It is careless to accept any and every teaching without interrogating if the interpretation is right. God inspired the Apostle John and others to warn us against certain teachings within the Christian church that is contrary to faith. Have you interrogated the teachings of the community you worship with? Have you read for yourself and confirmed if they are the proper interpretations of scripture? If the Apostles
This is a difficult text to interpret. Particularly those last words after the full colon. In this world, we are like Jesus. What? Yes, that is what Apostle John has been inspired to tell the church that time and us today. In this world, we are like Jesus.
This judgment will begin with God’s household. If judgment will begin with God’s household, those who are committed, how shall it be with those who have refused to make a commitment? If the best student finds it difficult we should all be warned!
Spouses hide each other’s wrongdoing. When a spouse exposes their partner, they have failed miserably in that partnership. There is no love. To tell the world that my spouse is so bad because he or she does this and that is a sign of immaturity in faith and life in general. Why tell the world about the weaknesses of your spouse? Many times its revenge and an attempt to blackmail, hurt, and embarrass. He doesn’t perform. She is dirty and careless. That is a sign of immaturity and lost love. Love in its true sense covers a multitude of sins!
Does the Bible at this point suggest that physical suffering is a path to perfection and sinlessness? Are we being told that if we suffer physically we will be done with sin? Is it possible to reach a point where you are done with sin?
The needs will not be met according to our list of needs but according to the riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Many times when we think of this text, we think of needs being met according to the list we have developed. Our list may not match the list that is developed in the riches of the glory in Christ Jesus. When the list we have and God’s list differ, we expect God will use our list, but He uses His own list for our needs. Therefore when we say Amen to this text, many times we do not have God’s list of our needs in mind. That is why it is easy to misunderstand this verse.
Has God ever seemed silent to you? Have you expected God to speak, move and act but He didn’t? Has God disappointed you, so to speak, in that He didn’t move when you expected Him to move?
Our safety is living lives that are in line with the two witnesses OT and NT. We must be wary when dealing with civic and religious organizations so that we don’t get misled to oppose God. The only reliable two witnesses are OT and NT. May God help us to aline our lives to the two God-given witnesses in Jesus’ name, Amen!
The third lesson is that lack of glory doesn’t mean it’s over for you. The glory that is much better can and will come your way. The present temple had nothing attractive. Haggai promises that the present may be discouraging, but the future is certain and powerful!