In 1 John chapter 2, we're going
to finish up, Lord willing, with some thoughts on verse 14, chapter
2 of 1 John. And I'd like to read, though,
starting with verse 12. 1 John chapter 2. It says, I write unto you little
children because your sins are forgiven you for his namesake. I write unto you fathers because
you have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you
young men because you have overcome the wicked one. I write unto
you little children because you have known the father. I have
written unto you fathers because you have known him that is from
the beginning. I have written unto you young
men because You are strong and the word of God abideth in you
and you have overcome the wicked one. As we mentioned before,
these things in speaking of three apparent groups or ages of ones
that John is writing to about why he's writing to them and
writing to the To the church and why we have in our hand is
are those things that are common to all of God's people and he
talks about little children to start with there. He's not speaking
about young in age, but the beloved in the Lord and the brethren. indeed that know our Lord and
have been given birth from above. And he speaks to the different
ones that the fathers said have known him from the beginning,
that know the everlasting one, the eternal one, the one that
was in the beginning with God and was God and is the Word,
Jesus himself. These are not characteristics
only to ages. These are all things that believers
have in common. And we looked at some thoughts
that it shows that we all have in common. A couple of points here that
we looked at earlier was one of them that was, as it says
here, overcome through his name and all that that applies of
who the Lord is as a savior and redeemer of his people. And all
that refers to and means in the things that he has done and does
for his people that are his. Known him that is from the beginning
to know intimately and absolutely some things that we know for
certain about God and who he is. Overcome the wicked one. It said, and we looked at it,
overcome the wicked with the blood of the lamb. And again,
by those things in his name that he has done and does for his
people, that is the only way that we are overcomers in what
he has done and by him. And then last one I'd like to
look at, that I'm gonna look at today and kind of wrap up
these few verses with is the word abides. In verse 14, I've
written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the
word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
And again, this is not a characteristic to young men in age. or in time of being in belonging
to a church, even one that preaches the gospel, but indeed common
to all of God's people that his word abideth in us and we have
overcome the wicked one. We have not overcome, in him
we have overcome. He has overcome the wicked one.
But where it says that the word of God abideth in you. And we're gonna look at that
some about what that, may mean and may refer to. And the word
abides means, as part of its meanings, dwell or to endure
or to remain. And we're gonna look at, again,
some passages that we looked at last time in reference to
that, but I'd like to look at that one more time in conclusion
of looking at the section here that we call My Little Children. In the book of John, the gospel
of John, in chapter 14, John 14, several verses in here,
but verse 16. Verse 15 and starting it says,
if you love me, keep my commandments and I will pray the father and
he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever.
Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because
it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him for he dwelleth
with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless.
I will come to you. And here, speaking of the comfort
of the spirit that indwells God's people, and as it says here,
it abides and dwelleth with you and shall never leave you and
shall be in you. And indeed, that is common to
all of God's people of all ages. I read a comment by a commentator
that said that the spirit came and dwelt in God's people after
the day of Pentecost. Well, I have an idea that Brother
Abel had him as much as we do. We see in the Book of Acts as
we've been in it, as Norm's been in the Book of Acts, that indeed
God did some special things at special times that we see, but
in the spirit working, in a mighty way outwardly that we see that,
but the indwelling of God and his people has ever been a truth
and a fact of those that are born from above. as the Lord
Himself speaking to Nicodemus and other places. We're going
to look in Jeremiah and Ezekiel and a couple of places that God
takes out the stony heart and puts that heart in us, puts of
Himself in His people. And it's not just speaking about
the flesh and blood heart, it's the core of God's people, their
way of thinking. When we've looked at, several
times we've looked at what repentance is, a biblical or scriptural repentance
is that completely turning of mind and being from one direction
of discounting and having no regard or no thoughts about God
or spiritual things, him turning us about and having a different
a different take and a different thoughts and a different view
of who God is and who we are indeed. And those have ever been
from the beginning. There's not been two gospels
preached over time. There have not been believers
that were saved a different path than we have been. Those things
we have in common, and that's who John is speaking to, those
different ones that could be ages or times of being in believers,
but they're all common things that have. It's not, we don't
gain those needful things sometime down the road. They were given
to all of God's people, regardless of time in service, as it were,
or time of being a believer. He does indeed increase our knowledge. and knowledge of him and who
he is and what he has done for us, but we don't gain a position
over time with him. We have that to start with. And
it abides that word, and God's word abides in his people. And
he indeed, the word and the spirit abides in his people. There in
1 John also, I'd like to skip down just a little bit to verses
22, In 23, it says, Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord,
how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us and not unto
the world? Jesus answered and said unto
him, if a man love me, he will keep my words, and my father
will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with
him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings, and the word
which ye hear is not mine, but the father's which sent me. And
here, as it says, man love me, he will keep my words, and my
father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our
abode with him. And he indeed abides in his people. And with that, chapter 15 of
John here, and Starting with the first verse
and reading down several, it says, the Lord speaking, I am
the true vine, and my father is the husbandman. Every branch
in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away, and every branch
that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more
fruit. Now you are clean through the
word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me and I in you,
as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in
the vine. No more can ye except ye abide
in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me you
can do nothing. And it goes on in that same vein
somewhat, but here where it's, I am the vine, you are the branches.
