MOVING TOWARD SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT-IX
—1John 3:19-24(3:10--4:21)
Attention:
We were at St. Andrew’s State Park/The park is the far-end of a peninsular barrier on Florida’s Gulf Coast just across St. Andrew’s Bay from Panama City/Our family was walking on the beach barefooted on summer a good while after Hurricane Michael(2018) had come thru/There was a huge, but rusty spherical metallic buoy that had washed onto the beach/I was fascinated by it’s size, I’d never seen anything like it/While we were walking around the detached buoy, I started to notice something on the sand near the high-tide line/There were hundreds of little flat silver-dollar sized jelly-fish that had obviously been washed onshore/They had a purplish tinge to them & then I realized that we were walking barefoot among a ‘minefield’ of ‘Portuguese men-of-war’(a very dangerous jelly)!/I panicked, but they were very small so we kept walking gingerly along the beach/We concentrated on avoiding the jellies, so that we no longer had any fun on that beach, because they were so numerous/Later, I came to find out that the ‘Portuguese men-of-war’ were actually ‘By-The-Wind-Sailors’ which I had misidentified because I had never seen them before/Those jellyfish were not dangerous(just don’t touch your eyes if you’ve handled one)/I ruined my time & the rest of the family’s time because I had not been discerning of our surroundings!
*God’s people must see the importance, the seriousness, & the security of their Moving Toward Spiritual Discernment.
Individual Christians gather together, as the Church & body of Christ, for the purpose of being encouraged & strengthened in it’s Movement Toward Spiritual Discernment.
The apostle John shed light on a need for Spiritual Discernment in the Church.
Spiritual discernment is a necessity for 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.
We’ve found previously that:
Moving(yourself, the Church, & others) 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)
•Expressed from each side...The world hates you.
4(A-&-B). DECISIVE MOVEMENT(3:14-15)
•Passed from death to life.
5. FREEING EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE(3:16a)?•Knowing Jesus Laid Down His Life For Us.
6. FREEDOM’s(Unhesitating) RESPONSE(3:16b-19)?•Laying Down Our Lives For The Benefit of Our Brothers & Sisters In Christ.
7-A. A FREEING CONFIDENCE Of The HEART-A(3:19-20)(3:19-24)•Assured in our heart-of-hearts
The last time we were in 1John(Oct, 2020), we looked at the fact that we can absolutely know if “we are of the truth.”(:19), & that having a personal heart’s-assurance before Almighty God(Who is the ultimate Judge of all humanity) is utterly freeing! Because He is all-knowing—“greater than our heart”(:20)—then He will always respond to you & me faithfully, with either His condemnation or His salvation.
Today we’ll continue looking at the fact that...
7-B—Moving toward spiritual discernment recognizes...
A FREEING CONFIDENCE Of The HEART-B(3:21-22)(3:19-24)
3:21—“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.”
“Beloved” shows John’s love for his flock—even those beyond the local Christian citizens of his experience—on into our day.
•John reveals the love present in his undershepherd’s(1Pet. 5:2-4) “heart”, for those who may be wrestling/struggling with the magnanimous nature of the utterly undeserved freedom thru which they now operate in Christ(Eph. 2:8).
1Pet. 5:2-4—“Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; & when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”
Eph. 2:8—“For by grace you have been saved through faith, & that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”
“Beloved”(See 4:1, 7, 11)—agaphtov—Adj.—1) Beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love. Strong—Beloved.?From—agapaw—To love (in a social or moral sense); perhaps from agan(much) [or compare bge aw-gab'--To breathe after, i.e. To love(sensually)a primitive root].
“If our heart does not condemn us,”...
“We have confidence toward God.”
The Christian’s “confidence”/certainty is expressed in his/her relationship & dealings with God. God’s people approach God with a “heart” that does not bring them condemnation. And God’s people—even when they sin—both approach God & are also approached by God WITHOUT CONDEMNATION. Even so, our saved “hearts” may still “condemn us”....That is, we still maintain an internal sense of conviction & guilt before God. And God does indeed discipline His children as any loving father does(Heb. 12:5-8, 11).
Heb. 12:5-8, 11—“My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”[Prov. 3:11-12] If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate & not sons.”.....“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
In other words, if the one whom you claim as your father, doesn’t discipline you when you’re out of line, then He’s not actually your father!
