MOVING TOWARD SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT--VI—
1John 3:10--4:21
Attention:
Painting any part of a house requires either a very steady hand or a massive amount of preparatory work. We had our house in Wesley Chapel, FL(New River Township) spray painted/It took the crew an entire day to prep our house. The painters strategically taped paper in order to keep some parts of the doors, gutters, soffits, vents, casings, & all the windows & screens from receiving paint spray.
The painters were very DISCERNING & were expected to be.
God’s people must see the importance, the seriousness, & the security of their Moving Toward Spiritual Discernment.
One of the outcomes of the Church gathering together, is for the purpose of being encouraged & strengthened in it’s Movement Toward Spiritual Discernment.
Spiritual discernment is fulfilled thru the scrutiny of godly love.
The apostle John sheds light on this need for Spiritual Discernment in the Church.
Spiritual Discernment is a necessity in the Church.
•How is Spiritual Discernment in the Church achieved/accomplished?
--OR--
•What must be recognized in moving ourselves, the church, & others toward spiritual discernment?
At least 15 things we must recognize when moving toward spiritual discernment.
In the past months & weeks we’ve found that:
Moving(yourself & the Church) toward spiritual discernment recognizes...
1. OPPOSING SIDES(3:10)
•Children of God & Children of the Devil.
2. The FOUNDATIONAL MESSAGE(3:11)
•Love One Another.
3. IMPASSIONED BELIEF(3:12-13)
•The world hates you.
4-5(A-B). DECISIVE MOVEMENT(3:14-15)
•Passed from death to life.
Today, we’ll continue in our discovery that...
6—Moving(yourself, the Church, & others) toward spiritual discernment recognizes...
FREEING EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE(3:16a)
Explanation:(3:16a)
3:16a—“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us....”
Remember in verse :14 where we said that “because we love the brethren” is a FURTHER EVIDENCE that God’s people have crossed over “from death to life?” “Love” for one’s brethren is FURTHER EVIDENCE, RATHER Than The MEANS, by which they have passed from eternal “death” into eternal “life”(14:14a). The MEANS of a person’s passing into life, is by their personal faith that is placed upon/in Christ Jesus.
“By this we know love”...
“By this”—
That is, by what John reveals after the “because.”
“By”—en—Preposition—1) In, by, with etc.. Strong—“In, “At”, (Up-)On, By, etc.; a primary preposition denoting(fixed)position(in place, time or state), & by implication--Instrumentality(medially or constructively), i.e. A relation of rest(intermediate between eiv[into, unto, to, towards, for, among] & ek/ex[out of, from, by, away from]).
“This”—toutw—Demonstrative Pronoun Dative Sing. Neuter—1) To this one. Strong—To(in, with or by) this(person or thing).?Dative case singular masculine or neuter of—outov/outoi/auth/autai—1) This, these, etc..
“We know love”—
*When you think about it—“By this we know love”—points out that an ‘experiential knowledge’ of God’s “love” along with it’s resulting ‘godly’ “love”, is vital both to Christian experience as well as to overall human experience.
•We can & should “know” “love.”
“Know”(See 3:19, 20, 24; 4:2, 7, 8, 13)—ginwskw—Perfect Active Indicative 1st Plural—1) To learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel—1a) To become known; 2) To know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of—2a) To understand, 2b) To know; 3) Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man & a woman; 4) To become acquainted with, to know. Ginwskw denotes a knowledge grounded on personal experience. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary verb; To "know"(absolutely) in a great variety of applications & with many implications.
“Love”(See 3:17; 4:8, 9, 10)—agaph—Noun Fem.—1) Brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence; 2) Love feasts. Strong—Love, i.e. Affection or benevolence; specially(plural)--A love-feast. R.H. Mounce—Agaph is selfless love, which cannot be turned in on itself. J. MacArthur—‘...one of the rarest words in Greek literature, but one of the most common in the New Testament.’
“Because He laid down His life for us....”
“Because”—That is, ‘Since’--God caused something to happen or undertook some action, OR--‘Due to the fact that’, something happened or some action was undertaken.
“Because”—oti—Conjunction—1) That, because, since. Strong—neuter of ostiv[Which some, i.e. Any that; also(definitive)--Which same] as conjunction; demonstrative--That(sometimes redundant); causative--Because.
“He laid down His life for us....”
God’s people “know love” “because” Christ Jesus forever ‘set’/‘fixed’/‘established’, “His” own “life” “for” the sake of those who would receive/accept that reality/truth.
“Laid Down”(see below)—tiyhmi—1Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To set, put, place—1a) To place or lay, 1b) To put down, lay down—1b1) To bend down, 1b2) To lay off or aside, to wear or carry no longer, 1b3) To lay by, lay aside money, 1c) To set on(serve) something to eat or drink, 1d) To set forth, something to be explained by discourse; 2) To make—2a) To make(or set) for one's self or for one's use; 3) To set, fix establish—3a) To set forth, 3b) To establish, ordain. Strong—To place(in the widest application, literally & figuratively; properly, in a passive or horizontal posture, & thus different from isthmi, which properly denotes an upright & active position, while keimai is properly reflexive & utterly prostrate); a prolonged form of a primary yew(which is used only as alternate in certain tenses).
“He laid down His life for us....”
John uses quch for “life” only here in this section of 3:10--4:21. The other two times he uses zwh. Why?...
