MOVING TOWARD SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT-X
—1John 3:23-24(3:19-24) of(3:10--4:21)
Attention:
A woman rushes to see her doctor, looking very worried & frantic.
On the verge of tears, she rattles off, “Doctor, take a look at me. When I woke up this morning, I looked at myself in the mirror & saw my hair all wiry & frazzled up, my skin was all wrinkled & pasty, my eyes were blood-shot & bugging out, & I had this corpse-like look on my face! What's wrong with me, Doctor?”
The doctor looks her over for a couple of minutes, then calmly says,
“Well, I can tell you one thing . . . there's nothing wrong with your eyesight!”
Though it was lacking a great deal of detail, the doctor’s diagnosis was very Discerning!
*God’s people must also properly ‘spiritually diagnose’ themselves & their world in relation to God.
Individual Christians gather together, as the Church & body of Christ, for the purpose of being encouraged & strengthened in an overall 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, B. A FREEING CONFIDENCE Of The HEART(3:19-22)(3:19-24)
•Assured of our relationship with God in our heart-of-hearts
Today we’ll continue looking at the fact that...
7-C—Moving toward spiritual discernment recognizes...
A FREEING CONFIDENCE Of The HEART-C(3:23-24)(3:19-24)
3:23—“And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ & love one another, as He gave us commandment.”
God’s “commandment” is inextricably/inseparably/inescapably bound up with “the name of” God’s only-begotten “Son Jesus Christ.”
•It is vital that a person “believes on” everything encompassed by “the name” of “Jesus Christ”(‘Anointed Savior’)...Because “the name” captures every aspect of who Jesus was, is, & will be.
•“The name” is further identified as being tied to God’s uniquely-begotten “Son”(Jn. 1:18; Lk. 1:35).
Jn. 1:18—“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”
Lk. 1:35—“And the angel answered & said to her[Mary], “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, & the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
You & I see people all the time who approach God as a heavenly ‘fairy’ or ‘wish-granter.’ And when their ‘wishes’ fall thru, they suppose God is anemic/powerless, & no different from other gods, because He does not answer their self-centered ‘prayers’ made in chosen ignorance.
Isa. 1:15—“When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.”
Isa. 59:1-3—“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity.”
•If God is not hearing your prayers, then He is actively CHOOSING to NOT pay attention to them!
Isa. 50:10—“Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD And rely upon his God.”
IF “JESUS” is NOT ‘FUNDAMENTAL’ to a person’s approach to asking something of God, then that person is praying to a false god & the wrong god! They are praying to a lesser god of their own making!
*Oh, & there is one other string/handle attached to God’s people getting their prayers answered(:22)...
•Those who see their prayers answered, are those who also “love one another” in Christ Jesus!
•The significance of the necessity of the Church’s “loving one another” in Christ, has been John’s whole point thru what we’ve been looking at from 3:10-18! Our verses here offer further evidence of that necessity.
In order for God’s people to see the answers to their prayers, they must simultaneously be living out a godly character of “loving one another” as God Himself has “given us commandment” to do. That is, our “love” for “one another” must be within the confines of God’s “commandment”—within His will for your/my “love.”
•Any attempt at agaph “love” is cheapened & tainted by sin, IF it is without the ‘balance’ that God gives to “love.”
•?Have you ever had such confidence that your prayer would be answered that you only prayed it once...because you knew God would fulfill it?(give you a stone,scorpion) That you didn’t have to ‘remind’ God about it as if He may have forgotten it?....
•By-the-way God’s people ARE also encouraged to petition God in order to have our needs met(Lk. 11:5-13).
Lk. 11:5-13—“And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, & go to him at midnight & say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; ‘for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, & I have nothing to set before him’; “& he will answer from within & say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, & my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise & give to you’? “I say to you, though he will not rise & give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise & give him as many as he needs. So I say to you, ask, & it will be given to you; seek, & you will find; knock, & it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, & he who seeks finds, & to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
•Prayer also is to inform us—those who are praying—concerning the overall ‘timeframe’ & overall involvement that God’s answer may have in the grand scheme of life that God has set...Including our love for one another!(3: 11, 10, 14, 16, 18; 4:8, 11, 12, 20-21)
“And”2X—kai—Conjunction—1) And, also, even, indeed, but. Strong—apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative & sometimes also a cumulative force; And, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection(or composition) with other particles or small words.
