Baptism What Hinders You

 

And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Acts 8:34-38

Hindrances Removed

Acts 8:26-40

Pr Edi Giudetti

 

07/10/2018

 

 

A Hindrance to Understanding Removed

A Hindrance to Heaven Removed

A Hindrance to Baptism Removed

 

Introduction

 

 

To set the scene of this incredible event we need to consider the context.

 

THE PASSAGE IS BETWEEN CHAPTERS 7 AND 9 AND AFTER CHRIST HAD RISEN

 

The Acts of the Apostles.

Jesus had only recently been crucified, buried, raised from the dead and ascended into heaven.

 

The first Christian martyr by the name of Stephenhad just been killed

the first persecution of Christians had begun in Jerusalemby the hand of a young man called Saul. All this by Chapter 7.

 

This Saulis the same man which is yet to have the Damascus road revelation of Christ in the next chapter, chapter 9, who came to write some fourteen books of the New Testament and changed his name to Paul.

 

So here we have this account, wedged between the first Christian Persecution in chapter 7, and the dramatic conversion of the first Christian persecutor in chapter 9!

 

Two individuals are noted, one is Phillip who was one of the twelve disciplesand now an apostle and evangelist, the other is a man of governmentwho was in the service of the Queen of his nation, Ethiopia.

 

This man was a Eunuch, (whether that be his physical or committal state we are not told, for there are two types of eunuchs in Scripture, one is a physical Eunuch and the other is one committed to a chaste life for the sake of his service to the Lord), and he was a man of great authority, the treasurer of his nation.

 

But we also see that he was a Proselyte to Judaism, for he came to Jerusalem not on business but for the express purpose of Worship.

 

And now we see him returning Southto the land of Ethiopia on the African continent.

 

Now this land at the time was far greater than the Ethiopia of today, it extended directly below Egypt through what is modern Sudan and Eritreainto todays Ethiopia. It was bounded by the Upper Nile river on its Western Border and the Red sea on its East.

 

Though it is not spoken of much today, it was a well-known nation in history past, referred to in the Bible many times, referred to by the Great Greek Epic writer Homer, it was also referred to by a man known today as “the father of History”, Herodotusand also the great Jewish historian Josephus.

 

Side Note:

 

Turn to Genesis 2

 

10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. 11 The name of the firstisPison: thatisit which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, wherethere isgold; 12And the gold of that landisgood: thereisbdellium and the onyx stone. 13 And the name of the second riverisGihon: the sameisit that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. (Gen 2:10-13)

 

We noted that it was bounded by the upper Nile river on its western border in Bible times.

The creation account of Genesis chapter 2 has that land bounded by the Gihon river that came out of Eden.

 

You may be interested to know that the springsthat come out of the Nile river is referred to, even to this day, as the GihonSprings by Ethiopians.

 

 

Back to our Passage.

 

We see that the man seeks understanding of a passage in the Bible that reveals to him the work of Jesus Christ, who the Bible says is God manifest in the flesh, the one who cam

YES Faith

NB: Please excuse the quality of the audio.

Introduction

 

I came upon this subject for today’s sermon blissfully unaware of the inadequacy of my own faith.

 

Paul reminds me three times in his Epistles that the Just Shall Live By Faith and when I have examined my own life I see with complete clarity how little of my life is lived by faith. I don’t make this as a confession to you, but just as a reminder of how tentative faith can be within our lives and how easily we can be snared and entangled by the cares of this world.

 

But what is Faith? What is the very manner of life in which I am now charged to live for the rest of my days?

 

I know it is by faith that I have been saved, my faith had secured for me the salvation of my soul for all eternity; I once cried “What must I do to be saved” and one said “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thine house”…and I believed.

 

I am Crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

 

It is curious for me to recall that Galatians 2:20 was the first verse in the Bible that I had ever memorized, but much of my life to this point has done despite to this verse.

 

It is with this knowledge that I come to this sermon as a focus of my own prayer that God would increase my faith!

 

It is good to know the subject of prayer before we pray, so what is faith?

