INTERPRETING THE SCRIPTURES BACKWARDS PRODUCES A MESSAGE THAT IS BACKWARDS.
Beginning tomorrow I will be starting to preach and teach through the whole Bible beginning in the book of Genesis. As I study this morning I am reminded why I am starting in Genesis. I have noticed over the years two things wrong with much preaching that we find in the modern church world. First, a felt needs preaching style approach to preaching. There is nothing sinful about this approach, however I have many reasons why I do not like this approach of which I will not lay out before you in this post. The second thing that I have noticed that happens most often (not always) is that most Bible teaching/preaching is in a style that teaches the scriptures backwards. Most Bible teaching/preaching I have found begins in the New Testament (NT) and then they go back to the Old Testament (OT) to understand its meaning. I will say that both testaments need each other and compliment each other. However I have noticed that reading the Bible in a backward approach of NT first before OT leads to a lot of error and misunderstandings of the scripture. By doing this approach a person tends to ignore the plain cultural meaning of the text. I could give at least three doctrinal errors that occur by studying the Bible in this way. I have heard all of my life people (including myself) taking things that Paul says or what a NT passage says and using it to contradict or change what Moses or the prophets gave as clear instructions to God’s people. I maintain that if we come to such a conclusion that leads us in a situation where we pin the right side of the Bible against the left thereby cancelling things written in Moses or the prophets then we have not understood the NT correctly and are in need of further study. Why do I say that? Why do I place such a new emphasis on Moses and the prophets in my ministry now? Because what Moses and the prophets wrote is THE FOUNDATION OF what the apostles and NT writers wrote. For example, when you read the book of Acts, you see that, historically, the followers of Jesus did not simply accept whatever new teaching they heard. They could not have tested established revelation(the OT), which they knew to be true, by a new revelation(NT) which they did not know to be true. The three sections of the OT were already accepted and established as God’s holy everlasting word. God had already commanded and Jesus confirmed in his ministry that a new teaching or claim of messiah-ship was to be tested against what God had already revealed-not the other way around. INTERPRETING THE SCRIPTURES BACKWARDS PRODUCES A MESSAGE THAT IS BACKWARDS. Those first century believers in Jesus as the messiah could not and did not justify the teaching of the NT by quoting the NT. They did not use the NT to validate itself. Historically the early followers of Jesus did not accept whatever new teaching they heard. They tested what they had heard against what God had already revealed in the OT which was their scriptures and foundation of beliefs. Where do we find this? Many places but one of my favorites is in Acts 17. To be specific, we find this in Acts 17 verses 3 and 11. The Bereans took what Paul said and TESTED it according to the OT scriptures to see if Paul was teaching truth. The new had to be measured by the true, not the other way around. So once again reading and teaching the scriptures in a backwards fashion produces a message that is backwards. This is why I will be starting my Bible preaching ministry at Bible Truth Church with Bible exposition that begins at the beginning of the Bible, the book of Genesis. Let me make a few things clear. The whole OT and the whole NT is the infallible word of the Lord. Please do not take this post and say that I am saying other wise. I am only saying that doctrinal errors happen when we do not understand the front of the Bible before the back of the Bible. I am also suggesting that the OT is the foundation of the NT and that the writers of the NT would have never taught anything different than what Moses and the Prophets said of which I could give you several verses that teach this plainly in the NT. I am also not saying that preaching a topical sermon is wrong or that preaching through NT books are wrong. I am simply saying that caution needs to be given when we try teaching the NT when we do not have a good grasp of the foundation of the NT, which is the old. THE DICTIONARY OF THE NT IS THE OT. I personally feel the need to take folks through a Bible exposition of the OT and move from there to the NT. I know most churches do it the other way around, and that is fine, however I feel that the BEST WAY to read the scriptures and teach the scriptures is in the way that God wrote it, from the beginning to the end. When done this way we see the unity of the scriptures like never before! I will be posting all of my sermons through Genesis on this website. I hope that these sermons will be a blessing to you and will help you grow in your understanding of the eternal word of God.
