Latest / Cumberland Trace Church of Christ (Formerly Lehman Ave Church of Christ) / "Words of Life" by Chris Young - Part 9
Transcript
- 0:00Good evening.
- 0:13It would be turning to 1 John chapter 3, 1 John chapter 3.
- 0:23Alright, we're continuing to, Chris Hiram has been teaching in here on Wednesday nights.
- 0:33Started in 1 John a couple of weeks ago and he has masterfully gone through 1 and 2 chapter,
- 0:40also introduction as well.
- 0:43So we're going to, my assignment was to complete chapter 3 tonight, so we will try, we will
- 0:49try to do that.
- 0:51Obviously in order to study chapter 3, probably need to start at the end of chapter 2 in order
- 0:57to get the context.
- 0:58We're very blessed that the Bible is divided up into chapters and verses, it really makes
- 1:07it easy for, or makes it easier for study and for organization.
- 1:13But you know that didn't come, that didn't come about until about the 13th century, the
- 1:17early 13th century, a guy by the name of Stephen Langton in Paris, Paris, France, not
- 1:26Paris, Kentucky as I understand it.
- 1:30He separated, as I understand it, the Bible into chapters.
- 1:37Now separating those chapters into verses didn't come along until the mid-1500s or thereabouts.
- 1:46So kind of amazing it took that long to figure out, hey, we might need to kind of separate
- 1:53this out.
- 1:54But anyway, that's a little history there and I won't charge you any extra for that.
- 2:00So but we're going to start in verse 28 of 1 John chapter 2 to continue or to get the
- 2:06context of going into chapter 3.
- 2:09Even though they are separated into chapters and verses, sometimes it's not perfect how
- 2:17that's separated out.
- 2:18Overall, I think it's pretty good, but there are times when it's not perfect.
- 2:23So I think this is one of those times here.
- 2:26Starting in verse 28, it talks about the being called, how we as Christians, remember he's
- 2:33writing to Christians here, John is, later in his life, and he's talking about the fact
- 2:41that we are called children of God.
- 2:45And what a big deal that really is.
- 2:48If you look in verse 28 of chapter 2, he says, and now little children abide in him that
- 2:57when he appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
- 3:07So here he's talking about the second coming of Christ, whenever he appears.
- 3:12He said you're either going to be confident when that happens, or you're going to be ashamed.
- 3:20Are we confident?
- 3:23Are we actually looking forward to the coming of Jesus Christ?
- 3:28It's been promised it's going to happen.
- 3:30It will happen.
- 3:31At some point, that will happen.
- 3:34Christ is going to come back.
- 3:36Scripture tells how that's going to happen.
- 3:39So are we confident, as referenced here, or would we be ashamed?
- 3:46How will Jesus find us?
- 3:51And we can have confidence if you go over two chapters to the same book.
- 3:57First John chapter 5, let's start in verse 11.
- 4:03First John 5 and verse 11, he says, and this is the testimony that God has given us eternal
- 4:09life and this life is in his Son.
- 4:14He who has a Son has life.
- 4:17He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
- 4:22These things, now notice this particular verse here, these things I have written to you who
- 4:27believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life and
- 4:35that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
- 4:39So he's telling us we can know.
- 4:41We don't have to sit around and wring our hands wondering am I saved or not.
- 4:47He says you can have confidence.
- 4:49You can know and actually look forward to the coming of Jesus Christ.
- 4:56He says if you know, and that word if there really means since, you know that he is righteous.
- 5:04What's the definition of righteous?
- 5:07Right living, isn't it?
- 5:10You know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him.
- 5:17And from here, as it begins chapter 3, he continues this thought of us being children
- 5:23of God.
- 5:24And again, what a big deal that is and how awesome that is.
- 5:29He says behold, in our modern day terminology it would be saying like wow, okay?
- 5:37Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called
- 5:45children of God.
- 5:47In your Bible it probably has an exclamation point there.
- 5:51Children of God.
- 5:52That's what we are.
- 5:53We as Christians, those who have put on Christ, we are children of God.
- 6:01Therefore the world does not know us because it did not know him.
- 6:08So we shouldn't be surprised by the fact that the world doesn't really understand us.
- 6:15The world's not going to understand us.
- 6:18The world is not going to understand why you're sitting here tonight on a rainy Wednesday
- 6:25night in a Bible study.
- 6:27You just don't understand that.