 

Heb 11:1-13

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

6 But without faithit is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

 

7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

 

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and makerisGod. 11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

 

The first verse of this chapter provides for us the foundation of the definition of the faith we witness in Scripture AS IT IS GIVEN IN SCRIPTURE. Unlike dictionaries given by man, this definition is given by God in his word;

 

1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

 

 

Faith is not a thought or a wish, Faith according to the Bible is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for. It has as it object that which is sure concerning specifically what God has said. This

yes Forgiveness

 

It is a joy to know that there are several items in which petition can be made to the Lord where he says YES, Forgiveness is one of those prayer points. Todays Study is entitled Yes Forgiveness and will seek to demonstrate that this is one of the five areas in which we can truly trust and expect a positive response from the Lord.

We will follow the four main points begun on the study of Salvation.

Is Yes Articulated….. For Salvation/Forgiveness/Faith/Peace/Wisdom?

In other words, is YES for Forgiveness specifically stated in the Bible, is it articulated by God, is it given to us that we may know and not guess?

 

Is Yes Accomplishable for Salvation/Forgiveness/Faith/Peace/Wisdom?

In other words, can God perform that to which he affirms? There is little point trusting the affirmation if we doubt the affirmer.To most of us this seems a moot point because we believe God when he says it, but knowing he is well able to perform that which he affirms gives to us greater confidence in other items we pray for.

 

Is Yes Anticipatedfor Salvation/Forgiveness/Faith/Peace/Wisdom?

In other words, is there a purpose in God for which we could be confident to anticipate a YES answer to our prayer?

 

Is There a Costfor Salvation/Forgiveness/Faith/Peace/Wisdom?

In other words, is the subject of our prayer contingent or conditional on something from ourselves before the Lord would affirm our request? Anything we need to contribute?

 

INTRODUCTION: GUILT

 

There is a plague in our world that is destroying the lives of countless numbers of people. A plague so vast and so encompassing as to threaten civilization itself.

 

It affects people from all walks of life, rich, poor, bond, free. It affects Children, mothers, fathers, teenagers, boys, girls. It affects people in the military, people who work in hospitals and all fields of care. It affects Policemen and women, motor mechanics, athletes, in fact it affects every field of employment in the world. It affects business people and employees, it affects people who participate in works that are illegal and legal.

 

It extends outwardly from ourselves to affect our politics, our economy, our society and our very way of life.

 

The plague runs so deep in our society that professions have been created over the years to try and deal with it specifically. Religions have even been created to help deal with it. We have coping mechanisms and counsellors in primary schools, high schools and university.

 

We even have training put in place for those who are in Childcare employments to try to STOP the plague before it rises to the surface in the lives of young children.

 

The plague can certainly be terminal if it is not dealt with properly. People have taken their own lives because of the overwhelming effects of it in their lives. But that is the last identifiable symptom of this plague.

 

Initial symptomsare feelings of insecurity leading to impatience and anger, a fear of people and associations which leads to a desire to withdraw from peopleand eventually even from the world and just be alone.

 

Eventually a form of Metal illness becomes common. The drug industry in the world is thriving because of the increased level of infections the world over. Doctors never seem to be able to diagnose the problem accurately. The root of the disease is overlooked and only some of the symptoms are treated, symptoms such as Depression, Anxiety, and new symptoms created with terms such as Attention Deficit Disorderin the hope of medicating the most early signs in Children, even if those so-called signs are normal behavior and yet to have contracted the malady. So fearful is the world of it.

 

PLACEBO

 

Medications people attempt to employ are vast:

 

We touched on one but as a symptom and that is the withdrawal from people, but distractions such as entertainments and Video games, movies and alternative pursuits, even diving into our work or physical activities seem to help the symptoms. Sexual procli

 

YES Salvation

Pr Edi Giudetti

16-09-2018

 

YES Salvation is the first in a five-part series of messages that seeks to demonstrate the five areas of prayer in which we enquire where the Lord always answers YES. These Five prayer items that fall in perfect line with Gods nature and his will and are specifically identified in scripture. These the Bible indicates always have a YES response from the Lord.

 

The five prayer requests we might see are;

 

SALVATION

FORGIVENESS

FAITH

PEACE

WISDOM

 

In the coming weeks we will be going through these five specific items in a series I have simply entitled as YES.

 

Beloved we are not speaking to the air when we pray, we are not hanging coloured prayer flags on a line or spinning prayer jars or rubbing the belly of an idol. When a Christian prays he does so to only one who can answer.

