ARE YOU AN ANTICHRIST?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

1 John 2:18-19

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

During His ministry time on earth, Jesus was all about making disciples. Through His coming, born to a virgin named Mary through a divine conception initiated by God, He was the impetus and initiator of salvation, the One who was the prophesied Messiah, the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Given that every created human from the beginning of mankind was a sinner who fell short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23) and was therefore in the crosshairs of God’s judgment with a sure destination of Hell, Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection ushered in a chance for every single person to find pardon and atonement from sin, rescued from Hell and given a place forever in the glorious Kingdom of God (aka Heaven). All one needed to do was believe in Jesus as Savior.

Since that time, there have been those who have chosen to believe and others who have chosen not to. And this is really as simple as it gets when it comes to a person’s eternal future. It’s either Hell or Heaven, a matter of choice as we saw in yesterday’s message from the verses preceding our passage for today. Jesus also had something to say on the subject as we see in His words from Matthew’s gospel:

“Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.” 10:30

These words serve to not only reinforce that there are only really two options in life as to the eternal destination of a person, being with Jesus and gaining heaven or being opposed to Him and gaining Hell, but also aiding us in understanding our verses for today as we continue to look at the words of John as found in the second chapter of his first letter. There he writes:

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. Vv.18-19

Here we find the word “antichrist” used in two contexts, present/plural and future/singular.

In regard to the latter, we know the Antichrist, also referred to as the Man of Lawlessness, is a powerful false prophet/Messiah who will come onto the world stage in the end days seeking world domination with a goal of destroying Israel and all Christian believers (Daniel 7 and 9, Mark 13, 2 Thessalonians 2, and Revelation 6 and 13). We know that this Antichrist will be utterly conquered and cast into Hell with Satan at Jesus’ second coming (Revelation 20:10).

As for the antichrists that John mentions in the present tense, they simply represented anyone who opposed Jesus, those who were anti-Christ. In other words, antichrist is a synonym of someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus, those who have chosen to not be with Him.

This tells us that there have been many antichrists in the history of mankind and indeed, there are still many today and still many to come in the future until the day Jesus returns to judge all creation. The main question, born from this Word of God, is simple.

Are you an antichrist?

If you’re a believer in Jesus, the answer is an obvious “no”. You have chosen to be with Jesus, the Savior of every sinner who believes in Him.

If you’re not counted in this number, if up to now you have chosen to oppose Jesus, then today is the day you can change everything for yourself, cancelling your reservation in Hell while booking everlasting life in Heaven.

All you need to do is believe in the One who loved you so much, He was willing to be crucified in your place, dying to atone for every sin you have or will commit so you might be saved from the penalty of Hell.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A MATTER OF CHOICE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.

1 John 2:15-17

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

There’s an old wise saying about a Christian that simply proclaims that "we are in the world but not of the world." Maybe you’ve said it or heard it before.

Well, this saying definitely reinforces the scriptures verses we see today in our continued study of 1 John, chapter 2, as the author draws a major distinction in a person’s lifestyle choices which basically are two in number.

First, you can choose to live in the world, a world that offers a buffet table of sinful enticements used by Satan to distance someone from the Lord. We can validate the influence of the enemy over the world by looking later in this letter to verse 19 of chapter 5 where we read this:

The whole world is under control of the evil one.

So if someone is in the world and gaining their greatest pleasures from what the world offers, then they are invested in what Satan gives, the things he controls. It’s been said that a person can end up possessed by their possessions and it’s definitely a wise and true statement, one that has defined way too many people through the ages. Further, the scriptures tell us that a person who loves the world shows others that the “love of the Father” isn’t in them.

Definitely not the place for anyone who professes to be in Christ Jesus, wouldn’t you agree?

This is why the Lord issues the command to “stop loving this evil world” and the word stop means just that. It’s not optional.

Satan, the enemy who controls the world and makes it evil, wants nothing more than for every single created person to be more closely linked to him and the destruction that comes with it than to be saved and rescued by fully associating with Jesus, who already has victory over him. He knows our weaknesses better than we do and will seize every opportunity to exploit any vulnerability. This is why it’s of critical importance to put on the full armor of God every day so to “be strong in the Lord and His mighty power” and “stand against the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:10-17).

This is the will of God the Father, the One we should be loving and dedicating ourselves to, the One who cares for us and protects us and provides for us perfectly. And as we see in the closing words of today’s passage, doing this, the will of God is what will lead us to live forever for it’s His will for everyone to be saved through simple belief in His Son Jesus, the Savior of the world.

