His Love Ministries

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL 1 JOHN 1:8 WE ARE DECEIVED IF WE BELIEVE WE HAVE NOT SINNED

1 John 1:8 says If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  I remember I was talking to a woman about Christ and she told me she never sinned.  I told her the Bible says we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.  But she had been deceived and thought she had no need of Christ since she was not a sinner.  How about you?  Do you think you are good enough to get to heaven on your own?  Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life.  You need to ask God to forgive you and save you because Jesus died on the cross for your sins, that’s the only way to get to Heaven.

JOHN 1:19-26 THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN ABOUT HIMSELF

John 1:19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." 22 Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said." 24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.
We’ve seen the testimony of John about Christ, now we see the powers that be asking John who he is and why he is doing all the things he is doing, especially baptizing.  They are worried about who he is and why he has come and why so many people are flocking to him out in the desert.  John will not even speak about who he is but does what he always does, his job, which is to point others to Jesus.  The ones who are sent go away without the answer of who he is, but heard something much more important that they do not even listen to or care about.  How sad for them.
The Presentation by John The Baptist
Who was John? …The cousin of Jesus
We see the early years of John the Baptist in Luke 1:5-80
His birth is foretold by Gabriel to His father Zacharias in 1: 5-25   
Zacharias rendered speechless
Jesus birth is foretold to Mary in 1:26-38
Mary’s visit to Elizabeth in 1:39-45
Baby leaped for Joy (John)
Mary sings a song of joy in 1:46-56
John’s birth in 1:57-66 ….Named him John
Zacharias’ prophetic song in 1:67-79
John’s growth and early life in 1:80
He lived in the wilderness, wore a camel hair coat and ate locusts and honey
We see his Public Ministry in Luke 3:1-18
John’s Presentation of Christ to the religious leaders – verses 19-28
Verse19 - Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.
Jews used about seventy times in John’s Gospel. Refers to the Sanhedrin or governing body of Jews
Made up of legalistic Pharisees who had about 600 laws that they kept in addition to the 10 Commandments
They traveled 26 miles to question John
This shows 7 things
Sending persons of such character and figure, was showing John a great deal of honor
Serves to make his testimony of Christ the more public and remarkable
It also shows what a noise John's ministry and baptism made among the Jews, that it even reached Jerusalem, and the great council of the nation;
They thought he was the Messiah, it shows the opinion that was entertained of him
Luke 3:15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ.
They were afraid that there may be something to what he was saying. They were the top dogs and might lose their position of power.
They thought they needed no repentance, so could not stand someone preaching it
It was a show of power, they sought to stop him from his ministry
Verse - 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ." Or Messiah... both mean "the Anointed One 21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."
Hearing of John’s doctrine, character, and baptism because he appeared so suddenly, he seemed to have dropped from heaven in the part of the country where Elijah was taken to heaven so they thought he was Elijah
Mal 4:5 “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.
 Mt 11:14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.
Luke 1:17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous-- to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Mt17:12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
1st He had already told them he is not the Messiah
2nd He was not a prophet like Samuel or Elijah who would get involved in public affairs and bring them out from under the yoke of Roman Bondage
3rd He was not Elijah that had been raised from the dead
4th He was a prophet who had revelation from God, but did not get his revelation by dreams and visions as did the OT prophets
5th They thought the prophet and the Messiah were two different people
Verse - 22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'" {Isaiah 40:3}
In the original context this refers to God leading them from Babylonian exile through the desert
Romans 11:25-27 - It is a prophetic call for Israel’s greatest and final return to God from spiritual darkness.
His humble attitude –
He refers to himself as a mere voice thus focusing the attention totally on Christ
The voice of one Crying –(Crying out loud) His earnestness and heart for the people to repent
He was in the wilderness – Hear from God when secluded and in solitude away from the hustle and bustle of the world.
Have you ever heard the still small voice of the LORD?
1Kings19:11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
Make straight the way of the Lord
He came to rectify the corruption of the law by the scribes and Pharisees
To prepare people to receive the Lord
Psalm 24:7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Verse 24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
They asked knowing it would be used when the Messiah came
Zechariah 13:1 "On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
Ezekiel 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
They asked because he had denied he was Elijah and they wanted to know by what authority he Baptized
Verse26 - “I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."
1st He tells them he only baptizes with water and cannot do any more
The baptism signified when the Gentiles were converted into Judaism
It signified repentance and becoming a people of God
This was amazing as they hated Gentiles and they were saying they were as Gentiles
Repenting in anticipation of the return of the Messiah
2nd He points them to the one all of our lives should point to Christ
One that can do for them what he cannot
Next he tells them that Jesus stands among them
God is often nearer to us than we know
Christ is to be preferred over him
Notice that the priests and Pharisees do not ask John where the Messiah is
They wanted to harass him
The did not come to receive instructions so their ignorance was willful
They might have known Christ but would not, this is a willful rejection of Christ
Psalm 84:10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL 1 JOHN 1:7 THE STANDARD OF TRUE SALVATION

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Hi, I'm Marty McKenzie with His Love Ministries.  1 John 1:7 says But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. This is better translated since we walk in the light.  This means we have truly been saved, we are habitually living according to the truth of the bible, we have a special bond with other believers because of the Holy Spirit that lives in us, and we are continually being cleansed from sin by the blood of Jesus Christ. Does your life meet this standard of true salvation? 

JOHN 1:15-18 THE WITNESS OF JOHN ABOUT JESUS CHRIST

John 1:15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'" 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
             In this section of scripture we see the use of courtroom terms giving us the legal witness of John the Baptist about Jesus and who He is.  We see that John talks about Jesus being the preeminent one and that we see all of God in Him.  That He gives Grace whereas Moses gave the law which could only condemn.  Lastly we see that Jesus is the one who explains to us who the Father is.
 Verse 15- John the Baptists testimony corroborates John the apostles statement regarding the eternality of The Incarnate Word.
Verse 16- Grace for grace This phrase emphasizes the superabundance of grace that has been displayed by God toward mankind especially believers.
Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
 Ephesians 2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Verses 17 and 18 shows that the law given by Moses was not a display of God’s grace, but God’s demand for holiness. God designed the law as a means to demonstrate the unrighteousness of man in order to show the need for a Savior Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:10,14 and 21-26 also speak of this
The law revealed only part of the truth and was given to prepare men for the full truth, the reality towards which the law pointed came in the person of Jesus Christ.
Verse 18- Who is in the bosom of the Father – tells of the mutual intimacy, love, and knowledge existing in the Godhead(three in one God) Luke 16:22 The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
Declared- Theologians-men who study religion derived the term exegesis which means to interpret
John meant that all Jesus is and does interprets who God is and what He does.

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL 1 JOHN 1:6 ARE YOU IN FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS OR ARE YOU A LIAR?

1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
Hi, I'm Marty McKenzie with His Love Ministries.  1 John 1:6 says If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  Today there are many people who say they are Christians, they trust in Jesus and they are going to heaven, yet they still live in sin and do not intend to change.  This verse says that a person that says he knows Jesus, but still habitually lives in sin is a liar and does not live according to the truth of the Bible.  The bottom line is that if you live that way, you have not been saved, and you will not go to heaven.

