Maple Gardens Worship Service

February 2, 2025

“Life”

1 John 3:1-3

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. ³ And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

Sons and Daughters of God

What a portion of scripture! Look at what John says to us about our relationship to God! It is amazing! To think that a sinner saved by grace can have this kind of love from God! It is really mind-boggling.

First, we are children of God! You are his son or daughter. If you have placed your faith in Christ, then you are saved and are a son or daughter of God! As I thought about this this week, when you are a son or daughter of someone, normally, you live in the same place as their parents. Think about this. You abide with God and you are already with Him in paradise. We read in Philippians 3:20 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” Even though we are not there yet, we will be. We will be with Jesus and the Father in paradise. We remember what happened when Jesus was on the cross. We read in Luke 23:42-43 “Then [the criminal] he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

So, when we leave this earth, we will be with Him, in paradise. You have a great home awaiting you! A reunion that will be so wonderful that we cannot imagine what it will be like. And your loved ones will be there waiting for you! What a blessing this is from God.

We read in verse 2 “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” Remember what Jesus could do after His resurrection from the grave. He could go through walls. He could speak and eat and have fellowship with His disciples. He could become invisible! And someday, this verse says that we will be just like Him. We will take on His form and be with Him forever! What a blessing.

Let’s go on. In verses 4-10 we read that we have been

Born of God

 “⁴ Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. ⁵ And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. ⁶ Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. ⁷ Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. ⁸ He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”

When we accept Christ as our Savior, our sins are forgiven. He remembers them no more. And all of our sins our forgiven; past, present, and future. Yet we will sin now and then. We are still human, but we do not make it a practice to continue to sin. Those who are not of God, will continue in sin and make it a lifestyle. We know who they are, because we can observe their lifestyle, and how they live their lives. They live for themselves and will continue to sin to have “pleasure” in what they do. They are blinded to the Light of Jesus. The evil one has blinded them from being able to discern spiritual things. And so they go on sinning.

We will sin now and then, but that sin has been forgiven. However, we need to ask forgiveness of that sin when we realize we have sinned. It restores our closeness to the Father when we do that. Look at David, he was still God’s person when he went into Bathsheba, killed her husband, and tried to cover it up. When David finally repented, he was restored to fellowship with the Father. These sins do not condemn us, we have been forgiven of them, but we still need to make them right. So, as we ask God to forgive those sins we know we have committed, we again enjoy that closeness that we can have with Him. We read in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness..” So, we need to ask forgiveness when we know we have sinned. It restores us to God.

There is a warning at the end of this passage. We read “Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.” We are told by John how important it is to love our brother or sister in Christ. It seems pretty significant to me that we need to love one another. If we do not love others, then how can the love of God be in us. Do you have a fellow brother or sister you do not like, that you don’t get along with? Then take that issue to God and ask Him to help you to love that person. Ask Him to help you to restore that relationship. It is important to keep ourselves in fellowship with each other.

Well, we see that we are sons and daughters of God, that we are born of God, and thirdly, we see that our

Hearts Reassure Us

^“And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. ²⁰ For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. ²¹ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. ²² And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. ²³ And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. ²⁴ Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Sometimes, our heart (our conscience) may bring thoughts to our mind that we need to make right. We saw that in the last section. But our hearts are what guides us to a closer relationship with God. If we have nothing in our hearts that is a sinful issue, we are in close fellowship with God. We are His child and we are clean. You know, when you were a kid, you might have gone out and played in the mud and you would come into the house full of mud. And Mom didn’t want to have to clean all that up, so she took you to the bathroom and gave you (or had you) take a bath. And then you were clean. You were always her child, even though you were muddy, or unclean. And she didn’t kick you out because of being muddy. When you got cleaned up and you were welcome in the house again. And that is kind of like what our sin is to God. We are still His child, even though we sin and need to be cleaned up, we need a bath. We need to make ourselves clean again. And we do that by confessing that we have this sin and ask God to forgive us. And He does, He cleans us from all unrighteousness. God is always there waiting for you to confess. You are still His child, but you are dirty and need to be made clean. As I thought about this, it was a concern for me. How close to God am I? Do I have anyone in the church that I do not love? It is important to be in fellowship with our treasured brothers and sisters in Christ. May God show us where we may need to be made clean. We should ask God to cleanse us. We read in Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; ²⁴ And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” Maybe we should pray this prayer every week so that God can bring anything that keeps us from Him to our minds so we can ask forgiveness and be made clean again.

Well, today we have seen that we are children of God, and someday we will be just like Jesus! We will never have ailments, or pain, or sadness. We will be like Him! We will be in paradise!