“This”—outov, including nominative masculine plural--outoi; nominative feminine singular--auth; & nominative feminine plural--autai—Demonstrative Pronoun Nominative Sing. Fem.—1) This, these, etc. Strong—The he(she or it), i.e. This or that(often with article repeated).?From the article—o,—OR—feminine--h,—OR—neuter--to—Article—1) This, that, these, etc. Strong—The definite article; The(sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom).—&—autov—1) Himself, herself, themselves, itself; 2) He, she, it; 3) The same. Strong—the reflexive pronoun--Self, used(alone or in the comparative eautou) of the third person , & (with the proper personal pronoun)of the other persons.
“Is”—esti—Present -X- Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) third person singular of “To be.” Strong—He(she or it) is; also(with neuter plural)--They are; third person singular present indicative of eimi.
“His”—o,—OR—feminine--h, —OR—neuter--to—Definite Article Nominative Sing. Fem.—1) This, that, these, etc. Strong—the definite article; The(sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom).
“Commandment”2X(See 3:22, 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).
“That”—ina—Conjunction—1) That, in order that, so that. Strong—In order that(denoting the purpose or the result); probably from the same as the former part of eautou(through the demonstrative idea; compare o, h, to).
“Believe”(See 3:22; 4:1, 16)—pisteuw—1Aorist Active Subjunctive 1st Plural—1)To think to be true, to be persuaded of, place confidence in; 2) To entrust a thing to one, i.e. his Fidelity. Strong—To have faith(in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. Credit; by implication--To entrust(especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ).
“On”—Translational addition.
“The”—o,—OR—feminine--h, —OR—neuter--to—Definite Article Dative Sing. Neuter—1) This, that, these, etc. Strong—the definite article; The(sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom).
“Name”—onoma—Noun Neuter—1) Name: universally of proper names; 2) The name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one's rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.; 3) Persons reckoned up by name; 4) The cause or reason named: on this account, because he suffers as a Christian, for this reason. Strong—from a presumed derivative of the base of ginwskw[to "know"](compare oninhmi[slur/gratify]); A "name"(literally or figuratively) [authority, character].
“His”—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.
“Son”(See 4:9, 10)—uiov—Noun Masc.—1) A son—1a) Rarely used for the young of animals, 1b) generally used of the offspring of men, 1c) in a restricted sense, the male offspring (one born by a father & of a mother), 1d) in a wider sense--A descendant, one of the posterity of any one,—1d1) The children of Israel, 1d2) Sons of Abraham, 1e) used to describe: One who depends on another or is his follower—1e1) A pupil. Strong—apparently a primary word; A “son”(sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.
“Jesus”—Ihsouv—Noun Proper Masc.—‘Jesus’ = “Jehovah is salvation”—of Hebrew origin [ewvwhy Yeh-ho-shoo'-ah; or evwhy Yeh-ho-shoo'-ah]; Jesus(i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord & two(three) other Israelites.?ewvwhy Yeh-how-shoo'-ah; OR--evwhy Yeh-ho-shoo’-ah—Jehovah-saved; Jehoshua (i.e. Joshua), the Jewish leader.?From—hwhy Yeh-ho-vaw’—(the)Self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.—&—evy yaw-shah’—a primitive root; properly--To be open, wide or free, i.e. by implication--To be safe; causatively--To free or succor.
“Christ”—Cristov—Adj. Genitive Sing. Masc.—Christ = “Anointed”—1) Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God; 2) Anointed. Strong—Anointed, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.?From—criw—To smear or rub with oil, i.e. by implication--To consecrate to an office or religious service; probably akin to craomai[to furnish what is needed; (give an oracle, “graze”[touch slightly], light upon, etc.), i.e. (by implication--To employ, or by extension--To act towards one in a given manner] through the idea of contact.
