In this episode, Dr. J. Vernon McGee takes us on a thought-provoking journey through the scriptures, highlighting the power of words and the significance of living by the Holy Spirit. We discuss how psychology intersects with spirituality, the dangers of false prophets, and the assurance that comes when we align our actions with God’s will. Tune in to uncover insights into how we can express our faith through genuine love and concern for others.
How firm a foundation, ye saints, of the Lord is laid for your faith.
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The words we speak are important. In fact, King Solomon said, A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. And Proverbs 18.21 says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. And then in Matthew 12, verses 36 and 37, Jesus said, But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. Well, as critical as our words are today on Through the Bible, our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, tells us, words alone aren’t enough. Your actions have to agree. I’m Steve Schwetz, your host on this five-year journey through God’s entire Word. Now, our study begins in 1 John 3, verse 17, in just a minute. But first, let’s listen to the second part of Dr. J. Vernon McGee’s introduction to this important section of Scripture.
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Now, psychology deals with that old nature. Psychology cannot deal with the new nature. It’s impossible for it to do that. Psychology started out by talking about the soul, but it got away from that, and someone has said, first, it lost its soul, and second, it lost its mind, and today it has been more or less put on a physical basis, and it should be. It’s natural. It deals with the natural man. Now that’s the reason all these how-to and quick-fix and how-to-do-it-yourself books are written to control and direct the old nature. I heard a young preacher just the other day. He was talking about how to control your irritation, your impatience and your anger. Well, his solution was faith. Well, that’s good for the old nature, but that’s not true for the new nature. The child of God is to live in the power of the Holy Spirit. The new nature actually has no power. Paul could say, what I would not do, I’m doing it. Why is that? There was no power in the new nature. The Christian life in the home, in the office, and in the school must be lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. It means, friends, that we’re to walk in the Spirit. And Paul says, you shall not fulfill the desires or the lusts of the flesh. And so it brings us back to 1 John 3, 9, which we went over last time. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin. What’s he talking about? The old nature? Of course not. He’s talking about the new nature. That new nature does not commit sin. But when you and I sin, it’s because we’re living in the old nature. And today there’s an effort made to try to control it. In fact, it’s got so that most preaching today is to try to control the old nature. You can’t control it. You have to live in the power of the Holy Spirit because the new nature doesn’t have any power either. The only thing that we can do, we’re saved by grace, we’re to live by grace. And we’ve been brought into a marvelous place of freedom where we can live by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. My friends, this is the most wonderful thing in the world to know. That is the reason we are a little harsh on all these psychology books. I’m for psychology. That was my second major in college. And I was offered a scholarship in college to pursue it and become a psychologist. But I didn’t want to go that route. but I have great respect for it, and it does a great work, but it gets in the wrong area when it gets into the spiritual. To try to control the old nature is certainly not God’s way of doing it.
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We’re saved by grace and we’re to live by grace. That’s such great news. Now let’s pray for more understanding as we study together. Heavenly Father, change our minds and our hearts as we study your word. And thank you for your grace that saves us and help us to live by that same grace today. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Now here’s Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
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Now, friends, today we’re picking up our study here at verse 18 of chapter 3 of 1 John. Now, we have seen in this section here the two natures of the believer, because when you become a child of God, you don’t get rid of your old nature. You have two natures, an old nature and a new nature. And we have seen that the new nature is the only nature that can please God. Man in his natural state, he’s unable to please God. The carnal mind is enmity against God. And there are times that when we feel like praying, and there are times when we feel like not praying, and there’s a song, I think that I can give this part of it that’s important part that we sing sometimes, prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I serve. Well, someone read that and they didn’t like it. They said that doesn’t express my feeling about it. And they changed it. And you’ll find it two different ways. And in some songbooks, it’s one way. In other songbooks, it’s another way. And the other way is, Prone to worship, Lord, I feel it. Prone to serve the God I love. Now, which is true for a believer? Is it prone to wander or is it prone to worship? Well, if you ask me, I’d say both are true. I’ve got a nature that I’ve discovered is prone to wander. I’ve got another nature. It’s prone to worship. And God says, if you’re my child, then you’re going to manifest my nature. You’re going to manifest that new nature that I’ve given to you. Now, he has drawn it