Sign of People Who Know God’s Love: Paul Washer Sermon (Transcript)

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Only these super-spiritual people could actually know God.

And in not knowing God, we also couldn’t really understand the will of God or what He really requires. You see this in secular thought today, don’t you? All the politicians will say they believe in God, it’s just that He can’t be known and He hasn’t spoken. So, you can say you believe in God and yet you don’t have to do a thing He says.

But John comes back and what does he say? ‘No, God is light.’ And in this case, knowing John, knowing the Gospel of John, I would say that his principal idea is God has revealed Himself. God has made Himself known. So, look at it that way.

The Concept of Fellowship in Belief and Practice

“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.” Verse 5. ‘If we say we have fellowship with Him…’ So many times, this passage is taught as referring to believers of whether or not believers are walking in fellowship or believers are not walking in fellowship. But that’s completely outside the context of this passage.

To have fellowship with God is to be a believer. To be outside of that fellowship with God is to be an unbeliever. Now that’s all there is to it. That’s what John is teaching.

So basically, he’s saying if we say we are Christian, if we say we have fellowship with Him, and yet walk in darkness. Now the word ‘walk’ here is peripateo from the Greek, peri meaning around and pateo meaning to walk. It means to walk around. It is a word commonly used by John, commonly used by Paul, and it refers to a style of life in every area of life.

That the Bible sees no room for dividing our existence into secular and sacred. Or there are places where we should obey God and places where it does not pertain to God. That is not the way the Bible sees it. That all things pertain to God.

The Contrast Between Light and Darkness in Our Lives

And that our style of life, if it is honest, if it is true, we will practice our religion in every place that we walk. So he says, ‘If we say that we have fellowship with Him, that we are believers, and yet we walk…’ In what? That our style of life is immersed in darkness.

Now what is darkness? It’s not what you think. It is more evil than you actually believe and it is less evil than you actually believe. You think darkness would have to do with something that would have to do with Satanism or witchcraft or atheism.

So the idea here is this. What is light? God’s revelation. What has God revealed? He has told us who He is and He has told us what He has commanded. That is light. We know we have light shed upon who is God. We have light shed upon what is God’s will.

The one who walks in darkness walks in a way that contradicts what God has told us about Himself and contradicts what God has said about His will. That is what it means to walk in darkness.

Now, I want us to look at something because we have to be very, very careful here. First of all, the word peripateo is in a present tense denoting continuous action.

Understanding and Misunderstanding Belief Through Actions

It is not just talking about a moment in time, but it is talking about the style of a person’s life. So that if you were to simply judge a person by one moment in time, you could grossly misjudge that person. You could see a true believer commit a deed that was sin and immediately write them off as an unbeliever. That would not be biblical.

It would not be fair. It would not be correct. Or you could see a person with grotesque morality and hatred toward God. You could see them and in one moment see them do something of a righteous deed and come to the conclusion that they are believers.

So you see, both of those aorist tense moments, those points in time, are deceiving. What the Bible is talking about is looking at their entire style of life. How do they live over the full course of their days and over the full course of all their activities? How do they live?

Do you see that? Now, here is the question for you. Do you walk in darkness? And realize this, you could walk in darkness and be very, very moral.

Reflecting on Our Walk with God and the Role of Parents in Faith

Do you walk in a way that contradicts what God has revealed about His nature? About who He is? Do you walk in a way that contradicts what God has revealed about His will? Is your lifestyle, is it a contradiction to the will of God?

Or is it in accordance with the will of God? We could set it this way if we wanted to go back to the book of Ephesians. Are you walking according to the course of this world, of this age? Are you going with the flow? Are you walking contrary to the course of this world with your eyes set upon the will of God and being conformed to the image of God?

So that’s the first thing that you must answer. And these tests, before we go any further, are also very important for parents. Because a child raised in a godly home, for the most part, will say, ‘I believe, I believe, I believe.’

And if a child says, ‘I believe,’ no one should ever look at that child and say, ‘No, you don’t.’ You shouldn’t squash the fire that is within them. But also, do not be hasty in your affirmation of that faith. A proper thing to do is to say, ‘If you believe, you are saved.’

But let us watch your life. Let us examine ourselves in the light of Scripture until you come to a full assurance of your faith based upon the written Word of God. Do you see that? Just a practical thing here for the church, for parents.

Another very appropriate thing to do, something that is very helpful. When a child says, ‘I believe,’ like they want to participate in the Lord’s Supper, or they want to be baptized after seeing a baptism. ‘Well, can I do that too?’ Sit down and discuss the matter with them, but then tell them, ‘Here is what I want you to do.’

Seeking Guidance and Embracing Faith

Sunday, go to the elders. ‘Go to the elders and talk to them.’ ‘Well, Dad, will you come with me?’ “No, I won’t. If you truly think that the Lord has worked in your life, go talk to Brother Anthony and Brother Mark. And then set up a meeting with them so that they can discuss these matters with you.”

It is a really practical way to see that someone wants to be baptized just because all the other kids were baptized. It is a really practical way of seeing that someone wants to be in the Lord’s Supper just because they saw some other child their age in the Lord’s Supper. Just wouldn’t you want your elders involved in this? Their counsel.

And when you see a child that says, ‘then to the elders I will go, because I have been converted.’ Wow. And they sit down and explain their faith and explain what God has done in their lives. Now that, that is something. Wow.

Just a practical thought. And so the first test is this: A true believer will walk in the light as a style of life; will walk in accordance with what God has revealed about His nature and His will.

The Complexity of Sin and Faith

Now, if you take my words seriously at this moment, you should be trembling. Why? Because believers, true believers, the most mature believers, sin. Even in the most pious life it is often times two steps forward and three steps backwards.

So what do we do? Are we not Christian? Are we all to be condemned? Have we all lost our assurance this morning? Because no one walks constantly, continuously, in accordance with what God has told us about Himself or His will.

And if you think you have, I can assure you, you have now truly flunked the test. You are not Christian. You are deceived. And so where are we to go from here? Well, we just need to keep reading because now John is going to deal with that problem.

Look in verse 8. ‘If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.’ And here is something that is very important. When you say that God is dark, that He hasn’t told us who He really is, that you can’t really know His will, then it is very easy to begin to believe that you are without sin. The more God is hidden from men, the more self-righteousness you are going to find.

The Role of Confession in Faith

And the more men truly know and proclaim God, the more humility before God you are going to see. Do you see that? These believers, they have heard now that if you are a true believer, you will walk according to the nature and will of God. And they are sitting there, but John, we have sinned. We still sin. We struggle with sin. We hate our sin, but we do sin, John.

And so John gives them another test. ‘If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.’ Because one of the great evidences that you are truly Christian is not that you no longer sin, but that you now recognize your sin and you see it as sin.

As a matter of fact, if you don’t recognize your sin as sin and you don’t see it as sin, it is evidence that you are not a believer. So he says, ‘if we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.’ God’s truth implanted by the Holy Spirit is simply not in us.

Verse 9, ‘if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’

‘If we confess our sins, what is one of the greatest evidences of a true believer? They recognize sin in their life and they confess it. They confess it. They are confessional in that way. They are marked by brokenness and they are marked by confession.

Understanding True Confession

But don’t think that the Christian life is simply looking at your sin, being broken over it, and confessing it. No, because when we look at our sin and we confess our sin, being broken by our sin, we also experience what? The grace of God and the joy of our salvation, not in our own works, but in the works of Christ on our behalf. Do you see that?

Now what does confession mean? ‘Lord, forgive me of my sins.’ No, that is not what confession is. That is asking the Lord to forgive you of your sins, but that is not confession. Or ‘Lord, if I have sinned in any way, forgive me.’ That is not confession either.

What is confession? It comes from the Greek word homologeo. Homo, which means like or same. And logeo, to confess. Homologeo is to confess the same. Now what does that mean? Is it not the ministry of the Holy Spirit to speak to us about our sin?

The Process of Confession and Transformation

It is His ministry to convict not only the world, but also us of our sin. So, let’s say that we get up in the morning and we have been impatient with one of our children, or we have been impatient with our wife, or we have been cold towards someone, wrongly cold towards someone. And as we leave the house or leave the building, the Holy Spirit begins to deal with us, bringing Scripture maybe to mind, showing us we have sinned. And so the Holy Spirit says, ‘you have sinned. You have been impatient.’ Confession is when you agree with what God has spoken.

What you say about me, God, is true. I have sinned. I have been impatient.’ Do you see that? It is speaking the same thing. It is agreeing with God over your sin. That is confession. That is confession. And the true believer, they are marked by it. They are marked by it.

So, let me just show you kind of how it works. Because we have talked about revelation, now we are talking about confession. A person is walking in this world, he is an unbeliever, he is in darkness. And all of a sudden, someone preaches the Gospel to him, and the Holy Spirit works in his heart and illuminates his mind, and he sees God as he has never seen Him before.

And in light of that light, he sees himself as he has never seen himself before. And he sees his sin as he has never seen his sin before. And he is broken as he has never been broken before. Yet, he does not repent unto death.

The Journey of Faith and Joy in Belief

It is not a brokenness unto despair. Because in that revelation of God, he sees Christ and Calvary as he has never seen it before. And he trusts, he believes, and then what happens? He is filled with joy. He trades his sackcloth and ashes for the raiment of joy.

Now, as believers, what happens? What happens as believers? As we grow, you are a brand new believer, and you begin to study the Scriptures. As you study the Scriptures, the nature of God, the nature of God revealed in His commands, His righteousness, His holiness, He begins to show you more and more and more of your sin.

Which leads to a greater and greater brokenness. Which leads to a more profound confession. And that profound confession turns into a more profound joy. So that at the end of your life, you are more holy than when you began. And yet at the same time, you are more broken than when you began.

And yet at the same time, you are more joyful than when you began. And a great interchange has happened. Instead of now boasting in your performance, which reeks in the nostrils of God, you now boast in the finished work of Christ alone. Do you see that? Confession. What is one of the greatest evidences that you have truly become a believer?

The Role of Confession in Christian Life

It’s confession. That is not to say that a Christian has no victory. They do have victory. That is not to say that a Christian just is saved in his sin. No, he is saved out of his sin. God works in his life and begins to change him. But know this, you will never reach a point of perfection until the day you step over into glory.

Is your life marked by confession? Is your life marked by confession? Do you see sin in a different light now? And does it bring you to agree with God and confess it? And at times even confessing sin to a brother and sister in Christ whom you have wronged.

The Transformation of a Converted Heart

Let me give you another illustration. This will help some of you, I think, who struggle in this area. Not that you do not confess, it is just that sometimes your wrangling with sin causes you to doubt that you have been converted.

A man is unconverted. He is getting ready to leave for the office. It is snowing outside. He is late. He is dropping papers out of his briefcase. He has got to get through the kitchen. He doesn’t have time to eat. No cup of coffee. He is miserable.

He reaches for the door. He is going to run out to the office and at that moment his wife calls him and says, ‘Take out the trash.’ Without even thinking, the man spins around and says, ‘What is wrong with you? You take out the trash. Don’t you know I am late? I have got a job to do. I have got all this pressure on me. You take out the trash.’

And he walks out the door totally justified. Has no problem with what he has done. No problem whatsoever. Gets in the car, has coffee, goes to his job, makes his presentation. He is fine. Three months later he is converted.

And then nine months later he is coming down the steps, walking through the kitchen. It is snowing outside. He has got all kinds of pressure on him. There are papers flying out of his briefcase. His boss is just giving him up and down problems. He is getting ready to walk outside and all of a sudden his wife comes down the stairs behind him and says, ‘Take out the trash before you leave.’

The Impact of Conversion on Daily Life

Without even thinking, he spins around and goes, ‘What is wrong with you? Take out the trash. Don’t you see I have got an appointment? I am dropping papers. I have got so much pressure on me.’ You say, ‘Well, Brother Paul, what happened then? What did conversion do to him? What did conversion do?’

The moment he spun around and the moment those words started coming out of his mouth, it was like someone took a knife and drove it straight through his heart. And he bucks up against it. He gathers his papers. He doesn’t apologize. He knows he is wrong. He is even more furious now. He walks out the door. He is miserable. He is miserable. He gets in his car. He is going to drive off. He can’t even drive the car.

He is miserable for what he has done. He bucks up against it. He makes it to the office. He has got to go in and give his presentation. And finally, he just looks at his team and goes, ‘Look, I will be there in a minute. I will be there in a minute.’ And he gets down on his knees. ‘Oh, God, forgive me.’

The Process of Repentance and Change

And when he finishes there, he gets on his cell phone and he says, ‘Wife, I am so sorry for what I have done. Forgive me. I can’t go in there unless you forgive me.’ You don’t think that is powerful? You don’t think that is supernatural? I am telling you it is. Something has happened to this man. And gradually, it will start coming out more and more and more.

It will take a while. But when his wife comes down and says, ‘Take out the trash,’ say, ‘I can’t right now.’ Or, ‘Okay, I will.’ Because he is no longer consumed with self. God has worked in his heart. Do you see that? That is what we are talking about. That is why I can’t stand these extremes.

Avoiding Extremes in Christian Life

This one extreme where you can just be nonchalant about sin. ‘Yeah, I am a believer.’ And then this other extreme where you sin so you are lost. Both of them are deadly. You can walk a thousand miles that way and a thousand miles that way and be in falsehood. But to walk in the truth is like to walk on the edge of a razor blade. And there are ditches on both sides and you can fall off in them. Avoid the extremes.

We are a changed people. We can say that. If a Christian ever puts on his t-shirt, ‘Changed,’ then I would say he is a heretic. Unless he puts on the back and still changing. Fundamentally, by nature, we have changed. But the working out of that change will be a lifetime. Will be a lifetime and not perfected until glory.

Evidences of True Conversion

So what is one of the evidences that we are converted, truly converted? Well, let me put it this way. Someone tells me, ‘I got a new relationship with God.’ I ask them this question. Do you have a new relationship with sin? Because the evidence you have a new relationship with God is that you have a new relationship with sin.

It is like the illustration of marriage. ‘I have a new relationship with her.’ Well, then that means you have a new relationship with every other woman on this planet. A relationship of no. You see. Now let’s go on to the next test.

Understanding Obedience and Relationship with God

In 1 John chapter 2, verse 4. Or let’s begin in verse 3. ‘By this we know that we have come to know Him.’ Now this is a…

Now look at that. ‘By this we know that we are Christian, if we keep His commandments.’ Now, even bolder John is going to become. ‘The one who says I have come to know Him and does not keep His commandments is a liar.’ Now let’s just stop there for a moment. If I had a nickel for every time somebody in the United States told me, ‘Well, I know I live in the world just like the devil, everything else.’

But you don’t know what’s inside my heart. I really do love Him. I really do know Him. What is the answer to that? John provides the answer. ‘The one who says I have come to know Him and does not keep His commandments is a liar.’ Now again, the idea of ‘keep’ here. Present tense.

The Relationship with God’s Commandments

Talking about a style of life. He’s not talking about sinless perfection. But he’s talking about a new relationship with the commandments of God. And let’s just go back now. Do you have a new relationship with God? Then you have a new relationship with sin. Because you have a new relationship with God’s commands.

Prior to conversion, a man does not walk around thinking about the commandments of God. Trying to obey the commandments of God. Broken when he breaks the commandments of God. Confessing when he breaks the commandments of God. He has no relationship with the commandments of God.

He does what is right in his own eyes. But if he’s been truly converted, what will happen? There will begin a relationship with God’s commands. With God’s will. He will want to know God’s will for his life. He will want to obey God’s will. He will ask for power for obedience. He will confess sin when he finds himself breaking God’s will.

This is the evidence of true conversion. It is. Is it found in you? Is it found in you?

Struggle and Growth in Faith

Again, we are not talking about some self-righteous Pharisee. Not at all. We may be talking about a person who is struggling and struggling greatly. But their struggle comes from the fact that they now want to obey God’s will. They desire to obey God’s will. It is meaningful to them. Meaningful to them. Precious to them.

