Prayer: Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. (Psalms 95:1-7).
Main Scripture:
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother (1 John 3:7-10).
Associated Scriptures:
To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good (Titus 1:15-16).
We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation (Hebrews 2:1-3)?
If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you (Psalms 81:13-16).
Correlative Quotes:
From the design and office of the Lord Christ against the devil: For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil, v. 8. The devil has designed and endeavored to ruin the work of God in this world. The Son of God has undertaken the holy war against him. He came into our world, and was manifested in our flesh, that he might conquer him and dissolve his works. Sin will he loosen and dissolve more and more, till he has quite destroyed it. Let not us serve or indulge what the Son of God came to destroy.[1]- Matthew Henry
We do not presumptuously and habitually yield to known sin (1 John 3:9). The apostle is not speaking of some isolated act into which a man may fall under unexpected temptation, but of habitual courses of inconsistency and wrongdoing. Test yourselves, therefore, whether you are indeed born again.[2] – F. B. Meyer
A creature revolting against a creator is revolting against the source of his own powers--including even his power to revolt. It is like the scent of a flower trying to destroy the flower.[3] – C. S. Lewis
Study:
Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV) tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” This is the way we are born. When a child is born, they look so sweet and innocent. I have heard it said that, “There is no such thing as an ugly baby.” However, it doesn’t take long until their rebellious nature begins to rear its ugly head. A child’s first words are usually “mama” and “dada” but not long after comes “no” and “mine.”
How many times have we seen or even experienced a child throwing a temper tantrum while in public? It’s not a pretty sight. The temper tantrum is only symptomatic of the sin nature and the child’s resistance to any type of authority. Temper tantrums are a form of rebellion. The child is rebelling against the parent who has told them that they can’t have or do something that they feel they should be allowed to have or do. Even though psychology would have us believe that these emotional outbursts are normal and even productive in forming the child’s identity,[4] it sure doesn’t seem like it at the time.
Temper tantrums are not a learned behavior but are a result of the nature of the child and are a form of rebellion against its parents who represent authority. God is the universal authority figure. Rebellion against God is a result of the person’s sin nature (Romans 3:23, Galatians 5:17). When we sin, we say that we want to be independent of God and be in control of our own lives. When we rebel, we rob ourselves of the great blessings that God has in store for us. When we confess, we reinstate our relationship with Him and experience that peace that cannot come from the world.
Our sin, as Christians, is different from the rebellion that nonbelievers’ practice. Since unbelievers are bound by their sin nature, they sin or rebel against God continually. Their actions are self-serving instead of God-serving. Their actions are motivated by seeking their own gratification and glory rather than the rewarding experience of being able to give all the glory to God.
Unbelievers also have a god. Their god is Satan, the father of disobedience. When those who do not believe in God and have not put their faith in Him act, their actions are in obedience to their father the devil (John 8:43-44). It is that rebellion against God that separates believers from unbelievers. Since the seed of righteousness has been sown in us who believe we cannot practice ongoing rebellion against God. Unbelievers have no other choice.
Summary Statement:
We are told in this section of scripture that we should not be beguiled by the temptations of the flesh. Realize that only righteous actions will produce righteousness in the believer. When we are doing righteous actions, God sees us as being righteous. Jesus is our example. In reading His Word and listening to the Spirit we will wall in His steps.
On the other hand, the person who lives consistently in sin is not of God, but of his father the devil. This includes those who never set a foot in a place of worship to those who attend services regularly. Going to church and following along with religious rites does not mean that we are born again. These people are fools (Jeremiah 4:22). Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.” How can we commit sin, when in the eyes of God, we are conformed to His nature and will? Our father sees us as perfect in spirit but lacking in the flesh.
Lesson within the Lesson:
What is the sin nature and how does it impact unbelievers and their relationship to God?
How does our sin nature influence the decisions we make?
Read Romans 7:21-15. What is the battle that Christians face?
How is that battle resolved?
[1] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (Unabridged), Ibid, P. 1550.
[2] Fredrick Brotherton Meyer, Our Daily Homily, Ibid, P. 233.
[3] C. S. Lewis, A Preface to Paradise Lost, Christianquotes.ochristian.com/ Rebellion-Quotes/.
[4] Adapted from, nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001922.htm
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