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1 John 3- Love The Church

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In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. 1 John 3:10-12

Jesus gave us a command to “Love One Another” (John 13:34) They may sound simple or cliche, but as a Christian you know this is anything but simple. However as the Apostle Paul said “Without love we are nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2) Everything we do or accomplish in the name of Christ is meaningless, unless we have the love of Christ within us

This is why the Apostle John said “Whoever does not righteousness is not of God, neither he that doesn’t love his brother” If you claim to be a Christian and hate the Church, you are not in Christ. One trend we see among Christians today is the hate for the Church. This is not the fruits of the Holy Spirit, to hate your brothers and sisters in Christ is the fruits of Satan

Now you might say I don’t agree with this or I don’t agree with that, you must understand the Church is not a building, the Church is not a corporation, the Church are brothers and sisters in Christ. To hate the Church is to hate your brothers and sisters, which is in disobedience to the commandments of our Lord. You can’t claim to be Born Again with a New Heart and your heart is full of hatred. Jesus said “A good tree doesn’t bear bad fruit” (Matthew 7:18) 

Don’t be like Cain, who’s hatred filled his heart enraged him to kill his brother Abel. If you ask people are you Cain or Abel? Most people would say they are Abel, but are you really? Is your heart pure to God? Do you really love God with all your mind, heart, and soul? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? If so then why do you persecute the Church?

As God warned Cain, “Sin is crouching at your door” (Genesis 4:7) Don’t allow your hate and bitterness to consume your heart, Jesus said if you hate your brother you are a murderer at heart (Matthew 5:22) These are the fruits of the devil, as Satan has come to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10)

Love The Church, Love them because they are your brothers and sisters in Christ, love them because Christ first loved you, even when you were an enemy of God (Romans 5:8), Amen!

1 John 3- Born of God

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Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 1 John 3:7-9

Jesus said “Unless you are Born Again, you will not see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3)  There is a dividing line between the saved and the unsaved, the regenerated and the unregenerated person. There is a supernatural process of becoming a “Christian”, this is not just a Church membership or a daily check list, this is the Holy Spirit giving you a new heart and mind, Christ living inside of You

As the Apostle John is revealing here, “Let nobody deceive you” , as the Lord Jesus said “You will be known by your fruits” (Matthew 7:16) The righteous, the saved, will produce fruits of righteousness, the unsaved will produce fruits of the devil, sin. The way you live your life demonstrates the status of your soul. Are you In Christ? Or are you in the devil? There is no inbetween, you are either saved or unsaved, regenerated or unregenerated

So you might say “Well we are all sinners” (Romans 3:23) Yes so what did God do to free us from sin? As the Apostle John says here “Son of God (Jesus) was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil” Christ came, born of a woman, born under The Law, to redeem us from The Law (Galatians 4:4)

Jesus Christ came to set you free , you are no longer a slave to sin, you are a slave to Christ (John 8, Romans 6) If the Son has set you free, then you are free indeed! You are no longer then held in bondage to the sin that was destroying your soul, you are no longer a slave to alcohol, you are no longer a slave to drugs, you are no longer a slave to pornography, you are no longer a slave to immorality, Christ has set you free, so live like Free people!

As the Apostle John says “Whoever is Born of God (Born Again) does not commit sin (meaning doesn’t continue to live in bondage to sin) “ You have been called by your Heavenly Father before the foundations of the world, You have been set Free by Christ at the cross, you have been Reborn by the Holy Spirit, your old sins no longer have a hold on you. 

Sure we are not sinless, “if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8) However we have the power of the living God inside of us to overcome sin, “If we confess our sins , He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)

Jesus said “A good tree will bear good fruit, a bad tree will bear bad fruit, a good tree can’t bear bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t bear good fruit” You will be known by your fruit you produce, take heart brothers and sisters , you have been Born of God and Christ has set you free, Amen!

1 John 3- What Is Sin?

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Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 1 John 3:4-6

Today’s scriptures can give us the Biblical answer to “What Is Sin”? This may sound like a basic question, but it’s a valid one, since it involves everyone. As scripture tells us “We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) So the reality is we are all sinners, therefore this question is relevant to everyone. 

This goes back to the fundamental reason for the gospel, we are all sinners and in need of a Savior. Many people will like to challenge this truth, as to what is sin? Well the Apostle John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit clearly reveals “Sin is lawlessness or transgression of The Law” So now the next question will be “What is The Law”? 

