LEARNING DAILY

 

1 John 3:9, Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in Him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

 

The New Living Translation might make this verse a little easier to read. “Those who have been born into God’s family do not sin, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they have been born of God.” I have had difficulty with that verse for a long time because I look at my life and each day and I need to ask for forgiveness for so many different things that God considers sinful. So, if you have difficulty understanding this and look at your life and see it does not match this verse, keep reading.

 

Verse 8 tells us that “people who embrace sin are not just misguided; they are tools of the devil who uses them to sow destruction in the world. But Christ intervened to not only stop the devil’s work but to save people, making them members of His family.” (DJSB). It is important to know and remember that you are saved and a part of God’s family. You and I are in the process of being cleansed of unrighteousness in order to live eternity in His kingdom. We are made new as a result of our salvation through Jesus Christ. It is a process that will continue until He takes us home. Again, the process on the narrow way is a difficult one because the devil hates us and does all he can to get us off the narrow way.

 

How can John write that God’s children do not and cannot sin? We are imperfect beings who yield to temptations easily – even as Christians! Right!? “This means that no one who is born of God ‘continues to sin,’ ‘practices sin,’ or ‘keeps sinning.’ The verb ‘to sin’ (Greek hamartanto) is a present active infinitive, implying continual action.” (from the notes in LSSB). In other words, John is saying that you and I, as Christians cannot make sin a way of life. This is because God cannot exist in those who continue to practice sinful behavior. It is a contradiction to have the new life through the saving grace of Jesus Christ and to go on sinning. Yes, you and I have fallen from God’s high standard occasionally but have not continued to sin as a deliberate lifestyle. The Holy Spirit comes to live within the one who makes a true confession that Jesus Christ is their Savior; the Holy Spirit helps those who do all they can to remain faithful to God’s standard as found in His Word. “By faith the indwelling Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the written Word, all Believers can live moment by moment free from the entangling power of sin.” (LSSB).

 

I am going to end this with what I hope is encouragement for those who read this and think you are not a Christian because you are struggling with some sinful behavior that just seems to come out of nowhere and you fail to overcome it again. Those sinful thoughts or actions or words come into mind out of nowhere, unexpected. You do or say what you have said you were not going to do again. You know it is sinful, but you do it. Yes, I have been there; still struggle far too often. And every time the devil is right there condemning you and telling the Father to look at what you did. When you do whatever, confess it immediately and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you. This is not a license to sin or to continue in sin. The Lord Jesus came to forgive you of every sin you commit when you give your life to Him. He knows you and I are weak and fail. But I write again from 1 John 1:8-9, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  That simply means that when the devil accuses you of your failure, the Lord Jesus Christ. our defender in heaven, looks at the Father and says, “When (your name) believed in Me, he/she was forgiven of all sins.”  And God the Father responds with your forgiveness.

 

You and I must always be aware that the flesh or our sinful nature is a constant threat in our lives and that we must always be putting to death the evil deeds it wants us to commit. We do that by the power of the Holy Spirit and being committed to God’s Word.

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

1 John 3:1, Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us because it did not know Him.

 

You and I need to know that God loves us! He loves us with a love that those in the world do not understand. The Greek word for love here is agape meaning selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love; this type of love gives while expecting nothing in return. The obvious verse reflecting this is John 3:16.

 

The next verse tells us that as children of God, each of us will someday be with Him and we will be just like Him. We will be resurrected and without sin. Do you understand just what it means to know that through Jesus Christ, God is our heavenly Father and we are His children? Because of that we have hope of heaven regardless of what happens in this world. Being a child of God is the basis of our faith and the hope eternal life with Him in the future.

 

Returning to the question about understanding “what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us” is really the focus today. John focuses on the only real way that my little mind can get even a small grasp on this. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” All of us know John 3:16. To have this truth revealed to us in a way that it grabs ahold of us so that we know that the Creator of all things loves us so much that He sent His Son to take the place we deserve on a cross for our sinful and unrighteous life is truly amazing! “What manner of love the Father has bestowed on us” focusses on the obedience and love of Jesus Christ for all who would believe in Him. Think upon what He did and you have to realize that the cross demands only that I believe in the One who died there in my place. When one truly believes that Jesus Christ died there, in their place, the response is to not only ask Him to save you but to become obedient to the way of life He demands – to walk on the narrow way to His Kingdom.

