II and III John  - These two books are personal letters from John, the first to a congregation and the second to a friend.  Both emphasize the desire of John's heart - to see his "children walking in the truth". 

In II John there is a warning similar to I John about false teachers who were proclaiming a false Christ.... "Those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh."  John calls them "the deceiver and the antichrist".  Over and over again, John urges his readers to walk in truth.  We need to know who Jesus is and to walk according to this Truth. We must be in the Word continually!

In III John, addressed to Gaius, a dear friend of John's, the message is both a commendation of Gaius' faithfulness and a condemnation of Diotrophes, a man who was not walking in the truth at all.  Diotrophes was arrogant and wicked.  He would not listen or receive the truth from John. He was leading others down the wrong path. 

"Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God."  John instructs us again to be discerning, to be careful to stay in the truth.  I am reminded again of John's love for God's children and his desire that we have fellowship with the Father and the Son.. ( I John 1:3).  To walk in the truth, to discern the counterfeit, and to truly obey God's commandments.. we need to be constantly abiding in fellowship with our God. We must be in the Word continually!

Father in heaven, we belong to You.. because we have acknowledged and trust in Jesus Christ, Your Beloved Son, who came in the flesh.. who died on a cross.. who rose again in victory over sin and death! We ask that You keep us walking in the truth.  Give us understanding and discernment so that we are ever faithful, serving You... keeping Your commandments.. and loving You with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. May we imitate Jesus.. doing what is good.  We desire to be good and faithful servants that give You all our worship and praise and trust.  Thank You for loving us... for loving me. Fill us with that love that we may love one another..  We love You Lord. Amen. 

 I John 5: 13-21  To know Jesus Christ.. the Son of God who came in the flesh, who completed the Father's will perfectly, dying on the cross as the atonement sacrifice for our sins.. and to abide in true fellowship with Him... to obey His commandments.. to love.. is to have eternal life.  This is John's message for us. 

As God's children we are given the privilege of prayer. "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." (v14)

This is such a powerful truth.. one that we need to really grasp.  Prayer brings us into His Presence. Prayer is necessary for living in obedience and love. Prayer is the place of abiding.. of being joined together with our Lord.  John says that God hears us. He wants us to bring our requests to Him. 

Prayer is not just for ourselves, but, we are given the privilege and responsibility to pray for each other.  If we see our brother or sister walking in sin.. we must pray... " he shall ask and God will for him give life.. "  We need to be faithful to pray for one another.  This is true love. 

John summarized his message with these words, "We know we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." 

Father in heaven, draw us deeper into Your love and in faith.  Keep us walking in the Truth and deliver us from all evil, especially from  those who are anti-christs.. trying to lead us astray.  You have given us the Word and Your Spirit.. that we might stay in fellowship with You. Thank You. Keep us constantly abiding... according to Your will. This we ask and have confidence that You will do it. Amen. 

I John 5:1-12  When we are truly  "born of God"  we are able to love one another as He loves us.  We also have an abiding faith in Jesus Christ and proclaim Him as Savior.  By these,  our faith and  our love, we can know that we "have eternal life".   

Our lives will reflect the love of God as we obey His commandments.. which "are not burdensome".   The Bible Knowledge Commentary(BKC)  says this.. "A person who obeys God's commands is doing what is right, both toward God and toward his fellow believers and is thus loving both God and them.  But it must be remembered that this includes the willingness to sacrifice for one's brother."

As children of God, abiding in His love we "overcome the world."  The Word of God is given to us so that we can know God's directions for overcoming the world.  This is His plan for all who have been "born of God".. We have a faith that is "the victory that has overcome the world."  Hallelujah!

John helps us to understand this even more. 

"And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" The BKC explains... "This suggests that such faith is the secret of his continuing victory and , for that reason, obedience to God's commands need not be burdensome." 

John wants his readers to make sure that their faith is in the True Son of God.. (remember that he was countering the teaching of anti-christs.. false teachers).   Jesus Christ.. the True Son.. came  "with the water and with the blood."  Also the Spirit.. who is truth.. bears witness in agreement with the water and the blood.  

The BKC helps explain what this means.  The "water"  may be referring to the baptism of Jesus "by which His public ministry was initiated."   Matthew 3:16-17 tells us that when Jesus came up from the water of baptism the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and "a voice out of the heavens " said "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." 

The "blood" then refers to the crucifixion "by which His earthly work was terminated.   One false teacher was suggesting that the "divine Christ descended on the man Jesus as His baptism and left Him before the crucifixion.."  John is refuting this false teaching here.  The Holy Spirit's witness joins with the witness of the water and the blood to show that "one single divine Person, Jesus Christ was involved in these events." 

In other words, this is God's testimony regarding His Son, and to believe otherwise is to call God a liar. God's witness is this, John continues, "that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life." 

