His Love Ministries
Episodes
Sunday Mar 05, 2023
Sunday Mar 05, 2023
John 5:36 "But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish--the very works that I do--bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 "But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
In this section of Scripture, we will see that Jesus is doing all He can to give them a chance to be saved by telling them who He is and all of the witnesses to His being God. He tells them the works He does witness to His being God, the Father has witnessed and lastly that the Word of God witnesses to this fact, but they are not saved and will not be saved because they will not believe His witness. It is an amazing fact that those who begin by not wanting to be saved end up not being able to be saved because they harden their heart and then God finishes the process so that they cannot ever be saved. That is why the Bible tells us not to harden our hearts for today is the day of salvation.
Jos 11:20 For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 1Sa 6:6 "Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart? Ps 95:8 "Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, Heb 3:8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, Heb 3:15 while it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." Heb 4:7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts." (NKJV)
Witness of The Father He moves from defense to indictment (accusation), He not only admonishes them for not receiving God’s witness, He informs all as to the real reason they reject Him as the Messiah. Most important of all, Jesus Himself is the form of God (see John 14:9) and the voice of God. It is He who came to make God known to men: no one has ever seen God. The only One, Himself God, who is in the presence of the Father, has made God known (John 1:18).
37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.
They have never seen God’s form, nor have they heard God’s voice. Yet both of these were evident at our Lord’s baptism.
God is bearing witness through His Son. Here is the irony. The Jewish authorities will not accept Jesus as the Son of God; they simply will not heed His testimony. Yet, He is the voice of God, the visible manifestation of God to men. They have never seen or heard God in person. God is now standing before them, being accused by them. They are accusing the very One they claim to worship and serve. They do not have God’s Word abiding in them because they do not believe in Jesus, the One whom the Father sent to “declare” or “explain” Him (John 1:18). Is this not a “catch 22”? How can anyone be saved? If people need to trust in Jesus to grasp the Word of God, and they need to grasp the Word of God to see that Jesus is the One to whom the Scriptures bear witness, then no one can be saved. The solution the Bible gives us is that men most certainly cannot be saved on their own; they can only be saved by means of God’s sovereign and gracious intervention, which is exactly what John has been telling us in his Gospel:
Up to this point, it may appear as though Jesus is on the defensive, defending His claim to be equal with God. In a sense, this is true, but our Lord is equal with God because He is the Son of God. It is not Jesus who needs a good defense, but His adversaries, the Jewish religious authorities. In verse 37, the tone of our Lord’s “defense” changes and we see our Lord now taking the offensive, challenging those who oppose Him. Here, He not only admonishes them for not receiving God’s witness, He informs all as to the real reason they reject Him as the Messiah.
The Jewish authorities are accusing our Lord of blasphemy and Sabbath-breaking. They have never seen God’s form, nor have they heard God’s voice. Yet both of these were evident at our Lord’s baptism. Jesus has seen the Father and heard His voice (5:19-20, 30). Most important of all, Jesus Himself is the form of God (see John 14:9) and the voice of God. It is He who came to make God known to men: no one has ever seen God. The only One, Himself God, who is in the presence of the Father, has made God known (John 1:18).
Witness of The Word
38 "But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.
39 "You search (scrutinize diligently – number of characters on a page, but miss the Messiah) the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. Missed the whole point.
The Word was written not just as a legal document or a self-help book to show us how to live, but it is a love letter from God
They studied the Scriptures diligently, thinking this was the way to eternal life.[1] Ironically, these same Scriptures testify about Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah. How could these men possess the Scriptures and study them, and yet miss the main point of their teaching? Jesus tells them and us: they do not have the Word abiding in them. They are “in the Word,” but the Word is not abiding in them. This is so because Christ is not only the central theme of the Word, He is the key to the Word. Christ is the key that unlocks the message of the Word. The Jews are not willing to come to Him so that they may have life. Thus, they are blind to the central message of the very Scriptures they possess and regard so highly.
