A Study of 1 John
To Know Him is to Love Him
Chapter 2
To Know Him is to Love Him
Chapter 2
Every Step of Our Walk
Once again, we will need to ask ourselves who we are in the Lord, and why it is so important for us to have our minds and hearts staid on him.
1 John 2:1-11
(My Little Children) The real relationship between a father and his son is shown to us here in an attitude of love. John is speaking to us as our spiritual father. He's been there. He knows. What does he write to us here? As a son should listen to his dad; a daughter should listen to her mother.
By this time the body of believers were in a state of feeling guilty and condemned for their attitudes and actions, neglectful when it came to their God-relationships. They were allowing sin to interfere with their fellowship with God.
But Satan is nothing more than the great deceiver and condemner and accuser ready to bring the spiritual death penalty to any who he could convince would they would think God would no longer forgive them if they did certain things they should not have.
John who had the credentials to call the Ephesian church his son is sharing that they should not be disheartened. It is the same with us when we fail. If we feel guilty or condemned, God doesn’t want us to give up our hope. Our best and only defense is to go to Jesus and ask to be forgiven for our wrongs, knowing He already paid our penalty. It is finished. We have Him to go to at any time in any place and for every reason.
We have successful fellowship with each other when we receive the love, forgiveness and acceptance Jesus has for us. Jesus, our propitiator (our atoning sacrifice) stands before God daily for us. John is hoping the church will see that and respond appropriately.
Romans 8:33, 34
Hebrews 7:24, 25
It's sometimes difficult to forgive those who have wronged us. But because of a God who loves us, no one is beyond forgiveness.
Question to reflect upon:
Those that say they KNOW Him, who are they?
WHAT IS THE TEST OF KNOWING HIM
Keep His commandments by faith
Keep His Word
Allow the Love of God to be perfected in our hearts and let it show by our actions
Refuse to walk in immaturity. In other words, grow up.
This is that commandment we have…to love others. (John 15:13) The Application Bible says this: "Love is the key to walking in the light…our growing relationship with God will result in growing in relationship with others. It's the identifying mark of the Christian community."
John is focusing here on attitudes. Christian love is NOT a feeling. It's a choice.
As we make the choice to love others with His love He will help us express our love without being tolerant of sin or of someone's disagreeable nature.
II. The Christian Walk
1John 2:12-15
That spiritual state: We've spoken this before and it is worth sharing again. The difference between little children, father, young men.
12: Little children - Born again believers - Just beginning their spiritual journey. Who have experienced forgiveness.
13: Fathers - Mature believers. Long-standing relationships with Christ.
14: Young Men - Those who are gaining victory with His strength but who still struggle with Satan's temptations…yet win the battles.
In these three verses, John writes to every Christian believer at every step of their walk. Each stage of the Christian pilgrimage builds upon the other. John, who has been around the spiritual block, knows the score. In Lesson 1 he shared of his privilege of being not only near the Lord Jesus, but right beside him throughout his ministry up through the day of his crucifixion and resurrection.
As a child, as a young man, or as someone maturing, we are all in a battle every day. God wants full control of our lives during our battles, but Satan does too. Satan will use force, deceit, and guile to bring us back into bondage. What will we do? Stand on the freedom that the Lord gives us, keep looking up, choose to be a bond servant of God, put the enemy at bay. The best defense and only defense we can have in this spiritual battle is the WORD OF GOD and hiding it in our hearts.
III. How are we living our Lives?
1 John 2:15-17
In Chapter 2 John show the church how much better it would be to live lives of holiness in contrast to getting caught up on the things of the world. Worldliness is not limited to our external behavior, Even as we think it in our minds it is as doing it, according to scripture: where we spend our time, who we hang out with reaches the heart which deals with our lust of the flesh, our physical desires, our lust of the eyes, what we crave, our pride of life, our obsession for status, importance, recognition. Satan tempted Eve in every matter. Genesis 3:6
When he tried to tempt Jesus he did the same in Matthew 4:1-11. You and I don’t have to get stuck there. Jesus didn’t. He has showed us how to get away from the temptations. Now, John gives us the formula for continuous right living. Romans 8:34 Hebrews 7:25
And Also: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk NOT according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1
God doesn’t want us to get overly fixed on anything of this world, not on those things that are enticing to our eyes, to our flesh that will only satisfy for a little while.