 

When there is true commitment to do so, when there is true understanding that you and I are children of God, that we are His heirs, the response has to be to become like our Father. His example is His Son who walked the narrow way while on earth. He was obedient to His Father, doing all He did to please Him (and not the world around Him). He spent time in fellowship with His Father. Because God’s Word tells us we are joint heir with the Son, we must live in obedience and do all we possibly can to please Him. God’s desire in making us His children is to save us forever and conform us into the likeness of His Son (see Romans 8:29).

 

How can you and I live like God wants us to when there is so much evil and temptation around us? Jesus told us the narrow way is a difficult way. But He did not leave us to stumble around on our own; He knew we are frail and temptation is strong. But there is an answer. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” Following the Holy Spirit is proof that we are children of God. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sinful actions, thoughts, words spoken and leads each of us to seek forgiveness and repentance each day. The Holy Spirit will help us to live the way God desires, to keep His commandments; He assures us that we are the children of God.

 

This is no empty thought, today. All of God’s revelation to us about His love for us, the way He works in our lives, and most of all His gift to us in Jesus Christ, is to prepare us to walk into His kingdom! Do you think John was afraid to proclaim he was a child of God? No, I don’t believe that either.  You, and I are not worthy on our own to call God our Father, but because of His Son we can do so with confidence knowing when we do, He knows He declares we are His children.

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Hebrews 3:12, Be careful then, dear friends (brothers). Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning away from the living God.  (New Living Translation)

 

The New King James version writes Hebrews 3:12 this way, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God”. I want you to read this version because of the word “departing”. The Greek word translates to “turn away” and refers to one who at one time believed and walked with Christ but has renounced or rejected Him and left the Christian faith. Sounds like those antichrists from yesterday’s page of the blog. I realize that this thought goes against many teachings; however, this tells me a person can willingly and deliberately choose to “depart” from walking with the Lord Jesus Christ. This is apostacy!

 

The Christian faith is mainly about your and my relationship to God. The Bible teaches us about God as a father and Jesus Christ’s as His Son and teaches us when we accept Jesus as our Savior, we become part of His family; we are God’s children. John 15 describes this relationship as being like a vine and its branches. In that teaching Jesus is the vine and you and I (all Believers) are the branches. As long as the branches remain in union with the vine, their life is secure and fruitful. The problem occurs when the Believer allows their heart to become hardened because of continual sin and deceit from the world system (the kosmos) and chooses to break the relationship of grace with Christ. That is when the “turning away (departing) from the living God” occurs. Why? It is because the heart becomes “evil and unbelieving”.

 

You and I must look at this as a warning – an urgent warning – in this “last hour” about being deceived and turning away from walking on the narrow way. Remember Jesus told us the narrow way was full of difficulties. This is a warning for each of us to not allow our hearts to be weakened by those who view apostacy cannot happen. We are to hold on to God’s Word with all diligence in order to guard our heart. To save time, let me give to you some references from Scripture that support this. Get your Bible out and read them.  Matthew 24: 4-5; 11-13. John 15:6; 1 Corinthians 15:2; Colossians 1:23; 1 Timothy 4:1; 16, 2 Timothy 4:2-5; Hebrews 2:1-3; 3:7-19; 4:1, 6-7; 2 Peter 1:10, 20-22. Take the time to read these references and see if they support what I am writing!

 

I am going to share some steps that lead to apostasy – falling away. They were found in the Life in the Spirit Study Bible notes. Believers must not fail to take seriously the truth, exhortations, warnings and promises of God’s Word with utmost seriousness. Be aware of taking the promise given by the world system as greater than the promises of God’s kingdom. Doing so will cause even the Believer to draw closer to the world and draw them away from God through Christ. Believers must be constantly aware of becoming tolerant of sin in their own lives. When this happens, it becomes easy to no longer love righteousness and hate wickedness. Guard your heart; the Bible tells us it can become hardened to the point that the Holy Spirit is ignored.

 

If this goes unchecked, one who was excited and walking on the narrow way may find their heart becoming hardened and willful sin becomes part of their lifestyle and one refuses to repent and walk with God. The answer to this is to repent when we sin and be diligent with our walk with the Lord. We must be careful to not harden our heart to His Word (Hebrews 3:7-8). And we must remember that God does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9).

