FIRST
JOHN
1 John 1, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; For the life was manifested, and we have seen
it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us, which was
shown to us; That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.
We [including John] have witnessed these things and we are
telling you what we have witnessed.
That ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the
Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
This
then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him, in God is no darkness
at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth, for we are in darkness
while he is light. We have no fellowship with him.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, If we
keep the commandments of the Father as the Father does, we shall be living in the light as he does. Those who are in the light
of the Father’s commandments will be in unity with the Father and with one another and will be cleansed from all past
darkness by the blood sacrifice of Christ.
Rom 2:13 For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of
the law shall be justified.
we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses
us from all sin. God the Father is that “LIGHT” and his light is his example and will, as revealed in his commandments.
The father calls us into the light of his ways [his commandments], the sacrifice of Jesus Christ then atones for our sin.
Thus bringing us into a relationship with the Father, who will then empower us to keep all the commandments of God shining
the light of God’s spirit in us. We MUST then REMAIN “IN THE LIGHT” by the zealous keeping of God’s
commandments as Christ did, to remain in fellowship with the light of Christ. then our light shall shine as a godly example
to all men through the zealous keeping of ALL the commandments of the Father.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
17Think not that I am come
to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
18For verily I say unto you,
Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Verse
8, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. However, if we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, If we confess our sins before the Father
and repent of them, resolving to STOP breaking God’s law and begin seeking the Father’s help in overcoming, then
we shall be cleansed of sin which is commandment breaking. If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and his
word is not in us.
My little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any man does sin, we
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Jesus Christ intercedes for us with the Father. He is our high
priest and the ONLY Mediator between man and the Father.
1 Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6Who gave himself a ransom for all,
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours
only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby, we do know that we know Jesus Christ, if we keep his commandments.
He that sayeth, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his
word, in him truly is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that sayeth he abides in Christ ought
himself also so to walk or behave, even as Christ walked or behaved.
If we are in Christ and he is in us, we will be doing the
things that he did and what did he do? He kept the Father’s commandments, John 15:10: If ye keep my commandments, ye
shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. If he is dwelling in us,
he will still be keeping the Father’s commandments in us. And if we are residing in him, dwelling in him and he in u;,
if our branch is plugged into the trunk of the tree, see John 15, if we are plugged into Jesus Christ: We will be doing what
he did, which is keeping the Father’s commandments.
Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old
commandment which you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you have heard from the very beginning.
And again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the
true light now shines.
We ARE to keep the OLD commandment, in a new way in its fullest spirit and intent; in
a full and passionate zeal to keep the commandments with all our being going beyond just the letter and also following through
on the obvious intent of the law.
He that sayeth he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness
even until now. He that loves his brother, abides in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that
hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and knows not where he is going, because that darkness has blinded
his eyes.
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake, for the name
of Christ, for the sacrifice of Christ. 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, parents, 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 abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.
Love
not the world.
Love not the things of this society, nor covet physical things. Neither the things that are in
the world.
If any man loves this world, the love of the Father is not in him.
If you love the things of this
world, if you set your heart and your desires on the things of this world, then you are not loving God. You are loving this
world. And that is because the things of this world and carnal mindedness are enmity against God, Rom 8:.7: Because the carnal
mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8: So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God. They that love the pleasures of the flesh and are not subject to God cannot please Him.. For the
lusts of the flesh have nothing to do with the light of God. They are darkness.
Will you sell your crown to
keep your business open for a few hours on Sabbath as Denny, Melvin and John Elliot endorsed in the Observing the Sabbath
paper? Do you love the thin s of this world so very much that a bowl of pottage is worth your crown? What of Victor’s
litigation’s against his neighbours, is that not just love of the physical; and a blindness to the spiritual teachings
of Christ and the law of the Father?
Verse 16: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of
the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away with the lust thereof:
but he that does the will of God will abide for ever. Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard, the antichrist
shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
They went out from us,
[turned from the doctrine and teachings of the Father and Christ] but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they
would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out [apostatized] , that they might be made known that they were not
all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written unto you because you know
not the truth, but because you do know the truth, and there is no lie of the truth.
