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My Father's infinite and great source of eternal joy, I'll make our hearts to that blessed place where it rests without a light 178.
Look at First John chapter 2. My thought is that there are so many families and uh, there's such a break up among us and among many, many Christians. I wonder if it wouldn't be profitable to read first John chapter 2 where we get the fathers, young men and the babies.
My little children, and these things that are unto you, that you said not.
And if any man's in, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ righteous, and He is the propitiation for our sins, and not our for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
Either that I know him, and he was not his commandment to the liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoso keepeth his word in him bearing is the love of God perfected.
If I know we that we are in him.
He that said He abideth in him for himself also, so to walk even as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you.
But in all commandments which you have had from the beginning, the open language is the word which we have heard from the beginning. Again a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passed, and the true light now shining.
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother is in darkness, even until now.
He above his brother, a partisan alike, and there is no occasion assembling in him.
But he hated his brother is in darkness and walketh in darkness.
I know it's not where he going, because that darkness as blind as his eyes. I write unto your little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His namesake. I write unto your Father, because you have known him as from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because you overcome the wicked one.
I write on to your little children because you have known the father.
I've written unto you, fathers, because you have known Him, that is from the beginning. I have written out to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abyss in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. Love not the world is the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world.
The last of the flash, the last in the eyes, and the pride of life.
It's not off, it's not off the Father, but it's off the world, and the world passeth away, and the lust there are. So he that doeth the will of God abide in forever. Little children, is the last time.
And as you heard that Antichrist shall count, even now there are many Antichrist, whereby we know this The last time they were not promised.
But they were not of us. But if they had been of us, they wouldn't have died to continue with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But you have an option from the only one, and know all things. I've not written unto you because you know not the truth, but because you know it, and the no lie is of the truth.
Who is Maya? But he does not that Jesus is the Christ. He is Antichrist, but not the Father and the Son.
Whosoever denied the Son, the same is not the Father, but he that acknowledged the Son hath the Father also.
Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning.
Is that is, that which you have heard from the beginning shall remain in you. He also shall continue in the sun and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written on you concerning them to seduce you.
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Because, you know, I think what she ever see with Him abideth in you. And you have need not that any man teach you, that the same anointing teaches you of all things, and His truth. And there's no lie. And even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him. And now, little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed for Him at His coming. If he knows He is righteous, you know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of Him.
I believe we have some very precious truth in this chapter concerning the family of God which is being destroyed or Satan is seeking to destroy the family of God. God is interested in families and I think this is such a beautiful chapter. Just to call attention to the opening of this, of this chapter. It's not little children here, really the better reading there is.
My children, that is, he's speaking to the whole family of God, and then he brings in in detail that which is for the fathers, the young men, the babes. And at the very end of the chapter he just says this. And now children again, he goes back to the whole family. Now children abide in him. That's the key. If it isn't so the family can't keep itself, but God can keep it and does. And I think it's so beautiful.
Abide in Him that when he shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him of his coming. I'm I, I feel there's going to be much shame at some point. I don't know just where it will be, but I believe that this chapter should be would be very helpful for us to look at.
And your pencil, Through Romans we have the truth of the two natures developed, but here it's the manifestation of it in the family. Now that is, every believer possesses a new life, but it's seen as being operative here in the family. And different stages of the family too. The fathers, the young men, the babes. But that same life displays itself. You might say a certain bird has a certain nature, it does certain things.
But you see it displayed in the way that bird acts. It has a nature, but it's displayed in the way it acts. And so I believe it's important to see this. If we say, and if we are true believers, we do because that's the new life. But how will let new life display itself? Well, this is what is brought before us. It'll it'll display itself in obedience, it righteousness in love, because that's the character of the new man. It's the very life of Christ that God has given to us.
But he begins with this chapter by showing what's going to be the hindrance to this. Any sin allowed in our lives as believers, as being in the family of God is going to be a hindrance to two things, to the enjoyment of the family relationship and to the manifestation of the life and nature that we have in the family. So it's going to hinder communion and others are not going to see that I'm acting as a child of God.
I believe that's a very important thing that is brought before us because as we know, even in the natural family, we like our children to enjoy the relationship, to enjoy the love that exists in the family of God. Our Father wants us to enjoy the relationship that he has formed. We've been born into the family of God. We've been given the new life. The power for that new life is the Holy Spirit and the character of it is love and obedience and holiness.
