SCRIPTURE: 1 JOHN 2
MEMORY VERSES:
“Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:6)
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John 2:15-16)
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole. world.
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says. “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brothers lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.
I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD (vs. 15-17)
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
WARNING AGAINST ANTICHRISTS (vs. 18-27)
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They left us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us, but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist – he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us – even eternal life.
I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit – just as it has taught you, remain in him.
CHILDREN OF GOD (vs. 26–29)
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
THOUGHTS:
ADVICES OF JOHN IN SUMMARY:
- Do not sin. (v. 1)
- Obey His commands. (v. 3)_
- Live in him and walk as Jesus did. (v. 6)
- Be in the light by loving your brothers. (v. 10)
- Ask God to forgive your sin. (v. 12)
- Overcome the evil one. (v. 13)
- Let the word of God live in you. (v. 14)
- Do not love the world or anything in the world. (v. 15)
- Know that the antichrist has come. (v. 18)
- Know the truth. (v. 20)
- Acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. (v. 22)
- Remain in the Son and in the Father. (v. 24)
- Know that the Father promises eternal life. (v. 25)
- Continue in Him and be confident in his coming. (v. 28)
- Be righteous because God is righteous. (v. 29)
John used “dear children” in a warm and fatherly way showing his affection for them. He offered reassurance that our sins have been forgiven by Christ through his atoning sacrifice. He stood as our mediator before the Father because he had paid the death penalty for our sins.
Sometimes it is difficult for us to forgive those who wrong us. But if we really belong to Christ, we will do what Christ says and live as Christ wants. To walk as Christ did, we must obey his teachings and follow his example of complete obedience to God and loving service to people. God told us to believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ and show love in deeds. True Christian faith results in forgiving and loving one another.
JOHN ADDRESSED TO ALL STAGES OF BELIEVERS:
- To Children – they have known about Christ and that their sins have been forgiven. (v. 12, 13c)
- To Young Men – they have overcome battles of temptations from the devil and became strong with the word of God living in them. (v. 13, 14b)
- To Fathers – they have known him from the beginning. (v. 14a)
Showing “LOVE” is the proof of being one who belongs to Christ. In the Christian church, love is expressed through self-sacrifice, servanthood and selfless giving. Love should be the unifying force and the identifying mark of the Christian community. Love is the key to walking in the light that will result in growing relationships with others.
LOVE CAN BE DEFINED AS:
L – isten to others
O – ffer kindness
V – alue everyone
E – mpathize people with care
WORDLINESS IS CHARACTERIZED BY THREE ATTITUDES:
- The lust of physical pleasures and desires.
- The lust for material possession.
- The pride of wealth, position and prestige.
HOW TO AVOID BEING DECEIVED BY FALSE TEACHERS?
- Hold on to the Christian truth that Jesus is your Savior and He is the Son of God.
- Grow in the knowledge of the Lord by careful study of His Word.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to dwell in your hearts and help you discern truth from error and guide your ways.
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