New Testamet: Acts to Revelatio LIBERTY HOME ACCELERATED LEARNING PROGRAM Geeral Epistles Books of First, Secod & Third Joh New Testamet LHBIolie.com 546 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
New Testamet Survey lesso 41 The Book of I Joh is give over to the subject of fellowship Overview The Book of First Joh A sogwriter has writte this sog that I am sure all of us kow. It is called Leaig o the Everlastig Arms. What a fellowship, what a joy divie, Leaig o the everlastig arms; What a blessedess, what a peace is mie, Leaig o the everlastig arms. We are goig to study a book i the Bible, actually a letter, give over to the subject of fellowship. It is the Book of I Joh. The outlie is offered with the word fellowship i mid: The Source of this Fellowship The Goal of this Fellowship The Requiremets for this Fellowship The Test of this Fellowship New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 547 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
The Maiteace of this Fellowship The Family Members i this Fellowship The Book of I Joh has more to say about the Father tha does ay other epistle The Eemies of this Fellowship The Witesses to this Fellowship The Separatio from this Fellowship (by Si) The Ecouragemets for this Fellowship There are five promises ivolved if we have fellowship with the Lord Jesus. The subtitle for I Joh is, Itimate Isights o the Father, Fellowship ad the Family of God. Joh, the apostle, wrote his first epistle to develop the woderful themes of fellowship ad the Father. The Book of I Joh has more to say about the Father tha does ay other epistle. He is referred to 12 times. The New Scofield Bible suggests, It [the Book of 1 Joh] is a family letter from the Father to His little childre who are i the world. With the possible exceptio of the Sog of Solomo, it is the most itimate of the ispired writigs. The si of a Christia is treated as a child s offese agaist his Father, ad is dealt with as a family matter. The word love is foud 37 times i this epistle, more ofte tha ay Old or New Testamet book with the sigle exceptio of the Psalms. The Spirit of God directed the apostle Joh to pe five of the New Testamet books. Apart from Paul, o other author wrote as may books i the New Testamet as Joh did. His five books are the Gospel of Joh, the three epistles (I Joh, II Joh, ad III Joh) ad the Revelatio. We have a distictio i your otes betwee these books, the Gospel of Joh, the Epistles of Joh, ad the Revelatio: New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 548 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
The Gospel of Joh Epistles of Joh Revelatio of Joh Salvatio Sactificatio Glorificatio Joh begis the Book of I Joh by provig the humaity of Christ The past The preset The future Christ, the prophet Christ, the priest Christ, the kig The cross The koioia (fellowship) The crow A compariso ca be made betwee Joh s Gospel ad the Book of I Joh. Joh begis his Gospel accout by provig the deity of Christ. There are some that said that Jesus was ot God. I respose, Joh states, I the begiig was the Word (Jesus), ad the Word was with God, ad the Word was God (Joh 1:1). Joh begis the Book of I Joh by provig the humaity of Christ because some were sayig that He was a divie spirit, sort of like a Casper the Ghost, but that He was ot a full ma. Joh refutes those two false doctries. Joh eds his Gospel accout with the followig words. But these are writte, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the So of God; ad that believig ye might have life through His ame (20:31). Similarly, he eds the Book of I Joh with the followig words, These thigs have I writte uto you that believe o the ame of the So of God; that ye may kow that ye have eteral life, ad that ye may believe o the ame of the So of God (5:13). I his Gospel accout, Joh describes believers as sheep i God s fold. I I Joh, he describes them as members of God s family. I the Revelatio, he describes them as priests i God s kigdom. New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 549 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
The Book of I Joh icludes several cotrasts. Joh speaks of light versus darkess, love versus hatred, Christ versus atichrist, belief versus ubelief, ad truth versus error. Jesus did ot come to preach the Gospel; istead, He came that there might be a Gospel to be preached It is the oly Biblical book cotaiig the phrase si uto death describig what had already take place i Acts 5 ad I Corithias 11. It is, also, the oly Biblical book classifyig si ad temptatio ito three categories: the world, the flesh, ad the devil. It has more to say about believers sis ad cofessios tha ay other Biblical book its size. Joh states, That which we have see ad heard declare we uto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: ad truly our fellowship is with the Father, ad with his So Jesus Christ (1 Joh 1:3). This epistle is outlied with the word fellowship i mid. The Source of this Fellowship The Icaratio of Jesus Christ The reality of His icaratio That