The truth is, when we get too hung up on the world or the things of the world, or any person in this world, we are not attached enough to our Lord Jesus Christ. It's difficult to believe that what we want and what we are used to, all our attachments and possessions can have such a strong hold on us if we allow it
John's conviction is based on the life, death, resurrection, and promises of Jesus Christ. He knew then, as we do now, that this evil world and our desires for all its pleasures keep us from having the courage to control our greedy appetites and self-indulgent behaviors.
But this evil world WILL end and because of that we can seek more after doing God's will first. Verse 17 tells us the world is passing away…That and everything that’s in it.
IV. The Last Days
1 John 2:18-22
John is talking here about the last days and the Lord's return for his church before the antichrist is revealed -- the days we live in right now. The believers from the first century, who died ahead of us, were waiting just as we are now for that time to come when we will meet together in the air. They were in their own last days just as you and I are in ours.
Back in the old times, antichrists abounded, false teachers expressed themselves, people who pretended to be Christians filled the churches and synagogues.
How is it different today? He brings this to our attention in these verses, but we also says: in verse 19
"They went out from us"
"They weren’t of us"
"If they'd been of us they would have continued with us"
"They went out that they might be made manifest that none were of us"
The antichrists and Christians who were not as they claimed to be were not strangers to the church, nor are they today. They were a part of the church but they didn’t really belong. John was showing that their reason for joining was wrong from the start.
Thankfully, the holy spirit can give us the discernment to see the truth from error so we don't have to be taken in by the false. We do not have to be deceived by any of them.
Anointing: Pouring out of special olive oil. In the OT times, oil was used to consecrate kings and special servants for service. We can read about this back in 1 Samuel 16. It also talks about this also in the book of James.
The Holy Spirit always guides the believer to Jesus. John shows the reader, it is important to expose the heresies of cultists today, who deny the divinity of Christ. His sacrifices for our sins were permanent. He expects us to freely share this and stand firm on our convictions. Do we?
V. Our Encouragement
1 John 2:24-29
Though the Christian of that day had fully heard the gospel and knew that Jesus Christ was God's Son and that He died for their sins and raised again from the dead and would return again to receive them in the clouds, their fellowship with Him was being infiltrated by those who denied some of the basic doctrines of the Christian faith.
John encouraged them to hold on to the truth they had learned at the beginning and teach those truths to others. He encourages us to do the same.
In the last lesson we spoke of how many people do good works but don’t have faith in Jesus. Others claim faith but rarely produce good works. But true faith always results in good works.
Ephesians 2:8, 9 James 2:14-17
Those who claim faith and are true believers consistently strive to do what's right.
Are we doing that as Women of Faith today?
That spiritual state: We've spoken this before and it is worth sharing again. The difference between little children, father, young men.
12: Little children - Born again believers - Just beginning their spiritual journey. Who have experienced forgiveness.
13: Fathers - Mature believers. Long-standing relationships with Christ.
14: Young Men - Those who are gaining victory with His strength but who still struggle with Satan's temptations…yet win the battles.
In these three verses, John writes to every Christian believer at every step of their walk. Each stage of the Christian pilgrimage builds upon the other. John, who has been around the spiritual block, knows the score. In Lesson 1 he shared of his privilege of being not only near the Lord Jesus, but right beside him throughout his ministry up through the day of his crucifixion and resurrection.
As a child, as a young man, or as someone maturing, we are all in a battle every day. God wants full control of our lives during our battles, but Satan does too. Satan will use force, deceit, and guile to bring us back into bondage. What will we do? Stand on the freedom that the Lord gives us, keep looking up, choose to be a bond servant of God, put the enemy at bay. The best defense and only defense we can have in this spiritual battle is the WORD OF GOD and hiding it in our hearts.
