The Last Hour

1 John 2:18 - 23

 

"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.

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.

²⁰ But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

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.

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.

²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father;

whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
 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.
²⁵ And this is what He promised us - even eternal life.
²⁶ I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.
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.
²⁸ And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears
we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.
²⁹ If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone
who does what is right has been born of Him."

 

 

In these verses, John warns the believers about those around them who are against Christ. That is really what the word 'antichrist' means - against Christ ("one who denies or opposes Christ"). Many of us who are familiar with the Bible and its prophecies regarding the future are aware that eventually there will be a man of great power in this world, a man that is called the Antichrist. Revelation 13 calls this man a beast, and says that the world will be astonished by, and will follow, the beast. In that same chapter, it is made clear that this beast receives his power from the devil, and that people will worship both the devil, and this man. They will believe him to be invincible, like no other. Revelation 13:4 says:

 

Men worshiped the dragon [devil] because he had given authority to the beast,

and they also worshiped the beast and asked,

"Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"

 

This Antichrist will be proud and boastful (Daniel 7:20, Revelation 13:5), he will be imposing, and powerful; he will be given authority for a time (Dan. 7:20, Rev 13:4, 5). He will blaspheme God, and slander His Name, His dwelling place, and His people (Dan. 7:25, Rev. 13:6). He will make war against Christians, and will rule over the world - the people of the earth will worship him (all, that is, except for the TRUE Christians, whose names are recorded in God's Book of Life, who belong to Jesus Christ). The Antichrist is a deceiver, turning people away from the truth and teaching them to believe his lies.

 

These are some of the signs of the Antichrist that is to come, and there are many other signs (prophecies) written about that time. But almost 2000 years ago, John was already warning the church that many antichrists (small 'a') had already come. There were already many who had that same spirit within them that will one day totally dominate that future Antichrist - the spirit that opposes Jesus! He told them that this was a sign of the end of this age, calling it the last hour. So, to my understanding, I believe that the age that we have been in, from then until now, and until these things are fulfilled, is 'the last hour'. I'm sure as I would do more thorough research on this, I would find more technical, or correct titles for this, but it interests me to think that so much time has passed from when these words were written until now, and yet, mankind has not changed very much at all - everything is still so applicable now! 

Verse 19 points out a characteristic of these people that we as true believers need to watch for, as one of the signs we can use to identify an 'antichrist'. It says that they "went out from us...", that they "did not really belong to us..." He says that if they had belonged, and I believe he means, if they had truly been a part of Christ's family, if they had truly been born again, "they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." John shows that these people who opposed Christ and His message had once been a part of their fellowship. They had risen from among the faithful, but had now fallen away from true faith.

 

Often, I think as Christians we believe that the world, with its blatant sins against God, such as immoral lifestyles, addictions of all kinds, violence, and general 'Godlessness' is all we need to watch out for and avoid. It is true that we need to stay away from these things! But sometimes we forget to see the countless warnings within Scripture to beware of those within 'Christian' circles who are distorting the truth, thereby turning it into a lie. False teaching under the name of Christianity is out there, and we need to "see to it that no one takes [us] captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ" (Colossians 2:8). 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 gives us as believers this warning about the devil's schemes to lead people astray:

 

"...for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.

But their end will be what their actions deserve." 

 

In verse 20, John pointed out the difference between those who had left true faith, and the believers he was writing to. These words also still apply to us today. He said, "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth"! The thing that I love about God is that He wants to enlighten us, to show us His truth. He doesn't withhold His wonderful plans and promises from us, but rather leads us into a knowledge of HIs will. Although His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His ways higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9), Jesus Christ has given us the Holy Spirit, who gives us understanding and reveals God's truth to us. 1 Corinthians 2:9-12, followed by verse 16 of the same chapter, says:

"...it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love Him" - but God has revealed it to us

by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him?

In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us."

 

" "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?"

But we have the mind of Christ."

 

Often, I have wondered what is truly going on in the mind of my husband, my kids, my friends, parents, siblings, etc. But, unless they choose to tell me what they are thinking, I cannot know what their thoughts are. But God tells us that through the Holy Spirit given to us, we actually have the mind of Christ! What a gift that He has given to us! We don't need to wonder what the Creator of the Universe is thinking, we have 66 books of the Bible that tell us! We have the Holy Spirit, directing us into a knowledge of God's will, into spiritual understanding, into wisdom that comes from knowing Him and His truth! We, as believers, have the Spirit of God dwelling within us to show us who He truly is, and because of that, we can know the truth!

