Testing Your Christmas With Christian Compliance-2

TESTING YOUR CHRISTMAS With CHRISTIAN COMPLIANCE-II

— 2John :7-11; 1John 2:22-25; 4:14-16; 5:5-13—

Attention:

Our Christmas celebrations say much about what we really believe.

Need:

John supplied his readers with a test for Christian compliance in Jesus’ sonship/humanity/birth.

Jesus’ sonship/birth is a test for Christian confession/compliance...

How is faith in Jesus’ birth/sonship a test for Christian compliance?

4 tests of Christian compliance realized thru our celebration of Jesus’ birth/sonship.

2—Celebrating Jesus’ Birth Tests Our...

VICTORY(1Jn. 5:5-13)

Explanation: (1Jn. 5:5-13)

1Jn. 5:5—“Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Those who “overcome the world” are those who have established “belief” in Jesus as “the Son of God” per 4:15. Thus the presence of God’s love(4:16) in a believer’s life is what grants him/her the ability to “overcome the world.”

It is vital that one overcomes the world(Jn. 16:33) because “the world” runs contrary to the Spirit of God(1Cor. 2:14).

Jn. 16:33—““These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.””

1Cor. 2:13-14—“These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

The natural man has no Victory!

:6—“This is He who came by water & blood--Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water & blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.”

This “Jesus” who is the Son of God & the “Christ” “came” to His appointed mission by means of both “Water & blood.” He “came” “not only by water.” It is of importance to John for his audience to grasp the fact that Jesus came “not only by water”, but by both “water & blood.”

Mk. 1:9-11—“It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.””

Many have & will comment on this somewhat enigmatic statement. These terms seem to frame the importance of Jesus earthly ministry. Jesus’ earthly ministry began with His baptism by John & ended with His death on the Cross.

We are presented with an obvious characteristic of Jesus, which can be compared to the rest of humanity but cannot be limited to humanity, otherwise He could be neither Savior(Jesus) nor Messiah(God’s Anointed One). Jesus indeed has come in flesh & blood in order to rightly accomplish God’s salvation for mankind!

“It is true that at the Cross both water & blood came out of the side of Jesus when pierced by the soldier, as John bore witness (Joh 19:34), a complete refutation of the Docetic denial of an actual human body for Jesus & of the Cerinthian distinction between Jesus & Christ.”

“The repetition of both preposition (en this time rather than dia) & the article (twi locative case) argues for two separate events with particular emphasis on the blood ("not only" ouk monon, "but" all’) which the Gnostics made light of or even denied.”—RWP

—Cerinthius(a Gnostic) believed that Christ came upon Jesus the man at His baptism, but left before his death.” John is refuting this heresy.—Skip Heitzig

—Docetists(from dokein/dokhsiv(to seem) & dokesiv(apparition/phantom). They believed Jesus merely ‘seemed’ to be Divine.

The Spirit of God who indwells us as believers, testifies to the above facts. The undeniable fact remains that Jesus came to this world thru the process of natural birth(though of a virgin) as do all people.

“Here John identifies the Spirit with truth as Jesus said of himself (Joh 14:6) without denying personality for the Holy Spirit.”—RWP

Jn. 7:37-39—“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood & cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me & drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Jn. 16:13-14—““However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; & He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine & declare it to you.”