So what will it be for you? What choice will you make in your life?

Are you willing to sacrifice an eternal life with the Father by lusting and craving for what the world gives, a world under control of Satan, passing on Heaven for the eternal torment of Hell?

Or will you uncompromisingly commit yourself to the will of God, accepting the most precious gift ever, the gift of salvation, by believing in His Son Jesus who He sent to bear your sins on the cross of Calvary and die so you might be pardoned and have a place in Heaven?

Of course, whichever way you go is up to you but only a fool would pick Hell. Don’t be counted in that number.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

BLESSED REMINDERS FOR CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.

I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.

I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one.

I have written to you who are God’s children because you know the Father.

I have written to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.

I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong. God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one.

1 John 2:12-14 NLT

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

If you’ve ever sent a letter or card (or in this electronic age, an email or text), you typically do so with a specific purpose in mind and usually communicate that purpose in the written communication.

As we turn to a section of scripture found in chapter 2 of John’s first letter, we find one such place in the Bible where the writer, in this case John, conveys reasons for writing to his audience of brother and sister believers. Look again at his words here:

I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.

I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.

I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one.

I have written to you who are God’s children because you know the Father.

I have written to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.

I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong. God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one. Vv.12-14

Note here that in addressing his Christian readers (to include us today), John is providing wonderful reminders of what makes their faith so unique and special, set apart from the world and its beliefs. We see that he divides Jesus followers into three segments, one all inclusive and the other two focused on mature and young believers. Let’s look at all three, starting with the mature and young.

1. Mature Christians.

I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.

I have written to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.

Here we find John talking to those who have been in the faith for some time, those who would have experience and tenure in their Christian walk. His letter is being sent to them because they know Christ and have an established relationship with Him. They are more informed by the scriptures and would have known through John’s Gospel book that Jesus had existed from the very beginning, before anything was created. He was the Word who was with God from the very start and this Word, Jesus, had been made flesh to walk among the people (John 1:1-2, 14).

In most bodies of Christ, you will find a mix of those who have spent many years in the faith and those who are new in their belief. John makes sure he covers both as we now look at the younger Christians.

2. The young in faith.

I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one.

I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong. God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one.

As I sit here today, in my mid-60’s and well down the road in my faith journey, I find myself lacking the benefits of youth I had when I first came to faith in Jesus. What I lacked in experience and maturity, I gained in strength, stamina, and vigor.

Here, we find John commending the young Christians for being strong, strong to withstand the attacks of Satan who surely wastes no time in going after anyone who chooses to believe in Jesus as Savior, those who have not yet been able to get firmly rooted in the Word and Holy Spirit.

John reminds these young Christ followers that their life in Him was a “battle with the evil one” but it was a battle that they had already won through their faith in Jesus who had already gained the victory over Satan. It serves as a wonderful reminder for all Christian believers, young and old, one that should always conjure up a spirit of thanksgiving and praise, each and every day this side of Heaven.

Now, this would have been enough in its own right if John had stopped there but as we see, he had special words of remembrance for all brothers and sisters in the Lord, whether young or old.

3. All God’s children.

I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.

The moment a person believes in Jesus, they receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and it’s this indwelling that makes a Christian a child of the God Most High (Romans 8:14-17).

So every Jesus believer is a child of God. That’s the first reminder found here and one we should cherish for God truly is our Heavenly Father and a day is yet to come when we will live with Him forever in the glory of Heaven (Revelation 21, 22:1-5).

This future, permanent change of address is only possible because of what Jesus did on Calvary’s cross to save us. Bearing the sins of all mankind, He purchased the pardon of every sinner who would place their belief in Him, bringing justification (a fancy word that simply means making us as if we had never sinned). Through His shed blood, He cleanses from unrighteousness, rescues us from the penalty of Hell,  and makes us suitable to inhabit the sinless domain of the Kingdom of God.

In these verses, Christians are reminded that it is Christ Jesus who defines who they are and what they are to be thankful for as John shares blessed reminders for all Jesus believers. Thanks be to God for the gift of His Word!

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A CALL TO LIGHT AND LOVE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

1 John 2:7-11

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Nearly everyone is somewhat familiar with the Ten Commandments, even if they aren't intimately knowledgeable of the Bible itself. In fact, one could argue that the Ten Commandments are the most widely known of biblical directives in the world today.

Why do they persevere after God delivered them to Moses on Mount Sinai well over 2,000 years ago?