 

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

1 John 2:19, They went out from, us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

 

John knew those he was writing to were living in “the last hour”. This means he knew their time would foreshadow the final period of history before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Eventually the Antichrist will rise to power, claiming to be God. He will oppose all of God’s work and lead people astray. This is a counterfeit spirit which was already in the antichrists in the world when John wrote; they were already teaching deceptive doctrines that were leading people astray. John writes a general statement. “They went out from us”. By a general statement, he indicates that these false teachers came from within the church and that can easily be seen since the time John wrote this.. How can this be?

 

This seems strange but the implication is that the beginning of heresy began within the Christian doctrine and truth. We often look at an antichrist as one who is against Christ, as one who obviously denies God and Jesus; ultimately this will be what occurs. Here the word antichrist means “instead of Christ” (Ray Steadman). Steadman refers to these as declaring they are Christians and that they are declaring the truth of Christianity. He states that a closer look at what they are saying and by comparing their words to what is in the Scriptures, one will see they are not the same. These people are the antichrists John is writing about. Do you understand what John wrote “they went out from us”?

 

Would you agree with me that the main purpose of the gospel as found in the Scriptures is for life to be found through Jesus Christ and to present the way for Believers to walk on the narrow way to eternal life in God’s kingdom? Along with that the Believer can have peace, guidance, the armor of God and the fruit of the Spirit and so much more. Those who are the antichrists will preach and teach one can have these things without the life Jesus gives. Do you see the difference? That belief is heresy; it is contrary to the Christian doctrine presented in God’s Word. John’s writing is very relevant to us today by warning us to not get caught up in issues that are secondary to salvation offered by Jesus.

 

“They went out from us”. False teachers or the antichrists will eventually leave the church or the fellowship with True Believers. Either they were not True Believers to begin with or they abandon their faith, the saving relationship they once had with Christ. They break away from the truth of God’s Word because they believe they have new truth, new revelation which takes the place of an “outdated Bible”. Read the rest of John’s writing, “for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us”. Those who love the Word of God, have the Holy Spirit in their life (all who have been saved through Jesus Christ) and seek to be obedient to the Word, will continue in this faith and in the truth. Antichrists will eventually cut themselves off from True Believers.

 

Your responsibility and my responsibility is to read and study God’s Word. If there are false teachers, antichrists around you will know because of their lack of respect for what the Scriptures say. Study the Word as it is; parts of it cannot be removed or changed. We must not be ignorant of what the Word says. Instead, we must be willing to learn and dig into what it says when we hear something that does not seem to match with what the Word says. The Bible has the ability to correct error and instruct us in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).

 

You and I can and must be aware that false teaching will only increase as we near the time of Christ’s return. To avoid the confusion this brings, we must be in God’s Word. In all of this we can be confident that everything is headed as God desires as He brings this age to a conclusion. Each of us must bring our lives into line with Him as we walk on the narrow way to eternal life in His kingdom. There is no doubt in my mind that this is His desire for each of us!

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

1 John 2:18-19, Little children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that is the last hour.

 

A quick reading of these two verses might cause the reader to wonder what in the world John is writing about. 1 John is about truth, about making sure that you and I preserve it and live by it. Because of that John is writing about those who are wanting to deceive us into believing false teaching that is already in the church. False and deceptive teaching was happening during his time; it has increased even more as we draw closer to the time when the Antichrist – the one who directly oppose God, declaring himself to be God – will come to lead the world in the seven-year period we call the Tribulation.

 

It is too easy to read a blog like this that continues to write and warn of deception that is prevalent today. John’s warning about truth and living it is a warning you and I cannot and must not take for granted. I have heard it is not important what one believes that it is only what one does or how he lives that matters. But that way of thinking is deceptive because what you believe results in how you act. What you believe matters. Therefore, knowing truth is essential.

