Daily Devotionals with Pastor Rod: February 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

We Know! (Part 1) (I John 5:18)

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

THE STUDY:

In the last part of this epistle, John shares three things the readers should have learned. Over the next few days we will be looking at these three things. All three are presented with the beginning statement, We know! This phrase is a favorite of John’s being that it is found in over 17 verses.

The first thing John’s readers have learned is regarding SIN! The practice of sin is broken by the abiding results of the new birth not by some later experience. John allows for no “sinning religion” here.

Freedom from sin is an ongoing and relational matter. Christians do not habitually sin. They do not live in sin. But living without ongoing sin is not automatic. It requires meaningful moral decisions. Not sinning is a divine and human joint enterprise.

In regard to the phrase, but he who was born of God protects him, this can be somewhat confusing. We need to look at the grammar in this phrase. The grammar seems to indicate that the one born of God—that is, the Christian—is also the one who keeps safe. But what does that mean?

Some manuscripts attempt to solve this enigma by reading himself rather than him. This would call for the translation keeps himself safe. Neither variant reading is fully satisfying.

Regardless, John’s meaning seems clear enough: Christians are protected, whether by God/Christ or by themselves.^{^[1]}

My personal opinion is looking at the fact that as a follower of Christ (a chosen will) it is through this decision we protect ourselves.

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

We walk away this morning with the idea that as John concludes this epistle he is recapping the important points he wanted to make. The first one is concerning sin. We can live a life that is free from sin and its snares. We do this through a personal, ongoing, relationship with the one whom defeated sin: Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION:

I have come to a personal conclusion that WE KNOW when we are sinning. I believe it’s in our very DNA to the fact that when we go against God’s will, nature, or character our body, mind, and soul detects it. I recall hearing a doctor say, “So long as a diseased appendix hurts there is hope for a safe removal. The danger period is when it stops hurting. It may mean the appendix has burst, spreading poison throughout the entire body.” So be glad that when you sin, your conscience still hurts and leads you toward repentance.

If, today, you know that something is not rights between you and God, ask Him to forgive you and get that under the blood so you can continue on in this wonderful walk toward eternity with our heavenly father.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

^{^[1]} Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (172). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

We Can Resist! (I John 5:17)

All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

THE STUDY:

This verse equates unrighteousness (wrongdoing) and sin. Extending the analogy, if all unrighteousness is sin, then righteousness would manifest itself as an absence of sin. Although only briefly mentioned here, John’s assumption is clear. We can, if we submit to the will of God, stop the practice of sinning. Thus, praying for that to happen in the lives of others is right and expected—he should pray for the brother (v 16). Sin may still intrude, but it need not control the Christian. Even if sin and the child of God occasionally meet, they cannot live together in harmony.^{^[1]}

One of the articles of faith that the Nazarene Church has in regard to sin states: We believe that sin is of two kinds: original sin or depravity, and actual or personal sin. We further believe that original sin continues to exist with the new life of the regenerate, until the heart is fully cleansed by the baptism with the Holy Spirit. We believe that actual or personal sin is a voluntary violation of a known law of God by a morally responsible person.

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

We walk away with the understanding that living a Spirit filled life empowers us to turn from sin and live a life that is SIN FREE! Not that we will never be tempted again but when we are, through the power of Christ that dwells inside us, we can turn from it. We can resist!

CONCLUSION:

Sin is something that not only affects the sinner but those around them as well. This is why John was saying we should pray for our brother in verse 16. Often someone who has chosen to live a sinful life says, “It is my life! I can do with it as I wish!” However, such an attitude will not stand up under examination. No one sins in isolation, for it affects everyone the person touches.

This truth is well illustrated in the case of Achan (Josh 7). His sin affected not only himself but his family and nation. The same is true of each of us. We would all do well to heed the words of Tennyson in his Ulysses. “I am a part of all I have met.” And others are a part of you—for good or bad.

My encouragement today would be to allow the Holy Spirit to reign in your life so that you can be empowered to turn from the evil one and all his temptations to sin. Do it, not only for your sake, but for the sake of others. You can RESIST!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

^{^[1]} Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (170). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

If We Don’t Pray Who Will? (I John 5:16)

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.

THE STUDY:

This verse can be difficult to understand. Lack of understanding can cause people to interpret incorrectly and therefor miss the real meaning of the verse or passage. We don’t want to do that with this verse.

John earlier stated his purpose for writing as that his readers might never sin (2:1). Here, however, he acknowledges the possibility that believers may sin. A brother may commit a sin and need correction. The present participle sinning may suggest falling into a sinful pattern, not just committing an isolated sin.

John affirms that Christians are obliged to pray for each other—he should pray. Asking God on behalf of another is especially warranted when a fellow Christian struggles or makes overtly sinful choices. God’s children are family, entrusted with the gospel, and responsible for each other.^{^[1]}

There is a lot more to this verse and we will leave that up to the scholars to debate. But for now I feel we need to concentrate on the aspect of brothers praying for others who sin.

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

We walk away this morning with the understanding that we should never quit praying. Praying for our brother, who is thought of as family, is a responsibility each of us have. If we don’t pray, who will!

CONCLUSION:

Dr. John F. Walvoord, in the chapel of Dallas Theological Seminary, one day told of a mother who prayed for her son for 60 years to be saved. One week before her death, the mother received a long-distance call from her son saying that he was saved.

Today, there might be someone the Lord has laid on your heart to pray for. Maybe He has given that person to you many years ago. Whatever the case may be, PRAY! Don’t stop praying! You never know when that pray might be answered.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

^{^[1]} Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (168). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Prayer Moves Us! (I John 5:14-15)

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

THE STUDY:

John connects the Christians’ assurance of eternal life with confidence in prayer. Our “confidence” that our prayers will be answered must not assume that God must do as we request. As we ask (lit. request, translated twice in v 16 as “pray”), our asking will first change us. The point of praying is not just getting things from God, but getting “on the same page” with God. Rather, it is a means of gaining intimacy with God. As we learn to ask … according to his will, we know God hears us. Surely the greatest benefit of praying is moving nearer to the heart of God.^{^[1]}

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

We walk away this morning with the understanding that prayer moves us closer to God. It doesn’t move God closer to us. The closer we get to God, through prayer, we start to understand and accept His will and our will diminishes.

CONCLUSION:

I have found that as a child I didn’t understand my parents: why they did what they did, said what they said, and thought the way they thought. As a teenager, I thought my parents were the most ignorant people in the world, because they didn’t understand how I felt. But, as an adult I started to see the reason for their madness; they loved me and they wanted the best for me! They tried to steer me in the right direction. Now, I find myself doing, saying, and thinking the very same things they had shown me over the years.

As a man of God, I don’t understand everything about God. As a matter of fact I question some of the things God does or doesn’t do. What I find, though, is that the more I pray the clearer the understanding of Gods will becomes. Now, I find my actions, my words, and my thoughts are more like Christ. Why? Because I pray!

Let us start our days in communion with God. When we do this His will starts to become our will.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

^{^[1]} Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (167). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Eternal Life Starts with Knowing! (I John 5:13)

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

THE STUDY:

Verses 11-12 look a lot like verse 13. It is almost as if John is repeating himself. If we look closely though we can see there is a difference. John states in verse 13 that “I write these things …. that you may know that you have eternal life. These three English words make up one Greek word, “oida” which means knowledge by observation.

This was Johns purpose for writing this letter that ‘you may know that you have eternal life’. His readers had been disturbed by the denials and claims of the secessionists. These people denied important elements of the message the readers had embraced at the beginning. They also claimed to be recipients of special revelation through the Spirit to which the readers were not privy. The readers’ assurance had been shaken by these denials and claims, and the author’s primary reason for writing the letter was to bolster their assurance by counteracting the false teaching of the secessionists. John sought to do this by pointing out that it was his readers who had truly received eternal life, who truly knew God, not the secessionists.^{^[1]}

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

We walk away this morning with the understanding that the adversary is out to seek and destroy. Seeking those who believe and destroy their faith and belief in the Son of God. John writes to combat these attacks by assuring the readers that by their observation they know they have eternal life.

