Believe and Receive - The humble gospel gift of true patience

The Fruit of Knowing Jesus

(1 John 2:3-6, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, March 13, 2016)

[3] And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. [4] Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, [5] but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: [6] whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Knowing Jesus

What does it mean for a person to “know” Jesus? This is a very common expression in John's writings that borrows from Old Testament passages that describe sincere obedience that flows from true faith in the Lord God Almighty. John plainly teaches in His gospel that not everyone knows the Son of God. Concerning the first coming of Jesus, he writes in John 1:10, “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” Jesus tells His disciples that they can expect to be persecuted by those who do not “know him.” (John 15:21)

Two Old Testament passages confirm our understanding that this knowledge of God is more than an intellectual assent. It is shown forth in our lives. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah to the wicked son of good king Josiah, “He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 22:16)

In Jeremiah's writings about the coming new covenant, the prophet strikes the very same note:

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34)

The fruit of knowing Jesus: We should keep His commandments

John had confidence that the people he was writing to knew Jesus, as other passages in this chapter clearly show. It was his conviction that true knowledge of the Almighty would yield commandment keeping among His followers, just as God had promised through Jeremiah.

It helps for us to see real live examples of genuine Christian living. Our go-to source on Christian living is Jesus Himself. Passages like Philippians 2 encourage all of us to have the mind of Christ in us. But it is also good to see other members who are part of the body of Christ who can help us to have new insights on commandment-keeping. One man who set such an example has recently gone to be with the Lord that he knew here below: Jerry Bridges. A tribute to this great Christian man and author appeared recently on the Gospel Coalition website. His simple way of communicating the most important Christian truths was matched by his straightforward life of personal holiness.

The fruit of knowing Jesus: The love of God in us should be growing toward perfection

Bridges came to understand that the message of God's grace would be our most powerful aid in fighting sin. Quoting from the above tribute:

One of the great legacies of Jerry Bridges is that he combined—to borrow some titles from his books—the pursuit of holiness and godliness with an emphasis on transforming grace. He believed that trusting God not only involved believing what he had done for us in the past, but that the gospel empowers daily faith and is transformative for all of life.

In 2009 he explained to interviewer Becky Grosenbach the need for this emphasis within the culture of the ministry he had given his life to:

When I came on staff almost all the leaders had come out of the military and we had pretty much a military culture. We were pretty hard core. We were duty driven. The WWII generation. We believed in hard work. We were motivated by saying “this is what you ought to do.” That’s okay, but it doesn’t serve you over the long haul. And so 30 years ago there was the beginning of a change to emphasize transforming grace, a grace-motivated discipleship.

A grace-based discipleship program is more than just telling people what we should do. It is preaching the plain message of the love of Christ for the ungodly and the honest facts of what the Lord loves and the Lord hates, trusting in the work of the Holy Spirit to do the heavy lifting of conviction among a group of worshipers who have come to delight in Jesus and in His Word.

Grace-based sanctification will only work on people that have the heart that is expressed in Psalm 119:34-35, “Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.” It is holy unsuitable for those who do not know the love of God. Even then, it is not automatic, but relational. It therefore requires much gospel patience.

The fruit of knowing Jesus: We should walk in the same way in which Jesus walked

John called on those who were followers of Jesus to follow Jesus. This should not be all that controversial. It is a basic truth that is only for those who are looking for help in living out the Christian faith. For those who want such help I invite you to consider Romans 13:11-14 as it relates to the sin of ungodly impatience:

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

True grace-based Christian growth requires patience since it is based on God giving the gift. It stands to reason that impatience will get in the way of that. Notice that Paul calls on the church not only to stop sinning. He also tells them to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Be so full of Jesus and of His patience that you find that you have no room for your old habit of impatience.

Our commandment-keeping is far from perfect. Our love for God and people is surely lacking. Our walk of faith is not what we might like it to be. Yet the Lord is working in our lives. Progress in obedience, love, and devotion are signs of God's grace at work within us. Don't despise even the smallest evidence of God's gift, and then ask for more, expecting that as you patiently believe, you will indeed receive.

Old Testament Reading—1 Chronicles 10 – Saul's breach of faith

Gospel Reading—Luke 5:27-32 – Jesus calls sinners to repentance