Who is a liar but he that
denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is an antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son.
He is saying; if you
deny that Jesus is the Son of God, you are an antichrist, which only makes sense because you’re anti Jesus, then you’re
antichrist.
Brethren, to deny the doctrine, the teachings of the Father and the Son; is to DENY THEM!
Whosoever
denies the Son, the same hath not the Father, [Those who deny Christ; have no knowledge or relationship with God the Father,
nor with Jesus Christ the Son. They stand on their own tradition and opinion and NOT on the WORD OF GOD. So how can those
who deny Christ or his teachings, claim that they are God’s people? ] but he that acknowledges the Son hath the Father
also. Let that, therefore, abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning. If that which you have heard from the beginning
shall remain in you, that is, the words of Christ and the words of the Father, their doctrine, their teachings laws and commandments
ARE the words of life. If it remains in you, you also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
And this is the promise
that he has promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the
anointing which you have received of him abides in you, and you need not let any man teach you: but as the same anointing
teaches you of all things.
That is the anointing of God’s spirit which leads us and empowers us to keep ALL
of God’s commandments; and which if we follow it, will lead us into eternal life . And this anointing is the anointing
with the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit shall led you into all truth. And as John is writing here, but as the same anointing,
the same Holy Spirit teaches you of all things
and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, you shall abide in
God.
And now, little children, abide in him; that when he shall appear, speaking of Christ as God, when he appears
[returns], that we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
If we abide in him and keep
his commandments, when he comes, he will receive us with gladness, and we will receive him with gladness and joy, because
we are abiding in him. Yet if we turn from him and turn to sin, we shall be ashamed of ourselves and ashamed of our behavior
when we see him, because he will be looking at us and saying, “You sinners, depart from me. You workers of iniquity.”
And then we shall be filled with shame at our downfall and our disgrace.
If you know that he is righteous,
you know that every one that does righteousness is born of him or is of him.
God is righteous and all who are righteous
are of God. For true righteousness is the keeping of the commandments of God. If we do what we think is right, we are being
self-righteous. And if we do what God says is right, then we are partakers of God’s righteousness. As he is righteous,
so we should become righteous by partaking of his righteousness and keeping his commandments. If we become like him we shall
be born of him on that day the first fruits are chosen. We have NOT been chosen yet, only called; we MUST overcome sin [commandment
breaking] through Christ in us if we are to be chosen.
CHAPTER THREE
Behold, what manner of love the Father
hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore, the world knows us not, because it did not know
him. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear,
we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
We are the sons of God now as sons in law through our espousal
to his Son Jesus Christ. That is, we are begotten. IF we have repented, turned from our sins, and had our sins atoned for
through the sacrifice of Christ. We may now enter into the throne room and into the presence of the Father. And we can call
him our Father and he will call us his sons.
We have not yet been chosen to be a part of the bride and born again. For when
we are changed to spirit, then we will become born fully of the spirit and at that time, we will be born again; for
John
3:6: That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto
thee, Ye must be born again. 8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence
it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Every man that hath this hope
in him purifies himself, even as God is pure. Whosoever commits sin, transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression
of the law.
Sin is the breaking of the commandments of God, and we must purify ourselves from ALL sin, repenting
and turning toward obedience to ALL of the commandments of the Father as Christ obeyed him and set an example that we should
follow. Jesus Christ obeyed his father with passion.
John 2:15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he
drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the
tables; 16And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.
17And
his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
As Christ cleansed the
Temple he will cleanse and drive out US if we compromise with his Father’s commandments.
Brethren, Christ drove
these folks OUT, as an example and instruction for US; that we should purify ourselves from sin, or he will DRIVE US OUT also.
And ye
know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. That is, Jesus Christ kept ALL of his Father’s
commandments WITHOUT compromise.
Whosoever abides in Christ sins not: whosoever sins; hath not seen him, neither
known him.