God bless, Brady C. Crum
What is new with Brady Crum Ministries
Hello my dear friends,
I want to take this time to give you an update concerning Brady Crum Ministries. It has been a while since I have done a blog. I have been on a sabbatical and have taken time away from the ministry which was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and yet has been the greatest thing that I have ever done. Most of you reading this know me as Pastor Brady or Brother Brady. I do still have a pastor’s heart and would love to be your brother in the Lord after you read this post. I have been in ministry for 10 years. I spent 5 years at Bethel Church in Festus Missouri and I spent 4 years as the Assistant Pastor at the First Free Will Baptist Church of De Soto. I have taken the last year off from public ministry. I have been so blessed to have been in those ministry positions and have met some of the most dearest people in my life during that time. I am currently starting a church in the Bonne Terre area and beginning next weekend will be back in public ministry which thrills my soul. However, after taking off for a little over a year I have been able to take a much needed journey on the road of life with my Lord. I have grown in my relationship with the Lord in ways that I would have never done so had I not taken the needed time off to focus on my relationship with the Lord and what he wanted in my life. Even tho I took off a year in public ministry, I have never lost the desire to win souls to the Lord Jesus Christ and to disciple them in the word of God. I have never also lost my desire to shepherd a group of God’s people in a closer walk with him. That is why I am excited to pursue that calling the rest of my life even tho it looks differently than it once did in my mind. Since leaving full time ministry a year ago I have had plenty of time to just talk with my Lord and to study his word as to what he wants out of my life. It has been enriching and yet very humbling. Sometimes it is our pride that keeps us from growing with the Lord. When we always think everything is fine or that we have it all figured out, we never grow. There are several reasons as to why I left full time ministry and this post really isn’t about those reasons. This post is about an update and more about who I am now and where do I stand on certain things since leaving the full time ministry. Most of you that know me know that I was a Jehovah’s Witness for almost 10 years of my life and then I got saved and became Pastor for another 10 years. There are some reading this who already know and then there are others who do not know, but I am not a Free Will Baptist pastor anymore. Actually, I am not even a Free Will Baptist anymore. That being said I was not one the first 5 years of my ministry either. I mentioning this does not in anyway mean that I think that Free Will Baptists are not saved Christians or that they are not great people. I have met some of the dearest saints of God in the Free Will Baptist denomination who love the Lord. I know when I was a Free Will Baptist that we did not hold it against anyone if they were a different kind of baptist or if they were Pentecostal. We simply disagreed on some theological issues and that was it. We never questioned if folks loved the Lord by merely being of a different denomination. I in no way want this post to be offensive to any of my Baptist brothers or sisters. I love you all and I know you love the lord. That being said, I have chosen to go a different path and am just trying to serve the Lord the best way I know and see from the Scriptures. This is the third time in my life that I have had to change some of my beliefs based off a honest and further study of the word of God. This is nothing new to me. That being said when I see something different in my studies of the scripture I refuse to deny it and just continue doing what I have always done for the simple reason that it is what I have always done. The best way that I can explain what has happened to me in my walk with the Lord in the last year is found in the book of Acts.We find a passage of scripture in the 18th chapter of the book of Acts concerning a man by the name of Apollos. We will pick it up in Acts 18:24-28.
(Acts 18:24-28) “¶ And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. {25} This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. {26} And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. {27} And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: {28} For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.”