 

We are seeking the answers of our petitions to the personal, living, holy, just and powerful creator of all things. God is personal, not arbitrary, he inclines his ear to hear our prayers. He does not accidentally catch wind of them, but specifically notes every word.

 

This is true only if you have a relationship with him.

 

 

THE STRUCTURE

 

There will be four foundational points to which each sermon will follow. They are, in my own view, four of the most important questions to consider to confirm if it is true that God will answer YES to these items of prayer.

 

 

Is Yes Articulated….. For Salvation/Forgiveness/Faith/Peace/Wisdom?

In other words, is YES for Salvation specifically stated in the Bible, is it articulated by God, is it given to us that we may know and not guess?

 

Is Yes Accomplishable for Salvation/Forgiveness/Faith/Peace/Wisdom?

In other words, can God perform that to which he affirms? There is little point trusting the affirmation if we doubt the affirmer.To most of us this seems a moot point because we believe God when he says it, but knowing he is well able to perform that which he affirms gives to us greater confidence in other items we pray for.

 

Is Yes Anticipated for Salvation/Forgiveness/Faith/Peace/Wisdom?

In other words, is there a purpose in God for which we could be confident to anticipate a YES answer to our prayer?

 

Is There a Cost for Salvation/Forgiveness/Faith/Peace/Wisdom?

In other words, is the subject of our prayer contingent or conditional on something from ourselves before the Lord would affirm our request? Anything we need to contribute?

 

Does that all make sense? You see if the Lord has not articulated he would say yes, if it is not stated in the bible that God would affirm such a request, we could be asking in vain.

 

If God is not able to perform our request, if it is not Accomplishable, we again ask in vain.

 

If there is not good purpose in God for the answer, we also might anticipate a YES response in vain.

 

And finally, if there is something in us that withholds the effect of the request, if, for example, our motives are wrong or attitude not genuine, we might again be asking in vain.

 

This essentially is the way each message will go that we might be provided with confidence in our request of the Lord, particularly relating to these items.

 

SALVATION. YES.

 

John 3:12-18

 

12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth o

Revelation Survey

 

The last book of the Bible is as much the last as genesis was the first.  Both written by direct inspiration and not by experience. One written of the past the other of the future. The beginning and the end. This Revelation Survey  is the last sermon on this series, and it is a serious sermon surveying the things that will come in the not too distant future.

 

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST

 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

3 Blessedishe that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the timeisat hand.  Revelation 1:1-3

 

This is The Revelation, The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ. This introduction is where the word “Apocalypse” comes from. When we speak of the “Apocalypse” it is not ANevent, it is THE Event; it is THIS event found in this very book.

 

It was given by the Father to the Son, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. In other words, to tell of things that are yet future. I am sure that sounds elementary, but it is vital in these days of confusion to ensure that you might understand that this book is prophetic of all things it speaks about, that is at the very least, future to its writing down by John the Apostle. It was given by an Angel unto his servant John who bares this record and;

 

3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 

 

Blessedare they that read, hear and keep those things written in this book. Beloved there are no other places given in scripture that I am aware of, where you are specifically promised blessing for the reading, hearing and keeping of a given text, but there is definitively one here.

 

4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia:

 

Now we have the intended readership and as we move through this summary we shall discover that the readership includes us. Verse 9 gives to us the historical context saying;

 

9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

 

John was understood to be banished to this Island, being himself a companion of their respective tribulation.

 

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

 

The next two chapters we have the reception of the Seven Letters to the Seven Churches;

 

What we discover about these Churches is that they were;

 

Historical

Typical

Eschatological

Personal

 

Historical

 

They were real Churches in real history that existed during the time of John the Apostle.

 

Typical

 

What we discover as we consider the nature of these churches, is that they incredibly fit differing types of Churches throughout history.

 

Eschatological

 

Big word but, we also note that these types of Churches are recognized as chronologically specific to periods of times throughout Church history up to the end times. Their order and the type of Church they were makes this an interesting study.

 

Personal

 

Each type of Church also seems to fit the natures/types of individual people who call themselves Christian.

