1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,440 Good morning everybody. It is a great day to be together 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,840 to worship our God. And as Dave prayed, I'm excited 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:08,560 to continue our study in First John. 4 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:11,280 I'm glad we landed here. I'm glad this is the path that 5 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:14,960 that we're taking. And I enjoyed our study last 6 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,640 week. And I think so much of this 7 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:21,760 letter in First John is things that so many of you have grown 8 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:25,560 up reading and knowing. But I hope as I forget where, 9 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:27,800 where it's written. But the writer of one of the New 10 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,560 Testament letters says that I would stir up your pure minds by 11 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:33,360 way of remembrance. You know, sometimes the all the 12 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,120 flavor in our drink settles to the bottom of our glass and we 13 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:39,120 have to stir it back up. So that fills us and, and 14 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:41,080 completes the, you know, the drink, the beverage, whatever 15 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:43,440 we're drinking. And I hope that as we study 16 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:46,000 this, though it's in your glass spiritually, I hope it'll be 17 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,280 stirred up and you'll remember it and let it fill you more and 18 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:51,800 more because we lose focus as we all do. 19 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:54,760 And this is a wonderful set of scriptures to meditate on. 20 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:58,360 As we talked about last time, this is believed to be written 21 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:01,840 by the the man John. And we had talked about the 22 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:05,319 context in which it was written. We talked about the purposes of 23 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:11,200 this letter and we we covered all the way through Chapter 1 24 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:15,160 and we started in chapter 2. We took our little step into 25 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:17,200 chapter 2. And so we're just going to pick 26 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:21,480 up at the beginning of chapter 2, verse one where we went a 27 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,840 little past there. So it says there in verse one of 28 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:29,160 first John 2, my little children, these things I write 29 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:33,880 to you so that you may not sin. So it's believed that John was 30 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,000 older and so in many ways he could write to them and say my 31 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,440 little children, because he's a spiritual mentor to them. 32 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:42,320 And he and he helped guide these people. 33 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:46,320 And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus 34 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:48,520 Christ the righteous. We learned about that last week, 35 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:52,640 how Jesus is a good and faithful advocate who speaks to the 36 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:55,800 Father on our behalf and who advocates for us in the presence 37 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,120 of God. Verse 2 And He himself is the 38 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:03,360 propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for 39 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,400 the whole world. Now this the whole world does 40 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:10,000 not mean that everybody is receiving Jesus, his 41 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,160 propitiation. Not everyone is receiving the 42 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:15,840 payment for their sins in the way God intends it. 43 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:19,960 Just like in the Old Testament in Leviticus chapter 16, there 44 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:23,240 was a atonement sacrifice offered for the entire nation of 45 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:25,800 Israel. There was an atonement sacrifice 46 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:30,680 that was over the entire nation, but not all of Israel was saved. 47 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:35,200 The Bible says they were not all of Israel who are called Israel. 48 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,640 They're not all truly God's people just because they're in 49 00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:40,720 the nation of Israel. So they weren't all saved. 50 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:44,680 And just like that, it's for the whole world, but it doesn't mean 51 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,040 everybody is saved. Unfortunately, verse three. 52 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:49,320 Now by this we know that we know him. 53 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:51,200 He's trying to give us assurance. 54 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:54,080 The way we know him is if we keep his commandments. 55 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:58,600 He who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a 56 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,760 liar and the truth is not in him. 57 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,360 He is simplifying our spiritual perspective. 58 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:08,560 He's helping us. John writes this letter almost 59 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,960 from a 30,000 foot view, like he's flying over and he has this 60 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:14,480 grand perspective. Some letters really dive into 61 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:15,880 the nitty gritty and all the details. 62 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,280 John doesn't do that. He's flying over and he's 63 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:22,240 simplifying it for us. If we don't follow him, the 64 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:26,760 truth is not in US now this changed relationship if we say 65 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:30,320 we are in Him, and when we have a changed relationship with God, 66 00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:33,560 that should cause us to have a changed relationship with sin. 67 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:36,320 A Christian no longer loves sin as he once did. 68 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:41,160 A Christian long no longer brags about his sin as he once did, no 69 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:45,600 longer plans to sin as he once did, no longer fondly remembers 70 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:50,160 his sin as he once did, and he never fully enjoys his sin as he 71 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:54,320 once did, and is no longer comfortable in habitual sin as 72 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:57,880 he once was. We have a changed relationship 73 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:03,120 with God and also with our past sins and that sin that we are 74 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:05,120 trying to actively get out of our lives. 75 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:08,760 Verse 5. But whoever keeps his word, 76 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:12,440 truly the love of God is perfected in him, and by this we 77 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:14,640 know that we are in Him. Verse 6. 78 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:16,880 So this is the part where we did not get to last time. 79 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:18,760 This is all going to be new from here on. 80 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:25,760 He who says He abides in him ought himself also to walk just 81 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:28,840 as He walked. So John is challenging us and 82 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:32,240 reminding us if we're going to say it, we got to be about it. 83 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:35,400 We can't just talk about it. We got to be about it. 84 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:40,680 Verse 7 Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old 85 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,040 commandment which you have had from the beginning. 