which was from the begiig, which we have heard, which we have see with our eyes, which we have looked upo, ad our hads have hadled, of the Word of life; (For the life was maifested, ad we have see it, ad bear witess, ad shew uto you that eteral life, which was with the Father, ad was maifested uto us;) (I Joh 1:1-2). He uses the word maifest twice, which demostrates the reality of His icarcatio. The reaso for His icaratio Ad ye kow that He was maifested to take away our sis; ad i Him is o si. He that committeth si is of the devil; for the devil sieth from the begiig. For this purpose the So of God was maifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil (I Joh 3: 5, 8). It must be uderstood that Jesus did ot come to preach the Gospel. Istead, He came that there might be a Gospel to be preached. New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 550 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
Christ died for every perso i the whole world because He loves us dearly The Atoemet of the Lord Jesus The divie extet For whom did Christ die? Ad He is the propitiatio (the satisfactio) for our sis: ad ot for ours oly, but also for the sis of the whole world (I Joh 2:2). The divie example Why did Christ die? Joh says Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid dow His life for us: ad we ought to lay dow our lives for the brethre I this was maifested the love of God toward us, because that God set His oly begotte So ito the world, that we might live through Him. Herei is love, ot that we loved God, but that He loved us, ad set His So to be the propitiatio for our sis (I Joh 3:16, 4:9-10). He died because He loves us dearly. The Goal of this Fellowship That we might kow more about the Father He is light. He is love. He is life. He is righteous. He is all-kowig. Also, He is ivisible, No ma hath see God at ay time (I Joh 4:12). As a result, the Lord Jesus came. That we might allow the Father s love to be perfected i us The love of God is shed abroad i our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is give uto us (Romas 5:5). That we might love the family of God If you say you love God but hate your brother, the you are ot a family member. You are New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 551 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
ot saved. We must love the family of God so we ca experiece the fulless of joy ad receive assurace. We must love the family of God so we ca experiece the fulless of joy ad receive assurace That we might receive assurace There are two areas he covers. Oe is cocerig our salvatio, ad the other is our prayers. He states about our salvatio, These thigs have I writte uto you that believe o the ame of the So of God; that ye may kow that ye have eteral life, ad that ye may believe o the ame of the So of God (I Joh 5:13). He, also, gives assurace of our supplicatios, Ad whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commadmets, ad do those thigs that are pleasig i His sight (I Joh 3:22). The Requiremets for This Fellowship We must help our brother But whoso hath this world s good, ad seeth his brother have eed, ad shutteth up his bowels of compassio from Him, how dwelleth the love of God i him? (I Joh 3:17). We must abide i Christ Ad ow, little childre, abide i Him; that, whe He shall appear, we may have cofidece, ad ot be ashamed before Him at His comig (1 Joh 2:28). We must keep the commadmets If ye love me (Jesus is speakig), keep my commadmets (Joh 4:15). We must recogize our sis If we say that we have o si, we deceive ourselves, ad the truth is ot i us (I Joh 1:8). This verse is true. We may deceive ourselves ad say, I did somethig. It was a idiscretio. It was just a mistake, a error. God wats us to recogize whe we si, ot gloss over it. It is oe of the most difficult requiremets here. New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 552 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
We must cofess our sis If we cofess our sis, He is faithful ad just to forgive us our sis, ad to clease us from all urighteousess (I Joh 1:9). We must cofess our sis ad walk i the light We must walk i the light But if we walk i the light, as He is i the light, we have fellowship oe with aother, ad the blood of Jesus Christ His So cleaseth us from all si (I Joh 1:7). The Tests of This Fellowship Let us test this fellowship. Take this quick quiz to determie your fellowship. Betwee a 1 ad a 10, how would you gage your fellowship right ow? 1. Do I coduct my life dow here i view of the Rapture? Ad every ma that hath this hope i Him purifieth himself, eve as He is pure (I Joh 3:3). 2. Do I cotiually si? All believers are goig to si. There is a differece betwee a sheep ad a pig. A sheep might fall ito a mud hole, but it will get out of it. I cotrast, a pig goes lookig for oe. Everyoe sis, but do I cotiually dwell i si? 3. Do I hate my spiritual brother? If a ma say, I love God, ad hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth ot his brother whom he hath see, how ca he love God whom he hath ot see? (I Joh 4:20). Not oly should you avoid hatig your brother; you eed to reach out to him. 4. Do I desire to help my brother? Do I really love my brother? Do I really love God? Do I ejoy a rapport with other servats ad saits of God? If the world looks upo you ad rejects you, that is oe thig. O the other had, if saved church members ad Christias shy away from you, do New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 553 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