Well, I believe it's very precious and very practical the way it's brought before us in the chapter.
I think it's also important to notice that God makes no excuse for sin the believer's life, but he makes provision for it. These things right eye unto you that she sinned not. So there's no excuse for the believers sinning because full provision has been made.
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That we would not send, but why we do send. And in many things we all offend. Then provision is made for the failure. And uh, we have the advocacy of Christ brought in here because that is what goes on continually on our behalf so that we might be restored when we fail. But let's not excuse ourselves for sad and say I couldn't help it, but rather let us seek to draw on the resource that we have.
So that we don't send, but if we do, thank God their relationship is not broken and restoration is made possible.
Very beautiful to see that.
And interesting there in that first verse, if any man sin, it's not supposed that we do. But if we do, he says we have an advocate or a go between or a Paraclete.
With the father, not beautiful to think that the children of God remain. They are the children of God and they are children of God forever and so are they. If if any man sin, we have an advocate with a father, relationship is still there, but communion needs to be restored. So as a child of God, if I sin, I get out of communion and I need an advocate. I need someone to come in between.
And the blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus, we have an advocate with the father because with that relationship goes on, it doesn't change it, it, uh, it doesn't mean that if a, if a child of God sins, he's not God's child any longer. That's not it. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous, and he is the mercy seat for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. But just lovely to know that.
We have an advocate, and that advocate is with God our Father, and that relation, that relationship remains forever something to encourage us with.
Part of the priestly work of Christ, isn't it? That was half brought before us here and the advocacy, and we know that the Lord is our great high priest to keep us from falling. But after that we have that yielded. But it has never looked upon as inevitable in the life of the Christian that he should sin. But if it takes place, we have one who is pleading for us his advocacy that leads the the believer to, uh, to judge that sin and to repentance.
The work of the Spirit of God in the in the Soul of the believer.
But to bring them before him the the seriousness of the of this, of the.
Departure, in fact, uh, I think the word advocate and uh.
And comforter is the very same, uh, wording the original. So we have two comforters or two advocates, one that's leading for us as God's right hand and UH-1 operating in our souls by the Spirit of God here below.
Good to hear something as to why we need an actual cake. The Lord Jesus is in heaven and, uh, what is happening there? Uh, the word advocate, we could perhaps say it's a lawyer, the one that stands besides you to uh, to take up your calls. Why is that needed? Who is accusing me and what for Could be here, perhaps something about that.
Well, we, we remember in the Battle of Amalek, Moses went up onto the top of the mountain, held up his hands, and if one hand went down, the other hand didn't go down. The one hand is the priesthood of Christ. And why do we fail? Because we don't avail ourselves of his priesthood. I think I like Peter perhaps. Oh yes, I can handle that situation.
Peter thought he would not deny his Lord. He said he wouldn't. He was sure he wasn't, but he didn't know his own heart. He didn't realize how weak he was. And so the Lord allowed him to come and have that fall. He didn't ask the Lord's help. If when the Lord had said to Peter, Peter, you're going to deny me, If he had said, Lord, without thy help I will, then I believe the Lord would have kept him. But he felt he could handle the situation alone.
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And so when we don't ask the Lord for help to meet the situations of life and that we failed, but then when we fail, we have one who pleads our cause. And if I might put it very simply, our brother has just sat the Lord Jesus as our advocate is like a lawyer or an advocate who takes up your cause at the very moment the believers sin. The Lord Jesus is there before the Father saying I paid for that sin.
I think that's very beautiful. That's why he's spoken of as Jesus Christ the righteous. If I have broken the law and I go to a lawyer to plead my cause, how is it possible for him to get me off righteously? It's not because I'm guilty. But here I'm guilty and I have one bleeding my cause righteously, and that's because the Lord Jesus at the cross for our sins, as it says, is the propitiation for our sins.
At the cross of Calvary He met the whole question of them, and all our sins were laid upon Him. And so God has been satisfied with that payment. And so He's there at the Advocate before the Father. But we're not, we're not restored until, as we have in the first chapter, it says that we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now let's restoration, and when I come and own it to the Lord.
And then he restores me, not to my possession. I never lost the possession of being a child, but he restores me to communion. And so this is necessary. And it's necessary that he's righteous. God never, as I said, overlooks him, never makes little of sin. But thank God, we have an advocate, a righteous advocate who pleads our cause because he settled that question of self across. But I'm not a communion.