Only by/thru Christ Jesus can a person completely escape a definite & determinative condemnation(Rom. 8:1). We approach Him with loving & reverent security.
Rom. 8:1—“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
?Do YOU have “confidence toward God”?...Confidence...
1)That He will NOT ‘take-back’ His salvation He gave you?
•As the Gospel tract asks, ‘Do you know for certain that you have eternal life & that you will go to heaven when you die?’
2)That you are within God’s perfect will?
Some may say, ‘Those Christians/Baptists are an arrogant bunch. They think they know everything. What nerve!... telling me I’m going to hell.’ ‘How dare they think that certain people are going to heaven while others aren’t.’ ‘Well I’ve seen Christian ‘Fred’ & Christian ‘Betty’ do blah, blah, blah. I’m better than they are! What hypocrites!’
IF you DO NOT have confidence to stand before Almighty God, then you need to go back to square one...You need to fully trust Jesus as your Savior & allow Him to be the Lord of your life!
“If”—ean—Conditional particle or Conjunction—1) If, in case. Strong—a conditional particle; In case that, provided, etc.; often used in connection with other particles to denote indefiniteness or uncertainty.?From—ei—a primary particle of conditionality; If, whether, that, etc.—&—an—a primary particle, denoting a supposition, wish, possibility or uncertainty.
“Our” -&- “Us”—hmwn—Personal Pronoun 1st Genitive Plural—1) Our, we, us. Strong—Of(or from) us; genitive case plural of—egw[first person pronoun “I”].
“Heart”—kardia—Noun Nominative Sing. Fem.—1) The heart—1a) That organ in the animal body which is the centre of the circulation of the blood, & hence was regarded as the seat of physical life, 1b) Denotes the center of all physical & spiritual life—1b1) The vigor & sense of physical life, 1b2) The centre & seat of spiritual life—1b2a) The soul or mind, as it is the fountain & seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors, 1b2b) Of the understanding, the faculty & seat of the intelligence, 1b2c) Of the will & character, 1b2d) Of the soul so far as it is affected & stirred in a bad way or good, or of the soul as the seat of the sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions, 1c) Of the middle or central or inmost part of anything, even though inanimate. Strong—prolonged from a primary kar(Latin, cor, "heart"); The heart, i.e. figuratively--The thoughts or feelings(mind); also by analogy--The middle.?English=‘Cardiac/Cardio-‘.
“Not”—mh—Particle—1) No, not lest. Strong—a primary particle of qualified negation(whereas ou, ouk, ouc expresses an absolute denial); adverbially--Not, conjunctionally--Lest; also(as an interrogative implying a negative answer[whereas ou expects an affirmative one])--Whether.
“Condemn”(See :20)—kataginwskw—Present Active Subjunctive 3rd Sing.—1) To find fault with, blame; 2) To accuse, condemn. Strong—To note against, i.e. Find fault with. Used 3X--Gal. 2:11; 1Jn. 3:20, 21.?From—kata—1) Down from, through out; 2) According to, toward, along. Strong—a primary particle; prepositionally--Down(in place or time), in varied relations(according to the case [genitive case, dative case or accusative case] with which it is joined).—&—ginwskw—To “know”(absolutely); A knowledge grounded on personal experience. Used in a great variety of applications & with many implications; a prolonged form of a primary verb.
“Have”(See 3:17; 4:17; 4:18—“Involves/Has to do with”, 4:20)—ecw OR--scew—Present Active Indicative 1st Plural—1) To have, i.e. To hold—1a) To have(hold) in the hand, in the sense of wearing, to have(hold) possession of the mind (refers to alarm, agitating emotions, etc.), to hold fast keep, to have or comprise or involve, to regard or consider or hold as; 2) To have i.e. Own, possess—2a) External things such as pertain to property or riches or furniture or utensils or goods or food etc., 2b) Used of those joined to any one by the bonds of natural blood or marriage or friendship or duty or law etc, of attendance or companionship; 3) To hold one's self or find one's self so & so, to be in such or such a condition; 4) To hold one's self to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to—4a) To be closely joined to a person or a thing. Strong—including an alternate form scew; (used in certain tenses only); a primary verb; To hold(used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possessions; ability, continuity, relation, or condition).