The saying attributed to Hillel: ‘the more study of the Law the more life … if he has gained for himself words of the Law he has gained for himself life in the world to come’ (Ab. 2:7).
The Jewish authorities will not believe in Messiah, and thus they cannot see Him in the Scriptures they study. Christ is a “blind spot” for the Jews, and yet He is both the central figure and the key to the Old Testament Scriptures. Because the Jews are blind to Christ, they read the Old Testament as though a veil were over their faces. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ is that veil removed. The Jewish authorities will not believe in Messiah, and thus they cannot see Him in the Scriptures they study. Listen to how the Apostle Paul explains the “blindness of the Jews”:
12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we behave with great boldness, 13 and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from staring at the end of the glory that was fading away. 14 But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; 16 but whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:12-18).
40 "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
Those opposing Christ in our text do so with “veiled faces,” so to speak. They are blind to who Jesus is, and rather than come to Him for eternal life, they seek to take His life.
Why are they so unwilling to come to Jesus for salvation? It is because they seek glory and praise from men, rather than from God. Jesus does not seek the praise of men; He seeks to please the Father. This is because of His love for the Father, just as His Father loves Him (5:20).
[1] “Cf. The saying attributed to Hillel: ‘the more study of the Law the more life … if he has gained for himself words of the Law he has gained for himself life in the world to come’ (Ab. 2:7). There are several sayings like Baruch 4:1f., ‘This is the book of the commandments of God, and the law endureth for ever: all they that hold it fast are appointed to life.’” Morris, p. 330.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Tuesday Sep 06, 2022
1 JOHN 4:13-19 BY THIS WE KNOW THAT WE BELONG TO HIM
Tuesday Sep 06, 2022
Tuesday Sep 06, 2022
1 John 4:13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.
Love and Sound Doctrine (vv. 13–16)
In the last verse of the preceding section, John has concluded that if we love one another, two things may be said to follow: first, that God abides in us, and second, that God’s love is perfected in us. These two conclusions give the outline for the next two sections of this chapter. In the first section (vv. 13–16) God’s indwelling of the Christian is discussed in greater detail; in the second (vv. 17–21) the perfection of love is analyzed. That the indwelling of the Christian by God is the theme of the first section is evident from the threefold repetition of the idea: once in verse 13 (“we live in him and he in us”), once in verse 15 (“God lives in him and he in God”), and once in verse 16 (“whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him”).
It is not easy to give a simple outline to this section of the chapter, however, as it was, for instance, for verses 7–12 on the basis of the threefold repetition of the phrase “love one another.” Still, the major ideas are obvious. First, we know that we dwell in God and God in us because of the Spirit, whom he has given to us (v. 13). Then, second, we know that he has given us the Spirit because we have come to believe in Christ and love the brethren (vv. 14–16).[1]
v13-16 But fourthly, we are to love one another because love is the assurance of our salvation
Here's how we know we're saved. Here's how we know we abide in Him and He in us, again emphasizing He is in us. How do we know we're in Him and He's in us? One, because He's given us His Spirit. You say, "I can't see the Holy Spirit. I can't feel the Holy Spirit. I don't know that I can say for sure I've received the Holy Spirit. How can I say that I'm sure I'm saved because He's given us the Spirit?
John’s first point is that believers know that they dwell in God and God in them because of the Holy Spirit whom God has given to them. By this John emphasizes that God is always first in spiritual things and that apart from his gracious activity by the Holy Spirit to open blind eyes to perceive the truth and move rebellious wills to turn from sin to the Savior, no one would believe in Christ or love the brethren. In the next few verses John is going to talk of belief in Christ and love of the brethren, but we must not think, as some commentators have, that these are conditions by which we are enabled to dwell in God or remain in him. To believe in Christ and to love the brethren are not conditions by which we may dwell in God but rather are evidences of the fact that God has already taken possession of our lives to make this possible.[1]
V14 Here is how you know that you've been given the Spirit. "Because you believe the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world and you confess Jesus is the Son of God." In other words, it is your belief in the gospel that is evidence of the ministry and presence of the Holy Spirit, right? Because you couldn't know that apart from the Spirit, is that not so? Sinners are dead in trespasses and sin, they are blind, you have no capacity, it's not of him who wills or him who runs, it's not according to the will of man or the will of the flesh, you can't know God, God is not known by human wisdom. He's not known by human intelligence. "Natural man understands not the things of God, they are foolishness to him.