If I could illustrate it like this, I, I make some slip in my business and, uh, I wonder what's going to happen when I find out about it. Oh, I say, I've got myself into a lot of trouble here, but I have an advocate and he's looking after my affairs and I go to him a week after and I tell him, oh, I'm afraid I'm going to get into trouble over this, uh, situation. And he said, I saw what happened and I took care of you at once. Now my mind is at ease, but it was already taken care of. And brethren, the Christian is always maintained.
Holy and without blame before God in love. But the advocacy of Christ is necessary to restore us because, uh, we get out of communion. We don't enjoy the relationship. And when we confess that, we're restored to it. What a precious thing this is. Now that's, uh, his priesthood then is to keep us from falling. When we don't avail ourselves of that, then the same blessed One is our advocate and he restores us when we confess it, that he's our advocate before we have confessed it.
As a believer at all times is holy and without laying before him in love as to our standing.
You say that we have a little picture of this in Route 1-2. Umm.
Before the Lord went to the cross.
Part of the fact that he had been speaking to them about the glory in verse the 31 The Lord said Simon, Simon Satan have desired to have you that he May 5th this week, but I have prayed for thee that thy faith sail not and when thou art converted or restored, strengthen my brethren. It seems that the Lord had already were taken up this matter even before it transpired and all about it and uh.
Since I have great, I think so.
Perhaps you could read a few verses in the Book of Revelation may show some light because perhaps happening right now.
Revelation chapter 12.
Of course the event must recorded there will take place in the future, but in per seven it says Revelation 12 and seven. And there was war in heaven they might call. And his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought in his angels. And we held now neither of us had placed out any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, an old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. He was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven now is come salvation and strength.
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And the Kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accuses them before our God day and night, and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of the testimony. That seems the famous victim a little bit. There is an accuser in heaven, and he doesn't accuse his once in a while when he failed, but nonstop.
A constant barrage of accusations, and oftentimes.
Yes, they're a good reason for his refuses because so often we behave inconsistent with what we really are the children of God. Often times we do not behave as the children of gout and so we give lots of occasion for Satan to accuse us nonstop day and night That incentives that first eleven how blessed and they overcame him by the blood of the land. And so we have heard an advocate taking up our cost. I have I have paid for this myself.
Is the price rather yes.
Where I believe propitiation really means mercy, see. And so he is the mercy seat for our sin. That is when we preach the gospel. That's why it says and, but not only, not for ours only, but also for the word sins of is in italics and it's not in the original, but also for the whole world. The blood is on the mercy seat. So I say to any Sinner, God can meet you if you come by way of the blood. The blood is on the mercy seat to meet you.
That blood by which God can meet the vile of Sinner is that blood that has put away my sins. I have come and I have found mercy. And so it's there on our and that's why it's brought in here. He is the propitiation. The only ground on which God can meet the Sinner and the only ground on which he can go on with me is a as a believer is because the blood is on the mercy seat. In Israel it was once a year that the blood was sprinkled so they never as it tells us in Hebrews, they.
The conscience could never be made clear.
Because it had to be repeated over and over and again. But for us, it says he entered in once by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption for us. And so for us who have come, why we've entered into by faith the value of that blood, that same blood that would avail for any Sinner, who would come with the same blood that has availed for me and that has brought me into a position of favor and acceptance before God.
There's a difference between propitiation and substitution if they're not.
There was a word on it, brother, are you well? For appreciation is available to all, isn't it? But I was just like God, holding open the offer of salvation and blessing and pardon to everyone to whose serve I will. But substitution means that Christ actually covered my sins with precious blood. It it flows to me, and it's only bad faith that I can lay hold of that. And that applies only to those that come by faith.
And taken the weight of Christ, applying it to their own tone. And they are that that sheltered under the blood of Christ, and come under the wonderful, uh, effect of substitution, where Christ died as a substitute for my sins.
Not only that's very important because it's much misunderstood and Christendom and often it's a preach that Christ bore the sins of everybody. The Bible never says that he bore the sins of many. We cannot separate the truth of God. It's uh, because I often say word truth is never in the plural in the Bible. It's in the singular because the truth of God all stands together. And so if I tell a Sinner that the Lord Jesus for his sins.
