November 3^rd 2019

9:30 am ---------------------------------------------Righteous In Him and Like Him – 1 John 3:1-10

10:00 am ---------------------------------------------------------Blessed If Not Offended – Luke 7:19-23

NO WEDNESDAY NIGHT SERVICE THIS WEEK

(Since we are studying through 1 John, I thought it good to put the comments of my pastor on these passages). This is what the scripture says and this is what we believe, preach and teach.)

Holiness Of Life (From Henry Mahan’s commentaries)

“If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him.”

This passage has a twofold theme. Believers will live holy lives and they will love one another. Faith is always connected with a righteous life (James 2:20) and a spirit of love for all men, especially all believers (1 John 4:7). Several arguments or reasons are presented for godly living on the part of believers.

The first argument for holiness of life is that if you know that Christ our Lord is absolutely righteous (obedient to the Father’s will in his thoughts, actions and words), you know that those who are begotten of him (in like manner) will seek to be like him in righteousness and obedience to the Father’s will. To be born of God is to have the nature of God, the grace of God and the presence of Christ formed in us, causing us to love and desire the will and ways of God.

“Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” – I John 3:7-8

Do not be deceived by false prophets and wicked persons who preach that it does not matter how a person lives, provided he believes the gospel, or that knowledge of theology is sufficient without obedience to the lordship of Christ in conduct. This is not true. One cannot separate faith and conduct. As Christ our Lord showed himself to be a righteous man by doing good, obeying the Father and demonstrating love and compassion, so those who are united to him by faith, justified by his grace and regenerated by his spirit will seek to imitate their Lord. As a tree is know by its fruit, so a righteous man is known by his works. Good fruit does not make a tree good, but shows it to be good; so good works do not make us righteous (only Christ can do that), but show us to be so (James 2:14-20, 26).

v.8. A man who practices sin, dishonesty, drunkenness, malice, envy, lies and disobedience to the commandments of Christ is not of God, but takes his character from the evil one, for Satan has violated the way and laws of righteousness from the beginning. He imitates Satan, not Christ, and resembles his parent as children do their parents (John 8:41, 42). Christ came not only to put away our sins in regard to the penalty of them and the curse of the law, but to deliver us from the power of Satan and the practice of ungodliness (Rom. 6:12-18).

Baptism -- “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ” .– Acts 2:38, 41

Baptism is a command of our Lord Jesus Christ to all who believe Him. “He That Believeth And Is Baptized Shall Be Saved”– Mark 16:16 . It is not an option. Baptism does not save us, but it is the certain confession of one who has been saved. Anyone who refuses, has not been saved. “It is the answer of a good conscience” (I Peter 3:21. When God truly saves someone, their heart and conscience is convicted of sin, they call on the Lord for forgiveness of sin, they see their need of Christ’s blood shed for remission of their sins; they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as their sin bearer and righteousness; and their conscience tells them to confess Christ. They want to, they need to, they shall. Every single person at Pentecost who gladly received the Wordwas baptized. It is the heartfelt, public confession of faith in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there is only “one baptism”(Eph.4:5) . . . it is the public, water emersion confession of the Lord in Whom, like baptism, we are crucified, buried, and risen again to walk in newness of life . . . life in Christ and with Christ’s people. Baptism is the public identification with Christ AND HIS PEOPLE. It is identification with the church you have been united to . . . as at Pentecost, when the Lord added to His church, uniting them in love to His Son and each other from that day forward.