This upcoming weekend is the Labor Day holiday, and I for one am certainly in need of a long weekend to try and recuperate. This summer has been way too hot.
I want to thank the Lord for providing a very important financial need in my life this week. I'm still looking for more work, and I ask for your prayers in this matter.
This week, I am going to take a break from our study of I John and look at one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. Isaiah 55 is filled with wonderful verses that are very familiar to those who study God's Word.
This chapter begins with the words, "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters, and you who have no money come buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost."
Isaiah is telling about God's free gift of salvation. There is no price. Human beings could never earn their way to salvation. Salvation is a gift from God.
Later, in the New Testament, Jesus encountered the woman at the well in Samaria. Jesus offered this woman living water promising her that if she drank of the living water, she would never thirst again.
Jesus wasn't speaking about literal water. He was the living water. Jesus is the Savior of the world. Whosoever will may come to Jesus and receive forgiveness of sins and become a new creature in Christ Jesus.
Another passage echoing the words of Isaiah is found in Revelation chapter 22. In the New Jerusalem, the Apostle John saw, 'the river of the water of life flowing from the throne of God and from the Lamb."
Another well-known passage from Isaiah 55 is recorded in verses 8-9. Here, the Lord says that His ways and thoughts are high above the thoughts of man. In fact, the Lord says that His thoughts are higher above man's thoughts as the heaven's are above the earth.
This verse tells me that it is not possible for me to always know what God is trying to do. God is God. I am certainly not. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I don't understand sometimes what God is doing especially when prayers go unanswered or hard times strike myself or others. I can rest in the knowledge that God is in control. He has a plan, and He is bringing all things together towards the fulfillment of His plan. It is up to me to have faith in His leading and will.
Verse 11 is an important verse to me. The Lord says that His word will not return to Him empty. It will accomplish God's purpose.
As someone called to minister, it is part of my duty to proclaim the word of God and teach the Bible which is God's word. Most of the time, I have no idea what effect this is having. Take this blog for instance. I post a sermon each week and pray that God will use it for his honor and glory. I don't know what my words will accomplish. However, I do know that when the word of the Lord is proclaimed, something will happen. For instance, the word can be rejected or simply ignored. At other times, the word is received, and sometimes through the power of the Spirit, it makes a difference in someone's life. One way or another, God will accomplish His will.
Finally, the final verses of Isaiah 55 speak about a time in the future when all things will be made new. This is when Jesus returns to earth again. Just as Jesus came to earth on Christmas Day, one day, Jesus Christ is coming back to earth in power and great glory. Every eye will see Him and everyone will bow before Him and proclaim that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
When that day arrives, Jesus will restore everything to the perfect state that existed on earth before the fall of man. There will be peace. There will be no more sorrow or pain. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Jesus offers His gift of love and salvation to all. If you've never surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, I pray that you will do so today. I pray that everyone will have a great holiday. Amen.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Weekend Sermon--I John 4:1
I hope that everyone has had a good week. It's been so dry where I live that we've been moved up to exceptional draught status. This weekend we're supposed to finally get some substantial rain. We need the rain, I just hope we don't get any severe weather.
I talked about unanswered prayer last week as we finished our examination of I John chapter 3. As I said last week, it's often difficult to understand why our prayers go unanswered. It's just something we have to accept and still believe and trust in the goodness of God. It's important to remember that God is working out all things for our good. God is working out all things for the fulfillment of His ultimate plane for the universe.
We now move into chapter 4 and the Apostle John's discussion about testing the spirits to see if they are from God.
John begins in verse 1 by stating, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
I believe that what John is speaking about here is the spirit of truth versus the spirit of error. John is warning his readers not to simply believe someone because he says that he has a word or prophecy from the Lord. Not everyone who claims to be speaking for the Lord is really doing that. As John points out, there are many false doctrines. That was certainly true in John's day. In John's time, some were teaching that Jesus had not come in the flesh. Others taught a type of antinomianism that said that since Christians were under grace they could sin freely knowing they were forgiven. Still others taught that believers were still obligated to follow the Old Testament ritual law in order to be accepted by God. Paul dealt with this problem extensively in the epistle to the Galatians.
Of course, as history progressed, more and more false teaching arose. Arianism was one of the greatest threats to the doctrinal integrity of the church. Also, the church faced heretical movements such as Donatism, Docetism and Apollinarianism.
False teachings are among us to a great extent right down to our present day. One of the main features of false teachers is that they use the same theological terms as orthodox Christians, but they place different meanings into the term. They pour there false beliefs into familiar terminology.
For instance, the Jehovah's Witnesses will speak about Jesus, but in their belief, Jesus is not equal with the Father. They have an erroneous belief concerning the deity of Christ. In fact, there beliefs about Jesus are similar to the ancient Arian heresy.
John talks about testing whether or not a person or group is really speaking the true doctrine. There are two things I've found that are almost always present in teachings that are in error.
First of all, most false teachers want to add to the Bible. For instance, false teachers may accept the Bible as authoritative, but they then want to add something else. The Bible isn't sufficient. Many times, another book is added to the Bible such as the Book of Mormon.
Many of my ancestors were members of the Swedenborgian Church. This church accepts the Bible. However, you can't really understand the Bible, they believe, without the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. The Bible is not sufficient.
Others will say that additional revelations through prophecy or words of wisdom are a continuing revelation equal with Scripture.
The biggest mark of a cult or false teaching is what they do with Jesus. John focuses on the false doctrine that was present in his day. John says that anyone who teaches that Jesus did not come in the flesh is teaching false doctrine.
Most cults and false teachers in some way diminish the person and work of Jesus Christ. Some will say that Jesus is the Son of God, but He is not equal with God. Many will claim that Jesus was just a man who was adopted by God at the time of baptism.