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth
much fruit, for without me ye can do nothing. And again, that
speaks to being born from above and that indwelling of him in
us as the vine and the branch. that it speaks about here, that
the life that we have is from the branch. It's not of ourselves,
it is from above. And that abides and is part of
who we are now, who God's people are. Back in 1 John, another spot
that I wanna look at, well, before we move on, a little bit is in
1 John chapter 2 and down verse 21. 1 John 2, verse 21, it says, I
have not written unto you because you know not the truth, but because
you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar
but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is Antichrist,
and denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son,
The same hath not the Father, but he that acknowledges the
Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you
which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have
heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall
continue in the Son and in the Father. A couple of different
thoughts I think from this, that he's speaking, you have known
the truth and do not depart from the truth, but also where it
says, if you have heard that from the beginning, verse 24,
from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue
in the son and in the father. This is not speaking of something
that we have the ability to decide and take place. God's people,
it will remain in him. The truth will remain, and it's
like we've talked about before, the bell that rings, or the cracked
one that doesn't ring true, or the money that is, false money,
we look for the real, and if we abide and we stay in what
the scripture says about the truth, we have less danger of
being turned aside by the false religion, by the false doctrines
and the false teachings. But here, God's people, it will
remain in him, and he is the one that that causes that to take place
and ensures that that take place. In 1 Peter, turn to 1 Peter while
we're nearby. 1 Peter in the first chapter. It says 1 Peter 1, starting with
verse 18. It says, for as much as you know
that you are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver
and gold from your vain conversation received by the tradition from
your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot. who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times
for you. who by him do believe in God,
that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory, that your
faith and hope might be in God. Seeing you have purified your
souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love
of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure
heart fervently. being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth
and abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass, and
all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth,
and the flower thereof falleth away. But the word of the Lord
endureth forever, and this is the word which by the gospel
is preached unto you. And up here it says, you know
you were not redeemed with corruptible things, but, verse 19, with the
precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot, and by him It says that raised him from the dead and
gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God. And
these things here, being born again, it says, not of corruptible
seed, verse 23, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth
and abideth forever. And two thoughts here, I think
from this verse, God's truth abideth forever, regardless of
anything. no ifs, ands, or buts, or qualifications. God's truth remaineth and abideth
forever. And since we are born from above,
that abides in his people. Paul speaks to that. He speaks
about what it appears that we can do in the flesh, and he says
that There's no hope in the flesh. It's not in the flesh that we
can please God in any way, shape, or form, but by how we have been
redeemed. And he says, who's going to save
me from this body of death? And it says, I thank God through
Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Lord, that that is the only way. a putting in that we can do or
anybody else can do, but God that bears, it says, beareth
witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And those
things are those things that abide with God's people forever. And they're not, regardless,
like Paul said, regardless of how I can manage in the flesh
to take care of business, that's not where our hope is. That's
not where, That's not what we're dependent upon. And it only by,
as it says here, how we have been redeemed and not with the
corruptible things or not with things that are variable, but
by himself. And those things that he gives,
to his people of himself, the spirit of himself, and indeed
the word of truth as far as the scripture goes too in that regard,
does not change and it abides with God's people. In Colossians, the book of Colossians,
in the first chapter, Colossians chapter 1 verse, let
me see if I got that right. Just a minute. Okay, yes. It speaks up here above being
grounded and settled and not moving away from the hope of
the gospel, who is indeed is the only hope of the gospel is
our Lord himself. It says in verse 27, Colossians
chapter one, to whom God would make known what is the riches
of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles. which is
Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we preach, warning every
man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present
every man perfect in Christ, whereunto I also labor, striving
according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. But in
here it speaks about, it says, which is Christ in you, the hope
of glory. And that's not a, that's not
a, have it today and don't have it tomorrow. That's the hope
that we have, is him in us. Paul says, the life I live, I
live because of him. He is that life we have. Not
the physical that we see and we struggle with, but that which
is perfect and has been accomplished for us. And when Christ said,
when he said, it is finished, he had done all that was required to fulfill the righteousness
of God. And as it said that we are the
