Now

Philippians 1:4-6 - In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Acts 2:42 - They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Acts 16:30-32, 34 - He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house…The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.

Acts 28:28 - "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"

Conclusions:

• The apostles’ teaching included all that Jesus Himself taught, especially the gospel, which was centered in His death, burial and resurrection
• The apostles’ teaching was a unique teaching in that it came from God and was clothed with the authority conferred on the apostles
• Today the apostles’ teaching is available in the books of the New Testament
• The fellowship is the corporate fellowship of believers in worship
• The breaking of bread is the Lord’s supper
• Acts emphasizes the importance of prayer in the Christian life—private as well as public
• The jailer had heard that Paul and Silas were preachers of a way of salvation
• Now with the earthquake and his own near death, the jailer wanted to know about the way
• Believe in the Lord Jesus is a concise statement of the way of salvation
• Paul and Silas explained the gospel more thoroughly to the jailer and to all the other members of his household, and they all believed in Christ and were saved
• Filled with joy is the consistent consequence of conversion, regardless of circumstances
• God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles is the main thought of the book of Acts
• The gospel is meant for all
• Paul was a chosen vessel to carry the message to Gentiles as well as to Jews

Application:

• Have you devoted yourself to prayer?
• Are you filled with joy about your conversion?
• Have you devoted yourself to God's Word?
• Have you devoted yourself to fellowship of believers in worship?
• Have you devoted yourself to the Lord's Supper?
• Have you listened to God's salvation?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

I Thank My God

Philippians 1:2-3 - Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you.

Romans 1:7 - To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:3-6 - We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.

2 Thessalonians 1:3 - We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

Conclusions:

• The basic idea of the Greek word saints is holiness
• All Christians are saints in that they are positionally set apart to God and are experientially being made increasingly holy by the Holy Spirit
• “We” in Colossians 1:3 is Paul and Timothy
• Every one of Paul’s letter, except Galatians, begins with thanks or praise
• In Colossians, thanks is an important theme
• The Bible never thanks man for his faith and love, but rather God, who is the source of these virtues
• Paul is obliged to give thanks where it is due
• Faith and love are two virtues that Paul had been pleased to acknowledge in the Thessalonian church, but that were also somewhat lacking
• “Is increasing” is the same verb Paul had used in his prayer that their love might grow
• Paul is recording an exact answer to prayer

Application:

• Are you positionally set apart to God?
• Do you thank God when you pray for people?
• Is your faith growing? Is your love increasing?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Believe In The Name Of The Son

1 John 5:13-16 - I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.

1 John 3:23 - And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

Hebrews 10:26-27 - If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Jeremiah 7:16 - "So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you.

Conclusions:

• This command has two parts: (1) Believe in Christ, and (2) love each other
• “Deliberately keep on sinning” refers to committing the sin of apostasy (total rejection of Christianity after being Christian)
• To reject Christ’s sacrifice for sins is to reject the only sacrifice; there is no other
• A true prophet would pray for his people
• In Jeremiah 7:16, there is virtually no hope for his people
• On various occasions, Jeremiah prayed for his countrymen

Application:

• Do you believe in Christ and love others?
• Do you deliberately keep on sinning?
• Do you pray for people there is no hope for?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Life

1 John 5:12 - He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

John 3:14-16, 36 - Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life…Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

Conclusions:

• Eternal life is an infinitely high quality of life in living fellowship with God—both now and forever
• God so loved the world is the great truth that motivated God’s plan of salvation
• The world is all people on earth—or perhaps all creation
• Although believers are also called sons of God, Jesus is God’s Son in a unique sense
• Eternal life is a present possession, not something the believer will only obtain later
• God’s wrath is a strong expression, meaning that God is actively opposed to everything evil
• A sinner cannot expect God’s wrath to eventually fade away
• God’s opposition to evil is both total and permanent

Application:

• Do you believe in Him?
• Are you called a son of God?
• Do you see eternal life as a present possession?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Has GIven Us Eternal Life

1 John 5:7-11 - For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

John 3:14-15, 33, 36 - Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life…The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful…Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

John 1:4 - In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

Conclusions:

• When anyone accepts Christ’s testimony, he accepts the truth that Jesus came from heaven and that God was acting in Him for the world’s salvation
• He thereby certifies that God is truthful
• Life is one of the great concepts of John’s Gospel
• Life is found 36 times in John, while no other New Testament book uses it more than 17 times
• Life is Christ’s gift, and He, in fact, is the life
• John’s Gospel also links light with Christ, from whom comes all spiritual illumination
• Christ is the light of the world, who holds out wonderful hope for man
• The stark contrast between light and darkness is a striking theme in John’s Gospel
• Eternal life is an infinitely high quality of life in living fellowship with God—both now and forever
• Eternal life is a present possession, not something the believer will only obtain later
• God’s wrath is a strong expression, meaning that God is actively opposed to everything evil
• A sinner cannot expect God’s wrath to eventually fade away
• God’s opposition to evil is both total and permanent

Application:

• Do you accept Christ's testimony?
• Do you see Christ as the light of the world?
• Do you have eternal life?
• Do you see eternal life as a present possession?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Overcomes...Has Overcome

1 John 5:3-6 - This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

John 14:16-17 - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

1 John 1:3 - We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

1 John 2:2,27 - He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world…As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

1 Corinthians 12:3 - Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

Conclusions:

• To overcome the world is to gain victory over its sinful pattern of life, which is another way of describing obedience to God
• Such obedience is not impossible for the believer because he has been born again and the Holy Spirit dwells within him and gives him strength
• The one born of God by faith is enabled by the Holy Spirit to obey
• The Spirit brings people to the truth of God
• Fellowship is the spiritual union of the believer with Christ—as described in the figures of the vine and branches and the body and the head –as well as communion with the Father and with fellow believers
• God, out of love, sent His Son to make substitutionary atonement for the believer’s sin
• The Holy Spirit teaches you all things necessary to know for salvation and Christian living
• One who is regenerated by the Holy Spirit cannot pronounce a curse on Jesus; rather, he is the only one who from the heart can confess Jesus as Lord
• The teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit does not involve revelation of new truth or the explanation of all difficult passages of Scripture to our satisfaction
• God’s holiness demands punishment for man’s sin
• Forgiveness must be received by faith
• The world takes no notice of the Spirit of God

Application:

• Does the Holy Spirit dwell within you?
• Do you obey His commands?
• Does the Holy Spirit live with you?
• Do you have spiritual union with Christ?
• Has God's wrath been turned from you?
• Have you received the anointing of the Holy Spirit?
• Can you say Jesus is Lord?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

This Command

1 John 4:21-5:4 - And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

John 13:34 - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

John 3:14-15 - Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

John 14:15 - "If you love me, you will obey what I command.

Conclusions:

• In a sense, love one another was an old command, but for Christ’s disciples it was new, because it was the mark of their brotherhood, created by Christ’s great love for them
• Our standard is Christ’s love for us
• Eternal life is an infinitely high quality of life in living fellowship with God—both now and forever
• His commands are not burdensome, not because the commands themselves are light or easy to obey, but because of the new birth
• The one born of God by faith is enabled by the Holy Spirit to obey
• Love, like faith, cannot be separated from obedience
• To overcome the world is to gain victory over its sinful pattern of life, which is another way of describing obedience to God
• Such obedience is not impossible for the believer because he has been born again and the Holy Spirit dwells within him and gives him strength
• John speaks of two aspects of victory: (1) the initial victory of turning in faith from the world to God; (2) the continuing day-to-day victory of Christian living

Application:

• Is your standard Christ's love for you?
• Do you believe in Him?
• Are you born of God by Faith? Are you enabled by the Holy Spirit to obey?
• Do you obey Jesus commands?
• Have you been born again? Does the Holy Spirit dwell within you? Does the Holy Spirit give you strength?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Atoning Sacrifice For Our SIns

1 John 4:10-11 - This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Romans 5:10 - For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

1 John 2:2 - He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 Corinthians 10:14 - Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Conclusions:

• Man is the enemy of God, not the reverse
• The hostility must be removed from man if reconciliation is to be accomplished
• God took the initiative in bringing this about through the death of His Son
• To reconcile is to put an end to hostility, and is closely related to the term justify
• “Saved through this life” is a reference to the unending life and ministry of the resurrected Christ for His people
• Since we were reconciled when we were God’s enemies, we will be saved because Christ lives to keep us
• God’s holiness demands punishment for man’s sin
• God, out of love, sent His Son to make substitutionary atonement for the believer’s sin
• In this way the Father’s wrath is satisfied; His wrath against the Christian’s sin has been turned away and directed toward Christ
• Forgiveness through Christ’s atoning sacrifice is not limited to one particular group only; it has worldwide application
• Forgiveness must be received by faith
• 1 John 2:2 does not teach that all people ultimately will be saved, it teaches that God is an impartial God
• Corinthian Christians had come out of a background of paganism
• Temples for the worship of Apollo, Asclepius, Demeter, Aphrodite and other gods and goddesses were seen daily by the Corinthians as they engaged in the activities of everyday life
• The worship of Aphrodite, with its many sacred prostitutes, was a particularly strong temptation
• God so loved the world is the great truth that motivated God’s plan of salvation
• Although believers are also called sons of God, Jesus is God’s Son in a unique sense

Application:

• Have you been reconciled?
• Have your sins been atoned for?
• Do you flee from idolatry?
• Are you a son of God?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

God Is Love

1 John 4:7-9 - Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

John 4:24 - God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

John 1:18 - No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Conclusions:

• Only those who are to some degree like Him truly know Him
• In His essential nature and in all His actions, God is loving
• John similarly affirms that God is spirit and light, as well as holy, powerful, faithful, true and just
• The place of worship is irrelevant, because true worship must be in keeping with God’s nature, which is spirit
• In John’s gospel, truth is associated with Christ, a fact that has great importance for the proper understanding of Christian worship
• God the One and Only is an explicit declaration of Christ’s deity
• Sometimes in the Old Testament people are said to have seen God
• We are also told that no one can see God and live
• Since no human being can see God as He really is, those who saw God saw Him in a form He took on Himself temporarily for the occasion
• Now, however, Christ has made God known
• God so loved the world is the great truth that motivated God’s plan of salvation
• The world is all people on earth—or perhaps all creation
• Although believers are also called sons of God, Jesus is God’s Son in a unique sense

Application:

• Are you to some degree like Christ?
• Do you worship in spirit and in truth?
• Has Christ made God known to you?
• Do you believe in CHrist?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Spirit Of Truth

1 John 4:5-6 - They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

John 17:14 - I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.

John 14:16-17 - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Mark 13:5 - Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you.

Conclusions:

• The world is those hostile to God and God’s people
• Those not of the world do not have the mind-set of the world, i.e., hostility to God, for they have been born of the Spirit and are children of God
• In essence and in action the Spirit is characterized by truth
• The Spirit brings people to the truth of God
• All three persons of the Trinity are linked with truth
• The world takes no notice of the Spirit of God
• The Spirit was with Jesus’ disciples and would be in them
• Some believe the indwelling relationship anticipates the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost
• It is clear from such words as “Watch out”, “You must be on your guard”, “So be on your guard”, “Be on guard! Be alert!”, “Therefore keep watch” and “Watch!” that one of the main purposes of the Olivet discourse was to alert the disciples to the danger of deception

Application:

• Are you born of the Spirit and are you a child of God?
• Have you been brought to the truth of God?
• Are you alert to the danger of deception?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible