“Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

Deuteronomy 32:46-47

“Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” Deuteronomy 32:46-47

Given I have caught up with and am now ahead with where John Piper is in recording his videos on 1 and 2 Timothy for DesiringGod.com's Look at the Book series, this morning I lean on the Solid Joys daily devotion, which today explores how believers must hang on to the Word of God as a matter of life and death.  

Excerpts from the video:

• Our physical life depends on the Word of God; see also Psalm 33:6, Hebrews 11:3, 1:3
• Our spiritual life begins by the Word of God; see also James 1:18, 1 Peter 1:23
• We go on living and are sustained by the Word of God Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3
• "So our physical life is created and upheld by the word of God, and our spiritual life is quickened and sustained by the word of God. How many stories could be gathered to bear witness to the life-giving power of the word of God! Indeed, the Bible is “no empty word for you” — it is your life! The foundation of all joy is life. Nothing is more fundamental than sheer existence — our creation and our preservation."   

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, indeed, I know that the Word is You and I have the Word that gives me life and sustains me through all things and carries me through to the end when I will meet You face to face - thank You for giving me Your Word and for speaking to me through Your Word.  I am greatly blessed....beyond words.  Thank You.  Yet I am undeserving of such a blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

 1 John 2

But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.  I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 1 John 2:20-21

This morning, I continue my study of 1,2,3 John using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for these books. My study today focuses on a commentary-assisted review of 1 John 2:18-27. 

Per the commentary for this text:

Main idea: There have always been those, and more will come, who actively oppose Christ and the gospel; Christians must resist such error and cling to the truth of God as revealed by the Spirit in the Scriptures.

Excerpt from introduction:

• John seeks for believers to be on watch for signs that end times are near - and one of those signs is the antichrist, false teachers who deny God and seek to lead/deceive believers away from God. "[I]t is absolutely essential that we have a biblically balanced understanding of who the antichrists are and what the antichrists do."
  

Divisions:

1. Antichrists Attack Christ (2:18): John is the only Bible author who uses the term antichrist, yet other authors in the Bible refer to the same figure, including Daniel ("the coming prince" - Daniel 9:27), and Paul ("the man of lawlessness" - 2 Thessalonians 2:3), and as the beast from the sea in Revelation 13:1-10. We are urged to live with a sense of urgency, not knowing when the second coming of Christ will appear and we are to be ready. We are also to be aware that during the end times (defined as the period between first and second coming of Christ) there will be those who serve as antichrists denying God and deceiving others, and then there will be the Antichrist who "comes at the end of the last hour. Jesus Himself warned us of all of this in Matthew 24:4-5,24-25." The antichrists that oppose Jesus who come before the final Antichrist "do not directly oppose Jesus." Instead they practice deception and seduction and they "redefine Him."  By "chipping" away at who He is, believers quickly lose sight of the One True God and begin following false Gods and their ways.  "This is the spirit of the antichrists, and it will attempt to lead you down the road of spiritual error that is a theological dead end....[B]e on the lookout for those who attack the biblical teachings about Christ. They will do you no good." 
   
2. Antichrists Abandon the Church (2:19,22-23): We are warned about "enemies within" the church.  We should recognize that antichrists who leave the church were never truly part of the church.  "Perseverance is the proof of possession. Defection from the fellowship gives evidence of a defective faith. That was certainly John’s perspective." Those who are truly saved persevere as part of the church.  We are referred to John 10:27-29 where Jesus refers to His followers as sheep who follow the shepherd when they hear His voice and how no one will be able to "snatch them out of His hand."  We must avoid the false belief that Jesus is significant but not preeminent and that not the Savior. This belief leads us away from the church.
   
3. Antichrists Assault the Christian (2:20-21,24-27): Believers are equipped with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to truly know God and to discern truth from falsehoods. If we abide in Him we can defend ourselves from the attacks of the antichrists. We must also be clear that we are not to add or subtract anything from God. "The false teachers will attempt to deceive you into thinking you need something more than Christ or something other than Christ."
   

Comment and discuss this post.