 

 

In verse 19 John was instructed by the Lord specifically;

 

19 Write the thi

Jude Survey

Clouds without water

02-09-2018

 

The Book of Jude Survey will find us journeying through history of Gods dealings with unbelief and those who teach heresy and error. That such heretics are referred to as clouds without water by Jude tells you of the negative value of such men, these show the promise of life but waiting for water to fall from them, will see us perish.

Pr Edi Giudetti

 

INTRODUCTION

 

1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: 2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

 

It is a wonder to see that Jude introduces himself, not as the brother of the Lord Jesus Christ, but as his servant. Jude being the Brother of James was most certainly also the Brother of the Lord Jesus before his ascension.

None of the four brothers of our Lord believed on him (See John 7:5)

We have the names of his bothers as James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas, but we do not have the names of any of his sisters (Mt 13:55 & Mrk 6:3). Clearly Jesus was the oldest, the first born in the family, clearly also Mary did not remain a virgin.

 

Jude refers to himself as the servant of Jesus Christ and we could only ponder all the circumstances that must have been laid before him and James to have come from unbelief to faith in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

 

1cand preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

 

More of the wonderful doctrines presented and confirmed with so few words. Here is that latter half of only the first verse we have both the wonderful doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints (preserved in Jesus Christ) and the sovereignty of God in their election (and called)

 

The second verse shows to us the heart that underlies that which will be expressed in the balance of the epistle, that is, his blessing and care for them;

 

Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

 

Jude is going to be warning of false teachers and their evil nature, and all that will come upon them. In these last days such people would be considered as “Heresy Hunters” and mean-spirited, and Pharisaical, and even lacking love and tolerance. Clearly this is contrary to Jude, the introduction demonstrating his love and desire for the saints.

 

But he goes on;

 

3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

 

Jude’s initial motivation seems to contrast what it was he found himself writing. We share a salvation that is common to all through Jesus Christ and there would be no end in writing of the infinite wisdom contained within it. But Jude found it needful rather to motivate the beloved in that salvation to earnestly contend for that faith that saved them. Why?

 

4 For there are certain men crept in unawares,

 

Where have they crept in? Not only have these crept into the Church, but they have crept into positions of influence within the Church, as Pastors and Teachers.

 

In the last book we surveyed we witnessed the apostle John speak of a Pastor named Deotrephes whom he said “loves to have the preeminence among them” and who would not receive the true brethren of the Lord, this was a pastor in the Church during the days of the apostle John.

 

So, we see that even from the first century false teachers where already taking positions of leadership in the Churches, already there was a lack of discernment by the congregation, and we could hear Paul say,

 

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again whichbethe first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. (Heb 5:12)

 

For had they known the word of God they might have discerned the nature of those crept in

 

trust in the lord

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

 

 

Trust In

 

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;

 

There should be nothing that comes between you and the Lord.

 

Your love for him

Your devotion to him

Your reliance upon him

Your desire for him

 

Everything that you do, all the way you live, all things you come to think and believe should be based upon and reflect your trust in, The Lord.

 

And why not?

 

He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Who can we compare unto God, where can we find one that is like him?

 

It is said of one book that it is the oldest written book of the Bible. It seems to have come into being before there was a Hebrew Nation, before Israel were a people, and possibly before even Abraham.

 

We believe this is the case only because the Book of Job did neither mention the original “people of the Book”, nor was there any reference to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

But also, we believe this to be the case for the years of the Life of Job was great, similar to the years of those only a few generations removed from the flood. Abraham lived till he was 175 years of age, Job lived one hundred and forty years after his last daughters were given in marriage. Our consideration would be he lived to the ages of the forefathers of Abraham and thereby most likely to be of their generation.

In this book lies the testimony of God given directly to Job, that Job may trust and believe God no matter what he had gone through, all was for a purpose.

 

It is said that the Book of Job is the book that deals with the great question; ‘Why do the righteous suffer?’

 

There is no doubt of the great suffering of Job and all that he had gone through.

 

Job 1:13-22

 

From verses 13 to 19 Job had lost it all, his possessions as well as his children.

 

20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

 

But that was not all that had come upon Job, his affliction extended well beyond that of the sudden removal of the loss of his family and his great wealth. We recall that he was the greatest of all the men in the east, none were more righteous than he, and none more wealthy.

 

In the second chapter the devil seeks to the Lordagain and is granted license to now afflict his person, provided he keeps him alive.

