word my is emphatic in the original, so to read that with emphasis, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. John's heart delighted in the proper conduct of his spiritual children in the faith. Beloved, those who walk in the truth have integrity.
And this is critical. There is no contradiction as a general rule. There is no contradiction between their profession and their practice.
In other words, their walk is consistent with their talk. We all fail, but the overall pattern, the overall direction in our lives is that we desire to walk as we talk, to practice what is preached. John calls believers little children when warning them against spiritual dangers and false teachers. In our day, I think you'll agree that in our day, devices and deceivers make practicing righteousness more challenging than ever. The senior Bible class that I teach, I reference that and I said, all you've got to do is pull this out and you can expose yourself to trash and vileness that I would have had worked overtime to even begin to see. And that makes it hard for us to practice righteousness because we have flesh. John called believers little children when warning them against these two things, today and our day, devices and deceivers.
As I said, you've got at your fingertips accessibility to vile temptations that appeal to your flesh on the TV screen, on the smartphone, et cetera. And then this critical thing that we can be thankful for at Beacon Baptist Church, it deals with deceivers. We do not have deceivers standing behind this pulpit ever. We never consider having a person speak who has not tried. We don't wonder what they might come up with when the pastoral staff picks conference speakers.
But listen to this if you would, please. Deceivers abound in our day who are man-centered in their theology, who do not rightly divide the word of truth. They are pied pipers of sorts. The phrase pied piper has come to refer to any person who's able to charm or lure others through the use of their skills or abilities, often through the use of music or other attractive means. Pied piper can also be used more broadly to refer to someone who leads others astray and manipulates them for their own gain. And I want to give you an example of that. I think that you will probably figure out to whom I am referring. When a small, a smooth-talking preacher delivers a self-help topical message like 15 ways to live longer and healthier, you have a man-centered event.
You have a man-centered event. It betrays the purpose of pastor teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. It also ignores the plain teaching of scripture.
The example I said is 15 ways to live longer and healthier. That preacher needs to read John 14, 5, which says, speaking of mankind in general, his days are determined. The number of his months is with you. You have appointed his limit so that he cannot pass. Whether the suggested formula of this pied piper is 15 steps or 1,500 steps, a person's life will end when God decides. This same deceiver, by the way, wrote the book Your Best Life Now.
Newsweek, by the way, says that this pied piper is worth about $100 million and lives in a $2.9 million mansion. What is my point? His man-centered works display dead faith.
I would not trade places with him for anything. What is the second question that we want to look at? First of all, who is John addressing little children? What is John's message? He says little children abide in him, referring to Christ. Our focus, again, abiding in Christ, practicing righteousness, and loving God and our neighbor are strong indicators that an individual is truly a child of God who will not be ashamed at his coming.
We're going to look at three things that I'll say, and then we'll go back and unpack them. Abiding involves a command. Abiding involves a condition or a state of being. Abiding involves conduct that reflects practicing righteousness and love.
Let's take these apart. Abiding involves a command. The key to being confident and unashamed at Christ's return is found in this one word, abide. John used abide more than all the other New Testament writers combined. Abide is in the present, active, imperative, which means it's an ongoing command.
It doesn't end. 1 John 2.24, the implied subject is you. So when we put that in the verse, you, therefore, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
Beloved, we're looking at a condition or a state of being. I am a Christian. I am a Christian. That's where my identity is. As I mentioned in my Sunday school class this morning, for us, our identity is in Christ.
We may happen to do something else. The illustration I gave was of a golfer, a famous golfer who was also a devout Christian. He was asked if his identity was in golf.
His response was, no, golf is what I do. My identity is in Jesus Christ. That ought to be true of all of us.
We should know that. We are abiding in Christ. If the written word abides within us, we will abide in the Lord Jesus Christ and in God the Father. Whenever John refers to abiding, he's referring to persevering in the faith of salvation, which is evidence of a true believer.
Let me insert something here. You've heard the words carnal Christian. I'm at a state of being, a condition that you live in.
Carnal Christian, as I said before, makes about as much sense as adulterous soulmate. You have to ask yourself the question, am I truly abiding in the Lord Jesus Christ because of what he has done on my behalf? Abiding involves a command.
But secondly, abiding involves a condition or a state of being. First John 2 10, he who loves his brother abides in the light and there's no cause for stumbling in him. First John 2 14.
And again, you can turn over just a couple of pages to look at these texts and I'm giving. But first John 2 14, he says, I have written to you young men because you are strong and the word of God abides in you. And you've overcome the wicked one. And finally, first John 2 27. But the anointing which you have received from him abides in you. You do not need that anyone teach you, but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie. And just as it is taught you, you will abide in him. This anointing beloved speaks of the indwelling Holy Spirit who instructs us. He illuminates the word of God so that we can line up our lives with it. First John 4 13.