- 6:30But he says, don't be surprised.
- 6:33The world does not know us because it did not know him.
- 6:36It did not know Christ.
- 6:38Beloved, now we are children of God and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be
- 6:47but we know that when he is revealed we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.
- 6:58So there's another reference to what's going to happen when Christ returns.
- 7:05He says, now not all that's been revealed yet, okay?
- 7:09There are things about when Jesus comes in our eternal home, there are things we don't know.
- 7:18But the Bible talks more than you might think about that, about the second coming and what's
- 7:25going to happen to us.
- 7:26But it says we shall be like him.
- 7:29I like Paul's writings.
- 7:32If you want to take a look at 1 Corinthians, let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
- 7:40Again, if there's something you want to say, just interject and that'll be fine.
- 7:451 Corinthians chapter 15, 1 Corinthians chapter 15 probably gives one of the most detailed
- 7:52descriptions of when Christ returns and what is going to happen to us, okay?
- 8:00What's going to happen to us when Christ returns and he does that through a series of comparisons.
- 8:08Comparing what we are like now to what we will be.
- 8:121 Corinthians chapter 15, let's start in verse, well actually let's go to verse 35.
- 8:20But someone will say, Paul writes, how are the dead raised up and with what body do they come?
- 8:27And then if you go down to verse 42, he says, so also is the resurrection of the dead.
- 8:34So here's what's going to happen.
- 8:36The body, this body, physical body, is sown in corruption, but how's it going to be raised?
- 8:44In corruption.
- 8:46We are sinful creatures, but not when we're raised.
- 8:54It is sown in dishonor, but it's raised in glory.
- 8:59It is sown in weakness, and it's raised in power.
- 9:04Our bodies are weak, and as we age, we get weaker and weaker.
- 9:09Not when we're resurrected.
- 9:14It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
- 9:20There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body.
- 9:25Okay?
- 9:27And some say, well that means natural means physical and spiritual body means non-physical.
- 9:39Well that's not exactly how Paul uses those words in the book of 1 Corinthians.
- 9:44If you go back to chapter 2 of that same book, of the book of 1 Corinthians,
- 9:51I don't mean to detour too much here, but 1 Corinthians chapter 2,
- 9:56and if you go down to about verse 14,
- 10:01here's how Paul uses those words in the same letter.
- 10:06But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God,
- 10:12for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them,
- 10:17because they are spiritually discerned.
- 10:20But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
- 10:28So here he uses, that's how he uses those words, natural and spiritual.
- 10:32Those that are natural are drawn to live like the world, okay?
- 10:37They're drawn by their fleshly desires.
- 10:40Those that are spiritual in nature are drawn to those things of the Spirit.
- 10:45The fruits of the Spirit, like we read about in Galatians chapter 5.
- 10:49And here he makes these comparisons.
- 10:53And then if you go over to verse 15 of 1 Corinthians, back on 1 Corinthians chapter 15,
- 10:59he says,
- 11:00Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,
- 11:05nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
- 11:08Behold, I tell you a mystery.
- 11:10We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed
- 11:14in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
- 11:17the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound,
- 11:20and the dead will be raised incorruptible,
- 11:23and we shall be changed.
- 11:26Our bodies, when we are raised from the dead,
- 11:32it's going to be different than this body.
- 11:35This body is, we have the effects of sin,
- 11:39we have the effects of deterioration,
- 11:42we have the effects of decay,
- 11:44but when we are raised,
- 11:46we are going to, all the effects of sin are going to be removed.
- 11:52And I just think that's an interesting passage there.
- 11:57And then if you go over to the book of Philippians,
- 12:00chapter 3,
- 12:03and let's go to verse 20,
- 12:06Philippians chapter 3 and verse 20,
- 12:09Here he says,
- 12:10For our citizenship is in heaven, Paul, writing here again,
- 12:13from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior,
- 12:18the Lord Jesus Christ,
- 12:21who will transform our lowly body,
- 12:24that it may be conformed,
- 12:26and this goes right along with what he says in 1 Corinthians chapter 3,
- 12:30it's going to be conformed to, what?
- 12:33His glorious body.
- 12:37According to the working by which he is able
- 12:40even to subdue all things to himself.
- 12:44Okay?
- 12:45We're going to die a corruptible body,
- 12:48raised incorruptible,
- 12:50without the effects of sin.
