The Source & Manner of True Joy | 1 John 1:4-7

ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church

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All right, so you can see from the title of the message today is the source and manner of true joy

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Based on 1st John chapter 1 verses 4 through 10 last time

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The the sermon focused on what constitutes true fellowship with both God and man

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Which is one of the central foci in John's first letter that we will revisit often

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Now you might be asking yourself. What do I mean by manner? in Webster's 1828 dictionary

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Which I highly recommend It's also great for school and for Bible study as well

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It's one of the best dictionaries and is replete with biblical examples of word usage

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Webster defines manner in part as form method

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Way of performing or executing Way of performing or executing another definition here is custom or habitual practice and Webster here quotes two passages

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One is in 1st Samuel 8 and 9 Which says show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

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This will be the manner of the king and In Acts 17 to which reads

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Paul as his manner Was as his custom or his practice was and then we can add to that 2nd

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Timothy 3 10 From the King James, but thou has fully known my doctrine manner of life lifestyle conduct and I think the

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ESV may have mistranslated this to aim in life I think it's mainly pointing to the manner of life to the lifestyle or conduct so it's also a characteristic manner can be referred to as a characteristic of something in this case of joy and Another definition when

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I which I found fascinating in Webster's 1828 is way of service or worship way of service or worship and He he cites 2nd

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Kings 7 1 Which says the nations which thou has removed and placed in the cities of Samaria No, not the manner of the

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God of the land and to that we can also add Matthew 6 9 When Jesus is teaching the

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Lord's Prayer when he says after this manner Therefore pray ye our

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Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name So we're going to examine the source the manner the characteristics the prerequisites of true joy in the next verses

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Let's turn to 1st John Chapter 1 starting in verse 4.

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We're going to read all the way to verse 10 1st

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John chapter 1 verse 4 God says and we are writing these things to you so that our joy may be complete

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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

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If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness We lie and do not practice the truth

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But if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus's Son Cleanses us from all sin.

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If we say we have no sin We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us if we confess our sins

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He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness If we say we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us

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Amen So now zooming in on verse 4 Which says and we are writing these things to you so that our or your joy may be complete this verse concludes the introduction to the letter and Transitions us to the next passage in verses 5 through 10

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There is a textual variant, however Some manuscripts read our joy others your joy

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But it doesn't significantly alter the meaning either one makes sense of interpreted properly liberals, however college professors and scholars quote -unquote misleadingly claim that there are hundreds of thousands of textual variants or Places in biblical manuscripts where there is a textual difference

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But the vast majority are not viable Meaning that they do not affect the meaning of the text

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And most of these the vast like 99 % of these differences are word order

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Word endings it has no bearing whatsoever on the text on the meaning of the text itself

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In fact only 1 % of variants are viable None of which significantly impact the doctrines of the

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Bible some of the most common one the the biggest ones are the woman caught in adultery and John the last part of John chapter 7 and What's called the the the the comma

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Yohannam or the Yohannam comma in first John 5 7 Which will cover?

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regarding the Trinity And also the longer ending of Mark so But if you rightly divide the word of truth and harmonize the scripture systematically

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We won't have a problem with misunderstanding the text in spite of the textual differences which are extremely minute

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So let's do that with some relevance relevant scriptures here. We see in John 15

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The Jesus says these things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full

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And in John 17 13 Jesus says But now I am coming to you and these things

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I speak in the world that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves So now what is true joy?

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Here Gordon Clark makes an excellent point in defining it The word kata means joy.

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There is no doubt about the translation But it must be noted that in the gospel

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Christ expresses his joy on a most unjoyous occasion the three references just Mentioned from John's gospel all occurred the night in which he was betrayed

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He was facing the scourging and degradation of the soldiers and the crucifixion the next morning

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Joy, it was rather it was a joy rather different from what the word means in ordinary situations

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Instead of the thoughtless emotions of party goers Christ's joy was a profound

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Satisfaction. It was no superficial exuberance, but a solid conviction

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That he would now accomplish his aim He saw the travail of his soul and was satisfied

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This too must be the joy of the Apostles and of those to whom he writes

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Not that our sacrifices whatever they may be propitiate the Father as Christ did

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But that we understand and are convinced of the completeness and efficacy of his sacrifices

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This is a joy that transcends bubbling frothy emotions much to the dismay of our pietist friends so Joy is deeper than an emotion.