“Love”(See 3:14, 16, 17, 18; 4:7, 8, 10, 11, 12)—agapaw—Present Active Subjunctive(possibility/potentiality/conditionality) 1st Plural—1) of persons—1a) To welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly; 2) of things—2a) To be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing. Agapaw concerns embracing especially the judgment & the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty & propriety. Strong—perhaps from agan(much) [or compare bge[To breathe after, i.e. To love(sensually)]]; To love (in a social or moral sense). RWP—“the noble word so common in the Gospels for the highest form of love.”?Not—filew—i.e. To have affection for(denoting personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling).
“One Another”(See 3:11; 4:11, 12)—allhlwn—Reciprocal Pronoun Accusative Plural Masc.—1) One another, reciprocally, mutually. Strong—Genitive plural from allov[ a primary word; “else,” i.e. Different(in many applications)] reduplicated; One another.
“As/Even As”(See 3:12; 4:17)—kaywv—Adverb—1) According as—1a) Just as, even as, 1b) In proportion as, in the degree that; 2) Since, seeing that, agreeably to the fact that; 3) When, after that. Strong—Just (or inasmuch)as, that.?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).—&—wv—1) As, like, even as, etc. Strong—probably adverb of comparative from ov, h, o; Which how, i.e. In that manner(very variously used).
“Gave”—didwmi—1Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To give; 2) To give something to someone—2a) Of one's own accord to give one something, to his advantage—2a1) To bestow a gift, 2b) To grant, give to one asking, let have, 2c) To supply, furnish, necessary things, 2d) To give over, deliver—2d1) To reach out, extend, present, 2d2) Of a writing, 2d3) To give over to one's care, intrust, commit—2d3a) Something to be administered, 2d3b) To give or commit to some one something to be religiously observed, 2e) To give what is due or obligatory, to pay: wages or reward, 2f) To furnish, endue; 3) To give—3a) To cause, profuse, give forth from one's self—3a1) To give, hand out lots, 3b) To appoint to an office, 3c) To cause to come forth, i.e. as the sea, death & Hell are said to give up the dead who have been engulfed or received by them, 3c) To give one to someone as his own—3c1) As an object of his saving care, 3c2) To give one to someone, to follow him as a leader & master, 3c3) To give one to someone to care for his interests, 3c4) To give one to someone to whom he already belonged, to return; 4) To grant or permit one—4a) To commission. Didwmi denotes “to give” in general, opposite to lambanw “to take”; dwreomai specific, “to bestow, present”; didwmi might be used even of evils, but dwreomai could be used of such things only ironically. Strong—To give(used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection); a prolonged form of a primary verb(which is used as an alternative in most of the tenses).
“Us”—hmav—Personal Pronoun, 1st Dative Plural—1) Us, we, our etc. Strong—accusative case plural of egw[I, me]; Us.
3:24—“Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, & He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”
A SYNOPSIS:
We’ve already found that anyone(“he who”) who “keeps” God’s “commandments” is a person who at once: ?1)Believes on the name of Jesus(:23a)...
2)Readily lays down his life for his/her brothers & sisters in Christ(:16b)...
3)“Loves” his/her brothers & sisters in Christ, & “loves” them in word, deed, & in truth(:18, 23b)...
4)Has unhesitating confidence before God(:19-21)...And:
5)Receives whatever they ask from God(:22).
?Now don’t you WANT that for yourself!? Don’t your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, & the global community, NEED that for themselves?
•!Then let’s share Jesus with them!
But there is more to consider regarding the keeping of God’s commandments. Here we also discover...
“Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, & He in Him.”
IF we indeed “abide in” God(NOT being wishy-washy, but rather eternally ‘saved’)—by our “keeping His commandments”—THEN, in turn, God indeed “abides in us.”(Js. 4:7-8). And that answers the necessity for our believing in His Son Jesus Christ as well as our subsequent love for others of the family of God(:23).