86 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,520 The old commandment is the word which you heard from the 87 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:48,400 beginning. Now he kind of provides a 88 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,840 paradox here because he's about to say again, a new commandment. 89 00:04:51,840 --> 00:04:54,680 So he's providing kind of a, a this, but that. 90 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:57,840 He says I write no new commandment to you. 91 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,360 So in one sense he's saying this is nothing new. 92 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,240 Now the word new has, there's two Greek words for the word 93 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:07,200 new. One of them was neos, which 94 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,800 means new in time or installation. 95 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:13,480 But there was another one, kaidos, which is new of quality, 96 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,840 and that is the word kinos that's being used here. 97 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:20,400 He's and he really says it the same way in both circumstances. 98 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:24,560 But it's not a new commandment. God has intended the same thing 99 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:28,960 from from the beginning. Now what is this beginning? 100 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,000 And again, John writes in big generalities. 101 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,320 The beginning, I think includes a lot of things. 102 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:37,840 The beginning was something they'd known about the whole 103 00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:40,840 time as Christians. And you know, I think we need 104 00:05:40,840 --> 00:05:42,640 that. Like we talked about being 105 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:47,200 stirred up. It's something we know, but we 106 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,680 have to be reminded and have it driven further. 107 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:53,400 Like that stake that's in the ground, but maybe not holding on 108 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:55,840 to the ground as strong as it can you pound that stake in 109 00:05:55,840 --> 00:05:59,080 further so that that tent or whatever it is might be grounded 110 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:02,880 in this. He's driving home this idea and 111 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:05,080 this thing that he's about to share with us that they've known 112 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:07,960 the whole time. He could also be intending. 113 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:10,680 And I think this is part of it from the beginning of what John 114 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,360 has been teaching them. John taught them a lot. 115 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:16,400 And so he's saying it's these are things I've been teaching 116 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:21,120 you from the time I began this, but also that Jesus taught them 117 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:23,280 from the beginning. These are things that Jesus 118 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:25,720 showed them from the beginning of his ministry. 119 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:30,560 So in a sense it's nothing new. But he says in verse 8 again, 120 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:34,280 which kind of in this context basically means in another sense 121 00:06:34,840 --> 00:06:40,520 a new commandment I write to you which thing is true in him and 122 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:44,680 in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light 123 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:48,960 is already shining. We believe John wrote the this 124 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,280 letter. So if you go back to John 13, we 125 00:06:51,280 --> 00:06:53,400 have maybe a clue as to what he's talking about here. 126 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:58,840 He says a new commandment I give to you in verse verse 34 that 127 00:06:58,840 --> 00:07:02,600 you love one another. Now that's not the new part, but 128 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,120 Jesus says the new part is to love one another. 129 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:10,320 He says, as I have loved you, that's the quality of the love 130 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:13,240 that were commanded this new before Jesus. 131 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,840 Yes, there was love. Yes, there were principles that 132 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:20,720 were good and to be governed and followed, but it brought a whole 133 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:23,440 new level of love when Jesus did what he did. 134 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:27,560 When someone was willing to turn the other cheek and say 135 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:30,000 disrespect me, that's OK, I'll love you anyway. 136 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:33,600 As Frank's been travelling at a wonderfully slow pace through 137 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:37,080 the sun on the mountain, we can soak in how intentional Jesus, 138 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:41,760 what Jesus was to remind us of the love that he intends us to 139 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:43,800 have for the world. And he embodied that. 140 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:48,720 That is new in a quality that the world had never seen and 141 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:53,000 never seen exemplified. Our God taught us primarily and 142 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:54,840 maybe most importantly through example. 143 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:59,280 And that was a new command because of that, that you also 144 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:03,520 love one another by this all will know that you are my 145 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:06,160 disciples if you have love for one another. 146 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:10,040 So I believe that's that's the direction John is taking this. 147 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:14,280 And 1st John, he's saying this is true in him and in you. 148 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:17,720 Jesus embodied that. The love was in Jesus. 149 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:22,600 It was true in him and it's even becoming true in you now. 150 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:24,920 He doesn't say it's completely perfected yet. 151 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:28,080 He says because the darkness is passing away. 152 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:32,000 It's a process. The darkness is being pushed out 153 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:36,159 both in the world as a large macro perspective. 154 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:39,880 The darkness as the gospel is being introduced, is pushing out 155 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:43,600 the the light is pushing out the darkness and it's getting 156 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:45,840 further and further passing away. 157 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:50,240 But it's also true in our own lives individually. 158 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,520 It's true, as John writes to these people, that in their own 159 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:59,120 heart that the darkness will be being pushed out by the love and 160 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:00,880 the light that God is shining in there. 161 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:05,200 And because of that, he gives them this encouragement. 