I believe it’s because they command us to either do or not do certain things and aligns with cultures where behavior is largely predicated by established rules and regulations. It has been said that without order, there is chaos and so civilized societies ensure this doesn’t happen by standards and then enforcing and upholding them.

But there’s a big difference between worldly mandates and the commands of God?

For the former are often treated and sometimes tolerated as if they are optional while the latter expects and demands uncompromising compliance.

Need an example?

Most people drive and the highways have posted speed limits. Drivers are expected to maintain their speed in accordance with the limit but do they? There are few places I have driven in the United States where it happens. Even when there is a police presence to try and encourage conformity, people simply slow down until they pass the radar check and then speed back up over the limit. And to give you an indicator of how determined people are to be law breakers, people can report where speed traps are and they are then pin pointed on online maps as a warning to travelers.

Contrast this with God’s very first commandment. Do you remember what He said?

“You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3

Look at our world today and you will see people worshiping all sorts of things, actors, singers, and politicians to name a few. They also will direct their adoration and devotion to materialism, especially money and the possessions it can acquire.

In regard to the latter, we know it has been an ages old issue because Jesus spoke out on it during His Sermon on the Mount. There we find Him saying this:

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24

The Bible makes it clear that we are to give our full life’s attention and affection to God, our Maker and Master. There is no exception to this and every single person is supposed to uncompromisingly abide by the command.

Unfortunately, people treat the Ten Commandments and all other demands of God as if they are like the posted speed limits, simply suggestions instead of directives not to be broken. As a result, there should be little surprise that we live in a world where evil and lawlessness seemingly runs rampant. In many places and instances, chaos is showing itself more and more.

Now, up to now, we have talked primarily about scriptural demands from God found in the Old Testament but as we see after Jesus came and walked the earth, some new commandments were rendered that built on the old. Unlike the former commands who were targeted for the Israelite people, providing principles by which they were expected to live by as God’s chosen people, the orders Jesus rendered applied to all people, whether Jew or Gentile.

One such command came as Jesus was talking with His disciples and warning them of His pending departure from the world. In the thirteenth chapter of John’s Gospel, He said this:

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for Me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.”

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” Vv.33-35

When we look at the heart of Jesus, we find love. In fact, He is the ultimate standard for it and any Christian believer only loves because He first loved them (1 John 4:19). And this love from Jesus is an extension of the love He receives from His Father God (John 15:9). It’s a love Jesus calls us to remain in.

So Jesus is love but He is also the Light of the world.

“I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12

So in John’s Gospel, we learn that Jesus gets love from God and passes that love to all who place their belief in Him, His beloved who also are to walk in His light, a light that will always keep them out of the darkness.

Note how these two truths are intermingled in our scripture verses for today from John’s first letter.

For if a Christian doesn’t love “a brother or sister” then they are “in the darkness”, no matter how much they might be in a state of denial and think they are in the light. The “darkness” of their sinful, disobedient behavior “has blinded them”.

The bottom line is that you can’t walk in the darkness and light simultaneously anymore than you can live in sin and righteousness. It’s utterly impossible and so at any one time, a Christian is either serving Satan or Jesus.

John isn’t “writing” a new command but rather “an old one”, reminding his brothers and sisters in Christ, including us today of how we are to live as Jesus expects and indeed showed in the way He lived.

The question is, “Are we going to obey or treat His words as merely a recommendation?”

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE WAY TO OBEDIENT LIVING

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"And how can we be sure that we belong to Him? By obeying His commandments. If someone says, "I belong to God," but doesn't obey God's commandments that person is a liar and does not live in the truth. But those who obey God's word really do love Him. That is the way to know whether or not we live in Him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did."

1 John 2:3-6

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today's passage is one that contains a lot of great guidance for us as we seek to learn how to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God, our Father. It contains two major themes: obedience and living in fellowship with God.

Let's first look at obedience.

It is the desire of God's heart that we be completely obedient to His word, His will, and His way. By living a life of obedience to Him, we separate ourselves from the world and set ourselves apart to live a godly life, the godly life that our Lord expects. For He, and He alone, has created us in His own image and ever works to help us grow in righteousness every single day. All we need to do is submit fully to His leading.

Indeed, we show our love for God by surrendering ourselves in obedience Him. And we should because this Almighty Powerful God loves us enough to have us here this very moment. His mercy and grace are awesome expressions of His patient love for us as we seek to become more like Him through complying with His expectations for our lives.

So why do we have such a problem with obedience?