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It's an internal satisfaction and conviction of the truth true joy then comes from believing these things that John refers to in this letter the truth of the gospel and Of God's Word that John writes to us and proclaims to us

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This is the source of true everlasting joy and Which results in true fellowship with God and with the church?

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So now ask yourself What is your greatest joy?

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your greatest satisfaction Do you agree with John the

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Apostle in? Having no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth

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According to 3rd John 1 4 is truth your greatest joy is

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True fellowship with God and his church your greatest satisfaction if not examine yourself

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We should all be denying ourselves and mortifying our flesh and as we will see later on in the passage confessing our sin

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But you first need to rightly understand and believe the gospel and thereby

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Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at 2nd

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Peter chapter 3 verse 18 We need to study God's Word to rightly align our desires with him and his will

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Psalm 37 4 through 5 says to delight yourself in the

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Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart Commit your way to the

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Lord trust in him and he will act Now turn with me to 1st

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Corinthians chapter 13 verse 6 1st

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Corinthians 13 verse 6 We're going to cover some relevant verses here in this passage the chapter

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Very popular chapter on love in 1st

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Corinthians 13 verse 6 Paul says that true love

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Does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth

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Does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. This is the manner of true love and true joy

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It rejoices in truth. That is the characteristic of true joy

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True love and joy does not rejoice in sin unnatural or perverted lusts, but rejoicing rejoices in the truth and you know,

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I was This came up recently in our family because I was invited to a attend a gay wedding of a family member and there's there's these can be difficult conversations to have because We it's not to say that we should shun them, but we love our family

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And share with them the love of Christ. And so I had to tell them that you that because we are

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Christians we do not agree with gay marriage and believe that it is a sin and so quick as Christians, we cannot celebrate or promote sin in Romans chapter 1 verse 32

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God says they though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die

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They not only do them but give approval to those who practice them

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It's not only wrong to do sin or practice wickedness It's also wrong to give approval of it or to celebrate it or to praise it or to condone it

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We must share the love of Christ by encouraging them to repent and believe the gospel and God will regenerate them and renew their desires and forgive their sins the problem so So here we also see

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Some some also claim that knowledge No, so the real problem here is sin, it's ignorance and falsehood

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Not knowledge because some claim that knowledge can lead to pride and we'll see here in the following passage

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So if we turn now back a few chapters to 1st Corinthians chapter 8 verses 1 through 3 1st

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Corinthians chapter 8 verses 1 through 3 here we

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We read now concerning food offered to idols We know that all of us possess knowledge this knowledge

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Puffs up but love builds up if anyone imagines that he knows something

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He does not yet know as he ought to know but if anyone loves God he is known by God so pietists

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Often twist this verse to claim that knowledge leads to pride because it puffs up like the passage says

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We just read however in the previous verse that love rejoices in the truth which requires knowledge and understanding

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We cannot have true love and true joy without the truth on The contrary this verse and this letter teaches us that we don't know as much as we should

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That's the real problem Scripture constantly admonishes us to grow in knowledge wisdom and right understanding and a complete understanding of the truth

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The problem rather is often the sin of pride and hypocrisy Which mishandle and abuse knowledge such as those who falsely profess true faith without demonstrating it with good works

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Knowledge is not the problem. It's the solution It's similar to money

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Money is not the problem per se money is not evil in and of itself. It's the love of money

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That corrupts and that is sin but knowledge is

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Not that way in fact, it is good to love knowledge and Wisdom because God commands us to and he instructs us to so now in 1st

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Corinthians chapter 13 verse 8 and 12 back on the the love chapter 1st