JOHN 1:14 JESUS CAME AS GOD IN A HUMAN BODY

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
 If you want to read a book of the Bible that will tell you about who Jesus really is and why He came, read this Book.  John 20:30-31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (NKJV)  John wrote this book with no birth narrative, no manger scene, no geneology, but he went straight to the point in John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. He wants to let us know the Jesus is God in human flesh.  He is not a God as some of the cults say, but He is THE ONE AND ONLY GOD.  John uses seven Key miracles, seven key people and the seven I AM statements of Jesus to make the point that Jesus is who He said He was and still is today.
 The Incarnation of Christ….Incarnation means in the flesh
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
 Matthew 1:17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ. 18 ¶ This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19  Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  20  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  21  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23  "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us." 24  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25  But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
 Verse 14 – The Word became Flesh- This emphasizes that the eternal and uncreated Christ took on human form.  The Infinite became Finite.  The Eternal was conformed to time.  The Invisible became Visible.  The Supernatural One became Natural.  He was still all God and all man.
The benefits of this are:
He revealed the Father to us
He is our example
He is our sympathetic High Priest
Died to save sinners
Dwelt – means to pitch a tabernacle (some temporary structure or shelter) Or live in a tent
Exodus 33:11 – Tabernacle of witness- where God spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.  In the New Testament- God chose to dwell among his people in a far more personal way by becoming a man.
We Beheld His Glory – Although his deity was veiled, we still see glimpses of his Divine Majesty, Matthew 17:1-8 – Mount of Transfiguration – They also saw Christ’s glory in a spiritual way (grace, goodness, mercy, wisdom, truth) Exodus 33:18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." 21 Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."
 Only begotten- has the idea of “the Only Beloved One” it emphasizes the character of the relationships between God and Jesus- giving Jesus a unique prominence (being first).
 Full of grace and truth- Exodus 33:18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." 21 Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."
 Exodus 34:5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD.  6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
LORD-Yahweh-The Self Existent One
Jesus as Yahweh of the OT displayed the same attributes as when he tabernacled among men in the NT

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL 1 JOHN 1.5 GOD IS HOLY

1 John 1:5 tells us that the message the disciples heard from Jesus and that they are declaring to us is that God is light and in Him is found no darkness at all.  In the Bible light speaks of truth on an intellectual level and righteousness on a moral level.  Darkness on the other hand speaks of falsehood and sin.  This means that God is perfectly holy and is the only source of real truth.  It also means that He will never lie or do anything wrong.  In a day of whatever feels good do it, God sets a standard that we can never meet on our own.  This means that we can only approach God through the person of Jesus Christ. 

JOHN 1:12-13 BUT AS MANY AS RECEIVED HIM

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
 In John 1:12-13 John begins to tell us how even though the world did not know Christ (cf: John 1:10-11) when He came into this world that He created and that His own special people the Jews did not know Him nor receive Him when He came into the world; that as many as received Him will be saved.  In other words, it is the ones who by faith alone ask God to forgive them on the basis of what Jesus did on the cross will be saved. He tells us how these who ask for forgiveness for their sins will become the children of God and the fact that man cannot be saved by any human effort of good works or mental effort of the will, but only by the grace of God (cf: Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.)  I hope you will listen to this message and explore this passage as it answers many questions about working and willing ourselves into Heaven, it just cannot be done.
The Acceptance of Christ
            Verse 12 and 13 - We see stressed a believing remnant
Verse 12 - As many as received him/ to those who believe in his name the second phrase describes those in the first. 
To receive him who is the Word of God is to acknowledge his claims, place faith in him, and give allegiance to him.
            Gave- emphasizes the grace of god in Salvation.  Ephesians 2:8-10
The right- Those who receive Jesus (The Word), receive full authority to claim the exalted title of God’s Children.
            Verse 13 - Ultimately it is not mans will that produces salvation, but God’s will.
Verse 13, here we look into the very nature of God. “Who were born”--to be a child you have to be born; this is that new birth, regeneration. “Who were born not of blood.” Know what that means? Heritage, descent; it doesn’t come down from your ancestors. That’s not how you become a child of God, not because of your parents or your grandparents, or your family. “Nor of the will of the flesh.” Not because of personal effort, personal moral effort, personal spiritual effort, personal religious activity. “Nor of the will of man.” What does that mean? The acts of others, some sacramental system, some system of religion plied by so-called priests on your behalf. You’re not going to become a child of God by family heritage. You’re not going to become a child of God by personal effort. You’re not going to become a child of God by some man-made system--all impossible.
New life does not come because of physical desire either. No amount of wanting it and striving for it will bring it. The only thing that will is belief in Jesus.
"The term 'flesh' (sarx) is not used by John to convey the idea of sinfulness, as it often does in Paul's writings. . . . Rather, it is indicative of weakness and humiliation as seen in 1:14. It simply affirms that in the Incarnation Jesus became fully human."
Third,  new spiritual  life  does  not  come  because  of  a  human  decision either, specifically, the choice of a husband to produce a child. It comes as the result of a spiritual decision to trust in Jesus Christ. The Greek word for "man" here is andros meaning "male." The NIV interpreted it properly as "husband" here.
New spiritual life does not come from any of these sources but from God Himself. Ultimately it is the result of God's work in our life, not man's. Therefore the object of our faith must be God rather than our heritage or race, our works, or our own initiative.

JOHN 1:8-11 JESUS CHRIST IS THE TRUE LIGHT WHICH GIVES LIGHT TO EVERY MAN

In John 1:8-11 we see that John is not the light, but he came to be a legal witness of the one who is the light, Jesus. Light always stands for truth, righteousness, purity, and holiness. Darkness stands for error, falsehood, and immorality. He begins to tell us how Jesus gives light which is His revealing of Himself to everyone who has been born or will ever be born.  This is a good section of scripture which shows us that everyone has an opportunity to hear the Word of God and be saved if they want to. We talk about the scriptures that show us that God has revealed Himself to everyone through creation and conscience and that we have enough knowledge to know there is a God. This makes us responsible and if we reject Him, then we go to hell because we made a choice to not know that God who has revealed Himself.  He also tells us the fact that Jesus created everything (see Colossians 1:15-17) and He came to earth, but the very people He created did not even know Him and recognize Him when He came.  Not even His special called people, the Jews didn’t even recognize Him or receive Him as their Lord and Savior.  What a shame.
Rejection of the True Light Jesus Christ 1:9-11
Verse 9 - Or that was the true light which coming into the world gives light to every man.  Written backward for emphasis on light – remember light stands for Biblical truth, purity, and holiness
-Highlights the incarnation of Jesus Christ which gives light to every man – Through Gods sovereign power God has planted his knowledge in man through creation and mans conscience.  Enough to be responsible. – Romans 1:18-22, The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 ¶ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20  For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Romans 2:11  For God does not show favoritism. 12  All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13  For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14  (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15  since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16  This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
This leads to either looking to the light or rejecting it.
-Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the light that God placed in man’s heart-
The world- John uses it 75 times in the gospel– invisible spiritual system of evil dominated by Satan and all that it offers is opposition to God, his people, and his world. 
            Verse 9 - most of the time John uses it in a negative manner.
 Verse 10 - World made through him- Proverbs8:22 ¶ "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; 23  I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. 24  When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water; 25  before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, 26  before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world.  27  I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 28  when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,  29  when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. 30  Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, 31  rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind. 32 ¶ "Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. 33  Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. 34  Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. 35  For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD. 36  But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death."
 The world did not know him.
Verse 11 -He came unto his own and his own knew him not- Jews- a chosen people- most still looking for Messiah to come- Salvation first offered to Jews when rejected him- gave it to Gentiles or all people- Isaiah 65:2 All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations-- 3  a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick;
Jeremiah 7:25
  Cornelius- Acts 10,  Mark- looking for Jesus for Gentile at Sermon on the Mountain

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL 1 JOHN 1:1-4 NOT JUST RELIGION BUT TRUE SALVATION

1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--  2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
In 1 John 1:1-4, it speaks of the fact that Jesus was seen and heard by the disciples because he came in the flesh.  John says Christianity is not just another religion, but a relationship with a living God who came and died on the cross for our sins.  But there is also a fellowship with other Christians and God that results from that relationship called salvation.  We also need to realize that the final result is that our joy may be complete.  Joy is a deep down settled feeling of peace and satisfaction that we can have no matter what the circumstances.  Do you know this Jesus I am talking about?
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JOHN 1:4-8 LIFE, LIGHT, AND A WITNESS

