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He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.Philippians 1:6Sometimes we fail to recognise the work of the Spirit in our lives because His work in us is not yet complete.Suppose you have a good friend who is a master craftsman. He wants to give you a new kitchen. Your old kitchen is a mess. Nothing is as you would want it to be.There’s no one you would trust to do this work more than your friend, and so you move out while the work is going on, but at one point you decide to stop by to take a look. Your expectations are high.But when you see your kitchen, you are disappointed. Wires are hanging out of the wall. The plumbing is not attached. Nothing is as it should be. You wonder, Maybe this isn’t the master craftsman’s work at all. So you text your friend: “Looked at the kitchen today. Was very disappointed. Is this really your work?”He replies, “All my work. All of it good. None of it yet complete.”You could see that it was a work in progress. Yet you questioned the work that had been done just because there was more to do. Is this not precisely what we are tempted to do with the work of the Holy Spirit?We think, I’m a long way from being the person God calls me to be. That is true! You are a work in progress. But the work is truly a work of the Holy Spirit of God. And while none of it is complete, all of it is good. So learn to recognise the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.In what areas of your life do you see signs that the Holy Spirit is still at work? Thank the Master Craftsman that He will continue His work in you.

The Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.1 John 5:6Here are two final observations about the ministry of the Holy Spirit.6. The Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus“The Spirit is the one who testifies” (5:6). The Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus by showing us how much we need Him. “When [the Helper] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement” (Jn. 16:8). And the Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus by drawing us to Him. You have come to believe in Him, to love Him, and to follow Him. This is clear evidence of the work of the Spirit in you.7. The Holy Spirit bears witness to us“By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit” (1 Jn. 4:13). What an amazing gift! God could have chosen to post an angel outside your home to remind you every morning: “You abide in Him, and He abides in you!” But God chose instead that His own Spirit would dwell in the heart of every believer. God wants to give you assurance Himself. “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16).Some believers struggle with great uncertainty. Nothing that anyone says ever seems to help them. Assurance grows as you listen to the witness of the Spirit, so believe God, love God, obey God, and trust the Holy Spirit to bring peace and assurance to your heart.Consider the amazing gift of having God Himself, through the Holy Spirit, bring peace and assurance to your heart.

Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.1 John 2:24Here are two more observations about the ministry of the Holy Spirit.4. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual sight“You have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge” (2:20). This cannot mean that believers know everything. It does not mean that true believers can never be deceived or make foolish mistakes. John is not saying that we don’t need to learn or that we don’t need wise teachers.The point here is that the people who had left the church had been deceived about the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. To those who remain, he says, “I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it” (2:21).Take in this truth: “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God... they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). The Holy Spirit has been your teacher. He has given you spiritual sight.5. The Holy Spirit bears witness to the Word“If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father” (1 Jn. 2:24). God has given us His Word and His Spirit. The Spirit of God works in, with, and through the Word of God. And in the Word and the Spirit we have a double defence against the power of lies and deception.As you open your Bible, pray your Bible, pray the words of the psalmist: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Ps. 119:18).

You have been anointed by the Holy One.1 John 2:20There is a special ministry of the Holy Spirit to assure us that we are children of God, and here are three observations about His ministry:1. The Holy Spirit is sent by Jesus“You have been anointed by the Holy One” (2:20). Christians are anointed with the Holy Spirit, and “the Holy One” who sends this anointing is Jesus Christ. He said, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you...” (Jn. 15:26). Jesus is the Holy One of God, and He sends the Holy Spirit.2. The Holy Spirit is given to all who are in Christ“You have been anointed...” (1 Jn. 2:20). John refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit as an anointing. In the Old Testament, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed for service to God. It was a sign that the Holy Spirit would give the needed gifts, wisdom, and power for the work they were called to do. So, John is pointing to the wonderful reality that the Holy Spirit will give you all that you need to do and all that God calls you to do.3. The Holy Spirit remains in all who believe“The anointing that you received from him abides in you” (2:27). You don’t need to worry about the Holy Spirit being taken from you. The Holy Spirit is given to all of Christ’s people, and the Holy Spirit remains in all of Christ’s people. To those who believe, John says, you will remain in Christ because the Holy Spirit will remain in you.What assurance do you find in knowing that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to you? That the Spirit provides all you need for the work God has called you to? That the Holy Spirit cannot be taken from you?

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.1 John 2:19-20Here were people who had once professed faith, and then they abandoned the faith that they once professed. They left the church.Abandoning the faith was evidence that these people were never true Christians. True faith perseveres, and continuing in the faith is the evidence that you really are a Christian: “We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Heb. 3:14).Most of us know someone who has walked away from faith, and it is deeply disturbing for two reasons. First, you grieve for the person. Second, it raises the question, What if that happens to me?John answers the question by pointing to the fact that his readers had not abandoned their faith in Christ. Why had they stayed faithful when others walked away?The answer is: the Holy Spirit. The reason you’ve stayed faithful through all the pressures, trials, and discouragements, the reason you still love and serve Jesus today is the presence and work of the Holy Spirit.Do you know someone who has walked away from faith? How do John’s words encourage you to hold firm to the end?

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.1 John 3:19-20The normal experience of the Christian life is that our hearts do not condemn us, but sometimes they do. Don’t make the mistake of accepting the verdict of your own heart. Why would you do that when you can appeal to a higher court? When your heart condemns you, bring your case before God. John gives two reasons for doing this.1. God is greater than your heartYour heart does not have the final word. God can overrule it. Your heart is like a lower court. God’s Word is like the Supreme Court. So, when your heart condemns you, bring your case to God.Go to God and tell Him why your heart condemns you. Tell Him what you have done. Tell Him what you have failed to do. God sees what our condemning hearts sometimes forget: God justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Rom. 3:26). The verdict that matters is not the verdict you pass on yourself or others pass on you, it is the verdict of almighty God.2. God knows everythingThe fact that God knows everything might seem like a reason for not coming to Him. Other people see me at my best. But God has seen me at my worst. Why would I want to come before Him?But God’s knowledge here is not a cause of fear and dread. It is a reason for hope and confidence. He knows what His Son has done for you. He knows what His Spirit is doing in you. He knows that you love Him.Bring your case to God and let His word of grace to you in Christ silence the condemnation of your own heart.When your heart condemns you, consider these words: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn?” (Rom. 8:33–34).

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.1 John 3:19-20John is writing to Christian believers, and here he speaks about a problem that believers will face: “Whenever our heart condemns us.” Notice, John does not say, “If...” He says, “When...” So this is not an unusual problem.Some believers will struggle with this more than others. Some of us are more introspective than others. Some of us are more demanding of ourselves than others. Some of us live with more sins that we have not yet forsaken than others.Most Christians know what it is to look at ourselves and wonder, How could a person who has thought what I have thought, said what I have said, and done what I have done really be a Christian? Could it be that I have deceived myself, and that the truth is not in me? These are the thoughts of the condemning heart.God’s purpose is not that you should live under the sentence of a condemning heart. Remember what John says next: “Whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything” (3:20).On a scale of (1) “I rarely think about this,” to (5) “I am often plagued by this,” how often would you say you struggle with the thoughts of a condemning heart?