Father in heaven, we are reminded again of the greatness of Your grace.. that You have loved us and given to us a perfect Savior, Jesus Christ, Your Son, who became the propitiation for our sins.  You have brought us to faith in Him and have poured out Your love through Him, transforming us for eternity!  Thank You Father!  Keep us in  Your ways and in Your Truth, Lord God.  May Your Spirit continually fill us with Truth and Love and faith, by Your grace and for Your glory.  Thank You Jesus, for You are our everything.. our Savior and Sanctifier, our Healer and our King.  Praise to Your Name. Amen. 

 I John 4:7- 5:1  John continues to emphasize the truths that help us  to "know that we have eternal life".(5:13)   Chapter 3:23 says, "and this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He commanded us."  John now expands on these two traits... 

 In 4:7, John says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God."  Then in 5:1 he writes, "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him."   

Love and Faith. These two traits are evidence of one "born of God".   If we say we believe in Jesus, but have no love.. we are missing the mark.  Likewise, if we are full of "love".. acting with even the most generous of hearts.. but do not fully trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.. we are lost and without hope. 

The evidence of God's presence in our lives.. our faith and our love.. is produced by the Holy Spirit.. "By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." (4:13) 

John presents the basic beliefs that we must acknowledge and live by.. 

v7  ".. love is from God"

v8 ".. God is love"

v9 God manifested His love.. "God  has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him."

v10 .. "this is love... that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 

v11 since God loved us " we also ought to love one another." 

v12.. "if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us." 

By the power of the Spirit of God in us we are able to "bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." 

We confess that "Jesus is the Son of God", revealing His presence in us and our presence in Him. v15

We believe in His love for us. 

We abide in His love. 

We abide in Him. 

We gain confidence as love is perfected in us. 

We lose fear, which is cast out by that love. 

"We love because He first loved us." 

Father in heaven, how glorious is Your Name in all the earth!  You loved us and sent Your Son to save us. We give You praise and offer thanks for Your most gracious gift.  Teach us by Your Holy Spirit to keep abiding in these truths.  Fall fresh on us, Spirit of God, that we might be perfected.. complete.. in the fullness of the love of our God and Father and of the Son. Abide in us that we might have true faith and true love, in the Name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen. 

 I John 4:1-6  In this section John teaches us about discernment.. in particular, discerning between "the spirit of truth and the spirit of evil."   As it was in John's time, so it is in ours.. "many false prophets have gone out into the world."  

K. Neil Foster writes in his book, The Discerning Christian, about this subject... ".. the primary reason for the epistle (of 1 John) is to counteract error, to protect the church, and to sweep away the pretense of false professors, false prophets, and false anointed ones."  Foster calls those who are antichrists the "anti-anointed"  They often come out of the church, with a "substitute anointing, a demonic anointing... against Christ and His kingdom." He gives this warning, "The church needs to be reminded that there are many antichrists. They always start out from inside, but because their anointing is an anti-anointing, they finally take a position against Christ." 

Those who have the "real anointing".. Foster writes, will never deny Christ. As John wrote, "By this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God."  A false prophet cannot consistently and continually make this confession, Foster writes.  This person is being influenced by an evil spirit, whether he knows it or not.  Foster points out that it is not just in making a false declaration.. by saying that Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh.. but sometimes it is their silence.. they cannot "acknowledge" the truth of Who Christ is. 

One more important point that Foster makes about this that will help us discern.. "The false prophet, the one with the anti-anointing, will not listen. Antichrists do not listen. True believers listen to John and to his words. Those not from God do not listen to John."    These people are often argumentative and cause friction and quarreling.  "True discernment ultimately is to know that a spirit is speaking and to know whether or not Jesus Christ's incarnation is continually acknowledged." 

John does not leave us doubting, but encourages.. "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world... We are from God; he who knows God listens to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of evil."  

This reflects back to what John has been saying all along.. We know we belong to God if we obey His commandments.. if we believe in Jesus Christ and love one another.   Neil Foster writes.. ".. there are literally millions in our day in North America alone who 'believe' but who are apparently not at all interested in obeying.."  May we carefully and prayerfully be truly discerning christians. 

Father in heaven, how thankful we are for the fullness of Your Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts and leads us in all truth.  Greater is He who is in us!  Keep us walking in love and obedience, faithful to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, who came to save us, and who is our Advocate before the throne of grace. We give all praise and glory and honor to You, O God, as we humble ourselves at Your feet and pray for strength to "be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.. able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.."  We know that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."  So, we put on the holy armor that You have provided..with thankfulness, asking for deeper understanding and discernment..   As we proclaim Jesus Christ, our everlasting Lord. Amen. 

 I John 3: 4- 24  John talks about the practices of one's life... to practice sin.. or to practice righteousness.. this is what shows the character of our hearts. As God's children, if.. we have come out of the world's ways of doing things.. and are walking according to His Word and will.. the we will have changed our practices.. 

