1 John 2: 24-29 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:11-13) We know the disciples gave up everything to have this eternal life that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. At first as all people do who operate in the flesh, they probably thought only about themselves and their immediate futures. Because of Jesus’ supernatural powers and because of his deep and powerful sermons, many people followed him. As Jesus’ inner circle, the disciples became prominent people. Surely, Judas first then most of the disciples initially thought being with Jesus was heady stuff, and maybe something good could come for them if they stayed close to him. At times, they were given supernatural powers. They were not only Jesus’ companions and sometimes bodyguards, they were also ministers when Jesus would ordain them. Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. (Matthew 10:1) As they walked with Jesus under his direction, they saw and experienced many miraculous things. To hang onto Jesus, undoubtedly was beneficial for their own esteem and popularity. Probably, many people envied their access to Jesus and their camaraderie with him. By being close to him, they imagined they were riding Jesus’ coattails to fame and power. However, as they walked with Jesus, a different perspective of their future begin to emerge. They began to realize Jesus’ coattails might end up in physical death for them. Jesus’ talk about his imminent death must have been very scary. In fact, they did not want Jesus to go back to Jerusalem because they knew the authorities wanted to kill him. But Jesus seemed to have a death wish, for that is exactly where He went. When Jesus was captured, the disciples scattered. At the time of the capture, Peter wished to defend Jesus by pulling out a sword. With great anger against the mob’s intentions, he decided to defend Jesus to the death, but Jesus would not allow him to do that. Jesus said, Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me? (John 18:11) By putting up his sword, how could the kingdom of God come to earth? How could Jesus take his rightful place on David’s throne? How could righteousness rule on earth if the Righteous One is put to death? How could the Romans be dispelled from Judaea? Peter believed as all people from the beginning of time have understood implicitly and explicitly, earthly power can only be established or defended by the sword. But Jesus threw a clinker into Peter’s understanding of power by telling him to put up his sword. Jesus went with the mob as a lamb goes to his slaughter, without a fuss. John and Peter followed the angry crowd into the High Priest’s courtyard—an environment so dangerous to their wellbeing that Peter eventually denied he knew Jesus. Peter knew his life was threatened by a powerless servant girl who identified him. He fled that scene with tears of remorse. To be in a prominent, privileged position in Jesus’ magnificent Kingdom on Earth was a dream to seek, but to be hauled before Jesus’ adversaries, facing death, was not in Peter’s itinerary.
The full realization of what Jesus taught came to the disciples on Pentecost. Then they understood Jesus’ ministry and his intentions to establish a future kingdom. He did not organize his followers to take this earthly kingdom by force; instead, He taught about another kingdom not made by human hands. His Sermon on the Mount spoke of another dimension, a place where God abides, where all who live a godly life, sensitive to the plights of others, would receive heavenly rewards beyond their imaginations. When the Spirit of God fell on them in full measure after Jesus’ death, they caught the vision that life eternal in God’s Kingdom was theirs if they endured to the end by faith. They now realized Jesus presented them with eternal life, not a kingdom on Earth, and they willingly gave up their lives for this message. As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life. Often, Christians view their lives through a lens that is not biblical. They perceive a Christian life to be one of happiness, peace; lacking fear or anxiety. But this is not the life that the Bible paints. Even Jesus said, So when you see standing in the holy place “the abomination that causes desolation,” spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. (Matthew 24:15-21) Can you feel the fear of those who are fleeing. Can you hear the cries of the babies, and the panic in the voices of men and women. Fear is part of this prophesy. We are not to be people without fear or anxiety; we are to be people who believe God will never abandon us. We see the early church running for their lives because of the persecution in Jerusalem. We see them spreading the Good News as they were fleeing for their lives. We see Paul talking about his anxieties, his distresses in and out of the church, his fears as he went from city to city. He never knew if bandits would rob him or if he would be beaten and maybe killed in the next town because of the message of the Good News. A Christian life is not free from anxieties and distresses, but a Christian life has an abiding Comforter and Counselor. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. Because of the cleansing blood of Jesus, a Christian is known as a temple of God or a place where the Holy Spirit abides. We have access to the voice of God in our inner beings. This voice should bring us comfort when we cannot find comfort in the things of this world. All of us experience events and happenings in our lives that we cannot control. As members of the human race, we are attuned to the vicissitudes of life. As new creatures IN CHRIST, He is always with us and his voice is always in us. And as we are comforted, we share that comfort. Paul wrote about the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:4)
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. John encourages us to remain in Christ regardless of what is happening to us on this earth. Jesus did not come to set up a kingdom on Earth, a place where you can abide in a peaceful state, free from all distresses and trials. We know the Bible does not present such a picture for Christians. As we read the New Testament, even Jesus, the Son of God, experienced troubling times. The sweating of blood in the Garden, the cry on the cross about God, his Father, abandoning him: Jesus experienced these trials and we are not greater than He. Jesus said, Remember what I told you: “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:20) Yes, life can be hard and sometimes enduring to the end in strong faith seems especially difficult. But, dear friends, that is when we need to know the Holy Spirit’s voice inside us. That is also when we need others in the Christian faith to help us live successfully through our difficulties, to bring comfort, to bring God to us, to help us hear his voice. We need each other! We need a song of God in our hearts. The psalmist wrote: He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. (Psalm 40:3) What is a Christian’s life all about? The believer’s foundation is that God came down to Earth to abide in people. Jesus, the Son of Man, walked on Earth, performing marvelous miracles, changing countless lives, and teaching the mysteries of God. The Son of Man’s death and resurrection created sons and daughters who live by faith and inherit eternal life, forever to abide in the presence of Abba Father. We never should forget the essence of Christianity: eternal life has come to us through Christ. We are new creatures who will abide in the household of God forever. Therefore, what trial, what dispute, what disappointment can keep us from winning this place of victory, our promise of an eternal home. Nothing can persuade us to abandon Jesus—He is the lover of our souls; He has rescued us from damnation. We are heaven bound, and we can say with Paul, Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness that the Lord has promised to all who love him. (2 Timothy 4:8) Amen!
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