Well, there’s an affliction we all have that runs counter to God and that affliction is a disease called sin. Satan knows our every weakness and is always at work to exploit those vulnerability points so to lead us away from where God wants us to be. Our enemy is very skilled at tempting us to do things that would draw us farther and farther away from the One who can give us the power within to resist. And resist we must if we're going to succeed in proving we belong to God and love Him.

But how do we fight off the dark forces that know how to entice us toward failing and falling?

The key comes in the second theme from today's scripture, living in fellowship with God, and the guidance is clear. For if we’re going to live in a way that God favors, every Christian believer needs to “live our lives as Christ did."

You see, Jesus lived a sin-free life. He was the model of perfect right and holy living and so when we model ourselves after Him, our lives will naturally move from the darkness of sin into the light of the One who will set us apart from the world in everything we do.

Yes, we will be persecuted for our faith in Jesus but we need to remember that He constantly came under attack as well while bringing the Gospel to unsaved sinners. The devil came after Him just as he comes after us but the difference between us and Christ is that He never gave into temptation but rather pulled out the greatest weapon available to combat Satan's advances: the holy scriptures. Read Matthew 4 and you’ll see what I'm talking about. Every time Satan attempted to come after Jesus, trying to take advantage of a perceived weakness, Jesus battled back using a piece of scripture to deny the attempted enticement. He did this to show us that we too can be just as successful. All we need to do is follow His lead, knowing the Bible so to use it as the weapon it is, the weapon the Apostle Paul talks about in the sixth chapter of his letter to the Ephesians:

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. v.17

My prayer is that through the well over 4,000 messages under this ministry, The Christian Walk, will help you to arm yourself with Bible verses that you can use in spiritual self defense against the enemy.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Absorb His Word and it will be an effective weapon to use against Satan’s attacks.

and

Submit yourself to follow the Lord’s Word, will, and way.

These spiritual disciplines will help you walk the way to obedient living and show that you love and belong to God, your Maker and Master.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

WILL YOU BE PARDONED?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if you do sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the One who pleases God completely. He is the sacrifice for our sins. He takes away not only our sins but the sins of all the world."

1 John 2:1-2

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In our worldly legal system, a trial without a jury is made up of the following main players:

1. There is an accused who stands charged with a given offense.

2. There is a prosecutor who seeks to prove the accused is guilty of the charge.

3. There is a defense attorney who seeks to prove the accused is innocent.

4. And there is a judge who must determine whether the accused is guilty of innocent based on the evidence presented and the work of the prosecutor and defense attorney.

The judge hands down the final verdict.

Now picture a very different legal system...one which exists in the court of God. This system is shockingly different from the system mentioned above.

For starters, only one type of case is heard every time by the Almighty Judge, the Maker and Master of all creation. That case involves whether an accused sinner merits an eternal life in Heaven or Hell.

The accused in this example could be you, me, or anyone else for everyone will come to be judged. No one gets a pass and we automatically come before God with a major problem at hand, an inherent problem that highlights another major difference between the court of our Lord. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), the Judge who despises sin and applies His wrath where it is manifested. Just go back to Sodom and Gomorrah if you need an example (Genesis 19:1-25).

And so every single person that comes before the judgment seat of God is guilty before their case is heard. There is no need for a prosecutor because the Almighty Judge has a pretty easy job actually. All He needs to do is render the sentence of life forever in the damnation and torment of Hell to anyone who comes before Him.

Not a great position to be in, right?

The good news is that it doesn't need to end this way and Jesus summed up the way to avoid the penalty of Hell and exchange it for the gift of Heaven with these words:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

You see, there can be a happy ending to each person's life if they simply do one thing: know and trust in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

Let me say this in another way - you have no hope of an eternal life in Heaven without knowing and trusting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. None.

You may think you’re a good person and have done a lot of great things in your life that should punch your ticket to the glory of Heaven but the scriptures are clear. No one gains Heaven by their works and there’s nothing someone can do to atone for the sins they have committed. Without intervention through believing in Jesus Christ, you are doomed to Hell. Don’t allow anyone make you think otherwise.

Go back to the court model for a moment and Jesus becomes our defense attorney, the only One who can stand before God and intercede for the accused sinner. He can only do that if He knows you.

In other words, you need to establish a relationship with Jesus to be pardoned and saved, and if you haven’t done so already, please make today your day of salvation.

So what makes Jesus able to step in and bring us vindication?

For the answer, we need to go to the Cross where He bore all the sins of the world and gave Himself as a sin sacrifice so that we might be redeemed. In other words, He bore our sins and paid the penalty we deserved, purchasing our pardon with His own life and shed blood, the blood that washes away our sins and covers the sinner so death will pass over them.