The person who practices sin.. who breaks the Law, who hates his brothers, who delights in doing evil, who ignores those who are suffering, and who refuses to trust in Jesus... this person is "of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning."  John says.. "and the children of the devil are obvious... " 

And.. as Paul wrote.. so were we all.. "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world , according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. " ( Eph. 2:1-3)

 Paul goes on to say.. "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.. " (v4-6) 

John is saying the same thing.. "And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him."  As we are "made alive" in Christ, we are forever God's children and no longer abide in sin or death.  Hallelujah!

Does that mean that we can't sin.  No.. as John has already covered.. we have not lost our sin nature.. and it does matter how we live.. We are called to righteousness.  We must "practice" righteousness. We need to abide in righteous living.  We are God's children and "His seed abides" in us.  As it is obvious who the children of the devil are.. it is should be obvious who the children of God are.. and again John returns to his theme song.. "we should love one another".   

"We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren."  John goes on to remind us that love is not  an emotion.. but an action. "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."   Love is proven, not by our words, but by our deeds. "Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." 

John asks his readers to test themselves on this..to examine what's in our hearts...  Does our heart assure us or condemn us? If our heart assures us that we are walking in the ways that please Him, we can have confidence.  But, if our heart condemns us.. ".. we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; " and "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness ." 

Father in heaven,  how great is Your love to us! So thankful that You have given us life and forgiveness and righteousness through Jesus Christ the Son.  Continue that work in our hearts that we might live as Christ has shown us.. loving one another in word and deed.  You know our weaknesses and You have given us overcoming power by the blood of the Lamb.  Help us to walk in complete surrender, abiding with You, and becoming all that You have purposed for us to be, in Christ our Lord.  In His Name we ask this, amen. 

 I John 3:1-3  It is through the Father's great love that we are called His children.  When we really think about this Truth.. it stuns us.  Do we really believe it?  Do we really act like it is true?  John wants us to think about this.. to internalize it.. to wonder at it.. 

As God's children, John says, ".. the world does not  know us, because it did not know Him."  The Greek word for "know"  can also mean to "be aware.. perceive... or understand".  This makes it clearer.. The world does not understand us.  They don't understand our positions against sinful behavior.. and call it discrimination or prejudice.  They don't understand our commitment to Jesus and call it religious bigotry. They call the church a place of hypocrites, because they don't understand that we are not perfect, but needy and putting our trust in a Savior who is perfect. They do not understand the power of Jesus' blood shed to take away our sins. They don't understand the hope that only He can give.. 

John gives us a word of encouragement.. "Beloved now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is."   Oh, what a blessed hope we have in Jesus!  "And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him, purifies himself, just as He is pure." 

I am reminded of the old hymn that my grandmother used to quietly sing sometimes...

" Oh to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer,

 this is my constant longing and prayer. 

Gladly I'll forfeit all of earth's treasures, 

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to bear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

Oh to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave,

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save. 

Oh, to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling, 

Fix me for life and heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee!

Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art!

Come in Thy sweetness, 

come in Thy fullness; 

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart. 

( by Thomas O Chisholm)

May this be our prayer also!  

Father, thank You for loving us and adopting us as Your own children! We offer our praise and thanksgiving to You, Almighty and Gracious God! We lift our hearts to You. Fill us with Your Spirit, that we might be more like Jesus.  We ask it in His Wonderful Name. amen. 

 I John 2:17-29  "And the world is passing away.. ."  Here is the bottom line.. the vital truth.. the reason we need to listen to what John has to say.. because we do not know what tomorrow holds.. we do not even know what today holds!  As the writer of Hebrews wrote.. "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts... "  Yesterday is gone.. Tomorrow is not promised.  We can only live for today.. and Hebrews 3:12-13 warns us "Take care, brethren, lest there be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called 'Today' lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." 

John is giving us that same warning.  There is in this world those who are anti-Christ.  John said, even back then, that "many antichrists have arisen.."  They had once claimed Christ, but they left Him and His church. They were... and are... out to deceive those who belong to Jesus.  They are liars. They deny Jesus and they deny the Father.  We do indeed need to "take care". 

John reminds us that we do not fight this battle alone.. "But you have an anointing from the Holy One and you all know.. "  God has given us His Holy Spirit to lead us in the truth.  The Spirit is the One who teaches us.  He provides the Truth so that we are not deceived by the lies.  We must continue to abide in Him. Again that takes us back to 1:3. that idea of "fellowship".. partnership and intimate communion with the Son and the Father.. and each other.  We abide.. we continue, dwell, endure.. be present.. stay.. in fellowship with our Lord by His Spirit with Whom we have been anointed. It is only in the constant abiding that we are kept from the deceivers!