John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
In this section of scripture John begins to tell us that Jesus is the source of all life, not only physical, but spiritually also.  He lets us know that this life is the light or the holiness, righteousness, purity, and truth of man and that this Logos (THE WORD "Jesus Christ") is the one who supplies the truth that shows us that our way of living is not the way God wants us to live.  But the darkness (ungodliness, unrighteousness, impurity, and lies of man) can not understand the holiness of God, nor can it defeat Him.  He also shows us that John is the witness that was testified of in Malachi 4:5 and that he came to tell us who Jesus is.  John is not the light but was sent to bear witness (legal courtroom witness) so that we might believe in Him Jesus Christ who was sent to be the Savior of the World.  John 3:16
1:4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
John uses the word life 36 times in this Gospel
It means our Spiritual and eternal life imparted as a gift through belief in Jesus
He is called "the Life" and "the Light," because he has in himself life and light, and gives them to his creatures at his pleasure;
Ephesians 2:5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved.
In Scripture light means biblical truth, holiness, or purity and darkness refers to error, falsehood or sin and wrongdoing
 1: 5 Jesus was the light that shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it. Jesus Christ overcame darkness.
The forerunner of Christ
Verse 6 - Sent from God –That man was John the Baptist, with the beginning of John’s ministry thus ended the 400 years of silence between the Old Testament and New Testament during which God had given no revelation. Matthew 3:1, 3:1-6, Mark 1:4, 1:2-6, Luke 7:20, 1:5-25, 1:57-80
Malachi 3:1"See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty.
Matthew 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
Verse 7 - Witness…bearwitness-The terms reflect the courtroom language of the Old Testament where the truth of a matter was established on the basis of the multiple witnesses Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15.
 John witnessed regarding Jesus as Messiah and The Son of God-
That all through him might believe- refers to John as the one who witnessed to Christ to produce faith in Jesus Christ as Savior of the World.
1:8 - He was not that light- John the Baptist was the agent of belief and Jesus was the object of belief.
  John’s role as a person and his ministry were important.  Matthew 11:11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
But he was merely the announcer of Jesus Christ. Many years after John’s ministry and death some still failed to understand John’s subordinate role. 
Acts 19:1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3 So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. 4 Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL JOHN 12 THE BEST GIFT FROM MARY

In John 12 Mary takes a very costly perfume, breaks the bottle and pours it all out on Jesus and wipes His feet with her hair.  First of all, she gave her best and greatest gift when she poured out her costly perfume, probably worth $20,000 - $25,000 at our rate of exchange today.  This was probably all her wealth and savings she had in this world.  Then, she also used her hair which speaks of a woman’s glory.  She humbled herself and anointed Jesus for His burial with her perfume and her hair.  How about you, are you giving Jesus your best, your all, and humbly bowing down and worshipping Him?

JOHN 1:3 JESUS CREATED IT ALL

John 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
In verse 3 Jesus is shown as God’s agent in creating everything  in the universe.
Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
 
In this week's message I speak to the issue of Jesus creating everything and all of the wonderful ways our world works together as a created world, the beauty and order of it all. I remember the food chain the solar system, and the hydrological cycle from my school days, but it comes alive when you see the beauty and wonder of it all by looking at it through the lens of the Bible.  I like to go to a site called creation moments.com; you can sign up for a daily email that will help you to see the world through the lens of creation rather than the lie of evolution which could have never happened.  When you see a watch you know someone made it, it is the same with everything in our world and universe, without a creator it would not exist and it amazes me how you could see all of this and believe that it just HAPPENED.  Read this below, it is a creation moment and you can get the flavor of what I am saying!
Ice Age or Greenhouse?
Genesis 8:22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease. It is interesting to look at scientific predictions made, say, a generation ago. Here is one that appeared in the December 1977 issue of Science Digest predicting our future climate. This article pointed out that the world's climate is already cooler than at many points in recorded history. It said that at one time Greenland was actually green and England was a major producer of wine. The article noted that while a few scientists think the Earth is warming, most climatologists agree that Earth's climate is definitely cooling. Some even say that we may be in for a new Ice Age. The words "Ice Age" evidently caught the media's attention. Some listeners will recall the same message given on radio and TV. The certainty of evidence for a cooling Earth is interesting in light of the same certainty, a quarter century later, that the Earth is heating up! And notice how both predictions are working from almost the same temperature records. The article noted the reason for this early fear: the winter of 1976-77 was especially cold and snowy for much of the northern hemisphere. Then, a decade later, after a warmer summer or two, we hear about a runaway "greenhouse effect." Our best response is to remember the Lord's promise to Noah that the seasons, seedtime, and harvest will continue until the end of the world. Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I ask that You would protect me and all who are Yours from the fears which so terrify a world which neither knows or regards Your promises. Help Your people to be lights in the midst of this darkness. Amen.

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL JAMES 2.14-26 TRUE FAITH VS FALSE PROFESSION

 In this section of Scripture we will see the difference between the true children of God and the false professors.  Many people say they belong to God, but Jesus tells us here that if we were truly His children then our walk will match our talk.  It is easy to say you are a follower of Christ; it is another thing to have that ring true by the way you live and talk day in and day out.  The Bible always matches saying and doing together. James 2:14 says what does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?  In other words if you say you have faith, but are not backing it up by working for God, then you are not really saved.  He says can this kind of faith save him.  It is a question that is asked with the implied answer of no it cannot and will not.  He puts it this way in James 2:20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 
James 2:14-26 says there are three kinds of faith, one is a dead faith that talks the talk, but cannot and will not walk the walk because it is not real.  One that is demonic, they say they believe in God, but the demons also believe and tremble.  Then there is Dynamic faith, that is true saving faith which believes that Jesus Christ’s work on the cross alone is sufficient to get them into heaven and works for God because they love Him.  It is one demonstrated by a love for those who cannot help themselves and by living a pure life by the power of God.
 

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN INTRODUCTION

The Gospel of John is God’s premiere evangelization book.  It is written by the disciple that Jesus loved using seven key signs that show that Jesus is God.  He uses seven witnesses and the seven I am statements that Jesus gave us while He was here on earth.  John does not give us any genealogy, no birth narrative, no manger scene, he just cuts to the heart of the matter when he introduces the book with the statement that in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God.  And if that is not enough in verse two he repeats the fact that He was there in the beginning with God.  Folks, this book is written that we know that Jesus performed these signs and that we might believe as it states in Chapter 20:30-31.  I don’t know about you, but I am excited about getting into this book and seeing all that God has in store for us as we learn about who Jesus really is and why He came to this earth for 33 years.
  It was written by the disciple that Jesus loved. He was the most intimate with the Lord Jesus.
 John 13:23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.
He also wrote 1st John, 2nd John, 3rd John and the Book of the Revelation.
John was one of the “inner three” disciples of our Lord. Only Peter, James and John were allowed to accompany Jesus into the house of the synagogue official, whose daughter had already died before Jesus arrived (Mark 5:35-43; Luke 8:49-56). Here, apparently, John first witnessed our Lord’s power over death.
John’s life is an illustration of the grace of God.. John had no status in life as a fisherman nor was he an educated man, even by the standards of that day (see Acts 4:13). He certainly did not possess any qualities or education that impressed the scribes and Pharisees. He was a volatile fellow, a “son of thunder.”
It focuses on Who Jesus is and Where he came from
Shows the central fact that Jesus is the whole reason of Christianity. More music has been written, more pictures painted and more drama written about him.
It is a Spiritual Gospel because:

It Supplies unique material not included in the Matthew, Mark, or Luke. Over 90% of the material in John’s Gospel is unique to John, not to be found in the other three Gospels.