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Corinthians 13 verses 8 and 12 We'll see here that God says love never ends as for prophecies

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They will pass away as for tongues. They will cease as for Knowledge, it will pass away

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He's talking about partial or fuzzy knowledge for we now see in a mirror dimly

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Such as when Jesus healed the blind man twice and the first time he could only see blurry But then face to face now,

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I know in part then I shall know fully Even as I have been fully known

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Again knowledge is not the problem. It's the solution ignorance and falsehood and Partial knowledge are the problem

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That's what leads us to sin but the truth is what sets you free as Jesus himself said

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I Want to expand the context of this passage a little bit more and read the amplified version.

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I think it has a very good Rendering here in 1st Corinthians 13 verses 9 through 12 for we know in part and we prophesy in part for our knowledge is fragmentary and incomplete

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But when that which is complete and perfect comes that which is incomplete and partial will pass away

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When I was a child, I talked like a child thought like a child reason like a child when

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I became a man I did away with childish childish things for now in this time of imperfection

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We see in a mirror dimly a blurred reflection a riddle an enigma

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But then when the time of perfection comes we will see reality face to face

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Now I know in part just in Fragments, but then

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I will know fully just as I have been fully known by God Therefore our joy our affections which sound teachers define as convictions our fellowship our faith our entire lives

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Must be grounded in and governed by the truth of God's Word and by sound systematic and comprehensive understanding of doctrine

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This is the only way to have true joy and true koinonia with God Now I need to make room for an important public service announcement bad theology and Sin will kill your joy and your fellowship with God and the church bad theology and Sin will kill your joy and your fellowship with God and with the church

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To demonstrate this with an important object lesson. We need to bring back our old friend

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Charles Spurgeon and His sermon on the Song of Solomon titled the real presence the great want or lack of the church

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He preached this in 1872 on the Song of Solomon and I'm gonna warn you to brace yourselves because it's about to get ugly as Bad as the previous junk from Spurgeon was the worst is yet to come.

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So let's dig in Spurgeon says this brings us to the second point of the subject if we would be a blessing to the church and have already found

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Christ we must take care to retain him. I Found him whom my soul loveth.

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I held him and I would not let him go From this I learned that in order to be of great use to the

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Church of God It is needful for those who commune with Christ to continue in that communion

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Ye will never be strong to impart great blessings to others till you cease to wander and learn the meaning of that text abide in me

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Know well, it is not look at me nor come near to me and then go away from me

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But abide in me the branch does not leave the vine and then leap back again to the stock You never saw a living branch of the vine

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Roaming into the corners of the vineyard or rambling over the wall It abides in connection with the parent stem at all times.

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And even so it should be with the Christian and If you remember from the previous time be careful when he says that so it should be with the

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Christian He continues Mark that according to the text it is very apparent that Jesus will go away

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If he is not held By us I Held him and I would not let him go as if he would have gone if he had not been firmly retained

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Now take note here This is where he makes a false inference and misinterprets scripture

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Because he says that if we don't hold on to him he will go away He continues when he met with Jacob that night as at the

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Jabbok. He said let me go He would not go without Jacobs letting him but he would have gone if he would have gone if Jacob had loosed his hold

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The patriarch replied. I will not let thee go except thou bless me This is one of Christ's ways and manners it is one of the peculiarities of his character

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I Must say it's incredibly ironic That Spurgeon so blatantly

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Mischaracterizes Jesus here even after also saying this

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But after all if there be anything I hold above all else I hold him is not that the best grip is

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That is not that the best grip of soul ever gets when she lays hold of Christ I held him and I would not let him go.

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Ah Lord, I may be mistaken about doctrine, but I am NOT mistaken about thee.

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I May be perhaps be staggered in my belief of some dogma, which I thought was truth, but I am

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NOT staggered about thee What's the moral of the story here?