Noticed this man Apollos was mighty in the scriptures and he was instructed in the way of the Lord. However, his knowledge was limited. When Aquila and Priscilla had heard of Apollos and how he was lacking in his understanding of the scriptures they expounded the way of God MORE PERFECTLY. What did Apollos do? Did he use his “mightiness in the scriptures” as a badge of honor and a reason to not change his beliefs or way of life? No he did not. He was humbled enough to see that he was lacking in his understanding of the word of God and he decided to follow God more perfectly. This same experience that Apollos had is what I have experienced in my own walk with the Lord. I have always loved the word of God and have had a pretty good knowledge of the scriptures just like Apollos had. However, there are some things that I was ignorant of and did not know that the scriptures taught. What would I do now? I could deny those things that have been expounded to me from the scriptures and keep doing what I have always done or I could accept the scriptures and what they taught and follow the way of God MORE PERFECTLY. Well I have chosen the latter. Once again this has been a humbling thing for me as I am sure it was for Apollos. That being all said, I believe that I as a Free Will Baptist was serving the Lord the best way I knew how and I still think that my brethren who are baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Methodist, and what ever else denomination are serving the Lord the best way they know how. However, after being shown the way of God more perfectly I must walk in that way. That does not mean that I am more saved than anybody else. We are not saved by obeying God, but by our trust in Jesus Christ as our substitute for our sins on the cross. I want to make that very clear. Some despite me making this very clear might still be tempted to say that I teach a works salvation. I believe that we do not serve the Lord to be saved, but we serve him because we are saved and that sanctification is a process that the Lord desires and is doing thru each and every believer by the Holy Spirit and the believers willingness to yield to it. Now that I have publicly informed all as to me not being a Free Will Baptist anymore I think its fitting to give some explanation as to why not with out fighting with folks about it. I have studied the Free Will Baptist Treatise extensively and there is a item in that doctrinal statement that I can no longer say I believe and hence practice. I know most will disagree with me and that is fine. I will be patient with you as the lord and others have been patient with me. Before I elaborate on this item of disagreement, I want to lay some foundation first. It is so important that a person understands the foundation that I am going to lay in order to understand the rest of this post. The foundation that I am going to lay most will agree with me at first, but its the conclusion of the reader that I worry about. What is that foundation? Its that the WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER! Most would give a hearty amen and a agreement to this until I give more explanation. Let me ask all of my readers a question…..is THE TEN COMMANDMENTS and the Old Testament(OT) apart of the word of the Lord that endures forever? Most would say so and I did for many years until I realized that I really said that but did not show it. The first brick in the foundation is that the word of the Lord endures forever which is the OT and New Testament(NT) in the Bible. The second brick in the foundation of our faith that I want to establish is summarized in 2 rules as follows:
1. There are no contradictions in the Bible
2. If you think you have found a contradiction in the Bible then go back and read rule number 1 again.
I am going to give you three bricks that you need in your foundation that is vital in understanding the word of God.
Brick #1: The Word of God endures forever and never changes
Brick #2: The Word of God never contradicts itself
Brick # 3: The foundation and basis of the right side of your Bible (NT) is the left side of your Bible(OT)
If one really wants to understand the word of God and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ then these three bricks are key to the foundation of following God. Most folks including myself never have any issues with bricks #1 and #2 above. Let me expound more fully on # 3.
There is a great lack in the understanding of the word of God when we read the back of the book before the beginning of the book. The writers of the NT believed the OT was the final authority and would never contradict Moses or the prophets which was the word of God and still is as much as the NT is.
Now that I have laid some bricks in the foundation, I can elaborate more on the item I disagree with in the Free Will Baptist Treatise. In the treatise it has a doctrinal position on the sabbath that states it USED TO BE( does the word of God endure forever or not) the seventh day of the week (Saturday)but is now the first day of the week (Sunday). I after much studying disagree with that statement of faith on the Sabbath. I could go on and on about the reasons why I disagree with that statement but that is for another post. I will be doing much writing and producing audio and video teachings on the subject of the Sabbath in the future. At this moment, I am just giving folks an update on Brady Crum Ministries and where I am at in my walk with the lord. I believe that the 4th commandment in the 10 commandments is still true today and is as much as the word of God now as it was in Exodus 20. I also believe that since the word of God endures forever that what is suitable as food to be eaten by humans and what is not has not changed as Leviticus 11 is as much as the word of God that endures forever as any other portion of holy scripture. The scriptures is not a buffet where we can choose what we like or do not like. It is all the word of God and it endures forever. I also believe that the festivals of the Lord, that is to say his holidays are forever and is as much as the word of God now as it was in Leviticus 23. These are some ways of God that I have had expounded to me more perfectly. Let me say a few things in conclusion.
