1,2,3 John
1 John 2:3-6 - QT by Noah
1 John 2:3-6
"3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did."
Have you ever been in a situation where you know something is bad but you are so tempted to do it even though it may affect you in the wrong way? Whether it’s eating fast food to lying to even more extreme things like doing drugs, every human being has committed this and yes, it is known as sin. In the current world today, there is only a small percentage of believers compared to the vast majority of people living in the world. The funny thing is that there are churches all over the place and yet you would think there’d be a least a little more percentage of people that believe. The sad truth is that even for those that go to church, there may be many in the congregation that aren’t true believers and go to church just because they feel that they need to, but don’t know the actual purpose of going to church. In this part of Chapter 2, we can’t simply say I know God and not do what He says. Instead, we need to obey and follow His words, and when the thought of sin comes to mind, we need to ask ourselves, what would Jesus do?
1 John 3:13-14 - QT by Noah
1 John 3:13-14
"13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death."
Have you ever been in a situation where someone did something to you or to someone you love and as a result you hated them for it? True Phoenix Suns fans probably hate the Chicago Bulls and also the Los Angeles Lakers because they were so close to winning and going to the championships, but lost to these teams when it mattered the most. I’m sure everyone has some person that they hate or have hated in their lives at one point. As Christians and followers of God, our number one priority is love just as God showed His love to us when He had Jesus die on the cross for our sins. However just because we love, it does not always mean that we will receive love back. Verse 13 says to not be surprised if the world hates you. In other words, being a people pleaser will not work if you are a Christian because one, you're serving people not God, and two, there will always be someone who will probably hate you. Verse 14 says basically if you love, then you have life. There are so many forms of love and sometimes people misinterpret love for worldly pleasure. As followers of God, we need to be demonstrating God’s love and having that flow through us. God’s love never fades, it is always there and it is something we must always strive to have. So instead of using the word hate, try using love or really think about why you might not like someone or something. Let’s move forward in life with God’s love in mind and share that with the world.
1 John 4:7 - QT by Noah
1 John 4:7
"7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."
What would you say is the definition of love? Well, according to the Oxford dictionary, love is an intense feeling of deep affection. Now this affection… Where do we get it from? Is it from people? Is it from fame? Maybe fortune? Ever since the start of sin, people have begun to find pleasure in the world and have a false belief that they will find love in it. Fame, money, power, and much more is what most people strive for. However, we as Christians and believers of God need to go back to the roots. Verse 7 says, “let us love one another, for love comes from God”. It doesn’t come from other people or other things. Love in the world is so temporary and short. It has its ups and downs and is never completely stable. God’s love on the other hand is indescribable. It is a love so perfect and fulfilling that nothing else can compare to it. So as believers, we need to remember where love, true love, is coming from. With the focal point being God’s love, we should share that love and compassion with the world.
1 John 5:4-5 - QT by Noah
1 John 5:4-5
"4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."
What is the one thing you think off when you think of the world? Yes, it’s a very broad subject, but a couple words that come to my mind is home, war, people, problems, and sin. I’m sure we’ve all heard of the tem “Not of this world” and as Christians, it should almost be a defining trait of ours. When someone approaches you, they should almost have a thought like, “what makes this person so different? How is he or she so successful and special?” When God works in our lives, we do extraordinary things. Things that are not of this world. But the sad thing is that it is so, so, so easy to get roped up in the thing that is the world. It is so easy to sin and get tangled up in the worldly pleasures. So how do we overcome it? How can we get the victory and be the champions? 1 John 5:5 gives us that answer. We must believe that Jesus is the Son of God. To conclude, we must always believe. Believe that no matter what happens, we will overcome the obstacle that is the world.
2 John 1:9 - QT by Noah
2 John 1:9
"9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son."
What does it mean to run ahead? Is it going too fast? Maybe pushing too hard? Maybe it’s not thinking fully? A picture that comes to mind is imagining yourself hiking on a trail unknown to you but you are with a group of others. You feel they are going a little too slow for you so you start going faster and faster and as you look back you start to see a distance separating you. You keep going but then soon realize that your group is no longer behind you and come to the scary conclusion. You are lost and don’t know the way back. John says in the verses that you can definitely run ahead, but we must continue the teaching of Christ and stay planted in it. Once we take our eyes off God, then that is where we fall off the path and get lost. So we have to remember to come back to Him. It’s a scary thought to not have God in your life, because when you don’t have God, your life begins to be a world of chaos. I believe we should still push ahead as we grow with Christ, but be careful not to go so far where God is no longer the focus.
3 John 1:5-6 - QT by Noah
3 John 1:5-6
"5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God."