Why, how could God send him to hell if the Lord Jesus for his sins on the cross, little him we sing says God will not payment twice, demand first of my bleeding surety pan again, then again is mine mine. And so the Lord Jesus for the sins of many, but the blood is on the mercy seat for all. This is very beautifully brought out in type on the Day of Atonement. There were two ghosts on the Day of Atonement.
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The one the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat and by that blood God could go on with a guilty nation and provided a way of approaching to his presence. But the other one, the sins of the people were confessed over it, and only the sins that were confessed over it were born away and saw a very important when you're preaching the gospel to tell a Sinner the blood is on the mercy seat, God has provided away, but to tell him that Christ has already borne his sins.
It's not true unless he afterwards gets saved, and you don't know that. So the truth of redemption and the truth of predestination stand together as all the truth of God does in the Scripture. Well, these are things that are very important. That's why there's so much confusion about being saved and lost and all kinds of things, because very often this truth is not laid hold of. And so people get all kinds of confused ideas, but.
The word of God is always so perfectly accurate and so all those who have accepted the Lord Jesus can say my sins were born by him and all those who will be saved, their sins were born by the Lord Jesus. But God only knows who they are. But he gives an invitation to all and says I provided a way that I can meet you through the blood and their responsibility to predestination meet together.
His profitiation meeting the holy claims of God against them.
Or sin that we have in our capital.
Yeah, because it says he is the proficient.
And who is he Christ and where is he? He's at God's right hand that speaks about the Lord Jesus. When he was here he said that. I'm just looking at the 16th of John.
S.
John 16 and verse, uh, beginning of verse nine or verse well, verse 8. And when he has come, he will recruit the world of sin, Speaking of the Holy Spirit here of, uh, righteousness and judgment of sin because they believe not on me of righteousness because I go to my father and you see me no more. The Spirit of God now in this world is testifying to the fact that our righteousness is at God's right hand. And who is it? It's not just a, a theme or a.
Or a condition. It's a person, the person of Christ who lives at God's right. He is my righteousness. He is my propitiation. So it's beautiful to see that the Spirit of God, that the Spirit of God makes it clear to us that it's the person of Christ, isn't it?
Beautiful.
OK, could you say that propitiation is as satisfaction has been paid by the Lord Jesus to God, and on the basis of that God can be merciful to whosoever comes to him?
I wonder if I can ask a question about this from Romans chapter 3 and verse 25.
I enjoy the comments but a little just made out from our chapter that it's the person he is with the officiation for our sins.
In in Romans 3 and 25.
Just read for the connection umm verses 2324 and 25. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth a propitiation through faith in His blood.
Declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed for the forbearance of God. Declare, I say at this time his righteousness, that he might be just, and to justify our him which believeth in Jesus.
My question is this, I've I've understood propitiation to be in a certain sense God's side of the cross that like you mentioned there in the in the two goats in Leviticus 16, the first goat upon which Jehovah's law fell is the goat that slain and his blood is taken in.
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And I'd liken that first go to the side of the Lord's work, the Scripture called propitiation that God's majesty is has now been vindicated by Christ's death. And as such, he's, he can now declare himself, uh, righteously to be a justifier of all that come. But my question is in verse 25. It always puzzled me why it says in that verse through faith in his blood. In other words, we know that.
That we can claim Christ as our substitute because we believed and taken avail ourselves of the of the blood and the mercy seat. But it's always, uh, puzzled me why in that particular verse, it, you know, my my thought is that he is that whether I believe or not, he is that And why here does it say through faith in his blood? Maybe I'm not understanding it right.
But it goes on to say he declared his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. Abraham lived and died before the work of Christ upon the cross. How could Abraham be in heaven? It was necessary that sin would be put away. Blood of bulls and goats couldn't put away sand. So God must show his righteousness in connection with Abraham sin and connection with Moses sin.
But before ever the Lord Jesus died, God viewed the faith of those who believed in Him as being faith in him, and in that way in His word. And so by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, though Abraham. Abel rather approached God with that we spoke of the value of the blood, and stood before him not like Cain, who brought the fruit of a cursed ground.
But he stood before God, bringing before him, and place you between himself and God the value of a sacrifice. And God, I believe, put on that the value of faith in his blood. But the payment wasn't made then. It wasn't possible that that little animal could put away sin, But God must declare his righteousness. And that was declared at the cross through the work that Christ has done. But now those of us who live since it says in the 26th verse.
To declare I say at this time.