162 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:09,560 It's this love is true in him. It's also true in you. 163 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,560 This standard should revolutionary revolutionize our 164 00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:19,480 idea and our standards of goodness every day. 165 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:24,880 Now someone might say, and I think this is a very common 166 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:29,600 question that comes up, how can I be walking in the light and 167 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:32,680 still sin? I've asked that question. 168 00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:35,280 I've had friends ask that question that gets I've talked 169 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:36,920 about a lot. And that's a very good question. 170 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:40,920 How can the light be coming into my life? 171 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:43,760 How can I be walking in the light and still have darkness? 172 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:48,720 And I think it's, it's in this verse, it's a process of passing 173 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:52,520 away and the light is working its way into the depths of our 174 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:56,680 heart, sometimes in in one area that we hadn't seen before. 175 00:09:56,680 --> 00:09:59,160 And so it was darkness. And now that has the light of 176 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:03,240 God's word that can teach and change us and that slowly and 177 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:05,600 continually makes its work in us. 178 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:09,200 So you can still have darkness in your heart that's just 179 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:12,400 getting worked out, that is getting processed through. 180 00:10:12,560 --> 00:10:16,160 And God is continually finding new crevices in our heart to 181 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:20,080 shine His light in and to fill His fullness in. 182 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:25,000 Now maybe I should clarify first, Romans teaches us. 183 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:28,280 Romans 2 verse 4 says the goodness of and the grace of God 184 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:31,640 is intended to teach us. So it's not that we have an 185 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:34,840 excuse to continue in sin. So maybe, you know, if we're ten 186 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:38,280 years in doing the same thing, we should really consider a 187 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:42,000 self-assessment. Am I really walking the light if 188 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,720 I'm 5-10 years in doing the exact same thing? 189 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:46,800 That doesn't mean we're not going to have habitual 190 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:48,360 struggles. We're going to have things that 191 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:51,560 come back. But staying in the same place 192 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:55,520 and not making progress is probably a sign that the 193 00:10:55,520 --> 00:11:00,440 goodness of God is not doing the is not leading us to repentance 194 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:02,200 the way it should. And we should respond to the 195 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:05,880 goodness of God in a more complete and intentional way. 196 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:13,160 But we must let the light work. Don't block out the darkness. 197 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:15,920 Remember when you were younger and someone came and flipped on 198 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:18,040 the light and you weren't ready to get up yet and you just want 199 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:20,440 to go back in the darkness? You just wanted them to go away, 200 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:23,800 go under your covers. That's what happens with sin, 201 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:26,320 and that's why you can walk in the light. 202 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:29,240 But there's parts of your darkness that don't want to see 203 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:31,560 the light, that want to continue to hide. 204 00:11:31,560 --> 00:11:33,640 And you're sitting there fighting that internal battle. 205 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:35,800 Whether you're at work, whether you're getting up and getting 206 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:37,880 around, you're trying to manage all the other things in your 207 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:40,960 day. You are fighting that desire to 208 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:44,400 go back into the dark spiritually and so it is very 209 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:48,160 understandable, but we have to remember to let the light work. 210 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:50,760 Don't block it about. Don't put the covers back over 211 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:54,600 your head spiritually. You know what you know now you 212 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:56,680 can't go back to knowing to not knowing. 213 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:02,240 We are without excuse. We know the way God intends to 214 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:07,240 work on our hearts. Verse 9, He who says he is in 215 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:11,960 the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now. 216 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:17,160 So the first Test he gave us of our own relationship with him, 217 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:18,480 right? You started this by saying I 218 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:21,080 write to you so that you may have fellowship with us and we 219 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:23,960 have fellowship with Christ. And so we have this triangle of 220 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:25,800 fellowship. He wants us to know that the 221 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:28,040 first Test was whether we walk in the light. 222 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:33,920 The second test is a fellowship test and our attitude with our 223 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:37,560 brother. This is a large indicator, 224 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:41,760 according to John, of whether or not you are truly walking in the 225 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:45,200 light. Do you love or do you show hate 226 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:49,640 for your brother? Why do we hate? 227 00:12:50,680 --> 00:12:55,080 I believe it's because of of wrong or being of perceived 228 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:57,840 wrong. And the challenging thing is you 229 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:00,680 might think you have a handle on it, but as you get older, your 230 00:13:00,680 --> 00:13:05,200 list of perceived or in reality wrongs toward you grows. 231 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:09,160 Like Frank talked about the other day, that list with his 232 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:12,640 friend, he mentioned that list grows and it becomes maybe 233 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:15,520 sometimes harder and harder to have love for others. 234 00:13:16,680 --> 00:13:19,520 Mark Twain once said, having spent considerable time with 235 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:23,400 good people, I can understand why Jesus liked to be with the 236 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:28,320 tax collectors and sinners. It can be hard to have love for 237 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:32,360 our brethren, but this is an indicator of our own spiritual 238 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:35,480 state. Now hurt and pain and 239 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:38,640 frustration is the root of these things, right? 240 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:40,640 We don't hate someone who didn't do anything wrong to us. 241 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:44,080 Hopefully that's that's AW outlandish. 242 00:13:44,560 --> 00:13:47,520 But we typically respond, I think in one of two ways. 243 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:51,200 If someone hurts you or lashes out at you or does wrong to you, 244 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:56,240 we respond with either lashing out in return with wrongdoing. 