WISE SAYINGS

 

       No religion will ever say a person but instead damn them because it blinds them to grace and chains them to good works.  A Religion based on good works is about as useful as a boat with a hole.  To many a person has gone to hell thinking they would not go there because they based their eternity on good works.  Only a fool says he is good and the wise know they are not.

      A person who bases their eternity on good works need a psychiatrist.  A person needs healing of the soul before any healing in the body can truly take place.  It is a fool that seeks the healing and not the healer.  When a prominent person dies, we want to know their last works and acts.  Jesus when He died, He forgave mankind and saved a thief. 

     The power of Pentecost is unlearned, prejudiced, full of bitterness and malice men become power houses for God. We should be thankful God uses us in spite of all our faults, failures and sins.

Oct 14 – Wrath on Edom - Isaiah 63:1-6

 

Oct 14 – Wrath on Edom - Isaiah 63:1-6

 

     Once again Isaiah looks to other nations and gives them the Word of the Lord.  The Lord is speaking to Edom and its capital Bozrah.  Edom was a proud and fearless nation.  It relied on its location and place in history.  The Lord uses the example of the winepress and how as an instrument it is used to press the grapes into juice.  He uses it as an example of how His wrath is going to press out the nations.  The Lord is going to have a day of vengeance. 

     Edom was there when Judah fell, and they were active participants in the killing of the people.  So he says in the same way when no one was to help Judah that will happen to them.  He will trample the nations in His anger.  In the same measure they attacked Judah it will happen to them.  You reap what you sow.

1 JOHN 2:16-20

 

17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

 

     John makes it clear that the world and its desires will pass away.  They will die with the person who did them and unfortunately, it will cause a separation from God.  The world system and all it offers will be done away when Christ shall come and rule on the earth. 

     The one who does the will of God will live forever.  This is the eternal and abundant life Jesus promised us.  Our future is glorious the future of those of this world is not.  Seems a simple choice but for those walking in darkness it is not.

 

18 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.

 

     John then reminds and warns them that they are living in the last hour.  This confirms the immanent coming of Christ even in the mindset pf the early church.  They believed as we do that Jesus could come back at anytime.  Remember you will meet Jesus soon either through the portal of death or the rapture.

     They also were aware of the antichrist.  Someone who claims to be Christ even shows the miracles and teachings of Christ but is a false messiah empowered and appointed by satan.  This will be a time of the unholy trio of the antichrist, satan, and the false prophet.  Even now many like the antichrist have come.  This points to the constant emergence of people claiming to be Jesus Christ.  This is also a sign of the last hour.  We are to watch and be prepared.

 

19 They went out from 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.

 

     This is a sobering thought that these antichrist spirit people were among the church in John’s Day and even now are in the church masquerading as fellow believers.  John says they left for various reasons, but the truth is that they never were really didn’t belong.  They had no love, grace, truth, and mercy.  They did not exhibit the fruit of love. 

     John then says if they truly belong, they would not have slipped away or left.  They left and this showed that they did not belong to the faith and to the church.  It sobering to think that the world can get in the church and that the antichrist spirit can infect the church as well. 

 

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth

 

     John then states that they have the anointing from the Holy One.  The power, authority, unctioning, the call for separation and holiness comes from Jesus Christ who is the holy one.  He is the perfect one without spot or blemish. 

     They know the truth.  They have stayed the course.  Kept the faith.  They have followed the ways of the world or fall into the false teachings and ways of the antichrist spirit.

1 JOHN 2:14-16

 

14 I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father.  I write to you, fathers,

    because you know him who is from the beginning.  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. 

 

     He writes to the children because they know the Father thy have become intimate and know Him as righteous, holy, and faithful.  He writes to the fathers because they know him not only from the beginning, but they know he is the beginning.  He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.  He is the sum of all things and the creator of all things.

     He writes to the young men for three reasons.  They are strong in the Lord and the power of his might.  They cannot be defeated.  Next, the word of God lives in them.  They know the word and the word is truth and life.  They know the living and reveal word.  The word is active and shaper than any two edge sword in them.  It is their offensive and defensive weapon.  Lastly, they have overcome the evil one.  They have gone toe to toe with the devil and have won.

 

 

 

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.

 

     This is warning and truth.  You cannot love the world or anything of this world.  Pride, pleasure, and possessions will destroy you.  Remember the world loves it own and hates those from God.  John makes it clear that if you love the world than the love of the father does not live or reside in you.  A little world is like yeast it will spoil the whole loaf.  Jesus said the cares and riches of this life chole out the message and.  The world keeps you earthily and center on the five senses to the point that the message and reality of Christ can get lost or destroyed.

 

16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

 

     John now names what everything in this world is.  Lust of the flesh is passion and pleasure.  The lust of the flesh refers to strong, inordinate desires that arise from our fallen human nature, often leading to sinful behaviors. It is described in the Bible as a conflict between the sinful nature and the Spirit of God, worldly temptations. This concept encompasses various sinful desires, such as sexual immorality, gluttony, and self-indulgence, which draw individuals away from God's will and lead to spiritual death if not resisted.  It is self esteem without God.

     Lust of the eyes is materialism, greed, covetousness, envy, wanting and needing possession for security.  This is something both the rich and poor suffer from.  It is a yearning for something through the eye gate. 

     Pride of life is self esteem and significance.  Man is the measure of all things.  You crave popularity, status, success, and significance.  It is about personal accomplishments and recognition.  These things do not come from the father.  They are contrary to the kingdom which about humility and putting others before yourself.  These are the ways the world attacks you.

 

1 JOHN 2:11-13

 

11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them

 

    John says that if anyone hates their brother or sisters that they walk in darkness.  Sin has taken a hold of them.  They walk around in darkness, and they have no sense of direction.  Darkness has blinded them from light, love, mercy, grace, and freedom.  They seek revenge, unforgiveness, bitterness, pain, and sorrow.  They have been blinded by the world, the flesh, and the devil. 

 

12 I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.

 

   John then breaks them down in age brackets for the purpose of speaking directly to the different groups in the church.  To the children and the new believers, he calls them dear children.  New or young believers.  He reminds them that their sins have been forgiven.  This is the reason Jesus came to die for our sins that we would be forgiven.  This is new and truth.  They are living in the reality of this.  It was done for and account for His name.  In the name of Jesus every sin has been forgiven past, present, and future.

 

13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.  I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.

 

     John addresses the fathers in the faith and in family units.  They were the ones who came to know him from the beginning. The phrase "know Him who has been from the beginning" refers to the deep, intimate knowledge that fathers possess of Jesus Christ. This knowledge is not just about knowing the name or teachings of Christ but about having a personal, enduring relationship with Him. It signifies that these fathers have experienced Christ's eternal nature, shared His glory, and have been part of His divine plan from the very beginning. This knowledge is a mark of spiritual maturity and is essential for their role as spiritual leaders and teachers within the Christian community.

     To the young man because they have overcome the evil one.  They know how to use the word, prayer, and the name of Jesus.  They know that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.  They know that the devil uses accusation, temptation, and deception.  They know the enemy when resisted will flee. 

THE TRUTH

 

   Paul wants us to know that we can be justified by faith and not by what we do.  When Paul went to Jerusalem with Barnabus he went there to explain his view of Christianity.  The leaders listened and gave him the right hand of fellowship.

     Paul said that we cannot find favor with God through our own works but through our faith in God.  It is the finished work of Christ that makes that happen.  Unforuntaely many in the church world have fallen away from this truth and have gone back to the work syndrome.  All religions in the world promise eternal life through your works.  Christianity does not.  You must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and that is the only way to be saved.  So how does one stay true to the faith today.  Stay in the word and in prayer. Go to a Bible believing church and share your faith.   Nothing makes your faith stronger by sharing it with others.  We overcome by the blood of the lamb and our testimony. 

SOMETHING TO THING ABOUT

 

          Jesus Christ is the greatest person that ever lived.  In 1987, during the White House Christmas gala the then president read on national TV the poem one solitary life talking about Jesus Christ has affected humanity greater than any person who has ever lived. 

     Jesus Christ won the victory over death, hell and the grace on Easter morning.  He came out of the tomb.  He is now living in the hearts of those who love and serve him.  If there weas any time in history, it is now that we need Him.  Jesus did not come to this earth to just heal and teach wise words.  He came to seek and save the lost which is all mankind.  He came to deal with our sins and give us ternal and abundant life. 

     Easter is a time of joy.  Christ paid the penalty for our sins.  It is a time to remember what his death, burial, resurrection, broken body and shed blood has done.  It is a time for self examination and finds our place in God.  See where you stand and act.