January 12th 2025 1 John 3
V 13 .. Marvel not.
John's readers evidently could not understand why the world should hate them.
V 14. Love means life and hate means death.
The test of being born again is not that the world hates us but that we love the each other..
V 15. Murderer. This is not to be understood figuratively as meaning a murderer of the soul or character, but literally, because of verse 12.
God looks on the heart,… and the heart that is full of hate is potentially capable of murder.
Compare the Lords teaching in Matthew 5 v 21-22
He who falls under a state of hate, falls under the normal results of that state, carried out to its issue.
Should the occasion arise, the person who habitually hates his fellow man would act just as Cain did.
Such a person is unsaved.
V 16. See ch 2 v 6. Self-sacrificing love is required of the believer.
V 17. Not many are called to lay down their lives for others, but all can follow the instructions of this verse. John suggests "that there is a danger in indulging ourselves in lofty views which lie out of the way of common experience. We may therefore try ourselves by a far more homely test.
The question is commonly not of dying for another, but ofcommunicating to another the outward means of living"
Good. The necessities of life are to be shared.
Bowels. The seat of tender affections, compassion should be in us all; it could be better called heart.
The previous teaching would naturally raise misgivings in some minds.
So, John hastens to add that the fruit of love is confidence, and confidence expresses itself in prayer, and confident prayer is answered.
Answers to prayers are dependent on Confidence to ask in the will of God.
V 19. Hereby. In this, i.e., the love of the brethren.
Assure. we persuade our hearts that we are doing things right, our nature is to think of ourselves .
Persuade our heart of what?
That it need not condemn us, we are children of the truth in Jesus.
Before him. It is in God' s presence that assurance comes, and we work towards the perfect will of God
V 20. For if;' if we go by our sinful heart we will fail, because our sinful heart will try to condemn us
In what things our heart condemns us,
God is greater . . . . In examining our brotherly love life, our hearts may be either too strict or too lenient.
But God is greater and knows all things; therefore, we appeal to him for the truth about ourselves, and remember that he is the all compassionate One.
This results in correct judgment and confidence for our hearts, because He has freed us from our sin
V 21. "If before God we can persuade conscience to free us, when it chastises us, much more may we have assurance before Him,
when it does not do so"
Condemn us not. If there is no unconfessed sin in the life, then we cannot be condemned.
Confidence. We have boldness or freedom in speaking out for Him.
Answers to prayer dependent on Obedience. V 22-24.
V 22 Answered prayer is now conditioned on the customary keeping of commandments and doing the things that please Him.
Keep and do are both in the present tense.
V 23. The commandment is to believe on His name.
Faith is a work, as in John 6 v 29.
It means to believe all that Christ is, as represented by his name.
Since this is addressed to Christians, it is an appeal to believe him for all that he provides for the Christian life.
Love one another. this is part of that commandment
V 24. Obedience also results in abiding in Christ.
Dwelleth. This word is translated "abide" in John 15.
So, the sentence is a definition of abiding.
To abide is to keep his commandments. And He also abides in us
And the Holy Spirit bears witness to the fact that Christ abides in us.
News from the Church New dates
15th January….. Knit and natter is a time to finish old projects or learn new skills
5th February …..Friendship Group, (this covers all ages and the lonely people)
ANSWERS TO 5th January QUESTIONS
1) Ye have your watch 2) The trial of Jesus 3) Those of the church 4) James 5) Yes 6) He was glad
7) He wanted to see a miracle 8 ) Eaten by worms 9) 2 of his own disciples 10). Are you the one or do we look for another 11) None born greater than he 12) King Herod 13) John was beheaded 14) John the Baptist had risen from the dead 15) Jesus 16) Went on a ship to a desert place
Bible Quiz this week’s Quiz is about Women who followed Jesus and Roman centurions
1 Which woman called her neighbours to see Jesus?
2 Which woman wiped the Lords feet with her hair?
3 Which 2 sisters do we read “Jesus loved” ?
4 On what occasion did Jesus say “woman behold thy son”?
5 How many women were named Mary at the foot of the cross?
6 Which woman came running to Peter on Easter day?
7 Wo mistook Jesus for the gardener?
8 To who did Jesus say “touch me not”?
9 Which centurion was in charge of Paul to Rome?
10 What was his regiment?
11 How did he treat Paul?
12 Did he believe Paul’s warning about an impending shipwreck?
13 What was Paul’s advice to the sailors trying to escape the storm?
14 Why did the centurion disregard the soldiers counsel when the ship ran a ground?
15 To who was Paul delivered when they reached Rome?
16 Who commanded a centurion to guard Paul, but let him have liberty?
God Bless