245 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:01,600 And we talk about that a lot, but maybe we don't talk about a 246 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:05,120 kind of evil apathy that we can develop toward people who have 247 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:12,840 wronged us. Jesus says that our heart, not 248 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:16,920 just our actions, determines whether we are wrong towards 249 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:19,720 someone. Jesus condemned murder in the 250 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:23,120 heart. Have you ever heard the phrase 251 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,040 you're dead to me or so and so is dead to me? 252 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:32,080 Isn't that kind of killing them in your heart in a sense? 253 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:39,200 Sometimes apathy can be evil and drawing a line where you just 254 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:42,640 I'm not going there forgets you. That can be evil in it in 255 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:44,880 another sense. And they're both defense or 256 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:47,640 coping mechanisms. You have to manage the pain and 257 00:14:47,640 --> 00:14:49,760 the the hurt. And so you're going to respond 258 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:51,680 in one of these two ways often times. 259 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:55,280 So may we avoid both of these. And I'm not saying I have the 260 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:57,160 solution or the answer because it's not easy. 261 00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:01,640 It's a daily and situation specific process, but that's how 262 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:04,360 God's word is supposed to work. It's not a stamp on your life 263 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:06,000 that you move on. It's this is going to take 264 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:10,640 process. So sometimes separation is good 265 00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:13,160 for a time that that's a biblical principle throughout 266 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:14,720 the Bible. Sometimes you need to take a 267 00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:18,280 moment to separate because that can help us cool our emotions, 268 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:21,080 that can help us get back to baseline. 269 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:24,720 When we're not in that fight mode or flight mode, which is 270 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:27,560 fight or flight, you're either leaving and forgetting you. 271 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:31,600 It can cool our emotions, get us back down to baseline. 272 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:35,560 It can help stop the bleeding or stop the pain and the hurt 273 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:40,080 that's being caused. But as I was talking to Tina 274 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:43,200 about this, I got her wisdom. The thing, the important thing 275 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:46,400 she said that stuck out with me was what are you doing with the 276 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:50,640 separation? If you separate and that 277 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:55,400 separation turns into further hatred or complete apathy and 278 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:59,680 I'm done with you, we are not handling the separation in a 279 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:02,360 godly way that's going to bring reconciliation. 280 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:07,360 Here is the biblical pattern. Instead of responding with 281 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:11,640 lashing out our apathy, Jesus says, and I'll give you 282 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:15,320 scripture for this in a minute to give intentional positive 283 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:19,360 thought in action. There's no other way to handle 284 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:23,480 this and other than what Jesus prescribes as as Frank's been 285 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:28,360 covering Luke 6 verse 27. But I say to you, who here love 286 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,400 your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who 287 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:35,360 persecute, who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully 288 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:39,160 use you. So in this context of pain and 289 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:43,320 hurt, may we respond in the biblical way because sometimes I 290 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:45,720 like to think of our pains and challenges in the term of the 291 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:48,840 gym, because physical exercise really makes a lot of sense to 292 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:51,040 me with how you can have pain, but it can be good for you and 293 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:53,840 you can grow. Jesus says, but if you love 294 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:55,720 those who love you, what credit is that to you? 295 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:57,760 For even sinners love those who love them. 296 00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:01,120 What credit is that to you if you do good to those who do good 297 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:03,280 to you, for even sinners do the same. 298 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:05,280 Spiritually speaking, that's no workout. 299 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:08,240 He's saying you're not working out, you're not exercising, 300 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:11,119 you're not getting better, you're not exercising strength 301 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:14,599 when you do that. But I say you love your enemies, 302 00:17:14,599 --> 00:17:17,240 do good to those who hate you and bless those who persecute 303 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:21,440 you, who curse you. That is spiritual exercise. 304 00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:25,200 If you really want to grow and if you really want to be giving 305 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:27,720 your effort, this is where it starts. 306 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:34,080 And in the context of first John, we cannot hate our brother 307 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:39,920 through apathy or through direct wrongdoing backward because 308 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:43,440 Jesus commands a true effort. You know, I used to think that 309 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:47,440 this concept of enemies and those who hate, I always felt 310 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:49,240 like it kind of missed me when I was younger. 311 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:52,040 It's like, well, that I don't have any enemies, so that 312 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:54,200 doesn't really apply to me. I guess I'll just try to find 313 00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:57,440 another scripture. But the reality is this isn't, 314 00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:01,280 you have to have this extreme maybe, but it's everything in 315 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:04,880 between as a catch all, whether someone is good to you or 316 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:08,120 downright evil and persecuting you. 317 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:11,320 This is the prescription. So if someone is kind of in 318 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:13,400 between and you just don't have a great relationship, the 319 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:17,160 prescription is the same. The attitude and the command is 320 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:19,480 the same. The challenge is the same. 321 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:23,360 So may we not excuse ourselves because, well, when I get an 322 00:18:23,360 --> 00:18:25,280 enemy, then I'll then I'll really try this. 323 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:27,840 That's not the biblical way. It's a catch all. 324 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:34,440 He who hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 325 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:37,000 So I do believe this is a general principle. 