Because we know truth, we will be able to recognize error. We will be able to tell what is false. Years ago, when I worked at a bank, we were told to be watchful for counterfeit bills. We handled hundreds of bills of 'real' money every day, and we were told that by studying the texture and quality of the real thing, we would know when we came into contact with a counterfeit bill. We would see it, and quite possibly feel the difference before we ever even examined it with our eyes. So it is with God's truth. The more we get to know His word, the more we learn to recognize the promptings of His Spirit within our hearts, the easier it will be to discern truth from error. So, as it says in verse 21, John did not write to the believers because they did not know the truth; rather, he was confident that they had the Spirit, who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). He wrote to them to remind them of this, and to remind them that if people were teaching false doctrines, if they were teaching erroneous thinking, then they could rely on God's Spirit within them to show them that error, and to keep them from falling into false beliefs. 

 

Verse 22 gives another clue, helping to identify the lies of those who are not truly following Christ, for that is what false teaching is - the teaching of lies as opposed to the teaching of the truth.

It says, "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." Anyone who doesn't acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ (which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word - Messiah - meaning "Anointed One"), is not only rejecting Jesus, but is also rejecting God, the Father of Jesus. Jesus said it clearly in John 14:6:

 

"...no one comes to the Father except through Me."

 

Jesus is the only way to come to God. If we deny Him, we have no part with the Father, but if we acknowledge Him to be all that the Bible teaches Him to be, then we are also invited into the presence of God. Verse 24 says, "See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you..." In the next five verses, the words "remain in" and "continue in" (some versions use the word "abide in") are used four times. If we persevere (remain/abide) in our faith, we are secure in our standing with Jesus, and with God, the Father. We are given a great promise - eternal life!
The whole world seems to be searching for ways to prolong our lives, as people work tirelessly to find cures for disease, and as they try to erase signs of aging so that we can remain youthful in how we look and feel. But as Christians, the moment we receive the gift that Jesus offers us through His death on the cross, we are given the promise of an abundant life forever. This - the gospel of Jesus Christ - is what we heard in the beginning; it's what brought us to faith in Christ, and the answer to the question "How can I keep on living forever?" is simple; we just need to be sincere, we need to persevere in our faith until we see that promise fulfilled! We have an amazing future awaiting us, and Jesus is the Way to that future, He is the Truth - He is Life Eternal!

 

The next few verses reminds us as true believers that we have been anointed with the Holy Spirit, and that because He lives inside of us, we know the truth. The anointing that we have received is real - it is not counterfeit, as was the 'anointing' that might have seemed to be on the lives of those who have now left true faith in Jesus Christ. John goes on to say that this anointing that we received when we came to Christ will not leave us, but rather, it will remain in us. Because of these things, we can be confident of His continued work in our lives. Having the Spirit of God "guiding us into all truth" (John 16:13), "teaching us about all things" (1 John 2:27), giving us the ability to "understand what God has freely given us" (1 Corinthians 2:12), and actually giving us insight into the very "mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16) gives us assurance that we can look to Him for what we need. In 2 Peter 1:3, it says:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness

through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness."

God will guide us in the paths that He has chosen for us. Rather than following any person along paths that they would want to guide us in, we can trust that God Himself will guide us, right until the end of our journey on this earth. I love the example of faith in Psalm 73:23b and 24, where the psalmist says:

 

"...You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel,

and afterward You will take me into glory."

 

The final two verses of 1 John chapter 2 are a reminder again to continue to walk in faith in Jesus Christ, and to walk in the strength He provides us for each day, as opposed to trying to walk in our own strength. If we do this, then on that great day sometime in our future, when all of mankind stands before our God, we will be able to stand confident and unashamed, not because of anything that we ourselves have done to obtain a righteousness that is acceptable before God, but because we continued "IN HIM"! Because Jesus is Righteous (without sin), He now also gives all those who are "born of Him" the desire to do what is right.

 

So, as I wrap up my study of this piece of Scripture, I realize that as a true believer, I will remain connected to other believers - the body of Christ. I realize that I can be confident, because of God's Holy Spirit within me. I can know His truth, and not be misled by error and false teaching. I see that it is important to fully accept and acknowledge God the Father, and God, the Son - Jesus - who came to Earth to redeem mankind from sin. I see the importance of continuing to persevere in my walk with Christ, no matter what. There are those who will try to lead us astray, because the devil longs to destroy the kingdom that Jesus is building. But we have the Holy Spirit guiding us through these traps of deception as He gives us wisdom and clarity. He is teaching us to continue in Him! If we do these things, then, when Christ finally appears, we will be able to be confident and unashamed before Him! This, to me, is a great promise! I can't imagine standing before Christ in this way. I feel so unworthy, because, like the psalmist said (Psalm 51:3), "my sin is ever before me". But reading 1 John 2:28 gives me great hope! Although a sinner, I have been saved by God's grace, and I am acceptable in His sight, because of Jesus Christ! As I have been dwelling on this thought in the last few days, some words from a favorite hymn have been flowing through my mind. The verse I have been singing goes like this:

 

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

O may I then in Him be found,

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

 

In a commentary I read during this time, it said, "The ultimate test of true Christianity is endurance...If we stay faithful to the truth, we continue to experience intimate communion with God and Christ and persevere to the fullness of eternal life". That is what I'm shooting for :), and my prayer is that God will draw many countless numbers of people to that very same end! 





Love For The Father, Or For The World?

1 John 2:15 - 17

 

"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.

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.

¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away,

but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

 

 

This passage is clear in the way it separates love for the world, and love for God. As I was thinking about it, I felt like I should try to define what exactly is meant by the phrase "the world". The Bible sometimes uses these words to describe the temporal things that have no lasting, eternal value. Things that are not a part of what makes up the kingdom of God would be called the things of "the world". Fame, beauty, success, material wealth and comfort would fall into the category of "the things of this world". One of my sons, when we were reading these verses a while back, asked something like, "So we can't love the mountains, and the trees, and everything on this earth?" My husband and I enjoyed explaining that appreciating the beauty of nature, of creation, and even of mankind and the amazing things that man is capable of doing, can actually be an expression of worship, as we bring glory to God for the things that He has done, and gifted us with. It is when we place any of those things in a higher place than we place God, and our willingness to obey and serve Him diminishes because we are holding on to earthly things, that we are in danger of loving the things of this world to a point where our love for the Father is not of first importance anymore.

Verse 15 shows us that a love for the world and a love for our Father - God - cannot co-exist with each other inside of our heart. There is only room for one of these loves inside of a person's heart. Verse 16 goes on to say that everything that is in the world comes not from the Father, but from the world. In John 14:30, when talking to HIs followers, Jesus called Satan the "prince of this world", so there is that contrast between the things of this world that Satan is still, for now, fighting to control, and between Christ, who one day will take full control and authority of all creation.  Verse 16 categorizes this love for the world (which is against the Father) into 3 different things, and so clarifies for us precisely what it means to "love the world".

 

I wanted to study what each of these three things meant, exactly. I started with what my version calls "the cravings of sinful man". Other versions word this phrase as "the lust of the flesh", or "the desires of the flesh", as well as "a craving for physical pleasure", to name a few.

I looked up the definitions of some of these words (above):

          To Crave is to have an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing for,

          a powerful desire for... something

          To Desire is to wish or long for, to strongly want... something

 

          To Lust after something is to have an overwhelming desire or craving, an intense or 

          unrestrained craving or want; to be desperate for... something

To me, these words all follow a similar thread. This verse states that this intense desire or desperate want is to fulfill the sinful nature, also called the fleshly nature. In one of my previous blogs I did a bit of study on what the Bible has to say about the state of a person's heart before he is redeemed through Jesus Christ (you can read my thoughts on this in the blog titled Forgiven and Purified). God sees and knows what we often try so hard to cover up, either in front of others, or even as we try to justify our behaviors and attitudes to ourselves - that our hearts are bent towards evil (Genesis 6:5 states that every inclination of the thoughts of mankind's heart is "only evil all the time", and Jeremiah 17:9 says that mankind's heart is "deceitful above all things, and beyond cure").  The Bible has much to say about what it is that our sinful, or fleshly nature is drawn towards. Galatians 5:19-21 list the acts that will follow the fulfillment of "the cravings of sinful man":

 

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual

immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft;

hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions,

factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before,

 that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."

 

There are more than one of those that hit close to home for me, things that I either struggle with, or things that I know would be a problem if I followed the easiest path, and allowed sin to reign in my life. In Ephesians 2:1-4, Paul is writing to people who are now believers, and he reminds them of where they used to be, before they were redeemed. He says:

 

"As for you, you were dead in transgressions and sins,

in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world

and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work

in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time,

gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts."

 

To continue in this pattern of sin would eventually bring us to a state where it would be very difficult for us to recognize our sin and to repent of it. That's where the people were at that Paul talked about a few chapters later. Their hearts were already hardened to God's call and they were willfully living against Him, separated from Him and from the life that God would call us to. These people were living for the here-and-now, thinking no further than what would satisfy them today. Ephesians 4:19 shows us this downward spiral that our 'natural man' is prone to taking. It says:

"Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality

so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more."

This verse leads us right into the second of the three things from 1 John 2:16, which is... "the lust of his eyes".

 

Our eyes show us the world around us. Many things that we see appeal to us and are attractive to us. When we are already in the rut of following the cravings of our sinful nature, many things that we see will be a temptation towards sin. We may start wanting, to a point of obsession, things that we think will satisfy. This is the goal of the evil one, to keep us in bondage to our sin, and he will continually try to tempt us with things that we might wrongfully believe will satisfy or fulfill us. The devil knows that the farther down this wrong path he can get us, the greater is his victory in the battle for our heart...