you have ay rapport? Maybe it is just bad breath, or maybe it is a bad attitude. Jesus Christ died to get me saved, ad He lives ad prays to keep me saved 5. Am I plagued with costat fear? Joh says, There is o fear i love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath tormet. He that feareth is ot made perfect i love (I Joh 4:18). This verse is t sayig you are ot saved if you fear. Costat fear, though, meas that you are lackig the itimate fellowship God desires for all believers to have with Him. 6. Ca I recogize false doctrie whe it comes my way? Am I straight o the deity of Christ? Ad am I straight o the work of Christ? Do I have the witess of the Spirit? Does He ever speak to my heart ad say, You are oe of My blood washed sos or daughters, the witess of My spirit? The Maiteace of This Fellowship The maiteace of this fellowship is accomplished through the occupatio (the preset work) of the So of God, through the cooperatio of the sait of God, ad the habitatio of the Spirit of God. Accomplished through the Occupatio of the So of God Through the occupatio of the work of the So of God, He serves as my advocate, My little childre, these thigs write I uto you, that ye si ot. Ad if ay ma si, we have a advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (I Joh 2:1). He also serves as my atoig sacrifice. I other words, Jesus Christ died to get me saved; He lives ad prays to keep me saved. That is the work of the So. New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 554 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
We are to test the systems of this world by applyig them to the Word of God Accomplished through the Habitatio of the Spirit of God The Bible says, But ye have a uctio from the Holy Oe, ad ye kow all thigs But the aoitig which ye have received of Him abideth i you, ad ye eed ot that ay ma teach you: but as the same aoitig teacheth you of all thigs, ad is truth, ad is o lie, ad eve as it hath taught you, ye shall abide i Him (I Joh 2:20, 27). It does ot mea that we do ot eed huma teachers. What it does mea is that we are to test the systems of this world by applyig them to the Word of God. Accomplished through the Cooperatio of the Sait of God God wats us to do certai thigs. Oe of those thigs is to make sure that whe we do si, we recogize it ad cofess it. The Family Members i This Fellowship He metios several people. First, he writes to the little childre, or ew coverts. Next, he has a message for youg me or those believers who have bee saved for a while. Fially, he talks to the fathers, those mature i the faith. Each represets a stage i a believers growth. Where are you? A little child? A youg ma or woma? Or a father or mother? The Eemies of This Fellowship Love ot the world, either the thigs that are i the world. If ay ma love the world, the love of the Father is ot i him Ad we kow that we are of God, ad the whole world lieth i wickedess (I Joh 2:15, 5:19). New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 555 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
The reaso we are to ot love the world is because it passes away Evil Systems i this World He says the evils systems are, The lust of the flesh, ad the lust of the eyes, ad the pride of life. (I Joh 2:16). The reaso we are to ot love the world is because it, Passeth away, ad the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. The Evil Seducers i this World Joh states, These thigs have I writte uto you cocerig them that seduce you. He talks about their appearace, eve the Atichrist s appearace, ad their apostasy. They wet out from us, but they were ot of us; for if they had bee of us, they would o doubt have cotiued with us: but they wet out, that they might be made maifest that they were ot all of us (I Joh 2:19). The Evil Spirits i this World The fruit of these spirits Who is a liar but he that deieth that Jesus is the Christ? (I Joh 2:22). The root of these spirits Ad every spirit that cofesseth ot that Jesus Christ is come i the flesh is ot of God (I Joh 4:3). The Witesses to This Fellowship He metios the witesses i Heave ad the witesses o Earth. There is a cotroversy related to this sectio, which is discussed i the otes. The Separatio from This Fellowship Si causes a break i our fellowship with God. Here he talks about the si uto death. Also, I discuss this topic i your otes. New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 556 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