If you abide in Jesus Christ, you will keep the commandments of God as Jesus Christ did. You will not sin by
transgressing the law. You will not sin by breaking any of the commandments of God as you are led into them. You will keep
the Father’s commandments as Jesus Christ did and also commanded us to do .
If you attempt to change God’s
commandments around and do things your own way instead of the way that he commanded: YOU ARE SINNING! Even though such a person
may appear righteous in his own eyes. For example: if the Seventh day Sabbath (Saturday) commanded by Almighty God is rejected
in favor of the pagan Sunday worship forced on the Bishop of Rome by the Sun Worshipper Constantine. If you observe the Sabbath or any other commandment according to your own methods instead of observing
them in the WAY and MANNER that God has commanded; you are still disobeying the Father and NOT keeping his word.
Little
children, let no man deceive you: he that does righteousness is righteous, even as God is righteous. He that commits sin is
of the devil, he that transgresses God’s commandments is of the devil. For the devil sins from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of God was made known that he might destroy the works of the devil.
We are to judge the people
that we follow according to their works, their deeds, Mat 7. Did Christ tell us that for nothing, or did he say this because
that is exactly how the father will judge each of us on our day? Rev 20:12.
The fruits of the various COG Groups
are now maturing. By the 2012 fall feast their fruits should be obvious to all that those who are faithful to the Father and
Son.
Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is
born of God.
That is, the Holy Spirit of God, the seed of God remains in a person who is of God. And he is conceived
of God; that spirit leading into all truth and empowering obedience as we are led into that truth. If such a person remains
in the father and in Christ he will be empowered to overcome sin as Christ overcame sin and WILL be among the CHOSEN. Then
when he is born of God in the resurrection of the bride; he will not sin because God does not sin.
Verse 10: In this the
children of God are known, and the children of the devil: whosoever does not righteousness – that is, does not keep
God’s commandments – is not of God.
Neither is he that loveth not his brother. If you hate your brother, if you hate
other human beings, if you look down on other people, you are not of God. If you do not actively love your brother and your
neighbour; you are NOT OF GOD!
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is
like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets
Have
the COGs been loving each other and their brothers and neighbours?
For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning,
that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he his brother?
Because his own works, his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
Marvel not, my brethren,
if the world hates you. You know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loves not
his brother abides in death. Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding
in him.
The obvious question that comes up here is, who is your brother? And Jesus Christ handled the same question
asked of him. He was asked, “Who is my neighbor?” And he told the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
Every
man is your brother because we are all the sons of Adam. We are all the creation of Jesus Christ. If we hate or despise any
man, any human being anywhere, we are not the sons of God, it is a serious problem that we need to repent of and quickly correct
ourselves on.
If we are a child of a father and we hate our brother, do we not then hurt our father? What father
would like to see one of his children kill another or harm another or abuse another? No father likes to see that happen and
God is no different.
He doesn’t like to see us hurting one another, abusing one another, and hating and killing
one another. God is no different and is not willing that any should perish; and his law and will, should be defines our behavior.
It defines the way that we can behave and be at peace and in harmony with him and with one another.
The law protects people.
It gives them certain rights. It gives you the right to life and protection against being murdered. It gives people the right
to property and protection against having it stolen and so on.
If we have a dispute over such things we are to handle it
according to God’s word! Or we are to leave it in God’s capable hands if we cannot settle the matter among ourselves.
Each person giving way before the other and acting in the best interests of his his neighbour and not selfishly.
God’s
law is holy, and just, and good, Romans 7:12: Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. It
protects all of his children. And if any of his children break his laws, they are involved in either hurting God or hurting
some of his children. And those who hurt the other children are eventually going to be disciplined. They are going to be corrected;
and if they will not change, they will be removed. The law of God defines LOVE: for Romans 13:10: Love worketh no ill to his
neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
All those who are willing to embrace God’s commandments
and stop hurting the other children and offending God, they will have a part at some point in entering the family of God.
