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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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REMAINING
IN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD (1 John 2:24-29) Grace
Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming Pastor
Daryl Hilbert A. Growth
in Fellowship with God (2:1-6) B. Stages of Growth in Fellowship with God
(2:7-14) C. Dangers To
Fellowship with God (2:15-22) D. Remaining in
Fellowship with God (2:23-29) 1. Abide
in the Truth of the Gospel (24-25) a) Writing
to believers, John emphatically states that they are to allow the truth they
heard to remain in them (24). (1) If
it remains in them, this is evidence that they are true believers. (2) True believers abide in the faith and in
the Son. (3) Abiding in the Son means that (Jn 15:1-7): (a) The
believer must draw his life and fruit from Christ (1-2). (b) The believer will undergo pruning to bring
forth more fruit (2). (c) The believer must remain in God’s Word and
live his life accordingly to remain in fellowship with God (4). (d) The believer cannot live the Christian life
in his own strength (4-5). (e) The believer bears much fruit by continual
abiding and fellowship with God (5). b) The
truth that is to remain in believers is the simple gospel message (25). (1) The
gospel message is that God has promised eternal life to all who believe. (2) However, true believers will persevere in
the faith. The Lord keeps them from falling away (Jud 24). This is known as
the, “Perseverance of the Saints.” 2. Abide
in the Spirit’s Teaching of the Word (26-27) a) One
of the main purposes for John writing this epistle was to warn them about
false teachers (26). (1) These
false teachers were trying to deceive the church and pervert the truth. But,
John has uncovered them and their spirit of antichrist (1Jn 2:18, 22, 23) and
spirit of apostasy (19). b) True
believers do not have to rely on these false teachers. The Holy Spirit is the
believer’s true teacher (27). (1) Even
when good men teach, their teaching is subservient to the Word of God and His
Spirit. The believer received the Holy Spirit at the moment of faith in
Christ. (2) The Spirit begins to teach the believer
truth from God’s Word. There is no lie or contradiction in God’s Word. (3) However, believers must abide in the Word,
study the Word, and allow the Holy Spirit to compare Scripture with Scripture
(1Co 2:9-16). 3. Abide
in the Righteous Example of Christ (28) a) There
is controversy over verse 28, particularly with the phrase, “shrink away.” (1) Some
take this phrase to refer to a weak believer, who, because of his sin, feels
shame at the coming of the Lord. It appears possible in Scripture that a
believer can feel shame in the presence of the Lord (Phil 1:20; 2Ti 2:15). (2) Others see the phrase referring to an
unbeliever in the midst of believers. In Heb 10:39, an unbeliever “shrinks
back to destruction” (different word - hupostolę - giving up) in the presence of the Lord (cp. Mk
8:34-38). (3) Since John uses the phrase, “little
children,” and commands them to abide in Him, the phrase, “shrink away,”
probably refers to a believer. Furthermore, John is adamant about their
status as “children of God” in the next four verses (1Jn 3:1-4). (4) The point is that when believers
continually abide in Him, they have joy, confidence, boldness, and
anticipation toward the Lord’s return (Rom
8:25; 1Co 1:7; Phil 3:20). b) True
believers abide in Christ. When they do, they exhibit the same righteous
living that Christ exemplified (29). (1) Only
those who are born of Him can produce righteousness. (2) Only those who are the true children of God
purify themselves even as He is pure (1Jn 3:1-4). 4. Applications a) Is
your Christian life described as “fruit,” “more fruit,” or “much fruit?” b) What are the areas that keep you from
constant abiding? c) Are you eagerly awaiting the Lord’s
return? |
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