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God.1 John 3:21What John describes here is the normal experience of a Christian believer.Our hearts do not condemn us“If our heart does not condemn us...” (3:21). There is no better life than to know that you are forgiven, that God is for you, and that whatever happens, you are only a short distance from your eternal home, where you will see God’s face, your tears will be wiped away, and you will rejoice in God’s glorious presence.We have confidence before God“...we have confidence before God” (3:21). What an amazing statement! God will destroy the wicked, but the normal experience of the Christian life is to know that it is well with your soul and so to have peace with God and confidence before Him.God answers our prayers“And whatever we ask we receive from him...” (3:22). As you believe God, love God, and obey God, the things that you ask of Him will be aligned with His will. And when the things you ask for are aligned with His will, you will receive what you ask for.We live according to God’s commands“...because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him” (3:22). John keeps coming back to the life God has called us to live, believing, loving, and obeying God’s commandments. And here he reminds us again that as we pursue this life, assurance will grow and peace will prevail.Here is a marvellous description of the normal Christian life. Pursue this life to which God has called you, and these blessings will be yours. Your heart will not condemn you. You will have confidence before God, and God will answer your prayers.Which of these four blessings of the Christian life did you most need to be reminded of today?

Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.1 John 2:4John presents us with three themes—obeying, loving, and believing—and he uses them in three ways: as tests, as directions, and as signs.TestsThe evidence that a person knows God is that he or she obeys God’s commands, loves God’s people, and believes in God’s Son. A person who knowingly resists God’s commands is not a Christian. A person who says, “I love God,” may sound very spiritual, but if he, at the same time, hates his brother, his claim is false. And if a person claims to be from God, but she denies Jesus Christ, she is a liar. These are tests by which we may discern those who are in Christ.DirectionsObeying, loving, and believing are God’s directions for our lives. They suggest questions you could use when you lack assurance: 1) Am I choosing not to obey one of God’s commands? 2) Am I carrying bitterness or resentment toward someone? 3) Am I relying on my attempts to live the Christian life rather than relying on Jesus? If your answer is “yes” to any of these, you should not be surprised that you lack assurance.SignsJohn gives us three signs for recognising the work of God in our lives—believing, loving, and obeying. You might think, Well, I don’t see much of this fruit in my life. How many apples do you need to see before you can conclude that you’re looking at an apple tree? Not many. The tree may not be loaded with fruit, but if you can see even a few small apples, you can say with confidence, “It’s an apple tree!” And the more fruit you see, the more peace and joy you will have, knowing that you truly are in Christ.What evidence of belief—even if only “a few small apples”—do you see in your own life?

There are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.1 John 5:7-9God testifies that Jesus is His Son through the water, the blood, and the Spirit.The water speaks of the baptism of JesusWhen Jesus was baptised, the Spirit of God descended on Him like a dove, and an audible voice from heaven declared, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mat. 3:17).The blood speaks of the death of JesusGod has testified that the one who died on the cross is His Son by raising Him from the dead. Paul speaks of “the gospel of God… concerning his Son, who… was declared to be the Son of God in power… by his resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:1–4).The Spirit is the Holy Spirit who dwells in all who believeJesus said, “the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” (Jn. 15:26; see also 16:13–14).God has declared that Jesus is His Son through His baptism. God has demonstrated that Jesus is His Son by raising Him from the dead. And God convinces us that Jesus is His Son by sending the Holy Spirit.Believe the testimony God has given about His Son today. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ will be yours. The Father will be yours. Life will be yours.Have you accepted God’s invitation? He promises, “Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also” (1 Jn. 2:23). “Whoever has the Son has life” (5:12). God’s whoever is big enough to include you.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God… Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.1 John 4:15, 5:1John tells us that Jesus is the Christ, and that He is the Son of God.First, Jesus is the Christ“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God” (5:1). The liar denies that Jesus is the Christ, but a person born of God believes and confesses that Jesus is the Christ.Then John says, “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” (4:2). John is describing the incarnation. God became a man in Christ Jesus. “Come” points to where He was before, sharing the life of God in heaven. “Has come” indicates that His coming was a historical event. “Flesh” tells us that He shares our human nature. God is Spirit, so in taking flesh, the Son of God identified Himself fully with us.This union of God’s nature and ours is realised in a person —Jesus Christ. And that’s why all our hope is in Him. God has promised a redeemer since the beginning of time, and God became the deliverer He promised.Second, Jesus is God’s Son“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” (4:15). Jesus is God’s Son. He is “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). He is “the exact imprint of His nature” (Heb. 1:3).Jesus is God in the flesh. He is one with the Father (Jn. 10:30). His words are the Father’s words, His will is the Father’s will, His work is the Father’s work. So, if you are in Christ the Son, you are in God the Father. That’s why John can say, “Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also” (1 John 2:23).Who could you tell this week: “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, and I believe that He is the Son of God”?

Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come.1 John 2:18The “antichrist” (singular) is a person who will oppose Christ and all that He stands for. This person will be an embodiment of evil, and he will arise in the future. But even in the first century, there were many antichrists.When John speaks about “antichrists” (plural), he is talking about ordinary people who once were in the church but then left the church. “They went out from us, but they were not of us” (2:19).These people believed that Jesus was born and died like anyone else. They denied the virgin birth. They saw Jesus as a man blessed with special powers and a special ministry. They saw Him as an inspiration and as an example of what is possible for a person possessed by heavenly powers.But John is clear: Any teaching that reduces Jesus to a man with special powers is a lie that reflects the spirit of antichrist. “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son” (2:22).Notice the two denials: 1) Jesus is not the Christ, and 2) Jesus is not the Son of God. Robert Law says, “There are many lies and many liars; but he who utters this lie is the liar.”This is the lie that in some form will be repeated again and again throughout the course of history, and whenever you hear it, you are hearing the voice of antichrist.Which of these two lies about Jesus do you need to fight against?

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.1 John 3:14John acknowledges that some relationships will be difficult, but he also reminds us of where love comes from.Some people are hard to love“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers” (3:14). We don’t choose our brothers and sisters. They are given to us. And this is also true of the church. It’s easy to love a group of friends you have chosen. But the church is not a cosy group of self-selected friends. Your sisters and brothers in Christ are given to you by God, and some of them will be hard to love.Love comes from God“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God” (4:7). The source of love is outside of ourselves. This is good news. God calls you to love your sister or brother, and He is the source of the love He calls you to give. Stop telling yourself that you can’t love someone. God is love. And if His love reaches you, you will have all the love you need.How do you know what love is if you have not been loved well? John says, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (3:16). Stop telling yourself that you don’t know what love is. God the Father sent His Son into the world for you. God the Son laid down His life for you. God the Spirit has come to indwell you.God’s love for you will never end. He has loved you with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3).How could understanding that God is the source of love help you to love your brothers and sisters in Christ, even when they are hard to love?

Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.1 John 2:10One way assurance grows is by loving God’s people. Here are two kinds of evidence that show whether a person actually loves God’s people:Hatred is evidence of darkness and death“Whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness... the darkness has blinded his eyes” (2:11). Hatred blinds people to the truth. A person who hates will not be able to see reality or find the path of wisdom. The tragedy of our time is that anger has taken root, and it is producing the bitter fruit of hatred. Hatred is evidence of darkness.Hatred is also evidence of death: “Whoever does not love abides in death” (3:14). The person who hates is trapped, and he cannot get out. When we see hatred, our first response should be compassion. “This man has no love in his heart. He may be in a state of spiritual death.”Love is evidence of light and life“Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling” (2:10). Love is a sign that you abide in the light. If anger and hatred take root, they would cause you to stumble. But if you love your brother, there will be no cause of stumbling in you.John also says love is evidence of life: “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers” (3:14). This is assurance: “We know...” How do we know? “Because we love the brothers.”Where do you see evidence of darkness and death in your life? Where do you see light and life?

Whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.1 John 2:5John has been talking the language of law. Now, he is talking the language of love, and the two are joined together. “Whoever keeps his word [his commandments], in him truly the love of God is perfected.”The love of God has a purpose: to reproduce itself in us, that we may love as He first loved us. And the evidence that God’s love has fulfilled its purpose in us is that we keep God’s Word.The obedience John is describing does not come from a sense of duty. It comes from love. This is the clear teaching of Jesus: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (Jn. 14:15). Our submission to God’s will is the fruit of God’s love. We love because He first loved us.There is a beautiful freedom about the Christian life. What is freedom? Some people have the idea that it is being able to do whatever you want. But some of the things we want to do would be damaging to ourselves, hurtful to others, and most of all, offensive to God.So here’s a better definition: Freedom is when what you want aligns with what God commands. That’s why we read in Psalm 1:1–2 that the man who delights in the law of God is blessed.Christ brings us into the most beautiful freedom by aligning our desires with God’s Word. When what you desire aligns with what God commands, then you will be free.Ask God to breathe on you and fill you afresh with His Spirit so that you might love what He loves, and do what He would do.

By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments... Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.1 John 2:3, 6The way we know that we know God and that we are in Christ is to keep His commandments, or to say it another way, to walk as Jesus walked. Walk in obedience to God’s commands and you will grow in assurance. Walk as Jesus walked and you will know that you are in Him.The way Jesus walked was to obey the commandments. He said, “I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father” (Jn. 14:31). If we are in Him, we will do the same.John said, “We know that we have come to know [God], if we keep His commandments.” The word “keep” here was used of a ship’s captain using his eyes and ears to scan the skies and waters and chart the right course.You live the Christian life by keeping your eyes and ears open to the Word of God. What has God said that I need to hear in this situation? What principle do I need to apply? What promise do I need to believe?If assurance depends on our keeping God’s commands, how can we ever hope to have assurance? Which of us can honestly say that we walk as Jesus walked?No Christian keeps God’s commands completely, but all Christians begin to live according to God’s commands. That’s why Paul says, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own” (Phil. 3:12).This is the path on which assurance is found. As you walk in this path, growing peace, joy, and assurance will be yours.What encouragement do you find in Paul’s admission that he had not obtained perfection but kept pressing on?

By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.1 John 2:3To know God is the reason and purpose for which we were made. Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (Jn. 17:3).But John goes even further. It’s not only that we should know God, but that we should know that we know Him. “By this we know that we have come to know him” (1 Jn. 2:3).That’s assurance: To know that you know God. To know that you are not self-deceived. To know that your faith is genuine. To know that God is yours and that you are His forever.If God has used another person to show you the way, you may wonder, Do I really know God for myself? Or am I just living off someone else’s experience? God has promised that each of His people will know Him directly. “No longer shall each one teach... saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me” (Jer. 31:34). Your knowledge of God will not be secondhand. Take in the joy and blessing of this promise.Then John states this glorious promise in another way. “By this we may know that we are in him” (1 Jn. 2:5). The gift of assurance is not only to know that you know God but to know that you are in Christ. But how can we know that we are in Christ?John is not telling us how a person becomes a Christian. He is writing to Christian believers, and he is telling us how we can know that we truly are in Christ. What we have here is a perfect description of assurance: to know that you know God and to know that you are in Christ.Reflect on the glorious promise that you are His and He is yours forever.

I will soon pour out my wrath upon you, and spend my anger against you.Ezekiel 7:8The wrath of God toward sin can be poured out, and when it is poured out it will be spent.This takes us to the heart of what happened at the cross. The divine wrath toward sin was poured out on Jesus. He became the propitiation for our sins. All that was due to sinners was poured out on Jesus at the cross.Now, truths often get abused when they are isolated from other truths that belong beside them. John makes it clear that the propitiation was an act of love: “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 Jn. 4:10).God the Father gave us His Son. Jesus gave Himself for us. There was no coercion involved. The Father and the Son were one in self-giving. So, don’t ever think that God loves you because Jesus died for you. No! Jesus died for you because God loves you!God loved us even when we were the objects of His wrath: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).The divine wrath toward our sin was poured out on Jesus. Because it was spent on Jesus, there is nothing left to pour out on us: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).What Jesus accomplished on the cross is sufficient for every person who will confess their sins, for every person who wants to be forgiven and reconciled to God. If He does not become your advocate and your propitiation, the only reason would be that you don’t want Him.Do you want Jesus to be your advocate with God the Father, and to pay the propitiation for your sins?

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.1 John 2:2A propitiation is a gift or payment to placate the anger of an offended person. The best way to explain this is through an illustration.Meet Neil and Sally. They met at the office and quickly began dating. One night they went to a party. Neil had too much to drink, and while he was driving Sally home, his car crashed into a tree.When Neil came around in the hospital, he immediately asked, “How is Sally? Can I see her?”“No,” the doctor said. “She’s paralysed, and she won’t ever walk again. She doesn’t want to talk to you.”Sometime later Neil received a letter from Sally’s lawyers. In the light of her permanent disability, Sally was bringing legal action.There are three factors in this situation: first, there is an offence. Neil acted recklessly when he decided to drink and drive. Second, there is an offended person. Sally is paralysed and angry. And third, there is an offender. Neil is sorry, but that won’t change the fact that he is at fault, and Sally’s lawyers are preparing legal action against him.When the lawyers talk about what it will take to settle the case, they discuss what will satisfy Sally. What Neil thinks doesn’t matter. Sally is the offended party, and when the lawyers identify a sum of money that would be acceptable to Sally, the payment is a propitiation.Since our sin is an offence against God, He is the one who determines what the payment should be. The question is: What will satisfy God? And John tells us here that Jesus “is the propitiation for our sins” (2:2).Can you imagine how your answer to the question “What will satisfy God?” might be different than His? Which one matters?