And those who are adamantly insistent on doing things their own way, and hurting God and hurting God’s other children
will have to be removed for the good of the family.
Verse 15 of chapter 3: Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer:
and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his
life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and sees his brother
having, in need or being in need, and shuts up his bowels of compassion from his brother, how dwells the love of God in him?
If you
see another person hurting, or in pain, or in need and you don’t have compassion and you don’t try and help him;
where is the love of God in you? Remember faith without works is dead. If you love God and were filled with love from God,
you would be helping your brethren.
Why is true godliness so hard to understand for those claiming to be God’s
people?
My little children let us not love in word, or in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that
we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart [conscience] condemn us, God is greater than
our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
He is
saying if our heart or conscience is good and doesn’t condemn us and we’re comfortable with our conscience, we
should also be comfortable with God.
Now, our conscience is simply those things that we have learned which guide our
behavior. And if we learn the things of God and are filled with his spirit which is given to those who obey him, and we are
confident that we are keeping the commandments of God, then we are at one with God. And if we do not faithfully and acting
in a good conscience follow God’s spirit and keep ALL of God’s commandments without compromise; then we have a
problem between ourselves and God and we must do something about our behavior and correct ourselves.
Then whatsoever we ask,
we receive of him, because we keep his commandments.
And that is one of the primary reasons why prayers are not
answered; because we do not keep his commandments faithfully. There is no way that we can go to a restaurant on a Sabbath
or a Holy Day and pay people to serve us and cook for us, and give us the things that we order and then go home and pray,
there is no way that God will answer our prayers.
And there is no way, that if we work a bit late into the Sabbath
or we decide to spend the whole day in the Sabbath watching TV, instead of spending time with God or if we neglect the things
of God. And if we abuse his law, by thinking, “Oh that’s just a little thing. It’s not important.”
Or by taking the attitude that, “Well, I’m only flesh, I’m weak and if I can get away with this, well, it
doesn’t matter.”
If we have those kinds of attitudes or if we say we must believe in the Bible
as an interpreted by Herbert Armstrong or as explained by James Malm or as explained by the Pope. If we have that attitude
of allowing someone to come between us and God’s word, and we commit that kind of idolatry [spiritual adultery], there
is no way, brethren, that our prayers will be answered.
God answers those who keep his commandments. Not just one
of them, ALL of them. And if we want answers to our prayers, and if we want healing and this kind of thing, we must be keeping
all of God’s commandments.
Right now, the church and all of the groups calling themselves the Church of God
are full of idolatry. They are full of Sabbath breaking. They are full of all manner of sins and then they wonder why their
prayers are not answered and why there are no healings.
It is because they do not take pleasure in the things of God.
They do not hold God’s commandments to be precious and holy and right and good. They are doing their own thing in their
own way. And everyday, they’re getting a little bit further from God. They are not keeping God’s commandments.
Therefore, he is not listening to them. Not answering their prayers.
What we need today is a revival among all the groups in the
Church of God. We need to wake up and realize how far away we’ve gotten and we need to start turning back toward our
Father, back toward God. We need to repent and embrace him and seek him with all our hearts and all our strength, and get
right with our God.
Verse 23: And this is his commandment that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ,
and love one another. We should believe and DO, acting ion that belief. We should love one another, be charitable, be empathetic,
be sympathetic as he gave us commandment. And he that keeps his commandments. [That is, not just the commandment to love,
but all his commandments] dwells in him, and he in him.
That is, if you keep God’s commandments, the spirit
of God and of Jesus Christ will dwell in you. And if God’s spirit dwells in you, then you are dwelling in God. You are
a branch which has been grafted into the trunk of the tree. You are the branch. Jesus Christ is the trunk of the tree, John
15:1-8. And if you’re grafted into the trunk of that tree, into Christ; Christ will be dwelling in you and you will
be keeping all the Father’s commandments, even as Jesus Christ kept his Father’s commandments.