Yes, the world is passing away .. but we have His promise.. "and this is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life." (v25) 

Father, thank You for giving to us such great and precious promises!  You are the God of all grace and peace. You are the Righteous One. You are God.. alone.  We praise You. We honor You. We exalt You with humbled hearts.. realizing how poor and needy we are.. and yet .. You have "bestowed upon us"  such a great love! You have allowed us to know You.. to know the truth. You have given us Your Word.. You have saved us by the sacrifice of Your Beloved Son. You have redeemed us from our sins.  Hallelujah, what a Savior!  You have given to us Your Holy Spirit, to come along side us and to lead us in Your ways.  Thank You.  Now  Father,  we ask that You draw us ever closer to Your Presence. Teach us to read and study Your Word.. to abide in Jesus every day.. every "Today"..   We pray that we will have, by Your power, the strength to stand firm and to follow closely.. to walk as Jesus walked, to imitate Him is all we do and say, to the glory of Your Name. We ask this in the Mighty Name that is above all names.. the name of Jesus.  Amen. 

 I John 2:15-17   "Do not love the world nor the things of the world."  John writes.  This world - kosmos - this orderly arrangement, this literal or figurative decoration..  love of the world pushes out the love of the Father..  The love of the world is superficial, fleeting, and perishing.  It is evident through three ways...  "the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life".  These things are "not from the Father".  

 Lust is a longing, a craving, a coveting after that which is forbidden;  it is setting your heart on those things that are "not from the Father."

The" lust of the flesh"  means to desire, crave, or set our hearts on the things that our bodies want..
Eve wanted the fruit that was forbidden.
Esau wanted the food that Jacob cooked more than the inheritance worth so much more.
David wanted Bathsheba...
We want fancy houses, clothes, cars, or wealth...and when that is not enough we want to stay distracted.. by drugs, alcohol, sex, or whatever else makes us feel good for the moment.

Jesus said, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things will be added to you." ( all the things we really need) Don't  be anxious about it.  Don't pursue it. Don't crave it.  Trust God to know what you need and allow Him to be Your provider.  "Give us this day our daily bread."  Jesus teaches us to pray. 
When Satan came to the wilderness to tempt Jesus, he told Him to turn the stones into bread.. to satisfy His flesh after 40 days of fasting.  But, Jesus saw through the lie.  It wasn't bread for the body that the Father wanted Him to have.. but "the Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God".  Feed the spirit and allow God to take care of the body.

The "lust of the eyes"  - Proverbs 27: 20 says, " Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied."  The craving for more and more and more.. never satisfied..  That particular sin is very evident in our world today.   The rich want more riches.  The poor want more than they can afford. The advertisements are everywhere.. enticing us to want what they are selling.
If we don't have the money.. well, financing is available... 
Paul wrote to Timothy, " And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content."  The writer of Hebrews wrote, " Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you.'"  ( 13:5)
Jesus told those who wanted to follow Him, " The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." ( Matt. 8:20) 
Can we be content with that?
Or can we be like Jesus.  Paul said, "Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. " ( Phil. 4:11)

The third area that shows a "love of the world". .. is "the  boastful pride of life".  Jesus lists pride as one of those things that "proceeds out of the man,"  which "defiles the man."  "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deed of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."  ( Mark 7:21-23)  Pride.. arrogance.. boasting..
Proverbs 11:2 says, " When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom."  And Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before stumbling."
Jeremiah 9:23-24 " Thus says the Lord, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the Lord."  
Paul wrote, " But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world."  ( Gal. 6:14)


Father in heaven, take away any love of the world that remains in our hearts. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  May we seek Your kingdom and Your righteousness only.  May we find contentment in the riches of Your grace alone.  May we boast only of the cross of Jesus and that precious blood that was shed for us.  May Your love be the only love that remains in us.  We ask this in Christ Jesus, who sits at Your right hand interceding for us. amen.

I originally wrote this in 2019.. it has stuck with me and I can't say it any differently.. Oh how we need Jesus!

 I John 2: 12-14  John reassures his readers, those that he loves... that he is writing these things for them.. to encourage and strengthen them in faith.  He addresses them in the most intimate of terms: "little children.. fathers.. young men.."   His purpose is so that they "know that ...[they] know Him".

" I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake."  May this truth sink in and resound in our souls once again!  Hallelujah!

"I am writing to you fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning."  The Holy One, the God of heaven and earth, our Creator... Infinite, Self-existent, Self-sufficient, Eternal, Omnipotent, and Transcendent God; Who is completely beyond us.. has made Himself known to us.  And because of this, we can also say.. we know Him.  Oh, what grace!

"I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one... because you know the Father."  That is an encouraging and empowering statement, isn't it?   Not, you will.. but "you have" overcome the evil one... 

" I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been with you from the beginning... I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one."   Just in case they/we didn't catch it the first time, John repeats himself.. 

God is with us. He is the same God who created us, who has revealed Himself to us.. who loves us.. and who has provided salvation through His only Begotten Son!  In fellowship with Him, we overcome! In knowing Him, we walk in love.  In Him, the evil one is defeated!  Hallelujah!

Father, teach us again the truths of Your greatness and love. Help us to know You more and more. Fill us with Your Spirit so that we can walk in the light and grow stronger in our faith and in love for one another. Thank You for the living Word and for the Living Hope that we have in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. 