Just listen to this if you would. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us because he's given us his spirit. He's given us his spirit. The Holy Spirit indwelling us helps us to guard and to guide our lives by the word of God. Then finally, under what is John's message, abiding involves conduct that reflects practicing righteousness and love.
Abiding involves conduct that reflects practicing righteousness and love. Notice if you would first John 2 and I want to read verses three through six. Now by this we know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him.
Drop down to verses nine through 11. He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light and there's no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brothers in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. He who says he abides in him, hide himself also to walk just as he walked. In the middle of this in verse 11 it talks about abiding in the light. Early in the service we read first John chapter one where it says God is light and in him is no darkness at all.
In that text also it talks about us walking in the light. And as I mentioned in this section it means for us to walk just as Jesus walked. Look at first John three six through ten now if you would and this is under the heading abiding involves conduct that reflects practicing righteousness and love.
First John three six through ten. Whoever abides in him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen him nor known him.
Little children let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous just as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil for the devil has sinned from the beginning for this purpose the son of God has manifested.
That he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin for his seed remains in him. And he cannot sin because he's been born of God.
In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God nor is he who does not love his brother. You read that last part of verse 10. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God nor is he who does not love his brother.
I'm confident that there's part of this text that I read that makes your head swim perhaps. And that would be where it says whoever sins has neither seen nor known him. It also says that he who abides in him does not sin.
What does that mean? In reference to the statement in verse six whoever abides in him does not sin. Both the English Standard Version and the New American Standard Version use the words does not practice sin. And obviously that's in stark contrast to practicing righteousness. John is not saying that we will not sin as I'll point out in a moment. What he is saying is we will not be in the habit of sinning.
And as I'll say again later what happens when a true Christian, when a person who is abiding in Christ sins, the Holy Spirit convicts him and we flee to Christ and we thank God for his long suffering because we fail him, often fail him. Practicing righteousness means to act rightly, to do well, to carry out, to execute. It involves correctness of thinking, feeling and acting. It denotes that which is in full accord of what is right and just in character and conduct.
In other words we have integrity that is commendable because we abide in Christ. John is not speaking of perfection. He is speaking of direction and that means that's something for us to ponder. He is not speaking of perfection when he says we do not sin. He's speaking of direction.
What does he mean? Well he's asking does the general direction of your conduct, your choices, your lifestyle demonstrate that you're setting your mind on things above and not on things of the earth? Does it reflect that you are secure in Christ who is your life?
That you're eagerly looking for his return and the glory of being with him. Colossians 3, one through three. It also makes me think of what Paul said when he said for to me to live is Christ.
For to me to live is Christ, he is all in all. Ironside in his commentary said this, this practical righteousness is evidence of the new birth, not a means of the new birth. It's the fruit of the new birth, not the root. No one can merit the new birth by righteous behavior but their righteous behavior is evidence of fruit testifying to the validity of the new birth or their salvation.
As I said before, when it comes to relationships, we really demonstrate our relation with someone else through our actions. Our text in 1 John 2 29 states if you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him. This is the beauty of having commentators written by people smarter than we are, at least smarter than I am.
If I had read that and not done a little more study, if you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him. The kicker is the word no is used in two different ways in that one verse. Let me explain. The first no is a Greek word meaning to perceive the absolute truth that God is righteous. We've got it in our heads.
Now let me back up a bit. That is essential. It's essential. We have to learn the word of God in our heads. We then love the word of God in our hearts and God willing with his enabling through his Holy Spirit, we live the word of God in our habits. When we look back on our life as those of us who are getting a little older, we look back on our life, we have to ask the question, am I leaving the word of God in my history? What will I be remembered for? Will what I be remembered for be glorifying to God? Hebrews 11 speaks of Abel and says, he being dead yet speaketh.
How does he do that? The memory of his testimony. So the first no is the Greek word meaning to perceive in the head the absolute truth that God is righteous. The second use of no conveys the idea of knowing by experience or recognizing that everyone who practices righteousness possesses the righteousness of God.
What is he saying there? They know that people give evidence of their spiritual parentage by their conduct. They're either godly, born of God, or they're devilish, born of the devil.
So the first no is just perception in the head, the second no is a knowing by experience, not only in their own lives but in the lives of others. I won't do it, but I could start naming names of people, men and women, that I've known at Beacon Baptist Church for the last four decades, many of whom are in glory. And I knew by experience, observing their lives, that person, that man, that woman is abiding in Christ.