His righteousness now it's the not to come before him with the blood of animals, but we come before him and all the value of the work that Christ has done. And so to declare at this time that now a Sinner, I don't tell him to offer a sacrifice, to tell him to sacrifice was made. And God can be just in justifying him through that word. That's the way I looked at it. And I think it's important too, because some people have taken up that verse as referring to their past sins and they say when I came, all my past sins were put away.
That's talking about those who live before the cross and how God could bless the ones who lived and died in faith before the cross.
Isn't the key there to that 25th verse the end of the verse through the forbearance of God? God forbore with that long before ages before knowing that in the coming day his own beloved son was going to be put upon the cross. He was gonna his bloodless to be shed to cleanse from all sins. So I think I I've enjoyed that the 25th verse in this way that it's the forbearance of God is the key to that verse.
That's awesome. You have a little illustration. That closing I had a great depth that I'm unable to pay. And a friend comes to my creditor and says, don't bother Gordon Hale about that. Then I'll promise you that in one month I'll pay for it myself so he doesn't bother me at all. And somebody says to me, well, your creditors, not after you. Has your debt been paid? No, I say. But a person whose work could never fail has promised to make that payment.
And that was the faith of those who lived before the cross. So a month later, the pavement is made. But I was free from any bothering about that debt because a person who had given his word that he was going to do it was a satisfaction that it was going to be paid. And so that's why it says in Second Corinthians, all the promises of God in him are gay and all men.
To the glory of God, by Christ, so by us, brother, and so God has been glorified in the payment that has now been made.
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Things that they believe are especially in view and effort in Roman 325. Isn't it proportionation for faith in his flat and we have the same act here in our second verse in our chapter and 1St John. Do we not adhesive propreciation for our sins? But then next time further, and the apostle brings in the fact that that same propreciation that has been made for our sins is valid for all whose services common available. So it brings us like into a wider sphere and expands the form now thinking of ourselves only, but thinking of those many who still could avail themselves of their mindful opportunity of coming under that depreciation.
John, he lays the ground of all our blessings in the first chapter. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin, not saying that we don't have sin, we don't sin. Well, you say what about after your after you're a believer and you said, well, provision is made for that because is the he's the one who is the advocate before the Father and can righteously represent our cause because of the blood that was shed there.
His emergency.
And but now he speaks of the practical thing. I'm in the family. How should I walk that I now I'm in the family? Should I say, well, since I have an advocate who undertakes my cause, even if I fail, I'll still be in her favor before God. No, he says if one is really saved, there's going to be, there must be a practical manifestation of it. Not that we don't fail, but there will be. And if there is no practical manifestation of it in the life.
John immediately it all through the epistle raises the question as to the reality of the confession. If there isn't a desire for holiness, if there isn't love for the children of God, there isn't obedience. He raises the question constantly, is that person really in the family? Because if he's in the family, he has a new life, he has the Spirit of God indwelling him. And so it does become very practical as to our lives, not as to our standing. That's in Christ what we're really saying.
I think it's very important to see in this in the opening of this chapter that the the as we've been speaking about the provision that God has made for us. What are we to do with this? Are we just to say, well, we reach out, we take it well and put it in our pocket as it were. No, it's, it's more than that. It says in verse four and five he.
That says I know him and keepeth not and then notice in verse 5, verse four and then verse five. But whoso keepeth his word, if if you and I have salvation, if we have eternal life, if we have Christ as our righteousness, are we keeping that? Have we are we embracing it? Are we making it our own? I I believe that that the Spirit of God would bring it down to where we are that we might see that there's so much.
Oral, uh, confession today of the mouth. But you know, I thought of the verse in Romans 10. It's with the heart. Men believeth unto righteousness. And if our heart is not exercised, what good is the mouth? And so I believe here it's really, John looks at it right. He cuts a straight line through the truth because he's interested in the family of God and he wants the family to be sure that you have this in your heart, in your soul and that you're enjoying it because a family that's going on together, they enjoy one another. It's a real joy.
But if they're not, there's disunity, there's disruption, there's, uh, uncertainty. But with the fam, God wants his family to go on in happiness together. And I, I think the introduction to the family here, uh, in, in these verses has really, God cuts a straight line through that. You either notice what he says. If he, if, if he that says, I know him and keep us, not his commandments. He's a liar. I can't say that, but God does say it.