 

David was tempted by a woman's beauty, and he lusted after her. Having lust (which was defined before as an often unrestrained want, or desperate craving, to have something) so often causes a person to stop thinking rationally. When sound judgement and good discernment are thrown out, a person is weakened, and falling into sin is very easy, and probable at this point. We see this happening to David at this point; he committed some of his greatest sins (the ones with the most tragic consequences for him, his family, and many others that were either directly or indirectly involved) as he allowed the lust of his eyes to become his single desire. As this man took his eyes off of God, and as he gave in to the weakness of his human flesh, he fed this strong, irrational desire that brought temporal, earthly satisfaction for a moment (and a whole lot of stress afterward!!). During this low time in David's life, he was living the pattern of the verses from Ephesians that I included above: he "followed the ways of this world" and of the "ruler of the kingdom of the air", "gratifying the cravings of [his] sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts".  

 

I know that often lust is associated with this kind of desire a man feels for a woman that he finds physically attractive (or vice versa), but when I think of the lust of the eyes, I also think of wanting certain material possessions. We might desperately want that certain house that we see down the street (or in my case, out in the country), or in the pictures of a magazine. We may toss out sound judgement, making unwise financial decisions over and over again to get whatever it is we so desperately want. We may envy or covet the things that others have, from the possessions they own, to the way they look, or the travel that they can afford to do, and make it our desire to have what they have. All of these things are taken in by what our eyes see around us, and we have the choice to either let it go, or feed the initial desire constantly until it becomes an obsession. This "lust of the eyes" starts when we are young, while we are still children, and it is something that focuses us on the things that this world has to offer, taking our mind off of Christ. Proverbs 27:20 says:

"Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are

the eyes of man."

Sadly, I see this tendency to "want" in my own life, in the lives of my young children, and in the lives of so very many people around me. We live in a rich society that constantly tells us what we are lacking, what we must have, what we need. It starts with something we see, and travels freely into our minds and hearts, unless we "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). It will take a conscious effort (and the strength that we find in Christ) to break free from lusting after the things of this world.

 

The final of the three things in verse 16 talks about "the boasting of what he has and does". Many other versions use the words "the pride of life" here, or, "the boastful pride of life". Another version simply says "pride in possessions".

We might all know someone who always makes it sound like whatever he or she has or does is superior to anything that anyone else has, or does. I am ashamed to say that I have been that person, talking in that way about something that I have, or have done. This is what the world promotes, and it is contrary to what the Word of God teaches. This though, is what we are naturally like, of our own self! Augustine, a great theologian and

philosopher, defined pride as "the love of one's own excellence".

 

Jesus told a neat parable about two very different men. One man, a Pharisee, was similar to what I was describing above, and he walked about, making sure that others saw and heard about his good deeds and outward righteousness. He prayed where all could see him, in a loud voice, and compared himself to other people that he considered to be less than what he was so that his good works would shine in comparison. The other man, a much despised tax collector, faded into the crowd, his head down, because he saw that he had nothing of himself that would make him worthy before God. He prayed a prayer of humility, saying, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." This man, in Jesus' words, went home justified before God. Jesus reminded us, at the end of this story, found in Luke 18:9-14:

 

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, 

and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 

Still thinking about this boastful pride in oneself, I want to share Psalm 10:3 and 4, which say:

 

"[The wicked man] boasts of the cravings of his heart;

he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.

In his pride the wicked does not seek Him;

in all his thoughts there is no room for God."

 

The "love of one's own excellence" pushes the Lord right out of our lives, which is why it is such a dangerous place for a professing Christian to be caught in. A person can become so prideful that he thinks he doesn't need God, like in the verse above. We become "self made" in our minds, and what we have becomes very important because it defines us. We find our identity in what kind of a "kingdom" we have built for ourselves, either in what we HAVE, or in what we can DO! There is not room in our hearts for "self worship" and "God worship".

Jesus said, in Matthew 6:24:

 

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other,

or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and Money."

 

Although the word "money" is used here, a commentary that I often refer to defines the word, which in many versions of the Bible is also translated as "mammon", as "earthly, material treasures, especially money." What I want to take from it today, as I study, is that I cannot be devoted to God while holding tightly to what 1 John here calls "everything in the world". 1 Timothy 6:10 warns us:

 

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith

and pierced themselves with many griefs." 

 

Matthew, Mark and Luke recorded the story of a young man who came to Jesus, wanting to learn from Him what he must do in order to gain eternal life. As Jesus spoke with him, it becomes clear to the reader that this man was very religious, and that he was confident that he had kept the Law satisfactorily. Mark 10:21 tells us that "Jesus looked at him and loved him". Because Jesus knew this man's heart, and because He desired the greatest good for him, He said, "One thing you lack...Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow Me." At this, the man's face fell, and he left Jesus, sad, because he had great wealth.

Scripture never tells us if this man eventually gave up his earthly riches, his comfortable life, to follow Jesus. Not wanting to be to hard on him, I ask myself, "If I was told to sell my possessions and to follow, would I obey?" This man was coming to Jesus, the One who once said, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head." (Matthew 8:20). He was asking him to give up everything that he could see in which he found his security, in order to build up treasure in Heaven. Jesus was telling this rich young ruler that what seemed so important to him, and tangible now was actually a hindrance that kept him from the eternal life he was seeking. 