And secondly, we are born of God. You are His child! And He loves you, just like that Mom loved her son or daughter, but wanted them to be clean to live in the house with her, God asks us to listen to our hearts to see if we have anything we need to confess and ask forgiveness for. It is important that we love each other that are in Christ! He wants us to be in fellowship with each other.

And thirdly, our hearts are our guide. Our heart will tell us when we need to ask forgiveness. We know within ourselves if we love each other. We know within ourselves if there is something we need to let go of and it is important to take care of. We may want to ask God to examine us so we can be as pure for Him as possible.

For you young people in grade school or middle school, if you have trusted Jesus as your Savior and asked Him to forgive your sin and make you His child, you are His child. If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior, do it now. Ask Him to forgive your sin and make you His child. I hope you will do that. And then, sometimes, you may say bad things to a friend, or you are mean to someone. When you know that something is wrong, you need to make it right. It is not easy, but it is what God would want you to do. It might be something you are upset about with your parents, or a friend, or anyone. Just ask God to help you forgive and make things right. You will then be closer to Him.

And to you that are in high school and college students. God wants to use you! You are His and He wants you to show Him to others. I have read somewhere in the past that it has been shown that most people come to God before they are around 25. You need to be a witness for Him. You need to lead a life that is pure and does not conflict with God’s values. Live a life that is pure. God will reward you for it.

And to us adults. Do you love your fellow believer? If not, maybe it is time to make things right. God will honor you for it. And it will make your fellowship with the Father more personal.

Well, I pray that this week God might work in your heart and help you to let go of some things you may need to let go of, or ask forgiveness for a sin you still harbor, and get closer to Him. May God be with you this week and bless you.

“NKJV  “Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Maple Gardens Worship Service
January 26, 2025
“Abiding”

Deceit – Antichrists

1 John 2:18-25
“18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.” – NKJV

What is an antichrist? What does that mean? Well, we get the definition in verse 22. “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.”
So, where do these antichrists come from? Who are they? What do they profess? Well, the verse says that they are liars. They deny that Jesus is the Christ. Anyone who denies Jesus Christ is an antichrist. That means that he or she is against Christ. They do not believe in Him nor do they want to even have anything to do with Him. They are liars. Jesus tells us in

John 8:44
“You [Pharisees] are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” – NKJV

So, anyone who is an antichrist is a follower of the evil one. They deny that Jesus exists, and instead they spew the lies of the devil. John tells us in his gospel that this person is of their father the devil. Anyone who follows the devil will lie. Because their father is the father of lies. The devil lied to Eve and got her to sin. And that is what he is still up to. He lies to people. And he tells them that if they have this or that, or are wealthy or famous, or religious, that they will be happy. But non-spiritual things do not bring happiness. They just bring bitterness, and guilt, and jealousy. Most of the world today is in the devil’s hold, and he is lying to people every day. If he can get them to deny Jesus, he has accomplished his goal. That person will now be with him in Hell, forever.

The devil is subtle. He instills doubts and fear in our minds. He finds ways to get us to doubt God, to make us think that God is not for us. That is what he did to Eve in the garden. He got her to doubt God. To think that God was holding something back from her. We read about this in

Genesis 3:1b-7 “And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.” – NKJV

In verse one the devil subtly got Eve to reason to herself. He said to her; “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” He wants her to begin to think if God actually did say that. He wants her to begin to question God. And then in verse 4, the devil says “But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So, the devil wanted Eve to consider that God may be holding something back from her. And he plants in her mind the thought that she could be like God, knowing good and evil. She didn’t know anything about good and evil yet, all she knew was good. But he had planted the seed. And he said she could be “like God”. Wow! What could be better?

I warn you. The devil can plant seeds in your mind. He can get to you to fear. He may whisper things like “What if this would happen, what would you do?” and now we begin to fear if that would happen. And if we do not take this fear to God in prayer, then we begin to lose sight of God’s closeness and care, and that He is with us and that He is always watching over us, and we lose sight of Him. And the devil has accomplished what he wanted.

Well, not only is the devil an antichrist, but then there are many people who are antichrists. They follow the devil. He is the one they live for. They live for themselves and what they can get for themselves. And they will prod you and give you things to think about that are contrary to God’s word. And they might make their friendship with you conditional, that if you do what they want you to do, they will be your friends. But if you don’t do what they want you to do, they will not be your friend. They may go to the bad places, or do something you know is not right, and they want you to do that as well. Because if you don’t, then they will not be your friend. Don’t let them sway you. Run from them. They are not your friends. So just be aware of antichrists in the world today.

As Paul said in Ephesians 4:27 “nor give place to the devil.” – NKJV Just be aware of falsehood when you meet people. They will try to get you to follow them. However, we still need to love them. They do not know Christ and we can witness to them.

