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My little children.
These things right, they owned you that you cannot if any man's in you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ's righteousness.
And here's the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
And hereby we do know that no him can keep his commandments.
See that I know him, he does not. His commandment is alive, and truth is not in him isn't so deepeth his word, and him verily is the love of God. Hereby know we that we are in him. See that that He abideth in Him of Himself also, so to walk even in sea walk. Brethren, I write no new commandments unto you, but an old commandment.
Which he had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
From the beginning again a new commandment I write unto you, which things drew in him and in you, because of the darkness is fast, and the true light now shining. See that Seth, he is in the light and hated his brother. He's in darkness even until now, with that love of his brother, and by this in the light. And there is no occasion of stumbling in him, but he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness.
And knoweth not whither he going, because that darkness blinded his eye. I write unto you, little children, because you're saying.
I write unto you, fathers, because you have known Him. That was from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked ones. I write unto you, little children, because you have known the Father. I've written unto you, fathers, because you have known Him.
That is from the beginning I've written unto you, young men, because you are strong in the word of God, abideth in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him, for all that is in the world lust in the flesh.
And the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father.
That was overall.
The world passes away and the lust there are but he that doeth Rd. God and Biden forever. Little children, it is the last time, and as you have heard that Antichrist shall come. Even now there are many antichrists, whereby you know that it is the last time they went out from us. But they were not all of us, or if they had been of us, there was no doubt of continued with us.
But they went down, and they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
But you have an unction from the Holy One, and you know all things.
I have not written unto you because you know not the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
He is a liar. That he that denieth and refuses is the greatest.
He is Antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son.
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father.
But he that ignored the Son hath the Father also.
Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning.
That which you have heard from the beginning shall remain in noon. You also shall continue in your Son and in the Father.
And this is the promise that you have promised us, even eternal life.
These things have been written unto you in turning them that seduce you.
But the anointing which you have received of Him abideth in you, and you need not Amen teach you. It has the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and there's no line. And even as it has taught you, it shall abide in Him.
And now, little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, you may have confidence, and not be ashamed.
You know that He is righteous. You know that everyone that doeth righteous means is born of me. I see that there are a number of brethren here today that did not have the privilege of being with us yesterday, so it would seem to me to be helpful.
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If we would just have a little review of.
The starting point.
That the Lord brought before us yesterday. It was the exercise of the brethren.
As we began our readings yesterday.
And as much as we have free Bible readings before us at this conference.
It was the exercise that we might spend one reading on the 1St chapter of John.
And then one reading on the second chapter is the first John, and then the last reading on the 3rd chapter of first John.
So with this exercise in mind, I would like to encourage our brethren to.
Consider being diligent as we consider this second chapter.
That we might progress through the chapter from beginning to attend and get the main teaching of the chapter as the Lord leads.
But I would just like to give a little review of Chapter one for the benefit of those of you who were not here yesterday. In chapter one, we found that the first thing that was brought before us was the fact that the word of life.
Have been manifested in this world in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into this world as a man.
Eternal life was manifested in a man, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And then the next thing that was brought before us in chapter one was that God is light.
And in him there's no darkness at all. And then we were glad to find in chapter one that there was No Fear of the light on the part of the leaders, because the precious blood of Christ has taken care of the sin question.
Was brought before us, that whatever the light exposes the precious blood price covered. And so then there is nothing to hinder you and me as those who possess this divine life in Christ.
There's nothing to hinder us from going on to manifest this life in our lives as well.
The eternal life was manifested fully in the Lord Jesus.
And it is God's desire that this eternal life shall be manifested also in US.
And since the blood has taken care of our sins, we are no longer afraid of the light. And the proper method was given to us in chapter one, that if 10 comes in to cloud our fellowship with the Father and the Son and with each other, the proper method was given to us, and that that might be corrected. Or it says, if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just.
To forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Well, in chapter one we were challenged with the precious proof that the life of God has been manifested in Christ Himself fully, and there is nothing now to hinder us from manifesting that same life ourselves as we are in this world. And it was the God's will for us as His children to manifest that same life.