CONCLUSION:

As a minister in the Church of the Nazarene I have encountered many believer who have doubt about their dwelling in heaving with Christ. These are good, righteous, God fearing believers who struggle with “KNOWING” for sure. It may be lies from the world or straight from hell but wherever it is coming from they believe it. John is writing this letter to those in his day as well as the world we live in today concerning the message that should be played throughout the universe: BELIEVE IN CHRIST, HAVE ETERNAL LIFE!

Today, I hope as you embark on today’s journey you do so with a conviction and a deep-hearted belief: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” You are God’s world and He loves you. Go ahead, get out there, and know this, have a personal relationship with Christ and you have eternal life!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

^{^[1]} Kruse, C. G. (2000). The letters of John. The Pillar New Testament commentary (188–189). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Got Jesus, Got Life! (I John 5:11-12)

Got Jesus, Got Life! (I John 5:11-12)

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

THE STUDY:

Again, John uses the contrast between two things: life and death. This is characteristic in John’s writings. The word "life" is found 135 times in the NT. Almost half of those occurrences (66) are found in John’s writings (Gospel of John, 1-2-3 John and Revelations). In these two verses alone the word "LIFE" is found 4 times. John states that through God’s testimony we have ETERNAL life. That life is found in Christ! John does not state the content of God’s testimony concerning his Son but the result of that testimony, which is nothing other than “eternal life.” Therefore “the question whether we accept God’s testimony or not is not a merely academic one. Our answer to it will determine whether or not we participate in eternal life.”

John uses verse 12 as a concluding point to verses 9-11, Whoever has the Son has life. Ultimately, what matters is our relationship to the Son. This life is not something only to be received in the future but is a present possession (“has,” echei = present tense). It should be noted that eternal life is not earned or merited, but rather it is a gift that is given by God to those who have the Son.^{^[1]}

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

We walk away this morning with the understanding of the importance of Christ. He is not someone we are to “just know about.” He is someone we are to encounter, accept, believe, trust, love, and build a relationship with. This relationship is something to “have.” To have eternal life is to have Jesus.

CONCLUSION:

I find as I get older I think more about the afterlife. I think about my time coming to an end on this earth. Nothing wrong with these thoughts. I rather enjoy it because I know that when tomorrow comes, I will be stepping into eternity because I have Jesus today.

According to a tradition current among the natives of Puerto Rico, there was an island of the Bahamas group which had upon it a marvelous fountain, whose waters produced perpetual youth. For this elixir of eternal life, Juan Ponce de Leon, the Spanish navigator, sought long and hard, yet in vain.

Let us not live for a perpetual youth here on earth. Let us live in Christ so we can have eternal life with the Father in Heaven.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

^{^[1]} Akin, D. L. (2001). Vol. 38: 1, 2, 3 John (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (202). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Belief Rules (I John 5:10)

Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.

THE STUDY:

The first thing I thought when I read this verse was, “John, tell us how you really feel.” John is getting to the core of his message. Embracing God’s word gives an inner witness in his heart (lit. in himself). Other manuscripts read simply “has the testimony in him,” but “in himself” has the best manuscript support. The NIV translates this passage to say “in his heart.” The word “heart” is a paraphrasing addition to the text. The confirmation of faith is all-encompassing, involving outer behavior and inward conviction, mind and emotions, head and heart. The cognitive truth of God’s witness grasps us at the center of our beings—what the Bible often calls the heart. The witness of God is not to be intellectualized, but interiorized. That is, the witness has to become the possession of faith. This simply means that “the event of faith is the witness.” Our very ability to believe constitutes God’s witness to our hearts (see Rom 5:5).