First, I love my fellow christian friends who disagree with me. I also would love if our friendships do not expire because of our few differences. What are some of them differences based off of the foundation of the eternal word of God? The three areas of my life that has changed as a result of the foundations listed above is as follows:
1. What day I rest and have corporate worship on
2. What foods I eat or don’t eat
3. The holidays that we celebrate
I also do not believe that keeping the Sabbath, eating clean, or celebrating the holidays of the Lord or our obedience to any of God’s word gets or keeps a person saved. All that are born again and are in Christ are just trying to love the Lord and serve him the best they know how as a way to love him back as he as loved us first. Our obedience to God is a manifestation of our love towards him and is not the means to our salvation. I want to make this as clear and loud as possible. I want to ask for the prayers of my brothers and sisters despite your particular denomination or set of beliefs to pray for Bible Truth Church as we will be having our first service next Saturday, November 16th. If you happen to be interested in attending our first service or you have any questions about Brady Crum Ministries you can email me at bcrum1987@gmail.com for further information. God bless!
BIBLE TRUTH STUDY HOUR-1 JOHN
(1 John 1:5) “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
- A) “ this then is the message which we have heard of him”
John uses this phrase once more later in this epistle.
(1 John 3:11) “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”
The most important message concerning God is that he is light and in him is no darkness.
- B) “ That God is”
In this passage it states that God is light, but there are several other things that God is in this epistle.
1 John 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
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God is greater than our heart, meaning his word is more truthful to us more than our heart. Sometimes we don’t even forgive ourselves from our past life when God already has. There is no need to continue to let our heart condemn us in the things that God has forgiven us. ____________________________________________________________________
1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
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These two other things that this epistle refers that God is will be further discussed when we get to those texts. Today I want to focus on the phrase that GOD IS LIGHT!
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- C) “God is light”
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The first thing that I will bring out about this phrase and passage is that God IS LIGHT, NOT that he WAS. He is still on his throne and is forever light and is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I rejoice that God isn’t like all other things that we enjoy, he doesn’t come to an end and he doesn’t change. We can count on his character and nature to always be the way it has been.
Now the scripture says that God is LIGHT.
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This reminds me of what King David says concerning the Lord in Psalms 27. There are many things that David says concerning the Lord in that psalm. David says the Lord is my salvation, my trust, my strength, my life, my confidence, and he says that the Lord is MY LIGHT.
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Not only is God light, but the question is, do you have him as your light for the dark and gloomy days of your life?
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You and I do not know what light is unless we know the Lord, who is light.
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The sun that rises upon us all every day is very bright, but is no match for the one who created it. The Bible refers to God and says he is a sun, and indeed he is and he is illuminating and he sustains life for us even more than the sun does.
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One day when the wicked are destroyed our God will send his son who is also refer to as the SUN of righteousness and he will arise with healing in his wings for those that fear him. What a day that will be to see the real SUN shine in all of his beauty. We have never seen a sun or light like that before. Christ will as the sun of righteousness be so bright on that day of his second advent that the Bible says that he will destroy the wicked with the brightness of his coming!
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God is light to the righteous like David and to all those that walk uprightly before the Lord and yet that same light that is good can be so bright and deadly that the wicked will be killed at Armageddon with the brightness of the sun of righteousness and his light. Much like fire, it can be good for a bomb fire and cooking food but yet disastrous enough to burn a house down.
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God and the Lamb, his son Jesus Christ are so bright that they ARE the light of the city New Jerusalem during the millennium, the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ.
(Revelation 21:23) “And the city( only the city, not the new earth) had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
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One thing that I want to establish is that God is not literally the sun, but is an actual spirit person who created the sun and hence is even brighter than it. WE ought not to think of God as a piece of material like the sun, he is an actual person and you and I are made in his image. Many times the word of God uses material things that God created and associates how he is similar in some ways.
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For example he is referred to as a sun, light, door, shield, lion etc.… but this does no more away of his being an actual person than you and I being persons when in scripture we are referenced to as salt, light, branches, etc…
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God is a spirit being, a spirit person that lives in Heaven. He is not the sun, moon, stars. He is not the air, wind, or some impersonal quality. He is a person like that of angels or man, but his body is of spirit substance (God is a spirit) and he IS FAR MORE POWERFUL, INTELIGENT, LOVING, JUST, AND GLORIOUS than any man or angel. You and I are made in his image but he is far more glorious than us. H e dwells in infinite glory.
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You and I are supposed to be children of the light. However, we will never be as glorious and bright as he is. GOD IS LIGHT!
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The Bible says God who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto. NO man can see God in ALL OF HIS GLORY AND LIGHT. Men have seen God out of his glory for Moses seen God face to face and yet he wanted to see more and see God in HIS GLORY, that is to say in all of his glory. God said no but instead showed him his back parts.