- 12:53You know, our bodies are created
- 12:56in order to live on this planet,
- 13:02but our bodies are going to be resurrected,
- 13:05suited to live eternally
- 13:08with God and His Son Jesus Christ.
- 13:11So we shall be, back to 1 John 3,
- 13:15says, we shall be like Him,
- 13:18and we shall see Him as He is, in verse 3,
- 13:21and everyone who has this hope in Him
- 13:26purifies himself just as He, Christ,
- 13:31is pure.
- 13:33So with this knowledge of what we've read about in 1 Corinthians chapter 15,
- 13:38that's going to motivate us
- 13:41to live lives of holiness and purity.
- 13:45Any comments or questions up to that point?
- 13:49Okay.
- 13:51Now, he's talking about purity
- 13:55and keeping ourselves from sin
- 13:58and what we have to look forward to.
- 14:00Now he's going to go in a little different direction.
- 14:03Okay? Here's the opposite.
- 14:04He's going to be talking about sin.
- 14:06Okay?
- 14:07Sin.
- 14:08Okay.
- 14:09He says in verse 4,
- 14:10whoever commits sin
- 14:14also commits lawlessness.
- 14:19And sin is lawlessness.
- 14:22So, in verses 4 through 9,
- 14:25you're going to have a definition of sin.
- 14:29It's going to talk about the origin of sin
- 14:33and how sin is defeated
- 14:36and how we need to refrain from sin.
- 14:40And sin, he says, is lawlessness.
- 14:43Okay?
- 14:44We know what lawlessness means.
- 14:46It's, you know, in our judicial system
- 14:50or in our country,
- 14:53we know that, you know, somebody that's lawless
- 14:56is somebody that just has no regard
- 14:59for the law of the land.
- 15:00And they act like that.
- 15:02Okay?
- 15:03No regard for the law.
- 15:04They just do what they want.
- 15:06And that's what he says sin is.
- 15:07It's just an absolute disregard
- 15:10for God's law
- 15:12that He has given us.
- 15:14And he says sin is lawlessness.
- 15:17Definition, the Greek word,
- 15:20I'm not sure what that word is,
- 15:22but the Greek word means basically
- 15:24we miss the mark.
- 15:25Okay?
- 15:26Sin is missing the mark.
- 15:28Like if you have a target there,
- 15:30if you're doing target practice
- 15:32and you've got a bullseye
- 15:34and you keep missing that mark.
- 15:36Okay?
- 15:37We miss the mark by, you know,
- 15:40doing things that we should not do
- 15:43according to God's law.
- 15:45But we also miss the mark
- 15:46by failing to do those things
- 15:48that He tells us to do.
- 15:50And so that's what it means.
- 15:51We miss the mark.
- 15:53He says here,
- 15:54and you know that He was manifested
- 15:57to take away our sins.
- 15:58He was manifested.
- 15:59I'm not sure what your version makes
- 16:01if you're reading from something
- 16:03other than the New King James Version.
- 16:05New King James says manifested
- 16:08or made apparent,
- 16:10made evident,
- 16:11made obvious.
- 16:13You know that He was manifested
- 16:15to take away our sins.
- 16:18And in Him,
- 16:19there is no sin.
- 16:23Here's an interesting verse.
- 16:26Whoever abides in Him
- 16:29does not sin.
- 16:32Whoever sins has neither seen Him
- 16:35nor known Him.
- 16:37So He defines what sin is.
- 16:39It's lawlessness.
- 16:40It's missing the mark.
- 16:42Doing things we're not supposed to do.
- 16:45Not doing those things
- 16:46that we're supposed to do.
- 16:47But He says if you're in Him,
- 16:49you don't sin.
- 16:52But that's not what 1 John 1 verse 8 says,
- 17:00is it?
- 17:01Okay.
- 17:02It says here, it says,
- 17:04whoever abides in Him
- 17:06does not sin.
- 17:08But if I turn the page
- 17:10and I look at 1 John 1,
- 17:12and I go down to verse 8,
- 17:14it says,
- 17:15if we say that we have no sin,
- 17:17we deceive ourselves
- 17:19and the truth is not in us.
- 17:21If we confess our sins,
- 17:23He's faithful just to forgive us our sins
- 17:25and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- 17:27If we say that we have not sinned,
- 17:29we make Him a liar
- 17:31and His word is not in us.
- 17:33What's Romans, I think, 3.23 say?
