Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.  Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:7-8

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Advent devotions where I pick up on Day 24.  Here, John Piper describes - as the devotion title suggests - Two Purposes for Christmas.  Piper starts by asking what are "the works of the devil?"  To answer this question, Piper backs up in 1 John 3 to verse 5.  He points out that Jesus appeared, or became the incarnate Son of God in both verse 5 and in verse 8, providing evidence that the work of the devil in verse 8 is sin.  Piper then points us to 1 John 2:1 where we have additional evidence.  Hence we have the first Christmas (birth of Jesus) purpose: which is the means by which believers can defeat sin.  1 John 2:2 provides the second purpose: "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."  Thus, of course, Jesus, as He suffered and died on the cross, took the wrath for our sin that we should have received (see also Romans 6:23).  Piper then shares as he winds down this devotion that "[t]he upshot of this second purpose is not to defeat the first purpose. Forgiveness is not for the purpose of permitting sin. The aim of the death of Christ for our sins is not that we relax our battle against sin. The upshot of these two purposes of Christmas, rather, is that the payment once made for all our sins is the freedom and power that enables us to fight sin not as legalists, earning our salvation, and not as fearful of losing our salvation, but as victors who throw ourselves into the battle against sin with confidence and joy, even if it costs us our lives." Celebrate both of these purposes of Christmas! 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for both helping me defeat sin and for forgiving my sin - and of course for eternal life.  Thank You!  I am not deserving of such blessings and gifts.  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. 

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8b

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Advent devotions where I pick up on Day 20.  Here, John Piper encourages believers to unite with unbelievers in what he refers to in the devotion title: Christmas Solidarity. The devotion starts with Piper describing how Satan goes about his business cranking out sin via an "assembly line" and then by distributing them via "huge cargo planes."  As this sin is "spread out before God...[Satan] laughs and laughs and laughs."  The devotion then shares that Satan's objective is to make God the laughingstock of Satan and to draw people away from "the light and beauty and purity and glory of God."  For Satan, "[n]othing pleases him more than when creatures distrust and disobey their Maker."  The devotion then pivots to its connection to Christmas and how the birth of the incarnate Son of God - Jesus Christ - offers hope and good news for sinners - believers and non-believers alike.  We are referred to 1 Timothy 1:15 and 1 John 3:8 where Paul and John share that Christ came to save sinners and to defeat sin.  The devotion concludes with John Piper encouraging believers and non-believers to unite in solidarity, and to go "on strike" against Satan's "business" of sin.  Piper writes: "Christmas Solidarity will not give up until a complete shutdown has been achieved.  When sin has been destroyed, God’s name will be wholly exonerated. No one will be laughing anymore.  If you want to give a gift to God this Christmas, walk off the assembly line of sin and don’t go back. Take up your place in the picket line of love. Join Christmas Solidarity until the majestic name of God is cleared, and he stands glorious amid the accolades of the righteous." 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for - giving me the full armor of God to protect me in my daily battle with sin.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving as my sin 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.      

[B]ut I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

Romans 7

[B]ut I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Romans 7:23

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter ten - Learning Late in Life to Know and Kill My Most Besetting Sins.  Here, John Piper shares details of how Paul helped him see how he could kill his most challenging sins - primarily selfishness, which he describes how it then leads to anger, self-pity, quickness to blame, and sullenness.  He points to what is referred to by Paul in Romans 7:23 as indwelling sin where there is no premeditation to sin, it is simply a reflex based on our fallen nature.  He then shares how that we can only defeat sin that is forgiven - namely if we don't accept Christ as our Lord and Savior and ask for His forgiveness of sins - we will not be able to defeat the sting of sin and death in our lives - see also Colossians 2:14. Christ's death on the cross, according to Piper, becomes the "decisive impulse" in any sin-killing effort.  Piper continues by outlining how defeat of sin requires conscious and active effort - we cannot be passive. He points to Philippians 2:12-13 and unpacks this text defining (via Peter O'Brien in his Philippians commentary) this "work out" as "continuous, sustained, and strenuous effort."  This action may be self-driven, but is often done (and recommended as such) with the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Daily reading and study of God's Word is a prerequisite as Hebrews 4:12 accurately and pointedly shares that the Word reveals our sin.

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My Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are an awesome God and You first of all forgive sins and give me the Word, the Holy Spirit, the church, my brothers and sisters in Christ to arm me to defeat sin.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless me.  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.