326 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:40,320 But John is writing. He's kind of writing to this 327 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:45,640 knit group of Christians and he's saying one to another. 328 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:48,080 It's like you gather them in together and he's saying you 329 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:51,200 don't love each other. You are not walking in the 330 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:53,520 light. And so I believe this is 331 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:57,800 especially specific and important for us as the body of 332 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:01,000 Christ, our brethren. The way we respond to our 333 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:04,480 brethren is of most utmost importance here. 334 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:09,400 But he says until now, he's in the darkness until now. 335 00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:14,560 So John is hopeful that this will wake up somebody who has 336 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:16,240 been walking in darkness in this way. 337 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:20,880 Maybe we needed to wake up and maybe we needed to see something 338 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:23,480 that we didn't see before. And John is hopeful and I am 339 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:26,840 too, that we can overcome that now that we see our reality. 340 00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:32,160 Verse 10, He who loves his brother abides in the light and 341 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:34,040 there's no cause for stumbling in here. 342 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:38,040 What a hierarchy of things we could come up with to describe, 343 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,600 you know, if it were you, what would you say means, you know 344 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:43,920 you're walking in the light? How would you say a good 345 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:45,120 indicator that you're walking in the light? 346 00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:48,960 We could come up with any number of things, but he says that's 347 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:52,720 how you know you're walking in the light and there is no cause 348 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:55,480 for stumbling in him. Commentators talk about, well, 349 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:59,080 is the stumbling on the part of the man who is feeling the 350 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:02,960 hatred or or is it on the part of him maybe causing someone 351 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:05,960 else to sin, to stumble? I think it's both. 352 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:11,560 There is no cause for me to stumble in sin if I love my 353 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,320 brethren because that controls so many other things. 354 00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:18,000 But I also have no 'cause to make somebody else stumble 355 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:21,840 because of my life. It's true in every sense. 356 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:24,240 There's no cause for stumbling in him. 357 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:26,920 That's a wonderful. Blessing of peace. 358 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:31,800 Now he who loves his brother is the antidote in first 359 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:35,280 Corinthians 13 reminds us that this is going to look different 360 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,920 in every situation, but it does believe, endure and hope through 361 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:42,840 all things. May that apply itself somewhere 362 00:20:42,840 --> 00:20:45,720 in our lives today that we would find somewhere to stick this 363 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:49,960 that we would find somewhere to put this and apply this truth to 364 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:52,440 our lives. Verse 11 But he who hates his 365 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:56,760 brother is in the darkness and walks in darkness and does not 366 00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:00,000 know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his 367 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,840 eyes. My mind, I see a scary image of 368 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:06,600 somebody who is pious toward God and thinks they are walking the 369 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:09,880 light and maybe carrying the Bible, thinks they're doing His 370 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:11,720 will and doing so many good things. 371 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:15,280 But because they hate their brother or don't show love to 372 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:18,000 their brother, they have no idea where they're even going. 373 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:24,200 It's a complete waste. Now he's going into this next 374 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:27,840 section and John is going to write affirmations. 375 00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:30,840 It's kind of like a poetic style of affirmations and 376 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:32,920 encouragement. And these are, I believe, his 377 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:37,960 thoughts from John himself. God used apostles who are going 378 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:41,240 to give the word of God, but I believe this is also the Holy 379 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:44,400 Spirit's perspective. So we need to honor this 380 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:47,760 affirmation as such. This is the Holy Spirit that 381 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:53,080 should teach our thoughts of how we see ourselves and how we 382 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:56,280 should honor those around us. And here are the affirmations. 383 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:01,120 OK, one more thing. I do not believe these are 384 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:04,960 gender specific. I believe these are these are 385 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:07,720 broad groupings of Christian maturity. 386 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:09,800 As we're going to dive in, I think you'll see the same thing 387 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:13,920 because you know, as one would say, like all men, we won't mean 388 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:17,760 like literally only the men. We would say all men being a 389 00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:22,400 broad category of people. And the point is I believe all 390 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:25,200 groups are noticed and acknowledged in this list of 391 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:26,560 affirmations. So here we go. 392 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:32,320 The first one, he says, I write to you little children because 393 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,600 your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. 394 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:38,720 So the little children, most commentators agree the little 395 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:42,280 children are those spiritually who are young in the faith. 396 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:46,240 And there's a special thing that he writes, then your sins are 397 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,040 forgiven you. And that is something that they 398 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:53,600 are to take joy in and to praise them for and to give them 399 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:57,360 reminders of, you know, I'm so happy for your sins are 400 00:22:57,360 --> 00:22:58,920 forgiven. What a wonderful thing. 401 00:22:59,120 --> 00:23:02,240 Remind them to take joy in that because sometimes new Christians 402 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:04,960 maybe struggle with that process. 