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If we're just going on in a profession, if it's just a religion, if it's just some kind of a form or ceremony, God says you're a liar. We can't do that. We can't speak for one in that term, but God does. And I think it's very, uh, very searching to my, to my own heart for me to search. Is this a reality with me? Is my heart entered into it? Am I really embracing it? I believe that's the thought.
Well, we got some virus removed from the back of, uh, Jesus Christ, our, uh, Lord and savior being an advocate. Could we pay this that it is in the aspect of this being the chief shepherd that cares for the sheep who restores our school when it comes in. That's his, his rights and privilege and his joy to restore his people to fellowship with himself. You gotta get, he didn't do that because he was also the Good Shepherd that gave the advice for the.
Business. Isn't that the whole character? Each one of them?
And I might say that the Christian has more specific sins to which he's comfortable to God, that even as a Sinner who does not know Christ, Savior because now he is more comfortable to God as his Father.
But how, how wonderful it is to know that God has made this wonderful provision for our whole pathway. And if there's any, any kind of God here that is falling into sin or walking from the Lord, be assured that you'd love for you whatever the same. And that is aggression. He was able to watch all things away in order that you might be brought close to him. He says, come here to be my brother. He doesn't want us at a distance, but he wants to restore our soul and the beauty of fellowship and community.
So I'll be cutting this pressure, yeah.
Because it saw that the there's never a scripture.
A necessity that we have believer within. It's uh, it's always because he has failed to, uh, avail himself of the provision of the priestly work of Christ. So.
As soon as, uh, it's serious in the life of an unbeliever, it's more serious than the like of a believer. And, uh, we should, uh, the exercise to, uh, walk carefully and not, uh, shall I say, use this as an excuse for a loose, uh, weight of light. It should be very, uh, you should realize what sin cost the war Jesus to put away.
And therefore.
We should have been very careful in our walk.
This is if you were saying, well, you need such and such a family. You'll see certain characteristics about them. And so when you meet the person, you expect to see those characteristics in their appearance and in their manner and so on. And so being brought into the family of God, possessing the very life and nature of the family, John takes up that practical side of things.
The display of the nature of the family and he's very dogmatic about it, shall I say very definite because, and I think that's important for us. When you meet somebody who professes, what do you expect to see? Well, you expect first of all to see a love for the Lord, because if any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let it be anathema Maranatha unto you, therefore, which believe he is precious. Because one brother said if a person has really been reconciled, he'll never be an enemy again.
He may get cold, but he'll never be an enemy again. We're reconciled, brethren, but now he brings out, I believe, these three things, obedience and love and holiness in our lives. And those things will be a manifestation to others that we are in the family of God. And John speaks very definitely. If you don't see those things, then you have every reason to question whether the persons in the family at all.
Hope I'm not being too speculative about this, but.
Looking to John's first epistle, in addition to what you've mentioned about looking for a reality and evidence of life in other, uh, people who confess the name of the Lord, there seems to be the burden on John's heart with these, uh, these uh, believers having assurance themselves that they were in the family of God. You almost said that there was a backdrop to this epistle of, of people questioning their own reality.
00:45:12
Because if, if you think about it, you put through these UH-5 chapters, uh, many, many times we see the word no, we know. We know.
And, and things that truths are brought out by way of sometimes reminder to these, uh, things so that they might know. And, you know, I don't mean to be speculative. I assume that this John who wrote this epistle was, uh, one of the sons of 17. And, uh, I sometimes think of how, uh, when the Lord called the James and John, they were mending Nets. And here we have John, the apostle John.
Apparently people say at the end of his life, uh, doing that same kind of thing in spiritual way, just like Peter was, uh, you know, a Fisher of men having been taken away from, from being a, a, a fisherman proper. And it seems to me that, uh, in addition to, as you said, brother Gordon, there seems to be a burden on John's heart that he might comfort as well as stir up the conscience of these things and call them Saints. Uh.
Because perhaps doubts or lack of assurance, uh, ha, has come in and he would remind them of truth and show them things, perhaps in their own life. Uh, to say that, you know, this, this thing is true of you, you love the brethren. And, uh, and you go through the epistle, I think you'll see what I mean. I, I think of a brother who's now with the Lord and he used to be plagued by doubts as to whether he was really a child of God, even to his, when he was in his 50s and 60s.
And uh.
He says, you know, it's a strange verse that says the Lord used to comfort me with and as soon as it's in first John chapter 3 and uh, in verse 14, we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. And he used to say to him, so he was a brawler. He was a rough and tumble man. He was a fighter and a bad character. But he says, you know, I, I can't hide the fact I love the brethren. And he says that's not me. That had to come from him. And the Lord used that verse to assure him that he had a need pass from death on the life as I know.
