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TranscriptIntroduction
Welcome back to our family devotional series. I pray you and your family have had some great conversations and heartfelt connections as you’ve been studying God’s Word together. And I pray that you will either continue to do so or start doing so.
If this is your first time to drop into this devotional with us, I would ask that you and your family start with Part 1. In order to be a genuinely biblical family, we all need to be on the same page. It’s not enough for a child to have parents who are living biblically. They need to be living biblically as well. Living biblically means that we’re submitting to God’s expectations as He has communicates them in His Word. We’re not picking and choosing, we’re not being superficial, we’re studying the Word so that we can better know, understand, and worship God by obeying Him. For that reason, if you’re just joining us, you need to start with episode 613 so that you’ll have the right foundation for the rest of this study. And if you’re returning with us, I pray you’re availing yourself of the free notes, transcripts, LifeWork, and related resources that are linked for you in the description of each session. Each of those tools may not be for everyone, but all of those tools are good for someone. If you really want to learn and grow, take advantage of those resources and really dig in. Today’s study might start with some trepidation, but—by the end—should result in confidence. Topic
I hope you read two times and meditated on I John 2:26-29. It was just a few short verses. There was really no excuse for any competent readers in your family to not make the time to read them.
When I meet with people for biblical counseling, I will only meet with them if they completed their LifeWork. The idea is simple. If you really want help, if you really want to know God’s will for your life, shouldn’t you be working harder than I am? If I want God’s best for your life more than you do, then why are we meeting? I know your parents or spouse may have asked you to participate in this, and you’re being decent enough to do it. But if you’re truly a born again disciple of Jesus Christ, you should want to be changing into His image. The Holy Spirit will be working in you to desire to know Him better. You should want to be maturing. In fact, it’s impossible that you won’t be growing in Him through His Word—at least a little. So, I hope you’re anticipating these times together and preparing your heart by reading the Scripture. I also hope you’re in conversation with the Lord—asking Him to reveal the way in which you need to grow. I hope that you prayed this week and asked the Lord to bring more disicplers into your life. I also really desire for you and your saved family members to have committed to each other to pursue discipleship—the process by which you become more and more like Jesus. As you learn about what He would have you do and say, you’re putting off the unrighteousness, renewing your mind, and putting on the righteousness. And I hope that if you have needs in your family that you are ill-equipped to handle at this time, I pray you haven’t swept it under the rug. I hope you’re looking for mature biblical counselors to help you. Don’t forget that we have trained and certified biblical counselors who would be honored to serve your family. Just email us at [email protected]. We can answer any of your questions from the Scriptures because God promises that He gives us everything we need for life and godliness in His Word. So, let’s begin today as we always do, by reading the passage for the day. I John 2:26-29, “These things I have written to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 And as for you, the anointing whom you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as He has taught you, abide in Him. 28 And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He is manifested, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who does righteousness has been born of Him.” 1. The Flesh, the Devil, and the World are trying to deceive your family. I love how in the first two chapters of this book John has taken a number of occasions to explain why he’s writing this epistle to us, and he’ll tell us again before the end of the letter. In the beginning he proclaimed to be bearing witness to the life which was in the Father. He also said that he’s writing this so that his joy may be made complete as we walk in the light as God as in the light. These statements are about the general content of his letter. He wants two things, that we would know the life and live in it. At the beginning of chapter 2, he tells us that he’s writing this letter so that we may not sin. Then he lets us know that this commandment he’s writing is very old, but also uniquely new. These statements explain the content of his letter more specifically. Then he mentioned in two different ways that he was writing this to us because some of us know the Father—potentially for a while—and because we’re strong in Christ and the Word of God abides in us and we’re overcoming the evil one. Those statements identified John’s audience. In I John 2:21 he switches it again. He says, “I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.” This one again identifies the content of his message—not a command to follow, but an assurance in which to live. John is communicating the undeniable and absolute truth of God. And now in verse 26 he says, “These things I have written to you about those who are trying to deceive you.” The evil one is trying to deceive you, the antichrists in the world are trying to deceive you, and we know that our own sinful hearts are trying to deceive us. That should cause us to pause for a moment. We’re surrounded by people who either ignorantly are saying false things or who are deliberately lying to us. In addition, many of things they’re saying are true—in part. If you go back to Genesis 3, you’ll notice that Satan didn’t actually lie to Eve. Everything he said was “technically” true. It’s the information he left out and the fact that he was deliberately trying to deceive Eve that lead to her interpret what he said in a false way. But if that weren’t enough, we can’t even trust our own decision-making processes. Jeremiah 17:9 proclaims, “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can