4:14. The apostle now reached a climactic point in his argument. He had just written that “if we love each other,” then the God whom no one has seen abides “in us and His love is made complete in us.” The result of this experience is that we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. Since the first person plural in verses 7–13 is clearly meant to include the readers, the “we” of this verse includes them as well. The indwelling God, whose presence is manifested in the midst of a loving Christian community, thus becomes in a sense truly visible to the eye of faith. Though no one “has seen” (tetheatai, “beheld”) God (v. 12), believers who abide in Him (v. 13) “have seen” (tetheametha, “behold”) the Son as He is manifested among loving Christians. Christians who behold this manifestation have in fact “seen” and can “testify” to the fundamental truth that “the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” This great truth can be put on display through the instrumentality of Christian love. With these words, John reached the goal he had announced in the prologue (1:1–4), namely, that his readers might share the apostles’ experience. The apostles had “seen” (heōrakamen) the “life which was with the Father and … appeared to us” (1:2). In a loving Christian community, the believers can see that too. The term “Life” in 1:2, though it refers to Christ incarnate, nevertheless was carefully chosen by the writer. What his readers could witness is the renewed manifestation of that Life in their fellow Christians. But, as he had argued ever since 2:29, the “life” which Christians possess by new birth is inherently sinless and can only be manifested through righteousness and Christlike love. But when that occurs, Christ whom the apostles saw in the flesh is, in a real but spiritual sense, “seen” again (4:14).[1]
The Holy Spirit’s Gifts
This leads directly to John’s next point, for, having said that it is always God who is first in spiritual things, the question with which he next wants to deal is this: Is God thus at work spiritually in me? In answer to this question he therefore now argues that if God is at work, the evidences for it will be seen in a combination of love and sound doctrine. In other words, we may know that we have the Spirit because we have come to confess Christ and dwell in love.[1]
The confession of Christ is mentioned first because it is at the point of confession that the Christian life may properly be said to begin. “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God” (vv. 14–15). Once again, as in numerous spots throughout the letter, John phrases his confession of Christ in words that would be especially challenging to those faced with the Gnostic heresies. He emphasizes that God the Father sent the eternal Son to be the Savior and that the historical Jesus is that eternal Son.
This should not obscure the fact that there are additional theological riches in the verses, however. For one thing, there is the doctrine of a lost world that needs a Savior. This “world,” as was pointed out in the earlier discussion of 2:15–17, means the world of men as it is in rebellion against God. A second doctrine is the full deity of Jesus Christ. A third is the focal point of his mission, which was to be the “Savior of the world.” It was for this that God “sent” him, says John. A fourth is the matter of God’s own motivation in the work of salvation, which is “the love God has for us” (v. 16).[1]
He comes to the point in verse 16. "And we have come to know and believed the love which God has for us." This is just really the conclusion of this flow here. How do I know I'm a Christian? Because God gave me His Spirit. And He only gives His Spirit to those that are His. He only takes up residency in those that are His. How do I know He gave me His Spirit? Because I believe the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. And I confess that Jesus is the Son of God. In other words, I believe the gospel which I can't believe apart from the work of the Spirit.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
You look at your life, is that what you see? If it is, if you love Christ even though you're not always faithful as you should be, if you love God the Father, and you love to worship Him, and you love to honor Him, and you cherish His glory, and if you find yourself drawn to the brethren and the fellowship, sacrificially serving one another, and even compassionately, lovingly caring for those outside the gospel so that you give them the saving truth of Jesus Christ, this is evidence that God is in you, the God of love because of the work of the Holy Spirit.