And now, some of you, because I know the works of the devil, I know how he works. Some of you are saying, “But so often I don’t want to study the Scriptures.” That’s exactly what you’re saying. So often I’m lazy. Does that mean I’m not converted?

So often I don’t memorize. So often I don’t open the Bible. Does that mean I’m not converted? I can join you in that song you just sang. None of us study the Word as we should. None of us memorize as we should.

But here’s something I know. Prior to conversion, it did not bother me that I was lazy with regard to piety and devotion in the study of Scriptures. Now, that too kills me at times. “Paul, you’re a preacher. How can you not want to get up out of bed right now and study?” Do you see?

If you struggle with this, and I know you do. If you struggle with this, this too tells me something about you. You see, if men are truly radically depraved and there is no virtue or desire of God in them apart from a work of the Spirit, and yet you’re sitting there saying, “I desire to be more like Him. I want to know Him better. I want to obey Him more.” And it kills me when I don’t accomplish the very things I desire.

The Relationship with God’s Word

That tells me something has happened to you. If you will have a new relationship with this Word, you will. Listen to me, young people. Listen to me. Because you don’t know what you think you know. And I know that.

Because when I was your age, I did not know what I thought I knew. And I know that because 30 years from now, if I live that long, I’ll look back to this very day standing in this pulpit and realize I did not know what I thought I knew even now. This is part of the Christian life.

There are going to be trials in your life. There’s going to be suffering. There’s going to be walking down paths for days and maybe even years that you never should have walked down. And God’s going to allow all of it to happen, not because He dislikes you, but because He loves you.

He’s going to allow all these things to happen so that little by little, all your own trust and your own wisdom will be made void. Do you see that? And you will no longer do as Israel did in the book of Judges, doing what is right in your own eyes. But you will seek to live by His commands, not by what you see, not by what you feel, not even by what you think, but by “thus saith the Lord.” It will become the guide of your life.

The Test of Walking in His Manner

So that if He says stay, you stay. If He says run, you run. If He says walk, you walk. Now, let’s go on to another test. Verse six of chapter two, “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

I’ve read this before and seen looks on people’s faces, if I read their faces correctly, in which on hearing this text, it was the final nail in their coffin. “What do you mean? The one who is saved will walk as He walked?” We’re not talking about John here. We’re not even talking about the Apostle Paul.

We’re talking about Jesus, the perfect man without spot, without blemish, undefiled, unsoiled, always doing the will of His Father, the only one to pass into glory based upon His own righteousness. “You’re saying that in order to be a Christian, I must walk as He walks, or that will be the evidence of it?” Well, that’s what John says.

That’s what he says clearly. He says the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. What does that mean? Again, we’re not talking about perfect conformity. What we’re talking about is telos, end, goal, aim, finish line.

The Aim of Your Life

What we’re talking about here, what is the great aim of your life? Who do you want to be like? Who do you want to be like? Who are you seeking to imitate? When I was a little boy, I was oftentimes frightened of my father, but always I respected my father.

And he was a big man. He was about my size, my height, but he was much stronger, much squarer. And we would go out when I was a little boy, and we would feed the horses, especially in the winter when all the snow and the ice would come, and there was no water for the horses or the cattle.

And we would go out and either bust the ice or carry water in great big buckets. And I can still to this day remember my father reaching down and grabbing one bucket with one hand and another bucket with another, and standing there holding that out and just walking across the snow. And I always wanted to be like him.

He would have me out there when I was six years old. And I would reach and grab a bucket, and I would reach and grab another bucket, and then I would try to put my foot in his footprint. And honestly, I looked like a drunken spider. If you would have seen me, you would have laughed.

The Desire to Imitate

If you would have been less than a good man, you would have mocked and joked. But there would have been no doubt in anyone’s mind that little boy wanted to be like his father. He was stumbling and falling and failing.

He could not take the same stride, but there was no doubt he wanted to be like somebody, and that somebody was his father. Now, let me ask you a question. Who do you want to be like? And now, be afraid. Because we really don’t even need you to answer that question.

We know it already. Not because we’re prophets, not because we can look inside your heart. All we have to do is open our eyes. It’s not quite as concealed as you think it is. Now, I’m saying that with regard to you, with regard to me, with regard to all of us.

