Presents
Pamphlet 1562 1 John kc 6-4
Are "you" your favorite subject?
Presents
Pamphlet 1562 1 John kc 6-4
Are "you" your favorite subject?
1 John 3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
[20] For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
Now think about this carefully!
Is not God's heart, His love, His forgiveness, greater than yours?
Does He not know all things?
In other words, does He not already know of your sins before you even confess them to Him?
If He, therefore, being greater than you, forgives you of your sins when you repent, who are you then, the lesser one, to go against Him and not forgive yourself?
Again, does your heart condemn you, especially after you have repented?
If so, then you do NOT wholeheartedly believe God.
You SHOW that you do not have the confidence in Him that He is "faithful and just to forgive us our sins" (1 Jn. 1:9)! Right?
[21] Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
Do you truly believe that Jesus Christ paid the price for your sins?
His death, by laying down His life, showed how deep His love for you really is!
Do you therefore believe that He has the power to forgive your sins and to "to cleanse you from all unrighteousness"?
Then why in the world would you continue to condemn yourself?
You are FREE of them!
You must understand that if you have confessed your sins to Him you are immediately CLEANSED!
You have showered in the pure water of Life made clean by the shed blood of the Lamb!
So why don't you FEEL CLEAN?
Why would you continue to walk around feeling dirty!
Oh that you could fully understand the depth of His forgiveness, for when you do, your heart will not contain itself for the love you have for Him.
Perhaps the words of a great and humble servant of God, a man whose life-long labor of love for the Lord and his brothers has enabled many of God's "little ones" in these "last times" to more fully "enjoy" and understand God's Word, can help us to understand our completeness in Christ (Col. 2:10). Here is a profound quote by E.W. Bullinger from his book titled, "How to Enjoy the Bible", Kregel Publishers, pgs. 416-417:
"We have written only for those who have "peace with God" (Rom. 5:1), and enjoy "the peace of God" (Phil. 4:7), and know the God of Peace (Rom. 15:33). Only such have leisure to be occupied with God. Only such can "sit at the Lord's feet and hear His Word" (Luke 10:39 R.V.). All others must be "cumbered about much serving." They must need be occupied with themselves: either as sinners taken up with their sins, or as penitents with their repentance, or as believers with their faith, or as saints with their holiness.
Do thoughts about "you" consume your thoughts to the point you have no "leisure", i.e. free time, to be occupied with God and "hear" His Word?
Are you busy "condemning yourself", i.e. thinking about what a sinner you are or what a low-life you have been in the past or what you should be doing or haven't done that you should have?
Or are you busy trying to "be good" to atone for your sins, i.e. make up for what you have done or didn't do, to make yourself "feel" better and more worthy?
Or are you busy trying to "convince yourself" that you have faith or that you are a good person when you feel like you are not?
If any of these are true then you are not at "peace with God" and you do not have peace of mind, and do you know why you don't?
You do not really believe the words of Him who is far greater than you and who "Promised" He has forgiven and cleansed you when you confessed to Him.
The Truth will set you free and it will free-up a great deal of wasted processing time in your head!
May God give you wisdom to understand the rest of this profound quote:
Unless and until we know our completeness in Christ (Col 2:10), and "believe God" when He declares that "He has made us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12), we shall be in such a condition of conscience, and heart, and life as will not leave us any time of occupation with God.
Instead of going on our way "giving thanks to God" for what He has done, we shall be giving way to mourning for what we have not done. We shall be like David when he "sat in his house" and was occupied with what he would do for the Lord. For, not until we learn what the Lord has done and purposed to do for us, shall we be ready, with David, to go in and sit before the Lord (2 Sam. 7:1:18).
In the former case David's thought was, "Who I am"; in the latter he was exclaiming, "Who am I, O Lord God?"
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Do you believe that?
The love of God has also been made known to us by the following, if you believe it:
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So let your own heart forgive you and not condemn you.
THEN, let that apply to your brothers!
[22] And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him,
Because what we ask for is His will, BECAUSE we keep His commandments AND do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
... because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
But know this: If you remain ignorant of His Word once you have been saved, you cannot please Him.
One of the things that pleases our Father is for us to become knowledgeable of His precious Word, as it is written, and then to carry forth that spirit which dwells in us in DEED and in TRUTH!
This is a whole lot different than the "let's-just-love-one-another-and-get-along" theology.
You may have to exercise severe discipline and chastisement and "kick some butt" at times to show love, especially to an enemy.
So love you brothers, and your enemies, God's way, in Deed and in Truth, and let your light shine and they may see your hope and perhaps desire that the light that dwells in you may come replace the darkness and despair that occupies their hearts.
Again, these things do please our Father when we keep His commandment to love our brothers.
Therefore whatsoever you ask in His name to help you do His will and those things which please Him, He will see to it that you have them.
Not only that, He will pour out His blessings upon you and see that you lack for nothing else.
I Jn. 1:23
And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
[24]And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
Is He not the greater?
If He, therefore, was willing to lay down His life for us, should we not be willing to do the same for our brothers?
When we do His will and keep His commandments, then the Spirit of Truth which He has given us will continue to dwell in us and the spirit of Cain can never enter in!
To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits;
to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, you accomplish both.
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