“Confidence/Boldness”—parrhsia—Noun Accusative Sing.Fem.—1) Freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech—1a) Openly, frankly, i.e without concealment, 1b) Without ambiguity or circumlocution; 1c) Without the use of figures & comparisons; 2) Free & fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance; 3) The deportment by which one becomes conspicuous or secures publicity. Strong—All outspokenness, i.e. Frankness, bluntness, publicity; by implication--Assurance. Used 31X.?From—pav—Each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything; Some of all types.—& a derivative of—rew—1) To pour forth, to utter. Strong—To utter, i.e. Speak or say.
“Toward”—prov—Preposition—1) To the advantage of; 2) At, near, by; 3) To, towards, with, with regard to. Strong—a preposition of direction; Forward to, i.e. Toward(with the genitive case) the side of, i.e. Pertaining to; (with the dative case)--By the side of, i.e. Near to; (usually with the accusative case)--The place, time, occasion, or respect, which is the destination of the relation, i.e. Whither or for which it is predicated.
“God”—yeov—Noun Masc.—1) A god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities; 2) The Godhead, trinity; 3) Spoken of the only & true God—3a) Refers to the things of God, 3b) His counsels, interests, things due to him; 4) Whatever can in any respect be likened unto God, or resemble him in any way—4a) God's representative or vice-regent—4a1) Of magistrates & judges. Strong—of uncertain affinity; A deity, especially(with o, h, to)--The supreme Divinity; figuratively--A magistrate; by Hebraism--Very.
3:22—“And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments & do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”
Wow! What a statement!...“Whatever”—meaning—‘anything at all’, no limitation at all...your imagination is the limit!
*BUT, before you start making a list for God to fulfill, keep in mind that God is NOT your cosmic Santa Claus or Sugar Daddy! He does not bend to your whims!
•So the prayer of the Christian—the “whatever we ask”—the ‘anything at all’, the ‘no limitation’, the ‘anything you can imagination’, MUST BE TEMPERED!
“Whatever/Whatsoever/Anything”—o ean——ov, feminine--h , neuter--o—Relative Pronoun—1) Who, which, what, that. Strong—the relative(sometimes demonstrative)pronoun--Who, which, what, that.—+—ean—Conditional particle or Conjunction—1) If, in case. Strong—a conditional particle; In case that, provided, etc.; often used in connection with other particles to denote indefiniteness or uncertainty.?From—ei—a primary particle of conditionality; If, whether, that, etc.—&—an—a primary particle, denoting a supposition, wish, possibility or uncertainty.
“Ask”—aitew—Present Active Subjunctive 1st Plural—1) To ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require. Aitew denotes a request of the will. “Aitew signifies to ask for something to be given, not done, giving prominence to the thing asked for rather than the person, & hence is rarely used in exhortation.” Strong—of uncertain derivation; To ask(in genitive case).
“Receive”—lambanw—Present Active Indicative 1st Plural—1) To take—1a) To take with the hand, lay hold of, any person or thing in order to use it—1a1) To take up a thing to be carried, 1a2) To take upon one's self, 1b) To take in order to carry away—1b1) without the notion of violence, i.e To remove, take away, 1c) To take what is one's own, to take to one's self, to make one's own—1c1) To claim, procure, for one's self—1c1a) To associate with one's self as companion, attendant, 1c2) Of that which when taken is not let go, to seize, to lay hold of, apprehend, 1c3) To take by craft(our catch, used of hunters, fisherman, etc.), to circumvent one by fraud, 1c4) To take to one's self, lay hold upon, take possession of, i.e. To appropriate to one's self, 1c5) Catch at, reach after, strive to obtain, 1c6) To take a thing due, to collect, gather(tribute), 1d) To take—1d1) To admit, receive, 1d2) To receive what is offered, 1d3) Not to refuse or reject, 1d4) To receive a person, give him access to one's self, 1d41) To regard any one's power, rank, external circumstances, & on that account to do some injustice or neglect something, 1e) To take, to choose, select, 1f) To take beginning, to prove anything, to make a trial of, to experience; 2) To receive(what is given), to gain, get, obtain, to get back. The words lambanw & decomai overlap & distinctions often disappear; yet the suggestion of a welcoming or appropriating reception generally cleaves to decomai. Strong—To take(in very many applications, literally & figuratively [properly objective or active, to get hold of; whereas decomai is rather subjective or passive, to have offered to one; while aireomai is more violent, to seize or remove]); a prolonged form of a primary verb, which is use only as an alternate in certain tenses.
*“From/Of”—gar—Conjunction—1) For. Strong—a primary particle; properly--Assigning a reason(used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles).