Js. 4:7-8—“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil & he will flee from you. Draw near to God & He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; & purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
“And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”
I “know” that God “abides in” me BECAUSE His Holy “Spirit” indwells me(& any who are truly God’s people by faith in Christ Jesus). And His Spirit convicts me of my standing & station with God.
•“We know” means that God the Holy Spirit grants the child of God the CERTAINTY of relationship with Almighty God!
The person of God the Holy “Spirit” is a gift(“given”) of God to His people personally & individually. His gift comes to me(anyone) by means of my(their) acceptance & reception of Christ Jesus as my(their) Savior, & furthermore as my(their) Lord, my(their) Master—He is the One to & thru whom I(they) am(are) directly answerable.(2Cor. 1:21-22; 2Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14; Eph. 4:30; Rom. 8:11; 1Tim. 1:14)
2Cor. 1:21-22—“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ & has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us & given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
2Cor. 5:5—“Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
Eph. 1:13-14—“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Eph. 4:30—“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Rom. 8:11—“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
2Tim. 1:14—“That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.”
*If you do not “know”—if you are not certain—that God “abides” in you, then He most likely does not “abide” in you!
•Possibly you were baptized as a kid/child. That’s all well & good...BUT why do you not have the closeness to God that the baptism originally signified? Perhaps you ‘followed the crowd’ rather than God’s voice.
?Does the Spirit of God compel you to honor God thru gathering regularly with the children of God? OR--do you gather because that’s what you grew up doing; OR--because it feels good to recognize a ‘non-descript spiritual presence’, OR--maybe because you are looking for something real but haven’t yet found it?
*Having an interest in spiritual things is NOT the same thing as having the Holy Spirit of God INDWELL you!
An Example:
A desire to gather with the body of Christ is a vital part of my personal testimony to being saved by Christ as wells as my testimony to Jesus’ lordship in my life. When I ‘got saved’, I was compelled of the Holy Spirit to gather with those of like belief. Deep in my transformed human spirit I was not satisfied until I was at home with the family of God!
?Are you compelled to remain in God’s “commandments” even when others ridicule you?, or when to do so ‘goes against the flow’ of popularity?
“Now/And”3X—kai—Conjunction—1) And, also, even, indeed, but. Strong—apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative & sometimes also a cumulative force; And, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection(or composition) with other particles or small words.
“He Who”—o,—OR—feminine--h, —OR—neuter--to—Definite Article Nominative Sing. Masc.—1) This, that, these, etc. Strong—the definite article; The(sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom).
“Keeps”(See 3:22)—threw—Present Active Participle Nominative Sing. Masc.—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).
“Abides”2X(See 3:14, 17; 4:12, 13, 15, 16)—menw—Present Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To remain, abide—1a) in reference to place—1a1) To sojourn, tarry, 1a2) Not to depart—1a2a) To continue to be present, 1a2b) To be held, kept, continually, 1b) in reference to time—1b1) To continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure—1b1a) of persons--To survive, live, 1c) in reference to state or condition—1c1) To remain as one, not to become another or different; 2) To wait for, await one. Strong—a primary verb; To stay(in a given place, state, relation or expectancy).
“In” -&- “By”4X—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]).
“Him”2X—autov—Personal Pronoun Dative 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.
“He”—autov—Personal Pronoun Nominative 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.
“In”—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..
“Know”(See 3:16, 19, 20; 4:2, 7, 8, 13)—ginwskw—Present 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.
“That”—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.
“Us”2X—hmin—Personal Pronoun 1st Dative Plural—1) Us, we, our. Strong—To(or for, with, by) us; dative case plural of egw[emphatic “I”].
“By”(See :2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8)—ek—Preposition—1) Out of, from, by, away from. Strong—a primary preposition denoting origin(the point whence action or motion proceeds), From, out(of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote).
“The”—o,—OR—feminine--h, —OR—neuter--to—Definite Article Nominative Sing. Masc.—1) This, that, these, etc. Strong—the definite article; The(sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom).
(CONT...)7-C—Moving toward spiritual discernment recognizes...
A FREEING CONFIDENCE Of The HEART-C(3:23-24)(3:19-24)
3:24(CONT...)