Friends, this is why Jesus can step into the fray before God and deliver us from Hell because only He took the sin of the world upon Himself as the Lamb of God (John 1:29). He did so out of the deepest form of love known, an agape love that would cause one to be willing to die for another. In the case of Jesus, He loved you and me so much that He willingly allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross, although He was sinless and had committed no crime. This blameless, unblemished Son of God allowed Himself to be killed so you could be set free from the eternal suffering and agony of Hell and gain the grandeur and glory of an everlasting life with Him and His Father in Heaven. You can read about that in Revelation 21 and the first six verses of Revelation 22.  

Given this, don’t you thing the least a person could do is to take the time to believe in this amazing Savior named Jesus?

For the only way to be saved and pardoned from Hell is to place faith in Him as Savior. The Word of God tells us there is no condemnation for anyone who does (Romans 8:1).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

ARE YOU LIVING IN LIGHT OR DARKNESS?

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
.
In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all. We are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness. We are not living in the truth. But if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

1 John 1:5-10

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In yesterday’s message, we saw a connection between the opening verses of this first letter and the beginning of the Gospel also written by John. You’ll recall how we were reminded of how Jesus was existent in the very beginning, with God and one with Him at the very dawn of creation. He was, is, and will always be the Word of life, the only One who can bring someone eternal life and the promise of heaven to dwell with Him and God forever.

As we continue in chapter 1, we find John shift his instruction to the concept of light and darkness as it applies to our lifestyle and relationship to God. Look again at these words here:

God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all. We are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness. We are not living in the truth. But if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. Vv.5-10

The matter is really as simple as this:

If you are living in sin (i.e. living in spiritual darkness), you are not in fellowship with God for the scripture tells us that "there is no darkness in Him at all". He is light and He wishes for us to walk in His light (i.e. living a life anchored in righteousness and void of sin). We can only do this when we draw closer to Him more than we do the world and our enemy, Satan.

I can tell you from personal experience that the times I am failing most in my life are when I decide to pursue my own desires or the desires of the world, the times I’m furthest away from God. This usually comes when I have allowed the enemy to distract me from my prayer life and bible study, two elements critical to being in fellowship with God and thus walking in His light. You see, when we become disconnected from communicating with Him and giving attention to His word, both written and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, we become easy prey for Satan to enter in and have His way with us. You may remember an earlier scripture passage we looked at which warned about Satan roaming around like a hungry lion waiting to devour (1 Peter 5:8-9). I can tell you that he has tried to take more than a few bites out of me, enough to know I hate living anywhere where he (Satan) ends up with more influence over me than God.

In other words, I hate being in the spiritual dark. It scares me for when I am there, I know I have allowed myself to drift away from the Father and have failed in pleasing Him through my behavior (i.e. sin has entered in and led me to fail).

Maybe you can relate.

Well, thank goodness there is some good news for us, even as we fail miserably sometimes at living in the light of the Lord and sharing complete fellowship with our Heavenly Father. This good news comes also from our scripture passage for today as we read how our Heavenly Father, our Heavenly Parent, forgives us when we come before Him and simply confess our sins with sincerity. Just as a father forgives his children for the mistakes they have made and then goes on to try and teach them how to live good lives, so too does our Heavenly Father forgive us, cleansing us while trying to lead us more and more into His light...into a lifestyle of godliness...into a place where there is no darkness.

Indeed, He wants only the best for us as Christians for we are His children (Romans 8:14-17).

Question: What kind of life are you living: one that is in God’s light or darkness?

If you're in the light, remain close to God and you will remain in His light. He will illuminate the steps you’re to take as you walk the narrow path to life eternal (Matthew 7:13-14).

If you're living in the darkness, please stop right now and confess your sins before God, asking for His forgiveness and cleansing, so to receive His pardon and mercy as you enter back into the realm of His glorious light, committed to fulfill His will and way.

In Christ,

Mark

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com

PROCLAIMING THE WORD OF LIFE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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 ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we embark on this study of John’s first letter, we find a recalling of the opening to his Gospel in the first four verses of this first letter which is believed to have been written around ten years after the Gospel was. Of interest, these letters of John, along with the Book of Revelation, are also thought to be the last entries into the New Testament from a chronological perspective, written towards the end of first century A.D.