Verse
24: And he that keepeth his commandments, any person who keeps God’s commandments dwelleth in God, and God in him. God
will dwell in that person. And hereby, we know that God abides in us, by the Spirit which God has given us.
Chapter
4: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets have gone
out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
of God.
That is, every spirit or every prophet or every person who confesses that Jesus Christ is literally dwelling
in you and is keeping the Father’s commandments in you and that you must keep the Father’s commandments, as Christ
kept the Father’s commandments. Because Christ dwelling in you would be keeping the Father’s commandments now
within you as he has always done. So, anyone who confesses that the spirit of God and the spirit of Jesus Christ is dwelling
literally in your flesh, and empowering you to keep God’s commandments: that is a spirit of God.
And every
spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is in your flesh, is come in your flesh, is dwelling in your flesh. Everyone who
says that Jesus Christ is not keeping his Father’s commandments while he is dwelling in you, anyone who says you do
not need to keep every single one of the commandments of God, that person is not of God.
So, any person, or prophet,
or apostle, or evangelist, or ordinary person and any spirit that comes along and says, “You cannot keep all of God’s
commandments. The flesh is too weak. You can’t do it. It’s not necessary.” That person is an antichrist.
He is against God. He is not of God because the spirit of God in you, the spirit of Jesus Christ dwelling in you will empower
you to keep all of God’s commandments.
Does that mean your foot will never slip?
No. It means that if you
do make a mistake, you will quickly repent as soon as you find out about it. Like David did when he committed his sin with
Bathsheba and his eyes were blinded by his lust. And later, the prophet Nathan came to him and his eyes were open and he saw
himself as God saw him and he quickly repented.
Even so, we need to quickly repent, as soon as we see our error. So, every person,
or prophet, or spirit; that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come and dwelling in our flesh, by the spirit of God, and claims
that Christ is not keeping the commandments in us as he’s always done, such a person or spirit is antichrist.
Whereof
you have heard that antichrist should come; and even now already is in the world. You are of God, little children, and have
overcome antichrist or the spirit of Satan: because greater is he that is in you. That is, God in you, Christ in you. Greater
is he, Christ in you, than he that is in the world, which is Satan in the world.
Those who compromise with God’s
commandments re worldly and NOT of God. They are of the world, that is, of this Satanic society: therefore, speak they, the
things of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God: he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God does not hear
us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God;
and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God; for God is love. In this was manifested,
the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.
Herein
is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God
so loved us, we are also to love one another.
No man hath seen God at any time. That is, the Father. If we love one another,
God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us. So, if we have God’s spirit and God’s spirit is given to those
who obey him, Acts 5.
If we turn from our sin, repent, and turn away from sinning, the sacrifice of Christ can be applied
to us. And then we can have access to the Father and he will give us his spirit. He will dwell in us.
Whosoever
shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in that person, and that person dwells in God. And we have known and
believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwells in God, and God in him.
Herein
is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. We
become like God and we are to be like Christ. There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear: because fear has torment.
He that fears is not made perfect in love.
And we love God by keeping his commandments. And we love our fellowmen by keeping
God’s commandments. And if we have God’s commandments, we need have no fear because we are filled with the love
of God. It is when we are breaking God’s commandments that we have a fear of being judged, of being condemned, because
we have consciousness of guilt.
He that fears is not made perfect in love. That is, he does not perfectly keep
the commandments of God, which are the definition of love.
Brethren; this is referring to the fear of judgment from God.
If a lion roar outside your tent; you might fear, but you need not fear the anger of God if you are pleasing him by keeping
all of his commandments. God is a God of LOVE who loves all of his children. He is loath to discipline his children and only
does so to turn them away from hurting his other children, by breaking his laws.
Many fear the coming Great Tribulation
and speak of a rapture, or place of safety; to avoid this correction.
I TELL YOU THAT THE WAY TO SAFETY, TO AVOID THIS CORRECTION:
IS TO REPENT AND TO BEGIN KEEPING ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD.
