THE FINAL “WE KNOW”
1 John 5:20-21 NLT
[20] And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. [21] Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.
John ends his letter where he started. Our fellowship with the Father and with each other depends on the issues he has presented in his letter.
Jesus is the Son of God. He came to earth as a real man. The Holy Spirit, who is our true teacher, has made His life, death, and resurrection plain to us.
Faith in Jesus’ saving work has brought us into oneness of heart with God. We are really getting to know Him, increasingly understanding His ways, and growing in our unity and fellowship with Him through trust and obedience.
Despite the efforts of unbelievers who try to turn us away from the truth by lies and deception, we stand firm in our faith because we are convinced that the God we believe in is the true God, and we can only have eternal life through Him.
So, John urges, don’t let anything lure you away from God, the Father, Son, God and Holy Spirit, as your source of truth and object of worship. Let nothing, no matter how attractive or alluring, replace God as the centre of your life.
Monthly Archives: October 2023
TO SUM UP…
TO SUM UP…
1 John 5:18-19 NLT
[18] “We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. [19] We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.”
How does John sum up this rambling letter, full of repetition and going around in circles? He has repeatedly affirmed the believer’s status in Christ, and the ways in which we can have assurance that we belong to Him.
Now he begins his conclusion with his final “we know”. What do we know that makes us secure in our faith in Jesus?
Sin, the enemy within, and the evil one, the enemy without, are lumped together as the great cause of our doubts and fears. John has repeatedly assured his readers that, through God’s great love, Jesus has taken care of the issue of sin. His atoning sacrifice has dealt with our guilt, and delivered us from sin’s power over us because He came to destroy the works of the devil.
Therefore, we no longer practise sin as a way of life. In fact, if we keep on deliberately sinning after claiming to be God’s child, we negate that claim and still come under God’s judgment. Those who are “in Christ” are protected from a life of sin by His power.
The other great truth that we know is that the world is clearly divided into two camps, us and them. We, as children of God, come under His authority and protection. They, as those who have rejected saving faith in Jesus, come under the control of the evil one. That includes all the people who side with him and all the world systems opposed to God.
This clash of kingdoms that affects our lives, will only end for us when we leave this earth. Therefore, our role here is to stand firm in our faith, put the flesh to death, choice by choice, through the Spirit’s power in us, and persevere, moment by moment, in our obedience to Jesus until we see Him.
What a hope for those who have committed to this way of life until we reach our goal!
PRAYERS THAT HEAL
PRAYERS
THAT HEAL
1 John 5:16-17 NLT
[16] If you see a fellow believer sinning in a way that does not lead to death,
you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that
leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it.
[17] All wicked actions are sin, but not every sin leads to death.
We should never be afraid that we have committed a sin that “leads to
death” if we are faithfully following Jesus. If we are in this life, we
will always be vulnerable to the desires of our fleshly nature. John has
already assured us that our Advocate, Jesus, represents us to the Father. His
blood avails for the forgiveness of all our sin, past, present, and future.
1 John 2:1-2 NLT
[1] “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the
Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. [2] He himself is
the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of
all the world.”
As children in God’s family, we have a duty towards a genuine brother or sister
in the Lord who falls into sin.
Just as Paul urged Galatians believers to restore a fallen believer,
Galatians 6:1 NLT
[1]”Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some
sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the
right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.”
So John also urges us to pray for those who have stumbled on the way.
John urges us to pray for them since prayer addresses the issue from God’s
side. Our prayers are often God’s way of dealing with sin from within. The Holy
Spirit awakens the conscience and understanding of the sinner that has affected
themselves and others, breaking fellowship with the Father and with whoever has
been offended.
John assures his readers that God will answer such prayers and restore life to
the offender.
However, in the context of this letter, John has made a case against those who
deliberately choose to walk away from the fellowship of believers. In doing so,
they are working at pulling others down with them by deception, twisting the
truth out of shape by their teaching.
John 2:19 NLT
[19] “These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with
us; otherwise, they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that
they did not belong with us.”
Not only have they left the church, but they have also tried to take others
with them.
John 2:26 NLT
[26]”I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead
you astray.”
There is an ongoing battle between light and darkness. Our enemy has human
allies who help him to deceive vulnerable believers who are not anchored in the
truth.
John gives us three ways by which we can test our standing in God. We know God
when we believe that Jesus came in the flesh and that He is the Son of God. We
love God if we obey His commandments, and if we love His children.