Hello brother. And so not all of us are afflicted with the same kind of difficulties. Umm, some perhaps go through many years in their life with doubts of assurance as to whether they really belong to the Lord or really are in the family of God. And umm, this epistle as well as perhaps the 2nd and 3rd in another way, are very helpful to such to show them and not just the umm inconsistent things, but to show them the evidence is in their own life.
Umm, that they are.
Uh, part of the family is gone and have that same life in nature that they might know and have that assurance that to go on happily and fruitfully.
You look at Second Corinthians chapter 13.
And verse 5.
2nd Corinthians 13 five Examine yourself.
You have some comments about sins.
Our our assessment of what that behavior that constitutes a sin.
May be very deficient, very defective.
The Australia thoughts the weakness.
And I'll be gross in as men count sins.
But if we examine ourselves at all.
Certainly it's a fine guts. Can this be me, real believers?
And first, John has a.
It has been referred to a variety of suggestions as to how those dots may be overcome. We don't need to lose our confidence.
Proves for our own satisfaction, for our own confidence.
And chapter 2, verses 3-4 and five, maybe the first one here. Why do we do the moment now we know him?
00:50:04
What?
I realize I do know.
I'll have confidence in.
We keep his commandments.
The next one, perhaps?
Since chapter 3 has been referred to verse 14, we know we have passed some technical life because we lost the brethren and another fruit, verse 18 in the same chapter.
Let us not love in words given tongues, not just by verbal expressions, but indeed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are a history.
And if we have that affection one for another, then we have assurance and shall assure our markers.
Verse 24. The end of the first time. Hereby we know that He divided enough by this man which he has given him.
Our conduct and behavior such that it may be to ourselves desertable.
That's some of the thoughts that come to our minds are not all they're not all from the pitch. There's something in us from the Holy Ghost. More fruit, verse six in the next chapter. We are of God.
Writer Speaking of the apostles, he that knoweth God heareth us, that is being honest with us, right?
For the position to check in your Methos doctrine to accept it.
You're buying only.
Spirit toothpaste, spirituality and verse 13 here behind no weight, not weed, dwelling him and seeing us because he has given us off His spirits. Chapter 5 verse 2. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God.
I'm kind of closing a little back to what was in the second capture by way of roots and tape is commandments and the 31St chapter 5. These things have I hear that believe on the name of the Son of God.
That you may know that you.
But you know, back to chapter 2 hereby with your notes.
Anow regional need for doubts?
Our behavior is we can't get rid of some habits or our conduct is.
So our own assessment we know deficient.
Should be doing something differently.
Confident in the way you lose insurance.
You.
The confidence of the Lord because we're too far away from Him. We're following at a distance.
Injection to that package in 2nd Corinthians 13. However, I believe the context of it is important that the third verse, Second Corinthians 13 and verse 3.
Since she seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you it is not me that week, but is mighty in you. And that is, uh, if there was any question that what Paul was saying was really the word of God.
Then they needed to examine themselves whether in the faith, I'll tell an instance that I believe if I the story right happened in this very city, there was a man who would not accept it that a sister was not to take part publicly in the meeting. And he said, well, times have changed and that was just because Paul was not married. He didn't understand or something. And this was his line of argument. And the brother to whom he said this, he said.
Are you a saved man? And he said, yes, He said, how do you know that you're saved? Well, he said the Bible says believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Well, he said it was the same person who said that. He said let your women keep silence in the churches. Is that if you can't accept his word in what he says about let your women keep silence, how can you be sure that you're saved? I think that was properly applying the Scripture.
00:55:31
That is, if there's some verse in the Bible that you and I seek to set aside, we have destroyed the whole foundation of our faith. And they were saying, well, we don't believe that what Paul is saying to us is really a message from God. He says, well, you better ask yourself if you're really saved. And I believe that's an important thing, that if I had the assurance of my salvation because of my luck, I'm afraid that I would be in uncertainty.
But I have the assurance of my salvation because God has given me His Word and I've accepted it as His Word. The evidence of it is seen for us, and we have the inward proof that we desire to please Him because we have a new life in us. But I believe it's important that the foundation on which we stand for our salvation is taking God at His Word. I just mentioned that because there are Christians I know who examine themselves and, uh.