know it?” In Romans 7:11 we read, “For sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.” Ephesians 4:22 tells us “to lay aside, in reference to your former conduct, the old man, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit.” And there are so many more passages that reveal to us the darkness of our hearts. “But,” you may ask, “I’m born again. I’m a Christian. How can my heart still be sinful?” That’s a good question. Our joyous hope is that God will one day remove our sinful hearts. That’s called glorification and will happen when He returns to set up His earthly kingdom. But though He has given us a Spirit-renewed heart, we still have to contend with our sin nature. Paul—the man who under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote the passages we just read from Romans and Ephesians—said in Romans 7:14-20, “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, having been sold into bondage under sin. 15 For what I am working out, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want, I agree with the Law, that it is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one working it out, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the working out of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one working it out, but sin which dwells in me.” This is a big truth that has many complicated implications, but what we need to remember today is that our hearts are corrupted by the flesh. It’s easier for us in our own strength to come to the wrong conclusions for the wrong reasons than it is to come to the right conclusions for the right reasons. In fact, it’s impossible to come to the right conclusions in our flesh. Only through the power of God can we believe and think and want and speak and act in ways that please Him for reasons that please Him. And—after hearing all of that—we may feel crestfallen and downhearted. If everything is against me, how can I survive? Well, John answers that question. 2. God has all the truth biblical families need. John continues right into his next thought, “And as for you, the anointing whom you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as He has taught you, abide in Him.” Those who are born again into Christ have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. To be anointed is to have something poured onto you. II Corinthians 1:21-22 says, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts.” Jesus spent a lot of time in John 16 talking about how the Helper—the Holy Spirit—would be given to His people after Jesus ascended to the Father. In John 7:38-39 Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’’ 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were going to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John is telling us here that those who have been born again into the light have the Holy Spirit to teach us. In John 16:13 Jesus told His disciples the exact same thing, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” There’s a biblical doctrine called the Priesthood of the Believer. We don’t need to have a human priest intervene for us or forgive our sins. Because Jesus was the perfect priest, we can go directly to the Father in prayer. God the Father talks directly to us through His Word, and the Holy Spirit helps us to understand the spiritual truths we couldn’t have understood on our own. Despite all the lies that surround us and indwell us, the truth of God and our access to it should absolutely calm our hearts. Not everyone is lying to us. God—through His Word—only ever tells the truth. All truth is God’s truth, and the Word helps us to understand all truth because it provides the foundation and goal of that truth. When any truth in this world is examined and understood through the Bible, we will come to the right understanding and conclusions about the situation in front of us. But this requires that we actually need to be taught by the Spirit. We don’t automatically understand all spiritual mysteries simply because we’re saved from our sins. No, we need to be in the Word, we need to study the Bible, we need to meditate on God’s truth in order to learn, understand, and apply it. However, God never intended for us to do this alone. John made the statement, “you have no need for anyone to teach you.” Does that mean you don’t need your parents, teaches, pastors, or counselors? Does the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives mean that we don’t actually need anyone to explain things to us? No, that’s not what John is saying. None of the Bible ever contradicts any other part of the Bible. If there ever appears to be a contradiction, we can know that we’re not understanding the Scriptures as we ought. The Greek word translated “teach” in I John 2:27 is used all over the Bible. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus commands His disciples to teach others so that they can be saved and be a disciple of Christ. In I Corinthians 4:17, Paul identifies that he teaches God’s truth to others. He does something very similar in Colossians 1:28. In I Timothy 4:11, Timothy is told to “command and teach these things.” II Timothy 2:2 tells Timothy to “entrust these truths to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” In Colossians 3:6, all Christians are commanded to teach others. And then in Ephesians 4:11-16, Paul reveals God’s plan for how His people would be built up into Him. God gifts us teaching pastors who equip us for the work of the ministry which is to speak the truth in love so that we are all knit together and built up into the image and under subjection of Christ. John is not saying that you don’t need people teaching you the truth . . . what he’s saying is that you don’t need anyone trying to teach you the opposite of the truth. Remember, this verse just followed a very clear explanation of what an antichrist is. You have no need for anyone to teach you those lies. If you’re still uncertain about this point, recognize that by writing his gospel and the letters of I, II, and III John, as well as the book of Revelation, John is teaching God’s people. If it were true that Christians don’t need to be taught the truth of God, then John wouldn’t have wasted his time. And it’s here—with the glorious promise that God will never lie to us—that we move to our third