A Daily Walk

Guest (Male): Pastor John Randall starts us off today with this question: What are you known for?

John Randall: If we were to ask one of your friends, your spouse, your associates, your coworkers, your classmates, what are you known for? What would they say? What would be the response? How would they describe you? What do you want to be known for?

Here, Jesus says, and John highlights for us, that a true believer is called to imitate the Lord, to obey the command of the Lord, to love, to walk in light instead of darkness. Not just to say I walk in light, but to actually walk in light.

Guest (Male): It is easy to get discouraged about all the things taking place in our world today. When we start to think things couldn't possibly get worse, it does. But today on A Daily Walk, we'd like to show you there's good reason to be thankful in the midst of it all. You see, if you're a Christian, you are blessed. Pastor John Randall will point out some awesome blessings that we've been given, and they are amazing, let me tell you. We're in 1 John chapter 2.

John Randall: When you come to Jesus, when you become a Christian, several things take place in your life, and the Bible describes them. First of all, in Colossians 1:13, it says this: "He, that is Jesus, has delivered us, literally rescued us, from the power of darkness and then conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love."

So when you get saved, you're taken out of darkness, that kingdom that you were a captive in, brought into a new kingdom of the Son of His love and light. We emerge from darkness by the grace of God into this kingdom of light and love. And then according to Romans 5:5, what happens when I come from darkness to light? Listen to this. Romans five, it says, "The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

So I'm taken out of darkness, all the emptiness and all the misery of that life of sin. Forgiven, taken out of that, coming into the kingdom of light and love, and He pours into my life His love through the work of the Holy Spirit. I am filled with, I don't even know why you're loving people. I don't know. Something has happened to me.

The Holy Spirit has taken up residence in the believer's life, and as the Spirit of God begins to do His work, folks, it produces a spiritual fruit. And what is that fruit? Galatians 5:22, you know it. The fruit of the Spirit is what?

Love. That was great. I felt it right here. It's love. The bottom line is if we are really truly in light, there will be God's love. If we love others, we're not going to stumble walking around. We're going to know where we are because we're walking in light as He is in the light. On the other hand, if we're filled with hate, bitterness, unforgiveness, there is signs of darkness.

You think, well, that's great. Thank you for that. Wait, there is more. There is more. Jesus does something. He takes the quality of love even further when He encouraged His disciples to love their enemies. Where does it say that? Let me show you where it says this. Luke 6:27. "I say to you who hear, that is the question, do you hear? Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you and pray for those who spitefully use you."

Just pause there. That's in the Bible. It's in the scriptures. To be His disciple, to follow His example, is to love one's enemies, to do good, to bless, to pray. And then He says in Luke 6:32, same passage of scripture, "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them." Loving people who love you, big whoop. Anybody could do that. That's easy. But talk about loving people that hate you. That's a challenge. Talk about praying for people who spitefully use you. I've prayed some prayers for people. They weren't loving prayers, but I've prayed. But He's saying pray for them who spitefully use you.

Loving people who love you is one thing, but loving your enemies, that's something entirely different. This concept, by the way, was foreign to the hearers at that time because the Jews were taught to love only Jews and to despise Gentiles. They were instructed to accept, to embrace their own heritage while disdaining others. Thus, they developed a sense of ethnic superiority, believing that it was right to hate other nations.

And this was advocated by their own religious establishment. In some of their religious systems, they actually considered it a sin to love your enemy. But it was a right that you were given to hate them. So imagine this: the Pharisees, the scribes, the religious leaders of the day gathered there, and Jesus steps up and contradicts everything that they had been teaching when He said, "But I say to you, you've heard that it's been said you should hate your enemies, but I say to you, as the authority, love your enemies."

That statement would have been considered immoral, ungodly, not right. That's offensive. Because they tied their spiritual virtue to their hatred. In fact, the Pharisees in what is called the Maxims of the Pharisee stated, "If a Jew sees a Gentile fallen into the sea, let him by no means lift him out of there, for it is written, thou shalt not rise up against the blood of thy neighbor, but this man is not thy neighbor." Why? Because he's a Gentile. Let him drown.