 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the One True God who gives me the Holy Spirit and Your Word and You protect me and save me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

Matthew 5

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8

This morning, I focus on John Piper's Solid Joys devotional, where Piper seeks for us to defeat the temptation of sin by focusing not on the gain from sin (from the Great Deceiver), but on a better promise from the Word of God - referencing Ephesians 6:17 where the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, is used as a weapon to kill sin.  Piper writes: "[s]o, when the body is about to be led into a sinful action by some fear or craving, we are to take the sword of the Spirit and kill that fear and that craving. In my experience, that means mainly severing the root of sin’s promise by the power of a superior promise."  Piper then goes on to provide several general examples of God's promises and we are encouraged to satiate ourselves with the Word to draw upon the many of God's promises and how God is faithful in keeping every single one of these promises.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are great and Your promises are great - greater than what anything Satan can attempt to offer and lure us into sin.  Your Word is great and it is powerful!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation, Your Word or the Holy Spirit - all of which You freely provide out of Your amazing grace.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving. My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

Pages: 65-73

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. 1 John 1:1-4

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, covering chapter three - Reading to See Supreme Worth and Beauty, Part 1.  Here, Piper seeks to demonstrate the third of six implications that flow from the ultimate goal of reading the Bible (as listed here); the third of the six implications is "that we should always read his word in order to see this supreme worth and beauty[.]" In this chapter, which is the first of three to explore this specific implication, Piper points to both John and Paul to provide scriptural examples that demonstrate that we are to read the Bible "to see [God's] supreme worth and beauty[.]"  

John, in not just his gospel account, but also in his epistles (1, 2, 3 John), sought to help later generations see the glory of God through his writing - using John 1:14, 2:11, 11:40, 14:26, 16:13-14, 20:29-31, and 1 John 1:1-4 to help readers see the connection between reading an eyewitness account of the glory of Christ and "seeing" the glory of Christ. Piper writes that in 1 John 1:1-4, John refers to what was seen or manifest six times...and "[t]he intention that the faith and life he received by seeing the glory of Christ, his readers would also be able to receive by seeing what he saw-the glory of Christ shining through the inspired writing." 

Paul, in Ephesians 3:3-8, "makes a rare and crucial reference to the aim of reading his own epistle." His hope is that "by reading [church in Ephesus] may 'see' or get a glimpse, into what Paul was shown by God."  The "boundless riches of Christ" referenced by Paul is then more fully described by Piper as the riches of the "glory of Christ" and Ephesians 1:18 and Colossians 1:27 help clarify this.  

Piper then encourages us to avoid focusing on specific passages of scripture that help us see God's glory, and supreme worth and beauty, but instead to see the glory of God "in and through all things," and he uses 1 Corinthians 10:31 to help us see "all things in relationship to the glory of God-starting with the most ordinary things, like food and drink." 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and whose glory I see in the Word and with every passing day I can see the Holy Spirit working in and through me to sanctify me and bring You glory.  You pour out Your mercies and blessings every day for me.  Thank You!  Yet I am undeserving.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, You will not serve the king of Babylon,for they are prophesying lies to you. I have not sent them, declares the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name.

Jeremiah 27

Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, You will not serve the king of Babylon,for they are prophesying lies to you. I have not sent them, declares the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name. v14-15

The world is full of lies - planted by great deceiver - Satan. We must be aware of this.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Satan made his presence known throughout the Bible.  We are warned repeatedly about false prophets.  We must surround ourselves with Truth by reading the Bible, understanding what it says (in both an absolute and a personal sense), by worshiping corporately on Sunday at church, by participating in Bible studies, and by surrounding ourselves with others so that "iron sharpens iron" (Proverbs 27:17).

Submit to God and the Word, (Romans 12:2).

Live and breath the word (Deuteronomy 6:6-9, 11:18-20)

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.  Deuteronomy 6:6-9

My Prayer: Lord, You are an awesome God who has given me Your Son and Your Word - Truth - so that I may have a path to righteousness.  Thank You Jesus!  I am in desperate need of Your cleansing and Your Word.  I am unclean - I miss the mark daily. I worry WAY too much.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.

Jeremiah 9

For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart. v25

God is blunt with His judgement of the Israelites - their faith is paper thin and in name only.  They fail to observe the most important commandment by a long shot.

Reading Jeremiah of course is a mirror into our own lives:

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

I must examine and reflect on where in my life I am not loving God with all of my heart, soul and mind and loving others as He loves me.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God, and I know You love me and You died for me so that I would not experience the sting of sin and death and so that I would have everlasting life.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Please give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

Haggai 2

Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’ v4-5

God made a covenant with Abraham (see Genesis 12) and this covenant rested on obedience to the law.  When God sent Jesus to walk the earth, Jesus gave us a new covenant:

In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Luke 22:20  

He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:6

We should be thankful that this new covenant is based on grace and not on deeds.  Yes we will be judged according to what we have done but our faith and trust in God is primary (Matthew 22:37-40).

