Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

1 John 5:1-4

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:1-4

I continue my preparation for leading Sunday school at my church tomorrow, where our class will be looking at 1 John 5:1-4.  This morning I look back over my posts for the past several day where I have leaned on DesiringGod.com's Look at the Book video for this text and the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for 1-3 John.  My discussion guide is here.  Key excerpts:

• Concerned about false teachers and how they undermine the church, John seeks to help believers understand the marks of an authentic believer, including the right belief (who is Jesus)/doctrinal mark, right love/moral mark, and the right behavior/ethical or social mark.
• By implication, we must believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Promised Deliverer, the Great High Priest, the Prophet (who is the Truth); we must also see Jesus as King of Kings and love Him in such a way that we love what He loves and hate what He hates.
• Finally, we must treasure God so much that the world is exposed as unsatisfying vs God.

Know and love God, and love others, and experience joyful obedience!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and worthy of all my worship and all the glory!  Thank You for the mercy You pour out for me every morning and how it never ceases!  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 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.

Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

1 Timothy 1

Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. 1 Timothy 1:6-7

I continue with my study of 1 and 2 Timothy, using DesiringGod.com's Look at the Book video series for these books. Today, I look at 1 Timothy 1:5–7. Excerpts from the video entitled Where Does Empty Talk Come From?:

• The text for this video overlaps with the post from yesterday where in the video v5 is also used; with that post exhorting us to "love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."
  
• In this video, Piper shares how the main and most crucial point is from vv5-6 where Paul shares how swerving from and departing from a real authentic faith - that comes from a pure heart and a good conscience - leads us to teaching with vain or empty words; see also 2 Timothy and Titus for the other pastoral epistles where we see NT scripture for "abiding" purposes; the teaching is not doctrine but instead exhortations urging us to faith where we are to hold fast to Christ; if we lose our passion for the purpose as defined in v5 our teaching is empty and meaningless.
  
• From v7, Piper shares background from the day how some in the church wanted to be teachers, but became empty talkers because they were not correctly interpreting matters of OT law; see also Titus 1:10, 13-14, 3:9, 2 Timothy 2:16-18, Matthew 22:23, 31-32 (which points to Exodus 3:6); Piper does emphasize that Biblical scholars are not certain exactly what these false teachers were teaching so this verse should not focus on what was wrong about the teaching referred to here but simply that the teaching was wrong because of how they swerved or departed from authentic faith. 
  

Be aware of false teachers!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are so good and Your Word is true and perfect - thank You for giving me Your Word, the Holy Spirit, gospel-centered teachers and mentors, etc.  What blessings!  I am not deserving of my salvation or 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.

...Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Hebrews 9

 ...Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28

I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at how a genuine longing for a return of Christ serves as a marker for authentic faith.  In contrast, John Piper shares how a love of this world (material possessions, earthly pleasures, etc.) while believing in an escape plan from hell serves as a marker for phony faith. Piper provides litmus tests of authentic faith by referring us to 1 Corinthians 1:7 and Philippians 3:20 - do we await the return of Christ as these churches did?  Of course, another litmus test offered by scripture is "fruit of the Spirit" as described in Galatians 5:22. Others should see a truly transformed heart and life as evidenced by such fruit.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of compassion and grace for me - thank You for saving me and for the sanctifying work You have done and continue to do in my life - I know there is more to do but I am grateful for what You have already done.  I am prayerful that I submit to You and allow You to continue to work in my heart and life.  I am undeserving of how You love me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me, help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn 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.