The second evidence of the Spirit’s activity is love for God and one another, for John concludes by saying, “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” In other words, the love to which Christians were exhorted in verses 7–12 is now said not only to be a most solemn duty but also to be a striking evidence of the Spirit’s activity.
Here certainly, in a combination of the ideas of the internal work of the Holy Spirit, belief in Christ as the Son of God and Savior, and the supreme point of Christian ethics which is a two-pronged love both for God and man, is a high point of the epistle. John is dealing with the subject of assurance (as he has been throughout) and has expressed it under several aspects. There is a subjective side, but it is without those unreliable, so-called spiritual experiences on which so many depend: tongues, miracles, feelings, and so forth. There is also an objective side, but this is not without those tender expressions of love that temper mere orthodoxy and validate it. Dodd writes of these verses:
This closely knit statement therefore places the reality of the Christian experience of God beyond question, guarding against the dangers of subjectivism on the one hand, and of mere traditionalism on the other; placing equal and co-ordinate stress on love to God, which is the heart of religion, and love to man, which is the foundation of morality, without allowing religion to sink to the level of mere moralism, or morality to be dissolved in mysticism. The passage is the high-water mark of the thought of the epistle.[1]
Love’s Perfection (vv. 17–21)
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
If people are afraid, it is because of something in the past that haunts them, or something in the present that upsets them, or something in the future that they feel threatens them. Or it may be a combination of all three. A believer in Jesus Christ does not have to fear the past, present, or future, for he has experienced the love of God and this love is being perfected in him day by day.
“It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). But a Christian does not fear future judgment, because Christ has suffered his judgment for him on the cross. “Truly, truly I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24, nasb). “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1, nasb). For a Christian, judgment is not future; it is past. His sins have been judged already at the cross, and they will never be brought against him again.
V17 because as He is, so are we in this world. This means that the Father deals with us as He deals with His own beloved Son. How, then, can we ever be afraid? We do not have to be afraid of the future, because our sins were judged in Christ when He died on the cross. The Father cannot judge our sins again without judging His Son, for “as He is, so are we in this world.”[1]
In verses 13–16 John has developed the first of two ideas introduced for the first time in verse 12, the indwelling of the Christian by God. Now he returns to the second of those two ideas, the perfection of love, and explains what he means practically. Earlier, when he had said, “If we love each other, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us,” the reader might well have been left with the question of how such a thing could be possible. God’s attributes are perfection; he is perfection. Consequently, we might wonder how God’s love could be perfected in us, or anywhere else for that matter. Now John explains his meaning, showing that his emphasis was not so much upon that love that God has in himself (which obviously is already perfect) but rather upon our love both for God and one another. This has its source in God and is brought to completion by him. “Made complete” here does not mean totally without flaw in a moral or any other sense. It means “whole” or “mature,” and it refers to that state of mind and activity in which the Christian is to find himself when the love of God within him, expressing itself in the believer’s own love, has accomplished that which God fully intends it to accomplish.
No doubt there are many aspects of love’s perfection, but from this greater number John singles out two. First, there is confidence in view of God’s coming judgment (vv. 17–18). Second, there is love of the brethren (vv. 19–21).[1]
Confidence
This is the third time in the letter that the word “confidence” (parrēsia) occurs, and it will occur once more. In two of the four instances it refers to confidence before God in reference to prayer (3:21; 5:14). In the other two instances, one of which is this text, it refers to confidence before God in view of Christ’s return and the execution of his righteous judgment against sin (2:28; 4:17).
The idea of God’s judgment is an unpopular one today, but it is not necessarily less popular than it was in John’s time. The problem is simply that men and women do not like the idea of having to account to God for their actions. So they tend to discount the idea, hoping that the day of judgment might just go away. But judgment is the only logical idea of the three ideas usually associated with the end times. In most systems of theology the end events focus around three things: the return of Christ, the resurrection, and the judgment.[1]
V17-18 Number five, we are commanded to love because love is our confidence in judgment.