Which he had given to us. Well, I just offered those few words of introduction for those that weren't here.
And as we progress into chapter 2 Through the desire that we might be encouraged that that life, that divine life which we possessed by the grace of God as being God's children, that life might be manifested now in us in this world. The fullness of joy spoken of in John first John one is that we might have fellowship with.
The Father, and with the Son, fullness of joy.
And so he starts out chapter 2, my little children, these things write down to you that you sinned not and sin would interrupt and hinder that fullness of joy and that fellowship that we would that we have with the Father and the Son. So he writes these things that we don't sin, but then he says, if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous notice.
The beauty of the language, it doesn't say if any man's sin, he has an advocate of the Father.
That would suppose that the advocacy of Christ begins to operate when one of us sins, and that's not the case. He's our advocate at all times. Neither does it say if we sin we have an advocate with the Father that would suppose the necessity of sinning if we sin, but it it uses the exceptional case if any man sin.
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We the whole company of believers.
Has an advocate with the father. We always have an advocate with the father. He is always there.
On our behalf, interceding for us, he said to Peter, Peter, you're going to deny me, but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not.
Now he did that before he failed, and so the Lord Jesus.
Is our advocate at all times for the whole household of faith. But the individuality of sinning is brought out so that we don't suppose it's a it's a must that all Christians are going to sin. In fact, that's the exceptional case, isn't it?
That's why this first is really addressed to the whole family of God, isn't it? It's not to a special group. The little word middle ought not be in that word. It's to the children of God. And the principle brought out that ye sin not is a true principle. You have that life of Christ, you cannot sin. It's a principle that ought to be.
What God knows that the old nature is still enough. We still have that.
And so we do fail, but the principle is what's wonderful to see here, and then the provision.
That God makes him great and if you look at two Peter just to see the principle as it comes out. Although we do not we're not able to do it. It ought to be in the verse ten of second Peter chapter one wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure where if you do these things, the things that are brought out before.
You shall never fall. Never.
Paul Well, the principle is true. What we do fail and we do fall. And that's what's wonderful with the advocacy of Christ. He's the one there at the right hand of God who can't intercede for us, who can sustain us, who can bring us back. That's the advocacy of Christ. We want to be sure, brethren, guard against what?
We must then these things are written, that you may not sin.
I feel in my own soul we often make allowances for our failure because, as has been stated, the old nature is still pleasant with us. We have an in Galatians chapter 5.
The Spirit wars against the flesh, and flesh against the Spirit, in order that you may not do the things that you would.
So we have precious word of God-given us here that you may not send, and so we don't have to send. The old man was crucified. Roman 6, verse 6.
In order that the body of sin might be unknown.
In order that there might not be a vehicle of expression for that old lady that's still there.
These precious things are given us in order that we may not.
We want to guard against the thought that we must. We may not.
It is often said, after all, we are only human. We must sin.
That's really a denial of Christianity. But to say that we don't, or that we live a sinless life is a denial of our true condition or in all things we often offend. So both are true. We do not have to sin. God has given us all things that pertain to life and to godliness, and He's given us a new life.
The eternal life and the Spirit of God and an object outside of ourselves. The Lord Jesus in glory.
Who is the power of holiness, the word of truth we have in our hands. We have all that we need to walk above sin, to walk as he walked. That's the only standard that God knows of verse six of our chapter. He that saith he abideth in him on himself also. So to walk even as he walk, well, he walked without sin. He walked the sinless one, but that's the standard. God can't lower that and he can't have another standard.
But.
To say that we have arrived at that point in this life would be a delusion and we won't arrive at that point of, of perfection until we get home to the glory. But we're we always have that before us as the the object, don't we? That's the object that God would set before us. The theme and John the pistol is the two families, isn't it? And when a person sins, he is not acting as a child of God.
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As a child of God and viewed as such, why He's in the family and the character of the family is set before us. It's righteousness, it's true holiness, it's Christ himself. If we abide in Him, we walk even as He walked. So provision is made for our failure, but we're not acting as a child of God. And I think if we see that, it helps us understand the whole epistle.
