THE TESTIMONY OF GODLY LOVE And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. –II John vs. 5-6 The two Great Commands of Matthew 22:37-40 sum up all the Old Testament and also is the motivating characteristic of the New Testament— Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the…

POSSESSION OF ETERNAL LIFE! And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. —I John 5:11-13 Recently a Jehovah Witness cult member said, “You don’t have eternal life until after you die and so that is why you have to continue doing good works…” Talk about a statement that is anti-Christ.…

BE DISCERNING! Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. —I John 4:1-3 John, as he is led to write by God’s Holy Spirit, tells us how to identify false prophets. The…

HE IS ABSOLUTELY TRUSTWORTHY! Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” —Daniel 4:16-18 No circumstances come into our lives which are not under the mighty hand of our Lord God Almighty. If God desires to do something then…

SCRIPTURE DISTORTERS He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. —II Peter 3:16 Let us be aware that God’s Word can be and is “distorted” by “ignorant and unstable people.” Some of Paul’s writing, Peter says, “contain some things that are hard to understand.” But it is not only these “hard things” in Scripture that they distort. They also do this with “other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” Let us be wise and not distort God’s Word.…

FALSE TEACHERS It would have been better for them (false teachers) not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.” —II Peter 2:21-22 A dog is a dog is a dog and dogs do dog things, disgusting things like eating their own vomit. That is so gross! A sow is a sow is a sow and sows do sow things, dirty things like wallowing in…

TELL HIS-STORY For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. —II Peter 1:16 When was the last time you told someone a Bible story? Peter said that “we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” Peter saw with His own eyes what happened on the mountain when He, James and John went up with Jesus (Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35). They saw Jesus in power! You and I…

HUMBLENESS To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of…

SUFFERING, BUT DOING GOOD So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. —I Peter 4:19 There are those “who suffer according to God’s will.” We all have a “race marked out for us” and for many this will include suffering. As we run this race we are to be “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). Those suffering and those not are all to “commit themselves to their faithful Creator.” Regardless of what is happening we know that our Creator is faithful. We may not understand how He is using what…

BE READY! But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (I Peter 3:15-16). Jesus is Lord, my Master and King. Because I love Him I will live for Him. It is so clear what many of His desires are for us. We are to be witnesses and the Holy Spirit enables us to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). I am…