I look ahead at judgment and I would...I might say to myself, "Well I don't have any fear of judgment, after all, I believe in Jesus." Some people would say that. You hear people say that all the time. "Oh, I'm not worried about death, I'm a good guy and I believe in Jesus, God certainly will let me into His heaven."
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
It's not just the theology that is the issue. Confidence in the anticipation of the day of judgment comes from perfect love being your experience. The day of judgment simply looks at the final reckoning, the final in the broadest sense. In chapter 2 verse 28 it says, "Now, little children, abide in Him so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming." It just looks at the end and says you can live your life with no fear, never fearing the coming of Jesus Christ, never fearing standing before the throne of God, before the judgment. In fact, it says here in verse 17, "You may have confidence," it actually means, boldness.
Go back to chapter 3 verse 21, "If our heart does not condemn us, we have...same word...boldness before God," the kind of boldness that whatever we ask we receive from Him. If you know you're God's, if your heart assures you by this love and obedience that characterizes your life, you can go into the presence of God with boldness and confidence and ask what you will and receive it. That's chapter 3. Here in chapter 4 you can look ahead at judgment without fear. How wonderful is that? You can live without fear.
1 John chapter 3, you remember this, verse 2? "Beloved, now are we children of God." He's the Son of God, and we're children of God. "It has not appeared yet what we shall be," you can't tell right now what we are, "we know that when He appears we shall be like Him." We can be confident in looking ahead at the judgment because when we get to that place, we're going to be made like Jesus Christ. And so, we can live this life with that absolute confidence
verse 18 explains it further. "So there is no fear in love." If you love like this, if you love in this perfect love, this mature, this whole love, there's no fear. You don't fear judgment. You don't fear the return of Christ, you long for it. You say with John, "Even so, come Lord Jesus, come quickly." We have no fear of judgment.
Fear connects with punishment. And if you're afraid of that day, and you're afraid of the coming of Christ, and you're afraid of the Rapture, then you are not perfected in love because where this love is shed abroad in your heart, this love exists, there's no fear...there's no fear.
Heb 2:15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Luke 1:74 To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,
Ro 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."
2Ti 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
a disobedient Christian, a Christian who is sinful and fallen into some kind of pattern of sin, even though it goes against the grain of his nature, even though it's contrary to what he longs for and desires in his truest and purest self, it's a sort of Romans 7 battle and he's losing it, that Christian can lose that confidence
Moreover, the day of judgment is as fixed in God’s eternal timetable as any other day in world history. This is the significance of the word “day.” Technically speaking, the day of judgment is not necessarily a twenty-four-hour period. At all events, it certainly includes a series of judgments upon the earth (Revelation 6–16), the beast and the false prophet (Rev. 19:20), the gentile nations (Joel 3:14; Matt. 25:31–46), Israel (Ezek. 20:33–44), and all individuals at the judgment of the great white throne (Rev. 20:11–15). The reason it is called a “day” is that it is fixed in God’s timetable and will surely come.
In view of this logical and unalterable day in which the thoughts and deeds of men and women are to be judged, an individual might well fear. But John says that in the case of Christians perfect love casts out terror. This does not mean that love for God is the ground of our acceptance before him. The only possible ground is the death of Christ for us and faith in him. It means rather that by love for God any unreasonable fears are quieted and we come to rest in the fact that the one who was for us in Christ will allow nothing to destroy the eternal relationship that the death of Christ established (Rom. 8:31–39).[1]
The sinner must begin by fearing the God against whom he has sinned; but, having believed in Christ who has atoned for sin, he may put away fear and grow in confidence before him
19 We love Him because He first loved us.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Sunday Nov 22, 2020
JAMES 5:19-20 RESTORING STRAYING SAINTS
Sunday Nov 22, 2020
Sunday Nov 22, 2020
James 5:19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
As James comes to the close of his epistle, he stresses the importance of restoring those who wander from the truth:
Restoring straying saints is a responsibility given to ALL who are truly the children of God
1Th 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
Yet, it is a responsibility that is so easy to neglect, and in most cases IS neglected!
