Three Spheres of Testing

First Epistle of John. Chapter 1, First Epistle of John. The First Epistle of John was given to us by the beloved Apostle John by the Spirit of God because of circumstances in his day that was accosting the testimonies of the Lord and it had to do with the very subjects that we've been had brought before us today.

So very, very deeply in our thinking, beloved, we have to realize that God the Spirit is telling us something today. It's not just a matter of my beloved brethren coming with a word that has been a personal exercise. It has so tied together that God is teaching us something.

And so I would say to those of you who are the new generation of men in oversight and the new generation of gospel preachers, dearly beloved, take notice to what you have heard. Because there is, as we're going to find in the First Epistle of John, there was a movement to compromise particularly the person of the Lord Jesus. And the beloved Apostle John is going to very, he's writing very uniquely in this First Epistle, he's going to set up three arenas of testing.

And in those three arenas he's going to put God's Word and the world. Going to let them be tested. And what you're going to see as the result is, what is going to produce fruit? What is the fruit in this arena of testing? And those three different arenas in the First Epistle of John, the first one is God is light.

The second one is God is righteous. And the third one is God is love. And those three different arenas the world has a counterpart for.

And they were seeking to undermine divine truth by preaching their own light. As we have in Chapter 1, we're going to learn. And in Chapter 2 they had their own righteousness.

And in Chapter 2 again and in Chapter 4 they had their own love. And each of them we find as we're going to read these passages, I hope it will be a help to us beloved. Because what is underneath the purpose and motivation in this by the Holy Spirit is the commitment of God's people to what God has given us.

Unvarnished, uncompromised. God is light. God is righteous.

God is love. And the grasping of those three truths and those truths grasping us and even captivating our heart as we will read in this passage is what will preserve the honor of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. And we have been graciously trusted with divine truth.

Let us not compromise. We're going to read then in Chapter 1 of the first epistle of John. Let us read from verse 1. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life.

For the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested unto us. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship. And the word fellowship here is comprehensive, brethren.

It's not simply the idea of communion. It's union. It's relationship.

And the result of relationship is that oneness of fellowship as we have with the Father and the Son at the end of verse 3. And these things write we unto you that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. That's an interesting statement.

It could be rightly translated God is light and in him is not one speck of darkness. That's amazing and it's very precious because it shows there's no weak spots. No possibility of a compromise.

No darkness at all. And then he adds to that, if we say that we have fellowship with him, there are three statements in this chapter that have to do with the professors that were saying that they had light. And we're going to read one of them here.

If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, this is the second profession of the unbelievers, we deceive ourselves.

The truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

We will come back to look at the practical in a moment. Let's notice in chapter 2, or chapter 3, pardon me, chapter 3, this is the second test, verse 7. Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness.

Now that's an interesting word, the word for doeth there. It means he that doeth what is natural to him. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as God is righteous.

He that committeth sin, and that's a different word, that means a deliberate action. It's natural for the unconverted to deliberately be disobedient. He committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning.

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy, he might annul the power of the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit, see that's the deliberate action, it's not a deliberate action in the life of a believer should not be seen to be one who commits sin. For his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin.

That is the new nature that we have received. Because he is born of God, in this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth does what comes natural to them.

Not righteous is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. Now chapter 4 please, and we will read from verse 7. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God. And everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.

He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. Now it does not say love is God, that's what the world would say. We'll notice that in a moment from chapter 2. God is love.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, and the word so is the emphatic word, if God so loved us, what is the character of God's love? We ought also to have that same character.

We ought also to love one another. No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected or embracive and embellishing us as is our experience.

Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. Now I'm asking you to turn back to chapter 2 to notice a verse in verse 15. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.

If any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, that he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

Now we have read far more than we would want to consider today because of the embracive nature of these passages, but I wanted to bring out just one point in each of these arenas of how this truth is tested and the fruit that is seen. Because dearly beloved, the character of gospel as we've been hearing and the character of teaching in relation to separation from sin and under the person of the Lord Jesus is easily compromised by reasoning as we've been hearing. So I want to point out to you how the Spirit of God is teaching us, and he's putting not only tools into our hand as we've been hearing, but he's been putting armor on our person.

Because we are in an arena. We're in a battle. The gladiators are there.

And we don't have, we have nothing of self for protection but what God will give us. That's what he's going to bring before us, and that's why he starts out in each occasion and he states, God is. I love that statement.