John sharply insists that the one resisting the testimony God has given about his Son makes God out to be a liar. The secessionists prefer their own version of the truth. The word order is emphatic: liar he has made him.^{^[1]}

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

We walk away this morning with the understanding that Gods dealings are internal not external. What happens on the outside is a result from what has taken place on the inside. We believe because of the faith that dwells inside of us.

CONCLUSION:

I remember a quote I loved concerning belief: Never put a question mark where God has put a period. —John R. Rice. Let today be a day that your belief rules you and not your disbelief.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

^{^[1]} Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (163). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Our Gods Not Dead (I John 5:9)

If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.

THE STUDY:

In verses 6–9, John indirectly introduces the Trinity. Notice that in verse 6, he states that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has come. In the same verse and verse 8, John says that the Spirit testifies. And in verse 9, he mentions the testimony of God (the Father).^{^[1]}

John argues here from the lesser to the greater. If people receive human testimony, then they will be even more inclined to receive the testimony of God.^{^[2]} “We accept man’s testimony.” In Greek, this is a simple conditional sentence that is true to fact: “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater” (NASB). John expresses a timeless truth and, therefore, the conditional element in the sentence has lost its force. John is saying that customarily we accept man’s testimony.

“But God’s testimony is greater.” John focuses attention not on our acceptance of God’s testimony but on the significance of that testimony. God’s word is unquestionably true and thus in comparison with the testimony of man is much weightier.^{^[3]}

John uses the perfect tense (“he has given”) to indicate that God continues to testify about his son through his Word and Spirit.

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

We walk away this morning with the understanding that just as John’s day we see many who don’t believe in the power, love, or control God still has over the world. John was sharing with the readers of that day that continues to testify about his son through his word and Spirit. He reveals to us today the very same thing.

CONCLUSION:

As I was reading this verse this morning I was reminded of the lyrics from the song by the “Newsboys”:

My God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's livin on the inside
Roaring like a lion

Today, let Christ be a witness through us to reveal that OUR GOD’S NOT DEAD! Amen? Amen!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

^{^[1]} Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 14: New Testament commentary : Exposition of James and the Epistles of John. New Testament Commentary (355). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

^{^[2]} Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (163). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

^{^[3]} Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 14: New Testament commentary : Exposition of James and the Epistles of John. New Testament Commentary (356). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

They All Will Agree (I John 5:7-8)

For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.

THE STUDY:

This is a very interesting passage of scripture. Some scholars have tried to link it with the Trinitarian aspect of God. Some translators have even added certain wording to bring this point out. But when we research the earliest manuscripts we find no such thing.

The language of three may hint at a Trinitarian tendency in John’s thinking. But, more likely, it was John’s expression of the Hebraic standard of “two or three witnesses” (Deut 19:15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established). John reports that three witnesses of the gospel story—the Spirit, the water and the blood—are in agreement. He stresses the agreement of their common testimony because they have come from the witness of “the Spirit [who] is the truth” (v 6).^{^[1]}

What it means here for the Spirit to testify seems reasonably clear. The Spirit confirms to believers the truth of the message about Jesus that they heard from the beginning (cf. 2:24–27). It is more difficult to say how the water and the blood make up the second and third witnesses. Normally witness is given by one person concerning another. However, in the Fourth Gospel, when people will not accept Jesus’ own testimony about himself, he points them to his works, for these, too, bear witness, albeit silent witness, to the truth about him.^{^[2]}

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

We walk away this morning with the understanding that validation to the truth of Christ is found in the Spirit that dwells inside of us.

CONCLUSION:

I have stated many times, when sharing with people, about hearing and confirming what you hear from Christ. God communicates in 4 different ways: Devotions, reading scripture, meditating, and life circumstances. All 4 will agree with the others. One will not contradict the other.

My prayer for you today is that you be affirmed in your spirit that the message of Jesus Christ is the truth. That you hear from God this morning in one of the 4 different ways and that through that message you are assured of the love God has for you.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

^{^[1]} Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (163). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

^{^[2]} Kruse, C. G. (2000). The letters of John. The Pillar New Testament commentary (179). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.