Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Prayer for Victory over Enemies.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

⁷ When they told Jotham, he went and stood at the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, “Hear me, O men of Shechem, so that God may hear you. ^8 [a]Once the trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’ ⁹ But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I give up my fatness by which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’ ¹⁰ Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us!’ ¹¹ But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I give up my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to wave over the trees?’ ¹² Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ ¹³ And the vine replied, ‘Should I give up my new wine, which makes God and men happy, and go to wave over the trees?’ ¹⁴ Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ ¹⁵ So the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’

¹⁸ Children, it is the last hour [the end of this age]; and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming [the one who will oppose Christ and attempt to replace Him], even now many antichrists (false teachers) have appeared, which confirms our belief that it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They went out from us [seeming at first to be Christians], but they were not really of us [because they were not truly born again and spiritually transformed]; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out [teaching false doctrine], so that it would be clearly shown that none of them are of us. ²⁰ But you have an anointing from the Holy One [you have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit], and all of you know [the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds, and guards us from error]. ²¹ I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie [nothing false, no deception] is of the truth. ²² Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)? This is the antichrist [the enemy and antagonist of Christ], the one who denies and consistently refuses to acknowledge the Father and the Son. ²³ Whoever denies and repudiates the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses and acknowledges the Son has the Father also. ²⁴ As for you, let that remain in you [keeping in your hearts that message of salvation] which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you too will remain in the Son and in the Father [forever].

The Promise Is Eternal Life

²⁵ This is the promise which He Himself promised us—eternal life.

²⁶ These things I have written to you with reference to those who are trying to deceive you [seducing you and leading you away from the truth and sound doctrine]. ²⁷ As for you, the anointing [the special gift, the preparation] which you received from Him remains [permanently] in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But just as His anointing teaches you [giving you insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit] about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as His anointing has taught you, ^[a]you must remain in Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him].

²⁸ Now, little children (believers, dear ones), remain in Him [with unwavering faith], so that when He appears [at His return], we may have [perfect] confidence and not be ashamed and shrink away from Him at His coming.