Are You Devoted to Jesus?

(1 John 2:3-6)



I. Introduction.
A. Orientation.

The Lord commanded us

Through the author to Hebrews

To run the race

To live your life

With your eyes fixed on Jesus.


What did he mean?

1. Certainly that as you live

That you are to look to/trust in Him alone for salvation

Theres salvation in no one else,

No other righteousness,

No other payment for sin,

No other way,

Nothing you can do.

All other religions/cults

Lead to destruction,

Hes only way.


2. He meant as you live

Youre to look to Him for strength

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Even though what He commands is good

And thats what you want to do

Because He has changed your heart,

You still have enemies

That stand in your way

Your flesh, the world, the devil

These are opponents you cant overcome by yourself.

Youre too weak,

You need His Spirit,

So you need look to Him daily in faith

For the power to overcome them.

B. Preview.

1. But He also meant

That you are to love Him so much

That you cant do anything else but look to Him

He is to be the object of your greatest desire

So that heart draws you out/forward.


2. And youre to look to Him for His example

He is to be your pattern/paradigm,

The One you aspire to be like.

John says, The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the
same manner as He walked (1 John 2:6).


Its these last two that were going to consider this morning:
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II. Sermon.
A. First, Jesus is to be the One you desire the most.

Paul writes in Galatians 6:24, Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus
Christ with incorruptible love, literally, with an undying love.

Thats the kind of love

You need to have for Him.


How can you love Him that much?

You can only do this

If you have His Spirit.

If you dont love Him at all

You need to ask Him

To break your stony heart.


But even if He has,

Theres still more you can do.

1. First, you need to see Him more clearly

Through the eyes of your faith.


To the degree that He doesnt seem real to you

To that degree, you wont love Him as you should

If you see Him as only character in a story,

Someone to read about in a book.


He is real,

A real person,
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A real Savior and Lord,

One who offers Himself to you,

Who has given Himself to you

If youve received Him.


2. You need to remember what He has done for you.

Everything necessary

To save you from an eternity of misery

That we all deserve.


Without Him, your sins

Would have pushed you down into hell.

Without Him,

You would have been tormented forever.

Without Him,

You would have been separated

From Gods blessed presence forever.


Consider the price He paid for you:

Creator/creature.

Holy/dwelt among sinful man.

Innocent/punished.

Blessed/wrath.

Life/death.

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He didnt deserve these things, you did.

He took what was coming to you.


How thankful are you

When someone does something nice for you

When they do your chores,

Pays your bill/fine you owe.

If they forgive some small offence?


How thankful should you be

For what Hes done for you?

Sometimes were more grateful

For those small things

Than we are for what Jesus did,

Because it doesnt seem quite real.


If thats the case with you,

You need a greater faith

Faith is the evidence of things not seen.

By faith you believe He is,

And that He is a rewarder

Of those who diligently seek Him.

By faith you know

He sent His Son to do these things for you

If youre trusting Him this morning.
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If you are to love Him as you should

You need a stronger faith.

He is real,

What Hes done is real,

And that should command your love.


2. You also need to love Him for who He is.

What Hes done speaks volumes:

What mercy,

Condescension to your need!


But consider the heart and character

This One must have

Who has loved you in this way.

His love of what is good/right,

His holiness,

His infinite worthiness as God.

See His moral beauty by His Holy Spirit

And let it stir your heart to love Him more.


3. How can you know

If you really do love Him?

Its not hard to tell

If you love others.
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Do you think about Him?

When you do, does it stir your heart?

Do you spend time with Him?

Do you listen to what He tells you

And try to remember what He says?


Or to put it another way

In terms Dick used at study

Is He your hero?

Do you admire Him?

Do you want to be like Him?

More than anyone else?


Those you choose to be your heroes

Say a lot about you

About whats in your heart.


If you are a Christian

If you are a genuine believer

Jesus is your hero

The One you admire most,

The One you most want to be like,

The One you look to and hold onto.


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As Spurgeon said in the book were reading,

The one your faith is built on,

Your reason to believe and hope

Cant be a mere creature

It cant be a Spurgeon, Whitefield or Edwards

It must be Jesus.

You need a pillar/a support

One to lean on that cant fail,

So that even if whole church

Abandoned God,

You wouldnt

Because your faith is founded on the rock.


Some of you are about to make public profession.

In the interview,

Youll be asked if youre trusting Jesus

If you love Him in this way.

Perhaps all of you

Will say you do.

Those of you who have been interviewed

Already have said this.


Examine your heart.

Do you really love Him?

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How often do you think about Him?

How often do you spend time with Him?

Is He your hero?


B. Theres another way you can tell,

That brings us to second point,

Are you following Him?

Is He your example?


Jesus said, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word (John 14:23).

Do you keep His Word?


He said in our meditation,

If you come to Him,

And take His yoke,

You will learn from Him.

Are you His student?

Are you learning from Him?


John says in our text, The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in
the same manner as He walked (1 John 2:6).

Are you living as He lived?


This is the evidence

That you really do know Him.

You can say youre trusting Him,

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That youre looking to Him for strength,

That you even love Him more than any other,

But does your life show it?


Again, John writes, By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep
His commandments. The one who says, I have come to know Him, and does
not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever
keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we
know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to
walk in the same manner as He walked (vv. 3-6).

If you love Him,

You will obey Him.


The movie Chariots of Fire

Provided an example of the two kinds of people

We find in the visible church:

Those who seek their own glory

And those who seek Christs.


Abrahams ran for himself

He was addicted, compelled;

He wanted to win,

For personal glory/gain,

As a weapon against being Jewish.


He made no pretence of being Christian,

But how many do

And live the same way?
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How many seek their own pleasure

Rather than trying to please God?


Liddell, on the other hand,

Was a great example

Of someone whose heart

Was really committed to the Lord.


He used the gifts God gave him to glorify Him.

When he ran and won, he evangelized.

When he was told his event would take place on Sunday,

He refused to run,

Even though the British Athletic Committee,

The Prince of Wales,

His teammates and his country

Were all pressuring him

To violate his conscience.


It was a hard decision to make,

But it was the right one,

And the Lord honored him for it.

By refusing to run on Sunday,

The Lord opened the door for him

To run in the 400 meter,

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Which he found to be his best event,

And in which he won the gold medal.


If you love the Lord,

You will obey him

And not compromise

Even though it may cost you dearly.

Remember: Elijah, Stephen, Paul, Athanasius.


Consider what it cost Jesus to please His Father:

He was hated by virtually everyone

Rejected by His own people,

And put to death on a cross.


He gave His life for His Father,

Because He loved Him,

And He calls you to give yours

Out of love for Him.


Will you fail?

Of course, sometimes miserably,

But you wont stop

You will keep pressing forward,

Because you love Him,

Because youre devoted to Him.

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You may not have the greatest gifts

Those of a Spurgeon, Whitefield or Edwards

But that doesnt mean

You cant have a great heart.

You can love Him and devote yourself to Him

Every bit as much as they did even more!

That is what you must strive to do.


Fix your eyes on Him.

Look to Him as your Savior.

Look to Him for your daily strength.

Let your love for Him continue to grow.

Dont set your sights on anything less

Than becoming like Him.

Dont leave any room in your life for compromise.

If you can, then you truly are a Christian. Amen.


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