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and I know that You will never leave me.  Your Word and Your Spirit remain with me at all times and I desire to draw near to me and You will draw near to me when I draw near to You.  Thank You for Your love and that You will never leave me.  I am not worth such love and attention.  Please forgive me for sloth and my selfishness.  Help me overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, the church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

Psalm 119

The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. v72

This is not the only place in the Bible where God's word is referred to as valuable and the implication is that we should be using the Bible to invest in our lives. 

And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times. Psalm 12:6

 

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

 

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. Hebrews 1:3

 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and I love You!  You and Your Word ARE more valuable that silver and gold - many times so!  I know that without You and Your Word and can do no good thing and all good and perfect gifts come from above, from You.  I am blessed with gifts from You beyond what I deserve.  Thank You Jesus.  Yet I need Your forgiveness because I continue to worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin...and serve You.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.

Hebrews 4

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. v12-13

The Bible is more than a book - it is God and God is the Bible.  The Bible is all powerful - it can penetrate more than my mind - it can transform my heart and life.  It also reveals to me my sin and my need for Jesus Christ.   I must also understand that God knows all - specifically my sin - He knew everything about my sin even before I was born.  This last point is made in several other places in the Bible:

Psalm 19
Daniel 2
Matthew 10
Luke 8, 12

My Prayer: Lord, You are an awesome God and Your Word is Great - I know that You are the Word and the Word is You.  I am blessed to have Your Word so that I can come to You and read and reflect on Your message for me - I desperately need You in my life because I am sinful and broken.  I am quick to anger and slow to listen.  I am harsh with my thoughts and words.  I often do not work as if I am working for You.  I gossip.  Please forgive me Jesus!  Help me overcome and turn from such sin.  Help me love You with all of my heart soul mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do. Help me grow in my faith. Help me stay near to You and Your Word.  Help me not only read and know the Word but help me DO the Word - do what it says.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength, comfort and freedom from pain.  Please heal and cure her of this cancer.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. v16-17

Paul is saying that Scripture is God and by implication from God.  Paul also writes that the Bible is from God here.  The author of Hebrews also says that the Word of God is alive and active.  And the Word of God is prepared for us so that we be equipped to glorify Him because that is why we exist.

My Prayer: Lord, You are an awesome God and You exist and are alive as You have before time began and You will after time is over.  You created all things and You are in all things.  You control everything and You are gentle, compassionate, caring, patient, etc.  Thank You for such love and blessing but I am not worth such love and blessing.  I am selfish, in my thoughts but also in my actions.  Please forgive me Jesus!  Help me overcome such sin and help me turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa comfort, strength, and freedom from pain.  Praise that she is home and feeling better.  Please heal and cure her of this cancer. Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Praise that You were able to bring Will and Eunice here safely and praise for our church family, friends and neighbors.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

1 Timothy 4

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. v7-8

God wants us to know Him and to develop a relationship with Him.  For us to know Him and to develop a relationship with Him, we must read, study and reflect on the Bible.  This will help us lead a Godly life as we can distinguish between Truth and false teachings.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are awesome God, full of love for me...knowing everything about me including my sin.  How awesome are You! I am not deserving of such love...I am weak, lazy, selfish, etc.  Thanks for Your patience and gentleness  with me but please forgive me!  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me know You fully by daily reading and reflecting on You Word.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength, comfort, and freedom from pain.  Please heal and cure her of this cancer.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

2 Thessalonians 3

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. v3

As I posted yesterday, Satan is real and at work in us and around us and we need God's protection.  If we go to God in prayer, through study and application in His Word, etc. then we should take great comfort that He promises to protect us.

Solomon also tells us in Proverbs 2:

My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding —
indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones. 

  hen you will understand what is right and just

    and fair—every good path.

  For wisdom will enter your heart,

    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

  Discretion will protect you,

    and understanding will guard you. 

  Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse, 

 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,

    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,

  Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.

My Prayer: Lord You are a great God, one who came to save and protect...and You chose me, knowing everything about me, including my sin and brokenness and disobedience.  Thank You Jesus!  Yet I am not worth such love and blessing.  I am quick to anger, slow to listen, etc. among my many sins.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me take great comfort in Your protection through prayer, study of Your word, etc. Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength and comfort.  Please heal and cure her of this cancer.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.