The purpose of this lesson is two-fold:
To impress upon our minds the importance of engaging in this work of restoring straying saints
To suggest how we should carry out this important work
THE CONDITION OF SAINTS WHO HAVE STRAYED FROM THE TRUTH
They are in danger of physical DEATH! - Ja 5:20
1John 5:16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death.
RESTORING STRAYING SAINTS REQUIRES SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES...
PEOPLE WHO ARE SPIRITUAL
Ga 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Unqualified personnel need not apply for this work
1) They might best work on themselves first, so they can help others Mt 7:3-5
A SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS - Ga 6:1
A CONSTANT SENSE OF SELF-EXAMINATION - Ga 6:1
If we are not careful, we can easily fall into the same fault!
A WILLINGNESS TO BEAR ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS - Ga 6:2
Which involves an expense of time and energy to help the weak to overcome their faults
Our responsibility is not fulfilled by simply pointing out our brother's faults!
HUMILITY
2Ti 2:24-26 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
BROAD KNOWLEDGE OF GOD'S WORD - 2Ti 2:24
We must be able to teach and apply God's Word to the situation
For it is important that they respond to GOD'S word, and not just to OUR views or opinions!
PATIENCE (longsuffering) - 2Ti 2:24
The same kind that we receive from God for our faults
And Paul showed towards the church at Corinth 2Co 1:23-2:3
Of course, if repentance is not forthcoming, we can wait for only so long 2Co 13:1-2 his will be the third time I am coming to you. "By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established."
2 I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare——
A SINCERE DEMONSTRATION OF LOVE
Both at the time of rebuke - cf. 2Co 2:4
And at the time of repentance - cf. 2Co 2:6-8
IT REQUIRES THE PROPER PROCEDURE...
The proper procedure is outlined by Jesus in Mt 18:15-17
1) Go to the person first
2) Then take others, if necessary
3) Then tell it to the church, if necessary
If he won't hear the church, withdraw any association that might appear to give approval to their behavior cf. 1Co 5:1-13; 2Th 3:6-15;
Ro 16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
CONCLUSION
The work of restoring or correcting saints may be unpleasant at times, but it has the potential for great joy!
Both in heaven: "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." (Lk 15:7)
And in our hearts: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 Jo 4)
It comes down to this...
Do we really love God?
Do we really love our straying brethren?
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Sunday Sep 13, 2020
JAMES 2:14-26 WHAT KIND OF FAITH DO YOU HAVE PART 1
Sunday Sep 13, 2020
Sunday Sep 13, 2020
Christian Life has 2 dimensions:
Faith in God
Love towards Men sum of the Ten Commandments
Faith is an essential element in the Christian life:
Without faith, it is impossible to please God –
He 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
The Christian is saved by faith - Ep 2:8-9
The Christian’s faith is going to produce good works,
Ephesians 2:10 We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”
The Christian is to walk (live) by faith - 2Co 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight
The Christian is to show faith out of love for God
Gal 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
Whatever we do apart from faith or against our conscience is described as sin
Ro 14:23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. Explain
It is important to realize, that there are different kinds of faith, but only one that is true "saving faith"
In James 2:14-26, we find James discussing the different three kinds of faith, with an emphasis upon that faith which will save the soul
v14 If someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can this faith save him? is the key verse
James deals with Liberalism – Saved and can live any way you want to
Paul Deals with Legalism – Can be saved by works
Works are the proof of Salvation, not the path of Salvation
DEAD FAITH (14-17)
V15-16 Substitutes words for deeds (consider James' example)
People with this kind of faith:
1) Know the correct vocabulary for prayer and principles
2) Can even quote the right verses from the Bible
But their "walk" does not measure up to their "talk"!
Is only an INTELLECTUAL faith
In one's mind, he or she knows the way to get saved
But they have never really submitted themselves to God and trusted in Jesus for salvation
They know the right "words", but they do not back up their words with their "works"!