His Gospel helps with the understanding of the other three Gospels
Most thorough study of Jesus and it has the most material on the Holy Spirit.
John’s Gospel does not include …
Jesus’ genealogy
an account of our Lord’s birth
any events in our Lord’s childhood
It has two purposes:

It is evangelistic or written to bring people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ

The word believe is in this gospel 100 times
John 20:30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
The simple word, belief, or to believe.  There’s no greater writer than John in understanding the nature and the essence of belief.  It’s equated to following God.  Belief is an action, followed by some type of command.  Belief is hearing, belief is worship, belief is obedience and belief is commitment in John’s language.  So John is trying to explain to us belief; unlike maybe the way some of us have accepted, belief is a point in time thing.  If you’re here today and you’ve trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you’ve put your faith in Him, you believed in Him for this gift called eternal life.  We typically talk about that as a point in time, right?  There was a point in time when you did that.   At a certain age, you heard a message, a retreat, a camp…you came to a point in time you believed.  John, however, uses the words every single time (100 times in his Gospel) as a verb, never a noun.   And I think the deliberate reason John does this:  Yes, there’s a point in time when we believe, but there’s a living, an on-going activity of faith, to have a life of faith in Jesus Christ.  To believe in Him means more than “Yeah, I believe in Jesus.”  It means more than an intellectual agreement.  It means more than quitting a cognitive place, “Yeah, I believe in Him.”
It’s an active, vital relationship.
So what’s the Gospel of John about?  It’s a message of grace to the heart of man.  It’s the good news of Jesus Christ to hopeless people who are desperate for hope.  Do you know any hopeless people? 
It is apologetic: Written to convince the readers of Jesus true identity as the Incarnate God-Man. Or God in human form.

He is God, the Creator of the Universe, who has no beginning—1:1-3
He is God come in human flesh—1:14
He is infinitely greater than John the Baptist, the greatest prophet—1:19-28
He is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world—1:29-36
He is the Son of God, the Messiah, the King of Israel—1:40-51
Shown by the 7 miracles in the book, 1 after He is raised from the dead
John makes a great contribution by the use of “signs” which attest to our Lord’s deity and claims to be Israel’s Messiah.


The Seven Signs - John uses a Special Word for sign that means a miracle with a Message
 


Turns water into wine (John 2:1–12)
 

Jesus is the source of life.
 


Heals a nobleman’s son (John 4:46–54)
 

Jesus is master over distance.
 


Heals a lame man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1–17)
 

Jesus is master over time.
 


Feeds 5,000 (John 6:1–14)
 

Jesus is the bread of life.
 


Walks on water, stills a storm (John 6:15–21)
 

Jesus is master over nature.
 


Heals a man blind from birth (John 9:1–41)
 

Jesus is the light of the world.
 


Raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:17–45)
 

Jesus has power over death.[i]
 


In addition, there are the “seven witnesses” of John …

John the Baptist “This is the Chosen One [literally, “Son”] of God” (1:34)
Nathaniel “You are the Son of God” (1:49)
Peter “You are the Holy One of God!” (6:69)
Martha “You are the Christ, the Son of God” (11:27)
Thomas “My Lord and my God!” (20:28)
John “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (20:31)
Jesus “I am the Son of God” (10:36; see also 4:26; 8:58)

Finally, there are the seven “I AM’s” of John …

“I AM the bread of life” (6:35)
“I AM the light of the world” (8:12)
“I AM the door for the sheep” (10:7; cf. v. 9)
“I AM the good shepherd” (10:11, 14)
“I AM the resurrection and the life” (11:25)
“I AM the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6)
“I AM the true vine” (15:1; cf. v. 5)

Jesus was actually sacrificed at the same time the Passover Lambs were being sacrificed.
Explain
Chapters 1-12 - Show Us Jesus is Lord - The signs of the Son of God – 3 Years time
Chapters 13-17 - How to Grow In Christ – The Secrets of the Savior – A few hours
Chapters 18-21 - The Supremacy of Christ – Victorious over Sin and Death  - A Few Weeks

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL ROMANS 1:25-32 OUR SOCIETY IS IN A DOWNWARD SPIRAL OF SIN

Romans 1:25-32 says because we worship things rather than Him our society is in a downward spiral of sin.  The crime rate for women in our country is rapidly growing upward, as our society forgets God, He leaves us to have our own way.  Romans 1:26 says even the women are involved in homosexuality along with the men.  When women fall to the same level of sin as men, our society has really left God to the point that even though they know that God will judge them they don’t care and they not only continue to sin, but egg others on to do the same thing.

1 JOHN 5:13-21 HOW TO HAVE THE ASSURANCE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO HEAVEN

I John 5:13- Purpose of Writing The Epistle
1John 5:14
1) Confidence of freedom from shame at the rapture, 2:28,
2) Confidence of a clear conscience in prayer, 3:21-22, and
3) Confidence at the judgment seat of Christ because our love resembles God’s love, 4:17.
Principle: God is accessible to the believer.
Confidence in prayer is for those who are born again yet many experience frustration in prayer. They can trust God for eternal life but they cannot trust Him for this life. We trust God for a life without end but we do not trust Him to meet our financial needs.
We have a general faith in God but very little confidence in Him. We know that we place confidence in God if we have an effective prayer life.
Matt. 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Eph 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Application: Our right of asking God for petitions and intercessions is unconditional. Our right rests on the person and work of Christ. That is why we come in Jesus’ name.
John 14:24 “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
 The Christian today has access to the God of the universe because Jesus broke the barrier between God and the Christian. The Christian has uninhibited boldness in prayer because of the work of Jesus Christ.
Heb. 4:14” Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
that if we ask anything
“If we ask” presumes expectation. Since the Christian is certain that he possesses eternal life (5:13), he can be confident that God answers prayer.
Principle: We must know the will of God to have confidence in prayer.
because God did not answer their prayer. They assume that prayer fails to meet their needs.
Some Christians use prayer as a genie that persuades God to do what they want. If they rub the genie the right way, they get what they want. This is a parody of prayer. By this they make outlandish demands on God that they believe is their right. God promises to meet our needs, not our “greed”. This is praying “according to our lusts,”
James 4:3 “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
Genuine prayer prays in God’s will and according to God’s nature. Prayer outside God’s will is an insult to His integrity. There is a wide range wherein we can pray. We pray for what God requires, not what we desire.
 Prayer is not an endeavor to move God to see things our way. It is not an attempt to change God’s values or standards. God is not willing to give His child something that is not good for him. God wants to give what is in the best interest of the child of God. God does not pander to self-gratification.
Phil. 4:19” And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Our prayers must align themselves with the will of God and be consistent with the character and plan of God for the universe. Jesus said, “Not my will but Yours be done”.
according to His will,
God always answers prayer that is asked “according to His will.” God reveals His will in the Word of God. God answers prayer according to certain standards. For example, we must ask in Jesus name (John 14:13; 15:16) and be in fellowship (John 15:7; 1 John 3:22) for God to answer prayer. Another condition is to have confidence that God hears and responds to prayer.
there are many prayers God never hears.
Psalm 66:8 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.”
1 Peter 3:7 “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”
1 John 5:15 “And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
When a child of God believes God’s promises in prayer, God moves His hand for that believer.
Application: God has certain ground rules for answered prayer. Here are a number of qualifications to answered prayer:
Praying in Jesus name (prayer that is consistent with His person and work and based on that authority), John 14:13-14; 16:23-24
Abiding in fellowship (the Spirit-filled life), John 15:7; Ps 66:18; James 4:3
Ask in faith, James 1:5-8; Je 33:33
Ask according to God’s will, 1 John 5:14
God never violates Himself to answer our prayers. He will not contradict His holiness to answer prayer.
Matt. 7:11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
Prov. 15:8, “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.”
Prov. 15:29 “The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.”
Luke 11:1 “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
Luke 18:1 “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart…”
Acts 6:4 “…but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
1 John 5:16 “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death
John continues his discussion on prayer in this verse but he extends the issue to praying for those in spiritual need.
The object of prayer in this verse is a believer out of fellowship. The word “brother” clearly indicates that the person in need is a Christian (2:9-11; 3:14-15; 5:1). The words “a sin” indicate that the issue at hand is a specific sin or an identifiable sin.
The person who prays about this situation must “see” the sin for himself.
which does not lead to death,
The idea of “death” here is not spiritual death but physical death. Some Christians die prematurely because of protracted unconfessed sin (1 Cor. 5:5; 11:30).
Principle: Some Christians die physically before their time.
Application: Christians begin eternal life at the point of salvation and can never lose that salvation at any future point.
John 10:28 “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”
John 17:11 “Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.”
However, Christians can lose the experience of abundant living.  John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
There are a number of occasions of the “sin unto death” in the Word of God. Ananias and Sapphira are cases in point (Acts 5:1-11). God sentenced them to death for misrepresentation of the facts. Paul assigned a Christian living in incest to death should he not repent (1 Cor. 5:1-5).
Moses committed the sin unto death by striking the rock (Nu 20:8, 12). Achan committed the sin unto death by hiding condemned garments in the book of Joshua. He and his family were put to death for this.
Many Christians do not die in bed. God does not allow them to live out their full amount of years. God jerks them up short and takes them home to be with Him. He takes them home with a dishonorable discharge. That is a miserable way to go home to meet God. God saves their soul so as by fire. He saves some people by the skin of their teeth.
1 Cor. 3:15 “If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
James 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. James 5:16 “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
1 Tim. 5:24 “Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. 25 Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.”
1 John 5:17
“All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.”
All unrighteousness is sin,
“All unrighteousness” is an occasion for intercessory prayer except for the sin unto death (5:16).
5:18-20 Final Assurances
1 John 5:18 No one born of God Sins
“We know Principle: Once it was natural to sin but now it is unnatural.
1 John 5:19 - We are Of God
1 John 5:20 - Son of God has come and given us understanding  Heb 1 – Son has spoken to us in these last days.