 

It is important to remember that those writers of the New Testament believed the second coming of Jesus would be in their lifetime. John wrote that he was living in the last hour. Notice that false teachers and deception is seemingly at the forefront of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Also, remember that John was present when Jesus said no one knows the time or the day of His return. He also heard Jesus say that when they (or us, today) saw certain signs, we would know His return was close. There is another thought with this phrase “the last hour”. In my research, I have found that the original language wrote it this way, “a last hour”. That is also important because the phrase last days refers to the time between His coming as a baby born into humble conditions to His return as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

 

As I read and write, it is apparent that this definition of the last days includes a downward cycle of events – history records these cycles as events repeating themselves until finally the Antichrist is given power to rule in the Tribulation. I remind you of Paul’s description of these times in 2 Timothy 3. History shows us different times when attempts to teach heresy (false teaching) have tried to pervert the gospel of Christ. If you study these times, you will notice as time has gone on these attempts have increased in severity. Consider all that is happening around the world and the downward spiral warned about in the Scriptures is happening at a pace that suggests that we are living in the “last hour’ which will occur before the return of Jesus Christ.

 

You and I need to have a clear understanding of God’s character and what He has spoken to us in His written Word to not be deceived by false teachers. Doing so will help and strengthen us to live with a clearer knowledge regarding how we are to live in these “last days”.

 

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

This should have been sent yesterday and yesterday’s sent today. Sorry. All might make more sense read in that order.

 

1 John 2:15-17, Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

 

The Greek word for “the world” is kosmos. It refers to the enormous system of this age that Satan promotes and that exists independent of God. Within the kosmos is the obvious – evil, immoral and sinful lifestyles and values people have. But it also can refer to the spirit of rebellion and indifference against God and everything against the lordship of Jesus Christ. “In this age, Satan uses the world’s ideas, morality, philosophies, psychology, desires, governments, culture, education, science, art, medicine, music, economic systems, entertainment, fashions, mass media, religion, sports, agriculture, etc., to oppose God, His people, His Word, and His righteous standards” (LSSB).  That quote covers most, if not all, aspects of life. Take a moment to think through that quote and understand how Satan attempts to work in all these areas. Deception and counterfeit actions are things we must be aware of; that is why I continue to encourage you and me to be in God’s Word and to be aware of what is going on around us.

 

Do you need some examples? What does Satan use to promote the killing of unborn babies? Medicine. What is Satan using to deceive and promote ungodly and humanistic philosophies? I am so sorry to say it is our educational system. Satan is using the fashion industry to breakdown modesty and the entertainment industry and media to undermine Biblical moral standards and values. It is getting worse each year. You and I as Believers need to understand that behind all human enterprises there is a spirit that is against God and His Word. That same spirit is behind all man-made religious systems and all unbiblical, worldly “Christian” organizations and churches.

 

It has always been Satan’s desire to be worshipped. He desired to be worshipped above God and was cast out of heaven because of it. After Jesus was baptized, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where He was tempted by Satan. In Matthew 4:8-10, Satan told Jesus he would give Him the kingdoms of the world – if He would fall down and worship him. Jesus would not do so. Satan is the god of this present world system. He has a following of angels cast out of heaven with him who help him challenge all people in this world, including Christians.

 

Why deal with this? I am not glorifying Satan at all. The world system and true Christians are two very distinct groups. The world is under the dominion or control of Satan; the true church belongs exclusively to God. You and I, the true Church must separate ourselves from the world. We must walk on the narrow way and not walk near the edge or with one foot on the narrow way and the other outside of it. Loving the world system prevents fellowship with God and may even be a sign that one has never really experienced the love of the Father and the saving grace of the Son.

 

Let me finish this in the next page of the blog.

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible

 

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

1 John 2:15-17, Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

 

Hebrews 11:13 calls those who died in the faith as, “strangers and pilgrims on the earth”. 1 Peter 2:11 calls Christians “sojourners and pilgrims” in a godless society and tells us to separate and distance ourselves from fleshly lusts. Romans 12:2 tells us “to no longer conform to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind”. To love the world causes one to lose fellowship with God and is what the Bible refers to as spiritual adultery which leads to spiritual destruction and death.

 

 It needs to be mentioned and the term “world” is not the equivalent to the term “earth”. God does not forbid you and me from an appreciation to His created earth. We can certainly have an appreciation for nature, mountains, and so forth.