Question to reflect on:
Are you moving from VICTORY to VICTORY today?
Psalm 119:11, Psalm 119:9
JESUS ALWAYS RELIED ON SCRIPTURES
III. How are we living our Lives?
1 John 2:15-17
In Chapter 2 John show the church how much better it would be to live lives of holiness in contrast to getting caught up on the things of the world. Worldliness is not limited to our external behavior, Even as we think it in our minds it is as doing it, according to scripture: where we spend our time, who we hang out with reaches the heart which deals with our lust of the flesh, our physical desires, our lust of the eyes, what we crave, our pride of life, our obsession for status, importance, recognition. Satan tempted Eve in every matter. Genesis 3:6
When he tried to tempt Jesus he did the same in Matthew 4:1-11. You and I don’t have to get stuck there. Jesus didn’t. He has showed us how to get away from the temptations. Now, John gives us the formula for continuous right living. Romans 8:34 Hebrews 7:25
And Also: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk NOT according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1
God doesn’t want us to get overly fixed on anything of this world, not on those things that are enticing to our eyes, to our flesh that will only satisfy for a little while.
The truth is, when we get too hung up on the world or the things of the world, or any person in this world, we are not attached enough to our Lord Jesus Christ. It's difficult to believe that what we want and what we are used to, all our attachments and possessions can have such a strong hold on us if we allow it
John's conviction is based on the life, death, resurrection, and promises of Jesus Christ. He knew then, as we do now, that this evil world and our desires for all its pleasures keep us from having the courage to control our greedy appetites and self-indulgent behaviors.
But this evil world WILL end and because of that we can seek more after doing God's will first. Verse 17 tells us the world is passing away…That and everything that’s in it.
IV. The Last Days
1 John 2:18-22
John is talking here about the last days and the Lord's return for his church before the antichrist is revealed -- the days we live in right now. The believers from the first century, who died ahead of us, were waiting just as we are now for that time to come when we will meet together in the air. They were in their own last days just as you and I are in ours.
Back in the old times, antichrists abounded, false teachers expressed themselves, people who pretended to be Christians filled the churches and synagogues.
How is it different today? He brings this to our attention in these verses, but we also says: in verse 19
"They went out from us"
"They weren’t of us"
"If they'd been of us they would have continued with us"
"They went out that they might be made manifest that none were of us"
The antichrists and Christians who were not as they claimed to be were not strangers to the church, nor are they today. They were a part of the church but they didn’t really belong. John was showing that their reason for joining was wrong from the start.
Thankfully, the holy spirit can give us the discernment to see the truth from error so we don't have to be taken in by the false. We do not have to be deceived by any of them.
Question to reflect on:
The Bible tells us you and I have the anointing from the Holy One. What does that mean?
Anointing: Pouring out of special olive oil. In the OT times, oil was used to consecrate kings and special servants for service. We can read about this back in 1 Samuel 16. It also talks about this also in the book of James.
The Holy Spirit always guides the believer to Jesus. John shows the reader, it is important to expose the heresies of cultists today, who deny the divinity of Christ. His sacrifices for our sins were permanent. He expects us to freely share this and stand firm on our convictions. Do we?
V. Our Encouragement
1 John 2:24-29
Though the Christian of that day had fully heard the gospel and knew that Jesus Christ was God's Son and that He died for their sins and raised again from the dead and would return again to receive them in the clouds, their fellowship with Him was being infiltrated by those who denied some of the basic doctrines of the Christian faith.
John encouraged them to hold on to the truth they had learned at the beginning and teach those truths to others. He encourages us to do the same.
Question to reflect on:
What is the visible proof of being a Christian?
In the last lesson we spoke of how many people do good works but don’t have faith in Jesus. Others claim faith but rarely produce good works. But true faith always results in good works.
Ephesians 2:8, 9 James 2:14-17
Those who claim faith and are true believers consistently strive to do what's right.
Are we doing that as Women of Faith today?
No comments:
Post a Comment