12th January 2024

12th January 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read - (1 John 3:11-15 focus v14-15)


Message (Alan Burke)


The matter of assurance before the Lord is one that I have known many brothers and sisters to struggle with. The evidence of their faith has been clear but for whatever reason in that moment they are filled with doubt over their eternal destiny. The reasons vary, sometimes it comes at the beginning of the individuals walk with the Lord and others near the end. That may be you today as you read this devotion, if not it may be you in the future although I pray not. Here though John tells us how we can have assurance not some religious experience in the wee hall but because we love, we can have assurance in our lives because we have loved our brothers and sisters. Again what is meant by brothers is not in a biological sense, I have no brothers biologically, so this isn’t talking about those who are our brothers in Christ.


Now John’s not saying that your salvation is dependant on works, that certain conditions need to be fulfilled, rather if you, you are desiring to walk in the light, and you are trying to obey his commandments, this is the characteristic of the knowledge of God and that it is seen in the love you have for your bothers and sisters, your fellow believers here in this place, it is not a condition of salvation, it is not a means of earning God’s favour, rather if we love God it is tangibly evidenced in our lives in how we love one another. If you are trying to do these things then you are a child of God.


The church should be filled with those who love God and who love each other our brothers and sisters, if we truly love God this will be evident in our lives, evident among us, it will be evident in what we do and say. If we in the past have done those things, or are doing them right now, been people who have fallen out over trivial matters, gurning, complaining, gossiping, pretending, writing anonymous letters, showing discontent, always wanting to get that dig in, what ever it is then repent, confess your sin to God, make amends to that person who have hurt, if you are a child of God you will seek to love, to live for him.


If we are the children of God it should be seen in how we live, if we are the children of the devil then it will also be seen, we must in our lives show our love of God in how we love one another. We must show then in our lives, that we know God in how we love our brothers and sisters. The test of the genuineness of faith is not on that experiential moment, that religious experience that one has had, when we put our hand up at a meeting, or how exiting and exhilarating that we found sining those twenty songs when we went to that other church, the ultimate proof is in the daily, detailed, disciplined obedience as in our love for God seek to obey him and he transforms us more into his image as we walk in his light. 


Anyone though who hates his bother, his sister is a murderer and there is no eternal life in him (15). I do not know your heart this day but are you harbouring hate? While you may never have killed anyone like Cain but if you are harbouring hate and not love then you need to get that sorted. For the believer there are times that you may feel hatred towards your brothers and sister but you will repent, love will then be the thing that defines your relationships, not hate, not grudges, not hating those who are believers, you should hold no records of wrongs, you should seek the Lord and ask him to transform your heart if you are struggling with a brother or sister. While their actions may have we feel justified our hatred towards them we are the people of God and we are to love, it is the love that gives us assurance that we are the children of God, without love we can have no assurance.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience?
The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience, was the moral law. (Rom. 2:14–15, Rom. 10:5)
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