 

According to John’s letter there are three aspects of the sinful world that create open hostility to God and they come under the category of lust. “Lust represents the desire, the inward part of temptation or wanting one’s own way. These three lusts summarize all that is in the world.” (DJSB). These three aspects of the sinful world create open hostility to God. The “lust of the flesh” refers to physical temptations which includes impure desires running after sinful pleasures and sexual gratification. The “lust of the eyes” refers to greed, envy, and indulgence. It would include coveting or lusting after things that are attractive to what we see but are forbidden by God. As Christians, you and I need to be very careful about what we read and watch which includes pornography, violence, ungodliness and immorality. We have choices to make when watching television, movies and browsing the internet. “The pride of life” is the arrogant desire to be recognized. There is a pride and arrogance that can come with wealth, positions of power, and the desire to glorify one’s position in life so that others become envious. Satan attempts to remove one’s submission to God and His Word by promoting these things.

 

Be careful to not be yoked or linked with those who participate with the world’s evil system. When Jesus fellowshipped with “tax collectors and sinners” (see Matthew 9:11-13), He gave us a guide to follow when dealing with unbelievers. “Believers should not associate with unbelievers for pleasure or intimate friendship, but in order to do good to them and show them the way of salvation” (LSSB). You and I are to expose evil and be the light of Jesus Christ to the world, love unbelievers and attempt to win them to Jesus Christ. The true Christian may experience hatred, persecution of some kind because of the world’s hatred toward him/her. Yet, Jesus said to love your enemy.

 

You and I are not to love this world system, it and all its forms of lust are passing away; it is all temporary. As Believers, we are to abide in Christ believing the Holy Spirit will helps understand God’s truth and walk on the narrow way to His kingdom. We are to study His Word daily and be obedient to it. There is absolutely no need for any other teaching that is in addition to it. Be aware of anyone who tries to add to or contradict it.

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

1 John 2:3-6, Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a lair, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

 

I knew a basketball coach a long time ago that studied and studied the rules book. Why? It was not because he wanted to know the rules so well that he could argue with the referees. No, he wanted to know them so well that he could coach his teams to play right up to what the rules said and maybe get away with something that would help his teams defeat another team. There have always been those who want to bend the rules to fit their wants and way of life. John was writing to those who were teaching that it was up to the individual believer whether they abandoned a sinful life or not. These teachers declared that “one could legitimately claim to “know” God in a saving relationship and at the same time be indifferent to God’s will and commandments, and disobey them” (LSSB). John called these teachers “liars and did not have the truth in them”. The person who wants to be saved through faith in Christ without a commitment to follow him as Lord is doomed to fail.

 

Too many who are on the narrow way try to walk on it as close to the edge as possible. That old self keeps trying to get us off the narrow way to do the things we did before we were saved by the Lord Jesus. There is that tendency to know and please God by doing good works. However, that is not the way to know Him, that is not His desire. Instead, we demonstrate that we know and walk with Him by doing good works. When a Believer is born into God’s family it is an eternal relationship that cannot be broken. Fellowship or communion with God is certainly a different thing; it can be broken by sin. We stay in fellowship with Him by being obedient to what He requires, by walking as He walked.

 

Too many times God’s people try to demonstrate their love for God by what they say and forget their actions need to match. The notes in the DJSB state, “it is not a matter of lip service but life service”. I believe this comes as a Believer grows in God’s Word – we are required to mature as we walk on the narrow way. We do grow to the point of desiring to please God and do what He has required. Our love for Him grows to the point we desire to keep His commandments (John 14:15).

 

As we walk on the narrow way, we learn that obedience to Him is the key to fellowship with Him. Jesus walked in total obedience to His Father while on earth. He walked in total dependance on Him and He was fully submissive to His Father’s will. John wrote, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked”.  It is again your choice and my choice each day. It goes back between the choice between Barabbas or Jesus, a choice between evil and good. 

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

1 John 1:5-7, This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

 

The letters of John are good to look at in order to follow up on as we choose Jesus Christ over Barabbas, as we choose good over evil. We have chosen to believe He is who He said He was. Now our “walk” must match our “talk”’!  John writes that you and I will avoid a lifestyle of sin by loving Christ, loving others as He loved others, and not loving the world. We “walk in the light as He walked in the light” (v. 7). The question one might ask is how is this done? The answer is to walk with Jesus all day long. All day long the choice is Barabbas or Jesus!