YOU WILL NOT BE TAKEN TO ANY SAFETY, AS LONG AS YOU POLLUTE
THE SABBATH BY WORKING, OR BUYING, OR SELLING ON GOD’S SABBATH [SUNSET FRIDAY TO SUNSET SATURDAY] AS JESUS CHRIST OBSERVED
AND COMMANDED HIS PEOPLE: AND CONTINUE TO BREAK HIS COMMANDMENTS.
We love him because he first loved us. If a man say “I
love God”, and he hates another man, his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he hath seen,
how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment have we from God, that he who loveth God should love his brother
also.
Chapter 5: Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and everyone that loves God that begat,
that is, the Father loveth him also that is begotten of him, that is, the Son.
If you love the Father, you
love the Son. And if you love the Son, you love the Father. So, everyone that loves him that begat, also loves him that is
begotten of the Father. If you love the Son, you love the Father. If you love the Father, you love the Son.
Verse
2: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of
God. Here we have the love of God clearly defined.
Brethren, LOVE IS: KEEPING ALL OF THE COMMANDMENTS FO THE
FATHER AND THE SON!
Verse 3: This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous;
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who
is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is he that came by
water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that bears witness, because
the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and these
three are one.
Now, there are people who would dispute this particular verse (above) and say it was added to prove
the trinity, added in the Middle Ages. I don’t know about that, but I do know that this has nothing to do with any trinity.
It states that there is a Father, and the Son, and that there is God’s spirit. And that’s all it is saying.
Water
is baptism: Blood is the bloody sacrifice of Christ: and God’s spirit bears witness within us that these things are
true. The three are one refers not to three individuals becoming on being at all; it refers to the witness of God’s
spirit along with the wiriness of the Son and Father as being one WITNESS of the things of God.
We know that the Father
and the Son exist and we also know that God’s spirit beareth witness within us of the things of God. This has nothing
to do with any trinity and does NOT say that the spirit is a person at all; it speaks of God’s spirit as the witness
of God within his people.
Verse 8: And these three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit [the gift of God], and
the water, [baptism and commitment to keep the commandments], and the blood, [the atoning sacrifice of Christ]: and these
three agree. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath
testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself [the Holy Spirit] and he that believeth
not God hath made him a liar; because he believes not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record; that God
hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
In other words, by the fact that this Son of God, Jesus Christ
was resurrected and given eternal life, that is a witness or an example to show us that if the Son dwells in us through the
Holy Spirit, we can also have eternal life.
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Dwelling in you by the power of God’s spirit.
If Jesus Christ is not dwelling in you through God’s
spirit, and if he’s not keeping God’s commandments in you through God’s spirit, you do not have eternal
life.
If Jesus Christ is dwelling in you through the power and the vehicle of God’s spirit, and he is keeping
God’s commandment in you and through you, then you have eternal life dwelling in you; because you are keeping all of
God’s commandments as Christ did..
Verse 13: These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the
Son of God; that ye may know that you have eternal life, and that dwells in you and that you may believe on the name of the
Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that is, in Christ, that if we ask any thing according to his
will, he hears us.
So, this is the second key to healings and answered prayers. We must ask according to his will.
And sometimes we ask amiss, and we ask because we want, and we don’t think about what would be right in his eyes.
Now,
when we’re sick and we’re ill, we want to be healed. We want to be healthy. But sometimes God allows us to be
ill so that we can learn something. And what do we need to learn? Perhaps humility. Perhaps, we are too involved in the things
of this world and we need to have time to turn back toward him. Perhaps we need to learn to have empathy, sympathy and consideration
and love for our fellowmen and we need to learn not to dwell so much on our own selves, on our own desires.
There
are many reasons. Many more that could be gone into, but the fact is that sometimes things happen to us for a reason . Sickness
can be a tool that God uses to help in molding us into the kind of persons he wants us to be. It can be a tool he is using
to build our character.
And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions
that we desired of him. If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him
life for them that sinneth not unto death. There is a sin which is unto death: I do not say that you should pray for that.