 

And Job was indeed afflicted, boils from the soul of his feet to the crown of his head he suffered. Even taking to himself broken pieces of pottery to scrape himself allowing the boils to drain for some relief of the pain.

 

And then his wife comes to him, not to care for him or nurture him, but to torment him a little more with the suggestion that he “curse God and die” (Jb 2:9). But Job would not, he did indeed retain his integrity and did not sin with his lips, nor speak unadvisedly.

 

That is, until his three friends came.

 

And for thirty long chapters were the discourse between the three friends, and Job’s self-justification to continue.

 

It was not until Job began to impugn God with a level of unrighteousness for afflicting Job, that there arose a witness for God to answer Job and he answered him well.

 

Then, when the wrath of Elihu subsided and the answers he gave ended, God himself addressed Job. Turn with me to read a little of God’s direct answer to the already chastened Job;

 

Job 38:1

 

1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 2 Whoisthis that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will de

3rdJohn Survey

 

 

The Love Of a Brother (1-2)

 

1 The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

 

There is no greater unity, no greater friendship or even love that is not bound and sealed by truth. We spoke of this last week and we have it here presented again.

 

Here ‘the elder’, whom we understand to be the aged apostle John, writes a letter of Commendation, rebuke, recommendation and intentionto Gaius whom he calls endearing ‘The wellbeloved’.

 

Often times you have heard me refer to you all as “Beloved”. A term, not only of the expression of my love for you, but of infinitely greater value,the position of your love in the father.

 

You are the Beloved of God, this is the standing that you have in the father for your love for the Son.

 

Consider Paul as he opens his great epistle of Romans to the Christian church in Rome.

 

Rom 1:7

 

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God,calledto besaints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

Those who are the Lords are beloved of the Lord, this is his Church, this his bride.

 

But it was not always the case for the gentiles, the beloved of God was Israelbut now a beloved that was not the beloved, is beloved.

 

Turn to Romans 9:22

 

In a passage that speaks so clearly ofthe sovereignty of Godwe have the purpose of God demonstrated.

 

Whatif God, willing to shewhiswrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass,thatin the place where it was said unto them, Yearenot my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

 

 

You were chosen in himas the “Beloved” of God.

 

In 2 Thess 2:13

 

But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

 

In the wonderful Song of Songswhere we see the love of the Church for Jesus and the love of Christ for his church, the word ‘beloved’ appears no less than 33 times out of the 113appearances of the word in the Bible.

 

If you have believed the Gospel of Christunto the Salvation of your souls, you are beloved of God and of Christ.

You are the reason he came,

You are the reason he died,

You are the purpose of his creation.

 

No longer do you ever need to feel insecure.

 

Eph 1:5-6

 

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

 

If you have been accepted in the Beloved, no longer do you need to chase the love of others, you are beloved of God.

 

 

Our passage begins with the expression as both the love of a brother, but also imbedded within the entire understanding of the word,is the Love of God.

 

 

1 The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

 

 

The wish of the elder for his beloved Gaius is that he would prosper and be in health. Of all the prosperity man could enjoy, not one of them could be of greater value than the prosperity of Good Health.

 

How many there are who have prospered in matter, only to have their health taken away. What enjoyment is there in

2ndJohn Survey

19-08-2018

 

Pr Edi Giudetti

 

 

2ndJohn Survey demonstrates to us the inestimable value of truth, its relationship to love and the unity and fellowship of believers in that truth. The Bible is propositional truth to all people, our loss of confidence in Gods words in these last of days is manifest by the incredible division we see worldwide. None can love another without trusting he is true, truth and love therefore are the sole ingredients of unity.

 

Acknowledged In Truth (1-4)

 

1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; 2 For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. 3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. 4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.

 

“The elder”, Whether it be his first letter, this letter or his third letter, there is no introduction of name given and yet all the ancients regard these three letters to be that of the apostle John.

 

The author refers to himself in both 2ndand 3rdJohn as ‘The Elder’, that does not appear in 1stJohn but those who he writes to he continually refers to endearingly as“my little children”.

 

What we do know of John is that he was the last surviving apostle. These letters and  that of the Revelation of Jesus Christ were penned in the latter part of his life.