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God is the creator of all light and is hence called the father of lights in James letter.
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Back to my text, God is light. The scripture says:
(Psalms 18:28) “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.”
Your candlelight might be running low in your life, and life is getting tougher and darker and you might feel that there isn’t any light at the end of the tunnel, but I am here to tell you that God will light your candle and give you light for the dark journey of life. God will enlighten your dark situation in life. What is the candle here referred to?
Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.
Let’s see if that makes sense? Let’s plug the spirit of man in to the scripture in psalms 18:28.
(Psalms 18:28) “For thou wilt light my SPIRIT: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.”
Sometimes our spirit is defeated and in darkness and God can lighten it and give it life! The Lord will strengthen our spirit when we get down.
GOD AS LIGHT will lighten our candle, for it does not have light and unless it gets the light (GOD) it will not be a light bearer.
(Psalms 38:10) “My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.”
(Micah 7:8) “¶ Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.”
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No matter how dark this world or life gets, God is full of compassion, grace, and is righteous to deliver us from the darkness of our lives through the light that he gives. God is light and if we have him we cannot abide in darkness.
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God is faithful to always send out his light and truth in the darkest moments of our lives.
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You and I need to learn to trust in the light that God offers and trust that there isn’t anything brighter or who can offer more light for our lives than him. The devil as LUCIFER (LIGHT BEREAR) will try to get you to believe that his light is brighter for your life than the light that God offers. Satan that is Lucifer tries to deceive folks that he is light like GOD WHO IS LIGHT.
How do we know that? Well his name Lucifer means light bearer and some object to that meaning for his name but let’s look at it scripturally. Let’s look at three scriptures concerning the Satan and see if that is an accurate definition for Lucifer.
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(Isaiah 14:12) “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”
The KJV is accurate in stating Lucifer!
NIV is totally a perversion
“How you have fallen from heaven, O MORNING STAR, son of the dawn. . .” The NIV change “Lucifer” to “MORNING STAR”. BUT WAIT. . . I thought the Lord Jesus Christ was the MORNING STAR? Doesn’t Revelation 22:16 say, “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and MORNING STAR“.
(Luke 10:18) and he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
(2 Corinthians 11:14) And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
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So the question is are you going to let God’s light lead you or are you going to be deceived by Lucifer, the fallen angel of light?
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How do we let the light of God lead us?
(Psalms 119:105) “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
(Psalms 119:130) “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”
(Isaiah 8:20) “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
You and I are told to be a light to the world. How are we to fulfill this?
(Matthew 5:14) “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”
(Philippians 2:15-16) “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; {16} Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”
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You and I can walk in this world of darkness when we have the word of God as our light to light our path.
I am glad that we will walk in the light of God throughout all eternity.
(Isaiah 2:1-5) “The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. {2} And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. {3} And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. {4} And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. {5} O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.”
BIBLE TRUTH STUDY HOUR-1 John
(1 John 1:4) “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
- A) “ these things write we unto you”- The purpose of John’s writing
1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1 John 2:26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
- B) “ that your joy may be full”
John is writing these words in this epistle under the leadership of the Holy Spirit so that you and I will have much joy as we entertain the truths in this letter.
The truth of the word of God will be the delight of the Christian, the born again child of the king.
This phrase “that your joy may be full” also occurs several times in the gospel of John and on one occasion in John 16:24, we discover what will bring a Christian real joy. It is something that is really missed in modern Christianity and is a little concerning.
(John 16:24) “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
Here we clearly discover the words of Jesus Christ and a command or invitation you could say that he invites us to do in order that our joy may be full.
Jesus says “ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” This is him inviting us to pray and ask God for things and see his power as we receive from him as our great loving father.
Isn’t it a great joy when we ask God for him to do something for us and for him to hear and answer our prayers and he really does? I know, many folks today don’t 100% truly believe that God can answer every prayer you ask, but I do for it is what the word of God teaches.
Jesus is saying that if you will ask me anything that is right and good that you will receive it so that your joy may be full.