Have you ever had a moment or situation where someone you did not know made your day? In other words, they did something to make your day better. Maybe it was something simple or maybe it was something more special. The owner of the pharmacy I work for constantly stresses the three core values of the business and that is compassion, dedication, and enthusiasm. To be honest, when he first had his meeting explaining this, I didn’t take it very seriously and just went about my day. But more recently it finally hit me why these values are not only important in the workplace, but it is also important for life. To be specific, the spiritual, mental and physical self. Us as human beings will never be able to know what another person is thinking or what they might do. We can’t predict what will happen and we also don’t know what has happened to an individual until they let you know. As followers of God and disciple makers, we need to not only be different, but make a difference and create an impact in the world whether it’s big or small. In the verses in 3 John, his friend Gaius would show love and faithfulness to strangers and because of that difference, they told others, in this case the church, about him. We need to have an impact like that where we don’t necessarily verbalize the gospel, but show it in action. So maybe someone is having a bad day and is giving attitude. Sometimes a smile and asking how they are doing goes a long way. Let’s be difference makers.
1 John 5:3-4 - QT by Noah
1 John 5:3-4
"3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."
There are times when I think to myself, “what would it be like to be a parent and how will my kids behave? Will I love my kids always? And will they love me?” Then I think to myself now and look to see how I’m doing as a child of God. In verse 3, it says to love God means to keep His commands and that they are not burdensome. Since we are born sinners, it is an extremely hard task to follow but we must remember that everything is possible with God. I know my walk with God will be a challenging one, because the stronger I become with Christ, the more Satan and his demons will tempt me. Verse 4 however keeps me at ease knowing that if you are a born again Christian and are born of God, then it is through God that you will overcome the world. So there are two takeaways from this. One, we need to follow God’s Commandments as it is the easiest way to show that we love Him. Lastly, two, it is only with God that we will overcome the world.
1 John 5:9,12 - QT by Noah
1 John 5:9,12
"9 We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."
I think it is kind of strange that we as humans will go to people for help and guidance over God. I mean think about it. Would you go to The Creator, God? Or would you go to another individual who may be knowledgeable, but doesn’t know you as a person completely? I do believe there is beauty in testimony, but we need to understand who it is pointing to. It’s not about how you changed, it’s about how God changed you. It’s not about what you did, but instead what God did in you. I think it is important that we have human testimony because it is what is accepted but it always needs to point directly to God and nothing else. We as Christians need to make sure that we are pointing other Christians, but especially non-believers, in the right direction. We need to make sure that they fully understand God’s testimony because it is much greater and more powerful than our own. Whoever has Jesus has life, eternal life, and whoever does not have Him does not have life and is dead.
1 John 5:14-15 - QT by Noah
1 John 5:14-15
"14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to talk with God like how it was in the Old Testament? To be able to have a faith so strong to know that He is there and He will hear us when we pray. Verses 14 and 15 are how we should be praying when we approach God. It is not us asking God for the world (so think money, fame, fortune) but instead it has to be things that are according to His will not ours. Basically, instead of being selfish, we must be selfless when approaching God. Verse 15 seems to talk about faith more than anything. The act of knowing that God hears us, but not only that, it’s knowing that we will have whatever we ask God for. It is a truly interesting thought, but God gives us everything we need, not necessarily what we want. He knows our true desires but also knows what is absolutely best for us. As Christians in our walk with God, let’s be confident that God hears us and pray for His will in our lives. Let’s have faith that God listens.
2 John 1:10-11 - QT by Noah
2 John 1:10-11
"10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. 11 Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work."
Being hospitable is a great trait that everyone should learn and practice, but there comes a point where one can be a little too hospitable. John was saying to this woman in the church to not bring people who do not have the teaching of Christ into their home. To put this into practice, it’s not saying that we shouldn’t associate with them completely, but when you invite someone in your home, it is much more deeper than when you are just meeting them outside of the comfort of it. We still need to be hospitable like Jesus was, but need to be careful who we accept because the world is more dangerous than ever before. Like we went over yesterday, the people we should be reaching out to first are the people that still believe in the idea of Jesus and have not rejected Him yet. Everything from God always has the perfect time, place, and location. Some might say it’s coincidental, but God makes no mistakes. Let’s be cautious with the people we see, but like Jesus did, we still must reach out to those that are struggling and those that are in need.
3 John 1:11 - QT by Noah
3 John 1:11
"11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God."
Have you ever seen the purification process of sewer water to clean drinking water? It basically goes through a series of filters until the water becomes crystal clear and more importantly, drinkable. Now you might think to yourself that sewer water is just sewer water, but the filtered water ends up tasting just like fresh, bottled water. Our lives as human beings are like sewer water when we start. Our hearts are naturally full of sin and that clouds our judgement and our thinking. Those that have not seen God fit into that picture. But on the other hand, those that do good have gained that from God. I think our walk with Christ is a filtration process. Each filter is us getting closer to God and seeing Him more clearly until He is completely visible. Each and every one of us needs to have a personal relationship with Jesus in order for us to even see Him. Then, prayer, worship, and staying in the Word is how we get more filters in our life. The world has a lot of things that are very raw and sewerlike, but as children of God, let’s be the filterers so that the end goal is all good instead of evil.