Test the Spirits
4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
God Is Love
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 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. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot1 love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Footnotes
[1] 4:20
Some manuscripts how can he (ESV)
Category: Scripture
3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears1 we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s2 seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Love One Another
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers,3 that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,4 and God5 in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Footnotes
[1] 3:2
Or when it appears
[2] 3:9Greek his
[3] 3:13Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 14, 16
[4] 3:24Greek him
[5] 3:24Greek he (ESV)
Christ Our Advocate
2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
The New Commandment
7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because1 the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him2 there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
12 I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, children,
because you know the Father.
14 I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.Do Not Love the World
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life3—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Warning Concerning Antichrists
18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 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. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.4 21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 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. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 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. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us5—eternal life.
26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
Children of God
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
Footnotes
[1] 2:8
Or that
[2] 2:10Or it
[3] 2:16Or pride in possessions
[4] 2:20Some manuscripts you know everything
[5] 2:25Some manuscripts you (ESV)
The Word of Life
1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our1 joy may be complete.
Walking in the Light
5 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. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Footnotes
[1] 1:4
Some manuscripts your (ESV)
Categories
Going Deeper
Going Deeper
Hebrews 9-13 (5.11.19)
Grab your Bible, and let’s go deeper into Hebrews 12.
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us …
“Therefore …” Therefore what? Therefore, since chapter 11. Since there was Abel, and there was Enoch, and there was Noah, and there was David, and there was Abraham, and Isaac, and Joseph, and Jacob … He lists this whole lineage of this great faith. And now, he turns and says, “And now, it’s our turn. It’s our run. It’s our time on earth. Let us—let you, let me—let us run our race now.
The cloud of witnesses refers to the saints that have lived and died so valiantly by faith as described in chapter 11. But what does their “witnessing” refer to? Does it refer to them watching us from heaven? Or does it refer to them witnessing to us by their lives? I take the witnesses of Hebrews 12:1 to be the saints who have run the race before us, and have gathered, as those along a marathon route, to say through the testimony of their lives, “By faith I finished; you can too! Go for it! You can do it. By faith you can finish. LOOK TO JESUS!”
There are dozens and hundreds and thousands of those who have gone before, have finished the race by faith, and surround us like a great cloud of witnesses saying, “It can be done! By faith in Jesus, it can be done.”
He includes us with this unbelievable group of faith-filled men and women and says, “Now, it’s your turn. These people ran; they ran well. They were faithful, and now, it’s your turn. Since you’re surrounded by these men and women who have been so faithful, since they cry out to you from the grave, let us …”
Let us what? Two things:
- Let us lay aside every weight and sin, which clings so closely.
- Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
1. If we are going to run, we must be able to run, which means we must put down whatever might slow us down—whatever might keep us from running! “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.”
Two things here it says to lay down: weight and sin. Sin we get! Sin is anything I put in the place of God. Sin is my disobedience of God. But what are the weights? I believe they are things that are not innately sinful that encumber you.
I remember the effect this verse had on me when I really discovered it 10 years ago. This was revolutionary. What it did (and I hope it does the same for you) was show me the fight of faith—the race of the Christian life—is to run well. This is done not by asking, “What’s wrong with this or that?” Instead, we should be asking, “Is it in the way of greater faith, greater love, greater purity, greater courage, greater humility, greater patience, and greater self-control?”
Television is a great everyday example of this! T.V. is not in itself evil, but too much of it, a wrong prioritization of it, or a consumption of darkness from it can and does slow me from running the race that God has set before me!
Figuring out what to put down is not asking, “Is it a sin?” Instead, it’s asking, “Does it help me run? Is it in the way?” If it doesn’t point me to Christ or help me enjoy God, it is in the way! Look at some of the words the author uses in this chapter for a clue:
He says there are “sins” that slow us down—absolutely!
He says there are encumbrances that slow us down—things that simply keep me from pressing into Christ!
He says there are “single meals” that we need to renounce. This is a reference to verses 16 and 17, where the author refers to Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For immediate gratification, Esau quit the race!
Take a moment and seek God’s insight into what hindrances you are allowing in your life.
- “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
What is the race? It’s life! Did you wake up today? This is the race. God is not done with you; you are still on mission.
The race is the life God has given each of us! It is the purpose for which you are alive. It is the things with which He has entrusted you (skills, relationships, things) to be used for His glory and the ministry of reconciliation of the gospel.
This command does not come out of the blue; this is the point of the whole book of Hebrews. Endure, persevere, run, fight, be alert, be strengthened, don’t drift, don’t neglect, don’t be sluggish, and don’t take your eternal security for granted. Fight the fight of faith on the basis of Christ’s spectacular death and resurrection.
So the main point of this text is the one imperative: RUN! (12:1). Everything else supports, explains, or gives motivation for it.
Run the race set before you! Don’t stroll, don’t meander, and don’t wander about aimlessly. Run as in a race with a finish line and with everything hanging on it.
Why does it say that we must run with endurance? Because life is hard! Life is brutal. Life is full of trials and suffering. The text actually says this!
Look deeper with me. The Greek word for our word here, race, is agon. It is where we get our word “agony.” The race is an agonizing struggle. The race we are running is a regimen of difficulties. Life is hard. Life is not fair.
These are two statements that are absolutely true and absolutely needed to be—not just understood—but embraced!