It's a sin to lift him out of the water. Don't rescue a Gentile. This had become a point of their virtue. In fact, some of the Roman writers actually accused the Jews of hating the human race. Sadly, there are some places even today where this mentality is still prevalent. You see people hating others for color or race. There's no place for that in the kingdom of God. This deep-seated disdain for other colors and races is as old as humanity itself.

But if we are to be disciples, true followers of Jesus, regardless of what the culture says, we must be governed by the law of God's love. Are you governed by the law of God's love? Jesus not only commanded this, He modeled it. He loved His enemies. He even went and died for His enemies. That's how deep this love truly goes.

What are you known for? If we were to ask one of your friends, your spouse, your associates, your coworkers, your classmates, what are you known for? What would they say? What would be the response? How would they describe you? What do you want to be known for? Here Jesus says, and John highlights for us, that a true believer is called to imitate the Lord, to obey the command of the Lord, to love, to walk in light instead of darkness.

Not just to say I walk in light, but to actually walk in light. And then in verses 12 through 14, John now provides his readers with comforting reassurance of growth. He said, "I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name's sake. And I write to you, fathers, because you've known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one."

"I write to you, little children, because you've known the Father. And I've written to you, fathers, because you've known Him who is from the beginning. And I've written to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one." Notice that John views the believers as a family of faith, and within the family, there are different members at various stages of growth and maturity.

He says there's little children, there's young people, young men, and there are fathers. Many people have viewed this as a designation of physical or chronological age. Others interpret these verses as referring to stages of spiritual growth and development. I think both applications could be made. As a believer, you mature over time. The longer you walk with the Lord, you continue to grow. And the church, thankfully, is comprised of all different ages.

I look around this room and I see that it is so, and I'm not going to classify, but we know who we are. It's all different age groups, all different people, and that's the beauty of the church. I want to just say, this is a little side note, I think the church makes a mistake when it seeks to target only a particular audience. We're just really trying to reach the. Listen, the body of Christ is diverse. When Paul wrote to Timothy, he said to the young men, this is how you treat them. To the young women, to the older women, to the older men. It's the entire scope and sphere of the body of Christ.

I love for me personally to look out this morning and see side by side, to me that is all different ages, all different categories. That's the beauty of the body of Christ. That's how it should be. The word of God affects all different ages. It was amazing to me even this last weekend as we were gathered together, and by the way, just give God all the glory and all the praise for what He did last weekend on Easter Sunday. Can you believe it was just a Sunday ago?

But this is what always amazes me is that when the invitation is given to respond to the Gospel, who comes forward? From my perspective, and maybe depending on where you were sitting, it was amazing to me to see from children to middle to older to all different age groups. The body of Christ is so diverse, and that's what makes it beautiful and a blessing. So you have young men, young children, fathers.

The apostle John, with a very grandfatherly concern for the church, he reassures the believers of the blessings that they have received. And first of all, in a writing to the little children, he says, "I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name's sake." That may sound basic and elementary to some, but never forget the blessing of knowing that your sins are forgiven.

When you first get saved, the Bible says you're like a brand new baby. You're like you're brand new. You just came to Christ. Oh my goodness, look at this. That baby is brand new in the Lord. This is so great. You don't know a lot. You know my sins are forgiven. I know that. Hey, what do you know? This is what I know. I know that Jesus died for me and He forgave my sins and I'm going to heaven. That is what I know.

Don't ever forget that. That is the most important thing. Never forget that your sins, my sins, are forgiven as far as the east is from the west because the blood of Christ has been shed. Our sins are forgiven. Friend, I hope today that you know that your sins have been forgiven. You don't have to live under the weight and the guilt of your sin because Jesus paid for it. And so you are forgiven. Know that today. Some people struggle with that. They have a hard time understanding they're forgiven. I don't feel forgiven. You might not feel it, but it's a fact. You have been forgiven. So I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven. Don't ever forget that.