righteousness of God in him. That's not of the flesh, obviously,
but of those things that abide forever in God's people because
of what he has done and does for it in his people. In Galatians, in the book of Galatians, In chapter four, let me get there. Galatians chapter four, it says, in Stark Myth verse
four, it says, but when the fullness
of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman,
made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law
that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons,
God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts,
crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore, thou art no more a
servant, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of
God through Christ." And here it says, Because you are sons, God hath
sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father. though ones are born from above,
it's not a saved today and lost tomorrow. We're so variable on
the outside in the physical, but if indeed we are received
the adoption of sons, as it said, he has sent forth the spirit
of his son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Again,
the verse where it says, the spirit beareth witness with our
spirit that we are sons of God, that we are in this situation. And if he puts his, if he changes
the heart and sent forth his son into our hearts, that's not
a one way, that's not gonna ever be rescinded. That's not gonna
be undone. These things, as we looked at
in, in the book of Jude and the beginning of 1st John here that
we're looking at. These things were done long before
we ever came along. These were done in the everlasting
covenant. God had this, had a people. They
were, the lamb was slain before the foundation of the world and
we stand in that, in the In time, we see these things that we're
reading about come about, and we become aware of these things,
but these are all common to God's people, and abide were everlasting
things. They're not just come and go. These are permanent
things that we possess, that we have. We're gonna look at a couple
of places in the Old Testament, but first turn to 2 Timothy,
if you would, the book of 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy, the first chapter, and here in Timothy, it speaks about,
again, as all of the scripture does, those things that that
he has done for his people in those things that we can know
and can be assured of. But in 1 Timothy chapter one,
starting with verse... Let's start with verse eight.
Verse 8, it says, be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel according to the power of God, who hath saved
us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made but is now made manifest by the
appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death
and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
whereunto I am appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher
of the Gentiles. For the witch cause I also suffer
these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed,
for I know whom I have believed And I'm persuaded that he is
able to keep that, which I've committed unto him against that
day. And then 13 and 14, holding fast,
hold fast the form of sound words, which thou has heard of me in
faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which
was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost, which dwelleth
in us. And I think up here where it
speaks about our calling and our deliverance in Him and given
us in Christ Jesus said before the world began, but down here
and it speaks about, it says, that good thing which was committed,
verse 14, unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in
us. And that's not a thing that we
strive to do. That's a thing that only the
Holy Spirit can do. It's like our being born from
again is not by the flesh or the will of man, but by God's
purpose in doing. As it said up here in verse nine,
according to his own purpose and grace, which he hath given
us in Christ Jesus before the world began. These aren't things
that are gained down the road somewhere, these are indwelling
parts of what God has done and does do for his people. In the book of Jeremiah, turn to the book of Jeremiah
please, Jeremiah chapter 32, Jeremiah 32, and starting with,
let me see. Jeremiah 32, starting
with verse 38. Okay, verse 38 of Jeremiah 32. Here we go, Jeremiah 32, 38.
And they shall be my people and I will be their God. And I will
give them one heart and one way that they may fear me forever
for the good of them and their children after them. And I will
make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn
away from them to do them good, but I will put my fear in their
hearts that they shall not depart from me. And here where it says,
here I'll make an everlasting covenant with them and I will
put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me.
And that word there is not terror of horror or terror of him, of
the Lord himself, but that godly fear and godly awareness and
reverence and understanding who he is that has dealt with us,
that has indeed picked us up out of the horrible pit and delivered
us. And as we saw in Colossians and in 1 Peter,
that these are things that he has done for his people and not
contingent on anything. It's not contingent on our fulfilling
an obligation of any kind. He has fulfilled all obligations
for his people. And then in Ezekiel chapter 36, much to read and be considered
of these books that I think a lot of people overlook and discount
as not the gospel being preached, but wonderful passages. But in Ezekiel chapter 36, it
says, I will take you from, verse 24, I will take you from among the heathen and gather
you out from all countries and will bring you into your own
land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall
be clean from all your filthiness and
all your idols, I will cleanse you. A new heart also will I
give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will
take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I'll give
you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you and
cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments
and do them." And here, those things that only he can
do. Only he can change the heart.