 

In the last verse of today's passage, verse 17 reminds us that "the world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever". Do I believe that enough to start living like it? If Jesus came to my house and spoke to me right now (which He does over and over again through His Word), would He find a lot of "the world" in my heart, making it an uncomfortable place for Him to inhabit? Or would He find that my heart was ready to do His will? These verses from 1 John 2:15-17 have been running through my head a lot in the last month, as I have been memorizing them. The Lord has challenged me to not just read them, to not just memorize them, but to let them teach me and transform me. I know that I am helpless to do this on my own, so I ask Him to do this work in my life, and I am confident that, as long as I allow Him room to work, He will continue the miraculous work that He began in me, and in all of those who are saved by His grace! The following verses contain very helpful instruction for any believer who truly desires to do the will of the Father:

 

Romans 12:1 and 2:

 

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy,

to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -

this is your spiritual act of worship.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -

His good, pleasing and perfect will."

 

Colossians 3:1-4:

 

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above,

where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is your life, appears,

then you also will appear with Him in glory."

 

 

 

***This blog has taken shape over a number of weeks. I felt like every verse I read seemed to fit with this theme, and it was very hard for me to choose which ones I wanted to include. I can't help but list a few more verses below. I so appreciate the contrast between the kind of life we receive when we follow the ways of this world, which is temporal, and the kind of life we receive when we do the will of God, which will last forever!!!      

Romans 8:5-11:

 

"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what
that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit
have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death,
but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind
is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.

Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit,
if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you."  

Philippians 3:18b-21:

 

"...many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction,

their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.
Their mind is on earthly things.

But our citizenship is in Heaven.

And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control

will transform our lowly bodies

 so that they will be like His glorious body."

 

Jeremiah 9:23,24, followed by Jeremiah 17:5 and 7:

 

This is what the Lord says:

"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom

or the strong man boast of his strength

 or the rich man boast of his riches,

but let him who boasts boast about this:

that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord,

who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight."

declares the Lord."

 

"This is what the Lord says:

Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength

and whose heart turns away from the Lord...

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him."

 

 

 

In closing, I use the familiar words, from Joshua 24:15, which says:

 

"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve..."

 

We all must choose - will we live with love for the Father, or for the world?

 

 





I Write To You Because...

1 John 2:12-14

 

¹² I write to you, dear children,
    because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name.
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.
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.

 

 

These verses give us three different stages of a man. To become a man, a child must be born. The infant that is born grows, and when he is physically fully grown, he is a young man. As this young man grows in age and experience, he matures even more, and usually, at some point he becomes a father. This cycle is common and familiar to us all, and that is perhaps why John uses it to help us understand the stages of spiritual growth within the life of a Christian.

 

Verse 12 starts out by saying, "I write to you, dear children..." As I read my commentary on that phrase, I learned that the original word used here for children, or as some versions say, "little children" means "offspring of any age". All of us as people, are someone's child. Spiritually speaking, we become a child of God when we are born again. John is writing here to all believers, to all who have been born into God's kingdom by trusting in Jesus as their Savior. To become a child, we must be born, and once we have come to God through Jesus, we are born again, this time not by flesh, but our spirit is born again, into eternal life, where before, it was dead in sin! We don't have to wonder where we stand, or what our relationship is with God once we become a believer, because God's Word makes it clear what we are! 1 John 3:1 says:

 

"How great is the love that the Father has lavished on us,

that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"

 

God, in His love, mercy and grace, gives us the right to be called His children, and so, we have become a part of God's family. I highlighted the words in the verse above that my eyes were drawn to, as I thought about the status we have been given. Jesus, as God's only begotten Son (see John 3:16), now calls us "brothers". Hebrews 2:10 and 11 use a few phrases that really speak to me about our standing as Christians... I will again highlight the phrases that draw attention to what we are before God, when we are in Christ:

 

"In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for Whom and through Whom everything exists, should make the Author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the One who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers."

 

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are adopted into the family of God. I think of families with adopted children. Many times the child that has been adopted has been rescued from a very difficult environment. They have gone from being in a situation with very little hope for a bright future, usually into a situation where there is great hope for a wonderful future. They are given every right of a true child of that family and accepted fully as that, or at least that will be the case, if the parents are loving! Our God is an all-loving Father, and we are given every right of a true child when we come into His family. This gives me great joy!

Our sins, which separated us from God, are forgiven on account of Jesus' name! He accepts us as brothers, as joint heirs of all that He has been given! I want to share another passage that drives this truth home. As I read these verses, taken from Galatians 3:26 - 4:7, I was focused on the word "sons" (or for us women, I guess we could translate that as "children", or "daughters" :), and "heirs"...

 

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you

who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one

in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed,

and heirs according to the promise.

