LOVE ME? - KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS!

Newsletter 217  October 31, 2010

1 John 5:1-12 (King James Version)

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN?

Ask yourself if you are a Christian and looking forward to Christ’s return. How did you answer yourself? Did you answer, “I hope so, or I think so?”

God does not want us to think so. He wants us to know so. And, it is not a matter of how many good deeds you have done, or how much money you have given to charitable works. Salvation is not for sale. At the close of his sermon on the mount Jesus made this clear, (Matthew 7:21-23) words, calling him Lord, emphasized by using the title twice, will not save us. It takes action, “doeth the will of my Father”. Wonderful works, are not sufficient! What is the motivation for the works? In another place Jesus said, “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” If he is our Lord, then we are his servants, on both sides this is motivated by a mutual love,

Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, (Acts 5:1-10) clearly show this failure. Their motivation was jealousy of Barnabas, and the desire for the admiration of the church. They were looking for a bargain at half price. God offers no “sales.”

Aside from God, only we know our own motivations. If our reason is wrong, then so are we.

1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. (1 John 2:22, 1 John 4:2, 1 John 4:15, John 1:3, John 3:3, 1 John 2:29, 1 John 5:4, 1 John 5:18, John 8:4)

We know God loves us. That is why our Lord came, lived, died, and rose from the grave. (John 3:16) says it all “Go so loved the world”. But, do we love Him? Only we can answer that question. We answer it by obeying his commandments.
(Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16).

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. (1 John 2:5, 1 John 3:14)

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (John 14:15, 2 John 6, 1 John 2:3, Matthew 11:30, Matthew 23:4)


YOU HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (John 1:13, John 3:3, 1 John 2:29, 1 John 5:1, 1 John 5:18, 1 John 2:13, 1 John 4:4)

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 4:15, 1 John 5:1)

6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. (John 19:34, Matthew 3:16-, John 15:26, John 16:13-15)

THREE WITNESSES STAND FOR YOU

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (Matthew 18:16)

8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

Here are two sets of “three in one”. Whole studies have been written on these two verses alone, and still we can not understand . That is because there is much that we will only understand when we are with the Lord in Heaven itself. But, let us think only on that part which is of earth, verse 8. We are conceived and grow Spiritually though the Spirit, we are born of water, because of the shed blood of our Savior Jesus who was also baptized in Jordan. We do this because our Lord and Savior so instructed. That much we can and do understand. We grow Spiritually because He is our comforter and guide through the word.

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. (John 5:34, John 5:37, John 8:18, Matthew 3:17, John 5:32, John 5:37)

10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. (Romans 8:16, Galatians 4:6, Revelation 12:17, John 3:18, John 3:33, 1 John 1:10)

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (John 3:36, 1 John 1:2, 1 John 2:25, 1 John 4:9, 1 John 5:13, 1 John 5:20)

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. (John 3:12, John 3:36)

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Book page www.xlibris.com/Dilemma .html
Author page: www.xlibris.com/PJMills.html
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RESOLVE TO READ THE BIBLE THROUGH AGAIN IN 2010
OCTOBER

31st. Sunday – Song of Solomon 7, 6, Jude, Proverbs 26:11-20

NOVEMBER

1 st. Monday – Lamentations 1, 2, Hebrews 1, Psalm 119:137-144
2 nd. Tuesday – Lamentations 3, Hebrews 2, Psalm 119:145-152
3 rd. Wednesday – Lamentations 4, 5, Hebrews 3, Psalm 119:153-160
4 th. Thursday -- Ezekiel 1, 2, 3, Hebrews 4, Proverbs 26:21-28
5 th. Friday - Ezekiel 4, 5, 6, Hebrews 5, Psalm 119:161-168
6 th. Saturday – Ezekiel 7, 8, Hebrews 6, Psalm 19:169-176

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THIS WEEK'S SCRIPTURE

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.”

Hebrews 4:14

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Tee Time at Ten...\

A man and his wife walked into a dentist's office. The man said to the dentist, "Doc, I'm in a hurry. I have two buddies sitting out in my car waiting for us to go play golf, so forget about the anesthetic and just pull the tooth and be done with it. We have a 10:00 AM tee time at the best golf course in town and its 9:30 already. I don't have time to wait for the anesthetic to work!"

The dentist thought to himself, my goodness, this is surely a very brave man asking to have his tooth pulled without using anything to kill the pain. So the dentist asked him, "Which tooth is it, sir?"

The man turned to his wife and said:

"Open your mouth, honey, and show him."