The person whom you really hope to be like, it’s very evident. It’s very evident. Talk like the world, act like the world, dress like the world, do everything the world does, have the same heroes, have the same passions and desires. And all that’s telling everyone is you love the world.

The True Imitation of Christ

You love the world. Or do you want to be like Christ? So many things are taught about manhood that are so wrong. As though some of these historic characters, you know, even John Wayne or Teddy Roosevelt or explorers or this or that are meant to imitate. No, they’re not.

Unless they did it for the glory of God, they are not to be imitated. Because we’re not talking about being a man like John Wayne or Hercules. We’re talking about being a man like Jesus Christ. We’re talking also about being a woman who shows the same virtue as her Lord and elder brother.

We’re talking about wanting to be like Jesus. Is that evident in your life? Do you desire to be like Jesus? And do you sometimes sit alone like I do at night, in the dark, thinking this day, I acted more like a fool than I did Jesus. I acted more like a bumpkin than I did Jesus.

Understanding the Imitation of Jesus

I acted more like an arrogant man or a Greek or a Roman than I did Jesus. Enter into conversations and say, “I didn’t speak as Jesus would have spoken there.” Do you want and desire to be like Jesus? And be very, very careful because that wanting to be like Jesus is always filtered through whatever culture or subculture we live in.

It could be a guy running around with flip-flops on and “What would Jesus do?” bracelets, and saying, “Man, I’m a wild man like Jesus was a wild man.” No, you’re like your culture is what you’re like. Or people dressing up as though we were still living in the age of Pride and Prejudice and say, “I’m looking like Jesus looks.” No, I’m sorry they didn’t wear those clothes when Jesus lived.

We’re not talking about these kinds of things. We’re talking about what we really are, what we really do, how we really think. You see that? Very important.

The Old and New Commandments

Now, let’s go to the last test and we’ll close. Verse 7, “Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.”

Now, if you’ve been in our study on Wednesday night, you know, this is one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible. Why? I just find it intriguing. Because John goes, “You know, I am not writing a new commandment to you.” And then he turns right around and goes, “I’m writing a new commandment to you.” And you just want to look at John and go, “John, which is it? You’re either writing an old commandment or a new commandment.”

The Essence of the Commandment to Love

He says, “No, I’m writing both.” What does he mean? And if you could just meditate upon this text and catch a glimpse of it, because I cannot explain it well. Not even what’s in my own heart about it. He’s saying the commandment to love is an old command. It’s been from the beginning. It’s always been.

The mark of someone who knows God is love. It’s an old commandment, but it’s a new commandment. In what way? When Jesus came, He revealed to us such a high expression of love, it is as though love had never been spoken of before. He took it to such another high level that it’s as though it was a brand new command. And He did. He did.

And what does he go on to say here? He says, and I love this, “On the other hand, verse eight, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you.” John, it’s true in me. How? He says, “Because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining, the darkness is passing away. And the true light is shining.”

The Role of Love in Sanctification

And what does that mean? It has a lot to do with revelation, but it also has a lot to do with sanctification. The old things are passing away. There is a sense in which they’ve all passed away. You live in a completely different realm and a completely different sphere. Second Corinthians 5.

But the outworking of that. As you go on with the Lord, He’s going to be faithful. He’s going to be faithful to do what? To make sure that more and more darkness is passing and more light is shining. And how will you know when that happens?

Love as the Greatest Evidence of Faith

Well, one of the chief ways you’ll know is how you love people. At least how you learn or are learning to love people. The one thing that I most — the one thing that I see in such a new light is I’ve never seen it before, even though I could have spoken the right thing with my mouth.

Was that in the new covenant? Love is everything. I still don’t know what I’m saying when I say that. But it really is true. That if you love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And you love your neighbor as yourself. That you will be fulfilling the law of God. And the greatest expression of biblical maturity is love. It really is.

So a man can run through jungles being chased by enemies. A man can give away everything he has several times. A man can wear himself out. But if he has not loved. He is nothing. He does nothing. He accomplishes nothing. What’s one of the greatest evidences that you are a believer? That you love.