I John 2:9-11  John is writing to correct the thinking of believers who either believed that :a) they could not  be held accountable for their sins because of the new covenant of grace; or b) they were perfectly cleansed from sin and their sin natures had been eradicated.  

He has expressed the desire of the Father and the Son.. and himself to have intimate fellowship and partnership together with all believers. He has explained the void between darkness, where sin hides and which leads to stumbling and destruction.. and Light- which shines, exposes, and reveals.. for "God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all." 

The Truth is.. John says.. we still have a sin nature and we are still accountable for the way we live.  The good news is that Jesus Christ is our Advocate.. and when we fail.. when we fall short of His righteousness.. He is the propitiation.. the atonement for all sin.  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

John asks his readers.. us.. to look at our own lives.. to examine ourselves closely.. to test ourselves - to "know that we have come to know Him.. ".  Are we living.. walking "in the same manner that He (Jesus) walked" ?  Are we obeying the premier commandment?  Do we love God? Do we love each other?

In these next verses John again addresses the difference between walking in light and walking in darkness.  If we are walking in love for each of our brothers and sisters... then we are walking in light. If we hate our brother.. or sister.. then, we are walking in darkness and "do not know where [we] are going because the darkness has so blinded [our] eyes." ( 2:11)

Hate is a pretty strong word.  We might think of the strong emotional reaction we have to someone who has hurt us or someone we love.  It is often a reaction to another because of jealousy or envy.  It often brings about a desire to retaliate or seek revenge.  But, the Lord calls us to love our enemies.. to pray for those who hurt us.. and to allow Him all vengeance.  On the other hand, Jesus spoke of hate in a different way in Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother... yes, even his own life, he cannot be My disciple."  In this case, the word hate is a comparison meaning to love less.. We are to love God first.. and others less.. in comparison.  

So when John asks us to examine our love for our brothers and sisters, he is asking us if we are moving towards loving them more.. or walking away and loving them less.. Are we moving towards the light, allowing God's Spirit to work in us that work of righteousness that will produce love for our brothers.. or are we choosing darkness.. hiding in our hearts the bitterness, jealousy.. that hatred for them. If so.. we need to reach out to our Advocate again..

Father in heaven, You are Light and in You there is no darkness. Praise Your Holy Name. Thank You for the power of the Lamb that is given to us through Your Holy Spirit, to produce in us the fruit of love.  Like everything else.. we can not do anything except through abiding in Christ,. and we are unable to truly love You or others.. unless we receive that Love from You.  Oh Lord, we desire to walk in the Light as You are in the Light and to give You our whole hearts, minds, and souls.. Fill us again Spirit of God, draw us into the love of God and the steadfastness of Jesus our Lord and our Advocate.  We pray in His powerful name. Amen. 

 I John 2 "My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin... "  We don't want sin  in our lives.. yet, as John wrote in chapter 1.. "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us."  We have not lost the influence of our sin nature. We have not lost the influence of a corrupt world. We have not become exempt from temptation. 

But, we do have "an Advocate".  Christ Jesus paid the penalty for our sins.. for all sin.  When we come into relationship with Him and have fellowship with Him, we can trust Him to help us with our sin problem.  He is righteous and His righteousness is granted to us.. what amazing grace!

John says that the evidence that we have come to know Jesus is that "we keep His commandments".  Keeping the commandments.. makes us think back to the Jewish Law.. and we know that this is impossible!  So what is it that John is saying? 

John wrote about this before in his gospel account.. .. Jesus, in the upper room.. before His crucifixion said the same thing.. 

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." (14:15)

"He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." (14:21)

"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him." (14:23)

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." (15:10)

"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." (15:12)

This is so vital that John repeats this again in I John 5:2-3 "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome." And again in 2 John verses 5-6 " And now I ask you, lady, not as writing you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love that we walk according to His commandments... "

When Jesus was asked which commandment in the Law was greatest, he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all you mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. the second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." ( Matthew 22:37-40) 

If we love God our Father and the Lord Jesus, our Savior.. if we abide in Them and partake in that holy fellowship.. the result will be love.  Love that is evident. Our love for our God. Our love for others.  Our love that is like that of Jesus.  That love that is light, shining.. not hidden in the darkness. 

And it is there.. that I stop and confess.. "Lord, I fall short.. I don't love as You do. My love fails. My love is not patient. My love is not at all like Yours. Be my Advocate, Jesus, and forgive me, change me, and help me to truly love.. that I might keep Your Word. Abide in me.. fill me. lead me. I surrender all to  You. "

"And may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ." II Thessalonians 3:5 Paul prayed.  It is our faithful God who works in us to will and to do what He has commanded!  Hallelujah and Amen! May this be our prayer for ourselves and for each other. 

Father, all glory and honor to Your holy Name. May Your will be done in us today, so that we might truly love You and each other.  We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 I John 1: 5-10  John wants his readers to come and join in the fellowship that he enjoys with the Father and the Son and his brothers and sisters in Christ.  That fellowship starts with knowing the Truth.. the Word of Life..  

The first thing that we must know and believe and accept is this.. "God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all."  Light shines. It makes it possible to see. Without it we cannot live. Darkness obscures. It hides everything. In darkness.. we cannot see.  We understand this on a physical level.  We need to understand it more clearly on a spiritual level. 

From the beginning of creation God has "separated" or made a distinction between light and darkness. (Genesis 1: 4 "And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness."  And, we know that in the end.. in eternity that there will be no more darkness.. "And the city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb." (Revelation 21:23) 

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life." ( John 8:12)  Later he said, "For a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the light, believe in the light in order that you may become sons of light." (John 12:35-36)

John is emphasizing  this distinction between darkness and light.  "If we say we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;"  True fellowship, partnership, and participation with the King who is Light.. cannot co-exist..  participate, partner, or fellowship with darkness.

Light manifests.. darkness hides.  Jesus calls us to walk "in the light as He Himself is in the light."  We can only do that by the power of His blood that "cleanses us from all sins." 

We can only be in the light when we let His Word shine in our hearts, to uncover that which is hidden.. 

We must acknowledge the hidden sins... no longer "deceiving ourselves" by thinking we have no sin. 

We must "confess our sins."

We must trust in Jesus who is "faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

There were two false doctrines that John was addressing here.  The first "antinomianism" believed that because of the covenant of grace, which is unconditional, man could not be held accountable to the moral law.  He just had to believe and he was justified and then nothing else mattered.  The second belief was "perfectionism". The belief was that the sin nature was completely eradicated.  John is making it clear in this letter that neither of these ideas were true.  We still have a choice in the way we live our lives. And we must choose.. We can choose light or darkness.  But we cannot choose both. We will be accountable before our Lord for the choices we make. 

Father in heaven, You are Light and there is no darkness in You at all. We desire to walk in the Light and to reflect the light of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Shine Your light into our hearts and uncover any hidden sins, that we might confess our sins and find forgiveness in our faithful Savior. Thank You for giving us the Light of the World. Spirit of God, may Your power at work in us sanctify us through and through, so that the Light of Jesus will shine forth in our lives. We ask this in His Holy Name. Amen. 

 I John 1  John begins this letter with a testimony - ".. what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life.. "  He shares his first hand experience of walking with Jesus.  John called himself the disciple that Jesus loved.  He loved and followed Jesus and never turned back. He now testifies of the Truth of the Word. 

 John says, ".. the life was manifested.. " - Jesus came in the flesh and John personally witnessed "the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us. "  He walked with Him, shared food with Him, slept next to Him, and stood at the cross before Him.  John also saw the empty grave, was in the locked room when Jesus appeared, and stood watching when Jesus went up into the cloud. 

John tells us that he is writing "that [his]  joy may be made complete."  What gives him this joy? That all who hear this proclamation he is writing will "have fellowship with us... with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." 

Fellowship - koinonia - communion, partnership, sharing.. communicating.. partaking together;  To have fellowship with another is to have an intimate relationship - sharing life.. not just and occasional meal... And, in this case, the life we share with the Father and the Son -is eternal.  This is John's purpose in writing. It is his deepest desire and greatest prayer. John is writing to those who are confused, deceived, mistaken, or doubting.  His love for those he is writing to is evident throughout the three letters. So, as we read and think on these things.. may we receive them as such.. a love letter written to tell us what our dear friend knows from his life walking beside Jesus on the dusty roads of Israel. 

Father, bring us into this divine fellowship with You, our God and with Jesus, Your Son. Break down every barrier, every veil, every burden.. that keeps us from true fellowship with You.  Teach us through this letter.. things that will draw us closer, encourage and strengthen our faith, and refresh our tired souls. Open our ears to hear and our hearts to receive Your Word of Life.  We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 Job 40-42   The Lord addresses Job with more questions, "Now gird up your loins like a man; I will ask you and you instruct Me. Will you annul My judgement? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified? Or do you have an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like His?"

Job thought he could present his argument to God and win.. but was completely wrong! These same questions might be asked of us.. Do we try to tell God what is right? Do we question His judgement? Do we think that we know better than He? Can we fight with God and live? 

The Lord gives several examples that further illustrate His power:

40:15-24  "Behold now, Behemoth, which I made... "  This animal.. whatever it was.. was created by God and under God's authority and power.  Its tail was like a cedar tree. Its bones were like bronze.  It's limbs were like iron.  It was strong and powerful.  Yet, God made it to eat grass. He made it so fierce that none could tame it.  As great and fierce and frightening as this animal was.. it was less strong and fierce and great than its Creator. 

41:1-10 "Can you draw our Leviathan with a fishhook?"  This creature is also fierce and deadly - It could not be caught. It could not be tamed. It could never be a pet. It could not be bought or sold. It could not even be touched!  "Lay your hand on him; remember the battle; you will not do it again!"

"Who then is he that can stand before Me? Who has given Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine."  The Lord, who created and owns everything.. is greater than anything we might fear!  He alone is worthy of our honor and praise.  Job fell down  and repented before the One who alone is worthy of our fear...  "I know that Thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted. .. I have heard of Thee by the hearing of my ear; but now my eye sees Thee.."

The glory and majesty of God is right before us.. in all of His creation.  But, like Job, we are blind and need for Him to open our eyes! Thankful that He does this by the Light of His Word through the Spirit that dwells in us through Christ Jesus the Lord, who is All and in all! Lord open our eyes also.. that we might see You as You really are!

Job's friends are called to repent, to go to Job and ask him to pray for them.  Job is restored to health. His wealth is restored also. And best of all, Job is given 10 more children!  We are told that he lives 140 more years and is able to see four generations of his offspring. Wow!

Father, thank You for the truth that we have learned from Job. May we live in the light of this Word.  May we see Your glory and worship and love You with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. We ask this in the Name that is above all names.. the name of Jesus. Amen. 

 Job 39  With every question that God asks Job.. there is an unspoken declaration that what Job cannot do.. God has done.   He asks Job "Do you know the time the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the deer?"  Of course, Job does not.. but the truth is.. God does! The message here to Job.. and to us .. is that God not only knows.. but is intimately involved with all of His creation and He is far greater than anything we can know or understand!

God knows the months of a deer's or goat's pregnancy.. and when they will give birth.  He sees the delivery and the growth of the offspring! (v2-4)  Think about that! Makes me think of David's words..  "For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb, I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well.." ( Psalm 139:13-14)  He knows the number of hairs on our heads.. He knows us perfectly!

God provides for the wild donkey.. "To whom I gave the wilderness for a home.. " He made it to be free, to "explore the mountains.." and to search for "every green thing." ( v5-8) If God has a plan for wild donkeys.. how can we doubt His plans for us?

God made the wild ox.. and Job cannot make it serve him. He cannot bind it with ropes or use it to "harrow the valleys."  He cannot trust it to do his work or harvest his grain.  God has a whole different purpose for some beasts. And He has a purpose for mankind... for you and for me. 

God tells Job about the ostrich.  She flaps her wings "with the pinion and plumage of love".. but then abandons her eggs in the ground.  She doesn't care if they are crushed or trampled. She is unconcerned about the outcome.. "Because God has made her forget wisdom, and has not given her a share of understanding."  He has, however, given us the path to wisdom.. and it begins with "the fear of the Lord." 

What about the horse?  "Do you give the horse his might?" the Lord asks Job.  No, but God did.. He made it to "leap like the locust".. to be majestic and powerful.. and strong, and fast. The hawk soars... stretches out its wings and flies.  The eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high.. it lodges on the cliff where it can spy out his food and provide for its young.  God asks Job.. " Is it by your understanding.."?  

"Then the Lord said to Job, 'Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.'"  And all Job can say is.. "I am insignificant..."

Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name!  How great and mighty and wonderful is our God!  We fail to remember.. we fail to even realize  and acknowledge Your transcendance.. that You are exalted far above the created universe... that human thought cannot even imagine You!  We are all insignificant and insufficient in Your Presence, Lord.  Forever You stand apart in "light inapproachable".  Open our blind eyes and fill us with new understanding of Who You are.. there is none like You. "Thine is the greatness and the dignity and the majesty. All that is in heaven and the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, O God, and Thou art exalted as head over all. Amen. " ( Tozer)

Job 38  "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind... "  The Lord does not argue with Job or his friends, but He has some questions for them... starting with "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" 

Job had pleaded to have an audience with the Lord so that he could present his innocence and challenge the punishment that he felt was undeserved.  But, when the Lord answered Job, all he could say was, "Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to Thee? I lay my hand on my mouth.. " ( 40:4)

God reveals Himself in a way that leaves no question as to Who He is.. far and above anything or anyone that He has created! (Just read chapters 38-41)  Let me highlight a few here:

He laid the foundations of the earth. (v4-7)

He provided the sea and established its boundaries. ( v8-11)

He commanded the light and darkness to make days and nights. ( v12-15) 

He knows the depths of the seas and the earth.  He established and rules the "gates of death." ( v16-18)

Everything in the heavens above and the earth below are His and under His rule.. light, snow, hail, wind, rain, stars, clouds.. everything! "Who has put wisdom in the innermost being, or given understanding to the mind?"  Even the ability to know or understand anything at all is a gift of God.   Truly, we have no knowledge..  we have nothing.. except that God has provided it. 

Father, we are in awe of You, that You would reveal Yourself to us, that we might have Your Word to know You.. even as little as we are able to understand.. We praise and worship You. Oh for the day when we will know You more!  To think that for all eternity we will be continually in awe and praising You! There is no end to Your glory!  There is no boundary of Who You are!  Great are You Lord and greatly to be praised!  Help us to draw closer to You, come Holy Spirit and lead us that we might grow in the knowledge and the grace of our God. Jesus, we ask this in Your Name. Amen. 

 Job 36-37   Elihu offers his "knowledge" about God, saying.. ..  "I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker".   He speaks of God's might and understanding. He speaks of God's justice.  He speaks of how God helps the righteous and destroys the wicked.... 

Elihu believes that God will speak to those who have sinned.. "and He opens their ear to instruction and commands that they return from evil. If they hear and serve Him, they shall end their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasure." (v10-11)

God punishes the godless but "delivers the afflicted in their affliction...".  Elihu pleads with Job to repent and turn away from evil.  "Behold, God is exalted in His power; who is a teacher like Him?"  Because is so great, Elihu says, "... God is exalted and we do not know Him; the number of His years is unsearchable."   Elihu uses this example to show the greatness of God:

"For He draws up the drops of water,

They distill rain from the mist, 

Which the clouds pour down,

They drip upon man abundantly,

Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,

the thundering of His pavilion?

Behold, He spreads His lightning about Him,

and He covers the depths of the sea."

(Let the scientists examine that passage!)  Elihu states that this is all part of God's judgement of people.

Not only that, but God "gives food... commands [lightning] to strike." and "declares His presence" with the noise of thunder. 

Chapter 37 continues with the emphasis on thunder.. "Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, and the rumbling that goes out of His mouth... He thunders with His majestic voice; and He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard. God thunders with His voice wondrously, doing great things which we cannot comprehend." ( v2-5)

 

Verses 6-12 Elihu speaks of winter.. snow and ice.. that come from God.  In verse 13 he makes this declaration: "Whether for correction, or for His world, or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen. Listen to this Job, stand and consider the wonders of God. Do you know that God establishes them, and makes the lightning of His cloud to shine?"

Elihu challenges Job's accusations against God.. how can he say anything to the One who is "perfect in knowledge"?  Elihu's final words are .... "Around God is awesome majesty. The Almighty - we cannot find Him; He is exalted in power; and He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness, Therefore men fear Him; He does not regard any who are wise of heart." 

In other words.. to Elihu, God is awesome.. but completely unapproachable.. 

At this.. God Himself comes to speak. 

Father in heaven, we know that You are perfect in all of Your ways. You are perfectly just and perfectly holy.  But, we also know that You are not unapproachable. We praise Your Name and give thanks that You have loved us so much that You sent Jesus Christ to ransom us from sin and the grave... to open up the way for us to come to You.  Thank You for amazing grace.. undeserved favor.. that You have chosen us for Yourself, called us to follow Jesus, the Lamb of God, and given us Your Spirit so that we might truly know You.  Thank You that we can hear You.. not just through thunder and lightning and judgement.. but through the Living Word.  Draw us ever closer to Your heart we pray. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

 Job 32-35  A new character joins the conversation.. Elihu.  As a younger man, Elihu has listened to the arguments, but when the three friends become silent, he can no longer hold back. In anger, Elihu voices his own opinion on Job's situation.  Chapter 32 in a nutshell is his bold declaration.. "For I am full of words; the spirit within me constrains me.... let me speak that I may get relief.. " 

Chapter 33 Elihu is sure that he is speaking for God.  All that Job has claimed, Elihu says, is "not right.. For God is greater than man. Why do you complain agains Him, that He does not give an account of all His doings?"  And, perhaps Elihu is right in this. However, he goes on to claim that God will speak to men in dreams and visions, when they are asleep.. and they will learn then to repent. Then God will provide a ransom and restore them to health. 

Chapter 34 - Elihu is not done. In this chapter he defends God's right to do what He has the right to do.  Job has claimed that he is righteous and that God was not right to allow the pain and sorrow to fall on him.  Elihu says, "Listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to do wrong." ( v10) Elihu's argument is that God is always right, always just, and always knows the heart of every man.  His conclusion is this, "Job ought to be tried to the limit, because he answers like wicked men. For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us, and multiplies his words against God." ( v36-37) 

Chapter 35- Elihu continues - he accuses Job of thinking that his own righteousness is more than God's.  He makes the point that God is so much higher than man, that it makes no difference to Him if a man sins or doesn't sin.. it doesn't change Him.. it just changes the man.  Job's cries to God have not been answered.. yet. Elihu tells Job to wait.. "The case is before Him and you must wait for Him!" (v14)

When I get to this portion of Job.. I can hardly wait to get to the end!  For God is about to speak. The next two chapters are Elihu's message about who God is.. and it is worth further study. But,  I can't wait til we get to chapter 38! 

Father in heaven, thank You for Your Word and for the Spirit Who helps us to hear Your voice. Thank You that we can know that You are righteous and You are able to judge each of us with complete perfection. We know that we are in need of a ransom.. and are so thankful for Jesus Christ who came to ransom us from sin and death.  Christ is all and is in all!  Hallelujah!  May we learn to wait on You.. always.. for You are King Eternal and You know us and have already provided for every need. You have given us the gift of Life and salvation through Jesus!  May we trust You fully for every day and every need. In Jesus' name. Amen.