Topical Sermon: Obedience: Hereby We Know

Scripture Reading: 1 John 2:1-6

Obedience: Hereby We Know

Intro.

1. By His suffering, Jesus learned (was accustomed to) obedience. Eternal salvation is given to all who obey Him, Heb. 5:8-9 (Acts 10:34-35).

2. Obedience is the action of faith, Heb. 11:8.

a. hupakouō: “To listen, to harken…of one who on the knock at the door comes to listen who it is, (the duty of a porter)... to harken to a command…to obey, be obedient to, submit to.” (Thayer)

b. Heed (harken, asv) - - - Obey, 1 Sam. 15:22; Jer. 7:23-24.

3. So, to obey God, we must listen and then submit to the commands of Christ, Acts 3:22-23.

4. God has promised that when we obey Christ we can be assured / confident of our standing with Him. (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 5:1-2)

I. BY OUR OBEDIENCE WE KNOW…

A. …That We Know Him, 1 Jno. 2:3-4.

1. Know Him: “A knowledge grounded in personal experience”.

2. Obedience is the experience we need to know Jesus.

a. ginosko: “to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of… to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of” (Thayer)

b. Many plead for a “personal experience” with Jesus -- The Bible says this comes through obedience to His commandments!

3 To obey the doctrine of Christ is to have (experience) the Father and the Son.

4. Disobedient do not know God; sin punished, 2 Ths. 1:8.

B. …That We Love Him, Jno. 14:15, 21, 23-24; Mk. 12:29-30.

1. One who does not obey Christ does not love Him.

2. This defines love, not as an emotional overwhelming, but as an action of your will that yields yourself to the will of Christ!

3. Plan of salvation (Mk. 16:16); true worship (Eph. 5:19); godly living (1 Pet. 2:11); apostolic examples (Phil. 4:9): Do you love Christ?!

4. The love of God is mature in the obedient person, 1 Jno. 2:5.

5. Let us not boast of loving God when we will not obey His word! Mk. 12:29-30

C. …That We Abide in Him, 1 Jno. 2:5-6.

1. Abide In Him: To remain with; to be in relation with Christ.

2. We do not walk as He walked when we do not obey Him!

3. With His word abiding in us, we obey His commandments, 1 Jno. 2:24; 3:24.

4. Whenever we refuse His word, we forfeit fellowship with Christ, 2 Jno. 9.

D. …That We Have Eternal Life, Heb. 5:9.

1. Obedience affects eternal salvation, Matt. 7:21; Acts 20:34-35; 2 Pet. 1:10-11.

2. Obedience is not meritorious; it is the service of faith, Lk. 17:10; Rom. 6:16-18.

3. It is not legalistic; it is submissive, Eph. 2:8-9; Jas. 2:22, 24.

4. Are you willing to obey whenever Jesus, through His word, speaks? (1 Sam. 3:10)

a. To repent of every sin? (Lk. 13:3)

b. To confess Him before men? (Matt. 10:32)

c. To be baptized to be saved? (Mk. 16:16)

d. To cleanse our hands and hearts? (Jas. 4:8)

e. To be faithful to the point of death? (Rev. 2:10)

II. BY OUR OBEDIENCE, GOD KNOWS…

A. …That We Fear Him, Gen. 22:1-2, 7-8, 12-14.

1. Pharaoh’s disobedience showed he did not fear God, Exo. 9:28-30, 34-35.

2. Israel paid lip service to God, yet did not fear Him, Isa. 29:13; Micah 3:11-12.

B. …That We Believe Him, cf. Heb. 3:16-4:2, 6 (Lk. 6:46).

1. God knew by Israel’s disobedience that they did not believe Him, cf. Psa. 78:56-57.

2. God knew Abraham’s obedience faith, Gen. 18:19.

Conclusion

1. Does God know you because of your obedient faith?

2. Do you know God due to your obedience faith?

3. Wrath is reserved for those who do not obey the truth, Rom. 2:8 (2 Ths. 1:8-9).

4. Obey Jesus now and always to be assured of your salvation in Christ.