Misunderstanding the Judgment of Nations

And just so you know how important this is, you know, the warning Christ gives us in the judgment of the nations of the sheep and the goats. That there’s a separation. And people misunderstand that passage. They read that passage and say, this passage proves that we need to, you know, give food to the hungry and clothe the poor and visit people in prisons and have a prison ministry. That’s not what that verse means at all. That’s not what that passage means at all.

The True Meaning of the Passage

Now we need to feed the poor and we need to have prison ministries and we need to do all those things, but that’s not what that text is talking about at all. You see how you can quote a text and just take it totally out of context. Jesus is not saying “I was a murderer in prison and you visited Me.” That’s not what He’s saying.

What is He saying? The whole thing is the outworking of love for other Christians. That’s what the whole thing is about. So what do you mean? Let me give you an illustration. We’re meeting in a forest outside of Rome. We’re a criminal religion. We’re Christians.

And the meeting breaks up at about eleven o’clock at night, and we all know to take different roads back to the city. You go home, you go to bed about four o’clock in the morning, someone’s pounding on your door, you open the door and it’s one of the believers saying “You’ve got to meet back in the wood. Come.” So you get dressed, you take your path back to the wood.

The Division of the Sheep and Goats

There’s a meeting there, all the believers. “What happened?” One of the elders stands up and says, “Two of our men on the way back were caught by the soldiers. They were found with some writings. They were tricked. And now they’re in prison. They’ve been beaten and thrown in jail.”

Well, a lot of prisons around the world, you may not know this, if someone from the outside does not bring you medicine and food and clothing, you’re going to die. And so they said, “We’ve got to do something,” and two young believers jump up immediately, full of zeal, like some of you college guys, just full of zeal. “We’ll take them clothes. We’ll go, we’ll get the medicine, we’ll take it.”

Then an older guy like me stands up and says, “Wonderful, sit down for a second. You don’t know what you’re saying. You see, when you go and you take that medicine and those clothes and everything else and you take it to that prison, they’re going to know you’re believers, too. And if they do and they’re not feeling — they’re not in that good of a mood, they’re going to beat you, strip you, and throw you into prison.”

“Do you know what you’re saying when you say, ‘I’ll go’?” And then a group jumps up from somewhere in the church, jumps up a group of people, and said, “This is just stupid. This is ridiculous. We’re tired of this. I mean, we believe in Jesus, too, but we just keep seeing this church getting more and more radical, and we’re just tired of it.”

“We think you guys are crazy. We’ve never been called to do this type of thing. They got caught. It’s their problem. God knows what He’s doing. We’re out of here.” And they leave. And what have you just seen? The division of the sheep and the goats before Judgment Day.

The True Act of Love

Then two old men stand up and they go, “Look, we’ve raised our families. Young men sit down. We don’t want you going. We’ve raised our families. Our children are grown. Give us the stuff.”

And so all the people run back to their homes. They’re poor. They’re slaves. They get medicines. They go by. They do everything they can do. They sacrifice everything. Meet back in the wood. And the two old men take the food and the clothing and the medicine to go minister to the brothers in prison.

That’s what Jesus is talking about. He’s basically saying this, “One of the greatest, if not the greatest, evidences that you believe in Him and that you have claimed Him as Lord is that you love the brethren. You love the brethren.”

The Call to Action in the Church

Now, I know that there are people in this church, so many dear brothers and sisters in Christ that are converted, that would do that. I do know that. And that’s wonderful. And what I’m going to say now, though, church, is not in any way to disparage that. I know you would do that.

But church, remember this. We do have brothers and sisters in Christ in prison. We do have brothers and sisters in Christ in need. And maybe as a body, we should be giving more attention to that, don’t you think? I know that there are people here who would give everything they had in order to help a brother or sister in Christ. I know you would do that.

But like me, just like me, we often forget, don’t we? How many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering and in need? And we need to be putting that before each other all the time. “How can we help? How can we help? What can we do?” Someone told me a long time ago, “You live in the United States. You don’t have to go without.” Then I can choose to. For the sake of brothers.

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