Reflection on 2 John 1-13

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Scripture

I say this because many deceivers have gone out int the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Observation

John writes this letter to “the chosen lady”, probably referring to a local church. He declares that he was happy to have met some of the “children” of the lady, finding them living according to the truth.

We must live in love for one another according to the commandment of God. Many deceivers have gone out into the world. These people deny that Jesus came in a physical body.

If anyone comes into a meeting teaching lies about Christ, we should not give them any kind of encouragement.

Application

There were many sects and heresies that sprang up in the early decades of the church.

One of the more persistent heresies was called Gnosticism. According to the Gnostics, we can only achieve salvation by learning knowledge that was hidden from most people, but was revealed to a select few. They drew in teachings from many religions, including Christianity. The core belief of these groups was that the physical world, including our bodies, is evil, but the spirit world is good.

We know that Jesus came into the world, in the normal way, as a complete human being, including a body. For many people it was impossible to believe that a perfect God could dwell in a physical body. So they denied that Jesus had a body, and that He died in that body.

John says that to follow such teachings is to be against Christ, that is antichrist.

Our beliefs are important because they determine how we believe. For John, the important doctrine that Jesus came into the world in the form of a man, with a body, was the basis for us to love other people with the love of God. To abandon this belief would eventually mean abandoning love for one another.

Not all of us are called to be theologians, but we all must check that the things we think and say correspond to the Bible.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, please convict me about the things that I think and the things that I do, in whatever way I go against your will. Amen.

Reflection on 1 John 5:11-21

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Scripture

We know that we are children of God and that the world is controlled by the evil one.

Observation

God has given us eternal life through His Son. Anyone who has the Son has life, and anyone who does not have the Son does not have life.

When we see a brother or sister sinning, we should pray for that person to repent. There is a sin which leads to death; not every sin leads to death.

We know that we are children of God and that the world is under the control of the evil one. We live in fellowship with the Son of God, and therefore we live in fellowship with the true God.

Application

There is a huge gulf between the children of God and the people of the world. The world and its people are controlled by the evil one. The children of God are led by God.

This is not to say that we should avoid unsaved people or look down on them. We should love them with the love of Jesus who loved the world enough to die for it. We should love them and seek to win them to Him.

At the same time, we should understand that the gospel will never be popular in the world. Most people do not want to know that they are sinners, although there are many people who long for their Redeemer.

We should also work at redeeming institutions that the world controls- education, entertainment, politics, and culture. Jesus is greater than satan, and He alone can rescue the world, its people and its structures.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for saving me. Thank you that I am led and directed by you and not by the evil one. Amen.

Reflection on 1 John 5;1-10

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Scripture

So we have three witnesses- the Spirit, the water, and the blood- and these three agree.

Observation

Everyone who believes Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. If we love God, we will obey His commands and love His children.

Jesus was revealed as God’s Son at His baptism and on the cross. The Spirit also confirms this, meaning there are three witnesses to Jesus’ Sonship- the Spirit, the water, and the blood.

God has testified about His Son, so anyone who refuses to believe that Jesus is the Son of God is calling God a liar.

Application

The three witnesses- the Spirit, the water, and the blood- all testify that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

The Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts that Jesus is Lord, and that we can be set free from the bondage of our sin. We need that testimony because satan has blinded us and we would never work it out by ourselves.

The water is the water of Jesus’ baptism. This was the first revelation that He is the Son of God. The heavens opened and the voice from heaven declared, “This is my beloved Son.”

The blood is Jesus’ blood shed on the cross. Jesus, the truly divine one, laid down His life for our sake. The Roman centurion said at the time of Jesus’ death, “Surely this man was the Son of God.”

Anyone who denies that Jesus is the Son of God not only calls the Father and the Holy Spirit liars, but they also ignore the testimony of the water and the blood.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, today I declare, “You are truly the Son of God.” Amen.

Runaway Global Warming

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We hear a lot about runaway global warming and how awful the world is getting due to evil CO2. We hear a lot about it when we have bad bushfire seasons and drought as we did last year. Not so much in cooler, wetter years. Almost none at all in Covid years!

So how much is the planet warming? Here is the “money quote” from the article below:

The linear warming trend since January, 1979 remains at +0.14 C/decade (+0.12 C/decade over the global-averaged oceans, and +0.18 C/decade over global-averaged land).

Yes in 100 years it will be just 1.4 degrees warmer. And Governments are spending trillions of dollars on “decarbonising”, companies and individuals are paying higher electricity prices and taxes to stop the globe warming by an almost imperceptible amount over 100 years.

From wattsupwiththat.com

Global Temperature Update for September 2020: +0.57 deg. C

 / 16 mins ago 

by Roy W. Spencer, Ph. D.

The Version 6.0 global average lower tropospheric temperature (LT) anomaly for September, 2020 was +0.57 deg. C, up from from the August, 2020 value of +0.43 deg. C.