Those who do not embrace the hardship of life, the lack of perfection and fairness of life, are doomed to be miserable. But those who have a faith in Jesus, a focus on Jesus, can embrace the fact that life is hard because they learn to persevere victoriously through life’s hardships and sufferings.
So, the question is what are you focused on—what are you looking to in your suffering?
Look at verse 4; It talks about the struggle of life, the struggle against sin:
Hebrews 12:4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
This is always a great reminder verse to me. When I think I have it bad, the reality is it could be worse. Because most of the time, my oppression, pain, abuse, or strife has not equaled the shedding of my blood unto death like it can and often does for many people in this world.
Hebrews 12:5-6 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
Did you hear it? “Those whom the Lord loves he disciplines.” This is so essential to see! In verse 5, it says we are a part of God’s Fatherly care; we are sons and daughters. As a Christian, when you are suffering, it is not comforting to think of God as a coach who is making you exercise to grow you; instead, we are to think if God as our Father—our Father who disciplines us because He loves us! Now, our English understanding of discipline is punishment, which is not the right picture here. The key is to look deeper at the word discipline. The Greek word for discipline is paideia. It is where we get our word, “pediatrics”!
What is a pediatrician’s primary concern? The over-all health of the child. This is what God is to us! God is the perfect parent, who brings non-destructive, designed pain into a child’s life to grow him and propel him forward for his over-all good. Human parenting is imperfect. We try our best to discipline in love, but we can struggle in sin and react in anger. Human parenting is imperfect; God’s is not. We need to understand God disciplines us for our good and to share in His holiness. His discipline is not a punishment; it is an intentional shaping of our very lives for our greater good and His glory.
What this is telling us is to endure our hardships as paideia! Paideia is God’s perfect, loving discipline that grows us to His holiness and by which others taste His love by witnessing our Christ-filled response to our hardship. In this, He is growing us from selfishness into the Fruit of the Spirit.
We see this in the example of Joseph. Joseph was spoiled by his dad, cocky, and on his way to being an evil, proud man. Instead of leaving him to this path of destruction, God uses the jealousy of his brothers to sell him to slavery, the lust of Potiphar’s wife to get him imprisoned, and the forgetfulness of the baker and the cupbearer who forget to tell Pharaoh about him for two years. But in all these trials and sufferings, he becomes a great man, a man who is wise and humble. He was lifted up and remained faith-filled in God; he did great things in his life. At the very end of his life, he looks back over all his suffering and troubles and says to his brothers in Genesis 50:20, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good …” Joseph understood the discipline, the paideia, of God. He had faith in his trials and suffering. And God molded him through it into a better man who did great things—eternal things—for God’s glory!
Now look at verse 11 with me:
Hebrews 12:11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
In verse 11, the Greek word for trained is “gymnazo”. It is where we get our word gymnasium. When troubles overwhelm you, you feel like your life is out of control, right? Hear this: Just because it is not your plan doesn’t mean there is not a plan. God puts in our lives hardships to shape us, to mold us, to discipline us, and to train us—for His glory and our greater good!
Your doctor will tell you that you need to work your muscles and exercise. Do you realize what exercise is? Why do many of you hate it? Exercise is taking a muscle and exerting it, stretching it, tearing it, hurting it, and by this you strengthen it. Exercise is opposition. It is stress on your body. When you work out your muscles, you do not feel like they are getting strong; you feel like you are getting weaker at first. Your muscles feel like mush—like spaghetti, right? But if you do not do this, you will be flabby and die young.
The point of this section in today’s study is to remind you that the pain and trouble you are experiencing is not a sign of the hatred of God, but the love of God. Remember what the author tells us about discipline:
Verse 6: “Those whom the Lord loves he disciplines.” Your persecution is not a sign of God’s treating you as enemies, but as sons.
Verse 7: “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons.” Your suffering is not meaningless, but designed for your good and your holiness.
Verse 10: “He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.”
How do we run a winning race? The answer is in verse 2: look to Jesus!
Hebrews12:2-3 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Look to Jesus or let us fix our eyes on Jesus.
2 Corinthians 3:18 says that you and I now, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of Christ as in a mirror, are being transformed from one degree of glory into the next. By beholding Jesus, we’re transformed into His image. In Jesus we are changed! It is not saying try really hard to be LIKE Jesus! So many of us are caught up in this work-based junk that keeps us focused on trying to be a “good person,” but it just cleans up our outsides.
No; instead, look to Jesus, and He will transform you! It is by His power that we are alive and thrive! He is the Founder—the One who makes your faith exist. And the Perfecter—the One who sees your faith through to the end.
Look to Jesus! He ran the race because He knows the joy that is at the finish line. He knows the joy that is in eternal life with God is so wonderful, He wanted you to have it, too. He loves you so much, He endured the cross! Now He sits victorious! We endure sufferings and hardship in our weary life on the road to point to His grace and love—to shout the good news of His eternal, all-satisfying glory!
Look to Jesus! You cannot run, you cannot persevere, and you cannot win without Jesus!
Hebrews 12:3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Are you like the people the Hebrews author is writing to? Are you ready to give up? Put your eyes, your life, your heart on Jesus!
Now, when we look to Jesus, hold to Jesus, consider Jesus, what does our victorious life look like while we endure, while we run?
Hebrews 12:12-13 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
People who are lame and unfit to run are watching you! They, too, can be healed by Jesus! So, don’t meander around in the Christian life; run the straight race. Paul said it best in Philippians 3:13-14: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
By His grace and for His glory,
-Shepherd
Soldiers for Jesus MC