We can put forth what the scripture says, but his action is is all
that can do this, can put a new heart. And it says, I will put
my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes as
you keep my judgments and do them. It's not making us fit
to obey the law or to walk after the law for any justification
or position, but in him we have done this. We can claim that
he has done this. If we are indeed his, We stand
in His righteousness alone and His obedience alone, and that's
the long and short of it. There's no obedience that we
can do that will put us in a different category or different situation. He will dwell and does dwell
in His people. Just a couple more, in the book
of Romans, book of Romans, book of Romans deals extensively with
how we can be righteous before God and what we are by nature
and what Christ has done for his people. But in Romans chapter
eight, And this goes along with, obviously,
with what Jeremiah and Ezekiel have to say. But in Romans chapter
eight, starting with verse one. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. For the law of the spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through
the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful
flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh. That the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the
flesh but after the spirit. For they that are after the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh, but they that after the spirit,
the things of the spirit. I'm gonna stop for just a second,
we're gonna go on. But that says here that he came in the likeness
of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh in
verse four, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. And that connects right onto
what Paul just said in the last chapter about those things that
I would do, I don't seem to be able to do, and those things
I don't want to do, I seem to be doing those. And this connects
right into that, excuse me, and that the righteousness of God
is fulfilled in us. That kind of goes contrary to
what we know about our nature, But only his nature can do that. Can we do that, it said in that. And then I start with verse six. For to be carnally minded is
death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because
the carnal mind's enmity against God, it's not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in
the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he's none of his.
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin,
but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the
spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in
you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken
your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you. In just
a few verses here, it speaks about how we can be in that position,
how we can fulfill the righteousness of God because That righteousness
of his has been placed on us because of him and what he's
done. But it says, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall
also quicken your mortal bodies, we know that, by his spirit that
dwelleth in you. And verse 12, therefore, brethren,
we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh, in the spirit. And then that
indwelling spirit that he places in us, that places in us. Two more books we're going to
look at. 1 Corinthians chapter 3. Just
a few pages over. 1 Corinthians chapter 3. A couple of verses, and I realize
we're picking this out of a couple of spots, but you could read
the rest of the context on your own, but we know where it's coming
from, where it's going. But verse 11 says, for other
foundation can no man lay that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. And then verse 16. It says, know ye not that ye
are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in
you? If we are his, the spirit of God dwelleth in us. And we
constantly are with Paul and says, it doesn't appear that
he is at times. By what we can do and what we
do, we look at that and it's pretty hopeless. But in him,
we stand and move and have our being, not in ourselves. And
it's a comfort and a joy to God's people. And first John, he says,
I'm writing these things to you that your joy may be full in
him, that we stand in him and that's where our joy is. And
then I'd like to read just a couple of verses in Hebrews chapter
13. Hebrews chapter 13. I'd like to read verses five
and six and then 20 and 21. Verse five, Hebrews chapter 13. Let your conversation be without
covetousness and be content with such things as you have. For
he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, so that
we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper and I will not fear
what man shall do to me. But here up here, I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee. And look over to John, or yeah,
to the book of John and the Lord's high priestly prayer speaking
about never leaving and forsaking his people and always being with
us. And then verse 20 and 21 of Hebrews
13. It says, now the God of peace
that brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd
of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working
in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. And those two verses
show where, who we stand in and why, and
what good work, as it says, is done
is well-pleasing to him in his sight through Jesus Christ, to
whom be glory forever and ever, amen. And this, in 1 John, that
we're looking at, in chapter two, that these things that he's
speaking to these, to the little children, to the believers, of
the in him that stand in the Lord. These are things that are
written to them and to us to realize what we do have and as
encouragement to what we have and that these are not these
are not encouragements built on what we can do or cannot do,
but these are encouragements built on what the Lord has done
for his people and does do in his people. And with that, we're
going to, Lord willing, we're going to look at verses 15, 16,
and 17, 1 John chapter two, next time around. So thank you for
your attendance. Stay tuned for more.