Well, we see there are people today who are against Christ, and they will be against you. Just be aware of these concerns. These people are not for you, they are for the devil. And the other truth I want to present from this chapter is that John wants us to

Abide in Him

“26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” – NKJV

What do you think of when you think of the word abide? What is it trying to tell us? Different Bibles translate the word just a little differently, giving us other views of the word. The

The Wycliff Bible says to “dwell ye in him” – WYC

The Christian Standard Bible says to “remain in him” – CSB

The God’s Word Translation says to “live in Christ” – GW

So, the word abide means to dwell in, to remain in, to live in. When we think of an abode, we think a place to dwell, a place to live. So, when we abide, we live in Jesus, we remain in His care, we live with Him. And usually, not always, when we live with someone, we become closer to them. They live with us and we begin to know them. And as we abide in Jesus, we get closer to Him. Jesus says He wants to abide in you. He says in
John 15:4-5 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. – NKJV

So, Jesus compares our abiding in Him with the fruitfulness we will provide with Him. If we do not abide in Him, we will not bear much fruit. One of the translations of abide was to live in. So, we are to live in Christ. That can be a difficult concept, to live in Christ. What does that mean? Well, to me, it is to be in His presence all day long, everyday. That when we get up, we go to Him and pray and ask him to be with us, to lead us and to use us. At noon, we ask Him to bless our food and the fellowship we have with Him. And at evening time, we spend time with Him in His word and prayer. We keep Him in our thoughts all day long. And we need to pray. We have so much to pray for. Here are some thoughts for prayer.

• First of all, pray for yourself. Ask God to be in you, to lead you, and to keep you. He is your best friend. Always be with him. You know, I have a good friend in myself. I can talk to myself a lot. I doubt if you do that, but I do. But, maybe I need to make Jesus my best friend, and instead of talking to myself, talk to Him. Maybe that could work for you. In any case, be with Him. Abide in Him.
• We can pray for each other. Pray for God’s protection over each of us. Pray that He will always be close to us.
• We can pray for our family if we have a family and ask God to keep them in His care and free of the evil one’s influence.
• We can pray for a revival across the USA. We need that today.
• We can pray to protect our leaders and to give them wisdom as they govern from day to day. We also need that today.
• We can pray to protect our nation and its people. Include in this prayers for our armed service members serving us in the armed forces.
• And we can pray for the people in this facility, that He would begin to work in their hearts and encourage them to accept Him. To ask Him to give them a desire to come to the service. Ask God to work in their lives.

So, as you begin to pray, He will come near you. As you continue to focus on Him, and that you expect Him to answer your prayers, you will be closer to Him. Take time this week to pray each morning, noon, and night. And, I would encourage you to set aside a particular time each day when you can be alone with Him and just pray. Turn off the TV, and turn the phone ringer off and put your phone in the other room, and go pray. Allow Him to speak to you through your time with Him.

To finish,

John’s final thought on this
“28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” – NKJV

So, John begs us to abide in Him. To make Him first in our lives. To not make our home, or our possessions, first, but to make Him first, We can love our homes, our cars, our jobs, whatever it may be, but if that love comes before Jesus, then you are a target for the evil one.

In summary, remember, the evil one is a roaring lion, going around seeking who he can deceive. He is at you constantly, trying to get you to denounce Jesus. Flee from these thoughts. Remember, God is always with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

And we are to abide in Jesus. He loves you and cares for you. If you do not love Jesus, then I urge you to come to Him today. Ask Him to forgive your sins and to save your soul from death and give you eternal life. He is your friend.

And these truths apply no matter how old you are. If you are in grade school, just remember, God loves you and is with you. He is on your side. Sometimes, kids will say mean things to you, but just remember, God still loves you no matter what they say. Don’t let them make you feel bad. God is with you and is for you.

And for you in high school or college kids or young people just getting started. Put Jesus first in your life. Make Him your focal point to live for. He will guide you and direct your steps. Pray that He will lead you and guide you. Keep Him in the forefront of your mind and thoughts. He will always be with you.

And for the adults. God knows you! And for all of us, He knows how many hairs are on our heads, and He knows all about us. And He is on your side! Love Jesus. Ask Him to lead you and guide you. He will!

So, I urge you, take time this week to seek Him and to pray. He will come close to you. May God richly bless you this week.

NKJV “Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

GW “All Scripture marked with the designation “GW” is taken from GOD’S WORD®. © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. Used by permission.”

WYC “Wycliffe Bible (WYC) 2001 by Terence P. Noble”

CSB “The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.”