"Praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, being watchful
to this end with all perseverance
and supplication for all the saints..."
Eph 6:18
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Hello again! Let's begin with prayer.....
"Father God, today is another glorious day to lift up our praise and adoration to You because You alone are worthy to be praised. I thank You, Father, for Your mercy and grace in that You condescend upon us and hear us when we call out to You. Thank You for that gift.
I seek forgiveness of my sins. I know I was not in Your word nearly enough this week, and I know this is sin. I pray that You will wash me clean, purge me of my sins, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. I pray that You will guard my tongue and give me wisdom.
I lift up each lady reading this study to You, Lord. I pray that You will hear her voice when she cries out to You. I pray that You will relieve her of her burdens and give her Your yoke which is easy. I pray that You will come alongside her, encourage her, lift her up, and give her Your peace.
In Jesus' name...amen."
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The Outworking of Love
In this, our final verse for chapter 3, we will look at what glory there is for believers when we keep the commandments of God. We are under His protection , his promise, and His provisions when we stay in His commandments and abide with Him.
1 John 3:24-
"Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."
Last time we looked at what the commandments of God are: that we should believe on the name of Jesus Christ and love one another. These two commandments encompass the Ten Commandments:
Please read:
Ex 20:1-17
By comparing Jesus and the belief in Jesus to the first ten commandments, John equates Jesus with God. Otherwise, if Jesus is not God....then John would be breaking the first of the commandments:
"I am the Lord Your God...you shall have no other gods before me..."
But because Jesus and God are one in the same, by believing on the name of His Son Jesus Christ...we are not breaking the commandments but obeying them.
Obeying the commandments of God are essential to any Christian's happiness.
John 14:23
It means union and communion with the Lord. Remember, fellowship is one thing....but abiding is quite the other. Jesus not only promises fellowship, but also that He will abide in us if we obey.
Rev 3:20
Rev 21:3
The promises of Jesus never fail us. If He says He will abide in you...then He will!
John 14:21
Jesus will reveal Himself to those who keep the commandments.
John 17:21
We will be one with the Lord.
Gal 3:28
Col 3:11
Eph 2:15-18
1 Cor 12:13
We are all one in Christ now....if we keep the commandments.
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"And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."
The Spirit of God is freely given to those whom He loves and knows. It is that Spirit that binds us and seals us in with God.
Rom 8:9-16
It is the Spirit Himself that bears witness that we are children of God.
Rom 8:5-8
Therefore, we should live in the Spirit and not in the flesh.
Rom 5:5
1 Cor 2:14-16
Gal 5:22-26
Gal 6:8
James 4:4-5
By the Spirit we have that eternal abiding with Christ. We now have the mind of Christ Jesus. We are set free from our own minds that bind us and hold us down and condemn us.
Phil 1:20-21
2 Cor 1:20-22
Because we have been sealed by God through the Holy Spirit, we are forever changed.
As we sum up all that we have learned in chapter 3 of 1 John, we clearly see that John wants his readers to know what sin is and what it does to the believer...he wants us to know what love is and that we are to show it to others....and he wants us to remember the commandments of the Lord seal us to God forever for that protection, so that we partake of the promises...and that we have all the provisions we need for all eternity through Him who saved us.
Next time we will begin our study into chapter 4 of this great book. This chapter is considered the "love" chapter in that John goes into further detail of what love is.
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Life Application
We looked at alot in chapater 3 of 1 john: what it means to be children of God, what sin means and what it does to believers, and what the outworking of love really means to believers.
Take some time today to meditate on the love of God today. Really sit back and think of all the times in your life where you can see His love for you: how He protected you from something; how He kept His promises to you; and how He provided for you during times when the situation around you was bleak.
Really thank the Lord for all He has done for you through the years. This is a fantastic way to worship Him. Our gratitude and gratefulness to Him shows Him that we know it is His providence that keeps us from the pits of hell.
If nothing else....thank Him for salvation!!
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Until next time.....
"There is in Christ Jesus abundant foundation of peace and safety for those who are in fear and danger.....there is in Christ Jesus provision for the satisfaction, and full contentment, of the needy and thirsty soul....there are quiet rest and sweet refreshment in Christ Jesus for him who is weary...Christ has undertaken to save all from what they fear, if they come to Him."
Jonathan Edwards -1703-1758 (Altogether Lovely, 1997, pp 83-85)
Blessings,
Ruth
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