“Him”2X—autov—Personal Pronoun Genitive Sing. Masc.—1) Himself, herself, themselves, itself; 2) He, she, it; 3) The same. Strong—from the particle au[perhaps akin to the base of ahr[air] through the idea of a baffling wind]--Backward; the reflexive pronoun--Self, used(alone or in the comparative eautou) of the third person , & (with the proper personal pronoun)of the other persons.
Now let’s read the rest of the verse!...
“Because we keep His commandments & do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”
“Because”—John ensures us that there is a perfectly valid reason as to WHY we are able to “receive” “whatever we ask” from God.
You are not & you cannot be one of God’s people unless you ask God to save you by trusting in Christ. And ONLY GOD’s PEOPLE are able to “receive” “whatever ‘they’ ask” from God! God’s people WILL & DO “receive” “whatever ‘they’ ask” from God, “BECAUSE” only they (can)“keep His commandments & do those things that are pleasing in His sight”! So only IF God’s people are aware of & are in the process of keeping God’s commandments & those things that are pleasing to Him, then they will “receive” “whatever ‘they’ ask” from Him.
•Because of your complete faith in Jesus Christ(thru His dealing permanently with your sin) you simultaneously commit yourself to God. That is, you commit yourself to keep His commandments rather than your own commandments.
•In order to know the heart & mind of God, I must READ MY BIBLE, because the Bible is a record of God’s desire & His desire for His people.
•I must also seek God & heed God thru PRAYER! I must act on “His commandments” by “do ing those things that are pleasing” to God(Php. 2:12-13).
Php. 2:12-13—“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear & trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will & to do for His good pleasure.”
So any attempt on your/my part to produce a ‘personal self-centered ‘honey do list’/‘goody list’ for God, is tempered/guided/directed/funneled by the relationship that you have with Almighty God... And that is established & happens only by means of Christ Jesus. It is tempered by the voice of God the Holy Spirit, who indwells every Christian.
In that sense, a great deal of ‘name it & claim it’ theology is a work of the flesh, the world, & the devil.
AN EXAMPLE:
I hesitate slightly when someone might ask me to pray for their healing. I understand that they are in pain, & because of the pain they have a challenging & potentially miserable existence.
But, what they may not have considered is that one thing God can do to ‘relieve your pain’ or ‘heal you’, is to take you out of this world! ?Are you ready for that? And with that knowledge, the content of your prayers may indeed change! If you are ready, then God CAN answer your prayers.
Rom. 12:1-3—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”
1Jn. 5:14-15—“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
Ask yourself & others these two questions...
1)?Do I know what’s pleasing to God?...And...
2)?How do I know what’s pleasing to God?
•If you ‘know what’s pleasing to God’ thru prayer in two-way(mutual) conversation with God, then you are where you need to be for God to answer your prayers.
•By those things, we indeed experience A FREEING CONFIDENCE Of The HEART!
“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.
“Keep”(See 3:24)—threw—Verb—1) To attend to carefully, take care of—1a) To guard, 1b) metaph.--To keep, one in the state in which he is, 1c) To observe, 1d) To reserve: to undergo something. Threw expresses watchful care & is suggestive of present possession, fulassw indicates safe custody & often implies assault from without; threw may mark the result of which fulassw is the means. Strong—from terov(A watch; perhaps akin to yewrew); To guard(from loss or injury, properly, by keeping the eye upon; & thus differing from fulassw, which is properly to prevent escaping; & from koustwdia, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), i.e. To note(a prophecy; figuratively--To fulfill a command); by implication--To detain (in custody; figuratively--To maintain); by extension--To withhold(for personal ends; figuratively--To keep unmarried).
“Commandments”(See 3:23, 24; 4:21)—entolh—Noun Accusative Sing.Fem.—1) An order, command, charge, precept, injunction—1a) That which is prescribed to one by reason of his office; 2) A commandment—2a) A prescribed rule in accordance with which a thing is done—2a1) A precept relating to lineage, of the Mosaic precept concerning the priesthood, 2a2) ethically used--Of the commandments in the Mosaic law or Jewish tradition. Entolh is more specific[than nomov], being used of a particular command. Strong—injunction, i.e. An authoritative prescription.?From—entellomai—To enjoin.—en—1) In, by, with etc..—&—telov—properly--The point aimed at as a limit, i.e. by implication--The conclusion of an act or state(Termination [literally, figuratively or indefinitely], Result[immediate, ultimate or prophetic], Purpose); specifically--An impost or levy(as paid).