•The quch is the(human)‘soul’ in so far as it is so constituted[composed/put together/made whole], that by the right use of the aids offered to it by God, it can attain its highest end & the security of eternal blessedness. The ‘soul’ is regarded as a ‘moral being’ designed for everlasting life.—Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
*John wanted to convey the fact that Jesus NOT ONLY “laid down” His earthly, fleshly life—His being ‘alive’, BUT ALSO that Jesus willingly gave up every aspect of that “life’s” potential before God! John wrote it also to show us that there is vastly more intended for ‘life’ than merely to exist without God!
“Life”2X(See below)(See 3:14, 15—zwh)—quch—Noun Accusative Sing. Fem.—1) Breath—1a) The breath of life—1a1) The vital force which animates the body & shows itself in breathing—1a1a) Of animals, 1a1b) Of men, 1b) Life, 1c) That in which there is life—1c1) A living being, a living soul; 2) The soul—2a) The seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions(our heart, soul etc.), 2b) The (human)soul in so far as it is constituted that by the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain its highest end & secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life, 2c) The soul as an essence which differs from the body(distinguished from other parts of the body). Strong—from qucw[meaning ‘to breathe.’]; Breath, i.e. by implication--Spirit, abstractly or concretely--The animal sentient(perceptive) principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from pneuma, which is the rational & immortal soul; & on the other from zwh, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew vpn, xwr & yx).?Quch corresponds to Hebrew—vpn. A)quch—Breath, i.e. by implication--Spirit, abstractly or concretely--The animal sentient(perceptive) principle only, which is distinguished from B) pneuma—The rational & immortal soul, & C)zwh—Mere vitality, even of plants. These terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew...A)vpn, B)xwr & C)yx.
John also uses the word uper(“for”) rather than the more common, gar(“for”). Uper adds the strong nuance that Jesus’ actions were willingly accomplished ‘on our behalf’ or ‘for the ultimate sake of’ our spiritual health & betterment.
“For”2X—uper—Prep.—1) In behalf of, for the sake of; 2) Over, beyond, more than; 3) More, beyond, over. Strong—a primary preposition; "over", i.e. (with the genitive case)of place--Above, beyond, across, or causal, for the sake of, instead, regarding; with the accusative case--Superior to, more than.
One author says, “Since agaph love is grounded in Jesus’ death “for us”, it is clear that knowledge of it[“love”] can be received only where His “death” is appropriated into our experience.”—Glenn W. Barker in EBC[GWBEBC]
*God wants you to know that you are precious in His estimation. You are worth God’s every effort to rescue you from your self-determinations that lead you to hell! You are even worth the death of His only Son, sacrificed for the sake of YOUR sin. He willingly took YOUR place... He stood in YOUR stead. He became sin for YOU!(2Cor. 5:21)!
•2Cor. 5:20-21—“...we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He[God] made Him[Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Jn. 10:11-15—“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life[quch] for[uper] the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming & leaves the sheep & flees; & the wolf catches the sheep & scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling & does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; & I know My sheep, & am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; & I lay down My life[quch] for[uper] the sheep.
Jn. 15:9-15—“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments & abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, & that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life[quch] for[uper] his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
Argumentation:
Do you not know:
Rom. 6:3-4—“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Rom. 6:16—“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?”
1Cor. 3:16-18—“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.”
1Cor. 5:6-7—“...Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”
1Cor. 6:2—“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?
1Cor. 6:3—“Do you not know that we shall judge angels?
1Cor. 6:9-10—“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”
1Cor. 6:19—“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”
1Cor. 9:24—“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”
2Cor. 13:5—“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.”
Js. 4:4—“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Jn. 8:31-36—“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, & the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, & have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
These are all things that God’s people should become knowledgable of, & that are entirely life changing & lifestyle changing!
Illustration:
All of you have experience with many kinds of work/Work experience gives you confidence to do what is expected with less supervision/I underwent some training in order to be able to drive a long-haul flatbed truck/I had to ride with an experienced driver for many months before I was trusted & confident enough to pick-up & deliver goods in the company’s name/When you are trained directly in Christ’s power then there comes an EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE that is utterly FREEING
We are very concerned about Personal Freedom, which naturally gravitates toward a concern for National Freedom/But our concept of Freedom itself may be at odds with another person’s concept of Freedom, depending upon what the 2 people believe or hold to/To have a personal relationship with Almighty God thru Christ Jesus, provides you with the ultimate FREEING EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE...A shared common concept of freedom!
Likewise, God’s people live in the FREEDOM Christ provides only to them, & that freedom comes from personal EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE in & of Him!...& that is what binds the Christian family together!
Application:
?Does Your Recognition of FREEING EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE move yourself, the Church, & others toward greater Spiritual Discernment?
?Does what YOU ‘Recognize’ move yourself, the Church, & others toward greater Spiritual Discernment?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Painting any part of a house requires requires discernment.
Action:
—Moving(yourself, the Church, & others) toward spiritual discernment recognizes...
6. FREEING EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE(3:16a)?•Knowing Jesus Laid Down His Life For Us.
1. OPPOSING SIDES(3:10)
•Children of God & Children of the Devil.
2. The FOUNDATIONAL MESSAGE(3:11)
•Love One Another.
3. IMPASSIONED BELIEF(3:12-13)
•The world hates you.
4-5(A-B). DECISIVE MOVEMENT(3:14-15)
•Passed from death to life.
Presented 09/27/2020am to:
1BCCbelle
206 SE Ave A(Storrs Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