and final point of the day. 3. Biblical families take their shelter in God. Now, please understand that this is not just some kind of flowery language that doesn’t mean anything practical. John continues in verse 28, “And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He is manifested, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who does righteousness has been born of Him.” The word “abide” refers to living, waiting, continuing, and enduring in something. We are to abide in God and His truth. Only then can we have confidence and not be put to shame. God is righteous, and we are righteous as we abide in Him, walking in the light of His holiness. In order to abide in God, we need to do three simple things. A. We need to know Him through His Word. We don’t feel our way to God. We don’t make up things about God. We have His truth in His Word. That requires that we take time reading it. We’ve already talked about how important the Bible is, but here again we’re being reminded about the necessity of living in the truth of His Word. In Deuteronomy 6:7-9, Moses commanded the Israelite parents “teach [God’s truth] diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as phylacteries between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” He’s making it clear that we should perpetually be living in God’s truth. It’s hard to read that and imagine that going to church once a week is enough. It’s hard to pretend that maybe reading my Bible sometimes is good enough. There are so many commands and illustrations and principles in the Scriptures that make it clear that we can’t get enough of it—especially when we’re trying to know how to live in a way that pleases the Lord. B. We need to spend time with the Lord in prayer. God speaks to us through His Word, and we speak with Him in prayer. The Scriptures are absolutely replete with illustration and commands and principles that relate to prayer. I Thessalonians 5:16 tells us to pray without ceasing. Philippians 4:6 commands us to take all our anxieties to God in prayer. Colossians 4:2 admonishes us to continue steadfastly in prayer. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus tells us to pray for those who persecute us. And Ephesians 6:18 tells us to pray at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit. And I could keep on going. The point is, since God is the only one Who’s guaranteed to protect us from lies, it benefits us to spend as much time with Him as possible. Two years ago my family experienced Hurricane Helene. During that time a police boat came right up to our front door to evacuate my wife and daughter. It was pretty intense. Now, imagine that something tragic happens to one of your friends, so your family invites them to live in your home for a time. The whole time they’re in your home, your family is meeting all of their needs, but they refuse to talk with you. Wouldn’t that be strange? Wouldn’t that lead you to think that maybe there’s a problem? It amazes me when a person claims to love the Lord, but they rarely talk with Him in prayer. If He truly is our shelter and protection, those of us who are living in the light will be reading His Word and praying. C. We need to spend time with God’s people. Hebrews 10:24-25 reads, “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Ephesians 4:11-16 teaches us that God has given pastor-teachers to His people in order to equip us for the work of the ministry, and that work of the ministry is how we build each other up in Christ. And finally . . . D. We need to live righteously. If you invite those friends to your house, but they refuse to come in, they’re not really in your house are they? If we are going to abide with God Who is light, then we will have to be in the light as He is in the light. I know that a lot of this is repetition today, but this, my friends, is what it means to “abide in Christ.” This is what it is to be a biblical family. Conclusion
Satan is lying to the World, and the World is lying to us, and our sinful Flesh is lying to us, and with all these lies around us, it’s so easy to be tempted to live apart from Christ in the darkness. But God not only offers us eternal life, He invites us to live eternally in His presence, safe from the lies and destruction of the darkness.
To that end, in order to help us abide in Christ this week, here’s our LifeWork. 1. Read I John 3:1-3 two times. When we read the Scriptures, God communicates Himself to us through the written Word. This is how we get to know Him better. 2. Spend time talking to God this week. I always encourage my counselees to mature in their prayer life by not just always asking for things for themselves. Here are the different prayer categories we see in Scripture: We should praise God for Who He is. We should thank Him for our current situation—even if it’s uncomfortable. We should pray for other people and their spiritual and physical needs. And, yes, we can ask the Lord to meet our own physical and spiritual needs, but I would like to encourage all of us to focus more on our spiritual growth this week. 3. Spend time with God’s people this week. As we’re abiding in Christ by abiding in His Word and with His people, assembling with the local body of believers in church becomes very important to us. Not only will our pastor open the Bible, but he’s equipping us to build each other up. It’s a place where we can minister to the other people at church, and they can minister to us. And all of this will help us complete our last piece of LifeWork for this week. 4. Live righteously in the power of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God. We’ve taken time over the past few sessions to identify areas of spiritual weakness in our lives. We’ve looked at the sinful things we do, the sinful ways to do good things, and the sinful reasons we do what we do. Let’s all strive to overcome those temptations this week. None of us will live perfectly, but we should be striving to live in the light, and—when we sin—we should be quick to apologize and ask for help in order to change. As always, please share this devotional with your friends, family, and church. And also take a look at the resources we’ve linked for you in the description. Next week we’re going to look at our Hope. I’ll see you then.
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