Sometimes we can see Christian folks who are so miserable it seems and that the joy has been sucked out of their lives and we must wonder why? A lot of it is because they have not discovered this wonderful truth that Christ tells us and that is ask, and ye shall receive. The answer of every prayer that a child of God utters is truly possible when faith is exercised for it.
We can show many scriptures to prove that the reason we don’t get answers to our prayers are a lack of faith to attain them and several other reasons as well. We will touch on more of this when we get to the 5th chapter of this great epistle.
We find in the book of 2nd john verse 12 another thing that really brings us joy as believers that we kind of discussed yesterday and that is fellowship with our fellow believers in the faith.
(2 John 1:12) “Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.”
We as Christians greatly desire to see one another at church and like events so that we can consider one another and to provoke to love and good works and to exchange encouragement. We are all in the same battle and are there for each other.
This is why Christians should really take it seriously to not forsake the assembly of themselves in the house of God and to be involved at church, it strengthens all of the family of God in these trying and perilous times.
Having prayers answered, a copy of the words of God written to us from a loving father, and having good Christian fellowship brings a child of God great joy!
John says that having the things that he has written brings joy and it indeed it does. What else brings a Christian joy? WE have seen that answers to prayer, and Christian fellowship does, but what comes before all that? SALVATION!
We know that lost people don’t find joy in the things of God, and so until the new birth happens a person really doesn’t have joy. The scripture states very clearly that there is no peace to the wicked but that their life is like the troubled sea that cannot rest.
However you take a soul that has been touched by God and has been born again and set free from the will of the Devil, you will see a person who is joyful in God and for what he has done for them. They have had a change from wearing the nasty filthy garments of a life stained with sin and hurt and been clothed with the garments of salvation that are clean and white as snow.
NO MATTER HOW BAD THIGS GET FOR THE CHILD OF GOD, HE CAN REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN THE GOD OF HIS SALVATION!
When we stand on faith in the word of God our joy will be full. I also am thankful that through our Christian walk that we have been given helpers in the form of fellow Christians for the purpose of giving us joy that we need some time when we are down. We must be careful though that we don’t stand on the faith of others, but by our own faith.
No matter what we are going through in life, if we will keep in mind and know without a shadow of doubt the love of the Christ , and what he did for us on Calvary for our eternal salvation and happiness then we can have joy that passes all knowledge, a joy that this world without God cannot comprehend.
John in this text is establishing the fact that the words that he is writing along with all of scripture that God had holy men write as they were moved by the Holy Spirit is for our joy. I can’t help but think of Jeremiah.
(Jeremiah 15:16) “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.”
Most of the world today have ears that have never been circumcised by God but instead have itching ears wanting to hear what sounds good to their flesh and what accommodates their lifestyle of sin.
For many of the folks that live in our country, if not the majority, the word of God and the things that John writes to the church are a reproach and they have zero delight in the words of this sacred book, the Holy Bible.
However to us Christians we feel the same as the prophet Jeremiah when we discovered the words of this book, it became and still is our joy and rejoicing of our heart! IT becomes so vital to us in this journey that we are on in this world as pilgrims and strangers that it becomes more important to us and more vital than the food that we eat physically each day. Job said that I HAVE ESTEEMED THE WORDS OF HIS MOUTH MORE THAN MY NECESSARY FOOD.
There is no gold, silver, or United States dollars, nor anything else that is to be more desired for the Christian than the words of this sacred book.
The great truths of this book and having a copy of this book to travel with us no matter we go is better than all the gold, silver, or money that we can put in our pockets. If you could have only ONE THING that you take with you besides the clothes on your back what would it be? Your wallet and money, or the copy of the word of God?
If you say that you love this book, then I will ask you this question: Do you read it every day and mediate on it every day to ascertain and get its wonderful truths deep into your heart and life?
THE WORDS OF THIS BOOK IS SWEETER THAN HONEY OR ANY FOOD THAT WE CAN EAT!
(Psalms 119:111) “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.”
The bible refers to many things like children, and the flock of GOD which is the church of God as a heritage, but none of those things still compare to the heritage that we have by having the word of God!
(Psalms 119:162) “I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.”
(Psalms 119:77) “Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.”
(Psalms 119:92) “Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.”
(Psalms 19:7-11) “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. {8} The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. {9} The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. {10} More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. {11} Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.”
brady crum ministries 