 

We know historically that he did not suffer a martyr’s death as all the other apostles.

We know also that he was the youngest of the apostles during the time of his Lord, he was the one identified in scripture as ‘The Beloved Apostle’, the one “whom Jesus loved”.

We know that he suffered tribulation and was exiled to the Isle of Patmos where he wrote The Revelation Of Jesus Christ. Tradition also telling us of his miraculous unscathed deliverance from a vat of hot oil.

 

Historical records also tell of his pastoral role in the Church at Ephesus.

 

So there is no doubt John was an elder, both in office and in age, that he was known respectfully as “The elder” could be extrapolated from these two letters with a degree of comfort.

 

Clearly the penman expected the recipients of the letters to know who “The elder” is.

 

The elder unto the elect lady and her children

 

 

Dispute is had as to whether or not the letter was addressed to a specific ‘lady’ or to the church. Both could be argued for;

We would see the “elect lady” to be the Church, and “her children” to be the its congregation

We know the Church in scripture is always noted in the feminine,

We know she is the bride of Christ

We know she is elect and chosen

And we also know John refers to the beloved brethren as little children.

And we also see John close his letter in the last verse with “The children of thy elect sister great thee. Amen.” Giving the distinct impression of a salutation from another church.

 

The only problem I see is that the Church is not separate from its congregation, the church is the congregation. The church is not a building that houses a congregation, the congregation IS the Church, spoken both locally and corporately of all born again believers in Christ.

 

As an individual we see that John’s address is always in the singular “thy”, (although that does not exclude the singular local church), and also of his desire to see her “face to face”. Also our first impression in the reading of the letter is usually the right one, first impression in this letter is the ‘lady’ is a person.

 

But if John addresses the “elect lady” as a person singular, he does so as both a witness to her being born again (Elect) and also a leading woman held in high esteem, the word ‘lady’ represents in an esteemed woman similar to what the word ‘lord’ represents in an estee

1st John Survey

That your Joy May Be Full

 

The 1st John Survey demonstrates three purpose statements given in Johns first epistle, the first is the overall reason for the writing of the letter, that your joy may be full. The second effects that same joy, written that you sin not, and the last solidifies the wonderful joy becoming full, and that is that you know you have eternal life.

These Things Are Written That Your Joy May Be Full

 

1 John 1:1-4

 

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

 

There is a certainty in the writing of this epistle of 1stJohn that is not found with such declaration elsewhere in the New Testament. That is not to say that those things written therein are not certain, indeed they are absolutes that are eternally dependable, but it is to say that none have the declarative certainty as 1stJohn has.

I will explain in two evidences;

 

Is found here in this passage;

 

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

I find myself often overwhelmed by such a passage as this. John was there.

I am reading a first-hand account of a man who lived and walked and talked, who had seen with his eyes, who had looked upon Christ, who’s hands have handled him, to whom God had manifested the Saviour and Lord, his Son, the Lord of Lords and king of Kings.

 

I am reading a letter written by one who can bear perfect witness and testimony of Christ. One who was there.

 

3That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

 

The second evidence of the declarative certainty of this epistle is found in the numerous times John uses the phrase “We know” or “We do know”.

 

This is vital, for you cannot know only what it is you think is true, or what is the opinion of others, or what is a best guess, you can only know what you know. There are not many who can do this.

 

The Great Philosopher of the Secular world named Socrates was famous for declaring that the only thing he truly knows is that there is nothing he truly knows. He came to understand that the more he learns the more he realises how much more he has to learn and how little he did know for certain. But this is not the case in Johns Epistle.

 

I have often asked a question of my employees to which they respond “I think….” And I follow that up by asking “do you think or do you know?”. It’s a question I have asked of sales reps or of even my own clients for a technical detail. The reason I ask in such a way is I need certainty, big decisions need to be made and they cannot be made based on a supposition or a guess or an opinion, the decisions need to be based on a fact, something that is known!

 

The apostle John uses the Phrase “we know” no less that 12 times in this letter, that is quite frequent when you consider it is used only 52 times in the entire Bible. What is more interesting is that it seems to be Johns nature, the Gospel of John uses the phrase sixteen times. So, between John’s gospel and 1stJohn the phrase appears 28 out of 52 times in the Bible, more than half.

 

This is