 

When John wrote about walking in darkness, he was writing about professing to have accepted Jesus as Savior but continuing to walk in sin. It is deception from Satan to think because you give your life to Jesus Christ, now you can live any way you want and be without consequences. Living on the narrow way does not work that way.  Walking in darkness means to live in sin and immoral pleasures and live for the concerns of the world. People who continue to live this way do not have fellowship with Jesus. The DJSB gives more insight to what living in “darkness means” and we must be aware of it.  “In John’s day as well as today, the tendency to get involved with the complexities of church responsibilities, Bible-reading programs, spiritual gifts inventories, and attention to books that offer seven keys to this and ten steps to that. Unfortunately, too much attention to these things may prevent us from focusing on what really matters: Jesus Christ.” Those things can cause us to focus on “our works” instead of reading and studying to become more like Him.

 

If those things can cause us to “walk in darkness” what does it mean to “walk in the light”? John describes God as light, which indicates He is infinitely holy, righteous, and morally pure. Darkness is the absence of light and when people stray from obedience to God, they step into darkness. To do so causes them to act in ways that are not in His character; the next thing to happen is to try to avoid the light.

 

This can happen to any of us because of temptations we face every day. Remember Jesus said walking on the narrow way would be difficult. Here is the difference between true Believers and unbelievers. True Believers will turn from the darkness in order to walk in the light. True Believers believe in God’s Truth as revealed in His Word and will make every effort to walk in it (on the narrow way). “The blood of Jesus His son cleanses us from all sin”. This refers to an ongoing work of sanctification within you and me and all Believers; it is a continuous cleansing through the blood of Jesus Christ for “our sin that so easily entangles us” (Hebrews 12:1-2). The continual cleaning allows us to have intimate fellowship with God. We must walk back into the light, the truth of God through repentance, the process by which God forgives, restores, and cleanses us through the blood of Jesus.

 

The DJSB gives a great summary of this and I will end with it. “John says: Let me make it simple. Walk with Jesus. Cling to your faith. Stay in the light. When you sin, confess and move on. And show your love for Jesus by loving your brothers and sisters in His name.”

 

And I say, Amen!!!

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Matthew 27:16, 21, And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. (21) The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!”

 

Did you take the time to think about your choices between Barabbas and Jesus, your choice between good and evil? Having to consider our choices might be difficult because we usually do not think about the consequences of our choices. Yet, we must in order to grow closer in likeness to Jesus Christ. I want to get you to consider a little different aspect of choices between choosing Barabbas and Jesus.

 

Have you caught yourself thinking that you never thought you would live to see the things happening in this country and around the world? I have. You and I are being forced to see evil growing and being forced upon us in ways I never imagined. Evil is no longer hiding itself; it is blatant, in your face type of stuff. Because of that, let me be blunt. You and I are being faced with choosing between Barabbas and Jesus, evil and good on not only a personal level but in all levels of society and government. You are able to see the evil and lies that have filtered down into our educational system. Each of us has the responsibility to discern at the spiritual level between what is evil and what is good. Then, we must decide what to do with that discernment.

 

Evil is growing stronger and stronger because of the deception of false teachers and lies spoken to us at every level of society. People are too willing to believe everything they hear and, in the process, personal freedoms are being taken away. The question that must be answered is when are God’s people going to speak up against evil? How often have you heard this or that person, and their followers being compared to Nazi Germany and its leaders? Don’t forget that the reason evil came to power in that time was because “good” people did not speak up. Each day, or at each election, when evil is chosen over good, evil becomes stronger. We must not be like the “mob” who chose Barabbas instead of Jesus. We must not allow those who desire evil, those on the broad way to destruction drown out the voices choosing Jesus!

 

Will you allow me to move to a different direction as this is concluded? The story of Barabbas being set free from condemnation and death is really your story and my story. He faced death because of evil actions; you and I faced death, eternal separation from God, because of our bondage to sin. Jesus took the place of Barabbas and he was set free.  The Bible and history do not tell us what happened to Barabbas after his release. So understand that he was set free from the crucifixion he deserved. But you and I know we stood guilty before God because of our sinfulness. Each of us came face to face with the Savior and had to make a choice between Barabbas and Jesus, the broad way or the narrow way. It was not because of anything we had done to deserve it, no influence of our own. We had to decide to believe that He came to die in our place. He chose to take upon Himself the punishment we deserved. When we chose to be saved and changed by Him, we walked away from all condemnation.

