I John 3:11-12 (Part 4)

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For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.

THE STUDY:

This morning we are going to answer the question found in this passage, why did he murder him? John reminds his readers that because Cain “was from the evil one” love had so disappeared from his heart that he could murder his own blood brother. Casting his lot with the evil one took Cain much further into depravity than he could have imagined. John’s only explanation for Cain’s action was “because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous”^[1]

The reason for this murder was Cain’s jealous resentment of his brother’s superior righteousness (Gen. 4:2-7). In saying this, John touched a sensitive nerve, since hatred toward another Christian is often prompted by a feeling of guilt about one’s own life as compared with that person’s. It is well to remember that such reactions are satanic, as John bluntly affirmed here.^[2]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding of two things: 1. When we are being persecuted or being treated unkindly by a person it may lie within that person themselves. What we bring about in that person is the sense of guilt due to their own lack of righteousness. James 1:2-3 says, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 2. Sin will take us farther down the road of immorality than we ever thought we would go.

CONCLUSION:

           Because of the natural law of seedtime and harvest, the farmer knows when and what to plant to achieve the desired result. He knows that you harvest wheat if you sow wheat, that you do not sow weeds and reap wheat.

           God’s moral and spiritual laws work in the same way. You cannot sow sin and reap righteousness, or indulgence and reap health, or strife and reap peace. You cannot sow “the works of the flesh” and reap “the fruit of the Spirit.”

           But there is a further truth in this law. You reap what you sow in quality, but you reap more than you sow in quantity.

          Let today be a day that is filled with the deeds of the Father and not that of the evil one!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (121–122). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

^[2] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (1 Jn 3:11–12). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

I John 3:7

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Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.

THE STUDY:

Again, we read John’s endearment, “little children,” to his flock. He’s reminding them to “let no one deceive you”! Just because we are believers in the faith doesn’t exclude us from being deceived (lead astray). As a matter of fact, one will find that the deceiver (Satan) will turn up the pursuit for our souls once we have become a follower of Christ.

John states, “Whoever practices righteousness” which means whoever produces righteousness. John is revealing the understanding that the very nature of our being should be Christ! Once He is our very nature the only thing we can produce “Christ” (righteousness). I hear an evangelist recently state that apple trees can only produce “apples!” Why? Because this is their nature! Once we have accepted Christ, surrender all to Him, and die out to self our nature changes. The only thing we can produce is Christ, the very nature that lives inside of us.

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We can walk away this morning with the understanding that our nature needs to be that of Christ. When our nature is that of Christ we can’t help but to produce (practice) righteousness. Let today be a day that we surrender all to Christ so that we can produce righteousness.

CONCLUSION:

          I came across this poem that I thought would be fitting for today’s devotional:

Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today

He has no feet but our feet to lead men in the way

He has no tongue but our tongue to tell men how He died

He has no help but our help to bring them to His side.

We are the only Bible the careless world will read,

We are the sinner’s gospel; we are the scoffer’s creed;

We are the Lord’s last message, given in word and deed;

What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?

What if our hands are busy with other work than His?

What if our feet are walking where sin’s allurement is?

What if our tongue is speaking of things His lips would spurn?

How can we hope to help Him or welcome His return?

—Annie Johnston Flint^[1]

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.

I John 2:28-29 (Part 2)

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And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

THE STUDY:

It is obvious to the fact there are two parts to this verse: 1) John is telling his readers that if they know in their hearts “that he is righteous,” 2) they also will learn to know that righteous Christians are born of him. John is reminding the believers that Jesus is “the Righteous One” (2:1)?^[1] This may be something the Gnostics didn’t believe and is one of the cornerstones to the believer’s teachings.

We know that this verse is pointing ahead in the letter so we can interpret “born of him,” as referring to God. The overall thought in this verse is the understanding that everyone should know that the Father and the Son are “Righteous” and that those who practice righteousness are believers as well. As a believer we will be known by what we live and what we live is what we believe to be the truth.

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away, this morning, with the understanding that, as a believer, knowing the Father and Son to be righteous is evident in our lives by what we practice: Righteousness. We do right because we are re-born of it. We long to please the Father more than ourselves. It is His will not ours that rules us.

• Is it more important for the will of God to be done in our lives or is there still a battle between our will and His? Let those around us today see the righteousness that’s been re-born in us. Let them see Jesus!

CONCLUSION:

It was Leigh Richmond, who dropped a gospel tract on the pavement in England and prayed that a bad man would pick it up.

          A bad man did pick it up. He carried the tract with him to prison and he was converted, and he wrote Pilgrim’s Progress, which turned millions to righteousness. He was John Bunyan.

          I pray that through our righteousness, others may become believers.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 14: New Testament commentary : Exposition of James and the Epistles of John. New Testament Commentary (288). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.