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL JAMES 1.19-27 BE SWIFT TO HEAR

Hi, I'm Marty McKenzie with His Love Ministries.  James 1:19-27 says that we should be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.  That we need to lay aside all sin and receive the truth that is able to save our souls.  Many of us are like the man who looks in the mirror, we see that something is wrong, but don’t do anything about it.  We are not only to be hearers of the Word, but doers.  He says if we are not doers and our faith is not expressed by good works, we are deceiving ourselves and are not saved.  So where do you stand?

1 JOHN 5:6-12 THE WITNESS OF GOD

If you want a witness from God, if you want to be one of God's witnesses who echoes God's testimony, there isn't really a better place to go than right here. 
The witness of God concerning His Son, says verse 9 It is our faith in Him that overcomes the world.  We must believe in the true Son of God, the true Christ, the eternal one. 
 in chapter 2 verse 22, "Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ, this is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son...that is the equality between God the Father and God the Son.  Whoever denies the Son doesn't have the Father, the one who confesses the Son has the Father also."  One's Christology is critical, one's right view of Christ is essential to salvation.  Again in chapter 3 John affirms this.  Verse 23, "This is His commandment that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ."  Chapter 4 again, verses 1 and 2, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, tests the spirits to see whether they're from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  By this you know the Spirit of God.  Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God and this is the spirit of antichrist." 
chapter 4 to verses 9 and 10 we read: "By this the love of God was manifested in us that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."  Understanding and believing the truth about Christ and His redemptive work is absolutely critical.  Chapter 5 verse 1, "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God."  And what is our faith?  Verse 5, "Believing that Jesus is the Son of God." his is the witness of God concerning His Son.  This is the testimony of God.  Down in verse 10, "The one who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself." That is if you believe Jesus Christ to be who the Father says He is, you have received God's testimony.  The one who does not believe that Jesus is who God said He is, makes God into a liar.  And so we have in this text this most important theme of the witness of God.  God here summarizes His testimony concerning His Son.  John here is elaborating on a single statement that he made in his gospel, John 20:31, "These are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you might have life through His name."  That was the purpose for which he wrote the whole of the gospel of John the great "I Am" titles that compose so much of that gospel.  And, of course, the gospel of John starts with the great statement that” In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. 
If you want to know the testimony of God, don't listen to the Jehovah's Witnesses, listen to God's true witness recorded through the gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and most notably John, whose purpose is to write things that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and believing have life through His name.
What does "water and blood" mean?
That is not any divine statement, that's a very physical, very human affirmation that this person was dead.
Then there's a second view that has gained some popularity that this refers to the two ordinances of the church.  Water, referring to baptism; and blood, referring to the communion service...baptism and the Lord's table. that doesn't give any divine witness either because that's a function of the church.  That's not a God-given witness, that's a church witness, isn't it? 
And I would say something else, as well.  In the baptism of Christ He identified with sinners, didn't He?  He identified with sinners.  You see, baptism was baptism of repentance.  It was baptism of repentance.  He didn't have anything to repent of.  But there in that most unique way He told John, "You have to baptize Me."  John said no, the reverse is true.  And He said, "No, you have to baptize Me.  I need to fulfill all righteousness."  And there He was in His baptism identifying with sinners and defining the reason He came.  And the Father gave witness, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."
And the second divine testimony was given at His blood, as it were, or at His death, that at the end of His ministry...at the end.  That too defined His ministry because as He had identified with sinners in going into the waters of a baptism of repentance, He fully identified with sinners at the cross by taking their punishment.  Those are tremendously defining events, two monumental experiences bracketing His ministry of redemption.  And so the Father says, "I gave testimony at His baptism, testimony at His death."
sometime after 90 A.D., a serious heresy had already developed which said that Jesus was God's Son at His baptism, but not at the cross.  .  This is part of the developing of Gnosticism. We've seen how they believe that spirit was good and matter was evil, and so they denied the full doctrine of the incarnation that God, the good Spirit, could ever take up permanent residence in a human being, was unacceptable to the dualism of their thinking.  They did allow the Christ's Spirit to come down at the baptism, stay awhile and then go away.  They could not involve God in flesh in any permanent way and certainly not in the sufferings of death. 
Verse 7, "And it is the Spirit who bears witness because the Spirit is the truth," or, "Because He is the Spirit of Truth."  The third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, gives witness from the Father of the Son because He's the Spirit of Truth.  He always speaks what is true.  Doesn't just mean that but it does mean that. 
verse 8 then says, "For there are three that bear witness, the Spirit and the water and the blood and the three are in agreement."
we find the very same thing here in chapter 5 verse 13, to know you're saved you have to know you believe in the Son of God.  The name of the Son of God means all that He is...all that He's done.  And so belonging to Jesus Christ, belonging to God starts with believing in Jesus Christ Anything else is antichrist and cuts one off from salvation and eternal life.
Now the question is, what is it that brings us to this conviction?  What is it that brings us to this faith?  What is it that brings us to this believing?  And the answer is, the witness of God.  verse 17 of Matthew 3, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."  The Father is perfectly pleased with the Son.   bore witness saying, 'I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven and He remained on Him.'"
Matthew chapter 27, verse 45. "From the sixth hour, darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour."  Supernatural darkness,  verse 51, "Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."  That cannot be done by men, far too high, far too heavy. And the earth shook."  God literally shook the planet.  "And the rocks were split and the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised and coming out of the tombs.  After His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many." 
 verse 54 says, "Now the centurion and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became frightened and said...what?... 'Truly this was the Son of God.'" Not only did the centurion say it but those who were with him said it.  There's no other conclusion.  This was the Son of God.  Here was God's testimony at the cross. And you could also say that the Father's testimony was given at the cross by the fulfillment on the cross of the Old Testament pictures.  For example, Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 He was smitten of God and afflicted, that's why He said, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"  
All right, God then gave His testimony.  Why did He give it? 
verse 11, let's look at the purpose for God's testimony, very simple.  "And the witness is this..."  Here's the reason for the witness.  "The witness is this, that God has given us eternal life." the reason that God gives this witness is because God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son.  So if you don't have the witness of God that brings you to believe in His Son, you don't have eternal life.  Eternal life, zoe aionion, is life in God's Kingdom, the next life, eternal life, life after this life. 
It's always about eternal life. We've talked about the witness of God and the purpose of that witness. 
Let's talk about a response to God's witness.  And with this we'll back up to verse 10 and then look at verse 12 just briefly.  What should be our response?
Verse 10, "The one who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself.  The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar because he has not believed in the witness that God has borne concerning His Son." You who believe have received an eternal life and you have a lifelong grip on Jesus Christ, you will never let go.  "Those who went out from us went out from us because they never were of us, but you hold on to life through faith in Jesus Christ."
verse 12.  "He who has the Son has the life.  He who does not have the Son of God does not have the life." 
Is that simple enough?  If you don't have Christ, you don't have life. 
John 1:12 is a good place to end.  "As many as received Him, as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."  If you haven't received Him, Jesus Christ, believed in His name, you have not been saved. All of that the Father's testimony through these three great confirming categories of evidence.  And the end result is if you believe, you embrace the truth and you are saved and you are given eternal life.  If you don't, you make God a liar because you will not believe.  It's as simple as this.  If you have the Son, you have eternal life.  If you don't, you have no eternal life.

