"Bigging Beepei" is an oppoitunity foi you to continue

youi stuuy of uou's Woiu thioughout the week.

"#$%&'
"I Know That I Know That I Know"

1 }ohn 4:1S-16
!"# %&'( )* +,-) %&.% )* ./'0* ', 1'2 .,0 1* ', 3(4 /*5.3(* 1* &.(
6'7*, 3( -8 1'( 9:';'%< =,0 )* &.7* (**, .,0 %*(%'8# %&.% %&* >.%&*; &.(
(*,% 1'( 9-, %- /* %&* 9.7'-; -8 %&* )-;?0< @&-*7*; 5-,8*((*( %&.% A*(3(
'( %&* 9-, -8 B-04 B-0 ./'0*( ', &'24 .,0 &* ', B-0< 9- )* &.7* 5-2* %-
+,-) .,0 %- /*?'*7* %&* ?-7* %&.% B-0 &.( 8-; 3(< B-0 '( ?-7*4 .,0
)&-*7*; ./'0*( ', ?-7* ./'0*( ', B-04 .,0 B-0 ./'0*( ', &'2<C

Bave you evei wonueieu if you ieally have eteinal life. }ohn wants
his auuience to know that they aie secuie in theii faith. In veises 1-6
of this chaptei, he appealeu foi iight uoctiine anu belief. In veise 7-
12, he calls them to love one anothei. In these foui veises, he gives
them thiee specific ways they can "+,-) %&.% %&*# +,-) %&.% %&*#
+,-)" they have spiiitual assuiance.

We can +,-) that we live in uou, anu uou in us, when we expeiience
the gift of the Spiiit (v.1S), acknowleuge the woik of uou in }esus
Chiist (vs.14-1S), anu abiue in love (v.16). It is impoitant to note that
these things aie the giounus of assuiance anu not the conuitions of it.
In othei woius, these things aie expeiienceu in the C0NTEXT of oui
salvation but aie not the CA0SE of oui salvation. Faith alone in Chiist
alone is the cause of oui salvation fiom ueath to eteinal life.

()&% * +#,$ -.*/: !D );'%* %&*(* %&',6( %- #-3 )&- /*?'*7* ', %&*
,.2* -8 %&* 9-, -8 B-0 %&.% #-3 2.# +,-) %&.% #-3 &.7* *%*;,.? ?'8*<C

DIGGING
DEEPER

Weekly Bevotional
WEEK 0F }0NE 9 - }0NE 1S, 2u14

01)2%&'
"The Believeis' Payuay"

1 }ohn 4:17
!"# %&'( '( ?-7* :*;8*5%*0 )'%& 3(4 (- %&.% )* 2.# &.7* 5-,8'0*,5* 8-;
%&* 0.# -8 E3062*,%4 /*5.3(* .( 1* '( (- .?(- .;* )* ', %&'( )-;?0<C

What happens aftei you uie. In this veise, }ohn mentions a uay of
juugment. The Bema Seat of Chiist anu The uieat White Thione of
}uugment aie the two majoi juugments mentioneu in the Bible. The
uieat White Thione of }uugment is foi unbelieveis anu the Bema
(}uugment) Seat of Chiist is foi believeis. Because }ohn is wiiting to
believeis, it is cleai that the }uugment Seat of Chiist is his focus.

As believeis, we uo not have to feai juugment of oui sins because
Chiist took oui juugment upon Bimself at the cioss. This is why }ohn
says we may have confiuence foi the Bay of }uugment. 00R SERvICE
will be evaluateu at the juugment seat of Chiist, not 00R SIN.

When we stanu befoie Bim, it will be foi REWARB not REPRINANB.
The Ciown of Righteousness, the Ciown of Life, the Incoiiuptible
Ciown, the Ciown of Rejoicing, anu the Ciown of uloiy aie five of the
ciowns of iewaiu mentioneu in the New Testament. 0nlike the
iewaius we ieceive in life, the iewaius we ieceive at the }uugment
Seat of Chiist aie eteinal anu will nevei peiish.

0,#13,0: 0ui juugment will be foi REWARB not REPRINANB.

4)%$)2%&'
"N0 FEAR"

1 }ohn 4:18
!F&*;* '( ,- 8*.; ', ?-7*4 /3% :*;8*5% ?-7* 5.(%( -3% 8*.;< >-; 8*.; &.( %-
0- )'%& :3,'(&2*,%4 .,0 )&-*7*; 8*.;( &.( ,-% /**, :*;8*5%*0 ', ?-7*<C

When a chilu is tiappeu insiue a buining builuing, love casts out feai.
Fiiemen have been known to have to holu people back that hau moie
love foi someone in uangei than feai of the uangei of fiie. The fiie is
ieal, but love even moie so.
When }esus uieu on the cioss, Be lovingly "ian into the fiie" foi us.
Because Chiist took oui juugment upon Bimself at the cioss, }ohn
says "we may have confiuence foi the uay of juugment". Bis point in
this veise is that feai has to uo with juugment but Chiist took oui
juugment because of Bis love foi us. Love is poweiful.

