But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ

Galatians 6:14
But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

There is nothing really in us worthy of boasting about when we belong to Yshua. On the other hand there is everything to boast about Yshua, the living God, who emptied Himself for us. Then in our everyday living on earth, knowing who we are compared to who He is and what He has done for us, the choice is simply to choose between living our sinful lives, or identifying ourselves with Him, by forgoing sinful pleasures. It is natural for us to crave for pleasures if He is not the main focus of our lives.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God

1 Corinthian 2:12
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

There were many miracles accompanying the ministry of Yshua on Earth. There have been miracles before and after His time on earth. There are also personal experiences people have had with God throughout the ages. When it comes to knowing God, the Scriptures has been clear - we have to really know God by the Word and the Spirit. Experiences with God are not the foundation with which to base our faith. There will be times of need, and the experiences are not there, so our relationship based on knowing God will ensure we keep focus on Him.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 

The God of Israel is the God of peace, shalom. He is not one who deliberately brings trouble. It is said that He does allow trouble to come to us for many reasons, such as testing, building character. Trouble also comes spiritually, turning into natural troubles because of our disobedience. People may blame God for the troubles brought on by their own sinful dealings but that results nowhere. On the other hand, those who repent, and those who also fully trust God, wherever the trouble comes from, then they will get God's gift of peace to them.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom[a] the world has been crucified

Galatians 6:14
But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Continuing with the same verse, the focus therefore is not on ourselves. Various modern sermons tend to concentrate on how believing and submitting to Jesus will enrich our lives. This has drawn large crowds of people back to the church - which is a good result. However, to produce true life-changing experience, the account of the Cross and the story of redemption by our Lord and Saviour must never be diminished. The focus of preaching should not be merely on the people's spiritual condition, but rather on the Cross because we are commanded to preach "Yshua Massiach and Him crucified".

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ

Galatians 6:14
But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Paul has a deep understanding of Scriptures before he came to know Christ. When he encountered the Lord, all his doctrines made complete sense especially the work of our Lord on the Cross. This sacrificial work is a stumbling block to some and foolishness to others. Yet, when we go out and preach the gospel, the preaching of the work of the Cross must not be diminished in any way. To ignore what was accomplished at the Cross is to rob the Salvation message of its power and the whole reason that our Lord came to die for our sins.

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins

1 John 2:2
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

Our Lord Yshua is the propitiations for our sins. The Lord commands us to preach the gospel. There are many other things that accompany our walk and ministry in His name. There is knowledge, theology, prophecy, healings, deliverance, worship songs and also many good works that can be done for the disadvantaged people. However, the core of this is the gospel which is the good news that Jesus Himself has paid the price of our sins.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid

Matthew 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Our Lord Yshua promises to give us peace. That peace is unlike any other peace that we find anywhere else. There are certainly much troubling things in the world, which seems to increase every day. Apart from Yshua, the only other peace that people can get is if they are ignorant about the things around them. Given that this is not possible, and the evil is affecting more people, the only peace that works is that given by Yshua. We have to come to Him as we are, and confess our sins, then totally dependent on Him. Then we can look on His face and His peace will surround us, as all confusion is replaced by the confidence in Him.

You may be partakers of the divine nature

2 Peter 1:4
by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

It is true that God has blessed His children materially and spiritually, though that is not to say that everyone has received it. However the other gift is God's nature itself. As we come to know Him and have fellowship with Him, we are also supposed to grow in His likeness and nature. As with all gifts, after the giver has given, the receiver need also to actively receive it.

For God so loved the world that He gave

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave ...

This must be the most famous verse in the Bible and quoted so many times. A simple verse which has such full meaning and can be used to teach so many topics. Let's look at two parts, first is that God loved the world so much, it is beyond description. The second part is the consequence of His love which resulted in Him to give.

Let's stop there and focus about the degree of His love, and His following action. Notice that we are not involved in gaining or earning His love. His action is total. When we understand this and reciprocate that action, there is nothing that we can do in comparison. We could however give ourselves, not that this repay God in any way, but instead it is our just response. The question is to what degree that we actually give ourselves

Arise, let us go from here

John 14:31
But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

Jesus had just taught His disciples of the coming Holy Spirit that will be with all believers, when Jesus leaves earth. In addition, the Enemy is also moving fast because the coming of the Holy Spirit also signals another milestone in God's plan where He will restore earth again.

So the last statement here is the call by Jesus to rise up and go. It is a call to action, not tallying around. There is a sense of urgency in Yshua's mission. Now two thousand years had passed, and God's patience of trying not to lose anyone unnecessary, may seem long to us. Some of us no longer have that urgency. That is why we need to be reminded that the Yshua's mission is still on - we still need to arise and go with His message, as His Coming Again is nearer.

That he who loves God must love his brother also

Since there are many false teachers and prophets, when a word is said, we need to test if it is from the Spirit of God. This can be tested because the true Spirit declares Jesus to have come from God. Those that deny Jesus are clearly not from God.

Again we are called to love God and love another. Those who belong to God know how to love whereas those who do not love, do not really know God. To be made perfect in love is to no longer have fear. Then we are able to share the good news of Jesus boldly. This chapter ends with the teaching of Jesus that: that he who loves God must love his brother also.




1 John 4

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that[a] Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Knowing God Through Love

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.


Seeing God Through Love

12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

The Consummation of Love

17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him[b] because He first loved us.

Obedience by Faith

20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can[c] he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.