Why? There was a joy of the Lord in their lives. They were quick to demonstrate gratitude for what he had done on their behalf. We go on, the present tense of the Greek word for practice in verse seven and ten suggests behavior that is characteristic, usual, or persistent. Let me say that again. The present tense of the Greek for the word practice suggests behavior that is characteristic, usual, or persistent. That's the bent of this person's life, in other words. In this way, John acknowledges but does not excuse the possibility of occasional sin in the life of a believer. His overall bent is toward righteousness. His overall bent is glorifying God but he is human and because of that, there will be times that he will fail and he will yield to his flesh. So John is acknowledging without excusing the possibility of occasional sin in the life of a believer. Not practicing sin and practicing righteousness contrasts the children of God from the children of the devil. When God's children sin, as I said earlier in the sermon, they're convicted of it and confess it to God who is fatal, forgive them, and to cleanse them of all unrighteousness.
I am thankful for all of the attributes of God but I'll tell you one thing, I'm very, very thankful for his long suffering. If I were God, it would not be good for me, if you know what I'm saying. And I'm not, beloved, I'm not talking about diving into the depths of sin. Isn't it true the more we grow in the Lord, the more fine-tuned we are, the more sensitive we are to sin in our lives, the more it should grieve us over things that the world would think, are you kidding me even?
You know, in our speech, in our body language, in our actions. In reference to the words in verse 9, his seed remains in him, the word remains means abides in him. He cannot sin because his seed abides in him.
Now what does the word seed mean? Commentators agree that the new birth involves the acquisition of the seed, which refers to the principle of spiritual life, imparted to the believer at their new birth. The idea of abides conveys the idea of permanence of the new birth. In other words, when we are born again, when we come to Christ by faith, by the grace of God through faith, it's permanent. We believe that you cannot lose your salvation.
He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. And so what he's saying there is if you truly are abiding in Christ, and you truly are born again, you may occasionally sin, but you are going to flee to the mercy seat and you are going to flee to the throne of grace and ask God to forgive you. I want to give you one text that will illustrate this idea of love that we're supposed to practice righteousness and love. And it's Matthew 22, 37 through 40.
Just listen if you would. Jesus said to a lawyer who asked, what is the great commandment in the law, quote, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And these two commandments hang all along the prophets. So, beloved, in a nutshell, we have here in Matthew 22, 37 through 40 the key to practicing righteousness. All you've got to do is love God well in your heart, soul, mind and strengthen your neighbors yourself. That's tough sledding, but that's exactly what he's requiring us to do.
Let me mention this also. There's no qualifier. There's no exception clause in loving our neighbor. You may have some neighbors that are unlovable, but God has said you need to love them.
We go on. No qualifier exception clause in loving your neighbor. Jesus took loving one's neighbor far beyond what the Jews expected from their Messiah, from their deliverer, from Roman oppression. Listen to Matthew Chapter 5, 43 through 45.
He says, you have heard that it, let me see. You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.
Why? That you may be sons of your father in heaven. And he's not referring to you getting saved. He's referring to the idea of like father, like son. He says you'll be like your sons of your father in heaven for he makes his son to rise on the evil and on the good.
He sends rain on the just and on the unjust. It might be said, the more I thought about this text, it might be said that obeying these verses is practicing righteousness just as Jesus did. From the cross he prayed, father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
What an example. Being crucified and as he's dying, he says, father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Well, we've looked at who is John talking to, little children, students of his that he loves. What is his message? Abide in Christ. Why did he give that message to these students that he loved?
The motive of this message, we go back to our text. First John 2 28 says, now little children abide in him that when he appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. Abiding in fellowship with Christ gives confidence about the future when Christ returns. That word confidence in the great means cheerful courage, boldness, assurance.
I've never thought of those two words together before, but cheerful courage, boldness, assurance. Those who have practiced righteousness will be able to gaze without shame upon the one who loved them and gave himself for them. In first John 3 18 to 23, we again find love tied to action.
Turn over there if you would. First John 3 18 to 23. Love again tied to action. Verse 18. My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask, we receive from him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment that we should believe on the name of his son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he gave us commandment. You want to practice righteousness? We believe in the name of Jesus Christ and we love one another as he's commanded. Turn over a page to first John 4 17 to 20.
This would be the last text that we will look at. First John 4 17 to 20. Love has been perfected among us in this, that we may have boldness and the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There's no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment.
But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love him because he first loved us. Beloved, though not like Christ in the completeness of our obedience, believers are like him in our basic orientation.
When you become a child of God, when you place your faith in Jesus Christ, you see, you seek to imitate him. And that's what he's talking about as he is, we are also. Boldness is from the same root word as confidence in our text.
And I just gave you the definition of that. It's free, it's fearless confidence. It is a cheerful courage assurance.