“Do/Practice”(See 3:10)—poiew—Present Active Indicative 1st Plural—1) To make—1a) with the names of things made--To produce, construct, form, fashion, etc., 1b) To be the authors of, the cause, 1c) To make ready, to prepare, 1d) To produce, bear, shoot forth, 1e) To acquire, to provide a thing for one's self, 1f) To make a thing out of something, 1g) To (make i.e.)render one anything—1g1) To (make i.e.)constitute or appoint one anything, to appoint or ordain one that, 1g2) To (make i.e.)declare one anything, 1h) To put one forth, to lead him out, 1i) To make one do something—1i1) cause one to, 1j) To be the authors of a thing (to cause, bring about); 2) To do—2a) To act rightly, do well—2a1) To carry out, to execute, 2b) To do a thing unto one—2b1) To do to one, 2c) with designation of time--To pass, spend, 2d) To celebrate, keep—2d1) To make ready, & so at the same time to institute, the celebration of the passover, 2e) To perform: to a promise. Poiew denotes "to do", prassw - "to practice”; poiew to designate performance, prassw intended, earnest, habitual, performance; poiew to denote merely productive action, prassw definitely directed action; poiew to point to the action result, prassw to the scope & character of the result. These words are often used interchangeably. Strong—apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; To make or do(in a very wide application, more or less direct).
“Those Things”—o,—OR—feminine--h, —OR—neuter--to—Definite Article Accusative Plural Neuter—1) This, that, these, etc. Strong—the definite article; The(sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom).
“Pleasing”—arestov—Adj. Accusative Plural Neuter—1) Pleasing, agreeable. Strong—Agreeable; by implication--Fit. Used 4X--Jn. 8:29; Acts 6:2; Acts 12:3;1Jn. 3:22.?From—airw—a primary root; To lift up; To take up or away; To raise(the voice), keep in suspense(the mind), To sail away(i.e. weigh anchor); To expiate sin.
“In...Sight/Before”—enwpion—Preposition/Adverb—1) In the presence of, before—1a) of occupied place--In that place which is before, or over against, opposite, any one & towards which another turns his eyes. Strong—In the face of(literally or figuratively).?Neuter of a compound of—en[In, by, with]—&—a derivative of—optanomai[To gaze].
“His/Him”—autov—Personal Pronoun Genitive Sing. Masc.—1) Himself, herself, themselves, itself; 2) He, she, it; 3) The same. Strong—from the particle au[perhaps akin to the base of ahr[air] through the idea of a baffling wind]--Backward; the reflexive pronoun--Self, used(alone or in the comparative eautou) of the third person , & (with the proper personal pronoun)of the other persons.
Illustration:
No overt illustration given.
Just a call to closeness to God thru prayer so that his will is done in our “whatever we ask.”
Application:
?Your Recognition of A FREEING CONFIDENCE Of The HEART move(yourself, the Church, & others) toward greater Spiritual Discernment?
?Does what YOU ‘Recognize’ move(yourself, the Church, & others) toward greater Spiritual Discernment?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
My supposed ‘Portuguese men-of-war’ were actually ‘By-The-Wind-Sailors’, which I had misidentified thru my lack of Discernment.
Action:
Moving(yourself, the Church, & others) toward spiritual discernment recognizes...
7-B. Moving toward spiritual discernment recognizes...
A FREEING CONFIDENCE Of The HEART-B(3:21-22)(3:19-24)?•Knowing & abiding in God & His abiding in 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. DECISIVE MOVEMENT(3:14-15)
•Passed from death to life.
5. FREEING EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE(3:16a)?•Knowing Jesus Laid Down His Life For Us.
6. FREEDOM’s(Unhesitating) RESPONSE(3:16b-19)?•Laying Down Our Lives For The Benefit of Our Brothers & Sisters In Christ.
7-A. Moving toward spiritual discernment recognizes...
A FREEING CONFIDENCE Of The HEART-A(3:19-20)(3:19-24)?•Knowing & abiding in God & His abiding in us.
Presented 01/31/2020am to:
1BCCbelle(Video to YouTube shared to Facebook @ ‘Byron Sherman’ & ’First Baptist Church Carrabelle’)
206 SE Ave A(Storrs Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