But then he says this: "I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning." The literal translation is "I'm writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning through your experience. As a result, you are possessors of that knowledge." Some of you here today, you've been walking with the Lord a long time, decades.

You remember when you got saved, but you're still been walking with the Lord and you have this maturity in your walk with the Lord that makes you humble, that makes you aware still of your need for Jesus. But I write to you, fathers, because you've known Him who is from the beginning. You've known the Lord when you got saved. You still know the Lord now, and there's so much that's happened in between. You've matured in your walk with the Lord. You've fed on the word of God. You've grown, and you've known the Lord and you still are walking with the Lord.

It's such a blessing when you run into people who have been walking with the Lord for years and they're still walking. The opposite is also true when you find somebody who knew the Lord and is no longer walking. That hurts. That stings. But the person who knows the Lord, just has a relationship with the Lord, still growing, still in the word, still reading, still in fellowship, still serving. The fathers, the older believers, the more mature believers.

And then he writes to another group, the young men. "I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the devil. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one." In other words, the literal is, "I'm writing to you, young men, because you have gained victory over the evil one, and as a present result, you are victorious over him." There's a difference when you go from being brand new in the Lord, my sins are forgiven, to actually being engaged in spiritual warfare in the battle itself.

And you are now mature and strong because you have been in the word to be able to actually overcome the devil. You're actually able to overcome the flesh and you're able to overcome temptation. You have more victories than losses now. And God is doing a work in your life. You're just maturing and you're in the battle. That's important to understand that there is power to overcome the wicked one. Too many people give too much time to the devil. Right now the devil is all, the devil this, the devil that, the devil this. Stop talking about the devil. Start talking about Jesus. There's the power in the name of Jesus overcomes the evil one.

Speak the name of Jesus. Let it be upon your lips. So the blessings that John is reassuring: the forgiveness of sin, a relationship with God, power to overcome the devil. What other blessings are ours? He says, "I write to you, little children, because you've known the Father." What do little children know? In your spiritual newness, you realize my sins are forgiven and I know who my daddy is.

I know who my father is. Isn't it a wonderful day when your children know when they say who their dad is and they say it? You always want it to be the first word when mom's not around. Daddy. Hey, babe, what's going on? Mama, mama. It's usually mama, but when it says daddy, oh, there's nothing like it, right? I could be in a crowd and one of my kids, there would be a bunch of kids crying and one would say daddy, that one's mine. I know that voice, and he knows me. They know you.

It's interesting to watch my grandson now. He knows who his dad is, and there's times when I want to do something, he says, "No, daddy." Okay, that's fine. No problem. That's fine. It's cool. I'll wait till he's not around. But it's always daddy. Suddenly I'm popular when he's not around after his grandma, of course. But they know who their father is.

And as a new believer, you've got to know who your Father is. And friends, listen, do you know your Heavenly Father? Jesus said, "When you pray, pray 'Our Father,'" which means that you are a child of God. And as a child of God, there are so many blessings that are yours. We've been adopted into His family. He wanted us, He wanted you. And so as a child of God with a Heavenly Father, Romans 8:17 says this: "If we are children, then that means we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory."

According to this passage of scripture, we are because of our relationship to Christ. We are children of God, we are co-heirs, joint heirs with Christ. By the way, make sure that you understand the word heir. It's not error. I'm not the error. No, heir. You're an heir. There's a big difference between those words, and hopefully, you know that. You're an heir, which means, listen, you have an inheritance.

God has made us children, His children. We have full rights to receive His inheritance. We are beneficiaries. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. He's the natural heir, obviously, of the Father. God said to Him, "Today you are my Son, today I have become your Father," there in Hebrews 1:5. Christ's inheritance encompasses the entire universe, all that exists.