For it tells us.
That in the third chapter it says.
In the fourth verse, whosoever committeth sin transpresseth also the law, where sin is the IT should be.
Commits lawlessness. But then in the eighth verse it says He that 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 the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin.
For his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
You might say, does that mean that a believer can't stand viewed as a child of God? He can, but we still have that old man within us. But what is set before us, brethren, in the epistle, I believe, is the two families. And so he raises the question, if a person sins, are they acting as a child of God? Because a child of God doesn't sin as a child of God.
He is allowing that which is inconsistent with the place that he has been brought into.
As our brother remarked, the Lord Jesus is our advocate before the Father at all times.
And even before we have confessed our sin, the Lord Jesus is there on our behalf.
So that the believer is always maintained in a perfect standing. And the confession of sin, as it brought before us in the first chapter, is to restore us to communion, our fellowship. It is not to bring us back into a new standing. Outstanding exists so that the advocacy of Christ goes on continually.
Our restoration does not take place until we have confessed it. I think it's good for us to see that.
Because if the Lord should come after a believer has sinned, then before he has confessed, why, he'll certainly go up at the Lord's coming. Confession has nothing to do with our standing, but it does have to do with fellowship. It does have to do with our enjoyment of the standing. So isn't it lovely here we haven't advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
That is, a friend of ours might say, Oh well, I don't blame you. That was a very provoking situation.
But the one who is our advocate never overlooked and never looks lightly upon it. But thank God he has settled that question. At Calvary. The whole question of our sin and guilt was taken up and settled, and God sees us as dead and risen with Christ in a new standing. Advocacy is precious, but his high priestly office is more precious. And if we would go to Him?
The great as high priest, we wouldn't need him so often his advocate. I speak to myself, not to you, but he's ready to keep us from failing, keep us from falling and then we don't need that aspect of the advocacy, but thank God we have it is a complete Savior. He's the Lord throughout our standing is perfect and we need to be restored into the blessed communion with God through his advocacy.
That's the reason for it. But he'd rather act as high free. He'd rather act in the priestly often.
With our federal brethren that we understand and advocate with a broader term that applies to our failure.
The expression itself is exactly the same expression that the Holy Spirit uses in John 1415 and 16 relative to this period himself.
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The Lord Jesus Christ has entered into the presence of God for us. He is there as the manager of all of our interests and activity in the glory, in the same capacity that the Holy Spirit is present with us as a utter comforter of the Lord Jesus Christ promised to come when He went on time. But we have a Holy Spirit here to walk alongside us.
To help us through the wilderness journey, we have the Lord Jesus Christ as advocate on time, as He who represents all of our interests and maintains us and all of our interests and the glory. John 13 brings that out, doesn't it? The Lord washing the disciples speak that we might have part with Him where He is in the glory.
Things of of this scene.
A lot of legitimate pursuits down here that if gone into with too much of an intensity and too much devotedness to those earthly things would rob us of our heavenly portion with Christ. And so he's our advocate to remove those things as well as the the actual sins that defile us.
Here it says, if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father.
I like the opposition to that. Jesus Christ, the righteous, the righteous 1.
The one who never sinned, the One who always did what was right, He's the one that is in the Father's presence to intercede for us and to restore us to communion. If one of us falls into sin, isn't it wonderful? Rather than in verse two, our hearts are taken back to Calvary Cross. I have noticed that so often in the Word that God delights to direct us back to the cross. And so in chapter 2 and verse 2.
After talking about this matter of sin.
And the gracious provision that God has made for us to restore us to communion, then he points us back to the cross.
And I was thinking of that hymn that we sometimes sing. It says yet insight of Calvary.
Contract should my spirit be? And so may we. May we be reminded often of Calvin's thoughts. And I see that in verse two, God wants us to think back upon Calvin as He is the propitiation for our sins. The word propitiation is mercy seat. And so the blood is on the mercy seat.
The question of sin has been taken up and settled.