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL AS CHRISTIANS WE NEED TO REPENT

As Christians it looks like we have some repenting and some crying out to God we need to do. Just as the Israelites in the book of Judges were oppressed by others because of their sin, we too have sinned and fallen very short of the calling we have as Christians. It is no wonder we have the leaders and people who are oppressing us. Let us begin to live as we ought to and fulfill our calling as Christians, then we can cry out to God to ask Him to deliver us. 1Pe 4:17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

1 JOHN 2:15-17 THE LOVE THAT GOD HATES OR THE TEST OF LOVING THE WORLD PART 2

1John 2:16 And the pride of life
 Ja 4: 16 “But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
Pride involves both boastfulness and self-sufficiency.  It is a willful independence from God, “I have enough resources in myself.  I don’t need God.” 
Ga 5: 26 “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
 Ph 2: 3 “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
is not of the Father but is of the world
God gives at least 5 strategies to fight against the world, the flesh and the devil.
1st He commands us to “flee.” 
1 Ti 6: 6-11 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.”
 2 Ti 2: 22 “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
 2nd His command to deal with the “flesh” is to deny or not yield to it.
 Ro 6: 12 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
 3rd His command against the Devil is to “resist” him by submitting to God.
 James 4:7 Jas 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
1 Pe 5: 9 “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
4th His command is to bring every thought captive unto the obedience of God.
2Cor 10:5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
 5th His command is in Ga 5: 16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. of the flesh,
 The world’s values are short-lived (temporary) (2:17)
1Jo 2:17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
The world is a temporary system.  God’s values endure into eternity
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
Mt 24: 35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
 and the lust of it;
 The person who dies with the most toys does not win!
Jim Elliot, the missionary martyred by the very people he was trying to reach with the gospel, said this; “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” 
Co 3: 2 “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth”.
 But he who does the will of God abides forever
The will of God is the best thing we can do with our lives. 
 1 Pe 4: 2 “…that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.”
 The will of God is the true purpose for the life of the believer.  Everything worthwhile revolves around God’s will.  It should be the normal activity of the Christian. 
Ep 5: 17 “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Co 1: 9 “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding…”
 Jesus did the will of God in Gethsemane (Mt 26:39).  He prayed that prayer in the greatest crisis of His life. There is something more important than our personal welfare – the will of God. 
 1 Pe 4: 2that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”
Ps 40: 8  “I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”
abides forever
 His point is that those who walk in fellowship with God enjoy doing something that will last forever.  We want to be an asset, not a liability, to the cause of Christ in time for when we do that, it will last forever. 
 Notice the three reasons why we should not love the world.  An absolute God cannot fellowship with a Christian who loves the world.
The love of the Father is not in him
For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.
The world is passing away
2Co 5:18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation
Mt 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Mt 6:9 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
Mt 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you
Mr 10:29-31 So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's,

PASTORS QUIT FEEDING YOUR PEOPLE JUNK FOOD

Please, if you are a Pastor or bible teacher and are feeding your people junk food, quit.  If you feed them junk long enough they will grow to like it and starve to death.  God’s true believers need the meat of the word. The bible says the true children of God in their inner person desire holiness and they will pursue an environment where they are aided in fulfilling those longings.  So quit falling prey to the desires of the goats in your flock and the desire to be popular and feed the lambs and the sheep as Jesus told Peter 3 times in John 21, so it must have been really important.

1 JOHN 2:15-17 THE LOVE THAT GOD HATES OR THE TEST OF LOVING THE WORLD PART 1

We cannot love God and the world simultaneously (2:15)
1John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The word “world” occurs 22 times in this epistle.  There are four different words for “world” in the New Testament: 1) earth, 2) the inhabited world, 3) age or generation and 4) The devils system of values.  John uses the fourth here. 
The “world” is the Devil’s system of values. 
1 Jn 5: 19 “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”
 Ja 4: 4 “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Worldliness is not taking pleasure in the natural realm for God wants us to enjoy the spectacular Grand Canyon.  He wants us to enjoy sports and the symphony.  Taking pleasure in the earth is not wrong but yielding to the values of this world violates our fellowship with God. 
or the things in the world.
 These are the material things of the world put at the core of our value system.  Some Christians incorporate satanic integral systems of greed into their lives that advance the Devil’s evil ends. 
PRINCIPLE:  Greed is part of the satanic world system. 
If anyone loves the world,
 2 Co 5: 14 “For the love of Christ [Christ’s love for us] compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again, 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
This phrase begins the first of three reasons why we should not love the world.  An absolute God cannot fellowship with a Christian who loves the world.
the love of the Father is not in him
 The love of the world and the love of the Father are mutually exclusive.
2 Ti 4: 10 “…for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world…”
Ro 12: 1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
 Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
 The system of values in the world are contrary to God’s values (2:16)
all that is in the world Is not of the father
 We can condense the world system to a three-fold appeal:
 Lust of the flesh Genesis 3:6, Eve  Mt 4:1-11, Jesus
Lust of the eyes
Pride of life
Ro 6: 12 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”
Once we become Christians, a titanic tug of war begins to take place within the Christian.  It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to win that war.
 The “lust of the flesh” is the cravings and ambitions of the sin 
The “flesh” refers the sinful nature, the sinful tendencies of humanity, the fallen condition of man, which is present in the body. There is an inclination to follow evil found in our flesh. 
 the lust of the eyes,
 This usually takes the form of excessive materialism.  This is the idolatry of possessions.  It is not the actual consumption of sin but the contemplation of it that is in view. 
Mt 29 “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”
The eye of the flesh wants to see more and more.  It is never satisfied.  That is why we want to “keep up with the Joneses”. 
We want things that we do not need to buy things with money we do not have in order to impress people whom we do not like! 
Job 31:1 "I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?
Pr 27:20 Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied.
 