The Ecouragemets for This Fellowship II Joh i the oly book i the Bible addressed to a woma Joh discusses the promise of eteral life, of a ew body, of a life without fear, of cofidece at the Rapture, ad of boldess (ot arrogace) at the Judgmet. Overview The Book of Secod Joh The Book of II Joh is the epistle of a elder from a elder to a elect lady. This book holds the same place i Joh s writigs that Philemo holds i Paul s writigs. II Joh i the oly book i the Bible addressed to a woma. We do ot kow the idetity of this woma, but Joh commeds her, cautios her, ad comforts her. Joh does ot metio his ow ame or the ame of the woma. This may have bee to prevet persecutio from the Roma authorities of the time who viewed Christiaity as a ulawful religio. She is Commeded by the Apostle The elder uto the elect lady ad her childre, whom I love i the truth (II Joh 1:1). We do ot kow for sure, but some believe that the elect lady here is the church. Others believe it is a specific lady i the church. I thik probably the correct iterpretatio is a lady i the church, but the applicatio, of course, could be for the etire church. She is commeded by the apostle. Either way, she was a Godly lady, or it was a Godly church. New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 557 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
She is Commaded by the Apostle To practice truth without love leads to legalism ad to employ love without truth leads to liberalism She is commaded that she walk i love ad i truth. He exhorts both here. It is very importat ot to separate them. He tells her to practice truth without love leads to legalism ad to employ love without truth leads to liberalism. She is Cautioed by the Apostle Joh tells her to look out for Sata, For may deceivers are etered ito the world, who cofess ot that Jesus Christ is come i the flesh. This is a deceiver ad a atichrist If there come ay uto you, ad brig ot this doctrie, receive him ot ito your house, either bid him God speed (II Joh 1:7, 10). I additio, he urges her to look out for herself, Look to yourselves, that we lose ot those thigs which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward (II Joh 1:8). She Is Comforted by the Apostle Havig may thigs to write uto you, I would ot write with paper ad ik: but I trust to come uto you, ad speak face to face, that our joy may be full (II Joh 1:12). Overview The Book of Third Joh I III Joh, we see three idividuals: The Prosperity of Gaius, the Exhorter The Pride of Diotrephes, the Egotist The Example of Demetrius, the Example New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 558 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
The Book of III Joh is a epistle from a elder cocerig a exhorter, a egotist, ad a example. The elder is Joh. The exhorter is Gaius. The egotist is Diotrephes, ad the example is Demetrius. III Joh gives a excellet, though brief, glimpse of church life at the close of the first cetury J. Vero McGee states, This is a letter similar to Joh s secod epistle, i that it is persoal i character, ad it carries the same theme of truth. However, this letter deals with pricipalities. I his secod epistle, Joh says that truth is worth stadig for; ad i the third epistle that truth is worth workig for! Joh s secod epistle deals with the problem of welcomig deceivers, which should ot have bee doe, but i this epistle, he discusses the error of ot receivig believers, which should have bee doe. III Joh is the shortest book i the Bible. This epistle gives a excellet, though brief, glimpse of church life at the close of the first cetury. The Prosperity of Gaius, the Exhorter Joh prays for Gaius ad the church. Joh praises how he had welcomed missioaries ad itierat pastors. The Pride of Diotrephes, the Egotist Joh s codematio of him is six-fold. Diotrephes attempted to occupy the leadig place. He refused to receive the apostle Joh, ad he sladered the apostles. He declied to etertai missioaries. He attempted to excommuicate believers who did ot go alog with his doctrie. Diotrephes was ot of God. Have you ever heard of such a thig? We have people like Diotrephes i may churches today. New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 559 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC
The Praise of Demetrius, the Example Jesus is compassio ad pure ubouded love, ad He will visit us with His salvatio if we oly ask Demetrius hath good report of all me (III Joh 1:12a). We are to love the brethre. I will close with a sog that Charles Wesley wrote called Love Divie, All Loves Excellig: Love divie, all love s excellig, Joy of Heave to Earth come dow; Fix i us Thy humble dwellig; All Thy faithful mercies crow! Jesus, Thou art all compassio, Pure ubouded love Thou art; Visit us with Thy salvatio; Eter every tremblig heart. Fiish, the, Thy ew creatio; Pure ad spotless let us be. Let us see Thy great salvatio Perfectly restored i Thee; Chaged from glory ito glory, Till i Heave we take our place, Till we cast our crows before Thee, Lost i woder, love, ad praise. New Testamet LHBIolie.com Ehaced Audio Trascripts 560 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios, LLC