What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child,

he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.

He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also,

when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.

But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman,

born under the law, to redeem those under law,

that we might receive the full rights of sons.

Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts,

the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son,

and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir."   

 

If we are born again, then the Holy Spirit of God resides within us, causing us to call out, "Abba", which means "Father", just as Jesus Himself called out to the Father while He was on this Earth. These verses are God's truth, and they tell us that we have been baptized (placed into) Christ, that there is no difference in status or in class - we are all equal, we are all ONE - in Christ. It tells us that God found us worth sending Jesus for, to redeem us, so that we could receive FULL RIGHTS as SONS! It tells us that, if we place our faith in Christ Jesus, though we WERE slaves, we now ARE sons, HEIRS of the promise!

When a man and a woman have a child, that child remains their child forever, even though they grow up, even when they move away from home. I find myself still wanting that care that my parents gave me as a child, even though I am now a woman with my own children. I find myself still wanting my parents' recognition and love. When we become God's children by trusting in Christ, we always remain His children and we will always need Him in our lives! But the same as happens to a child physically, we do grow up - we do not remain infants forever, spiritually speaking.

 

When 1 John 2:13 talks about "fathers", I think about how, in my opening paragraph, the young man is fully grown, and now has also grown in wisdom and maturity as he ages and goes through various life experiences. We don't grow wise and mature overnight; it takes time for God to shape us into the people He desires us to be. The verses that came to mind as I was thinking about this stage of maturity was James 1:2-4, which say:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,

not lacking anything."

 

As I think about John including "fathers" as part of the audience he is writing to, it affirms to me that one will never mature to a point where one doesn't need to be in the Word to keep learning, and "feeding" on what it says.
"Fathers" have known Him Who is from the beginning, that is, Jesus (1 John 1:1 and John 1:1). They have known Jesus! Looking back at 1 John 2:3-5, I am reminded that in order to have matured into a spiritual father (someone who knows Jesus), they have learned obedience; they have learned to walk as Jesus walked. Because they are living in the power of His strength, His love is made complete in them. These spiritual fathers are great examples to us less mature Christians, as we see so much of Jesus' character in them, and we can learn lots by looking at the way they live their lives! The commentary I read used this verse to describe a "father", found in Philippians 3:10:

 

"I want to KNOW CHRIST and the power of His resurrection

and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings..."

 

That verse always reminds me of the disciples in Acts chapter 5, when, after having been flogged and ordered not to speak in the Name of Jesus, they went on their way, "...rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ" (Acts 5:41 and 42). To me, that's what a spiritual father looks like!

 

A young man, physically, is in the prime of his life. He is not a child anymore, but capable of more work and responsibility than a child is able to bear. Young men and women often have almost endless energy, drive, and strength, but it is good for them to be able to look to someone older and wiser, for that guidance and stability they still need. John encourages these young men, saying to them, "You have overcome the evil one". I imagine a strong young man fighting in battle. The strength they have increasingly gained since they were children is serving them well in this fight, which is a fight against our enemy, the devil. They have overcome him, and so, are not going to fall easily for his temptations, tricks, and schemes, because they have learned to recognize how the devil works, and also how to gain the strength they need by drawing near to God. James 4:7 and 8 say:

 

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Come near to God and He will come near to you.

Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

 

Young men and women who are growing in the Lord are giving up their own way for God's way, for His plan. They don't give in to the devil - they RESIST him, and then they watch him flee! They seek God, and come near to Him, and there they find their strength, as God comes near to them and His Spirit dwells in their hearts. Ephesians 6:10 tells us to be strong, but is clear to remind us where our strength comes from. It says:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

 

The Christians who have matured to the stage of being "young men" are going forward in the strength and power that Christ gives. Through Him they are cleansed from sin, their hearts are purified so that they can see clearly. In Matthew 5:8, Jesus said:

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

 

These maturing Christians desire one thing more than any other - to KNOW Jesus Christ. Staying in this path will mature them to the point where they become fathers, of whom John says again, in verse 14, "you have KNOWN HIM Who is from the beginning"!

 

In the last phrase of verse 13, where John again says, "I write to you, dear children", I learned that the original Greek word actually means specifically young children, as opposed to the phrase, "dear children" in verse 12, which meant children/offspring of any age. So that means that now John is talking to young believers, people who have become Christians, but have not yet grown very much in their walk with God. He says he writes to them because they have known the Father. Young children grow quickly. It doesn't take them long to recognize their parents. A new believer has found the way, through Christ, to God. They know the Father, and they are filled with joy at having found the way. But young children need food so that they can grow. Normally, it is the parents who provide the food that will satisfy the child's hunger and help him to grow tall and strong and healthy. God, as our Father, also provides us with spiritual food that will nourish us and cause spiritual growth. He has given us Jesus, who is the living bread, and the living water. In John 6:35 Jesus says:

 

"I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry,

and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty."