- 17:36All have sinned,
- 17:39fallen short
- 17:40of the glory of God.
- 17:41So how do we square that?
- 17:44Mm-hmm.
- 17:46Yeah.
- 17:50Mm-hmm.
- 17:51Okay.
- 17:52Okay.
- 17:54I think...
- 17:56Yeah.
- 17:58Right.
- 18:00Okay.
- 18:01I think you nailed it.
- 18:03Who has the ESV in here?
- 18:07Okay.
- 18:08Someone read that verse from the ESV.
- 18:13The ESV is probably actually a better translation here.
- 18:19Chapter 3,
- 18:21verse 6.
- 18:28Ah, okay.
- 18:29That's good.
- 18:30No one who abides in Him
- 18:32does what?
- 18:33Keeps on sinning.
- 18:35What Chuck just said.
- 18:36Okay.
- 18:37Makes a practice of.
- 18:39Okay.
- 18:40Makes a practice of.
- 18:43The Greek word there,
- 18:45it's used in the present tense,
- 18:47which means ongoing.
- 18:49And so the ESV is actually probably a little better translation there.
- 18:53Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
- 18:57He says,
- 18:59little children,
- 19:00let no one deceive you.
- 19:02Now if you recall,
- 19:03Hiram was talking about
- 19:06one of the reasons of John's writing here
- 19:09is that
- 19:10some had come under the influence of some false teaching,
- 19:13some false teachers.
- 19:15And you can tell that he is combating that
- 19:18in some ways here.
- 19:20He says,
- 19:21let no one deceive you.
- 19:22Why is he having to tell them,
- 19:23don't let somebody deceive you?
- 19:26Because somebody's trying to deceive them, right?
- 19:28Somebody's trying to,
- 19:29there are somebodies
- 19:32were trying to deceive them.
- 19:34He says, let no one deceive you.
- 19:36He who practices righteousness
- 19:38is righteous just as he is righteous.
- 19:40And Hiram briefly mentioned also there was a,
- 19:44there was a teaching,
- 19:46some teaching that was going on
- 19:49by some folks,
- 19:50they call them the Gnostics,
- 19:51the Gnostic teaching.
- 19:52And it had several different tenants
- 19:55to that particular false teaching.
- 19:57One was,
- 19:58was really playing down effects of sin.
- 20:02That sin was really no big deal.
- 20:04Right?
- 20:05And if we're not careful,
- 20:06we can be lulled into that same thought process.
- 20:10You know,
- 20:11does anybody sin anymore?
- 20:14Is anybody lost anymore?
- 20:17Sometimes we can get that attitude.
- 20:19You know,
- 20:20we kind of get lulled into,
- 20:23you know,
- 20:24well,
- 20:25kind of get used to the concept of some sin
- 20:29and become more tolerant of it.
- 20:33Doesn't become as big a deal.
- 20:36That's what he's warning them against.
- 20:38Don't get that attitude.
- 20:40He said,
- 20:41you know,
- 20:42sin is serious.
- 20:43And here in these verses,
- 20:45here in 1 John 3,
- 20:46he is trying to drive that point home.
- 20:49Sin is a big deal.
- 20:52And you need to be,
- 20:54you really need to be careful.
- 20:56He said,
- 20:57he who practices righteousness
- 20:58is righteous just as he is righteous.
- 21:01But he says,
- 21:02look at the strong wording he uses here.
- 21:05He who sins,
- 21:07and again,
- 21:08the ESV says this a little differently.
- 21:10He who sins is of the devil.
- 21:13Okay?
- 21:14You know,
- 21:15we've talked about children of God.
- 21:16Now he's making a comparison.
- 21:17Children of God versus,
- 21:19you know,
- 21:20sons of the devil.
- 21:22For the devil has sinned from the beginning.
- 21:26Okay?
- 21:27For this purpose,
- 21:28this,
- 21:29okay,
- 21:30now he's going to give you the purpose
- 21:32of why Christ did what he did.
- 21:35The purpose,
- 21:36the Son of God was manifested
- 21:38or became evident,
- 21:39became obvious,
- 21:41became known,
- 21:43that he might destroy
- 21:46the works of the devil.
- 21:48So Christ came
- 21:49to destroy the works of the devil.
- 21:51Now,
- 21:52the devil is still active,
- 21:53right?
- 21:54Okay?
- 21:55But what's his ultimate destination?
- 21:59Right?