My God is. God is light. And God is righteous.

And God is love. And the power and the produce of those three statements is what is being tested and what is being compromised by the times of the Apostle John and the early believers of testimony. And as our beloved brethren have been pointing out, and it is certainly seen very evidently today.

But let me say this for my beloved younger brethren and sisters. You are being raised up by God for your day. My day, most of them are gone to heaven so don't be surprised.

I'm in that role there somewhere. It's going to happen. I'm glad to go.

Don't worry. I'm not glad to leave you but I'm sure glad to see my beloved Savior. Sometimes I can just hardly wait.

But the wonder of it is you are being trusted with divine truth as we've been hearing and reading even in this passage. And therefore, dear younger brother, you need to learn to understand the meaning and reason for each book in your New Testament. There's a reason for it.

Let me just give you a very simple outline that you can see and I trust will provoke you in your study of it. Because sometimes in studying our Bible we just use our daily reading and we look for something to impress us and then we try to make a little sermon out of that verse. That's not studying your Bible.

That's getting a little quick breakfast. I do the same. There's not a good thing to do but that's not studying.

And when we come to the reasons for the Bible we have to understand they're given to us because, every one of them, because of a fault that required correction. That's amazing. Every one of the New Testament books starting with Matthew.

The four Gospels, let me point out to you dearly beloved, are transition books. They're taking us away from the old to introduce us to the new that starts in the book of the Acts. That's the Lord Jesus in his teaching.

That's why when you're reading through the Gospels you read how the Lord Jesus, he enraged those Pharisees because he was leading them away from the law to himself who is going to introduce them through the resurrection to the book of the Acts. So when you're reading through the Gospels we're reading truth that's transitional. It's teaching us to look forward.

And when I come of course to the book of the Acts and the epistles I just want to put them together from the point of view that in the book of the Acts we will see the Apostles and they have moved away from what they were associated with in Judaism and they're establishing something totally new. A new creation the Lord calls it in his Word. And then when you come to the epistles it's all epistles to regulate what has been established in Acts.

These groups of believers in these different places gathered unto the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. There's things rise up. There's questions arise of doctrine.

There's questions arise for personality problems. There's questions arise for morals. And each of the epistles are corrective in teaching and restoring character that would have been seen and was corrupted even in the book of the Acts.

Now having said that I know that perhaps I hope that's not a waste of time for you but I do want you to realize you've got to study the book. Get the reason for it being given to us. And that is how you are going to be equipped to be able to present truth that's relevant to the need to the world in your gospel and for the people of God.

I'm concerned about this so I'm sorry that I have to say that but I really think that my beloved younger brethren need to have doctrine taught to them, the doctrines of the gospel. Let me put it this way to you dear younger brother. You cannot tell a sinner your sins are all paid for.

You can't tell them that. What do they have to worry about? What do they need to repent from? The work of our Lord Jesus has provided a provision sufficient for all and it is the responsibility of the hearer to turn in repentance and faith to receive that blessing. Then the believer could say Christ died for me.

And that's when we're reading in the Roman Epistle and we use those verses in the gospel and rightly so. Christ died for the ungodly on behalf of the ungodly. And that's what we are teaching and therefore they're able to in through faith they lay hold of it personally and they are saved.

I just mentioned that in passing because it bothers me a little. I sometimes wonder if some of the dear unbelievers to whom you are preaching wonder what you're saying about that. I never heard, I mean if that's true then what do I worry about? No, get to know the doctrine of the gospel of the grace of God in your teaching of it.

Now I'm going to have to be very very quick with what I have before me in 1st John. First of all let's look at God is light. It's an interesting thing that the fellowship and the relationship that is mentioned in this passage we have with the Father and with his Son.

That's a relationship of life and it's inseparable he's going to say. Now he says I'm going to describe it for you. God is light in him is no darkness at all and since we walk in the light.

Now that the if there is not the if of is it possible? It's since we walk in the light as we have in verse 7 as he is in the light we have that fellowship that relationship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleansed us from all sin. That's not every time you sin brother. That happened once for all and that brings us into a standing and relationship and union with God.

But look what the result is. That's what he's wanting to give that. Then comes the professor and says yes but I don't have that problem.

Well what we have is a far different thing than that. You're dealing with the wrong question altogether. Matter material is sin.