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bad theology Such as pietism, which is the overemphasis on emotion and experience over doctrine and shallow hermeneutics

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Unbiblical typology and eschatology will throw you off course and cause you to lose your balance and your joy in Christ Because Spurgeon falsely contrasted doctrine from Christ himself, which we saw earlier in the last messages

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Which is the very false notion that first John refutes For Christ's doctrine is an inseparable part of his person

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You cannot separate Christ from his doctrine from his words

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And it is the primary means by which we relate to him

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Spurgeon ends up completely mischaracterizing his Savior his manner with us

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Spurgeon continues if you are willing to lose Christ's company, he is never intrusive he will go away from you and Leave you till you know his value and begin to pine for him

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I will go says he and return to my place till they acknowledge their offense and seek my face in their affliction

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They will seek me early So he's misinterpreting Hosea 515 there

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He will go unless you hold him hold him The church would be blessed and God would be glorified

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Souls would be saved if there was some among us who thus held him and would not let him go

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What in the world is this nonsense? It's not Christ the one who holds us

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Amen Doesn't he have it backwards? It's the other way around It's grossly unbiblical hermeneutics and typology because Jesus is not necessarily

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Portrayed by the husband in the Song of Solomon now

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Spurgeon here has an imbalance and unbiblical emphasis on the responsibility Placed on the believers role and minimizes the sovereign power of Christ to preserve and keep his own sheep

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Spurgeon, however continues and gets even worse brace yourselves He says the rows and hinds of the field are even yet more jealous things a sound will startle them

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Even the breath of the hunter tainting the gale puts them to speedy flight even thus it is with Jesus a little thing a

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Very little thing will drive him from us and it may be many a day

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Before our repentance shall be able to find him again He has suffered so much from sin that he cannot endure the approach of it

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His pure and holy soul abhors the least taint of iniquity now judge for yourselves

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Does not scripture teach us the very opposite of what

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Spurgeon says Hebrews 13 5 through 6 says

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Keep your life free from the love of money And be content be joyful with what you have

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For he has said I will never leave you nor forsake you

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So we can confidently say the Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?

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This is the true source of our joy resting in Christ By faith knowing that he will never leave nor forsake us not despairing every time we stumble because of this perverse notion that Christ will abandon us over even the slightest offense and Don't we sin every day

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Don't we stumble all in many ways? How can he say that How dare he say that when

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Christ died on the cross for us and faced the full force of God's wrath

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Already it is finished It is settled

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Romans Let's turn to Romans 5

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Romans 5 verses 8 through 11 We have to get this

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Right. We cannot allow imbalanced dangerous

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And unbiblical theologies to lead us astray and Cause us to lose our hope and our confidence in Christ Romans 5 8 through 11 but God Shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners

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Christ died for us Since therefore we have now been justified by his blood much more

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Shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God for if while we were enemies

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We were reconciled to God past tense Reconciled to God by the death of his son much more now that we are reconciled

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Shall we be saved by his life more than that? We also rejoice true joy

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True satisfaction in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received reconciliation

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Let us never forget beloved That if God is for us who can be against us

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He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all how he'll how will he not also with him?

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graciously give us all things Who shall bring any charge against God's elect it is

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God who justifies God justifies who is to condemn

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Christ Jesus is the one who died More than that who was raised who is at the right hand of God who indeed is interceding for us

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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword

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No in all these things. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us Not the other way around through him who loved us

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For I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels rulers nor things present nor things to come

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Nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation.

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We'll be able to separate us From the love of God in Christ Jesus our

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Lord That's Romans 8 31 to 35 and 37 to 39 and To that we should all rejoice with a hearty.

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Amen God is for us Psalm 37 and 28 likewise says for the

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Lord loves justice He will not forsake his Saints. They are preserved forever forever not even our own sin will separate us from the love of God because it has been paid for and Satisfied by Christ's death on the cross

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But the children of the wicked shall be cut off in this verse we see That it also teaches the

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P in the acronym tulip for a shorthand for Calvinism Known as the perseverance and the preservation of the

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Saints through God's Word and Spirit Which Spurgeon is supposed to agree with but grossly undermines due to these doctrinal imbalances

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God is the one who preserves us John 10 to 20s

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John 10 27 to 29 Likewise also says my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me

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I give them eternal life and they will never perish ever and No one will snatch them out of my hand

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My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand

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How much clearer can God be in fact Jesus is the one that goes after us when we go astray

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Such as in the parable of Luke 15 4 through 10 What man of you?