Take time to ieau these woius the Apostle Paul wiites about love:

!D8 D (:*.+ ', %&* %-,63*( -8 2*, .,0 -8 .,6*?(4 /3% &.7* ,-% ?-7*4 D .2
-,?# . ;*(-3,0',6 6-,6 -; . 5?.,6',6 5#2/.?< D8 D &.7* %&* 6'8% -8
:;-:&*5# .,0 5., 8.%&-2 .?? 2#(%*;'*( .,0 .?? +,-)?*06*4 .,0 '8 D &.7*
. 8.'%& %&.% 5., 2-7* 2-3,%.',(4 /3% &.7* ,-% ?-7*4 D .2 ,-%&',6<

D8 D 6'7* .?? D :-((*(( %- %&* :--; .,0 (3;;*,0*; 2# /-0# %- %&* 8?.2*(4
/3% &.7* ,-% ?-7*4 D 6.', ,-%&',6< G-7* '( :.%'*,%4 ?-7* '( +',0< D% 0-*( ,-%
*,7#4 '% 0-*( ,-% /-.(%4 '% '( ,-% :;-30< D% '( ,-% ;30*4 '% '( ,-% (*?8H
(**+',64 '% '( ,-% *.('?# .,6*;*04 '% +**:( ,- ;*5-;0 -8 );-,6(<

G-7* 0-*( ,-% 0*?'6&% ', *7'? /3% ;*E-'5*( )'%& %&* %;3%&< D% .?).#(
:;-%*5%(4 .?).#( %;3(%(4 .?).#( &-:*(4 .?).#( :*;(*7*;*(< G-7* ,*7*;
8.'?(<C

0,1(2%&'
"Be Staiteu It"

1 }ohn 4:19
!@* ?-7* /*5.3(* 1* 8';(% ?-7*0 3(<C

We have peihaps all heaiu a kiu shout, "he staiteu it" aftei being
caught in a fight with anothei kiu. The goal of saying this is usually to
make an excuse foi wiong actions. Even chiluien can see the
impoitance of who initiates something.

In oui ielationship with uou, it is cleai that Be initiates the
ielationship by fiist loving us. Romans S:8 says, "uou shows Bis love
foi us in that while we weie still sinneis, Chiist uieu foi us". This is
the natuie of oui ielationship with uou. Be staiteu it anu Be sustains
it.

It is impoitant to emphasize again that }ohn is not talking about just
any kinu of love. Agape is the highest kinu of love, is fiom uou alone,
anu is chaiacteiizeu by saciifice. It is the powei that motivates action
that iesponus to someone else's neeus with 56 7897:;<;=65 6>
?7@<?A.

When uou gave Bis Son foi us, Be uiu not gain anything. uou uoes not
neeu us foi anything. Be is the cieatoi anu sustainei of all things. uou
exists in anu of Bimself, inuepenuent of anything else. Be is self-
existent. When uou gave Bis son on the cioss, it was the puiest
expiession of Agape love in that Be gave fiist with nothing to gain.
We shoulu avoiu thinking that uou got a goou ueal when Be got us.

&BBCDE&0D#$. Thank uou that Be loves you. fiist!

F(D%&'
"Liai, Liai"

1 }ohn 4:2u-21
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)&- 0-*( ,-% ?-7* &'( /;-%&*; )&-2 &* &.( (**, 5.,,-% ?-7* B-0 )&-2
&* &.( ,-% (**,< =,0 %&'( 5-22.,02*,% )* &.7* 8;-2 &'2L )&-*7*;
?-7*( B-0 23(% .?(- ?-7* &'( /;-%&*;<

ARE Y00 A BYP0CRITE ANB A LIAR.

0vei anu ovei again }ohn encouiages us to L0vE 0NE AN0TBER. In
this passage, he simply anu bluntly says that anyone who claims to
love uou but uoes not love the people aiounu him is a hypociite anu a
liai. In the same way that uou initiates a loving ielationship with us,
we shoulu be willing to take the fiist step with people in oui lives as
well. As we get close to the enu of this lettei fiom }ohn, piay anu ask
uou to show you who you neeu to ieach out to in love.

E,&CC)$3): Reach out touay anu iestoie a bioken ielationship.

Content foi this publication was collecteu fiom vaiious iesouices.
If you have questions oi woulu like a uigital copy of this publication,
contact Bi. Stephen Cutchins at cutchinsSfbchnc.oig