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL JUDGMENT ALWAYS BEGINS WITH GOD'S PEOPLE

Judgment always begins with God's people. God is in the business of raising children for eternity and expects us to be a credit to Christ on earth. He does not want us to bring reproach on the Bible, expects us to be an example to those without Christ and an asset to the cause of the gospel. God is sovereignly intervening into lives to bring us back to Himself. If we stand in the way of people coming to Christ, God will do something about that. We may be obstacles and cause some people who know us reject the gospel because they see we don’t show the reality of the Gospel’s power to change lives.

1 JOHN 1:1-4 A BIBLICAL VIEW OF JESUS

Written to combat Gnosticism. A Preoccupation with deliverance from the flesh dualistic view of man [matter was evil and spirit was good].  · Matter is inherently evil.
 It was Peter’s task to talk about the kingdom of God, Paul about the church of God, but John is concerned with the family of God, to bring them back to the basics of truth.  He was a net mender
 One is in the passage just read, Verse 4. “And we are writing this that your joy may be complete.”….Answers the fear of loneliness
Then in Chapter 2, Verse 1, he says, “My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin.”… the problem of guilt.
 And in Chapter 2, Verse 26, he gives us the third reason: “I write this to you about those who would deceive you.”… that we might be free from deception.
 In Chapter 5, Verse 13, he gives us the fourth reason: “I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”… I am writing this to assure you” – that you might find security,
 At the close of this letter John tells us, “He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life,” {1 Jn 5:12 }.
 1John 1:1-4 is a defense of the authenticity of the humanity of Christ, or the Test of Believing that Jesus has come in the flesh
 1Jo 4:2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 1Jo 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
He talks about A relationship, a fellowship, and a joy that follows.
A relationship
V1 John does not refer here to the absolute beginning of creation (Ge 1:1) but to the beginning of the message of Jesus Christ to the apostles
Luke 24:39 “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” 40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.”
The “Word” is Christ manifested as God’s message. He reveals God.
Hebrews 1: God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,  2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
“Of life” means life-giving. Jesus is both the messenger and the message. The message and the messenger are identical. 
V2 2 Peter 1:16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
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.’”
A fellowship
V3 Entering the eternal life of the Son will produce two results: 1) fellowship with fellow believers, and 2) fellowship with the Father and the Son.
A Definition of fellowship
There is, first of all, a partnership, i.e., the sharing of mutual interests, mutual resources, mutual labor together. God and I, working together, a partnership.
All that I have is put at his disposal.
 But it is not only partnership, there is also friendship. Friendship and partnership together spell fellowship. Have you ever thought of this, that God desires you to be his friend?
John 15:15 Jesus said to his disciples, “I have not called you servants, but I have called you friends,”
 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.’”
Jesus shows us the life that man is intended to live – a continual dependence upon the life of the Father. Look at the earthly life of Jesus and this is exactly what you see. He keeps saying, “I don’t do these things, it’s not I who accomplishes these works, it is the Father who dwells in me,” {cf, John 14:10}. He is continually reminding people that he says only what the Father is saying through him that they are not his words, he simply looked to God and trusted God to be working through him, leading him to think the thoughts and to say the things that God wanted him to say. In doing this he expressed exactly the mind of God. It is that life that John is talking about, a new way of living, a new way of reacting to situations in dependence upon God.
  And that is what makes a Christian, to share the life of God by relationship to a Person, the only Person who has that life, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
 A Joy That Follows
V4  Then, when you have fellowship, you have the third thing that John mentions. These things we are writing, he says, “that your joy may be full.”
 Joy is a kind of quiet inner excitement and this is what results when we really experience the fellowship that John is talking about. When we discover that God is actually
 When we discover that God is actually using us, it is the most exciting and joy producing experience possible to men.
Jer. 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.
 There is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness depends on what happens; that is, it depends on circumstances. If our circumstances are good, then we are happy. However, if our circumstances are poor, then we are unhappy. However, joy is independent from circumstances. Circumstances cannot affect our relationship with God. 
 Song…It’s real, it’s real, thank God it’s real
 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.’”

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL WILLFUL IGNORANCE

Many people are ignorant of God’s righteousness, not because they had never been told, but because they refused to learn. There is an ignorance that comes from lack of opportunity, but some have had many opportunities to be saved. Many have an ignorance that stems from willful, stubborn resistance to the truth. They will not submit to God. They are proud of their own good works and religious self-righteousness, and will not admit their sins and trust the Saviour. Paul had made the same mistake before he met the Lord. There is a day of judgment coming and on that day it will not make any difference who you are!  Are you making the same mistake?