And that's why it adds that not for ours only, but also the word sins of is an italic shouldn't be there, but also for the whole world. That is, any Sinner of Adam's race can come and obtain mercy because the blood is there. The only ground by which God could meet a guilty Sinner is through the blood that was shed there at Calvary. And it's there so that God can.
Meet the Sinner who comes. But what about us who are believers?
Well, it's through that same blood that we too can come, and so we can come into the very presence of God with holy boldness, no other title but the blood. And the person, of course, is brought before us here. He is the propitiation because we see Him. The man of the world may not see Him and what He has done, but you and I know it, know it's so blessed, rather than that we can sit here in His presence and rest in the consciousness.
That the whole question of sin and sin has been taken up and settled, and that there's no other ground on which he could come but through that work and through that glorious Person who accomplished it. Because I believe this is particularly brought us before us in this Epistle, the glory of the person. So he could say later on in this chapter He acknowledges not the Son, the same hath not the Father, if we don't recognize there was blood.
On the mercy seat in the Old Testament. But it was the blood of bulls and goats, and it didn't put away sin.
But it's the person who gives value to the work. So he is the propitiation that glorious person by his word has given us this place, and now we have this standing. And then, as it's been remarked, the hardest, then at ease to serve him and to live for him. If I have any uneasiness as to the question of my salvation or what, how God can meet me since I have been saved.
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By then, I'm not going to be at full liberty to serve him and live for him.
Very blessed, brethren, that God sets our mind fully at ease as to the person and the work of Christ, the place that we have been brought into, the provision that has been made that we might be maintained in the enjoyment of that place, and then gives us exhortations as to our walk. As it's often been said, every Christian act exhortation is based upon.
The place that we have been brought into, not attaining the place.
So much of Christendom is occupied with attaining a place before God, either before they're saved or after they're saved by something that they're doing.
God says, I want you to know that's all been settled and you are in that place now. You can serve with fullness of joy, with perfect liberty because that place has been prepared. And if sin interrupts that enjoyment of it, you can be restored and go on in the happy enjoyment of the place that we have been brought into and in liberty to live for and serve Him.
Glory of person speak of the magnitude of the word, and it's because we can say, as John did in John chapter one, behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.
That we can say in the preaching of the gospel that is unto all.
The sin of the world God has been the glory, has been vindicated. That has been the same question.
But it's unto all on all who believe the answer to the same question available to all.
Perhaps I should just say a little word about the difference between propitiation and substitution. Propitiation or the mercy seat, the ground on which God has provided to meet the Sinner, that has all been settled. And so we can preach the gospel to whosoever will and tell them the blood is on the mercy seat. You can tell them that Christ died for all, all that is scripturally true.
But to say that he bore the sins of all is not a scriptural expression.
It's never found in the Word of God, and if we lose that, then we have lost something of God's righteousness, because if we say He bore the sins of everybody, then we have God sending people to hell for those who sinned. Christ bore, and it's totally inconsistent with the whole truth of God. But we'll find as we read God's word that the truth is always spoken of in the singular, and every truth of God is bound.
Together and if you are misled us to that saying that price for the sins of everybody, then you've lost predestination an election, but it all stands together, but no Sinner will be able to say well, I couldn't help but being born in sin. Therefore God is going to send me to hell. Know that baby that dies before it's old enough to express its own will will go to heaven not because it doesn't didn't sin because it was born in sin.
But it goes to heaven because Christ died. And so the whole question of what man is has been taken up, but his sins have. God brings before us responsibility and election perfectly in union, perfectly united. And it's good for us, President, to be clear about these things. And the heart is fully set at rest and the heart is full of joy that the Lord should have chosen me. I don't know why he chose me.
I just know that he did and saw that he's the propitiation, the mercy seat for the whole world. But I can say to bore my sins in his own body on the tree.
The question is often raised by many of us and many unsaved.
How can God?
Allow the evil of this world to go on.
How can God bear with it, after what they did to His Son on the cross, they would think that the very next thing that would follow would be immediate judgment upon that wicked system that was wicked men that nailed His Son to the cross. Well, the very act of wickedness that put him there was the very work by which.