If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.1 John 2:1An advocate is one who is called alongside to help. The word is used for a lawyer defending a client in court. Jesus is our advocate. He speaks in our defence. He advocates for us.What could our defence be?Jesus cannot plead that we have not sinned—clearly, we have. He cannot plead mitigating circumstances. God calls us to confess our sins, and a large part of confession is to admit that we are without excuse. If you say, “Lord, I admit that I lost my temper, but You know that I was provoked,” you are not making a confession, you are making an excuse.God has given us His Holy Spirit. He has blessed us with every blessing in Christ. After all that God has done for us, after all that we have received from His hand, what excuse do we have? None whatsoever.So, what case can Jesus make for our defence?The defence Jesus offers is not that we are innocent. It is not that there were mitigating circumstances that excuse our sin. It is that the price for our sins has already been paid.If anyone sins, “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (2:1). As this old hymn reminds us,Before the throne of God above,I have a strong and perfect plea;A great high priest whose name is Love,who ever lives and pleads for me.Prayerfully consider the words of this hymn, thanking God for providing an advocate for the times when you sin.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.1 John 1:9John presents us with twin truths: Sin remains in us, and God forgives our sin. How are we to respond to these truths? Here are two dangers.1. We acquiesce in our sin.We say to ourselves, “Everybody sins. And God loves me as I am. He forgives the sins of everyone who believes in Jesus.” We hear the truth that God forgives, and we acquiesce in our remaining sin.But Jesus did not die on the cross so that we could remain in our sins. Peter tells us the reason Jesus died: “that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Pet. 2:24).John tells us: “If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). Then he says, “I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin” (1 Jn. 2:1). In other words, “Don’t ever use that as a reason to sin. That would be to walk in darkness, and you can’t have fellowship with God there.”2. We despair over our sin.Or we say to ourselves, After all I’ve learnt from God’s Word, after all I’ve seen of God’s goodness, after all I’ve received from His hand, why am I not more godly? Am I really a Christian at all?The first danger is that we see God’s gracious forgiveness but give in to our sinful desires. The second is that we see our own remaining sin and give in to despair. John is leading us, and he wants to guard us from falling off the cliffs that are close by on either side.Which of these two cliffs are you more in danger of falling off—acquiescing to your sin or despairing over it?

Let not sin... reign in your mortal body.Romans 6:12Notice, Paul does not say, “Don’t let sin remain in your body.” He says, “Don’t let sin reign in your body.” Sin’s power over you is broken, but its presence in you remains.And we are called to engage in a battle with the sin that remains, so that it does not reign. The garden will always produce weeds. The gardener’s job is to pull them out by the roots so that they do not spread and take over.None of us will be completely free from sin this side of heaven, but by God’s grace all of us can make progress. This verse tells us how: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).1. If we confess our sins...Our assurance grows as we make progress. Regularly identify and confess particular sins. Ask yourself, “Have I lied or stolen? Do I have impure thoughts or a bad temper? Do I covet or neglect prayer?”2. He is faithful and just to forgive us...Whatever you have thought, said, or done, God is ready to forgive. You can be sure of this because He is faithful. He has promised that those who seek His forgiveness will find it. God is also just to forgive. Jesus paid the debt we owe, and God will not charge to us what has already been paid.3. And to cleanse us...How often do you wash your hands? Cleansing is never a one-time deal. John tells us that “the blood of Jesus... cleanses us from all sin” (1:7). All sin. Every kind of sin. There is no sin from which you cannot be cleansed.But how does the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood get applied to your life? As you walk in the light (1:7). And as you confess your sins (1:9).Do you think of your sin as something that can be cleansed by God?

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.1 John 1:8Notice that John includes himself: “If we say we have no sin...” Even the apostles could not say that they were wholly free from sin. The impulse to sin remains within every Christian, even while we walk in the light.Writing to believers, Paul is also quite clear that while we truly love Jesus, and truly desire to do His will, there remains within us an impulse toward what displeases Him: “The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Gal. 5:17).Paul describes this impulse as “the desires of the flesh.” So, what are we to do about these desires? Are we to say, I know that the impulse to sin remains within me, and that won’t change this side of heaven, so since I’m already saved, I’ll just go with the flow and follow the desires of my flesh?No! That would be to walk in darkness, and you cannot have fellowship with God while you are walking in darkness. Here’s what you do: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (5:16).You are to say “no” to the flesh. You are to rise above the desires of the flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in you. This does not mean that the desires of your flesh will go away. They will remain. Sin hides in our nature, and everyone who walks in the light lives with remaining sin.Can you identify a time in recent memory when you experienced “the desires of the flesh”? How did you respond to them?

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.1 John 1:8Perhaps you have come out of the darkness. You may have been at one time like the prodigal son, but you have renounced works of darkness. You have forsaken evil ways. You have returned to the Father, and you have no interest in going back.Perhaps you are seeking to walk with the Lord in the light of His Word. Your great desire is to enjoy fellowship with God and with other believers, and to be cleansed from all sin by the blood of Jesus.People who walk in the light will never say that sin doesn’t matter. We know God is light. We know that in Him there is no darkness at all. We know that sin matters greatly.The danger is for us to say, “Sin is what’s going on out there in this evil world where reckless and self-indulgent people are defying God. But sin isn’t in here in me.” The danger is to feel that in our pursuit of holiness, we have moved beyond the realm of sin.But John says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1:8). Whatever progress you may have made in sanctification, however closely you may be walking with the Lord, however disciplined you may be in your pursuit of a holy life, it will never go so well with you that you are wholly free from sin.Are you becoming an expert in detecting the wickedness of others, while ignoring, minimising, or excusing your own capacity for evil?

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practise the truth.1 John 1:6John presents us with two appropriate responses if we are walking in darkness.1. Renounce the lie“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie...” (1 Jn. 1:6). The lie is that sin doesn’t matter—that we can walk in darkness and have fellowship with God at the same time.The blood of Jesus does not cleanse those who remain in the darkness. It cannot reach you there. You have to come into the light. Nothing could be more disastrous than to think that you have eternal life when you do not.If you are living in a way that God says is sinful, your claim to have fellowship with God is empty. Renounce the lie that sin does not matter.2. Practise the truth“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we... do not practise the truth” (1:6). Truth is more than something that we know. It is something that we do.Submit yourself to the light of God’s Word. Confess your sins in the light of God’s Word. Order your life according to God’s Word. Walk in the light and you will have fellowship with God. You will find fellowship with others. And the blood of Jesus will cleanse you from all sin.According to the Bible, are you walking in darkness? If so, are you ready to respond in faith today?

