March 16 – 1 John 2: 18-29
Lesson: He Teaches
Dear Lord, bless our time with you today. Meet us where we are at, guide our minds, and hold our hearts as we search for Your truth.
First, do your own quiet time with God and 4R journaling. When you are complete, come back here for the lesson.
Request Gods’ help
Read John 2: 18-29
Record a verse that stands out to you
Respond to God
How do we learn about God? Teachers, pastors, spiritual leaders, seasoned Christ followers? Yup. But what if we didn’t have those people in our life. Would we be lost forever, never to know our Father God? Are we doomed to death and eternal separation from Him?
Absolutely not! God sent the Holy Spirit to teach!!! We don’t learn from people because they are the knowledge creators and givers, we learn from them because the Holy Spirit is working through them. And so, if the people are removed from the equation we are left wiiitthhh…. Yes! The Spirit!
Oh, praise our Father that He doesn’t leave us with no way to know and discover Him!!! There are not enough exclamation marks for this! God sent the Spirit to God’s people to teach, to give understanding and comprehension to what God is showing us. Even if left without teachers of truth, we’d still be taught the truth. Why? The Holy Trinity. In your own time, or now, take a look at the following passages that speak to this:
- 2 Chronicles 15:3; Jeremiah 10:10; John 17:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:9 – God IS truth!
- John 14:6 – Jesus IS truth!
- 1 John 5:6; John 15:26, 16:13 – Holy Spirit IS truth!
Thus, we can never be without the truth once it is revealed to us.
Let’s take a quick look at Jesus’ disciples for a moment.
John 13: 31-38, “When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”
Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.
Clearly, the disciples were not understanding. But then in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit comes upon them, fills them, and then Peter, the same Peter(!!!), went out to explain it to the crowd and preach!! I mean, what?! Talk about transformation! The Holy Spirit taught Him and through him Truth was proclaimed.
Is that all? Nope, it’s not just to teach us about God Himself, but to teach us how to guard against deception. True believers have a built in lie detector, the Spirit of perseverance in the truth! Way cool, right?! John 14:26 tells us that the Spirit not just teaches us, but reminds us of what God has said. This remembering will help guard us against those who come to deceive, whether intentionally or unintentionally. John Calvin once commented, “The spirit that introduces any doctrine or invention apart from the Gospel is a deceiving spirit, and not the Spirit of Christ.”
What a joyful thought to know that we have access to the truth even without humans to teach us, and yet what a tall task to be watching for deceiving spirit’s. But, remember: you are not alone. The Spirit of Truth resides in you and teaches you so that you can be on guard for those that may come to seek and destroy. Be watchful of the deceiving ones, be in constant prayer with the one who sets hedges of protection around you. And walk confidently in the knowledge that God has given you a teacher who will never leave you defenseless
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise You for You are the Truth, You are the way, and You are the life. We thank You for giving us Your Spirit so that we know the truth, that we can know You better.
(Further reading: Acts 15:28; Acts 3:14; Luke 4:34; Psalm 119)
What’s next?
As the Spirit leads, in the comment section below, share what He has laid on your heart.
Then join us again tomorrow to learn about the ministry of providing spiritual character.
1 Comment. Leave new
My verse: “But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.” 1 John 2:27
I don’t ever want to be separated from You! You are the One who grounds me, helps me, makes me whole. Apart from You I can do nothing. Keep me close, dear Lord, abiding in You all my life here and then in eternity forever.