Uh, they're looking for the evidence of it in their life as the proof that they are the children of God and they don't have really saddled peace. But I do believe that, uh, if there is really new life in the soul, the heart responds to Christ. And I believe that as you've been bringing before us is brought before us in John's epistle, that is the heart responds to the claims of Christ and that's the fact that we're in the family of God.
Is it through us that God never would minister comfort that insurance, that soul that is walking carelessly and.
And it's honoring Him. On the other hand, if we are seeking to go on with the Lord, He gives us that sweet assurance, that sweet comfort. And how many proofs, you know He gives unto us? That's the foundation which we rest as a sure foundation, and we can be happily constant before Him. But depends on our state of soul, doesn't it? And probably that if a believer is going on in his own ways of counsel and support, he may easily lose the sweet company, the insurance that he shouldn't have at all times really, if he was going on happily with the Lord.
God doesn't command his family, does he?
We have the word there. It says that he that says I know Him and keepeth not His commandments, but truly God doesn't command his family. He gives them His word. Notice the next verse, verse 5. Whoso keepeth his word, Ah, the word of God comes to me as a child of God. My dear child, I love you. And He shed that love abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which He's given to us. And I think it's so beautiful to see what is brought out there.
It says whoso keepeth His word, in him, verily is the love of God. Perfection. Isn't that beautiful to me? That's a beautiful verse. Who keepeth His word? I keep His word because of His love and His love assure. And by doing so He assures me in my own heart and soul that I'm His child and He truly loves me. I think it's so beautiful to see that it's not just a commandment. Commandment has to do with authority, and He has authority.
But as, as our dear brother Gordon's father used to tell us, the husband, don't command your wife. You don't do that. And God doesn't command his children. He has a word for them, and that word is very much of love. His word of love, isn't it? As it says, whoso keepeth his word in him, verily is the love of God. Perfect, good, perfect good. Yes, in in his love is hereby.
No, we that we are in him, as our brother said. The knowledge of this the child of God can say I know.
We know. We know Him. We know who He is. We know what He's done, We know His love. But how can we know it? By keeping His word. By keeping His word.
01:00:02
It's very just for a, a minute or two to John chapter 14, the Gospel of John chapter 14, uh, we have the same.
Same turn of the Lord penning these words as in the essential word reading.
Anyway, we have, I think the people have in the area, but we need to hear our commandments. There's a connotation of the Galaxy, uh, like in the name of Moses, except that this little thou shalt live.
Well, we're living under grace and grace is not law. Law is not grace. We can't make this. But here in John chapter 14, we get the secret every year, uh, preaching near you with the Lord. And that is verse 21, the Lord Jesus himself, we can he that hath my commandment and keep himself. He is that loveless me, and he that loveth me shall be loved with my Father, and I will love him and will manifest to him and I talk to him. Now that isn't an individual personal revelation of Lord Jesus himself.
As free of arms of embrace around us and manifesting it. How much he wish he loves us.
And when the heart of the believer has really has been entertained by his love in no desire, uh, on his behalf to ever walk, uh, this unit is obedient way or willful way. But further down it says that verse 23, Jesus man loves me. He will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come under him and make our vote with him. He's a loveth me. Not he does not my saying in the word which he hear, not mine, but the father sent me.
I like to enjoy that I work so much, it says. Whereas my father will love him and we will come under him.
Next I will go with him. And when there is that, that desire, that willingness in the heart to keep the word of the Lord, not because of reality, but because of who he is and what he has done, how he is not best for stuff to it, How he is so wonderfully proven to death. And then the wonder of his love and going all the way to the cross and moving to dashboard, shedding his precious sight. And now if they've been in our industry, join us all that measures the wonder and greatness.
Jehovah manner of love the Father has pursued upon us. How could we ever willfully desire to do our own will?
Walking and distance from him was still nothing. And who is so able to manifest the pool or the gunhead starts to work in the end. Do not, do not each and everyone desire to have that, uh, right in our pathway as we go through this world of, uh, Internet and joy and legends of the questions and groanings all around us to have the love of God to shed a drug in our hearts by, by obedience. It is for a simple obedience by any kind of God.
All right, time is up, brother.
Mm-hmm. You're saying him number 99?
The number 99 Christian Rescuer, the Rock of Ages, mustenger. Nor can that face be overthrown, rest upon the living stone in number 99.