All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
And that sin is the sin that is not unto death is the sin
that is repented of. If we sin, we realize it, we acknowledge it and repent of it, that is not unto death, for we shall be
forgiven.
There is another sin which is unto death. We might call this the unpardonable sin. And this is the situation
whereby we sin and when we realize it and it’s pointed out to us, we say we are justified in doing that sin. God is
wrong. We are right. We enjoy doing this sin, and we’re going to keep doing it, and we’re not going to repent,
and we’re not going to stop doing it, then we cannot be forgiven, simply because we have not turned from it in repentance.
Later if we do finally repent we can be forgiven, however if we never repent and stop compromising with God’s law, we
shall NOT be forgiven.
Atonement and Justificarion are applied to the REPENTANT: who commit to stopping the
rebellious attitude and actions of compromising with or breaking God’s will and law.
We can only be forgiven
if we acknowledge our sin and repent of it. If we become truly sorry for it. And sorry enough to turn away from it, and stop
doing it.
Now, I realize that most people have weaknesses in certain areas and they find themselves falling in that area
from time to time. Almost seems like a habit. And God will help with that and it may take some time in overcoming it as long
as we realize that it is sin and we are doing our very best to overcome it, and we are seeking God, he will help us. He will
empower us. He will forgive us.
But if we say, “Oh, I’m enjoying this and I’m not going to try
and stop.” And we have an attitude of total rebellion, it cannot be forgiven.
Verse 17: All unrighteousness
is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God does not sin; but he that is begotten of
God keeps himself from sin, and the wicked one cannot touch him
the sin not unto death is the unwilling sin; the sin unto
death is the wilful sin. If we are begotten of God and follow his spirit we will keep ourselves from all law breaking and
compromising; and if we do Satan cannot reach us, cannot tempt us. Temptation which is immediately thrust aside will NOT grow
into an act of sin. If we dwell on temptation it will grow in us until it bears the fruit of sin. If we follow God’s
spirit and learn to abhor sin and commandment breaking and compromising; for the terrible suffering, decay and death bringer
that sin is; we will not be tempted to do what we have learned to abhor.
Verse 19: And we know that we are
of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come. To dwell within us and has given
us understanding and strength to overcome as he overcame, that we may know him that is true [to know the Son and the Father
of truth] , and that we are in him that is true [the Father and the Son] , even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true
God, and eternal life.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Yes, keep yourselves
from idols. And what is an idol? And idol is anything that comes between you and God.
Can your church be an idol?
Yes it can. Can your friends be idols? Yes they can, if you value them more than you value God or God’s word. If you
allow them to lead you astray, if you go along with what they are doing, even when you know it is wrong, you have valued them
more than you have valued God and God’s commandments.
Can your minister be an idol? Yes. Can some man be an idol?
Yes, if you regard the Bible through their eyes. If you say, “We must understand the Scriptures as interpreted by this
or that person,” then that person has become your idol and you have become an idolater and spiritually speaking, an
adulterer because you have preferred and loved someone else more than you have love your God.
You must always put
God first. Jesus Christ dwelling in you will be keeping the Father’s commandments. He will not allow himself to be lead
about and to be led into sin by your friends or your minister. He will be testing and judging all things spoken by anyone
by the standard of his Father, against the standard of God’s word. And he will be faithful in keeping the Father’s
commandments.
And if you don’t want to keep the Father’s commandments, if you regard the Father’s
commandments lightly and are willing to follow other people, then Jesus Christ will not long dwell with you and within you.
What
you are doing by compromising with God’s law is cutting yourself off from the trunk of the tree, cutting your branch
off from its trunk, from its roots!
If anyone compromise’s with God’s commandments they are quenching
God’s spirit and cutting themselves off from Christ and will eventually wither up and die and be thrown into the fire,
John 15; because they did not regard the words of God and the spirit of God and the spirit of Christ; as of more value than
the things of this world and of more value than the friendship of this world.
Remember the commandment against Idolatry
and spiritual Adultery.
Gen 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy
God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them
that hate me;
