Text: 1 John 1:3,7; Isaiah 59:1-2, Habakkuk 1:13, Acts 3:26
God’s purpose on earth is that we might fellowship in love with His Son (1 Corinthian 1:9) to be blessed and therefore He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
Jesus Christ purpose on earth is to reestablish the fellowship of love between mankind and God, the Father which was lost through disobedience in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve to enable man receive God’s blessing(John 17:21-23) and therefore came to take away man’s past iniquities and to turn man away from his(future) iniquities(Acts 3:26). Jesus Christ in John 17:3 described this intimate fellowship of any man with God the Father and Himself as eternal life (like Adam knew Eve his wife in Genesis 4:1).
The Holy Spirit’s purpose on earth is that mankind might have fellowship of love with God, the Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ and with one another(1 John 1:3,7) and therefore He convicts mankind of unbelief in and not following Jesus Christ (the answer to man’s iniquities-Isaiah 53:5, Romans 4:25. which had separated man from God; sheds the love of God the Father and Our Lord Jesus in the heart of believers (Romans 5:5); teaches, directs and guides believers to be focused on Jesus Christ, the finished work on the Cross and the grace of God; and is preparing the church as a bride without blemish for the marriage supper of the Lamb.
It is instructive to note that man cannot turn himself away from iniquities from our text. Man can only follow Jesus Christ first and foremost and Jesus turns man away from our
iniquities. When we follow Jesus Christ-the way, the truth and the life –the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then goodness and mercy and grace to do right will be given to us.
Following comes before doing not the other way round. Doing first brings frustration because we can only do all things as Jesus gives us strength- Philippians 4:13
How do we follow? We must deliberately place our consciousness on Christ and the finished work on the Cross and refuse to be conscious of sin, the world, self or the devil etc. We will speak and act on what we are thinking about or conscious of. That is the battle arena, keeping our minds and heart on Jesus Christ and the Word of God.(Isaiah 26:3, Proverb 23:7, 1 Peter 1:13).
We focus on Jesus Christ as
1. The Son of God-1John 4:14; proved His Sonship by the resurrection of the dead-Romans 1:4
2. The Savior of the World -1 John 4:14
3. The Lord of Heaven and Earth-Matthew 28:18; The Lord of All-Acts 10:36
4. The Head of the Church and Apostle and High priest of the believer’s confession-Hebrews3:1
5. Our sufficiency in all things-Colossians 2:10, 1 Corinthians 3:21,23.
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