Christ glorified God as to the whole question of sin.
Thus enabling God now to act in grace to a guilty world. That's what propitiation is.
Propitiation is meeting all the claims of God's holiness with respect to sin so as to maintain untarnished that holiness now while acting in grace. It enables God to act in grace to a guilty world, and that's why this world is still here, unjust.
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Because of the propitiatory work of Christ, He's not only the propitiation for our sins, specifically for our sins, but is the propitiation for the whole world. And so God has acted in grace and continues to do so until that moment when he sends His Son back to take us home and then begins a new way of dealing, and that is in judgment with this world. But this day of grace has gone on longer than any other dispensation, and that's because.
Of the propitiatory work of Christ in verse three of our chapter we we have the thought of assurance, assurance, and a remark has been made which I have enjoyed so much, and that is this, that the best book on assurance is the Epistle of First John.
So if someone says I lack assurance.
And you want to recommend a good book to them on assurance. Recommend to them to read first, John.
The whole book. And so in verse 3. Hereby do we know that we know him.
If we keep his commandments.
Well, we're going to have assurance if we walk in the communion with the Lord. And if a person has lost assurance of their salvation, now is the time to inspect the life to see if there has been the allowance of some sin that has robbed the soul of assurance. So I enjoy that thought. You want assurance?
You want to be reminded that you truly are God's child and the basis for it.
Read the First Epistle of God over and over and over again. It's the best book there is on assurance. But we're not going to have assurance if we allow sin in our lives. And I believe that's the teaching of those truth. But the characteristic word of this epistle is ANOW precious, isn't it, for the family. And so we not only have assurance, but in the third and fourth verse he brings out reality, doesn't it?
Really, we know. We hereby we do know that we know him.
And that's eternal life. Eternal life is the Naldis, the only true God and Jesus Christ who now has them. We know Jesus is the Lord and Savior, and God is our Father, and we have eternal life. We have that in the first chapter brought to us. But there's a reality. There's a fruit. God loves to give us these wonderful fruit. And do you love His word? Do you keep his words, commandments?
Not success, isn't it? That's the test. And so the fourth verse brings in there was no reality if they say I know him.
Well, how many may I know him how many after the Lord takes his home will not Lord Lord and say that there's no reality doesn't keep his word. You have that brought out in the address in the in the in the message to the ones in Philadelphia simple thought thou has kept my word not denied my name. That's real. That's real. If you know him, you'll love his word and.
Become the heartstrings. Let's guide your walk through. It's lovely how John here loves to give truth to the family. So it strengthens our faith, doesn't it? It just strengthens our faith. We have the faith, but it strengthens our faith. I didn't love this word, for I was saved. I read it as a matter of duty. I didn't understand it, but now I love it.
Every one of our hearts in this expression.
Of those 3 cause the measure of our knowledge of God is the obedience to His word God has.
More principle of obedience and submission to himself as the room of Man's Monday. We say that we know him.
We can make it with knowledge of God that we have in possession by the extent with your walking into what he is revealing. Converse of that is that the measure of mild deviant is the love. If you love you, keep my commendment.
We have the that would speak to our heart, measure our knowledge is wrong.
By the sin.
Of this first and first John chapter 5 and verse nine, if we receive the witness of man, and the witness of God is greater, for this is the witness of God, which he has testified of his sons. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
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I'd often like to connect together 3 verses brethren, we have in Second Timothy chapter 2. The Lord knoweth them that are his. And then we have in games that it'll be manifested to others by our walk, that is, by their fruits you shall know them. But here we have the witness in yourself.
And every person in this room knows how you feel when someone confesses the name of the Lord Jesus to you.
Whether there is any response and that's the witness you have in yourself. Even a doubting Christian might have that he has that witness in himself. Story is told of a sister many years ago who lost the enjoyment of her salvation in many of the brethren visited her and tried to help her, but it seemed hopeless. She couldn't. They couldn't seem to be a help to her.
Till at last one brother went to visit her.