403 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:07,800 And did I really just get saved? I've had so much evil in my 404 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:11,200 life. Now there's a couple Greek words 405 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:13,000 used. The first time he's going to say 406 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:14,960 this, he's going to kind of repeat this list. 407 00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:20,080 The first time he uses a Greek word, technia, and this. 408 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:23,520 Some commentators say this has more of an emphasis on a child's 409 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:28,160 relationship and dependence on a parent, while the next one used 410 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:32,560 may have a different emphasis. But I think the point is he's 411 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:35,640 using these like nuanced words to hit everybody. 412 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:38,800 It's all these spiritually young, and he's going to say it 413 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:42,400 again in another way to hit those who are children and maybe 414 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:44,880 infants and need growth. He's just hitting everyone. 415 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:49,920 He's making sure these people are recognized and encouraged in 416 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:53,120 what they have in Christ to remind them. 417 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:58,360 So these little children have a great joy because their sins are 418 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:03,680 forgiven. Verse 13, he says, next I write 419 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:08,800 to you fathers, because you have known him who is from the 420 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:11,200 beginning. So who are the fathers? 421 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:14,160 The fathers, I believe, are those who are seasoned 422 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:18,320 spiritually, who have stood the test of time and maybe mentored 423 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:22,960 others spiritually. And as you think about who are 424 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:26,160 those spiritually mature in your life or in this congregation, 425 00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:32,160 their encouragement and their reminder and affirmation is you 426 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:33,920 have known him who's from the beginning. 427 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:37,680 It's not maybe just the freshness right now. 428 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:40,600 You've been through every phase. You've been the child who had 429 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:44,680 their sins forgiven, but now you are the one who maybe has the 430 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:48,520 the biggest honor of them all. He's talked about how do you 431 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:50,320 know whether you've really walked in the light? 432 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:51,760 How do you know whether you're even in the light? 433 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:55,880 And sometimes as you're an experienced Christian, sometimes 434 00:24:55,880 --> 00:25:00,000 it doesn't always feel that way. Sometimes your feeling is you 435 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,120 get so immersed in what you're doing and the people you're 436 00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:04,520 working with. You think maybe that you're the 437 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:06,920 sum of what you've been able to do in others lives. 438 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,560 That if if my work has just kind of fizzled out in some ways or 439 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:13,760 so and so doesn't really come around anymore. 440 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,520 So and so doesn't seem to be affected by my influence. 441 00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:21,040 Maybe that's just the sum of me. Maybe that's all I am as a 442 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:26,040 Christian. But that's not what he wants 443 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:29,000 them to see. He wants them to see that you 444 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:31,720 have known him who's from the beginning. 445 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:36,920 He says this whole time that you've been walking white, this 446 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:39,640 whole time that you have been fighting and holding on 447 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:42,800 spiritually, you've been walking with Jesus. 448 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:48,960 You've been in the presence and loved and honored and and walked 449 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:53,800 step in step as we sang this morning with Jesus himself. 450 00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:01,800 You are not the sum of the of the results of other people that 451 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:06,320 you have mentored. You know, as I teach high school 452 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:09,680 students, sometimes I have years where I have a lot of kids who 453 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:12,920 really struggle and who don't make a lot of progress. 454 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:15,680 And there are things that I can't control. 455 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:18,760 I've done everything I can. And it it can be discouraging. 456 00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:22,120 You can walk away from your work like, was that worth it? 457 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:28,240 But that does not mean that I'm a bad teacher just because 458 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:34,400 someone doesn't succeed. He says to take consolation and 459 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:37,200 take joy. You have known him much from the 460 00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:42,280 beginning. The second-half of this verse I 461 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:45,040 write to you young men. So it's not the children that 462 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:47,320 maybe the ones who are just being converted into 463 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:49,280 Christianity saved and their sins are forgiven. 464 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:52,400 And it's not those who have maybe been seasoned the same way 465 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:55,080 that others have, but the ones who are in between. 466 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,440 I write to you young men again, I believe this is the young 467 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:02,600 people, the young people spiritually, and you may be 60 468 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:05,240 years old, but maybe you're a spiritually a young man or a 469 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:08,840 young woman. I write to you because you have 470 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:14,080 overcome the wicked one. Maybe you've overcome some of 471 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:16,880 those first battles, those youthful lusts. 472 00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:20,360 Maybe you have overcome those fights where you went through an 473 00:27:20,360 --> 00:27:22,760 inner battle or an external battle that was difficult, but 474 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:24,760 you went through with your faith and you're a young, you've 475 00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:27,720 matured and you're a young person spiritually now. 476 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:32,200 You're not a child anymore. He wants you to know that you've 477 00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:36,280 won a valiant battle. You have overcome the wicked 478 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:43,740 one. That's a powerful thought. 479 00:27:45,780 --> 00:27:50,020 There's a there's a, we read, had to read a book in high 480 00:27:50,020 --> 00:27:51,940 school called The Ender's Game. I don't know if any of you are 481 00:27:51,940 --> 00:27:54,020 familiar with it. And basically in this book, 482 00:27:54,020 --> 00:27:57,620 there's a young group of people who are hired to try to fight 483 00:27:57,620 --> 00:28:00,380 this enemy. And it's all, you know, like a, 484 00:28:00,900 --> 00:28:06,800 a, it's a futuristic type of war where they're flying things and, 485 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:09,680 and fighting and flying drones and different machinery to where 486 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:12,040 they're, they're getting trained to fight the enemy. 487 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:15,760 And the whole time they're going through these brutal trainings 488 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:18,280 and they get to end of the, one of the trainings. 489 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:20,480 It's supposed to be like the final exam training. 490 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:26,400 And at the end of it, their, their general said that was it. 491 00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:30,600 You thought you were just in the training, but you were actually 492 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:32,880 fighting the enemy the whole time and you just won. 493 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:35,960 Now, they wanted them to have the Peace of Mind and to be 494 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:40,200 creative enough to to think freely and to do their job. 495 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:41,800 And so they didn't tell them they're really fighting the 496 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:44,160 enemy the whole time, but they were actually fighting the 497 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:45,080 enemy. They thought they were in a 498 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:48,040 simulation. At the end of it all, the war 499 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:50,680 was won. And sometimes, you know, I think 500 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:53,600 we have a hard time realizing who we're really fighting. 501 00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:56,840 But at the end of this, we're going to look back and be like 502 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:01,480 we just fought the wicked one. We just actually fought the 503 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:03,440 devil. And he says you've overcome him. 504 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:07,960 That's the reality you're in. You might feel like you're just 505 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:12,200 in, you know, it's a simulation of sorts, but you are actually 506 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:14,520 fighting the wicked one. And if you were winning fights, 507 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:19,960 you are overcoming the devil. I would ask you, are you on the 508 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:21,680 front lines? Are you fighting? 509 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:26,160 Are you doing that to be categorized as someone who is 510 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:29,800 overcoming the wicked one? The the third part of this 511 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:34,560 verse, verse 13 says I write to you little children because you 512 00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:37,360 have known the Father. So he's kind of circling back 513 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:39,000 now. Here's that word, that Greek 514 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,360 word paideia, which is another word for children, but it has 515 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:46,000 like a different angle and he's just covering all the bases. 516 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:50,400 He says because you have known the Father, the children have 517 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:55,240 been freed from their sin and forgiven and they know the 518 00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:58,120 Father. It's not just the old and the 519 00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:02,280 elderly spiritually who have been commended for that 520 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:04,680 wonderful walk of faith. It's even them, even the young 521 00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:07,320 people, those children spiritually have known the 522 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:11,080 Father. One commentator says in this 523 00:30:11,080 --> 00:30:13,880 first stage of spiritual growth, we sink our roots deep in the 524 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:17,920 fatherly love and care of God. We know him as our caring Father 525 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:20,960 and see ourselves as his dependent children. 526 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:25,080 Verse 14 again, he's kind of cycling back through this list I 527 00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:28,480 have written to you, fathers, because you have known him who's 528 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:32,120 from the beginning, you have an experiential knowledge of him 529 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:36,440 because you've been there the whole time, you know, and maybe 530 00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:40,480 we think, is that enough to have known the father in the sense 531 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:43,600 that we have to trust that we know him? 532 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:46,600 Is that enough? Well, Paul says it is. 533 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,240 Here's what Paul says. But what things were gained to 534 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:50,680 me? These things I have counted loss 535 00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:53,280 for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all 536 00:30:53,280 --> 00:30:56,560 things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus 537 00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:59,760 my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, 538 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:03,080 and count them as rubbish. Then I may gain Christ and be 539 00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:06,280 found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the 540 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:09,040 law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the 541 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:14,080 righteousness which is from God. By faith He says that I may know 542 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:20,000 Him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship 543 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:22,520 is of his sufferings being conformed to his death. 544 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:26,520 Is that enough that you would know the Father? 545 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:30,040 Do you need some massive spiritual enlightenment where 546 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:35,600 you just, I don't know, you hit this, this Nirvana that wasn't 547 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:38,200 Paul didn't need that. Paul said it's enough for me 548 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:45,160 that I just know him that I would be right in there with him 549 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:51,160 in his suffering and then I would be honoured to take on a 550 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:53,720 life of suffering that was connected to him because of it. 551 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:57,800 That's enough for Paul. I hope it's enough for us. 552 00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:02,400 I've written to you young men, because you are strong and the 553 00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:06,120 word of God abides in you and I've overcome the wicked. 1 So 554 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:09,200 he's already kind of said this once, but he's affirming. 555 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:12,200 He's not just saying what he said the first one. 556 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:13,680 He, now he's saying you're strong. 557 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:17,840 A young man or a young woman needs to be reminded you're 558 00:32:17,840 --> 00:32:20,760 doing this, you're being strong. Why? 559 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:23,360 Because of your own strength. No, because the Word of God 560 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:27,560 abides in you. God's Word must live in us as 561 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:33,480 young people spiritually or as any of any of these levels, in 562 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:36,800 order for us to be strong, we have to have God's Word living 563 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:40,720 in US, abiding in US. There's a lot that that means, 564 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:42,760 like we've already talked about what it means for Him to abide 565 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:46,120 in US. But do you search the Scriptures 566 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:49,080 daily? Do I search the scriptures 567 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:50,480 daily? Do I live it daily? 