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He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 1 John 2:4

The person who does not love me does not obey my words. John 14:24

Our first verse before us today is the one from 1 John 2:4 where we learn that a professing Christian can actually be a liar.  There are so many today (especially in America) who claim the royal status of “Christian.” Yet they are liars.  God the Father Himself has called certain ones “a liar.”

We know that this epistle was written to a body of believers who comprised the local church of their area.  So here we have John writing under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit and is writing to Christians; and in essence is letting some of them know that they are liars.

There will always be the blatant sinners who love, and live in the lusts of uncleanness.  There will always be the unbelievers who are morally good people and who place their trust in their own goodness.  There will always be the sinner and the ungodly ones.  But who this particular scripture is referring to are those who are living among us and walking among us and fellowshipping among us…and are liars.

The Bible teaches us in 1 Timothy and Revelation that liars are workers of darkness and we are to have no fellowship with them.  Their spirit is filthy, their soul is stained, and their minds are darkened. But here’s the dilemma: we go to church with them!!

They are the tares sown by the wicked one (according to what Jesus said in Matthew 13:28) among the wheat.  A tare is not a weed.  A tare is something that looks just like the wheat.  The same shape and color…it just has no wheat in the head.  It’s only an empty husk.  A lot of people when they think of  “tares” they envision a weed or something that is easily seen and of a different color, and of an entirely different species of plant.  No…tares look identical to the wheat.  There’s only one way to tell them apart, and that is to see if they have fruit in them or not. This is a quote taken from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary: “the closest scrutiny will often fail to detect them. Even the farmers, who in this country generally weed their fields, do not attempt to separate the one from the other.”

Jesus said in Matthew 7:16 that we would know them by their fruit.  Now pay very close attention here to exactly what He said.  He said we would “know” them by their fruit.  This word “know “ in the Greek means to be able to perceive, recognize, and acknowledge.  In other words, a serious Christian will be able to discern who is real and who is a tare. 

There are many who sit by us in church who are tares.  They are bearing no fruit for Christ.  They are just religious people going through the motions to appease their own consciences, which are seared over by deception.  They play the part well, they are really good actors.  You know, the best actors are the ones who actually believe the role they’re playing is actually who they are.

So then, what is another way to view these fruitless tares who walk and fellowship among us?  They are liars.  They do not have the truth abiding in them, because they will not allow the Word to abide in them.  They are liars through and through…to the center-core of who they are.  Many of them are really good moral people.  They sing the songs, they carry a bible, and many of them have even learned how to say, “Jesus is Lord.”

But God calls them a liar, and tells us to stay away from them, lest we be a partaker of their sins.  We know where all liars shall have their part, and their portion (see Rev. 21:8).  These self-willed ones love their sin, and they love living in it.  The spirit of the world is their father, and their own self-gratification their one desire.  They live for one – and one alone…themselves. 

If you say that you know this Christ, and that you believe in Him, and you are not keeping His commandments…then you are a liar and you are living a lie.  In the Old Testament, the Israelites had to keep the 10 Commandments.  Can you guess how many commands are in the New Testament? 1,050 commands that fall under 800 different headings.  Grace does not lower the standard, it raises the standard.  There is much more required of us in the New Testament than they EVER dreamed of doing in the Old Testament. 

1 John 1:6 says, “So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.” And no liar can have eternal life abiding in him.  Nor can he inherit the kingdom of God.  So then we also see that they are “not practicing the truth.”  The Bible says in Psalms 119:160 and John 17:17 that God’s Word is truth.  If they are not practicing the truth, then they are not doing, what?  They are not doing or obeying God’s holy Word!!  They don’t want anything to do with God’s Word.  Their own word is the final word.  Poor deluded souls…when will you wake up?

Folks, if people are not walking in the doctrine of the Apostles as outlined in the New Testament, and they are not bearing fruit unto God (I’m referencing professing “Christians” here); then do not have fellowship with them.  That worldly spirit on them and in them will attach itself to you and you will find your convictions getting shallower and shallower.  What once was taboo is now acceptable.  They will affect your speech, your life in the Spirit, and ultimately your faith.  The bible says your faith can be “cast off” (1 Timothy 5:12) – “ship wrecked” (1 Timothy 1:19) – “made void” (Romans 4:14) – “turned away from” (Acts 13:8) – “erred from” (1 Timothy 6:10, 21) – “abandoned” (2 Timothy 3:8) – and even “overthrown” (2 Timothy 2:18).  Yes!!! Your faith can be overthrown by another…if you allow it.

If these people want to continue in their sin, sins, and sinning; and living in their life of spiritual darkness…then let them.  They obviously love it.   They live to please their flesh and their senses.  Take them off your Facebook, don’t do things with them, don’t fellowship with them.  God calls them liars, and you do not want to be caught with a liar.  The Bible says that some men’s sins go before them unto judgment, and some men’s sins follow after.  If you are a part of them, and their sins go before them unto judgment…then you my friend are in trouble.  Its very easy…just don’t associate with these people who call themselves “Christians” and bear no fruit unto God.  Be ye separate from them says the Lord.

And it should be easy to tell who loves the Lord and who doesn’t.  The second scripture reference listed at the beginning of this article should easily show you who loves Jesus and who doesn’t love Jesus (or His Father, or His Spirit, or His Word, or His will, or His way). If they do not obey the Bible, then they do not love God.  I have grown very bold towards people lately and have been letting them know that according to God’s Word they are a liar, and they do not love God.

For if they did, then they would obey Him and do what His Word says.  But here again, they love their own lives more than Him…and therefore are unworthy of Him.  God has provided everything to them and for them, and yet they still rebel against Him.  They are rebels to the end of whom the blackness of darkness is reserved for them.  They appear to have light, but in reality are just wandering stars.  Jude calls them “twice-dead” (spiritually and eternally), “trees without fruit” and five times he refers to them as “ungodly.”  Their clothing (pants) is already on fire and they can’t even tell.  Their pants are on fire so-to-speak.  And they are so consumed with this life and what they can get out of it, that they take no thought for the next.

The Bible says that these are sad souls who have deluded themselves. Well, all of the writers of the New Testament wrote of these and warned of these.  They dealt with them in their day, and we have our share of them in our day. 

Be bold and begin to tell people the truth.  If you see a person who claims to know Christ sinning or living worldly, then correct him/her in love.  If they receive you, then you have saved a soul from loss.  If they do not receive you, then boldly let them know that God considers them a liar, and that they really do not love God.  And of course you’ll hear the usual “Don’t judge, lest you be judged.” I encourage to study out that passage of scripture and then you’ll never let that statement bother you again.  Let’s be about our Father’s business and tell people the truth, and quit worrying about whether it offends them or not.  I’m more concerned about their soul than I am about their feelings.

See you on the front lines.