 

We also have, as our source of spiritual "food", the Bible. When the devil tried to tempt Jesus into sin, Jesus combatted the temptations thrown His way each time with a Scripture that stopped Satan's attack. In Matthew 4:4, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, which says:

 

"...man does not live on bread alone, but on every word

that comes from the mouth of God." 

 

When someone becomes a believer, he should hunger for the things of God. He should want to take in what the Bible has to say. In 1 Peter 2:2, Peter writes:

"...like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,

so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

 

 

If a child doesn't want to eat, he doesn't grow, and eventually he becomes malnourished. It becomes evident that something is wrong with the child's health, and he should be examined to see where the problem lies. In the same way, if a believer does not grow in his walk with the Lord, something is wrong. If it is me that is not growing, I should examine my heart, asking the Great Physician - Jesus - to heal me, and to help me hunger for Him and His Word, so that I will be able to continue to grow as a healthy believer should! 

This brings us back to the young men, of whom John also makes one more statement. In 1 John 2:14, he says, "I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you", and again, "and you have overcome the evil one". We cannot overcome the devil without strength! We need Christ's strength, and we need the Word of God! As I thought about the phrase, "the word of God lives in you", I thought of how Jesus is "the Word", and how He makes His home in the hearts of His people. If we submit our lives to Him, to His perfect plan, He will be able to live through us. I also thought of the Bible. So many Christians take too many years to develop into this spiritual stage of being "strong men" who overcome the attacks of the evil one, simply because they are not reading the Bible, meditating on what they are reading, and asking the Lord to help them understand.

In 2 Peter 3:18, his closing prayer for the believers he is writing to is that they will:

"...grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

  

First of all, I pray that by God's grace, I will be able to grow in His grace, and in my knowledge of Who Jesus truly is, and what He has done for me, and for all mankind. And then, I pray for all the "children" I know, as they begin their walk of faith in Jesus Christ. Some of these are new Christians, and some are those who have forgotten to "feed" on the Word, but who will still yet grow into strong men and women of God. I pray for the "young men". They are often the ones who are easy to spot, because they are bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Some of them are hard at work, allowing God to use their lives to further His gospel, and some bear fruit that is not so easily seen right away, but they have a hunger for the Word of God, and they are building their foundation on the Rock of Jesus Christ! I pray too, for the "fathers", that they would see how much us younger Christians need them! We need the stability they give, the examples of their unshakable faith, and also their prayers :).

 

***I would like to "dedicate" this blog entry to my husband and my four sons. Verse 14 is my prayer for them - as they continue to grow, may God give them a deep knowledge of Christ as they grow in relationship with Him, and may each of them be strong in the Lord, with the Word of God living in them (keep memorizing those AWANA verses, boys), and so, may they overcome the evil one, by the power of God at work in them!

 

Loving My Brother

1 John 2:9-11

 

 ⁹ Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother

is still in the darkness. ¹⁰ Whoever loves his brother lives in the light,

and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.

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.

When I read these verses, I see the contrast between verse 10 and verse 11.

 

The first verse gives the example of someone whose pathway is lit. In fact, there is light all around him, because he is "in the light"! This person can see clearly, and his step is sure, taking him to where he is going. He does not stumble, because he can see what is ahead of him, and can do what is needed to avoid any obstacles, keeping him safe, ensuring that he does not fall.

The second verse gives me a different picture. I imagine someone on a path in the woods at night. The ground is rough and uneven, there are fallen limbs and rocks that might trip him, but he cannot see them, because it is totally dark where he is walking. Not even being able to see which direction is the right one to take, he stumbles along blindly, falling over and over again.

 

The message in this section of verses is clear - we cannot claim to be a part of the "light" if we harbor an attitude of hate for our Christian brothers (and sisters). If we despise those who, like us, are part of the body of Christ, we remain as though on that path of darkness, stumbling along, hoping to find our way, but blinded...

 

Verse 9 reminds me of previous verses in this book that have to do with "claiming" to be something that you are not. I will list them below:

 

Chapter 1:6           "If we claim to have fellowship with [God] yet walk in darkness..."

Chapter 1:8           "If we claim to be without sin..."

Chapter 1:10         "If we claim we have not sinned..."

Chapter 2:4           "The man who says, "I know Him" but does not do what He commands..."

Chapter 2:9           "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother..."

 

To show the danger of making false claims of a close relationship with God the Father, and with Jesus, His Son, when your heart is actually far from Him, I will list below the words that follow the quotes from the verses above:

 

Chapter 1:6           "...we lie and do not live by the truth."

Chapter 1:8           "...we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."

Chapter 1:10         "...we make [God] out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our lives."

Chapter 2:4           "...[he] is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

Chapter 2:9           "...[he] is still in the darkness."

 

Claiming that we are close to the Lord, without LIVING it, separates us from God's truth. It deceives us, so that we cannot see Him - and ourselves - clearly, as He is - and as we are.  

