Bible Studies for Life
When Your Confidence Falls Short
1 John 3: 21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
Believers who remain guilt-ridden and unsure of their standing before God (3:19-20) will have no confidence to go before God. As a result of having an untroubled conscience, believer could have an intimate, relational, one- on- one encounter with God. John intended for his reader to understand that their walking in fellowship with God would lead to asking in complete surrender to His will. John gave two reasons why believers can expect that God will hear their prayers-they keep His commands and they regularly practice what pleases Him. John summarized all the commands with a single command consisting of faith in Jesus Christ. John has referred to Jesus as God’s Son (1:3) and as the believers’ righteous advocate in God’s presence (2:1). He identified Him as the One who had come from God. John made it clear that Jesus had called His followers to love another. Those who believe in Jesus Christ and love one another live in God and God lives in them.
1 John 4:1Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
The mention of the Spirit in the previous verse led John to issue a stern warning against naively believing everyone who claimed to speak under spiritual inspiration. He warned his readers not to accept every spirit as true. He knew the temptation existed to ascribe any unusual phenomenon to the power of God. He called them to practice discernment and to evaluate carefully both the messages and messengers to determine if they were from God. Believers needed to test the spirits because many false prophets circulated around them. John specified how to recognize when a prophet is inspired by the Spirit of God by bringing it to its simplest terms. John ensured that they understood the crucial nature of the confession- that Jesus has come in the flesh. False teachers or false prophets who refused to acknowledge Jesus, could not be trusted. They did not come from God, and whatever they taught could not be trusted. John referred to the denial of the true identity of Jesus with the activity of the antichrist, a term that only John used in the New Testament. He regarded these false teachers as antichrists and saw their erroneous beliefs as both dangerous for the life and unity of the church and as a signal of the arrival of the end-time. John understood and wanted his readers to know that the denial of Jesus Christ represented the rebellion against God which would end in the eternal demise of many.
1 John 4: 4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
In the face of the seemingly overwhelming threat of the antichrist, John emphasized the contrast between the true followers of Jesus and the heretical teachers and their cronies. The true followers of Jesus had defeated these heretical teachers and those who agreed with them. They had the Spirit of God living in them! John drew a contrast between those of the world, a system under Satan’s control and those who come from God. The evil one in the world inspired those who belong to the world. The false teachers had rejected the true message and for all intents and purposes had thrown their lot in with the world. They and their followers abandoned the community of the true faith and went out with the rest of the people who now opposed the gospel. By rejecting the message of the gospel, they spoke continually from the world and refused to acknowledge Jesus Christ. They had rejected the sound teaching of the gospel in order to teach in a way that those in the world might find acceptable. Now John offered a contrasting picture. The Spirit leads all true member of the body of Christ to proclaim the gospel correctly. Those who truly know God through confessing Jesus as Christ and Savior (1 John 4:15) will listen to those who speak His truth and will not pay attention to heresy. John advised his readers that they should not be surprised when the heretical teachers and their followers persistently reject the gospel. John’s readers could test the Spirits of truth and the spirit of deception by examining the teachers’ confessions and through observing the character of their followers.
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Authority Acknowledged
Matthew 7: 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Jesus continued His Sermon on the Mount by warning His listeners about false prophets. This pointed to the scribes and Pharisees. Outwardly they looked righteous, but inside they were selfish, greedy, and hypocritical. Jesus compared them to wolves disguised as sheep. He taught that false prophets are recognized by their fruit (character and behavior). True disciples can be identified by their good works. Good trees produce good fruit, and bad trees produce bad fruit. One’s heart is revealed by one’s life. Judgement and eternal punishment await those who aren’t true disciples.
Matthew 7: 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Entering the kingdom means submitting to His rule, as evidence by obedience. Rebelling against God’s rule is an indication that one is not really a part of the kingdom. Many may pretend to be Christ followers and might even make the outright confession that He is “Lord,” but the validity of their profession is proven by obedience to the Father. Jesus said many would engage in religious activities in His name without truly following Him. True disciples affirm Jesus’s lordship, submit to His authority, and obey his commands. Neither words nor actions are suitable proof that someone follows Jesus. A person transformed by the gospel is a true disciple. True disciples seek to obey Jesus in all areas. Jesus emphasized a day of final judgment. False believers will point to good works done in His name, but they will be exposed as counterfeits. Rather than acknowledging them, He will banish them from His presence eternally.
Matthew 7: 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. 28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Jesus called His followers to build their lives on the strong foundation of His teaching. Building a life is like building a house. The foundation of any house is essential. Building on a rock-solid foundation involves listening to and following Jesu’s words. The one who does this is wise and will withstand the storms of life. Others may think they are secure, but the storms will wreck their lives because they do not listen to or obey Jesus’s words. They are foolish. The wise man is prepared for the day of judgement, but the one who hears and doesn’t act on Jesus’s words will suffer ruin.
In Summary: Jesus’s words have authority.
Believers’ lives should exhibit spiritual fruit and they are known by their desire to obey God’s Word. Believers can stand firm on God’s Word.
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