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.Psalm 119:105What does it mean to walk in the light? It means:1. Submitting yourself to the light of God’s Word“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (119:105). If you want to know what pleases or offends God, you have to let Him tell you. The way He does that is through the Bible.2. Confessing your sin in the light of God’s Word“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 Jn. 1:9). When you submit to the light of God’s Word, you see that you are a sinner. The surest evidence of walking in the light is that you will feel your need of cleansing.3. Ordering your life in the light of God’s Word“By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments” (2:3). The hymn “Trust and Obey” begins, “When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way.” This is the joy of a person who walks in the light.Then John tells us what walking in the light brings. First, it brings fellowship. “If we walk in the light… we have fellowship with one another” (1:7). Walking in darkness means that you are not being honest with yourself. This cuts you off from God and others. If you walk in the light, you will never walk alone.It also brings cleansing. “If we walk in the light… the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1:7). John exposes the lie that the blood of Jesus cleanses from sin even if a person continues to walk in darkness. Sin twists the mind, distorts the heart, and dulls the conscience. So we need more than forgiveness. We need cleansing.According to the Bible, are you walking in the light?

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.1 John 1:7Walking in the light is often misunderstood, so let’s clear away two misunderstandings:1. Walking in the light is not perfection.This is good news because if it meant being completely free from sin, no one would ever have fellowship with God. The Bible never teaches that we must be free from all sin to have fellowship with God. John states quite clearly that “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1:8).Fellowship with God is promised to people who know and confess their sins. Though the impulse to sin remains within us, and though we never move beyond needing to confess our sins and seek God’s forgiveness, it is possible, by His grace, for sinners like us to have fellowship with God. Walking in the light is not perfection.2. Walking in the light is not full transparency.John tells us that we are to “walk in the light as he is in the light.” The Bible tells us that God cannot lie. He is pure. He is holy. He is true. But God is not transparent. There are many things He has not chosen to tell us about Himself. God calls us to a life that is pure, honest, and true, but the Bible never suggests that we are under an obligation to tell everyone about everything.So let’s clear away these misconceptions. Walking in the light is not perfection. Walking in the light is not full transparency.Have either of these misconceptions hindered your faith?

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practise the truth.1 John 1:6Here is a person who claims to have fellowship with God. He will give you the clearest testimony. He will tell you that he is reading his Bible. He will say he wants to honour the Lord in all that he does.But notice the word “while.” This person claims to have fellowship with God while he is walking in darkness. These two things are happening at the same time.What does it mean to walk in darkness? It means we hold onto something that God calls sin and refuse to let it go. No confession. No repentance. Just excuse, justification, or concealment.Notice John says, “while we walk in darkness.” He’s not saying, “If there is sin in your life, you’re not a Christian.” He cannot mean that because he also says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (1:8).Walking is a continuing action. Walking in darkness means staying in darkness. And fellowship with God is impossible for a person who walks in darkness.John says, “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practise the truth” (1:6). The lie here is that sin does not matter, that we can have fellowship with God irrespective of how we choose to live. John is saying, “If you think that you have fellowship with God while you are walking in darkness, you have bought into a lie.”Have you bought into this lie? Take a moment now to repent of any sin that you may be holding on to.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.1 John 1:5Where does the Christian message begin? What is the first thing that people need to know about God?Many would say the gospel begins with the love of God. “God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son” (Jn. 3:16). But the first thing John tells us is not that God is love, but that God is light. “This is the message... that God is light” (1:5).Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that if we do not start with the holiness of God, we will not understand the gospel. “If God is only love and compassion and mercy, then the cross is surely meaningless, for if God is love alone, then all he needs to do when man sins is to forgive him.”If you do not start with the holiness of God, you will not understand the gospel. And John wants us to know that we have eternal life, so he begins with the holiness of God. God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.Then John introduces the glorious possibility that we should have fellowship with God: “If we say we have fellowship with him...” (1:6). Fellowship with God is the greatest blessing a person can know. It is also the purpose for which we were made.Fellowship means that you are a friend of God. You share in His life, and He shares in yours. Eternal life is a life of fellowship with God. Jesus said to the Father, “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (Jn. 17:3).Where does the holiness of God fit in your understanding of the gospel?

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.1 John 5:13How can I be sure? This may be the number one question that believers ask. And it is rightly asked by thoughtful believers. The question of assurance is pressed on us for several reasons.1. Many people are abandoning a faith they once professedA thinking person might reason, If others who once professed faith have walked away, how can I be sure that this will not happen to me?2. Thoughtful believers see the limits of their own pursuit of holinessPerhaps you have been dismayed by your lack of progress in the Christian life. After all these years, I should be further on than this. When you fall into a sin you have fallen into before, you wonder if your repentance was real. If I really repented, why am I back here again? We have a sneaking suspicion that a “true Christian” would be doing better than we are.3. The New Testament describes a level of Christian experience beyond what we have knownPeter speaks about believers rejoicing with inexpressible and glorious joy (1 Peter 1:8). Paul speaks about a peace that passes understanding (Phil. 4:7). Can I really say that this is my experience? Am I really a Christian?God wants you to know that you have eternal life. And John says, “I want you to have the peace and joy of knowing that Christ, and all that He promises, is yours.”Order these reasons from 1 (most troubling to you) to 3 (least troubling) as you seek assurance of your own faith.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.2 Corinthians 5:21This is what God does for every person who is in Christ:1. God doesn’t count your sins against you“In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (5:19). The reason a Christian is reconciled to God and has peace with Him is not that he or she is without sin, but rather that “in Christ” God does not count our sins against us. So, where do the sins that He doesn’t count against us go?2. God counts your sin dealt with in Christ“For our sake he made him to be sin” (5:21). Our sins were laid on Jesus on the cross. So, either our sins are still on us, or our sins are on Jesus and they are no longer on us, and cannot ever be, because they were dealt with on the cross. There’s more...3. God counts Christ’s righteousness as yours“He made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (5:21). Jesus was the sinless Son of God, but our sins were laid on Him, and God dealt with Him as if He was sin itself. We are sinners, but we have been clothed with Jesus’ righteousness, and God deals with us as if we were righteousness itself.Did you know that God sees you in Christ, in whom your sins are dealt with, and in whose perfect righteousness you now stand before God?

