Blessings for The Fellowship

‘Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow Blessings all mine with 10, 000 beside’

“blessings all mine with 10,000 beside.”

With Blessings for The Fellowship!

Victory over The World (5.4-5)

Just in case we are tempted to think it’s about our manufacturing of belief…rather than the focus of our faith…

World conquering comes—BECAUSE we believe that Jesus is the Son of God (ALL the way & ALL the time!).

1 John 4.4 “You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Assurance of Salvation (5.6-13)

[First, “by water & blood” = ‘testify’… water - baptism; blood - crucifixion; Spirit - Holy Spirit!—ALL ASSERT that JESUS is THE CHRIST (MESSIAH).]

[Why is THIS so important?…] If the testimony is that Jesus is (& IS) The Son of God…then the rest of what The Spirit testifies about Jesus IS TRUE!

Ephesians 2.1-5 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!”

Confidence in Prayer (5.14-17)

Confidence…with respect to the Judgement of God on sin; AND, with respect to prayer:

1 John 3.21-22 “Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight.”

Along with prayer…a teachable moment about false teaching and those who peddle ‘rejecting, blaspheming the Holy Spirit.’

First, pray for a brother or sister in sin…as long as it’s not leading to death:

No need to pray about that. (Unrepentant denial of the biblical Gospel is a sin which lies outside God’s forgiveness.)

Hebrews 10.26-27 “For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries.”

Perseverance in Faithfulness (5.18-21)

We cannot be characterized by a lifestyle of sin.

We are children of God

We remain and grow in our relationship with God.

1 John 1.1-4 “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”

CONCL—

VICTORY…ASSURANCE…CONFIDENCE…PERSEVERANCE.

The Fellowship…God’s call to us…A perfect place for encouragement, growth, accountability, opportunity—to mature in our faith…together.

Perseverance— “Little children” … “guard yourselves from idols.”

1 John 5:21 CSB

Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

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