down here to this matter of love of the brethren. And this is the real proof that God loves us. He gave his son to die for us. Now, that’s the standard of God’s love, and he’s the example. And we, as he says, should be willing to lay down our life for the brethren. Now, today, you don’t quite see that spirit manifested as it should be. And yet, I was greatly touched by several people when I got sick the first time with cancer. And I had several people that wrote me that they had said they would be willing to take that cancerous disease themselves. Well, I was overwhelmed by two or three letters that I got. I never knew anybody, frankly, would be willing to go that far. Now, I recognize that they couldn’t do it, of course, because this is a case of where every man bears his own burden, and that’s one of them. When you get cancer, you bear that yourself. So that is quite true, they couldn’t take it, but their willingness was the thing that made such a tremendous impression upon my own heart, my own life. Now, he makes it also very clear here in verse 17, where we left off last time, “…whosoever hath this world’s good, seeth his brother of need, shutteth up his compassion from him, I dwelleth the love of God in him.” In other words, You express your love of the brethren by what you do, not what you say. The tongue is very good at running way ahead of our feet today. But actually, true Christianity, the real article, is a matter of the heart and not of the head or the tongue at all. It has to do with action, if you please. Now, we’re told here very definitely that if you’re a child of God, you’re going to manifest it. And he says then in verse 18, my little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Let us not just love in words. neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. In other words, what he’s saying here is that real love, as we said last time, is not made in the parlor, the bedroom. It’s made in the kitchen. When you see that wife bending over a hot stove cooking for that man, that man is out yonder making a living for her. And it’s pretty silly if you take love out of it. Why should he work for her? Why should she work for him? But it’s a love relationship, and Christianity should be that kind of a relationship. Now, he moves into something here that’s quite interesting. He says, and by this we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. Now, this is what gives an assurance. when we come before God in prayer. Very frankly, as he’s made it very clear, it’s possible to be ashamed at the appearing of Christ. A great many folk today are talking about the coming of Christ, but they don’t seem to be doing anything. Now, when you and I come into his presence, it’s going to be a very awesome experience because he’s going to demand some fruit. What have you been doing? If you love me, keep my commandments. One of them is to get the word of God out. Take it to the ends of the earth. Are you involved in that in any way? Are you involved in anything that reveals that you’re a child of God? That is the important thing. And I think that was true when I was a boy living in the country, how wonderful it was expressed then. Nobody got sick, but what all the neighbors came in and helped. Now, we’ve come a long ways. And I know today that there are all kinds of new methods of doing things. But I’ll be very frank with you. I’d sure like to get back to that day when the neighbors did come in and did help, and the neighbors did take an interest, and today we expect that some bureau of the government is going to take care of the individual, and that they will be taken to the hospital, which is the best place for them, and all that sort of thing. But a great many Christians are not getting involved in actually the thing that the Lord is interested in, and we’re going to have to give an account before Him someday. Now here he’s saying, my little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and we shall assure our hearts before him. Now this is what gives an assurance. And this is very important. But now he makes this statement, verse 20, and this is very important to see. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things. Now, if you are a child of God and you are using… Your substance, and I don’t care who you are, whether you’re poor or rich, that you’re doing something to get the word of God out. God gives you an assurance in your heart that you’re in his will, that you’re doing the thing that he wants done. And then you have an assurance when you go before him in prayer. You have an assurance that when you stand before him someday. Paul knew. Paul says, henceforth has laid up for me a crown of righteousness. I know now about that. The child of God today can have an assurance. But suppose we’re not doing what we should do. And that’s quite possible. Does it mean we’ve lost our salvation? Or maybe we didn’t have it to begin with? Well, listen to him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things. Well, we don’t lose our salvation. Because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, greater than our lack of assurance. And he’s going to hear our prayer. Isn’t he a wonderful God that when we fail him, he won’t fail us? And though you don’t have any assurance when you go before him, and a great many Christians Come to him really empty-handed. I’ve done nothing for you, Lord. I’ve done nothing at all. Yet I’m coming to you in prayer. Well, God’s greater than your heart. He’ll hear your prayer. He’s going to deal with you. He may not answer the prayers you’re praying it, and chances are he won’t. But God’s going to hear and answer according to his will. For if our heart condemn us, God’s greater than our heart, and he knoweth all things. You can depend on him. Even if you don’t have assurance, friend, just keep going to him with it. As I told