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin.2 Corinthians 5:21In the Gospels, we find three witnesses—an angel, a devil, and God the Father—testifying that Jesus is without sin.The witness of the angels: When the angel came to Mary, he said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy” (Luke 1:35).The witness of the devils: When Jesus came into a synagogue in Capernaum, a man with an unclean spirit said to Him, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24).The witness of the Father: At Jesus’ baptism a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mat. 3:17.). Jesus is the only person God could ever categorically say this about.Not only is this the unanimous testimony of the Gospels, it is also the unanimous witness of the New Testament:We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15.)He appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin (1 John 3:5.)In all of human history there has never been another person of whom it could be said, “He is God, He is man, and He is holy.” As God, He is able to reconcile us to the Father, and as a sinless man, He is able to stand with us and act for us by laying His life down as a sacrifice.Can you think of any other person of whom these things could be said?

Whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.1 John 3:20John writes to Christian believers, and he says, “Whenever our heart condemns us...” He does not say “if,” he says “when” because every Christian has a new heart.If you are a Christian today, your new heart is sensitive to sin, hates its presence, discerns its subtlety, and longs for the day when it will be gone completely. This means that your own heart will condemn you, and you need to know how to answer it.These six words are God’s medicine for the condemning heart: “God is greater than our heart...” (3:20). When your heart condemns you, tell yourself, God is greater than my heart. This statement is self-evidently true. God is greater than your heart.Your heart may condemn you, but your heart does not have the final word. God can overrule your condemning heart. Your heart is like a lower court. God’s Word is like the Supreme Court. So, when your heart condemns you, bring your case to God.Go to God and tell Him that your heart condemns you. Tell Him what you have done. Tell Him what you have failed to do. The first order of business in a higher court is to review the work of a lower court. What was the charge? What evidence was presented? How was the verdict reached?Why would God overrule the judgement of your heart? Because God sees us in Christ. He sees what our condemning hearts often forget: God is “the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26). Justifies means that God declares us “not guilty” in His Supreme Court, and that means all other verdicts from our condemning hearts are overturned.Is your heart condemning you? Bring your case to God. Then reflect on this verse: “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

The accuser of our brothers...Revelation 12:10Satan is sometimes referred to as the accuser of Christian brothers and sisters. The reason for this is that he works against you, Christian, by bringing to mind your sins and failures in an attempt to make you lose heart.Satan only uses this strategy with believers. Why doesn’t he use this strategy with nonbelievers? Because it would be counterproductive and completely against his interests to do so. As long as people are unaware of their own sin, they remain unaware of their need for a saviour.His main strategy with sinners is to keep them in the dark about their own sin, and to keep them in denial, in order to make them think that their sin is really not a big issue—now or for eternity. But when a person is in Christ, the enemy takes every opportunity to bring accusations to the mind and to the heart of that person.One way that he does this is to raise the memory of past sins. When he does this, you might think, That was a long time ago, but back it will come into your mind. You need to know how to deal with the accusations of your enemy, and how to get your heart at rest again in the presence of God, so that you do not lose heart.Have you felt the accusations of the enemy recently? Do you know how to get your heart at rest again in the presence of God so you don’t lose heart?

He will convict the world concerning sin.John 16:8You might expect that people who are far from God would have a much greater awareness of their own sin, but exactly the opposite is true. It is actually those who are pursuing a godly life who have a heightened awareness of their own sin.The reason for this is that the first work of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of sin. He comes into our lives like a great light. Dirt shows up when the light is turned on. If you go into a dark theatre, it’s hard to tell whether or not the place is clean. But when you turn on a bright light, things that were hidden in the dark can be seen clearly.The work of the Holy Spirit is to shine a light into the dark corners of your life. If you are experiencing this today, don’t run away from it! Thank God for it. It is evidence that God is at work in your life. His work is never ultimately to condemn us, but to shine the light on Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away our sin.The Spirit of truth will show you your sin, so that He can bring you back to the great truth of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. That is why it is so important that the truth of the gospel gets fixed in our minds and settled in our hearts.Do you see any evidence that God is currently at work in your life?

If anyone is in Christ...2 Corinthians 5:17If you judge yourself according to the flesh, you’ll always be looking down on others because you see yourself as having more going for you than they do, or you will always be losing heart, because others have more gifts, talents, advantages, and opportunities than you.Here’s the good news: Jesus Christ does not regard you according to the flesh. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one” (John 8:15). We know from other Scriptures that Jesus will be the judge of every person, “The Father... has given all judgement to the Son” (John 5:22). Jesus is not denying this.Jesus is saying, “You judge people according to the flesh, but I don’t.” Jesus doesn’t form an opinion about you based on your appearance, ability, age, friends, race, gender, work, home, family, or experience. None of these will make Jesus more or less interested in you. He is not drawn to you because of these things, and these things will not keep Him from you either.Jesus offers Himself to every person, of every race, with every ability, and from every background. He offers Himself, without partiality, as the living Saviour and the reigning Lord. And whoever you are, according to the flesh, He is able to make you a new creation.“If anyone is in Christ...” That’s what matters, not what you are according to the flesh. What matters more than your appearance, ability, age, friends, race, gender, work, home, family, or experience is that you are in Christ!Try and describe how you think Jesus sees you.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.2 Corinthians 5:17If you are in Christ, you are a new creation. This is true of every Christian. Being a new creation means that there is more to you than who you are according to the flesh. You have been reconciled to God. You have been adopted into His family. You have an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. And the Holy Spirit lives in you.Your little life has been caught up into the eternal purpose of God! When you are tempted to lose heart because of who you are in the flesh, take heart from who you are in Christ: There are natural gifts that will impress people who judge according to the flesh, but there are also spiritual gifts that Christ gives to make you useful in His service. There is a natural beauty that gets a face on the cover of a magazine, but there is also a spiritual beauty that is precious in the sight of God (1 Pet. 3:4). There is natural strength that comes from developing the body, but there is also a spiritual strength that God can give to you to help you through the hardest of trials. There is material wealth that lasts for a time in this world and then it is gone, but there is also spiritual wealth that will last for eternity. If you have had experiences in the flesh that have broken your heart, remember that there are experiences of the love of Christ that can rebuild your spirit.Which of these five truths about your life in Christ do you find most encouraging today?

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.2 Corinthians 5:16The things that make us different according to the flesh, are overwhelmed by the new life that we share in the body of Christ.In the flesh, we lived for ourselves, and our death would mean passing into condemnation. But Jesus died to change all that. Who we are in the flesh died with Him, through His atoning death on the cross. Who we are in Christ is born from Him, through His resurrection life.For as many of you as were baptised into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal. 3:27–28)What makes us different falls away in the light of Christ. We are new creations, which includes men and women of every race, people of various appearance and age, people of every background and experience, people doing every kind of work with every level of ability brought into peace with God through the same Saviour, submitting our different lives to the same Lord.A change in how you see Jesus brings a change in how you see others. That means we do not see each other through the lens of who we are by nature and the ten things that make us different, but of who we are by grace and the redeeming work of Christ that makes us one.How is Jesus changing the way you see other people?

Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.2 Corinthians 5:16Paul is saying, “I thought of Jesus as a man born into a poor Jewish family, raised in an obscure village, a carpenter who hung out with some embarrassing friends and died early in life.” And in the Gospels, many people dismissed Jesus because they regarded him according to the flesh:In Matthew 13, when Jesus came to his hometown of Nazareth they said, “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” And they dismissed Him. Why? Because their view of Him was based on His work: “Why should we give weight to someone who has such an ordinary job?”In Mark 2, the Pharisees said, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Their view of Him was based on His friends: “Look at the company this man keeps; he couldn’t possibly be the Messiah.”In John 19, Pilate placed a sign above Jesus’ head, on the cross, that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” This was a racial slur, and it is the reason why the Jews objected to it.As long as Paul regarded Jesus according to the flesh, the idea of one man laying claim to the loyalty, worship, and obedience of every person was preposterous and offensive to him. This is still the conclusion of many people today.The Christian has come to a new opinion about Jesus in the light of the resurrection: “We no longer regard Him according to the flesh. We have come to worship Him as the risen Lord!”If you believe that Jesus rose from the dead, why would you continue to resist His claim over your life?

We regard no one according to the flesh.2 Corinthians 5:16Here are five more things that often shape our first impressions of others:6. Gender: God has made us male and female and this has given rise to many of the cultural debates of our time. How do we deal with the things that make us different?7. Work: What is your work? Manual labour? Business? Education? Healthcare? Science? Family? Understanding a person’s work can give you insight into his or her experience of life.8. Home: People’s lifestyles include the homes they live in, the cars they drive, the vacations they enjoy, and the restaurants they eat at. These choices are often shaped by the means available to, or not available to, a person.9. Family: This can include family of origin, adopted family, or family by marriage. There’s the issue of the peculiar mix that got scooped up out of the gene pool and poured into you. Gifts, talents, and physical features were all passed on to you from your parents, and along with them, many of the battles, desires, and struggles that were in your father and mother.10. Experience: Who we are is shaped by nature and nurture; not only by our genetics but also by our environment. Our early experiences of love or neglect have a huge influence on the shape of our lives. Our opportunities—open doors and closed doors—make a big difference.These issues are so sensitive because, for the vast majority of people, who we are ‘in the flesh’ is all there is, and if it’s all there is, we’re going to be constantly uptight about who we are.Which of these has caused the most problems or conflicts for you?

We regard no one according to the flesh.2 Corinthians 5:16What does it mean to regard someone “according to the flesh”? It is to form an impression about people from the most obvious things about them. Here are five things that can easily shape our first impression of others:1. Appearance: You might say, “Mrs. Jones is the tall lady with the dark curly hair and the green coat!” That’s a description of her appearance. You are a certain height and weight. All of us have thoughts about our own appearance and how it compares with others.2. Ability: We are gifted in different ways and to different degrees—in sports, the arts, music, etc. You may remember two captains picking teams—the ones who get picked first walk with a swagger, while the last kids picked shuffle over to their team.3. Age: Paul said to Timothy, “Let no one despise... your youth” (1 Tim. 4:12). Some people, seeing that Timothy was young, would not take him seriously. They would need to be won over by his godly example. Similarly, many older people feel pushed to the margins in a culture that chases after the young. Age is something that can distinguish us from others.4. Friends: At school this can be a big factor in your life. Who are your friends? Which group are you in? It remains true throughout life. As adults, we talk about our “social circles.”5. Race: The Bible has many references to Jews and Gentiles, the distinctions between them, and how these divisions might be overcome. You cannot understand the tensions in our country today apart from this issue, and the many injustices that have led to it.Which of these are most sensitive for you?

One has died for all.2 Corinthians 5:14Jesus “died for all,” so there is hope for you. Because everything God has done in Jesus Christ on the cross to change your life and death can be yours today — no exclusions. No one is beyond the bounds of the grace that God has poured out in Jesus. If Jesus “died for all,” then there’s love in the heart of Jesus for all. He can fill you and change you with this love. Notice Paul says, “He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (5:15). You cannot serve a dead saviour. Only a living saviour is able to deliver you from the misery of living for yourself and bring you into the joy of living for him. Jesus is the living Saviour who can change the face of death and the course of life for you! Come to Him. Tell Him that you see your need of Him and that your only hope is in Him. Tell Him you are tired of living for yourself. Place your life into His hands and give yourself to Him. Ask Him to make you His own, and forgive your many sins, and lead you into a new life. Jesus died in your place to change the face of death for you forever and to deliver you from the misery of living for yourself. Through His love, He is able to release you from the tyranny of self and lead you into a new life for Him. He is able and He is ready. So don’t lose heart.Where do you see new hope today?

Behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honour your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.Matthew 19:16-22Have you discovered that being moral and religious will never free you from the misery of living for yourself? Moral and religious people can be as selfish as they come, because being moral and being religious do not have the power to break the default life of living for self.That was true of the rich young ruler. He was living for himself. He wanted everything he could get in this world, and then he wanted heaven too. So when Jesus said, “Sell everything you have and then come follow me,” he couldn’t do it. That’s why he went away sad.A Christian is a person who no longer lives for himself or herself, but for Christ who died for their sake and was raised. You have lived long enough for yourself. Why would you carry on any longer in the misery of trying to be your own Lord and Saviour?What would keep you from praying these words? “Jesus, I’m done living for myself. In the light of who You are and what You have accomplished on my behalf, I can no longer live for myself. I must give myself to You and live for You, so that Your love will control me.”

The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.2 Corinthians 5:14-15One of the barriers that holds many people back from knowing, and being controlled by, the love of Christ is the idea that true happiness can only be found if we are free to live for ourselves.Living for self is the default life of every person. So, unless something happens to bring about a change, we will end up living for ourselves. The Bible says this quite clearly: “All seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 2:21). What does it mean to live for yourself?If you live for yourself, you make yourself both the boss and the servant. The demands you set are the demands you must meet. If you live for yourself, you will often find yourself in the strange position of beating yourself up because you’re unhappy.You look in the mirror and ‘self the boss’ is not happy because she wants to have a better image, so she beats up on ‘self the servant’ for not being pretty enough. Or ‘self the boss’ tells you that you should have accomplished more, and ‘self the servant’ gets beaten for not measuring up.Then suppose you say to yourself, This is no good, I’m living for myself but I’m not happy. I’m being too hard on myself. I need to lighten up, give myself a break. But then, when you lighten up as the servant, you end up being short-changed as the boss. You can’t win. And all around us is a culture that’s telling us, “Live for yourself!”But if you live for yourself, who will reward you, embrace you, and rejoice with you when your work is done? Live for yourself and one day you will find that you’re all alone, because the one for whom all your work has been done is yourself.Do you identify more with the unhappy boss or the unrewarded servant today?