So Jesus could have sinned his body was material. He could have sinned. See what they're working at? Undermining the very foundation of the gospel of the grace of God and that's why God says God is light.

There's not one speck of darkness in him. Not one point where he could fail on that impossibility. Now he says you're walking in that light and the word for walk it is comprehensive.

It has to do with the fact that that's my standing but it also has to do with the fact that that's what's going to be seen in my life. I'm going to walk in the light. Now walking in the light if you want to see what it's like then look at the Lord Jesus because he's going to mention he's going to say God walks in the light and if God walks in the light it's the only place he can walk.

There'd be nothing wrong with his footsteps. There'd be nothing wrong with his language. There certainly would not be a compromise of his loyalty nor of his commitment and that's what happened to you when you got saved.

You had nothing in your hands and you took Christ's total commitment. Now he says that's being in the light. Let that be seen in our life and that is why he brings us to the confession of sin in the first part of chapter 2 and the last verse 9 of chapter 1. If we confess our sins now we're talking about something different because he's going to bring before us that the Lord Jesus is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Does that mean they're all saved? See brother that's not truth. What it's telling us is the Lord Jesus is the answer to God through his atoning work at Calvary. For our sins and sufficient for the whole world.

Now he says this is how you're going to see the difference. You who have taken it are going to be sensitive to sin. The world is not sensitive to sin.

I wasn't before I was saved. All to be sensitive to sin because it's contrary to light. It defies light.

It's trying to overcome the light. Darkness can never overcome the light but the darkness that is here has to do with darkness that relates to natural tendencies. Walking in the light are he that walketh in darkness.

And so dear young Christian let me say to you kindly your salvation prohibits you from going to worldly things. You cannot walk with the Lord Jesus wouldn't walk. That's a denial of your salvation.

And that's what this passage is being taken up with. It's okay to go to that you know and I'm not going to spend more time than what my beloved brethren have mentioned but it is very easily said it's okay to go to the rugby games or football games and those hockey games and those baseball games. It's okay to go there as long as you know you're okay with the Lord.

I mean he knows your heart. There is no speck of darkness in him. Those things are a contradiction to the profession in this first arena of testing.

We walk in the light. That's our union. That's our position and that is the practical that will be seen in our life.

In the second one it is righteousness and as we pointed out in our reading in chapter 3 we we need to see that God again putting into the arena is the world and their their concept of what's right for them. This is right for me. After all this is I am my own God.

I am my own judge. This is right for me and dear brethren dear younger believers. Is it not true we hear sometimes we hear that amongst believers sometimes.

Well this is all right for me maybe not for you but it's all right for me. Beloved in this passage we're learning a principle. God is righteous.

That is a marvelous truth and the idea of righteousness different from light is this. Righteousness has to do with all his movements and all his words and all his motives. Everything that God does is right blessed be his name.

That's why I'm saved today because he is righteous. The work that is accomplished for my salvation was a righteous work and all his ways with me are righteous. I have battled with that in unbelief at times.

It's so sad particularly when you come into times of testing. We ask ourselves what's wrong Lord? Why? Why? He is righteous and in his righteousness beloved even in the hours of testing as we find in this chapter there is times of testing in this chapter and also in chapter 2 as we read concerning the test of the world and the love of the flesh and the world and Satan and we have those different things that are testing us. So he is righteous now he says you are also righteous.

He that doeth righteousness is righteous. That's what's in your nature. Now the compromise with that as we have in this passage is he that commit a sin.

There's nothing wrong with you doing that. You're only young once. There's nothing wrong with you doing that.

When you get older then you could put those things away. He that doeth righteousness or he that commit a sin. That is the test of the second arena.

What comes natural to them? To hate sin. Lord I'm sorry. I don't want that.

That's not to be a part of my life. I represent the Lord Jesus and he is righteous. That's the attitude that he's commending.

That's why he comes down a little further in verse 9 and he says whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin. Doesn't want to. He puts that idea that notion away of deliberately wanting to do that which is unbecoming and evil and sinful unscriptural in the eyes of the Lord.

And so we again are tested and the great fruit is beloved. What comes natural to you dear younger sister? The Apostle Peter is going to say a good and quiet spirit. Not a big mouth.

That's unbecoming of a Christian sister. What about you my dear brother? What is God going to say of you? He writes through the pen of dear Titus the young man to be sober. The idea of being sober means grow up and be mature.

You're going to be coming into responsibility. It should be natural for you to have the tendency to want to get to know God as we've been hearing and thereby we grow up. We need mature men.

Spoiled brats make poor mates. Be they men or women. And dear boys, dear young men let me say to you kindly, your life in choosing a mate for your future life, remember it must come from the natural tendency.

I know the natural tendency for a girl. That's not the point. It's the righteousness.

You're going to be looking for a girl that will stand with you in righteousness. And the same with you dear younger sister. Oh I know he's smart and I know he's an athlete.

Uh-uh. A boy that fears God. So grow up dear younger men and dear younger sisters.

Be of a meek and a quiet spirit. Meekness doesn't mean you're a pad in the floor and everybody walks over you. That's a lot of humble.

Meekness is you bringing all the abilities and the personality into submission to being like the Lord Jesus. He is righteous. In my last one, God is love.

I hasten to notice it with you because I'm sorry for taking any more time than I should have with my front porch. Sometimes my wife tells me, Jim you get on the front porch and really if you got off there you'd have been better off than going in the house. So I'll stay away from as many rooms in the house as I can.

And notice with you in chapter four what we have is a contrast between the love of the world in chapter two and the love of God in chapter four. In chapter four the love of God as it is mentioned in verse eight. He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love.

Now there are four tests in the first epistle of John as to what you love. When you get saved. When a person gets Christ as their savior they have a total change of attitude toward these four things.

And with each of them it says they love them. And chapter 2 verse 13 is love of the brethren. The moment a person gets saved they love the brethren.

That's who they want to be with. That's who their companions are. It's an automatic thing.

Your companionships beloved. What about the weekend companionships? It's not that you can't be with your neighbor and be kind to them and sociable with them. But that's not companionship.

That's trying to be a testimony and getting a little opportunity to put in a little word for the gospel. That's what that's all about. That's the right thing to do.

But companionship. Love the brethren. The second thing he says is there's a change towards sin.

And it's hating sin. And that's true love. Love to God hates sin.

God is love. He hates sin. Change of attitude towards sin.

The third one is a change of attitude toward the Lord Jesus. And it's going to speak to us three times in this epistle to love the Lord Jesus. That's automatic for those who know that God is love.

And they love as God. And the fourth one is a change of attitude toward the scriptures. That's found in chapter two and again in chapter four.

And so those four tests are evidences of the love of God in my life. And he says it's made perfect. Now the idea of being made perfect is it's let loose to go into every area.

Therefore there's no hindrances to it. There's no compromise to it. The love of God embraces my brethren.

And don't let anyone put a wedge between you. And the love of God loves the scriptures. And again as my beloved brethren have pointed out, we need to take notice to it.

Not to allow anything to have a greater priority than the word in our life and in our heart. And a love for the Lord Jesus. Oh brethren, we've got to learn all we can about Him.

We're going to see Him soon. I feel ashamed that I don't know more about Him. The wonder of His person.

My beloved Lord. My glorious Redeemer. That's what the love of God creates within our heart.

It's automatic. It's the natural thing. For God is love.

And he adds to that. Herein is love. Not that we loved God.

But that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved if God so loved us. Notice how He so loved us.

This shows the character of the outgoing of that love in those four spheres. This is what He says. He loved us and He sent His Son.

What for? To be the propitiation for our sins. And if God so loved us, we must be careful how we handle our brethren and sin. And our brethren and God.

And our brethren and our relationship. Those three things are involved in that one little verse. That's what God wants us to be careful with.

Not to compromise because God is love. We're in the arena, beloved. And when the conference is over, you'll go back to your work in the farm, feeding pigs or something.

I guess you don't do that too much as the big boys do that anymore, isn't it? And whatever it may be. And the nurse in the hospital. And the teacher in the school.

And you in school, dear younger brethren and dear younger sisters. Remember, you're in the arena. What fruit will they see? Walk in light even as God walked.

Chapter one. He is righteous, doeth righteousness as He is righteous. And chapter three, chapter four, to so love as God loved.

God is love. God is righteous. God is light.

Blessed be His name. We have a relationship with Him that can never be severed. May the world see it and the testimony be bright with the fruit and the glory and the holiness of those three spheres of testing.

Don't compromise. May we hold up the banner of our beloved Lord in our weakness, but stay with it for the Lord Jesus' sake.