“Spirit”—pneuma—Noun Neuter—1) The third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father & the Son; 2) The spirit, i.e. The vital principal by which the body is animated—2a) The rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides, 2b) The soul; 3) A spirit, i.e. A simple essence, devoid of all or at least all grosser matter, & possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, & acting—3a) A life giving spirit, 3b) A human soul that has left the body, 3c) A spirit higher than man but lower than God, i.e. An angel—3c1) used of demons, or evil spirits, who were conceived as inhabiting the bodies of men, 3c2) The spiritual nature of Christ, higher than the highest angels & equal to God, the divine nature of Christ; 4) The disposition or influence which fills & governs the soul of any one—4a) the efficient source of any power, affection, emotion, desire, etc.; 5) A movement of air(a gentle blast). Strong—A current of air, i.e. Breath(blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively--A spirit, i.e. (human)--The rational soul, by implication--Vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman)--An angel, demon, or (divine)--God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit. RWP—‘“The Spirit” is the use of pneuma as metaphor.”?Pneuma corresponds to Hebrew—xwr. 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.
“Given/Gave”(See 4:13)—didwmi—Perfect Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To give; 2) To give something to someone—2a) Of one's own accord to give one something, to his advantage—2a1) To bestow a gift, 2b) To grant, give to one asking, let have, 2c) To supply, furnish, necessary things, 2d) To give over, deliver—2d1) To reach out, extend, present, 2d2) Of a writing, 2d3) To give over to one's care, intrust, commit—2d3a) Something to be administered, 2d3b) To give or commit to some one something to be religiously observed, 2e) To give what is due or obligatory, to pay: wages or reward, 2f) To furnish, endue; 3) To give—3a) To cause, profuse, give forth from one's self—3a1) To give, hand out lots, 3b) To appoint to an office, 3c) To cause to come forth, i.e. as the sea, death & Hell are said to give up the dead who have been engulfed or received by them, 3c) To give one to someone as his own—3c1) As an object of his saving care, 3c2) To give one to someone, to follow him as a leader & master, 3c3) To give one to someone to care for his interests, 3c4) To give one to someone to whom he already belonged, to return; 4) To grant or permit one—4a) To commission. Didwmi denotes “to give” in general, opposite to lambanw “to take”; dwreomai specific, “to bestow, present”; didwmi might be used even of evils, but dwreomai could be used of such things only ironically. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary verb(which is used as an alternative in most of the tenses); To give(used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection).
Illustration:
While flats fishing off the Florida coast, a tourist from Idaho who’d never been to Florida before, capsized his boat. He could swim, & he was near shore, but his fear of alligators kept him clinging to the overturned craft.
Spotting an old beachcomber standing on the shore, the tourist shouted, “Are there any gators around here?”
“Naw,” the man hollered back, “They ain't been around for years!”
Feeling safe, the tourist started swimming leisurely toward the shore. When he was almost there, he asked the guy, “How'd you get rid of the gators?”
The beachcomber said, “Oh, we didn't do nothin.’ “It’s the sharks that got ‘em.”
A FREEING CONFIDENCE Of The HEART
Be veeerrry mindful about what makes your heart ‘free’ to do what it does!...In any moment is your heart set free because God has done it, OR because a multitude of other someones & somethings has done it?!
Application:
?Does 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:
The doctor’s statement to the frantic woman: “There’s nothing wrong with your eyesight!”
Action:
Moving(yourself, the Church, & others) toward spiritual discernment recognizes...
7-C. Moving toward spiritual discernment recognizes...
A FREEING CONFIDENCE Of The HEART-C(3:23-24)(3:19-24)
•Assured of our relationship with God in our heart-of-hearts.
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, B. Moving toward spiritual discernment recognizes...
A FREEING CONFIDENCE Of The HEART(3:19-22)(3:19-24)
•Assured of our relationship with God in our heart-of-hearts.
Presented 02/07/2021am to:
1BCCbelle(Video to YouTube shared to Facebook @ ‘Byron Sherman’ & ’First Baptist Church Carrabelle’)
206 SE Ave A(Storrs Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