568 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:55,320 That's how God's Word abides in US and through it we can 569 00:32:55,320 --> 00:33:00,920 overcome the wicked one. He says, finishing up from just 570 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:03,840 a broad perspective. Again, he's flying over this 571 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:07,920 30,000 foot view and he's just saying don't love the world or 572 00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:10,720 the things in the world, it's not worth it. 573 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:14,240 No, this is worth it. If anyone loves the world, the 574 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:15,680 love of the Father is not in him. 575 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:21,600 What is the world? The world is kind of first and 576 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:25,280 foremost the powers of the world and the intention and the goals 577 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:28,960 of the world. Following these worldly desires 578 00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:34,080 do not lead where we want to go, but also things in the world. 579 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:36,600 I was over at my neighbor's house. 580 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:39,440 She got older and she's moving out and she's downsizing because 581 00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:44,400 she she's alone now. And she said one day you just 582 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:48,320 look around in your house and you're like, you just feel 583 00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:49,880 distant from everything. It's just, these are just 584 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:53,600 things, all these things you thought were so cool at the 585 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:56,240 time. There comes a point where you're 586 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:58,840 like, what is this? It's just stuff everywhere, 587 00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:02,640 though. Things of the world don't love 588 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:08,560 this stuff, because that's not the love of the Father for all 589 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:10,480 that is in the world. The lust of the flesh. 590 00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:12,880 He clarifies here more specifically what the world is. 591 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:15,600 All that's in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of 592 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:18,520 the eyes and the pride of life is not from the Father, it's 593 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:22,480 from the world. And the world is passing away 594 00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:26,880 and the lust of it. But he who does the will of God 595 00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:32,520 abides forever. May I remember this, that when I 596 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:38,320 am tempted, I am choosing whether I want eternity or I'm 597 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:43,239 choosing whether I want temporary because God is 598 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:48,080 building us for eternity. You're not built for here. 599 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:51,560 I'm not built for here. We are being built for eternity. 600 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:56,360 And when I choose the lusts of the world and choose to give in, 601 00:34:56,960 --> 00:34:59,680 I'm saying I I choose temporary as better. 602 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:03,480 Obviously it's not. May I remember that I should 603 00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:11,440 choose to be built for eternity. May I choose the better part. 604 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:16,680 It seems to me, as I talked about the older lady, that the 605 00:35:16,680 --> 00:35:20,200 older folks are given that blessing of a separation like 606 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:24,400 that dissociation from what they used to have love in as almost 607 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:29,080 like a last grace to help us realize our reality. 608 00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:33,280 And we as young people would be, would do good to listen to you 609 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:36,320 and hear you in that because you have a special perspective where 610 00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:41,200 God has shown you through the, the, through the fading things 611 00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:44,360 of this life. You, you have a reality where 612 00:35:44,360 --> 00:35:46,840 you just realize this stuff is worthless. 613 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:49,120 Every older folk you talk to says the same thing. 614 00:35:49,720 --> 00:35:54,400 May we as younger folks listen to that because God has given 615 00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:57,440 them the grace to see it in their later days. 616 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:05,200 And we're going to stop there. I had more ready, but we'll pick 617 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:07,240 that up next time. And we definitely don't have 618 00:36:07,240 --> 00:36:11,160 time to talk about the Antichrist and and the 619 00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:12,640 anointing. So we'll talk about that in our 620 00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:14,400 next study. We're about at a good stopping 621 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:18,160 point anyway. And as we look toward the 622 00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:23,360 Father, as we try to leave the world and not be conformed to it 623 00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:29,160 anymore, but to be in the presence of God both now and in 624 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:31,840 our eternity. This starts here as we've 625 00:36:31,840 --> 00:36:33,920 studied. It starts with following Him 626 00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:37,080 today in this room, with following his commandments. 627 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:39,600 If you haven't done that today, He keeps it simple for us. 628 00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:42,920 His commandments are, well, you got to believe in me to have 629 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:45,280 eternal life and to believe, you have to have faith. 630 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:47,880 Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. 631 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:51,440 Romans 10/17. So once we believe Him, we have 632 00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:53,320 an opportunity to respond as first. 633 00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:56,080 John has been trying to get us to remember to respond to those 634 00:36:56,080 --> 00:36:58,880 commands with repentance to change our life. 635 00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:02,320 And it's by Jesus and the confession that Jesus Christ is 636 00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:04,880 the Son of God and I cannot be saved by any other one, but by 637 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:09,480 him that we express faith unto salvation, where we are baptized 638 00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:13,600 into him, baptized into Christ for the remission of sins. 639 00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:16,800 And if you haven't started that walk today, what I wanted to get 640 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:18,960 into the later half of this chapter because he talks about 641 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:22,160 eternal life and being assured and how awesome it is. 642 00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:25,560 If you don't have that assurance today, there's a reason you 643 00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:29,120 don't have assurance is because you're not ready have that 644 00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:33,320 assurance and come to him and be joined to his saving body 645 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:35,880 because that's what he wants and that's what we want for you. 646 00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:38,120 But if you've done that already and you need the prayers of the 647 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:40,480 church, you want to make something right, we'd be happy 648 00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:41,640 to take care of one of either case. 649 00:37:41,640 --> 00:37:42,520 We'll always stand and sing.