And she started to tell him of how she wondered if she was ever really saved. And he said to her, well, why don't you just give up Christ and die without him? Oh, she said, I could never do that. There was a witness in herself, and God used that to break the spell and to give her again a restoration to communion. And I believe this is very beautifully brought out there. Is that in ourselves?
How does your heart respond when the word of God is presented? Maybe.
Maybe our hearts don't respond exactly as they should, but there must be some response if we're in the family and this is what he is bringing out. And I'd just like to turn to a verse in Second Corinthians chapter 3. Second Corinthians chapter 3, verse 3. For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ.
Ministered by us, lit not within, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stones, but in fleshy tables of the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to Godward not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.
That is, the law was written on tables of stone. Why? Well, because that's the natural heart of man, the Stony heart of that we read about.
But when one is a real believer, there is the flashy table of the heart. God has communicated that new life that responds to the claims of Christ. And so Paul in ministering to the Corinthian Saints who had got away and were allowing things that were inconsistent with their Christian testimony, he said, I have confidence that underneath all the rubbish and all the things that you're doing and saying that there is that heart of flesh. And he said.
That's why I want to minister praise to your heart, because if you're really his, there's something underneath all that departure that has taken place in your life that responds to the claims of Christ. And may I say that if he's trying to help anybody, always remember that we're not trying to write on the table of stone if they're really children of God, but we're trying to do is, as it were, get below a bit of the rubbish and touch the heart with the flames of Christ.
And that is what he brings out here. He shows what Christ has done for us and he shows that if we really know him, you can't help but feel a response be below. It may be the response is there. And Paul said, I'm not sufficient of myself, but I want to try to minister Christ in such a way that that response will be produced. So if there's anybody that here is not saved, means nothing to you to talk about the love of Christ and his work.
Because you're not in the family, but if you're in the family, you don't care how far off you have God in your ways. There is something in there underneath it all that responds to the claims of Christ. This is very beautifully brought out before us in this chapter. If we have failed, well, there's an advocate we can get restored, but we're in the family. But if we're not in the family and he's not, he's a liar. He's sayings in the family, but there's nothing underneath there's.
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Divine life there, oh how precious to be partakers of the divine nature. And if it's profession only and no reality, the Lord knows and of course it's manifested too. We should know that part of it. It says in the fourth verse, he that saith, I know him say it, but he does not keep his word by the truth is a medium. And I was thinking, as the Lord said about the Pharisees.
Lives in Matthew 23. They say and do not they say.
And do not. It was very clear and of course he had nothing but harsh words for them. And then to the Pharisee, I think it's in Luke 16.
He said your heart is not right or God knows your heart, God knows your heart and they were coming on again, contrary to the word of God when I was thinking to an act think it's chapter 21. What is in Acts chapter 8 verse 21.
Where Simon the sorcerer was going along there wanting that power of the spirit that the apostles were demonstrating how beautiful. But Peter said your heart is not right in the sight of God. And there was profession or there was a desire and there was something to go on with the people of God, but there wasn't any reality. And so it's a searching verse if you say you're a Christian.
But you do not keep His word. You do not love His word. The desire isn't there.
Whoa, you should be examining yourself when we walk in love.
We walk in obedience, and verse five brings that out, whoso keepeth his word.
In him, verily, is the love of God Perfect, The Lord says in John 14, If you love me, keep my commandments.
And then he says, He that loveth me keepeth my word. So love is is holy. I was thinking of that expression in the hymn that we sang.
Thy holy love, thy holy love. It's a beautiful expression in that, that hymn that Mister Darby PA love is holy.
Love always seeks the good of its object. If I need to be corrected and you, just because you say you love me so much, you don't administer the correction. That's not love. That might be brotherly love, but that's not divine love. Divine love administers the needed correction. And when when we need correction or when we're in an erring path.
Sometimes our young people start to go astray. They start to company with.
A young man accompanies with a young lady of the world or vice versa.
What they are launching upon, the course they're launching upon is, is going to lead to sorrow and departure and grief and tears.
Divine Love wouldn't be quiet at such a time. Divine Love would go to that person and faithfully warn them and exhort them and assure them of their concern. I remember.