Deceivers claim to know God, but they fail the test in these three areas. They
are liars and foreigners to the truth.
“Don’t waste your time praying for them. They are liars, and no liar has a
place in God’s family.”
The sin that leads to death is obstinate and deliberate refusal to believe and
obey the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is always merciful, but He
cannot show mercy to an unrepentant sinner. Therefore, until they repent,
prayer will not avail for them.
PRAYER IS COMPLEX BUT SIMPLE, REALLY
PRAYER IS COMPLEX BUT SIMPLE, REALLY
1 John 5:13-15 NLT
[13] “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. [14] And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. [15] And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”
It’s amazing how good we are at making complicated what God has made simple. It’s all about whether He hears us or doesn’t hear us.
Among the many ways in which we carry out this marvel called prayer, asking is one of the central parts. Not all but much of prayer is asking, and even asking can take many forms.
We ask for forgiveness, we ask for material things, we ask for help, we ask for change, we ask for wisdom, we ask for God’s will to be done, and so we can go on. We even ask questions which the Father loves to answer.
Asking is also accompanied by our attitude. When we are the centre of our universe, our prayers will be arrogant, selfish, and demanding. When God is the hub of our lives, our prayers will be about Him and His business in both our lives and in the world around us.
However, John inserts a detail which is absolutely top-of-the-list for God to hear and answer our prayers. If any of the conditions for God to answer us are omitted, God waits for us to change our attitude, but any prayer that does not line up with God’s will, He simply ignores. Why?
Sometimes, much of our prayer is focused on our wants, desires, and even demands. Our will features big in our praying.
James inducted his readers for the wrong kind of asking.
James 4:2-3 NLT
[2b] …. “Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. [3] And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.”
We form our attitudes in prayer by the way we form our ideas and understanding about God, His works and His ways, and by the way we view ourselves in His scheme of things.
Humility, submission, faith, perseverance, confidence, are all in the mix if we desire real answers. These attitudes are part of our ongoing relationship and fellowship with the Father, but seeking His will as we pray is more of a deliberate act, a choice to submerge our lives into His in the issues for which we pray.
John says that praying according to His will is sure-fire way to get answers. Knowing what His will is when we ask for solutions gives us confidence to ask in faith.
How do we know what His will is in such a variety of situations for which we pray? God can and does respond to telegram, panic prayers but He loves it when we are so soaked in His Word that we become familiar with His ways.
Romans 12:1-2 NLT
[1] “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. [2] Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Knowing God’s ways will help us to navigate situations in our and other lives prayerfully because God desires us to engage with Him constantly as we journey through life.
So, says John, take the time and trouble to learn God’s ways so clearly revealed in His Word. Submit yourself to Him in every part of your life. Approach Him with boldness, confidence, and trust, and ask Him to fulfil His promises as they relate to circumstances. You can be sure that God’s answers will meet needs according to His will so that His glory is revealed as each situation unfolds.
IT’S ABOUT HIM, NOT US
IT’S ABOUT HIM, NOT US
If the kingdom is to be the main subject of our fellowship with the Father, then our next priority is the learn about and from the one whom God has appointed as king in His kingdom.
“For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”
Psalms 2:6 NLT
“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:9-11 NLT
“After that, the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.”
1 Corinthians 15:24-25 NLT
We live in a world, not only of wickedness and evil, but also of subtle allurement to become part of its anti-God behaviour by indulging in fleshly lusts that war against our souls. How can we escape from the pull of the world?
Once again, the Bible gives us the answer – focus on Jesus.
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:1-3 NLT
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV
A big part of our fellowship with the Father, then, is contemplating the glory of the Son. God loves it when we talk to Him about Jesus, appreciating and valuing all that Jesus is to us. There is nothing that transforms our lives more powerfully than to gaze at Jesus and learn from Him.
Jesus is our model and our mentor. He said, “Learn from me,” and “Remain in me.” This is the only way we can live the life of God’s kingdom in a wicked and corrupted world.
PRAYER
Thank you, Father, for giving us Jesus to be our model and mentor as well as our Saviour and Lord. I forget so often that you have given me everything I need through Him, and that He has authorised every promise you have ever made so that I no longer need to be held a prisoner to the temptations of my sinful nature.
I thank you, Holy Spirit, that you help me to live a godly life when I follow your leading. Help me, give me an appetite and desire for your Word. I want to hide it in my heart so that I will not sin against you.