| How many of us are where we are today because | | | | belong - the family of God. We are taken out of and |
| someone has prayed for us? We have been brought | | | | removed from the rat race. If we win the rat race we |
| to salvation and to fellowship and service because of | | | | just become number one rat. |
| someone's precious prayer. Who are you praying for? | | | | John, what are you saying now? The whole world is |
| Keep on praying. Never give in. Never give in. | | | | lying in the evil one's hands - under the control of Satan |
| Remember Jesus saying to Simon Peter, "Simon, I | | | | - not lying in his open hands - relaxed and at rest - but |
| have prayed for you." That did not prevent him from | | | | in his grip! O to get out of that, and into the Hands of |
| sinning, but he was forgiven and loved and restored | | | | Jesus Christ - into the Hands of God. |
| and emerged as that dynamic leader. | | | | Education - science - politics - finance - marketing - are |
| When we see someone erring, the Biblical teaching is, | | | | all in the grip of the evil one according to the Scriptures. |
| to go straight to God, and seek to pray them back. | | | | Nobody can put things right. He is destroying, and he |
| Another thing we learn here in these concluding | | | | particularly wants to destroy what God has done, but |
| sentences of John's first letter, is that in the believer, | | | | he cannot, and will not. |
| continuing sin and continuous sin is avoided and | | | | John now writes these concluding words - verse 20 - |
| avoidable. Verse 18 is a strong statement. | | | | the world inside us is being put straight. Jesus is |
| This does not mean what has been called 'sinless | | | | straightening out what was crooked. We KNOW |
| perfection' but whoever is born of God does not go | | | | where we are going and we SEE something of what |
| on sinning! He may fall into sin. He may sin, but he is | | | | is happening. The enemy no longer has a grip upon us. |
| able to get up out of it. He may fall and make | | | | We are in the hands of Jesus Christ. Verse 20 - God |
| mistakes, but he'll pick himself up and not want to walk | | | | has given us spiritual insight and understanding. What |
| in that way again. John says that this is proof that we | | | | we KNOW of God is real, because He has revealed it, |
| are born of God. | | | | and it is true. |
| The new birth leads to, or should lead to, new | | | | Men have ideas, but John says, we KNOW, and that is |
| behaviour, perhaps not immediately, but certainly as the | | | | one reason why he closes by saying that we should |
| believer matures. Christ Jesus keeps you safe. Keep is | | | | have nothing to do with the delusions of the evil one. |
| the word for a castle - to castle you safe. You may | | | | Beloved, keep yourselves from idols. They give us |
| be attacked, even from within, but you will be kept | | | | false ideas of God and wrong ideas of God. When |
| safe. | | | | we love God and when KNOW that God loves us, we |
| In Psalm 121, we read that the Lord is my Keeper. We | | | | do not need an idol or a graven image. Idols |
| are in His hands, and we cannot fall out. No one shall | | | | misrepresent God. Jesus Christ represents God fully |
| pluck them from my hands, John writes in his gospel. | | | | and accurately. |
| And, the evil one does not touch him. The wicked one | | | | Men always want to worship and that is why men |
| should be unable to cling to him. TOUCH is the word | | | | need idols. Jesus represents Almighty God and this |
| cling, like Mary in the garden. Do not cling to ME. Do not | | | | leads to true and acceptable worship. |
| hold on to ME. The evil one cannot cling to me. The evil | | | | This is a most powerful and tender and sensitive letter, |
| one cannot hang on to me. He cannot hold on to you! | | | | and it became part of the authoritative and authentic |
| Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd has a rod, like a cosh, | | | | Word of God. |
| and a staff, like a pole, and if the wolf attempts to | | | | John is saying to us, "Do not let anything or anyone |
| seize the sheep, He puts the staff around the sheep's | | | | take the place of God in your life. Remain with God |
| neck to keep it from running off, and He uses the cosh | | | | the Father, the God and Father of our Saviour, the |
| to wound the wolf. | | | | Lord Jesus Christ". |
| When the evil one tries to touch me, Jesus will hold on | | | | The world can say at times, "Oh, your guess is as |
| to me, and He will use that rod or truncheon to wound | | | | good as mine!" NO! WE KNOW! |
| the wolf. | | | | Check the text of the Scriptures because therein can |
| The third thing John wants us to know is to whom we | | | | lie a very special reward. |