- 22:00So,
- 22:01to destroy the works of the devil.
- 22:03What are the works of the devil?
- 22:06What are his fruits?
- 22:08Sin, right?
- 22:09Okay?
- 22:10Sin.
- 22:11Whoever has been born of God
- 22:13does not sin.
- 22:14Again,
- 22:15the ESV says that a little differently.
- 22:17For his seed remains in him.
- 22:19What's that seed?
- 22:21Word of God.
- 22:22Absolutely.
- 22:23God's Word
- 22:24remains in him
- 22:26and he cannot sin
- 22:28because he has been
- 22:30born of God.
- 22:32Okay?
- 22:33So we've got to stay in God's Word
- 22:35to
- 22:36keep ourselves
- 22:38from falling into the category
- 22:40of
- 22:41of being
- 22:42sinful in nature.
- 22:44Alright.
- 22:45Any comments or questions on those few verses there?
- 22:56Yep.
- 22:58Right.
- 23:05Right.
- 23:06Absolutely.
- 23:09Oh, yeah.
- 23:10For sure.
- 23:11For sure.
- 23:13Good.
- 23:14Okay.
- 23:16Alright.
- 23:17So,
- 23:19he's going to talk about
- 23:21he's going to shift gears
- 23:23just a little bit
- 23:24but with this as a backdrop.
- 23:25So, so far
- 23:27in chapter 3
- 23:28he's talked about
- 23:30how awesome it is
- 23:31to be called a child of God
- 23:34and what that looks like
- 23:36but then he's also warning them about
- 23:38the dangers of sin
- 23:40and fighting these
- 23:42false teachers.
- 23:44And
- 23:46then he starts in verse 10.
- 23:49He says,
- 23:50In this the children of God
- 23:52and the children of the devil
- 23:54are manifest.
- 23:55How many times have I used that word
- 23:57manifest here
- 23:58in this particular chapter?
- 24:00But here he's going to make a comparison.
- 24:02Okay.
- 24:03Here's what it means
- 24:05to be children of God
- 24:07and here's what it means
- 24:09to be children of the devil.
- 24:11Okay.
- 24:12Children of God, children of the devil.
- 24:14Okay.
- 24:15And it's obvious.
- 24:16It's manifest.
- 24:17It's obvious
- 24:18what that looks like.
- 24:19He says,
- 24:20Now he does it in the negative way.
- 24:22He says,
- 24:23Whoever does not practice righteousness
- 24:25is not of God.
- 24:27So we can say then
- 24:29if whoever does not practice
- 24:31righteousness is not of God
- 24:33then we can say who is of God?
- 24:35Those who practice righteousness, right?
- 24:37Nor
- 24:39is he who does not love
- 24:41his brother.
- 24:42Now he's going to spend several verses
- 24:44here
- 24:45talking a lot about what he did
- 24:47in chapter 2
- 24:49and that is our relationship
- 24:51and our love
- 24:52for one another.
- 24:53Okay.
- 24:54And what that's supposed to look like.
- 24:56So then if
- 24:58those who are not of God
- 25:00are those that do not
- 25:02practice righteousness
- 25:03and they do not love their brother
- 25:05then that means those
- 25:07that are of God
- 25:08do practice righteousness
- 25:10and love their brother.
- 25:12Okay.
- 25:13Those are the two things he references here.
- 25:15For this is the message
- 25:17that you have heard
- 25:19that you heard
- 25:21from the beginning.
- 25:23What beginning is he talking about there?
- 25:27Talking about the
- 25:29teachings of Christ, right?
- 25:31Go to John chapter 13.
- 25:33John chapter 13
- 25:35we'll look at a couple of verses here
- 25:37verses
- 25:3934 and 35.
- 25:43Jesus says a new
- 25:45commandment I give to you
- 25:47that you love one another
- 25:49what's new about it?
- 25:51As I have loved you.
- 25:53Okay.
- 25:54That's next level stuff, right?
- 25:56As I have loved
- 25:58you.
- 26:00That you also love one another.
- 26:02By this all will know
- 26:04that you are my disciples
- 26:06if you have love
- 26:08for one another.
- 26:10Okay.
- 26:12So it's a big deal.
- 26:14And John also emphasizes
- 26:16this point here in 1 John 3.
- 26:18He says if you want to be
- 26:20a child of God
- 26:22here's the two things
- 26:24you've got to do.
- 26:25You've got to practice righteousness.
- 26:27You've got to live right.
- 26:29You've got to live in harmony with God's word.
- 26:31And you've got to love
- 26:33the brethren.
- 26:35And then he gives
- 26:37an example. He says you've heard this
- 26:39from the beginning that we should love one another.
- 26:41But then he also talks
- 26:43about another
- 26:45sort of beginning there and he references
- 26:47someone who would be
- 26:49an example of a child
- 26:51of the devil that he references here.
- 26:53He says not as Cain
- 26:55okay so he's going back to
- 26:57Genesis chapter 4
- 26:59who was of the wicked one
- 27:01okay he was a child of the devil
- 27:03and murdered his brother
- 27:05and why did he murder him?
- 27:07Because his
- 27:09works were evil and his brothers
- 27:11righteous. So why
- 27:13did Cain then do
- 27:15what he did?
- 27:17Why did Cain do what he did?
- 27:19What
- 27:21emotions
- 27:23were going through Cain at the
- 27:25time that
- 27:27created a situation where he did what he did?
- 27:29He hated
- 27:31his brother. Why?
- 27:33Jealous.
- 27:35Jealousy. Envy.
- 27:37Because
- 27:39his works were evil
- 27:41but he knew his brothers were righteous.
- 27:43He says
- 27:45do not marvel my brethren
- 27:47if the world hates you
- 27:49we know that we
- 27:51have passed from death to life
- 27:53now
- 27:55what kind of death to life?
- 27:57Spiritual death
- 27:59the spiritual life right
- 28:01because we love
- 28:03the brethren.
- 28:05How did Jesus say that
- 28:07they're going to know that you're my disciple?
- 28:09Love
- 28:11for the brethren right?
- 28:13Loving each other.
- 28:15He says
- 28:17he who does not love his brother
- 28:19I don't know how it could be clear
- 28:21he who does not love his brother
- 28:23abides in death.
- 28:25So he's talking about
- 28:27spiritual death
- 28:29through spiritual life
- 28:31a necessary component of being
- 28:33alive spiritually
- 28:35is loving your brother.
- 28:38I think one of the best
- 28:40a really good example
- 28:42of spiritual death
- 28:44and spiritual life we find
- 28:46in Ephesians chapter 2
- 28:48where Paul writes at the
- 28:50beginning of that chapter
- 28:52he says he talks about
- 28:54our condition
- 28:56that we were in when we were outside
- 28:58of Jesus Christ. He says
- 29:00and you he made alive
- 29:02who were dead in trespasses
- 29:04and sin. Talking about from death
- 29:06to life in which you
- 29:08here's the way you once
- 29:10walked, here's the way you once
- 29:12acted, here's what you once did
- 29:14in which you once walked according
- 29:16to the course of this world
- 29:18according to the prince of the power of the air
- 29:20the spirit who now works in the
- 29:22sons of disobedience among
- 29:24whom also we all once conducted
- 29:26ourselves in the lust
- 29:28of our flesh fulfilling the
- 29:30desires of the flesh and of the mind
- 29:32and were by nature children of wrath
- 29:34just as the others.
- 29:36So the first
- 29:38three or four verses
- 29:40describes our
- 29:42condition outside of Jesus Christ
- 29:44which is being
- 29:46spiritually dead.
- 29:48John talks about
- 29:50passing from spiritual death
- 29:52to spiritual life
- 29:54but then as he goes on
- 29:56Paul writing here in verse
- 29:58four says
- 30:00but God who is rich in mercy
- 30:02because of his great love
- 30:04with which he loved us
- 30:06even when we were dead
- 30:08in trespasses made us
- 30:10alive together with Christ
- 30:12by grace you have been
- 30:14saved and raise us up together
- 30:16may we sit together in the
- 30:18heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
- 30:20That talks about the
- 30:22transition from spiritual death
- 30:24to spiritual life and here
- 30:26John references spiritual death to spiritual life
- 30:28in the aspect of
- 30:30if you've passed into spiritual life
- 30:32you better be loving each other.
- 30:34That's what he says.
- 30:42Persecution. Absolutely.
- 30:44Absolutely.
- 30:46Yep.
- 30:48Absolutely.
- 30:50And that's what he's talking about here.
- 30:52That's why the world doesn't understand. He says
- 30:54that's a perfect segue
- 30:56into verse 13 of
- 30:58John 3
- 31:04Why?
- 31:06Because our righteousness exposes the
- 31:08evil of the world, right?
- 31:10So don't be surprised
- 31:12if the world hates you.
- 31:14We know that we have passed
- 31:16from death to life because we
- 31:18love the brethren.
- 31:20He who does not love his brother
- 31:22abides in death. Whoever hates his brother
- 31:24is a murderer.
- 31:26Pretty strong language, right?
- 31:28But it's very clear and direct
- 31:30and you know that no murderer
- 31:32has eternal life abiding
- 31:34in him.
- 31:36So where does murder
- 31:38where does murder
- 31:40somebody commits an act of
- 31:42murder, where does that
- 31:44start?
- 31:46Starts in their heart, right?
- 31:48Hatred that they have.
- 31:50And this goes
- 31:52right along
- 31:54with what Jesus talks about
- 31:56in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew
- 31:58chapter 5
- 32:00verses 21 through 23
- 32:02as well, if you want to make a note
- 32:04of that.
- 32:06So then,
- 32:08he talks about the importance of this
- 32:10in verse 16
- 32:12he says, by this we know
- 32:14love. In other words
- 32:16here's what love looks
- 32:18like, okay? Here's what it looks like.
- 32:20By this
- 32:22we know love because he laid
- 32:24down his life for us.
- 32:26Who's he?
- 32:28Jesus, okay?
- 32:30Jesus is our standard,
- 32:32right? Jesus is our standard
- 32:34and we also
- 32:36ought to lay down our lives
- 32:38for the brethren.
- 32:42This is what love looks like.
- 32:44But whoever
- 32:46has this world's goods
- 32:48and sees his brother
- 32:50in need
- 32:52and shuts up his heart
- 32:54from him
- 32:56how does the love of God
- 32:58abide in
- 33:00him?
- 33:02I think here in this context
- 33:04he's talking about
- 33:06us as brethren, fellow
- 33:08Christians.
- 33:10So does that mean
- 33:12we don't have to worry about others?
- 33:15Mm-hmm.
- 33:17It's a
- 33:19sacrificial love.
- 33:21Right, absolutely.
- 33:23Absolutely.
- 33:25And not just talk about it because
- 33:27that's what he says here. He says
- 33:29it's one thing to talk it but it's another
- 33:31thing to actually show love by doing.
- 33:33He says
- 33:35if you see your brother in need
- 33:37if you have the ability to help
- 33:39and you see your brother
- 33:41in need and
- 33:43you don't do what you need
- 33:45to do
- 33:47then that's a problem.
- 33:49Right?
- 33:51Right.
- 33:53Yeah.
- 33:55Yeah.
- 33:57Yeah.
- 33:59Yeah, that's a good
- 34:01comment. If you didn't hear him he says we need
- 34:03to be diligent in looking
- 34:05for those opportunities
- 34:07to serve and not
- 34:09wait for them to come to you necessarily.
- 34:11He says
- 34:13my little children
- 34:15like how he says my little children he says
- 34:17let us not love
- 34:19in word or in
- 34:21tongue but in deed
- 34:23and in
- 34:25truth.
- 34:27Not in word or in tongue
- 34:29but in deed and in truth. What's that mean?
- 34:33Like what we just said, didn't it?
- 34:35Do something.
- 34:37You know there's some
- 34:39we're not just
- 34:41supposed to be talkers
- 34:43we need to be doers.
- 34:45It's good to tell
- 34:47somebody hey I love you but
- 34:49if your actions don't back
- 34:51that up
- 34:53they're just empty words.
- 34:55He says
- 34:57and by this we know
- 34:59that we are of the
- 35:01truth. We know we're of
- 35:03the truth if we behave in this manner
- 35:05and shall assure
- 35:07our hearts before him
- 35:09for if our
- 35:11heart condemns us
- 35:13God is
- 35:15greater than our
- 35:17heart and knows
- 35:19all things.
- 35:21We can't
- 35:23hide from God.
- 35:25We can't hide our thoughts from God.
- 35:27We can't hide our attitude
- 35:29from God. We can't hide the
- 35:31motivation behind
- 35:33what we do
- 35:35from God.
- 35:37He knows. He says beloved
- 35:39if our heart does not condemn
- 35:41us we have
- 35:43confidence toward
- 35:45God.
- 35:49You know a lot of times we talk about
- 35:51heart and conscience.
- 35:53You know there's some
- 35:55they'll say well let your conscience be your guide.
- 35:57Well that's very dangerous because our
- 35:59conscience might not be appropriately
- 36:01trained.
- 36:03Our conscience might not be
- 36:05what it needs to be.
- 36:07And it may not be in
- 36:09harmony with the word of God.
- 36:11And he says and whatever we ask
- 36:13we receive from
- 36:15him because we keep
- 36:17his commandments and do
- 36:19those things that are pleasing in his sight.
- 36:21Living righteously, right?
- 36:23Loving our brethren, brethren.
- 36:25So whatever we ask
- 36:27we receive.
- 36:29Of course that has to be taken in the context
- 36:31of
- 36:33being consistent with God's will
- 36:35and his plan, right?
- 36:37And this is his
- 36:39commandment. That we
- 36:41should believe on the name of the
- 36:43son of Jesus Christ
- 36:45and love one another
- 36:47as he
- 36:49gave us
- 36:51commandment.
- 36:53So it sounds
- 36:55like if we
- 36:57want our prayer life
- 36:59to be all that it can be
- 37:01if we
- 37:03want our relationship with God to be
- 37:05all that it can be
- 37:07sounds like our
- 37:09relationship with one another
- 37:11needs to be the best that it can be.
- 37:13And I think
- 37:15that's borne out throughout the
- 37:17New Testament.
- 37:19So here he's talking about brethren.
- 37:21So what about
- 37:23those that are not our brethren?
- 37:25How do we treat them?
- 37:29What's that?
- 37:33That's why you need to make him your brother.
- 37:35That's exactly right.
- 37:41There you go.
- 37:43Galatians 6
- 37:45and verse 10.
- 37:49Actually let's start in verse 7.
- 37:51Do not be deceived. Galatians 6
- 37:53starting in verse 7. Do not be deceived.
- 37:55God is not mocked for whatever a man
- 37:57sows that he will also reap.
- 37:59For he who sows to his flesh
- 38:01will of the flesh
- 38:03reap corruption. But he who
- 38:05sows to the spirit will of the spirit
- 38:07reap everlasting life. And let us
- 38:09not grow weary while doing good
- 38:11for in due season we shall
- 38:13reap if we do not lose heart.
- 38:15Now here look at this. Therefore
- 38:17as we have
- 38:19opportunity
- 38:21let us do good to
- 38:23our brothers,
- 38:25our sisters in Christ.
- 38:27Ah, it says, do good
- 38:29to all, but
- 38:31especially, he says,
- 38:33to those that are of the household of
- 38:35faith. Okay? So
- 38:37we do good to all, but we give
- 38:39preference to who?
- 38:41One another, right?
- 38:43We give preference to one another.
- 38:49Yeah, the Good Samaritan, absolutely.
- 38:51Was it Luke chapter
- 38:5310? Luke chapter
- 38:5510, starting in verse 29
- 38:57I believe it is and going through verse 37.
- 38:59I didn't remember that. I had it written
- 39:01down because that was along the same lines.
- 39:03What was the question there?
- 39:05Why was that story
- 39:07told? Who's my neighbor?
- 39:09Okay.
- 39:11Hey, you need to love your neighbor. You need to do good
- 39:13to your neighbor. Okay, well who's my neighbor?
- 39:15And he uses that
- 39:17to describe who our neighbor is.
- 39:19So who is our neighbor?
- 39:21Whoever's laid in our path.
- 39:23Whoever's laid in your path. That's exactly
- 39:25right. That's a good way to put it.
- 39:27Alright, as we finish up
- 39:29the chapter, he says in verse 24,
- 39:31Now he who
- 39:33keeps his commandments abides
- 39:35in him, and he
- 39:37in him, and by this
- 39:39we know. We can
- 39:41know. It talks about this confidence
- 39:43how we can know
- 39:45that he abides in us
- 39:47by the spirit whom
- 39:49he has given us.
- 39:51What spirit has he given us and when did he
- 39:53give it?
- 39:55Holy Spirit at baptism.
- 39:57Acts 2.38, right? Acts 2.38.
- 39:59And also
- 40:01Acts
- 40:035 and verse 32.
- 40:05Think it is?
- 40:07Alright, does anybody have any comments or questions
- 40:09on 1 John chapter
- 40:113?
- 40:15Alright. Well, that's
- 40:17about all the damage I know to do.
- 40:19Thank you all.