Hebrews 1:2 states that the Son has been appointed heir of all things. And if we are a co-heir with Christ, it means that we, as God's adopted children, will share in the inheritance that belongs to Jesus. What belongs to Jesus will ultimately belong to us. Christ will give us, the Bible says, His glory, His riches, all things. We are as welcome in God's family as Jesus because the Bible says in Ephesians 1:6, we are accepted in the Beloved.

Do you understand that? Do you know what that means? Do you know who your Father is? Do you know what is provided for you? Are you looking for just the temporary treasures of this world? Oh, that's going to fade. But the things that are eternal, the things that never fade away, all that belongs to Him. He said, "I will share with you for all of eternity." We're no longer slaves, but children of God. And since children, Galatians 4:7 says He has made us heirs. An eternal inheritance as co-heirs with Christ. All the result of the amazing grace of God.

So what do you have? What can you be reassured of today? Forgiveness of sin, a relationship with God, power to overcome the devil, an inheritance reserved because of your Heavenly Father. And finally, we have the Word of God. Look at verse 14 as we wrap this up. John says, "I've written to you, young men, because you're strong and the Word of God abides in you and you've overcome the wicked one."

The blessing of having the Word of God within your heart dwelling, abiding in God's Word, it makes you spiritually strong. It empowers you to endure, to overcome the attacks of the enemy. How did Jesus overcome the attacks of the enemy? He used the Word of God. He said three times, "It is written," and he quoted scripture. The Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, the offensive weapon, when it is understood and embraced and memorized and lived out, you have power to overcome the Word of God.

I realize the longer that I walk with the Lord and continue to see the direction of the world and the way that it is going, I understand how much I truly need God's Word in my life. There are many things I could live without. God's Word is not one of them. It is more necessary than my food. It's more important to me than anything else that there is. God's Word leads us to salvation. God's Word guides and directs our steps. God's Word provides wisdom that we need. It alleviates and lifts the burden. It brings joy. It provides peace. The Word of God, how important it is.

For the true believer, for the person that is walking in light, the person that knows the Lord, what you will find is that they will seek to imitate Christ. I just want to be more like Jesus. You'll also find that they will seek to obey the commandment of the Lord in love, loving. You'll also discover that a true believer is going to seek to walk in light, not in darkness, not in shadows, but in light. And you'll also find that this true believer will be comforted and reassured in knowing all that they have available to them through the Lord, which includes the forgiveness of sins and the relationship with God, power to overcome the devil, knowing who your Heavenly Father is and having access to and treasuring the value of the Word of God in their life. That is how you know that you know you belong to Him. And friend, I pray today that you have that assurance that you are a child of God.

Guest (Male): We're going through the New Testament here on A Daily Walk with our pastor and teacher John Randall. If you miss any part of the journey or would just like to hear a message again, visit adailywalk.org or look for A Daily Walk wherever you get your podcasts and at oneplace.com. One more option is our church app. Check out the Calvary South OC church app in your favorite app store.

Pastor John has just come out with a new book titled The Other Side of Sunday. In it, he offers an honest look at the joys, pressures, prayers, and personal costs of pastoral ministry that often go unseen from the other side of the pulpit. Through heartfelt stories, humor, biblical wisdom, and years of shepherding experience, Pastor John invites the reader into the moments that shape a pastor long after the service ends.

We're making it available to our A Daily Walk listeners for the cost of just $15. May we request an extra copy to give to your pastor? Ordering is easy online at adailywalk.org or call us at 877-242-0828. Again, 877-242-0828 and adailywalk.org. Please remember when you support A Daily Walk, you're helping people all over the world have access to the truth of God's Word. Lives are being impacted and people are growing in their daily walk as a result. So thank you for helping us reach out over the radio.

Again, make a donation online safely and securely at adailywalk.org or call us at 877-242-0828. In these difficult days, it is so important that we be praying for one another. So please send in your prayer requests today. We'd love to hear from you. Our email address is adailywalk@gmail.com. That's adailywalk@gmail.com. Well, that's all the time we have for today, but we'll continue through the Bible with John Randall next time. This has been A Daily Walk where you'll never have to walk alone.

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