Jesus made it clear in his interaction with the Rich Young Ruler, (Mark 10:17-27, Matthew 19:16-22) that The Law is in reference to The Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mt Sinai. When the rich young ruler asks Jesus “What must I do to inherit eternal life”? Jesus asks him if he kept The Law, or the Ten Commandments? 

The Law is like a mirror for us to reflect the state of our depravity. (James 1:23) If you go through The Ten Commandments, you can clearly see you have broken God’s moral Law and are guilty of the consequences. Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen something? Have you ever used The Lords name in vein? Have you looked at someone with lust? Have you ever hated anyone? All of these are violations to Gods Holy Law, the Ten Commandments. 

The bad news is we are all guilty of breaking God’s Law, also the consequences are “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) Now by this time you are probably feeling uneasy or maybe even angry about this revelation. And you should be, God takes our sin very seriously. But there is good news, that is what the word “gospel” means. And you can’t fully grasp the Good News until you understand the bad news!

When you finish the scripture Romans 6:23 “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” Now you understand why Christ came here to Earth to die for our sins on the cross, to pay the penalty for our sins. As the Apostle John says “ He (Christ) was manifested to take away our sins”

Also the Apostle John says “Whoever abides in Him (Christ) does not sin”  Not only did Christ come to save us, but we are also Born Again and transformed by the Holy Spirit. We are justified and sanctified through Christ. Amen!

1 John 3- Children of God

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Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure 1 John 3:1-3

Are you a Child of God? There is a misconception that we are all automatically children of God, but this is not true or Biblical. We are all made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) however we have become separated from God because of our sin (Isaiah 59:2) This is the major issue we have as humans, not only are we on the path to eternal death, but we are also been cut off from our Heavenly Father because of our sinful nature

Unfortunately most of the world doesn’t understand this condition and many teach a false message that you are always a Child of God, regardless of your spiritual condition. Because of this false understanding, many don’t see a need for Jesus, many don’t understand they need to be Born Again in Christ (John 3:3) to see the Kingdom of Heaven. 

This is why the message by the Apostle John is such great news (the gospel) “What great love the Father has lavished upon us” Does this statement make any sense if you were always a Child of God? What love did God the Father bestow upon us? Of course The Son of God, Jesus Christ, came in flesh and died for our sins, so we can be reconciled back to the Father (2 Corinthians 5:18)

Because of what Christ did, notice what the Apostle John says “That we can be called Children of God” Notice you are only a Child of God because of Christ, and as Christ said “You must be Born Again” It’s only until you become regenerated by the Holy Spirit, that you can become a Child of God

Now understanding this, there is a greater urgency to share the gospel. If we are not Children of God, then what are we? Of course you are a Child of the devil (John 8:44) This is why the world is Anti-Christ, because the Children of the world belong to Satan, and they follow the ways of Satan. They hate the truth, they hate the light, they hate the real Jesus Christ of the Bible

Not only are we Children of God but as the Apostle John says “When He (Christ) is revealed, we shall be like him” We are conforming into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29) Not only have you been saved, but you are being sanctified and regenerated by the Holy Spirit into the image of Christ. So rejoice brothers and sisters for our Lord Jesus Christ, because of the great love our Father has bestowed upon us, we can become Children of God, and Born Again by the Holy Spirit, Amen!

1 John 2- Confidence in Christ

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And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. 1 John 2:28-29

As we head into the new year, let’s take this opportunity to renew our passion with Christ. As we continue on this long walk with Christ, maybe your firing has been dwindling, maybe you don’t get out of bed in the morning, excited to see what The Lord has in store for you today! Let’s renew our covenant with Christ, and get onfire for The Lord once again, just as we were when we first became Born Again. As the Apostle Paul says “Don’t grow weary of doing good” (Galatians 6:9)

As the Apostle John teaches us this morning, lets continue to Abide in Christ, then when Christ returns, we have the confidence in our salvation with Christ. So many people seem insecure in their relationship with Christ, many who profess to be Christians, are even unsure about their own salvation. If you abide in Jesus, this will alleviate all anxieties of life. Put your whole honest faith and trust in Christ for the salvation of your life. Are you truly doing that? Do you honestly put your whole faith in Jesus for your salvation? Abide in Jesus every minute, every hour, every day, when you are outside of Christ, thats when you become lost

The Apostle John makes another important statement “And not be ashamed before him at his coming” How many people have been saved by Christ, yet they still live like they are dead in their sins? Understand if you are Born Again in Christ, you are a new creation, you are now Child of God, you are no longer a slave to sin and this world. Come to Christ with the love that He has demonstrated to you, come to Christ with the confidence knowing you have been redeemed

When you have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, your sins have been washed clean by the blood of Christ, you have been given a new heart and a transformed mind. You are no longer the old man you once were, so now you can come boldly and confidently to Christ as his sheep, his Children, and not as a slave or goat. Christ has forgiven you and remembered your sins no more, as far as the east is from the west, you are a redeemed Child of God

You might say, how can this be possible? As the Apostle John says “Is Born of Him (Christ) You have been Born Again in Christ (John 3:3) You are no longer a slave to sin and this world, you have been set free by Christ. So brothers and sisters come in confidence to your Lord , who has washed you clean by HIs own blood, and regenerated you by the Holy Spirit, Amen!

1 John 2- Abide in Christ

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Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. 1 John 2:24-27

 The hymn “Abide in Me” is one of my favorites and is a classic hymn for the Church, because the message of “Abiding in Christ” is so essential to our Christian Walk. I just did a quick look up of the translation of abide, it comes from the original Greek word of “meneite” which also means “remain” “stay”and “await” Abiding in Christ is a total surrender and reliance upon our Lord to guide us through our everyday life

As the Apostle John teaches us “Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning” So many “Christians” fall away to false teachings and doctrine, why? Because they don’t abide in Christ, They don’t remain in the gospel teachings provided by the Holy Spirit, they are led astray by false teachers who have a personal agenda.

When you stop abiding in the Word of God, you then eventually stop abiding in Christ, because Jesus is the living Word of God. We are so eager to forge our own trials, yet we don’t understand being a servant of Christ is about obedience and authority. While it will take some time to fully grasp all the teachings The Lord has revealed to us, we need to stay faithful to the promises delivered to us by the Holy Spirit by the prophets and the apostles. 

As the Apostle John warns “concerning them that seduce or deceive you” There are many false teachers and false religions out there, they will deceive and seduce you into the condemnation of your soul. Abide in Christ, live off the red letters of Jesus in the Bible, don’t live off the blasphemous teachings of man. The whole point of false religions is to take you away from Christ, the Holy Spirit wants you to abide in Christ fully and securely

We talked previously about “The Anointing” which is the Holy Spirit, as the Apostle John says “The anointing (The Holy Spirit) which you received of him, abides in You” This is the gift given to you by Christ, you have the Holy Spirit, as John tells us “Your teacher for everything you need to know” Rely upon the Holy Spirit for spiritual discernment not man

Abide in Christ in everything you do, and Christ will abide in You, don’t lose focus on Jesus, keep your eyes fixed on Christ, Amen!

1 John 2- The Anointed

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But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 1 John 2:20-23

I hope you and your families all had a blessed Christmas season, when you understand the blessing of the Incarnation of Christ, you understand how blessed Advent season is. Those who understand the importance of the Incarnation, is because they are “sealed by the Holy Spirit “ (Ephesians 1:13) As the Apostle John says here “You have an anointing by the Holy One, and you know all things”

Many people are asking for signs of the Holy Spirit, your transformed life is a sign of the Holy Spirit , as the Apostle Paul said “ Nobody can say Jesus is Lord without the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3) That’s why the Apostle John is saying “You are anointed” because you have knowledge of who Jesus Christ is! You are not deceived like the world, because the Spirit of God is living inside of you, as the Apostle John says “I have written to you because you know the truth”

As the Apostle John taught us previously, there are many “anti-christs” in the world since the beginning, “anyone who denies Jesus is the Christ, is an anti-christ” If you don’t believe me this world is anti-christ, why don’t you wear a Jesus tshirt in public and start reading some scripture and share the gospel, you’ll find out quickly how the demons get stirred up. The world hates Jesus Christ, and they don’t even know why, it’s because the world is under control of the evil one (1 John 5:19)

But you brothers and sisters have the anointing of the Holy Spirit, how can we tell? Because you confess in your heart and mouth, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, anyone who denies Jesus as the Son of God, denies God the Father also. The Triune God can’t be separated, you can’t have the Father without the Son and Holy Spirit, you can’t have the Son without the Father and Holy Spirit, you can’t have the Holy Spirit without  the Son and Father

There are many in this world who claim to love God but hate the Son, the truth is not in them, they are deceived by the evil one. You can’t love God the Father unless you love Christ the Son. But you brothers and sisters know this, because you have been sealed and anointed by the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ said “I am the way, the truth, and the life, nobody can come to the Father, except through me” (John 14:6) The truth shall set you free! Amen!

