Acts 4:32-37
1 John 2:3-29
Obeying God’s commands is something that we would think would come naturally
to everyone who claims to be born again, but sadly it doesn’t seem to be the
case when we look around the world.
We have to go no further than to look at Genesis 1 to confirm this fact,
which should include all the Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam, because this chapter of the Bible is part of each of these religions.
God charged us with caring for and protecting the whole of His creation,
which includes every human being, all the other animals, and the environment
in which we all live, and we are not doing this; just look around the world
at all the warring madness, the violent killing, and the pollution of our
environment, and we, as a society, can plainly see that we are not doing it.
And still in chapter 1 of Genesis, we are commanded to eat only the plant
foods that God created for us to eat, and that neither we nor the animals
were to eat each other.
Obeying God’s commands means that we are to have peace on earth as it is in
heaven, where there is no pain, or suffering, or death that most humans
continue to cause, beginning with what they put on their plates.
We are to be filled with heavenly love, compassion, and empathy for the
benefit of the whole of God’s creation.
With these things in mind, let’s see what else the Bible teaches us.
Let’s start by looking at Acts 4:32-37 where we are told about those who
truly believed that Jesus was the Son of God…
32. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of
his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.
In other words, they truly cared about one another, and probably believed
that Jesus was going to shortly return, which He hasn’t done for the past
2000 years.
33. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
This is the way that God deals with all believers, but that should not stop
here; we are also to be obeying God’s commands…all of them.
34. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who
owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales
35. and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he
had need.
This is wonderful, but we are not told what happened to them when Jesus
didn’t return, and the money ran out.
36. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which
means Son of Encouragement),
37. sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles'
feet.
NIV
Barnabas was also a traveling companion of Paul.
And we know that he and others in the group became evangelists, but from
what we are told in the Bible, they didn’t seem to be obeying God’s commands
in every aspect of their lives.
We should follow the way they lived as far as it goes, but we are also to be
following and obeying God’s commands, all of them.
Now, let’s look at 1 John 2:3-29, and see if we can learn more about obeying
God’s commands…
3. We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.
This is a very important aspect of our belief and faith, because if we don’t
obey God’s commands, it shows that we don’t really know and love God.
From what we have seen and heard, we believe that there are many more people
who claim to know God than there are who are obeying God’s commands, and
most of these people are in churches and include some clergy.
If people don’t live God’s commands, it shows that they don’t really know
Him.
4. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a
liar, and the truth is not in him.
This is a pretty condemning statement, and it seems to apply to most people
in the churches, including the clergy.
5. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him.
This is how we know we are in him:
This is something that each and every one of us needs to self-analyze in
ourselves.
6. Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
And this is visible to everyone.
7. Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which
you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have
heard.
And we believe that this goes all the way back to the first chapter in the
book of Genesis.
8. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you,
because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
Darkness is really the absence of light.
In this case the light is the spiritual light that Jesus shined upon us.
It is the light that shines upon the darkness of this corrupt world.
9. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in
the darkness.
And not just his brother, but really the whole of God’s creation, which
includes every other human being, every other animal, and the environment in
which we all live.
10. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in
him to make him stumble.
We don’t believe that this means a sibling brother, but it includes a lot
more, and as we said above, it extends to the whole of creation.
11. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the
darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has
blinded him.
If people would learn to love instead, we would eliminate all our world
problems and never have any more wars, or hunger, or homelessness, and would
return to eating only the plant foods that God commanded us to eat in
Genesis 1:29.
12. I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on
account of his name.
If we turn from our wicked ways, and truly seek to be the children of God,
our sins will all be forgiven.
13. I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the
beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil
one. I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father.
And these are all the peacemaking children of God, who live in His heavenly
will.
14. I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the
beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word
of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
Again, this is speaking to the truly born again people who are filled with
the Holy Spirit and who are obeying God’s commands.
15. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the
world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Just remember that violence, pain, suffering, and death are prevalent all
over the world including what most people put on their plates.
16. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his
eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but
from the world.
We see these things in everyone who eat animals and their byproducts.
17. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of
God lives forever.
In other words, the people who live in and follow the corrupt and evil ways
of this world will die in it and not be with the Lord forever.
Most people in this world really need to wake up, or they will pass away
with the desires of this world.
18. Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the
antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we
know it is the last hour.
And remember that this is a very long hour, for we still have the same
problems today, some 2,000 years later.
19. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they
had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed
that none of them belonged to us.
And as we said above, most of the world’s people have left the heavenly will
of God to follow the corrupt and violent ways of this world that are
responsible for the suffering and death of millions of human beings and
billions of animals every year.
We need to be obeying God’s commands and not the ways of this world.
20. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the
truth.
We believe that just about everyone really knows the truth, but they
suppress it in favor of the corrupt ways of this world.
21. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you
do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.
This is an important thing to remember, for when we encounter people who lie
or rely on conspiracy theories and alternate “facts,” know that they are not
of God, no matter what they might say to the contrary.
22. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such
a man is the antichrist-he denies the Father and the Son.
And we also need to remember that some people hide these things by saying
things about God outwardly, but inwardly they are one of the antichrists.
23. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son
has the Father also.
This is true, but it also must be seen consistently in their life, for if it
is not, then the person is most likely of this corrupt world.
24. See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it
does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.
And we need to make sure that we have heard the truth and not a lie from the
beginning, for the lie is more popular than the truth.
25. And this is what he promised us-even eternal life.
This is the key to living in the heavenly will of the Lord and obeying God’s
commands.
26. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you
astray.
And most of the people in the world are trying to do this.
Just remember that if anything is not based on unconditional heavenly love,
compassion, and empathy, it is not from God.
Or putting it another way, if anything involves violence, pain, suffering,
or death it is not from God.
27. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you
do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all
things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit-just as it has taught
you, remain in him.
In other words, we always have to remain on the alert to make sure that the
things we encounter are from God, and if they are not, we need to reject
them immediately.
28. And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may
be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
This is good advice for any true believer.
29. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what
is right has been born of him.
NIV
This is really the only way we can truly tell when another person is born of
the Lord, and such people will also be obeying God’s commands, just as we
should be doing.
Amen?
Amen.
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