When I was a young man, I was going with a for a while with a Roman Catholic girl and and I brought her the gospel. We prayed together, we went to meeting together, we read together. But an old brother came to me.
And he put his arm around me and he expressed concern.
Over that girl.
I didn't detect it, but he detected it. She wasn't real.
And I'll never forget.
His faithful words to me and how I value them to this day.
That He's the only one in the meaning that came to me and warned me about her and it became manifest later. The Lord gave deliverance. So love is holy and if we really are acting and prompted by love, we won't let those things go undetected and we will administer the needed warnings.
Or rebukes if needed, in order that we might be kept in the path. We need one another, don't we? We need one another in our path together.
Word commandments that we have in verse three and four, and then the distinction between that and the.
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Expression in verse five, His word. Well, I believe that the Lord's words and the Lord sayings and His commandments are the saying, but I believe that the question is what power they have over our hearts. Have often said, if I were away from home and my wife asked me to get something, I wouldn't say is that a request or a command?
It would have the power of a command over my heart because love is there.
And so I believe that everything the Lord said and every word that He has uttered has the power of a command where love is operative. Little example of it we have in David. He said that he wanted to have a drink from the well of Bethlehem. He didn't make any command. He didn't even make a request. But his word had the power of a command over those mighty men, and they risked their lives to go.
Water for him. So I like to think that that's the way it's presented in John's epistle where the where we're acting as children of God and the new life is operative every why everything that he has said, whether it's his saying or his word, it has the power of a commandment over our hearts. I believe your brethren, that the contrast between the two families is brought out.
That the contrast is.
Fourfold the love and light and obedience and righteousness characterized the family of God.
And he didn't see those characteristics because the character of those who are not in the family is hatred.
They hated me without a cause. The Lord Jesus said it's disobedience, it's darkness, it's unrighteousness. That is the character of the family who are not of the family of God, those who are not brought into that family. And he sets the two families in contrast and says, as it were, you look for those characteristics.
Just as somebody might say, you're going to meet somebody. Well, I'll tell you what the family characteristics are and.
Tell you a few things. So you look for those characteristics when you meet that person. If you don't see them, person might really be in the family, but they're not in display. And so he is emphasizing the character of the family in a practical manifested way and where we know his love, where we are in the family by those characteristics are there.
Person might have a mask on and he doesn't look like the family at all.
But underneath it, he's still part of the family. And so thank God, if we're born again, we're in the family.
And those characteristics are there, but they need to be developed and as the love of Christ constrains us.
And as we read his words, we allow and we judge what's wrong in our lives, disobedience and unrighteousness than those characteristics then begin to display themselves. But they're there because we're in the family, love and light characterized.
Have family. And so we've got that new commandment coming to us. It's beautiful to see it. It is love.
He says, brethren, in verse seven I write no new commandment, but an old commandment which he had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you have heard from the beginning. But then he says, a new commandment I write unto you, and it brings this beautiful thing in because.
The true light and I have now shyness there. It's the light that lets us go on in the love that we have and and the new commandment is really verse 23 of the third chapter. This is his commandment and we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love love one another.
It's beautiful to see this. It's new because by being indwelt by the Spirit of God with the life of Christ.
We have the power, we have the ability to show the same love that.
Was being described by our brother Henry. It's love that doesn't overlook failure in shortcomings, but love that intercedes and love that moves and passion and sympathy toward it and light is never lost sight of. Isn't that beautiful and for the first time, brethren, when we're saved we can do it. I know when the Lord to.
His own in Matthew was introducing in a sense.
The new thing, he brought that out in such a full thing that I'm sure it was strange through their ears. Chapter 5, just one verse and chapter 5 of Matthew.
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He said in verse 43 two verses you have heard that it's been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor in hate by enemy. That's that's not divine love. However, what I say unto you, love your enemy, bless them that curse you, and do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitely use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.
That's a new thing coming in. That's the new commandment and how wonderful it is.
He took the ordinances and mailed them to the tree, and all that's left is this one commandment.