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Having a hundred sheep if he has lost one of them does not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the one

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That is lost until he finds it and when he has found it He lays on it his shoulders rejoicing and When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors saying to them rejoice with me for I have found

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I have found my sheep that is lost Just so I tell you

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There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance

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Self -righteous persons or that woman having tens ten silver coins if she loses one coin does not light a lamp and sweep over the house

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The entire house and seek diligently until she finds it and when she has found it

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She calls together her friends and neighbors saying rejoice with me for I found the coin that I had lost

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Just so I tell you there is joy before angels of God over one sinner who repents

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God therefore is the one who pursues us even when we stray even when we sin

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He disciplines and preserves us and calls us back to his fold to the church

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To those whom I love I reprove and discipline be zealous therefore and repent Revelation 319

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There are scores of other passages that we could go for but this should be this should be enough to prove the point

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Now this brings us back to the many morals of this story Sadly this is

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Spurgeon at his very worst and Again, I'm not saying you shouldn't ever read

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Spurgeon except maybe his sermons on the Song of Solomon because those are terrible You should read him but with Discernment and awareness of his biases and imbalances the same way.

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You should read and listen to anyone else including us bad theology again bad theology pietism shallow hermeneutics

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Unbiblical typology will throw you off course and cause you to lose your balance. They will kill your joy deprive you of your rest and Satisfaction in Christ and make shipwreck of your faith and assurance.

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It's very dangerous But God's Word is living and active sharper than any double -edged sword and provides us with checks and balances to warn us when we stray in doctrine and behavior and In our thought and everything so we must strive to comprehensively grasp the

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Bible learn systematic sound systematic doctrine and build a Christian worldview with the help of God's Spirit his faithful church and the means of grace

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Which we will which will bless you with true joy and satisfaction Let this be an important lesson to you he who has ears to hear let him hear

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Let's turn back now to our main passage in 1st John chapter 1 verses 5 through 7

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Here we see the next part of the letter He concludes his introduction with verse 4, which we just covered and in 1st

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John Chapter 1 5 through 7 we read this is the message we have heard from him and proclaimed to you

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That God is light and in him is no darkness at all If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness

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We lie and do not practice the truth but if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus's Son Cleanses us from all sin

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John once again uses metaphorical language of light and darkness

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God is light He is truth knowledge life wisdom holy righteous perfect Everything that is good

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Darkness is lies falsehood error death ignorance and sin

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Jesus similarly said in John 8 12 I am the light of the world

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Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness Will not but will have the light of life

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In order to have true koinonia With God and his church. We must also deal with sin biblically

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Because like I said earlier the public service announcement sin will kill your joy in Christ And it will affect your koinonia your fellowship with God and with man

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Remember that sin is destructive and it will rob you of your true joy in Christ We must walk and will walk in The light if we belong to Christ and if we believe in him

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Not in darkness according to God's promises That's a promise from God There is no darkness in God because he is holy holy holy

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He is so righteous that he cannot clear the guilty Proverbs 17 15 says he who justifies the wicked and condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the

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Lord Exodus 34 6 through 7 likewise says the

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Lord passed before him and proclaimed The Lord the Lord a God merciful and gracious Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness

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Keeping steadfast love for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin

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But who will by no means clear the guilty? Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation

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All men are born wretched sinners in Adam who are criminals in God's eyes

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This is precisely why God sent his son to become a man live a perfect life and die a propitiatory

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Sacrifice to satisfy God's perfect justice and holy justice his wrath

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Only through Christ and it is in Christ that we have true satisfaction and joy

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Now verse 6 says if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness

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We lie and do not practice the truth So because God is himself light we should also walk in the light notice the language and verbs

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John is describing a pattern here lifestyle a manner

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He exposes the lies of hypocrites who claim koinonia or fellowship with God while living a contradictory lifestyle of unrepentant sin and ignorance or darkness

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Disobedience Walking in the darkness of unrepentant sin is mutually exclusive With practicing the truth

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You can't have it both ways You can't have your cake and eat it in this circumstance

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The two lifestyles are incompatible and diametrically opposed to each other

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Let's turn now to 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 verse 14 verses 14 through 18

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Verse 2nd Corinthians Chapter 6 verses 14 through 18

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God says do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers for what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness

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What fellowship what koinonia? Has light with darkness?

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What accord what agreement has Christ with Belial? With the devil or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?

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What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the

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Living God as God said I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them and I will be their

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God and they shall be my people Therefore go out from their midst and be separate from them says the

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Lord and touch no unclean thing Then I will welcome you and I will be a father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to me says the

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Lord God Almighty It's very clear that you cannot have it both ways and if we truly belong to Christ to God he will

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Enable us and help us to walk the narrow way the path of light and righteousness and truth similarly

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James 2 14 through 26 talks about this issue Where it says what good is it my brothers if someone says he has faith, but does not have works

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Can that faith save him if a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food and one of you says to them

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Go in peace be warmed and filled without giving them the things needed for the body. What good is that?

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So also faith by itself if it does not have works is dead But someone will say you have faith and I have works

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Show me your faith apart from your works and I will show you my faith by my works You believe that God is one you do well, even the demons believe and shudder

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Do you want to be shown you foolish one that faith apart from works is useless?

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Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar You see that faith was active along with his works and faith was completed by his works and the scripture was fulfilled that says

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Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness and he was called a friend of God You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone

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And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute Justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way

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For as the body apart from the Spirit is dead. So faith apart from works is dead

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James is Explaining here in the same way that John is explaining in 1st

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John that true faith produces good works produces righteousness good fruit and a holy lifestyle

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Which justify us? Before ourselves and other men not before God We cannot confuse that Christ is the one who justifies the ungodly through his perfect life and death his active and passive obedience

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But it's very clear The same point is being made Take note that John is pronouncing categorical judgments on Hypocrites who say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness as liars

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He is exposing them as liars who do not practice the truth He is judging them to be unbelievers who are not in true fellowship with God and He continually makes categorical judgments like this

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Like this throughout the entire letter The church must also likewise do the same in the exercise of church discipline to address sin in ourselves and within the church very important Lessons here that I hope will bless you.

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I Will go ahead and end here So let us now Go ahead and close out with a word of prayer

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Our gracious Heavenly Father we thank you Lord for the blessing of the fellowship and the true koinonia of this wonderful Church Father God with humble beginnings we rejoice and we ask that you bless the preaching of your word that you would help us to preach faithfully and to be receptive to it as your people who follow and walk after light and Righteousness according to your word and According to your promises that you have given us that you will pursue us that you will save us that you will regenerate us

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That you will bless us that you will empower us to crucify sin in our life

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And even when we go astray we can have full faith and confidence that you will never leave us

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To utter despair or to our sin But you will search us out and find us and return us to your fold

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Because you are omnipotent all -powerful holy righteous and loving and in that we can rejoice

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We can have true joy and satisfaction in your love in Christ in Jesus name we pray.

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Amen Thank you for listening to the sermons of Thorn Crown Covenant Baptist Church Where the

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Bible alone and the Bible in its entirety has applied to all of faith and life. We strive to be biblical reformed historic confessional loving discerning

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Christians who evangelize Stand firm in and earnestly contend for the Christian faith

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If you're looking for a church in the El Paso, Texas area or for more information about our church Sermons and ministries such as Semper Ephraim on the radio and Thorn Crown Network podcasts

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Please contact us at thorncrownministries .com and may the mercy peace and love of our