PHILIPPIANS 4:10-23 ARE YOU CONTENT

V10 –12 Paul trusted in God’s provision
Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
1Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to win. 25 Each competitor must exercise self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. 26 So I do not run uncertainly or box like one who hits only air. 27 Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified.
Deuteronomy 8:2-5 Remember the whole way by which he has brought you these 40 years through the desert so that he might, by humbling you, test to see whether deep within you would keep his commandments or not. 3 So he humbled you by making you hungry and feeding you with unfamiliar manna so that you might understand that mankind cannot live by food only but also by everything that comes from the LORD’s mouth. 4 Your clothing did not wear out nor did your feet swell all these 40 years. 5 Be keenly aware that just as a human being disciplines his child, the LORD your God disciplines you.
Matthew 4:1-4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’
It was Satan who maintained that unmet needs are evil; it was our Lord who insisted that when God leads us into circumstances where we must do without, we must trust Him, rather than to meet our unmet needs.
1 Timothy 6:6-8 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
Hebrews 13:5 says, "Be content with whatever you have, for He said I will never leave you or forsake you."
V12 The secret spoke of being initiated into the mystery/ pagan religions where only they knew the secrets
"It is good for me that I have been afflicted" (119:71)?
Let you conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. Fore He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'" (Heb. 13:5).
V13 Paul trusted in God’s power
This word means to pour strength into something or someone. The Lord renders Paul strong by pouring his strength into him.
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 even because of the extraordinary character of the revelations. Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me—so that I would not become arrogant. 8 I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul says when I have come to the end of my own resources, then I experience the power of Christ to sustain me.
Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Eph 3:16, 20 I'm praying that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man , v20 "Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory."
The Father gives strength: "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power" (Eph. 1:19).
The Holy Spirit gives us strength, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Another passage that indicates the power of the Holy Spirit in us is Romans 15:13, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
The Word of God gives us strength, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12).
The Son also gives strength, "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (II Cor 12. 9). Compare also II Peter 1:3.
The Christian, therefore, has four different sources of strength!
The verb "strengthens" means to surcharge with energy. The word carries the idea of "infuse strength."
Why is it, then, that some Christians seek to convince us that any unmet need in our life is the result of our lack of faith?
V14 – 18 Paul trusted in the Philippians Love or Paul’s thanks for the Philippians gift
2 Corinthians 8:1-5 Churches of Macedonia gave above their ability, v5 they first gave themselves to the Lord, then to us
v14 "Giving and receiving" refer to a double transaction. In the first transaction, gifts moved from the Philippians to Paul. In the next transaction, the blessings of having done that flow back to the giver. "If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?" (I Cor 9:11).
 V15 The word "shared" is a mercantile expression meaning to render to the account of. The Philippians by their contribution to Paul opened an account with God. No other church opened an account in the ministry of the apostle during this period.
These words are business terms describing the credit and debit side of the ledger. The Philippians owned much to Paul since he led them to Christ and nurtured them in the faith. Thus Paul held credits on their ledger. It is only natural that they would honor that credit. The Philippians formed a partnership with Paul in the gospel. They opened a co-account. That account holds both a debit and credit ledger. This is the giving and receiving.
No local church at this time shared their finances with Paul except the Philippians. They were in a class apart. Other churches could have shared with him but they chose not to do so. They had the opportunity. They knew of his need but they couldn't care less. There is a big difference between churches. Some care about the lost, others do not. Some churches are evangelistic oriented, others not.
V16 The words "once" and "again" emphasize repetition in the Greek. They sent money on more than one occasion. This is an acknowledgment of Paul's warm reception of their gifts.
This is remarkable since he was in Thessalonica for only a brief time. They were aggressive in their giving! They kept track of the needs of their missionary.
V17 "Abounds" was used in the money markets in Paul's day for accumulation of interest. The word "accumulating" may be a good translation for "abounds." This word is a business or commercial term. The word is in the present tense -- this fruit currently accumulates to their account.
V18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, This statement is their receipt marked "paid in full."
Having received from The two words "from" and epaphroditus indicate appreciation for the kindness of both Epaphroditus and the church.
You will remember that Paul wrote about the falsely religious in chapter 3. Isn’t Paul doing just the opposite here when he responds as he does to their gift?
PRINCIPLE: Giving is a barometer of our spiritual condition.
Their gift smells sweet to God. It has the fragrance of perfume to God. This is an offering that pleases God. There were two types of sacrifices in the Old Testament: 1. Sacrifice for sin. 2. Sacrifices that bring worship. The second usage (worship) is the idea in this passage.
We have an idiom in the English language that says, "Something does not smell right here." That is a negative image. "Sweet-smelling aroma" has a positive connotation. This offering smelled good to Paul and to God.
PRINCIPLE: Giving is an act of worship.
In the Old Testament this word was used of animal sacrifices. Their gift was a sacrifice (II Cor. 8:1-5). They gave out of poverty. Here it is a money sacrifice that is acceptable to God.
PRINCIPLE: When we give, we give not only to God's servants but to God himself. It is a sacrifice to God. Monetary sacrifice praises God. God puts a premium on giving that comes from love.
Matthew 6:19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Hebrews 13:15-16 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
V19 -20 Paul trusted in God’s promise
v19 The context of God meeting our financial needs is in the environment of our meeting the needs of others. In verse 18 the Philippians gave an acceptable sacrifice that was a sweet smelling aroma to God. If everything is flowing out and nothing flowing in, the Philippians will themselves be put in jeopardy financially. God will not allow those who give sacrificially to go in want. We cannot out give God. He has a bigger shovel.
The promise here is that God will supply "all" the needs of the Philippians, not just some of them. God's supply is comprehensive of every type of need. Whether our need is temporal or spiritual, God will meet it.
Luke 6:38, Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.
Psalm 37:25, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.
Prov. 3:9, 10, Honor the Lord with our possession, And with the first fruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
PRINCIPLE: God supplies our need when we meet someone else's need.
God's commemorative giving does not apply to every believer. It only applies to those who have given sacrificially.
Note the contrasts in this passage: "You met Paul's need; I will bless you according to my riches. You supplied one of my needs; I will supply all of your needs. You supply out of poverty; I will dispense out of my riches in glory. You supplied by the hand of Epaphroditus; I will supply by Christ."
God administers his supply to the giver through Jesus Christ.
Mt. 6:25 Cares for birds of air, will take care of us
1Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God”
James 4:1-3 1 Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you? 2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; 3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 9 as it is written, "He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, his righteousness endures forever." 10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God
2 Corinthians 8:10-12 So here is my opinion on this matter: it is to your advantage, since you made a good start last year both in your giving and your desire to give, 11 to finish what you started, so that just as you wanted to do it eagerly, you can also complete it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is present, the gift itself is acceptable according to whatever one has, not according to what he does not have
In the Old Testament, God promised to prosper His people. This was not so that they could “build bigger barns” (see Luke 12:13-21), it was so that they would have the means to minister to those in need.
Acts 20:32-35 And now I entrust you to God and to the message of his grace. This message is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have desired no one’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me. 35 By all these things, I have shown you that by working in this way we must help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Luke 16:10-13 “The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches? 12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money”
William Dalton identified four elements common in both the prologue (1:3-26) and the epilogue (4:10-20). Paul's return to these ideas in the epilogue ties the book together and gives it unity. ". . . We seem to have evidence of an inclusion which binds the whole letter into one unit. First of all, the idea of partnership is strongly expressed at the beginning and the end. Thus in 1:5 Paul is 'thankful for your partnership (koinonia) in the gospel'; and in 4:15 he records that 'no church entered into partnership in giving and receiving except you only.' This partnership is reiterated in another parallel: in 1:7 the Philippians are sharers (sugkoinonous) of grace with Paul; in 4:13 they are sharers (sugkoinonesantes) with him in his trouble. At both beginning and end we have the same idea expressed in different ways: the long-standing partnership of the Philippians with Paul: 'from the first day until now' (1:5), and 'in the beginning of the gospel' (4:15). And finally the reciprocal attitude of sympathy between Paul and the Philippians is expressed in the same phrase; in 1:7 he says 'it is right for me to feel this about you' (touto phronein huper panton humon), and in 4:10, 'You have revived your concern for me' (to huper emoi phronein)."
Are we a thermometer or a thermostat?  We either influence or we are being influenced
V21 - 23 Paul’s final greetings to the Philippians
Saints of Caesar’s household
Acts 9:13-15 But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel.
Peace is the result of right living … This Do and the God of peace will be with you
Just as Contentment is the result of right living  Story about the lady taking the flowers to the cemetery

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL DISASTER AND THE US BEING JUDGED

The United States has a blind spot when it comes to disaster. A report stated that ‘nowhere in the world is the rising number of catastrophes more evident than here.’ Every continent has seen an increase in weather-related disasters over the last 30 years, yet none surpasses our own. Yet despite an estimated $1 trillion in damage from these disasters, Americans have so far been unwilling to take the needed steps to head off an even worse future.” Get it? God’s telling us something. We’re not listening.. America is obsessed with the so called good life and we are Ignoring God’s warnings.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6-9 PEACE THAT SURPASSES UNDERSTANDING

The problem is worry …………v6
Most people have an inadequate knowledge of God and an inadequate trust in God...both are blasphemous.
Matthew 6:25-34 "For this reason I say to you, Do not be anxious for your life as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor for your body as to what you shall put on."
 2.   The prescription is prayer…………v6
1 Peter 5:7, casting all your care on Him, because he cares for you
Psalms 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
 3.   The promise is peace…………v7
John 16:33, "In this world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.
Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 43:23 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
 
4.     The principle is right thinking or the principle of displacement…………v8
2 Corinthians 10:5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true
John 17:17, "Thy Word is truth." Psalm 19:9, Psalm 119:15
Whatever is noble, means worthy of respect
"Whatever is right." And the word is righteous. Think on what is absolutely consistent with the holiness of God.
"Whatever is pure," meaning morally clean, undefiled.
"Whatever is lovely," that means pleasing, attractive, amiable.
Whatever is of good repute," which means well thought of, or highly regarded.
"If there's any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things
 Since there is excellence and since there are some things worthy of praise, please focus on them." Please. Your mind is the greatest treasure you have in terms of those gifts of human life.
 Luke 11: 24 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 “And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 “Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
Proverbs 23: 7 For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he
Right thoughts lead to right attitudes which lead to right actions
5.   The practice of Godly living…………v9
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
 6.   The provision of God’s presence…………v9

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL JOHN 6 FOLLOWING JESUS NO MATTER WHAT

Hi, I ‘m Marty McKenzie with His Love Ministries.  In John 6 when Jesus began to speak about the hard things of the Bible such as living for Him and Him only and that we can only come to Him if it has been granted to us by His Father, most of His followers left.  He asked the disciples will you leave too? But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  Most people today will not stand up for the Word of God.  They would rather compromise and go with the popular opinion than be disliked.  So which one are you a compromiser, or will you follow Christ no matter what it may cost you?