Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I have recently been drawn to the Book of 1 John, often referred to as the “Book of Love”. John had a particularly unique perspective for his writings because of his close relationship with Jesus. He was one of the first disciples chosen, and he was one of Jesus’ “inner- circle”, along with James and Peter. Therefore, he had the opportunity to witness three incredible events the other disciples missed (the rebuking of Peter’s mother’s fever; Jesus’ Transfiguration, and that harrowing time in the Garden of Gethsemane). John walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus, saw His miracles, touched Him, saw the empty tomb, and witnessed His ascension. Also known as the “Apostle Jesus loved”, he was the lone disciple comforting His mother at the crucifixion. Jesus spoke to both of them from the cross saying, “Woman, here is your son”; to the disciple, He said, “Here is your mother.” John obediently took Mary into his home and cared for her.
John continued to be a fearless leader in the early Church, sharing his vibrant testimony about the Messiah Jesus and His resurrection. This continued to inflame the Pharisees, so a brutal attempt was made to take his life (he was boiled). God, however spared his life, because He had other plans for this dedicated Apostle. When he was banished to the Greek island of Patmos in the Agean Sea, the government and the Pharisees both breathed a sigh of relief. At last John was gone! But John continued his ministry through his writings, producing 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and the Gospel of John. He was also taken into heaven where Jesus shared with him His letters to the seven churches in Asia, then gave him visions that allowed him to see and record certain future events so they could be an encouragement to all believers. This monumental book was the Book of Revelation.
John’s love, respect and total trust in Jesus is undeniable in the opening introduction of 1John. “I proclaim to you the One who existed from the beginning. I saw Him with My own eyes and touched Him with My own hands. He is the Word of Life. This One, who is Life itself, was revealed to Me, and now I testify that He is also eternal Life. He was with the Father before He was revealed to Me. I am writing these things so that you may fully share My joy.” Notice that John immediately attested to Jesus’ majestic quality of “timelessness”. “The One who existed from the beginning” means that Jesus was part of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) even before God began creating. A second affirmation came when he stated, “He was with the Father before He was revealed to Me! (1 John 1:1-4) In these few verses He revealed Jesus’ Holy splendor when he stated, “the Word of Life”, meaning that He IS the Word incarnate; “Life itself”, meaning He IS the source for a reborn you, and “eternal Life”, meaning He IS the only way to salvation.
Concerning living in the light, John declares this message that he heard from Jesus: “God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all.” Therefore, if we are living in the light as God is in the light, “If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” What a message of hope and joy for all Believers.
In 1 John 4:7, God is described with one word: “God is LOVE!” Notice this is a noun; it doesn’t say He loves or that He is loving. It says His very essence is LOVE! This is quite important because it reveals that nothing can emanate from Him other than qualities of love, such as forgiveness, mercy, grace, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, acceptance, courage, strength, confident assurance, self-control and joy. If anyone experiences anything that is not rooted in those qualities of love, the source of what you are experiencing is not from God. We are called to be discerning, so this gem of truth is of utmost importance when making decisions.
John restates the necessity of loving God, but He also highlights the necessity of loving our fellow man. “Anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.” (1 John 1:10) He goes on and cautions us about loving the world and what it has to offer. He points out that “the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These things are NOT from the Father, but are from our enemy, satan. He is the prince and power of this world, and the author of all chaos, anxiety, depression, doubt, fear, pain and suffering that is so prevalent around us today.
John also turns the spotlight on the false teachers that have wormed their way into our churches. These antichrists, these liars, are already among you, twisting God’s Truth. “And who are these liars? Anyone who says Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and/or the Son is an antichrist. You must remain faithful to what you have been taught. If you do remain faithful, you will enjoy eternal life that He promised you.” (1 John 2: 22-25)
John has shown his fear that believers might fall victim to satan’s insidious lies and schemes. That was certainly most troubling to Him, so in Chapter 3, He shifted his focus to who we are in Christ. He reminds us that we have been grafted into God’s family, and that He now calls us His Children. (Take special note of these words, because these words are the key to walking in the victory that IS ours!) “Anyone who continues to live in-Christ will not continue sinning! (1John 3:6) John’s “Book of Love” certainly solidifies His love for us, but when the power of that message gets ingrafted in our hearts and we realize what it really means, HOW CAN WE WILLIFULLY CONTINUE SINNING? This is why the Scripture tells us, “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) (Remember, even before He created us, He knew we were going to be sinners, but He still created us. He knew we were never going to be able to overcome the issue of Sin through our own effort, but He created us anyhow And He was willing to sacrifice His only Son to pay our sin ransom so we could qualify for eternal life). ARE YOU SERIOUS? If it wasn’t for what God and Jesus did for us, we would all be condemned to Hell. 1 John 3:9 is the exclamation point behind that truth. “Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning because God’s life is in them. They can’t keep on sinning because they are God’s Children.”
“Don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. If you love your brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that you have passed from death to life. But remember, we can’t just say we love each other, let us show it with our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.” (1 John 3: 18-19)
John closes his “Book of Love” with these words: “Who will win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son does not have life.” That Truth, My Friends, cannot be stated more simply. I pray that those who have ears will hear.
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May God Bless You abundantly
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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