Before we go into our passage for today, let’s go back to the Gospel and its beginning verses along with verse 14:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him, all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-4, 14

Here we find the scriptures informing about Jesus’ existence before Creation. The Book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, begins with four simple words, “In the beginning, God” and in John’s Gospel, we see where the Word was God, affirming the very proclamation of Jesus that He was one with God, His Father (John 10:30).

Jesus, the “Word” who “became flesh”, was one with His Father God and with Him in the beginning and therefore, through Him all things were made and as we know presently, all things through Him are saved (Acts 16:30-31, Romans 10:9). He is the only one who can bring anyone to God, the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).

With this in mind, let’s now go to the first four verses of 1John, chapter 1:

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.

Although the audience this letter is intended for is unknown, we find John asserting his authority to write what he does. For Jesus, who “was from the beginning”, had been heard by John, seen and looked at by John, and touched by John. This is what offered legitimacy to everything he was going to say as he proclaimed Christ, “the Word of life”, the One sent by God the Father to bring “eternal life” to anyone who would simply place their belief in Him.

Through our belief in Jesus as Savior, John and other Christian believers (including all of us today) not only were brought into “fellowship” with Him but with God, “the Father”, as well. This is what allowed John’s “joy” to be made “complete” as he writes these words, and our joy and hope is reaffirmed in reading them.

In the end translation, true life is only found through the One, Jesus, who is the Word of life. Thanks be to God for the gift of His Son!

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

SEEK TO GROW IN THE LORD...EVERY DAY

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
.
In Christ, Mark

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** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

2 Peter 3:18

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It has been said that within each day of life, we are either growing or dying. There is no middle ground.

Now, a cynic might quickly say that this statement is foolish because from the minute you are born, you begin to walk a path to death, death that’s inevitable. But while this is true in a sense, I think you would agree that there are things we can do in life that can either hasten or delay that moment of inevitability when our physical body will cease to function anymore.

What we eat can either make our bodies healthy or can drive us into obesity and the diseases associated with it, diseases that will definitely shorten a lifespan.

Different habits we might adopt like smoking or excessive drinking also tends to lessen one’s years as opposed to someone who doesn’t do either.

Exercise has long been known to help one’s body function optimally where a sedentary lifestyle can speed the body’s decay and demise.

You get the point. There’s definitely truth to the matter of taking the initiative to do things that help to improve our physical selves every day so to get the most time out of the life God gives us. And if that’s not enough, remember what the Word says about these bodies we live through:

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20  

If you embrace these verses, you will see your body in a whole new light for whatever you do to it, good or bad, is either taking care of or abusing the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity that God placed within you the moment you believed in Jesus as Savior. The scriptures call all believers to self assess themselves and the things they are doing to ensure they’re doing everything they can to take care of their temples.

So taking care of one’s body is important to ensure it is in optimal condition for the Holy Spirit and the work the Lord wants you to do. It’s also important to work daily to improve yourself spiritually because it’s another place where you will either grow or die daily. This is the key point we find Peter making as he concludes his second letter in verse 18 of chapter 3. There he writes:

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

“Grow in the grace and knowledge” of “Jesus Christ”.

There couldn’t be a better daily task for a Christian to adopt. In fact, believers would be well served to write this in the form of a question and put it where it can easily be seen when they begin every day. Perhaps on a bathroom mirror or on a kitchen table where breakfast will be had or inside a car that will be started and driven somewhere.

What’s the question?

How can I grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ today? Or you could say it this way, “How will I grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ today?”

The latter causes us to have a plan, right? It helps us be intentional about the things we intend to do in order to become more Christ-like, which is always the goal for a Christian, right?

Perhaps the answer to this question can be found through a couple of spiritual disciplines, disciplines that we should adopt as easily as we brush our teeth daily or tidy up our disheveled hair or feed ourselves.

First, we need to make time to pray, asking the Lord to help us grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. If we ask, He will provide.

Second, we need to read the Word each and every day, preferably either at the start of a day to plan how we’ll grow spiritually or at the end of a day when we can prepare ourselves for the day to come. Either way works and the Lord is always ready to provide His instruction every time we open up His Book.

Finally, we need to fully engage the power of the Holy Spirit within us. This Spirit will convey to us the direction of the Lord when we pray and provide the understanding needed when we read and study the scriptures. He will also perfectly guide us in the things we should say and do through everything that comes our way within any day.

When we exercise these disciples, then we will not only reap a harvest of righteousness, becoming more and more like our Savior Jesus, but we bring Him glory, now and forever.

There could be no better life than this but we have to seek to grow in our Lord...every day.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.