The linear warming trend since January, 1979 remains at +0.14 C/decade (+0.12 C/decade over the global-averaged oceans, and +0.18 C/decade over global-averaged land).

For comparison, the CDAS global surface temperature anomaly for the last 30 days at Weatherbell.com is +0.38 deg. C.

With La Nina in the Pacific now officially started, it will take several months for that surface cooling to be fully realized in the tropospheric temperatures. Typically, La Nina minimum temperatures (and El Nino maximum temperatures) show up around February, March, or April.

Read the rest of the article here

Koala Up The Lighthouse

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From the ABC:

Koala returned to the bush after scaling Smoky Cape lighthouse

A koala near the top of a lighthouseIt’s not the first time former lighthouse keeper Mark Sheriff has seen something try to scale the walls of a lighthouse — but it is perhaps the cutest.

Key points:

  • Lighthouse keeper Mark Sheriff said he spotted the koala climbing the lighthouse one night after coming back from a swim
  • The koala climbed to the top and made its way inside where Mr Sheriff was able to capture it
  • Mr Sheriff returned the koala to nearby bushland

On his way back from a night-time swim during a recent stint doing maintenance on Smoky Cape lighthouse on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, he spotted a koala making its way up the lightning conductor.

“I thought, ‘OK, that’s really interesting, that’s sort of something different’,” he said.

Mr Sheriff, who was a keeper at this lighthouse 30 years ago, said humans had tried before but the conductors were not normally strong enough to hold the weight.

A visit to the lantern room

He decided to act as spotter for the furry animal as it scaled the building, but soon realised it was going to get inside.

A koala climbs a cable that runs along the side of a white building.
The koala climbed the lighthouse’s lightning conductor.(Supplied: Mark Sheriff)

“I looked up and he’s gone all the way up the top,” Mr Sheriff said.

“I had the lantern room door open because I’d been working up there and I could hear a bit of a ruckus so I went up there and he was trying to climb the walls of the lantern room.

“I just stood in the lantern room, which is quite a beautiful place, it’s very quiet … we hung out there for a couple of revolutions, and then I walked back out down the spiral stairway.”

‘He had a lovely smell’

He soon returned the koala, which he named Pat after his mother, to the nearby bushland.

“When I grabbed him he was a bit sort of like ‘Woah, what are you doing buddy?'” Mr Sheriff said.

“He let me take him all the way up to the forest.

Mr Sheriff said one thing he remembers about the koala is its smell.

“He had a really lovely smell,” he said.

“You know how horses have their scent, well koalas have got their scent, it was cool.”

Reflection on 1 John 4:11-21

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Scripture

All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

Observation

Since God loves us, we ought to love one another, for this brings full expression to God’s love for us.

God has given His Spirit as proof that He lives in us. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is the Son of God has God living in them.

As we live in God, our love becomes more perfect. Perfect love casts out all fear because fear has to do with fear of being punished. If we fear then it shows we have not experienced God’s love.

God has given us this command- if we love God then we must also love our christian brothers and sisters.

Application

If we confess that Jesus is the Son of God, then God is living in us and we are living in God.

Confessing that Jesus is the Son of God is not just about words- it is about expressing heart- felt conviction that stems from relationship.

Paul says something similar in Romans: “if you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

If we believe this with our heart, then it is a sign to us and to others that God is living in us. When we come to Jesus and confess that He is our Lord, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, comes and resides in us.

As John describes repeatedly in this letter, the result of this is that we love God and love other christians. Love is the fruit of relationship with God, and it is the sign of it.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for loving me. Please grow your love in my heart so that I can love other people with your love. Amen.

Ephesians 3:14-15

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:14-15. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:14-15

“For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.”

Paul now returns to his prayer. In verse 12 he said : “ In him (that is, Christ) and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” This is the reason that he can kneel before the Father to pray. This prayer starts in verse 16.

God is our Father. He has revealed Himself as a Trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The term Father is not just a theological term. Father is a relational term.

Jesus knew God as Father, as “Abba” a term of intimacy. For Jesus the name Father was not a theoretical term but an expression of deep love.

We call God Father for many reasons.

Firstly, it is an expression of love. God is love, and He loves the whole of his creation including human beings who have rebelled against His authority. God continues to love us despite our actions towards Him.

Secondly, God our Father seeks to draw us up to spiritual and relational maturity. In biblical times, a father was expected to shape his children to be like himself. God desires that we become like Him in our character and our desires.

Thirdly, God our Father disciplines us when we go astray. In Hebrews 12:7 we are told, “Endure hardship as a discipline; God is treating you as sons.” The Father disciplines His sons and daughters to perfect their character.

Fourthly God delights to pour out blessings on us. This is not contrary to the previous point, but balances it. Our Father does not dole the bare minimum to keep us alive. No, He provides what we need and more. He pours out all kinds of blessings because it pleases Him to make us happy .

In many cultures, the family takes the name of the father not of the mother. Paul is saying here that God gives His name to His family.

