May 20, '12 Sunday Class 9am

[HKHaugan]

The Anointing, Function

3:4 Remember your anointing.
“A new command I give you, love one another as I have loved you (Jn.15:12).” Lawlessness is breaking that command, but--- 1Jn.2:1-2---“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Saved by God’s Grace Through Faith (Eph.2:8-10)

The anointing is God’s grace at work.
What grace does: identity, power, function
Personal relationship with God, knowing Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, love, identity (image, child, brother, sister, friend, witness), purpose (mission), significance (self-worth), spiritual gifts (ministry in the Body), eternal life (-way-truth-life-).
Anointing enables us to remain at the helm in Him (Jn.15-remain 12x).
Anointing comes through Holy Spirit bringing residence, truth, realization and reminding(Jn.14:17,22, 26) plus conviction (Jn.16:8-15).

3:5-6 In other words if we do sin it is the gift of repentance and forgiveness that cancels each past sin. We grow by staying repentant. Repentance and forgiveness are part of the anointing. Anointing enables us to move forward instead of being stuck in a guilt mode (self pity, despair, blame, excuse, pessimism, doom and failure).

3:7-10 Be aware of those who think and believe differently. They do not follow the way of the Cross in repentance and forgiveness and try and lead you into dealing with guilt and lawlessness other than in the Cross of Jesus.
Vs.8 is critical. It reveals the basic purpose of the Cross.
Vs.9-10 Being right is being faithful, faithful in believing, trusting, repenting, receiving forgiveness, confident, unashamed, knowing you are free to be more faithful and grow in ministry and mission.
The first beatitude, “Blessed are those who know they are poor in the Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt.5:3).”

3:11-24 The basic message---love one another (loving one another in the Body teaches us how to love those outside the Body).

Therefore we think spiritually as we continue reading. The rest of this passage has to be read in the context of the fellowship of believers, the Body. The gathered brothers and sisters are the Body and this is where love is begun, experienced, practiced, shared and then delivered into the world.

Vs.12 contrast Cain and Abel in Gen.4.
Vs.13 the world hates---how? Think spiritually about the Cain-Abel dynamics.
Vs.14-16 definition of life, death and love.
Vs.17-20 the Cross, its vertical and horizontal beams in action

Vs.21-24 Bottom line---three steps---Repentance, the Cross, Knowing

Step One---2:1-2---staying repentant, conscious of our forgiveness and being children of God. this gives us the freedom to move on and enables us to receive what we ask in His name through obedience.
Vs.23 reminds us of the Cross again---believing which is the vertical beam and loving one another which is the horizontal beam.

Step Two---3:22-24 When we take up our cross (obeying, doing, believing, loving, faith and obedience) He lives in us.

Step 3---3:24 WE KNOW IT BY THE SPIRIT HE GAVE US.
The residence in our hearts of God the Holy Spirit. God’s intention is to know Him in the most intimate sense, the Holy Spirit’s resident task. This is the difference between knowing as the gnostics describe it and as Jesus lived because Jesus lives within each of us through the Holy Spirit.