 

So, the choice is for each of everyday, Barabbas or Jesus? It is a choice that this country must decide as well! I pray we choose Jesus.

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Matthew 27:16, 21, And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. (21) The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!”

 

The religious leaders of the time finally had gotten their way. They had finally gotten Jesus arrested; they wanted Him dead because He was a threat to them and their teachings. He was before Pilate, who found nothing that Jesus had done wrong, but he knew the religious leaders would not be happy about the release of Jesus. Scripture tells us that at the feast being celebrated at this time, it was his custom to release to the people one prisoner chosen by them. Pilate gave the multitude a choice between “a notorious prisoner called Barabbas” and “Jesus who is called Christ”. Pilate does not want to sentence Jesus to death for no reason; he hopes to satisfy them by severely whipping Him and satisfying the people’s choice to set Barabbas free.

 

Who was Barabbas and what had he done? From the verses from Matthew, Barabbas was a notorious criminal. In Luke 23:19, he had been “thrown into prison for certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder”. In John 18:40, Barabbas is called a bandit or a robber. Barabbas was in prison because he had led a rebellion which was treasonous and held the penalty of crucifixion. It was the same crime the religious leaders had accused Jesus of.

 

Note the significance of the choice offered this “mob”. Barabbas had truly stirred up a rebellion against Rome in Jerusalem, was a murderer, along with other crimes – He was an evil person. He was offered as the one the people could choose to set free while Jesus was allowed to be crucified. Do you see the choice this “mob” was given? Pilate was asking them to choose between Barabbas and Jesus, between evil and good, between unrighteousness and righteousness. Pilate “said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” Yes, the crowd had been stirred up by the religious leaders through their deception and misguided desire to kill Jesus, the Messiah, the Lamb of God, the Savior of all who would believe in Him – and they chose Barabbas.

 

You and I have been part of a “mob”, part of a group where the emotion is flowing, and you catch yourself tagging along. You have been at an emotion packed game – the larger the game, the crowd is larger, and there is plenty of emotion – where there is lots of cheering for your team. There is that time when the cheering gets louder to encourage your team, yell negatives at the referees, and yell at the coach he/she should do this or that. And you find yourself joining in. Or you might be in a church where the members encourage the preacher with shouts of “AMEN!” or clapping and you find yourself clapping but not knowing or understanding why. The emotion in the crowd can just cause you to join in. “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” “Barabbas!” “Barabbas!” “What then shall I do with Jesus called the Christ? “Let Him be crucified!” Do you feel the emotion of being with the crowd and making decisions?

 

You and I are faced with choosing between Barabbas and Jesus, evil and good every day. Our choice first came when we needed to decide what we were going to do with this Jesus. Were we going to ask Him into our life to save us and change us or choose to remain as a prisoner of our sinfulness. Are we going to choose to stay on the broad way that leads to destruction wanting more and more of the evil in the world or would we choose to walk on a narrow way that leads to eternity in God’s Kingdom?

 

But that is only the beginning as walking the narrow way is a daily choice between evil and good. Who am I going to be today? Oh, you are not going to take a life by actual murder, but maybe the choice to just speak unkindly about another…. And what about what your eyes look at? You add your daily choices to this regarding evil and good because each of us choose every day – probably more than we think.

 

Let me stop here today and continue this in the next page of the blog. There is more to think about.

 

My close friend and brother in Christ, Jim and I were talking the other day and he brought up the subject of people choosing between Jesus and Barabbas, choosing between good and evil. I told him that would be the subject for a page of the blog. He told me to write it even though I wanted him to write it. I hope I captured the essence of what we were talking about, Jim!

 

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

2 Peter 1: 5-7, But also for this reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, brotherly kindness love. For all of these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

I am having to do some self-evaluation when writing about these verses. Are you? We have commented on being diligent, and adding seven characteristics to our faith. We looked at virtue, knowledge, and self-control. What does today have for us? You do know I am learning while studying and writing about these characteristics, right?

 

When Peter writes about perseverance, he is talking about patience and persevering in the face of difficulties as we walk on the narrow way to eternal life in God’s kingdom. Do not ever forget that Jesus said the narrow way was a difficult way. Even with difficulties a mature Christian does not give up. Perseverance strengthens the Christian to face unpleasant circumstances because they have hope of the good coming. Perseverance in the face of difficulty builds the character that God wants in us. So, we persevere in the circumstances and trials we face!

 

Godliness is acting and being like God; it is taking on and imitating His characteristics. When Paul wrote to Timothy, he told him to pursue godliness. It is being light to a dark world; living in such a way that people know something is different about you and want to know what it is. Godliness is imitating God, loving what He loves and hating what He hates.

 

The closer we walk with God, the more we imitate Him the more compassion we will have towards others. Love along with faith is the supreme mark of our Christianity. The DJSB tells us “Everything originates in faith and culminates in love”. When we reach out in brotherly love, we are reaching out with grace and mercy; just as our Father reaches out to you and me with His love, mercy, and grace.

 

Jesus said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). The Greek word for love is agape which means a deep and sacrificial love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstances. It is God’s love for man.

 

I doubt any of us will become perfect in the characteristics Peter writes of. However, we strive and are diligent to do so. When we are diligent about adding them to our faith, our walk on the narrow way is more consistent with God’s character. We have greater endurance to be stronger in the difficult times and we are better able to resist temptation. The old habits of life even lose their grip on our life because new and profitable habits replace them.

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible

 

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

2 Peter 1: 5-7, But also for this reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, brotherly kindness love. For all of these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

You know from the last page of the blog that as Christians, we have become “partakers of God’s divine nature”. By this we begin to look more like Him than we look like the world.  Right after telling us this, Peter gives us seven characteristics through which we can develop our faith. Each of us must grow up, mature in Christ. Because of the increase in false teachers, we have to become mature. Think of these verses as what a mature Christian would look like. There is one caution to be stressed. A quick reading of this might cause the reader to think there is a progression to these qualities. In reality, Christians need to be growing in all of these qualities. I know if there was a progression of these qualities, I would probably still be working on faith. We add these seven characteristics after our salvation as they do not determine or achieve salvation itself. I know you know, but salvation comes because of placing our trust and lives in what Jesus has done for us.

 

Paul stresses a key word in writing about these characteristics – diligence. It is through careful and persistent effort that we gain knowledge and conviction for our walk with the Lord. It is a must so the thorns (the cares for the world) do not choke out the Word of God (The reference is the Parable of the Sower). You and I are saved by God’s grace; it is up to each of us to make our faith grow. The privilege of walking in faith is to add virtue to our faith. Virtue is a moral courage to stand for our belief in Jesus Christ and all He taught. From everything I know about the times we are in, virtue is going to be very necessary as more and more people are teaching against the teaching in God’s Word. Another way to think about diligence is “strenuously giving yourself to something, fully committing to an activity without concern for the cost, going to extravagant lengths to complete the goal. Peter meant we should make Christ and His kingdom our focus, putting “all our efforts into running the race He has set before us” (1 Corinthians 9:24) (DJSB).

 

Knowledge has been addressed before; but, let this be a reminder for each of us. Most have knowledge of Jesus. I hope I don’t overstep with this next statement. Too many do not have a great understanding of what He expects. There is never a time that I open up God’s Word that I do not learn from it. I am always amazed with what I have seemed to miss. There is greater knowledge with spiritual maturity. It is knowledge that comes that will help us identify false teaching and reject it. This type of knowledge only comes with a diligent study of God’s Word. I just cannot write this enough!

 

Let me examine one more of these characteristics. Self-control is the mastery over evil feelings and desires. It means we stay within the boundaries God has established and set for us to live by. Here it is – it is being discipled to live by God’s Word. Oh, how I need to have His help in this area; just being open and honest. The Apostle Paul writes about the discipline that an athlete needs to compete as he/she competes for the prize. So do you and I need to be disciplined and temperate in all phases of our life. Too much of anything causes problems that result in consequences that would have been avoided with discipline. Faith grows when Believers decide to exercise personal self-control – for a lifetime!

 

In the next page of the blog, “the rest of the story”.

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible