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00:00Music
00:00Brothers, hello again.
00:24Isn't verse 21 incredibly profound?
00:31Can't we really glean a lot of value from this verse?
00:36Not only to understand the letter, which we already see as coming to give it the finishing touch, to close in a majestic way.
00:47Moreover, as this verse invites us to discern in our hearts.
00:53Now, certainly, idols, as we shall see, and as we are already seeing, are realities opposed to God, to his Son, and finally also to the community of believers, to ourselves.
01:09But this verse comes, as we had seen, after a triple repetition of the word true in verse 20.
01:20So, the legitimate one we seek, how is it that idols have something to do with lies, with what deceives, with what is not authentic, with what is fraudulent.
01:36Finally, the one who tells us lies.
01:39And now, in Johannine thought, who is the father of lies?
01:45Do you remember?
01:47Probably so.
01:49In verse 20, we are told about intelligence and knowledge.
01:55And in verse 21, we can see something that distorts this discernment and this knowledge.
02:06We already saw that John is not referring exactly to pagan idols, to cult statues, to the material objects used by some religions.
02:17No, for Juan it's something more subtle, but it's also something deeper.
02:24What can we say?
02:25Can we say that idols are sin?
02:30When John says, "Beware of idols," is he asking Christians, the recipients, to beware of sin?
02:40Since he spoke of sin in 5.18.
02:44But perhaps Juan would have used the same word.
02:50And in the 21st it says idols.
02:53It is because there is something deeper than Juan himself, that the author himself, wants to bring to light here.
03:03Can we think that these idols are the evil one, the devil?
03:08Or can we think of it as the world?
03:11Yes and no, not exactly, because the same thing is going to happen.
03:18Juan uses another word.
03:21He could have said in verse 21, "Little children, beware of the evil one."
03:25And no, he says, little children, beware of idols.
03:28There is one solution left.
03:31To see that idols are false prophets with their false doctrines who come to deceive the community of disciples.
03:44What happened before?
03:47And I want us to see how this last verse gives birth to the entire letter.
03:54Earlier, in chapter 2, verse 22, the author said,
04:01Who is the liar if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?
04:08That is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.
04:12That's how they are liars.
04:16They spread the lie about Jesus.
04:20Those liars who came out of the community, but who are not of the community.
04:27And what will Juan say?
04:28The world listens to those liars, and the Christians, the community of disciples,
04:36He has to discern which prophets are false, from the true ones, which prophets spread lies.
04:46And John says, the point of discernment is regarding the mystery of Jesus.
04:51For this reason, the idols of 5.21 are opposed to the true Jesus.
05:02And finally, we need to analyze the word "guardar" (to save).
05:08Notice that John says, guard yourselves from idols.
05:12My little children, keep yourselves from idols.
05:14We could have thought, or we can assume, that Juan might have said,
05:21Deny idols, reject idols, turn away from idols.
05:26But no, John says, beware of idols.
05:31Because there is something of a very profound spiritual teaching.
05:36Here we will briefly review some verses from this first letter of John.
05:41So that we can see that the word "guardar" (to save), as a verb, is a positive action.
05:50It teaches us a lot.
05:53And it is something that should invite us to discernment.
05:58What do I ultimately hold in my heart?
06:01Do I keep the God revealed by Jesus, the true one?
06:07Or do I keep idols in my heart?
06:09Okay, let's read some verses where John uses this word.
06:14I'm going to start with chapter 2, verses 3, 4, and 5.
06:19Whoever says, “I know him,” and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
06:36But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God has reached its fullness.
06:43This is how we know we are in it.
06:47Later on, brothers, in chapter 3, verse 22, it says
06:53And whatever we ask of him, we will obtain from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
07:03In verse 24, also of this chapter 3, we read
07:09He who keeps His commandments dwells in God, and God in him.
07:15This is how we know that he dwells in us, by the Spirit he has given us.
07:20And finally, in chapter 5, verses 2, 18 and 21, this word "save" appears three times.
07:30Verse 2 says
07:31This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and keeping his commandments.
07:39In 5, 18, we read
07:42We know that everyone born of God does not sin, but the one born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot touch him.
07:53And finally, our verse 21
07:56My little children, keep yourselves from idols.
08:01Brothers, in a spiritual sense, the only thing we can see with this word, guard yourselves, is that it is a positive verb.
08:16In fact, it's always about keeping the word, keeping God's commandments, and Jesus is the one who keeps us safe.
08:26We can think of all of Johannine theology.
08:30Father, keep them in your name, which Jesus is going to ask his Father before entering into his passion.
08:40And what do we keep in our hearts?
08:44In fact, it is striking that the evil one does not keep.
08:49This verb is never used to talk about the actions of the evil one.
08:53The evil one does not even protect his own children, we can say that.
08:57And what do we keep in our hearts?
09:01And when John tells us in this verse 21
09:03Beware of idols
09:05It's take care, but
09:07If we use
09:09The word itself, keep yourselves safe
09:12It's because they protect their heart.
09:14Save that heart
09:16What's in that heart?
09:18The word of Jesus
09:19The commandments of Jesus
09:21It remains our responsibility
09:25Save this heart
09:27Of the idols
09:28What are they here to do?
09:31To deceive ourselves
09:31Telling us lies about faith in Jesus
09:35And worse still
09:36Telling each other lies
09:38Regarding brotherly love
09:41With respect
09:43My relationship with God
09:45And with my brothers
09:46And that's why
09:48They're idols.
09:50And in front of the idols
09:52A discernment must be exercised.
09:54And that's constant, brothers.
09:55I know that when
09:57In
09:58Today's spirituality
10:00The idols
10:02Of our life
10:03It could be the technology
10:04It could be the media
10:07Wealth
10:08The money
10:09The power
10:10Whatever
10:11We all have our idols
10:13Juan
10:15It's not just pointing
10:17Material realities
10:19It implies
10:21But it's aiming
10:23He is pointing
10:25That we must keep
10:26Our heart
10:28Of the idols
10:30They are liars
10:32How many times
10:34And how easily
10:35We put
10:37In God's place
10:38Things
10:40Are they not God?
10:42How many times
10:43We have
10:45Allowed our heart
10:47This inhabited
10:49For an idol
10:50And not because of Jesus
10:52The real one
10:53Not because of Jesus
10:54The Son of God
10:55That makes me be
10:56Son
10:57From God
10:59Through Jesus
11:00The Son
11:01I am a son
11:01And that's the truth
11:03Fundamental to my life
11:04That's the truth
11:05That must
11:06To always feed myself
11:07And to inhabit
11:08In my heart
11:09Siblings
11:10Hope you're doing well.
11:11Thank you very much for your attention.
11:13God bless you
11:14And we'll see each other again.
11:15In a future session
11:16From these Johannine writings
11:18Blessings
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