CAN THIS KIND OF FAITH SAVE?
NO! Three times in this passage, James emphasizes that "faith without works is dead" –
James 2:17, 20, 26 – Uses three different examples of dead faith - No works, false compassion, shallow conviction
Any declaration of faith that does not result in a changed life and good works is a false
declaration: A DEAD FAITH!
Dead faith is counterfeit faith and lulls the person into a false confidence of eternal life
C. DO WE HAVE THIS KIND OF FAITH?
We do, if our life does not measure up to our TALK!
We do, if our WORKS do not measure up to our WORDS!
Mt 7:16 "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 "Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. [We need to beware of mere mental faith.
2 Timothy 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1Jo 3:17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
As Warren Wiersbe said, “No one can come to Christ by faith and remain the same, any more than he can come into contact with a 220-volt wire and remain the same."
1Jn 5:12-13 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
v18-19 DEMONIC FAITH shallow conviction
PERHAPS TO SHOCK ANY SMUG or Self Satisfied READERS, JAMES REMINDS US THAT
EVEN "DEMONS" HAVE A KIND OF FAITH!
They believe in God
They even believe in the deity or divine nature of Christ
Mk 3:11-12 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God." 12 But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.
They also believe in the existence of hell
Lk 8:31 And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.
They believe Jesus will be the Judge! - Mt 8:28-29 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?"
WHAT KIND OF FAITH DO "DEMONS" HAVE?
V19 The demons "believe and tremble")they tremble out of fear of God, not respect
CAN THIS KIND OF FAITH SAVE?
NO! A person can be educated in his mind and even stirred in his heart and still be lost forever!
True saving faith involves something more, something that can be seen and recognized: a changed life! (cf. Ja 2:18)
Being a Christian involves repentance, trusting Christ and living for Christ!
You first RECEIVE the life of Christ
Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. The Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit
Then you REVEAL the life of Christ living in you
Do we have the same kind of faith as the demons?
We do, if our service to God does not go beyond...
Intellectually clinging to the right beliefs
Emotional experiences while attending services
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Sunday Oct 22, 2017
PHILLIPIANS 3:1-3 THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRUE AND FALSE CHRISTIANS
Sunday Oct 22, 2017
Sunday Oct 22, 2017
1) To see the error of placing confidence in fleshly accomplishments
2) To understand the need to strive toward perfection in our desire to know and serve Christ
3) To be reminded of our true citizenship in heaven
SUMMARY In this chapter we find a warning against those who place great confidence in the flesh (1-3). If anyone had reason to boast about fleshly accomplishments, it was Paul with his Jewish heritage (4-6). But all such things were considered rubbish in relation to the
BEWARE OF THE JUDAIZERS (1-3)
Rejoice in the Lord! (1) The Need to Rejoice
The distinctive characteristic of the False Christian - vs 2 Their Conduct Beware of "dogs", Isa 56:10; Ga 5:2, Ga 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
Their Character evil workers 2Co 11:13
Their creed or beliefs - the false circumcision 1Ki 18:28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.
Gen 17 the sign of it given De 10:16; 30:6;
The distinctive characteristic of the True Christian - For the true circumcision are those who... Ro 2:25-29
Col 2:11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
Eph 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands--)
Our Character - Worship God in the Spirit - John 4:24
Mt 15:8 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
1Pe 3:4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
Ac 2:25 "For David says concerning Him: 'I foresaw the LORD always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
De 5:29 'Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!
Our Conduct - Rejoice in Christ
Our Creed - Have no confidence in the flesh (3)
Application
Don’t despair or be discontented - Rejoice in the Lord!
Beware of those that would lead you astray
Don’t trust in Works but Christ
Do you worship Christ with all your heart?
De 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. B. PAUL'S EARLIER CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH (4-6)
Paul had many grounds for boasting in the flesh (4)
A list of things pertaining to the flesh in which he could have boasted (5-6)
PAUL'S DESIRE TO KNOW CHRIST (7-11)
He counted all as loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ v7