Daily Bible reading and prayer, Sunday, December 3, 2023
1 Corinthians 15-16 (chronological); Daniel 1-2, 1 John 2 (OT/NT)
A overview of our yearly Bible reading plan, with all edited summaries so far, can be found here.
We finish 1 Corinthians today, for the second time this year. It was written during Paul’s third missionary journey, during Paul’s extended time in Ephesus, addressing sin he is aware of in the Corinthian church.
I have recently updated the summary of the book of Acts, which is relevant for context for all of these readings.
Sunday, December 3, 2023 chronological reading: 1 Corinthians 15-16
Sunday, December 3, 2023 OT/NT readings: Daniel 1-2, 1 John 2
We finished Ezekiel for the second time this year yesterday. I still haven’t gotten it outlined. My goal was to outline all the books of the Bible this year. I am on track to do that for the remaining books of the New Testament (1-3 John, Jude, Revelation). I still need to outline Esther and Ezekiel, and I need to clean up my outline of the era of the kings of Judah and the kings of Israel. No small tasks, but we’ll see what I can get accomplished before the year ends. I wanted to stay ahead of the readings this year. That was too ambitious. However, I will be able to edit all my work from this year to be ahead of next year’s readings.
We start Daniel for the second time this year.
We started 1 John yesterday. Peter and James and John were with Jesus on the mountain when He was transfigured. James was martyred by Herod, but Peter and John went on to write letters referring to their authority as eyewitnesses.
CHAPTER THEME:
Chapter 1: John, with the other apostles, proclaims and testifies what they have seen and heard and touched concerning the Word of Life, which was from the beginning, so that we may have fellowship with them, and with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” Sin cannot be a part of this fellowship. If “we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
CHAPTER SUMMARY:
Chapter 1: “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also.” “Things things we write, so that our joy may be made complete” and that “you too may have fellowship with us,” and “with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” The “message we have heard from Him and announce to you” is “ that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” If we say we have not sinned, we lie. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. If we say we have fellowship with Him but walk in darkness, we lie. But “if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 2
v1-6 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
v7-11 “Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
v12-14 “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
v15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
v18-24 “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. As for you, 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.
v25 “This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.
v26-27 “These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.
v28-29 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”
Dear Lord,
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.
These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.
What You have taught in Scripture, through prophets and apostles, by the power of the Holy Spirit is our safe refuge. Thank You for it. Thank You for protection for deception. You promised there would always be those who desire to lead us astray. Thank You that You are our Good Shepherd and we know Your voice.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.