And this is how we know that we have come to know Him: if we habitually keep His commandments (teachings). 1 John 2:3
Welcome back. We’re in chapter two this week. This letter is as good in chapter two as it was in the first one, go read that if you haven’t yet.
But before we begin we must pray:
Lord Jesus, thank You that this letter isn’t yet over, it’s full of such wonderful news. I ask You before we start this one, to lead us, guide us and reveal to us all You want us to see. Use my mind and my hands Lord, and write this lesson. All I am is Yours. In Your Precious Name. Amen.
Please read 1 John 2:1-2
Christ Is Our Advocate
1 My little children (believers, dear ones), I am writing you these things so that you will not sin and violate God’s law. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [who will intercede for us] with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous [the upright, the just One, who conforms to the Father’s will in every way—purpose, thought, and action]. 2 And He [that same Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins [the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would otherwise be directed at us because of our sinful nature—our worldliness, our lifestyle]; and not for ours alone, but also for [the sins of all believers throughout] the whole world.
Why is he writing these things? _________________________
_______________________________________________________
Who is our Advocate? ___________________________________
He is: __________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
and He is the __________________________ for our sins which means He’s _____________________________________________
________________________________________________________
For whom? _____________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Please read 1 John 2:3
3 And this is how we know [daily, by experience] that we have come to know Him [to understand Him and be more deeply acquainted with Him]: if we habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings).
How can you understand and be more deeply acquainted with Him? ___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Please read 1 John 2:4-6
4 Whoever says, “I have come to know Him,” but does not habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings), is a liar, and the truth [of the divine word] is not in him. 5 But whoever habitually keeps His word and obeys His precepts [and treasures His message in its entirety], in him the love of God has truly been perfected [it is completed and has reached maturity]. By this we know [for certain] that we are in Him: 6 whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation] to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself.
Whoever habitually keeps His word and _________ His ____________ [and ________________________________ in its _______________], in him the love of God has been truly perfected… what a promise! Whoever…that could be you, could be me, could be anyone, a whoever is anyone. The point is in the focus on His word and Obeying His precepts, it’s in the treasuring of His message.
By this we know for certain that we are in Him: _____________
__________________________________________________________
[that is, whoever says he has ___________________ Him as _______ and ______________] ought to walk and conduct himself just as He (Jesus) walked and conducted Himself. It’s a moral obligation.
Please read 1 John 2:7-8
7 Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the message which you have heard [before from us]. 8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true and realized in Christ and in you, because the darkness [of moral blindness] is clearing away and the true Light [the revelation of God in Christ] is already shining.
It’s not a new commandment, but on the other hand, it is new because it has been realized in Christ and in you, because the darkness is clearing away and the true light [_________________________________________] is already shining.
Please read 1 John 2:9-11
9 The one who says he is in the Light [in consistent fellowship with Christ] and yet [a]habitually hates (works against) his brother [in Christ] is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who [b]loves and unselfishly seeks the best for his [believing] brother lives in the Light, and in him there is no occasion for stumbling or offense [he does not hurt the cause of Christ or lead others to sin]. 11 But the one who habitually hates (works against) his brother [in Christ] is in [spiritual] darkness and is walking in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Write verse 10… you’ll notice the more time you spend in the AMP that this love is always defined as unselfishly seeking the best for another. In this case, that love for other believers is proof that we are in the Light. The Light is the Kingdom of Light.
Colossians 1:9-14
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Please read 1 John 2:12-14
12 I am writing to you, little children (believers, dear ones), because your sins have been forgiven for His name’s sake [you have been pardoned and released from spiritual debt through His name because you have confessed His name, believing in Him as Savior]. 13 I am writing to you, fathers [those believers who are spiritually mature], because you know Him who has existed from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men [those believers who are growing in spiritual maturity], because you have been victorious and have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children [those who are new believers, those spiritually immature], because you have come to know the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has existed from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and vigorous, and the word of God remains [always] in you, and you have been victorious over the evil one [by accepting Jesus as Savior].
“I am writing to you, because your sins _____________________
“I am writing to you, because you know _____________________
__________________________________________________________
“I am writing to you, because you have been _________________
__________________________________________________________
“I have written to you, because you have ____________________
__________________________________________________________
“I am writing to you, because you are _______________________
__________________________________________________________
and you have been victorious over the evil one [by ___________
_________________________________________________________].
Please read 1 John 2:15-16
Do Not Love the World
15 Do not love the world [of sin that opposes God and His precepts], nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father, but are from the world.
Proverbs 6:16-19 NIV
There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
[pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things] There is nothing safe outside of Jesus. In Him you are always eternally safe, and deliverance is always yours.
Please read 1 John 2:17
17 The world is passing away, and with it its lusts [the shameful pursuits and ungodly longings]; but the one who does the will of God and carries out His purposes lives forever.
The one who does the will of God
and carries out His purposes
lives forever.
Please read 1 John 2:18-19
18 Children, it is the last hour [the end of this age]; and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming [the one who will oppose Christ and attempt to replace Him], even now many antichrists (false teachers) have appeared, which confirms our belief that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us [seeming at first to be Christians], but they were not really of us [because they were not truly born again and spiritually transformed]; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out [teaching false doctrine], so that it would be clearly shown that none of them are of us.
It is the last hour… oh my I can hardly wait His return. Stay faithful, stay in Him, hold onto and grow your faith. For it is precious and you have been entrusted with much.
Please read 1 John 2:20-24
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One [you have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit], and all of you know [the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds, and guards us from error]. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie [nothing false, no deception] is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)? This is the antichrist [the enemy and antagonist of Christ], the one who denies and consistently refuses to acknowledge the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies and repudiates the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses and acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, let that remain in you [keeping in your hearts that message of salvation] which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you too will remain in the Son and in the Father [forever].
See, you have an anointing! You have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by Him.
As for you…keeping in your hearts that message of salvation which you heard; and you too will remain in the Son and in the Father. Praise and blessing to Him forever.
Please read 1 John 2:25
The Promise Is Eternal Life
25 This is the promise which He Himself promised us—eternal life.
This is the promise which He Himself promised us
—Eternal Life.
Please read 1 John 2:26-29
26 These things I have written to you with reference to those who are trying to deceive you [seducing you and leading you away from the truth and sound doctrine]. 27 As for you, the anointing [the special gift, the preparation] which you received from Him remains [permanently] in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But just as His anointing teaches you [giving you insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit] about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as His anointing has taught you, [c]you must remain in Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him].
28 Now, little children (believers, dear ones), remain in Him [with unwavering faith], so that when He appears [at His return], we may have [perfect] confidence and not be ashamed and shrink away from Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is absolutely righteous, you know [for certain] that everyone who practices righteousness [doing what is right and conforming to God’s will] has been born of Him.
As for you, the anointing [the special gift, the preparation] which you received from Him remains [permanently] in you.
Remain in Him, Remain in Him…He is absolutely righteous.
Hold onto your confidence, your faith in Him.
Footnotes
- 1 John 2:9 This focuses more on the self-centered, hateful actions (not the emotion) of someone who habitually cultivates an obstructionistic attitude, and ignores the command to act in a way that expresses unselfish Christian love (see note v 10).
- 1 John 2:10 The key to understanding this and other statements about love is to know that this love (the Greek word agape) is not so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingness to seek the best for another.
- 1 John 2:27 Or you are abiding.