1 John 2- The Anti-Christ

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Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 1 John 2:18-19

As we read these words from the Apostle John, it’s almost as if he is telling us this today. As the Apostle is warning the Church “it is the last time or the last hour” meaning we the Church need to be continually on alert for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. As Christ continually to be ready at an hour when we least expect him to return (Matthew 25) To keep our lamps lit, filled with the Holy Spirit, ready to discern the times

Now the Apostle John , under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit says “you have heard that AntiChrist shall come” The Apostle appears to be teaching of a singular great AntiChrist that will come to deceive many, even the elect. This coincides with the Apostle Paul’s teaching  as Paul says “Let nooone deceive you, for that day will not come (return of Christ) unless the falling away comes first, the man of sin is revealed,  the Son of Perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

The idea of a singular AntiChrist ruins many modern theologians eschatology,  as many theologians want to say everything was fulfilled in 70 A.D., I think we need to lean on the scriptures inspired by the Holy Spirit rather than the doctrine of men. We many not fully understand how this will all play out, however we must be faithful and obedient to the Word of God

As the Apostle John said “even now there are many antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last time” Many antichrists have come into the world, but none of these are the AntiChrist. I heard one theologian make an interesting statement he said “Satan doesn’t know when The Lord is going to return, so he keeps preparing certain individuals to be the AntiChrist, even though Gods timing was not ready yet” I probably butchered this quote as I’m recalling it off the top of my head, but the point is Satan is not sovereign, he doesn’t know anymore that you do, so when people say “well this guy was the antichrist, or this guy was the antichrist, they very well could have been, but God is sovereign and his timing was not ready yet for the return of Christ

As Jesus Christ warned us also ‘Many will come in my name claiming “I am the Christ” and will deceive many (Matthew 24:5) We know this has happened multiple times throughout history, think of Joseph Smith or Muhammed, claiming to be prophets of God, deceiving the masses, teaching of a false Christ, they are ultimately anti-Christs

While we speculate , who is the Anti Christ , we know we are in the last days, and we know The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back for His Church, be ready brothers and sisters for The Lord will come as a thief in the night, Amen!

1 John 2- Don’t Love This World

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Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 1 John 2:15-17

One of the greatest mistakes the Church makes its to be more like the world instead of more like Christ. The Church is more concerned about attendance numbers than they are the holiness of their flock, so they compromise themselves, trying to cater the the ways of the world instead of showing the world the ways of God

So what does it mean to “love the world” Well as scripture tells us “the world is ruled by the evil one” (1 John 5:19) The world is under the influence of Satan, as the Apostle Paul called him the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) That’s why pretty much all the agendas of this world are demonic in nature and will lead you astray from Christ. Don’t be deceived, the pleasures of this world, the things of this world, are all a trap to lose your soul

As the Lord Jesus said “What does it profit to gain the whole world and to lose your soul” (Mark 8:36) You want all the “things” of this world, all the pleasures of this world, but it’s going to cost you, it’s going to cost you your soul. Beware what you are spending your time in, are you doing the will of God or are you doing your own will?

The Apostle John warns us “Love not the world or the things that are in the world” this may sound simple, and when we look around this fallen world, it should be easy not to want to be part of it. But we get sucked into it, remember when Satan was trying to seduce Jesus with the things of this world (Matthew 4) He promised him power and pleasure, however all it would cost is your soul. 

We see the damage within the Church, the worldliness that has crept in, that has compromised our sacred space, that has compromised sound doctrine, just to gain a few false converts to add to our attendance sheets. As the Apostle John goes on to say “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father” The majority of things offered by this world are not from God but from demonic forces looking to destroy your soul

As the Apostle Paul said “Don’t conform to this world, but transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2) When your Born Again in Christ, you stick out in this world, like a fish out of water. Your not going to fit in this world, so stop trying to be like this world. The scales have been removed from your eyes, the Holy Spirit has transformed you into the image of Christ Amen!