I close with this before giving a wrap up an application. John isn't, again, he is not suggesting sinless perfection. What he is saying is there should be a maturity and a maturing.
There should be maturity and an ongoing maturing when it comes to our love. And that ought to give us increased confidence as we anticipate Jesus coming back. When Christ appears, those who have abided in him and who have practiced righteousness out of love for God and their neighbor will have confident fearlessness. They will not face a final punishment.
Why? Because God has clothed them with the very righteousness of Christ. We will sing his praises in glorious worship. Our living hope will then be reality.
Christ has come to take us home. And I hope as we give some concluding thoughts that you will ask yourself the question, am I consistently, intentionally seeking to practice things that I know should be characteristic in my life? That I know should be characteristic of a person who wants to practice righteousness? There are people who exhibit a level of morality who are not born of God, and we all know them. There are people who do display a level of morality who do not know God and do not know Christ as Savior. That morality displays itself through various degrees of kindness and through having the reputation of being a good person by mankind's standards. But that level of self-righteous morality is like wearing filthy rags compared to being clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ that God gives us at salvation. Relying on being a good person in your own eyes and the eyes of others to gain heaven is an affront to the grace of God and the shed blood of Christ. The good works of the unregenerate will result in Christ saying, depart from me, you worker of iniquity, I never knew you.
Likewise, any self-promoting works done by those who are abiding in Christ will be incinerated like wood hands stubble when judged by Jesus. God enables those who are truly abiding in Christ to live a life of surrender to the lordship of Christ, and it's evidenced in love for others, a burden for their souls. It's this kind of practical righteousness that Christ likens to gold, silver, and precious stones.
Why? Because its focus is on the glory of God and the eternal good of others. Beloved, in conclusion, practical righteousness done in love requires daily decisions to die to self, to bring every thought into the obedience of Christ, to humbly rely upon the enabling of the Holy Spirit, and to acknowledge God in all our ways. That's a mouthful.
I want to read it again. Practical righteousness is demonstrated when we intentionally and consistently guard our thoughts, our speech, and our actions. Practical righteousness is demonstrated when, out of love for God and man, our priorities are focused on giving of our time, our treasure, and our talents to further the kingdom and to testify of his grace and goodness in our lives. I want to leave you with two questions tonight. And before I ask the questions, let me insert this, because as I was reading this summary, the thought crossed my mind. The book of Revelation says that God has made us kings and priests. God has made his elect kings and priests. It helps me to remind myself periodically that by God's grace, I am wholly nobility. I am a child of the king.
So what? That should dictate how I talk, how I walk, even how I think. I am a child of the king. I am wholly nobility. That's not something to put our spiritual nose in the air.
It's something to make us quietly say thank you, God, for your grace and your mercy in my life. Help me to live in a way that would please you. As I've told my students before, this is not braggadocious, because everyone in this room can do what I'm about to say. I don't know about you, but I have to pray daily, God, give me wisdom to think, say, and do those things which please you. If I get it correct up here, I'm not going to have much of a problem here and here. So I daily have to pray, God, give me the wisdom to think, to speak, and to act in ways that glorify you.
Here are the two questions. Number one, are you confident that you are abiding in Christ? You are trusting in the person and work of Christ for the salvation of your soul. We all know of people that think that they're good enough. They'll read their Bible maybe. They'll try to get in line with their Bible maybe, but they've never bowed at the foot of the cross and asked Jesus to save their souls.
They think they're good enough. They're going to get a root of awakening one day, and it should burden us. We should pour our hearts out before the throne of grace for them. Then secondly, if you are abiding in Christ, are you consciously and consistently practicing righteousness out of love for God and man?
If you are abiding in Christ and you have the sense that the Holy Spirit is indwelling you, illuminating the word of God, helping you guide and guard your heart by the word of God, then if that is the case, are you consciously, in other words, intentionally and consistently practicing righteousness out of love for God and man? May God give us the ambition and the ability to be lights for his glory in a morally corrupt world that is darkening by the day. May he enable us to live in a way that we can joyfully proclaim his praises without shame when he returns for his own.
It's a decision that we all need to make daily. God, help me, help me to practice righteousness for your glory. Let's pray. Father, as we bow before you, I do pray that you take what I've shared tonight and use it in all of our lives. I know that I needed to be reminded that I must consciously and consistently intentionally seek to practice righteousness out of love in a way that would make an instrument in your hands. Father, I do pray that you would put your hedge about not only this church but our individual families. We live in a day of deceit and deception, and we need to make certain we know our convictions. We need to make sure that we have the courage to stand on those convictions. We need to make certain that we're consistent in standing on those convictions. Help us to truly anticipate, truly wait for, truly love the appearing of Jesus Christ, and we'll praise you for it in Christ's name. Amen.