Be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.Hebrews 12:28-29The book of Hebrews was written to people who believed in and trusted Jesus Christ. It tells us what is true of us when we are in Christ. In chapter 12, the writer recalls the scene from Exodus 19, the giving of the Ten Commandments, and he says:You have not come to... a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them... So terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” (12:18–21)He is telling us that the terror of entering the presence of God without a sacrifice is not our position. What is our position then if we are in Jesus Christ?You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (12:22–24)The contrast is not between heaven and hell, it is between standing before God without a mediator and standing before God with Jesus and His shed blood applied to our lives. With Christ, death will be entering into celebration: “One has died for all, therefore all have died” (2 Cor. 5:14). Jesus entered the death that you would have died, so that when death comes for you it will not be a passing into condemnation but an entrance into celebration.In your own words, how would you describe the difference between these two positions?

The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this...2 Corinthians 5:14Now Paul is going to give us one conclusion, and when your mind believes this, the love of Christ will control your heart. Here it is: “One has died for all, therefore all have died” (5:14).To understand this, it is important to remember that death can be one of two things: a passing into condemnation, or an entrance into celebration.Passing into condemnation is pictured for us in the story of how God came down to Mount Sinai to give the Ten Commandments: “The Lord will come down on Mount Sinai... You shall set limits for the people all around, saying ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death’” (Ex. 19:11-12).Imagine a million people gathered at the foot of the mountain, “There were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled” (19:16). No one said, “I’m not impressed!” or “I don’t believe.”Then we are told: “Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly... The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain” (19:18, 20). Mount Sinai is about 7,500 feet tall. That means God came 7,500 feet away from them. That’s more than six times the height of The Shard in London and nearly twice the height of Ben Nevis. And the people were trembling.This is what the presence of a holy God will be like for sinners without Christ—sheer terror. When you die, you do not want to find yourself at the bottom of Mount Sinai.Have you ever imagined how amazing it would be to be in the presence of a holy God?

The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded...2 Corinthians 5:14Would you like to experience more of Jesus’ love? Here are some common Christian approaches: If I want to have a deeper experience of Jesus’ love...I need to rededicate my life to Christ.I need to be more disciplined in my Bible reading.I need to get more serious about prayer.These are all good things, but notice Paul is not telling us to do anything. He is telling us where a deeper experience of Jesus’ love is found: “the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded...” (5:14). Then Paul tells us two settled conclusions about the death of Christ.But before we get to these conclusions, notice Paul is telling us something very important about the connection between what we think and what we feel. Christians sometimes say, “I believe that God loves me (in my head), but I don’t feel it in my heart.” And when the love of Christ is missing from a person’s heart, and you probe further, you will often find that the settled convictions that Paul talks about here are usually missing in the mind.Whatever grips your mind controls your heart. That’s why Paul says, “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). That’s where it starts. Your heart is a follower more than a leader. Heart follows mind. That’s why on the road to Emmaus Jesus first opened up the Scriptures and taught the disciples, and afterward their hearts burned within them (Luke 24:32).Imagine a woman saying, “I used to think like this: When I have a husband, I’ll feel loved. When I have kids, I’ll feel needed. When I have a job, I’ll feel important. Then I got them—the husband, the kids, and the job—and I still wasn’t happy.”Do you see what she’s saying? “My heart was set on a husband, kids, and job, because I thought [there’s the settled conviction that is driving the heart] this would bring me more worth.”Do you see how your thinking drives your feelings?

The love of Christ controls us.2 Corinthians 5:14What does the apostle Paul mean when he says that Christians are controlled by the love of Christ? Here are some words (in order) that describe how we might experience the love of Christ. Each one is deeper, richer, and fuller than the ones before it.1. Hear: Many of us have heard about the love of Jesus. Maybe you’ve heard that Christ loves you since you were very young.2. Believe: Do you believe that Jesus loves you? Maybe you can even remember when you first came to believe this.3. Receive: Is the love of Christ more than something out there for you, more than something you chose to believe in? Has this love been poured into your heart by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5)? Maybe you are not sure, and you sometimes wonder, Is this true of me?4. Fill: Paul prays that we would have strength to know the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ (Eph. 3:18). Then he prays for us to be filled (3:19). How marvellous would that be? To relate to the love of Christ in such a way that your empty tank is filled with the love of Christ. But the next word Paul uses–control–goes beyond even being filled.5. Control: To be controlled by the love of Christ means to be energised, moved into action, and directed by this love. To be filled with the love of Christ would mean that you enjoy this love. But to be controlled by the love of Christ means that others are touched by this love through you.Reflect on your experience of Christ’s love considering each of these five words.

Whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.2 Corinthians 5:9We will glorify Christ forever in heaven, and our great purpose in life is to get started now. Here are ten things you can only do during your short time in this life:All the praying you will ever do is the praying you do now.All the believing you will ever do is the believing you do now. You won’t need it when faith has been turned to sight.All the courage you will ever show is the courage you show in this world. There are no dangers in the presence of Jesus.All the resisting of sin you will ever do is in this life. There are no temptations for you to fight in the presence of Jesus.The only opportunities you have to trust God are here in this world. In the presence of Jesus, all that was hidden will be revealed.The only places you can shine are the dark places in this world where God puts you. There are no dark places in the presence of Jesus.The only patience you will ever need is the patience you exercise while in the body.The only bearing witness to Jesus that you will ever do is in this world. There are no lost people in heaven.The only comfort you will ever give to the suffering and the only compassion you will have for the poor is in this world.The only sacrifice, giving, and labour you will ever do for Christ is in this life. In heaven, you won’t need to get out of your comfort zone; you will rest from your labours.What two or three opportunities are you not taking full advantage of?

“Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”Matthew 6:4, 6, 18Jesus said these words three times—in reference to our giving, our prayers, and our fasting. He spoke very clearly about the rewards of faithful service.In the parable of the talents, Jesus told a story about a man who entrusted his property to servants. To the servants who were faithful, he said, “You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much” (Mat. 25:21, 23).Imagine a construction site with houses going up, and the builders using different materials. Gold and silver are placed in the decor. Precious stones are set into the walls. But some holes are covered with wood, hay, or stubble. Then one day there’s a fire. The wood, hay, and stubble go up in smoke, but the gold, silver, and precious stones remain:Each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved. (1 Cor. 3:13–15)Paul may have had these words in mind when he said: “We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Cor. 5:10). The word translated ‘evil’ can also be translated ‘worthless.’ Like the wood, hay, and stubble—it proved to be of no lasting value.Are you living your Christian life with the rewards Jesus spoke about in mind?