It's love.
Brought in by light, of course, that's what we have, but it's love, Oh brethren, how that's needed among us. How that's needed in the assembly and among the children of God today. Divine love, I mean true divine love being manifested one through the other.
13th is gone or did say a new amendment.
Give I unto you. The reason for a new commandment is because the old was inadequate. The old commandment was the love God with all your heart, with all your mind, your soul, and your strength, and your neighbors yourself. This the apostle James says we could not do when recounting the bringing into the law on the 15th of Acts. So the Lord says now a new commandment I given to you, that you love one another, and the new commandment is.
In divine light now he says, I'm giving you the life capable of doing what I'm giving a commander to do. And that's the perfect law of liberty, giving us a life capable of loving, because we are created, brought to God and made without Napoleon, without blame before him, in love, with a capacity now in the new nature to do the new commandment, and then giving.
Spirit as the power of that. But now in our verse seven, he says it's not a new commandment I give. He's giving them exactly what he gave them in Acts in John 13. And now it's not a new commandment. It's that which I gave you in John 13, he said, which was given to us, Lord, that you had from the beginning that commandment of the origin that you heard.
Now he said I'm giving you something new, and that's what is true in him and in US.
Well, now that we are brought into the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and that is really the new commandment that we get here in the eighth eighth verse, which is true in him and in you.
Been good connecting those two verses, 7:00 and 8:00 with the verse that we have in John 12 right at the end of the ministry.
John 12 and verse 50 he says, I know that His commandment is life everlasting whatsoever I speak. Therefore even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
So His commandment is life everlasting, and when it speaks here in the seventh verse, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. I think that relates back to the first chapter in the first verse, that which we was from the beginning. It's the beginning of the manifestation of divine life.
Was the manifestation of the divine life and the person of the Lord Jesus. That's the old commandment, but then the new commandment is that which was manifested in the life of our Lord Jesus.
Is now manifested in the life of a believer in the Lord Jesus, and so it's true in Him.
And in you taking it very practical.
You know, in our assemblies we need this and when we come to a meeting in our assemblies at home.
Let's come to show love, not to find it. Let's come to really see Christ in our brethren.
And what a wonderful spirit atmosphere will have in the meeting. That's the real thought, isn't it? You know, when we go to someone to correct them, the attitude that we have, the spirit that we display makes all the difference. If it's divine love, that would be received with thankfulness because they realize we're doing it because we love them and we seek their good. We're not Downing them. We're not putting them down. We're not trying to make them.
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Inferior. We're not criticizing them. We truly, genuinely want their good and blessing.
That's the kind, that's the kind of correction that is prompted by divine love. But when we sit in judgment upon as superior to and take a legal attitude towards those that are failing and use the Word of God as a whip.
Paul said, I commend you to God into the word of his law, no, to the word of his grace. And when that is being administered, there will be holiness. You can't say that enough because grace really ends in holiness if it's if it's true grace. And the thing that I fear sometimes is when we say, well, let us just see the good in one another and so on. Love sees it all.
And love deals with it all.
And love does not overlook sin, and love does not wink at sin. And this kind of false love, this pseudo love which is being propagated in Christendom.
That we just ignore it. That's not love. That really isn't love.
Have you ever had your child say to you when you're disciplining them you don't love me? Well, that's the way they feel at the moment.
But when they get a little older and look back, they'll realize you did it because you did love them, and had you let them go their way and do what they wanted to do without discipline, that would not be love. That's another word about life, too. I am come. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The abundant life is not that we receive.
That if the progress in Christian life.
Is the fact that God has given to us.
A life now in Christianity that we can enjoy the fullness because of the work of Christ, because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, and so that we possess life more abundantly. Every believer in Christianity possesses life more abundantly. We're not maybe in the enjoyment of it, but it's true of every believer. And I believe that's the thought here.
New commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you? It's new in the fact that the Holy Spirit has come. We possess life in a risen Christ so that we can enjoy the place that we have been brought into. That wasn't possible before the day of Pentecost, but now every believer possesses the abundant life.