A name often says something about a person’s lineage. The name Smith in the past was associated with blacksmiths. Certain names might be associated with the aristocracy or with lesser classes.

To be named for our heavenly Father means that we are part of His family, related to him through the blood of Christ.

To be saved is to be a part of a family that has members right around the world and in heaven as well. This is a family that literally will never die out.

We are named with the name of Christ- Christian. We share the family name and should grow into the family likeness.

To be in the family of God means that we are members of a royal family. We are heirs of God’s Kingdom, princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses in God’s realm.

Key points in this verse

  • Paul kneels in prayer to the Father, confident of his access to the throne
  • God is our Father. This is a relational term
  • God loves us with unfailing love
  • God wants to mature us and He uses both discipline and blessing
  • We are part of God’s family

Ephesians 3:13

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:13. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:13

“I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.”

Paul’s imprisonment is part of God’s plan to make known the mystery, the wisdom of God, the plan of salvation. God is in control of all things, and so even Paul’s imprisonment is in God’s plan.

For this reason, Paul says the Ephesians should not be discouraged.

We can imagine that some christians might be asking why God would allow Paul to suffer like this. Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles, so why would God have him locked away?

We know now, with the benefit of hindsight, that Paul wrote several of his letters during his imprisonment. We could argue the New Testament would be somewhat smaller without Paul’s suffering.

We also know from Acts 28:30-31 that for two years of house arrest Paul welcomed many visitors and boldly proclaimed the gospel to them.

Despite his suffering, Paul was not sidelined. He was not prevented from continuing the ministry that God had prepared for him.

So Paul tells us not to be discouraged when things don’t go the way we expected.

God will prevail, and nothing can stop the gospel. What is important is that we seek to be faithful in whatever task the Lord sets before us.

We need to be mature also in our understanding of suffering. Many people do become disheartened because of their own suffering or that of others. They fail to understand that God always turns every situation to our own spiritual growth .

Our culture tells us that we deserve to be happy, that we should expect a fulfilled life, and that nothing bad should ever happen to us. While this is an appealing myth, it is complete rubbish. People get sick and die. There are acts of violence and abuse everyday. Disasters befall whole communities and nations .

Suffering is not an interruption to the good life. It is part of the process of growing to spiritual maturity .

Children don’t like it when their parents say “No” to their requests. They cannot understand why the parent puts them through painful medical or dental procedures. It hurts when they are smacked for running onto a road .

The suffering and pain that we go through in life serve to shape and strengthen our spirits. We are forced to hold on to the fact that God loves us and that this painful experience is, in some way that we cannot comprehend, for our own ultimate good.

We must not lose heart then, when we, or the people we love, go through painful times.

Paul describes his sufferings as being “for you” and “for your glory.”

Paul is aware that God uses suffering for God’s purposes, and that all things work together for the good of those who are called according to his purposes (Romans 8:28). This suffering that he is going through will make him stronger in his own faith and trust in the Lord.

Paul’s sufferings, therefore, are for the Gentiles because he will be a better apostle for the Gentiles through his suffering. This then is for them and for their glory.

As a pastor, I know that the relatively light sufferings that I have experienced have taken me deeper into the Lord. They have also given me greater empathy for those who go through severe or extended periods of suffering. In that sense, my own suffering is for them as well as for me.

Key points in this verse

  • We must not be discouraged by suffering- our own or others whom we love.
  • Suffering should draw us closer to the Lord and deepen our faith in him
  • God will prevail, even if we cannot see it
  • Suffering is not an interruption to the good life, but a part of God’s plan to bring us to maturity
  • Our suffering can help other people and bring glory to God

The Fruit Of The Spirit- Self-Control

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The Fruit Of The Spirit- Self-Control

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

The last quality in this list of characteristics of the presence of the Holy Spirit is self-control.

Self-control is the ability to restrain our actions under stress or provocation.

It can cover a whole range of areas from sexual sin to rage to addictions.

The man or woman of God is not to be easily derailed from responding to other people, to temptation and to life circumstances. That is not to say that we have to control our emotions and never show feelings. Emotions are good things, but our reactions to them are often not good.

Self-control is the ability to say “No” when our body or heart says “Yes’. It is the ability to take a pause to think things through, to pray, to ask “What would Jesus do in this situation?”

It was self-control that enabled Joseph to resist Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39).

It was self-control that enabled Jesus to say “No” to satan in the wilderness.

It was self-control that enabled Stephen to pray forgiveness for his persecutors (Acts 7).

It is self-control that enables an alcoholic to say “No” to a beer with a mate, but yes to cola.

It is self-control that enables someone to say “No” to chocolate.

It is self-control that enables us to resist the urge to retaliate when someone insults or assaults us.

Self-control can be nurtured by spiritual discipline such as fasting, but like the other fruit of the Holy Spirit, it grows over time as we seek to live in fellowship with God, and let Him direct our paths. Unlike the other fruit, it is experienced in a moment of testing rather than over an extended time.