a young fellow that’s an alcoholic, he said, I prayed about this. I said, go pray some more. He says, well, I just don’t feel now I have any assurance at all. I failed him so. I said, he knows your heart. You apparently are sincere. The way you’re talking to me, I believe you’re sincere. I believe you mean business. And I know this, God’s going to give you a deliverance for it. You don’t have any assurance. Of course you don’t. You failed him. But he’s greater than your heart. And he knows you. If he knows that you’re sincere in this and you failed him, God is going to deal with you. You can depend on it. And God’s going to give that young man a deliverance. Now, will you notice? He says, verse 21, Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. Now, if our heart does not condemn us, it gives us a confidence in prayer. It gives us an assurance. There was a minister who meant a great deal to me when I was a young preacher. I have his picture here up above this tape recorder that I’m making this tape on right now. And I always love to hear him pray because he prayed with assurance. That’s the way he prayed to God. He didn’t go up to him willy-nilly and shilly-shally and molly-coddle. He went to him with great assurance. And I always wanted on that man’s prayer list. I had a feeling that when he went up there to pray that the Lord says, wait a minute, I’m going to listen to my child down there. He’s praying. He knows what he’s talking about. And I always wanted on his prayer list. And I prayed that he had put me on his prayer list. I didn’t want to ask him to because I felt like that wouldn’t be as effective if he volunteered. And one day he knew I was pastor of a church and I had a great opportunity and all that sort of thing. And he says, Vernon, I’m praying for you. Oh, boy, that was a great day. May I say to you, it’s wonderful to have assurance. You see, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. Now, will you listen? And whatever we ask, we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. Now, love in action gives assurance in prayer. And you can expect God to hear and answer your prayer. And that is something that’s desperately needed. You remember the early church when persecution first broke out, that is, the apostles were warned. They went back and reported to the group, and the group went to God in prayer. And they didn’t pray that the persecution stopped. They didn’t pray anything like that. They began their prayer by saying, Lord, thou art God. And that is the thing that seems to be absent in a great many churches today. Folk are not sure that our Heavenly Father, He’s God. He does run this thing, that He is in charge. And that is exactly what John is saying here to us. Now he goes on to say, and I want to read that verse 22 again. This is important. And whatever we ask, we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. Now, verse 23, and this is his commandment that we should believe on the name of his son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he gave us commandment. In other words, John says now, don’t say that you believe on him. And then you do not love one another. That is, with one breath, you praise the Lord and say you trust the Lord Jesus. Then you tell about so-and-so, how you dislike him. This type of love doesn’t mean That you are going to put your arm around them and that type of love at all or something you talk about, it’s not in your lip or your language, but it’s going to be in your life. And it’ll be a concern for that individual. You won’t be gossiping about them. You won’t be hurting them. in any way. You will be concerned about them. And may I say that that is the thing that is desperately needed today. And this actually is the Christian life in a nutshell right here, that you believe on the name of his son, Jesus Christ, and you love one another as he gave us commandment. And now verse 24. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And by this we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit whom he hath given to us. Now, the Holy Spirit verifies these things to our hearts. if we’ve not grieved Him. And you grieve the Holy Spirit when you don’t do His will. When He said, if you love me, keep my commandments. If you don’t do that, then you’ve grieved the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit will verify these things Make them real to your heart. And the Holy Spirit is given to every believer. Every child of God is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Now, he makes that very true and very clear in verse 9 of chapter 8 of Romans. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. He’s talking to all the Romans. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he’s none of it. That’s the mark that you’re a child of God. You’re indwelt by the Spirit of God. Now, that’s important to know as we come now to chapter 4. When we come to chapter 4 now, we’re given a warning here against false prophets, and they are generally involved in prophecy. That’s the thing that marks them. Now, he says that the Spirit of God is given to us. Now, he has already told us that we have an anointing. Therefore, we are now, because we’re indwelt by the Spirit of God, because we’ve been getting an anointing to understand the things of God, he says here now in chapter 4, verse 1, and here’s where the warning begins. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but test. or I like it better, but prove, prove the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Let’s look at this because here’s the warning given to us. This idea of lovey-dovey today that the liberal talks about, it slops over on every side. That’s not what the Word of God teaches. Paul, you remember, prayed for the Philippians. He says, I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. And that’s Philippians 1.9. Now, Paul prayed that their love might abound in knowledge and judgment. Don’t be taken in by everyone that comes along and says he’s a Christian, because a lot of them are not. I think I’ll have time to tell this little story, which I told some time ago. When I first became pastor in downtown Los Angeles, I discovered this later, that all of these bums, and that’s the best word I know for them, they take advantage of you. And so one Sunday morning, After the service, those that had come forward were being dealt with, and one of them said he wanted me to talk with him. Well, I was quite flattered when the personal worker came and said, this man wants you to talk with him. So I went over and I gave him the plan of salvation, and he seemed so interested. In fact, I’d read a verse and he’d take the Bible and he’d want to read it. He knew what he should do. And so… He said he would accept Christ. We got down on our knees and he shed tears and we got up. And then I made the mistake of asking him how he was getting along. I shouldn’t have asked that, but he told me. He said, well, I hate to say this, but he says, my suitcase is down yonder in a hotel. It was one of the cheap hotels in the downtown area. And he said, they won’t let me have my suitcase because I can’t pay my bill. And he said, I’m greatly embarrassed by it. And I said, how much is it? And he said, $7. Well, what are you going to do with a man that apparently has just accepted the Lord? And he’s lost his suitcase. Well, I gave him $7. And I went out and got in the car. My wife was waiting for me. And I became very expansive. I told her how I had done this, you know, and how wonderful it was. Well, time went by in about six weeks. I saw his picture in the paper. He’d been arrested. And he made the statement, among other things, he said he lived in Los Angeles for six months. And he said, I’ve lived off of the preachers. He says, they are the biggest saps there are in the world. Well, I happen to be one of them. And I called up a good friend of mine then, Dr. Bob Shuler, who was down at the Trinity Methodist Church. And I said, did he come see you? He said, yes. And I said, well, did he get to you? And he said, no. He said, did he get to you? And I said, yes, he got to me. He says, well, Vernon, I’ve been in downtown Los Angeles longer than you have. And I’ve had a little more experience. He says, don’t let them take you in. Remember, the Bible says to try the spirits, to see whether they are of God or not. And he said, a lot of these are phonies. Well, he was a phony, but he took me for $7. And after that, I made the statement, don’t ever come down and ask me for $7 to get your suitcase out of a cheap hotel, because I’m not about to give it to you. I learned my lesson. Now, Paul prayed that they might grow in their love, but in judgment and in knowledge. Use it wisely. You be very careful. Now, next time, we’re going to talk about this matter of the spirit world today and this abnormal occupation with the occult on the part of many Christians today. My friend, it’s one of the most dangerous things that’s taking place, but we’ll deal with that next time. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
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If God is working in your life as we study 1 John, would you write to us and share what you’re learning? You know, letters like this one from Javier who listens in Spanish are so encouraging. I’m from San Antonio, Texas, and while driving in my car, I inadvertently tuned into the station where Pastor Montoya was teaching. I know it was not a coincidence, my having tuned into the program. I know it was the Spirit of God. I have now been listening to you for three years and understand that religion and a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ are two very different things. May the Lord keep blessing your program and those who listen to it. Well, what’s your story? Would you mail your note to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109? Or if you live in Canada, you can write to Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. And remember, we always love to get your emails. So write us at BibleBus at ttb.org. And when you get in touch, why don’t you sign up for our monthly newsletter? Every issue is packed full of great ministry information, including more teaching from Dr. McGee, news from the Bible bus, and then prompts to help you go deeper as you journey through God’s Word. And that reminds me, have you checked out all the terrific resources that are available at ttb.org lately? In particular, I’d suggest that you download and share one of Dr. McGee’s most popular booklets titled, How to Have Fellowship with God. Now it’s updated with a new look and layout, and we’re praying that this classic teaching in 1 John chapters 1 through 9 will reach a new audience with important information on how to have sweet fellowship with the Father. Do you or maybe someone you know want to draw closer to God and experience the true joy experienced when you fellowship with Him? Then why don’t you download How to Have Fellowship with God at ttb.org today. On tomorrow’s broadcast, we’ll hear about the spirit of Antichrist and the abnormal preoccupation with the occult many Christians have today. It’s a fascinating study, so join us. Until then, I’m Steve Schwartz. For all of us at Through the Bible, we’re praying that God’s mercy and grace are with you as you walk with Him today.
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Jesus made it all. All to him I owe Sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow Through the Bible exists to take God’s whole word to the whole world.
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And we invite you to stand with us with your faithful prayer and financial support. Where will God’s word go today?