 

We cannot hate our fellow Christian, and live in any kind of real spiritual victory. Seeds of bitterness, resentment, or unforgiveness towards someone else work like a poison in our spiritual lives, and they weaken our testimony. These are things that the devil wants to trap us, and keep us, in, because he knows that we will not grow as strong or be as fruitful as long as these remain. Holding on to these feelings of anger or hate point us back into the darkness, where we do not have clarity or clear direction - we are blinded! My husband has shared with me a quote that he once heard, which goes something like this:

 

Anger (or bitterness/resentment) towards someone is like drinking poison,

and waiting for the other person to die. 

 

So, in order to see clearly, we need to learn to love like Jesus loved. In my previous blog The Message You Have Heard, I used the verses from John 13:34 and 35, where Jesus says,

 

"As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

 

This kind of love for the people around us points us back to the light, towards Christ, where we are purified from sin, set free to follow His example. This kind of love is also what Jesus said would be a witness to all mankind that we are His disciples, His followers. Loving others is a chance to walk in obedience to God.

 

I find myself asking some questions as I ponder these verses. Am I walking in the light, or in the darkness? Do I know where I am going, or does it feel like I can't find my way? Do I keep tripping over extra baggage I'm holding on to as I try to move ahead in my spiritual journey? Are there things in my life that are causing me to stumble, or can I clearly see the things that have the potential to land me flat on my face? Do I hold on to anger, letting it slowly grow into hate, or do I love my brother?

 

I know that most of us would not say that we hate! It sounds like too strong of a word! But if we harshly judge with an intent to condemn instead of restore our fellow believers, if we run them down verbally or in our minds, if we think of our own wants and needs ahead of the needs of those around us, I believe that we are not following Jesus example of love. We are in danger of being like that second guy, the one who is stumbling around in the darkness! I know that I have, at times in my life, cried out to God in frustration because I cannot see the path He asks me to walk clearly enough, while at the same time holding on to the very thing that extinguishes His light in my life! I have not always loved! In fact, sometimes I feel like I am just now starting to discover what that actually means! I'm glad though, that the Lord never stops working in our hearts, and He will teach us these things even if it takes time, and even if some of us are a little bit slow to learn. It's His grace, His unfailing love and forgiveness that looks past the mistakes we make to the potential for growth that He sees is possible in our lives, through Jesus Christ .  

 

A few weeks ago, I was reading through the book of 1 Peter, and I so enjoyed the way he wrote. A few things I noticed were repeated multiple times throughout the book, one of them being this kind of love for each other that Jesus talked about. These verses have stuck with me since then, and I want to use them in connection with the verses in the passage from 1 John above. The verses below are taken from 1 Peter 1:22, 2:1, 2:17, 3:8 and 9, and 4:8... As I read them, I noticed the words in connection to the kind of love we are to have for the body of Christ - each born again believer. The words are "sincere", "deeply", "from the heart". It speaks of something that is impossible to counterfeit, but only works when our hearts are transformed from the inside, and that transformation is bubbling over into our lives, into the way we view each other, and treat each other. I have highlighted the words that I found spoke to me about how I want to learn to love as Jesus asks us to... 

 

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth

so that you have sincere love for your brothers,

love one another deeply, from the heart."

 

"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit,

hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind."

 

"Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers..."

 

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another;

be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

Do not repay evil for evil or insult with insult, but with blessing,

because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

 

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins."

 

A love like this will guide our thoughts as we think of others, and help us when we speak of others, or to others. A love like this will diminish self, and help us to give, what we crave, to others - real love! A love like this will unite us IN CHRIST; it will humble us, as we lay down our pride in order to serve. A love like this will not condemn, but bless. Love like this will prompt us to remember our 'brothers' world-wide, the ones who are suffering, the ones who are being tortured and persecuted for their faith - and we will PRAY for them with sincere love! A love like this will keep no record of wrongs, but rather, it will forgive as He forgave, and help us to show grace to those who need it. A love like this is not possible on my own. I need to allow Jesus to transform me. A love like this will only flow from me as I am purified by God, as I obey the truth found in His Word, found in Jesus Christ. This is the kind of love that will bring me out of the confusion I feel when I am blinded by the dark, setting my feet on a path that is clear, so that I am sure where I am going.

 

My prayer for myself and others is that Christ will allow His love for His people to flow through our lives each day. On our own we grow weary, we grow tired, and sometimes our hearts grow cold, or are hardened by hurt. But the Lord knows our weaknesses, and that is where He promises to give strength.

 

I found this short and beautiful Psalm of David as I did a search for verses on this kind of brotherly love between Christians the other day, and want to share it in closing :). 

 

Psalm 133

 

How good and pleasant it is
    when brothers live together in unity!

It is like precious oil poured on the head,
    running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
    down upon the collar of his robes.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
    were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
    even life forevermore.