Probably the greatest false teaching diminishes what Jesus did on the cross. The Bible is clear that Jesus died for our sins. Jesus paid it all. He accomplished all that is is necessary for our salvation by His death and resurrection.
False teachers will teach Jesus plus. They will say you need Jesus plus good works, or Jesus plus some other ritual. In their opinion, Jesus isn't sufficient.
When judging the truth of a particular teaching, the most important thing that we can do is to test how a teaching measures up with what is revealed in Scripture.
If we are student's of God's Word, we will become so familiar with the truth that we will be able with the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to determine truth from error.
We need to be like the Bereans. When they heard the teachings of Paul, they searched the Scriptures diligently in order to see if the things that Paul taught were true.
If you don't have a regular practice of reading and studying the Bible, I urge you to begin today. Studying church history is also very helpful. Many of the same doctrinal errors the church faces today have occurred at various times throughout the history of the church.
May God bless you this week. Amen.
I talked about unanswered prayer last week as we finished our examination of I John chapter 3. As I said last week, it's often difficult to understand why our prayers go unanswered. It's just something we have to accept and still believe and trust in the goodness of God. It's important to remember that God is working out all things for our good. God is working out all things for the fulfillment of His ultimate plane for the universe.
We now move into chapter 4 and the Apostle John's discussion about testing the spirits to see if they are from God.
John begins in verse 1 by stating, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
I believe that what John is speaking about here is the spirit of truth versus the spirit of error. John is warning his readers not to simply believe someone because he says that he has a word or prophecy from the Lord. Not everyone who claims to be speaking for the Lord is really doing that. As John points out, there are many false doctrines. That was certainly true in John's day. In John's time, some were teaching that Jesus had not come in the flesh. Others taught a type of antinomianism that said that since Christians were under grace they could sin freely knowing they were forgiven. Still others taught that believers were still obligated to follow the Old Testament ritual law in order to be accepted by God. Paul dealt with this problem extensively in the epistle to the Galatians.
Of course, as history progressed, more and more false teaching arose. Arianism was one of the greatest threats to the doctrinal integrity of the church. Also, the church faced heretical movements such as Donatism, Docetism and Apollinarianism.
False teachings are among us to a great extent right down to our present day. One of the main features of false teachers is that they use the same theological terms as orthodox Christians, but they place different meanings into the term. They pour there false beliefs into familiar terminology.
For instance, the Jehovah's Witnesses will speak about Jesus, but in their belief, Jesus is not equal with the Father. They have an erroneous belief concerning the deity of Christ. In fact, there beliefs about Jesus are similar to the ancient Arian heresy.
John talks about testing whether or not a person or group is really speaking the true doctrine. There are two things I've found that are almost always present in teachings that are in error.
First of all, most false teachers want to add to the Bible. For instance, false teachers may accept the Bible as authoritative, but they then want to add something else. The Bible isn't sufficient. Many times, another book is added to the Bible such as the Book of Mormon.
Many of my ancestors were members of the Swedenborgian Church. This church accepts the Bible. However, you can't really understand the Bible, they believe, without the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. The Bible is not sufficient.
Others will say that additional revelations through prophecy or words of wisdom are a continuing revelation equal with Scripture.
The biggest mark of a cult or false teaching is what they do with Jesus. John focuses on the false doctrine that was present in his day. John says that anyone who teaches that Jesus did not come in the flesh is teaching false doctrine.
Most cults and false teachers in some way diminish the person and work of Jesus Christ. Some will say that Jesus is the Son of God, but He is not equal with God. Many will claim that Jesus was just a man who was adopted by God at the time of baptism.
Probably the greatest false teaching diminishes what Jesus did on the cross. The Bible is clear that Jesus died for our sins. Jesus paid it all. He accomplished all that is is necessary for our salvation by His death and resurrection.
False teachers will teach Jesus plus. They will say you need Jesus plus good works, or Jesus plus some other ritual. In their opinion, Jesus isn't sufficient.
When judging the truth of a particular teaching, the most important thing that we can do is to test how a teaching measures up with what is revealed in Scripture.
If we are student's of God's Word, we will become so familiar with the truth that we will be able with the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to determine truth from error.
We need to be like the Bereans. When they heard the teachings of Paul, they searched the Scriptures diligently in order to see if the things that Paul taught were true.
If you don't have a regular practice of reading and studying the Bible, I urge you to begin today. Studying church history is also very helpful. Many of the same doctrinal errors the church faces today have occurred at various times throughout the history of the church.
May God bless you this week. Amen.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Weekend Sermon--I John 3:19-24
The Olympics are over. I really enjoyed watching them. Some of the churches in London used the games as an opportunity to spread the gospel.
One church, All Souls at Langham Place, had a great series of messages that had an Olympic theme. Sometime next week I'll try to put up a link to their website for those of you who are interested in listening. The rector of All Souls, Hugh Palmer, is one of my favorite speakers.
In last weeks' message, we looked at living a lifestyle of righteousness as a characteristic of a true follower of Jesus. I also discussed the importance of believers loving each other in Christ. As John said, we need to love in deed not just in word. As James would put it, "Faith without works is dead."
Today's message brings us to the concluding verses of chapter 3. I have to say straight out that these verses are extremely difficult for me to talk about notably verse 22 that I will discuss shortly.
First of all, verses 19-21 deal with the theme of assurance of salvation. If a person is living a life that John discussed in the previous verses, that person has the works pertaining to righteousness. These works do not bring a person to salvation. Works of righteousness and the life of righteousness are evidence that a person's life has been transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. Loving our brothers and sisters in Christ is evidence that we are empowered by the the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Sometimes, people doubt their salvation. But, God knows our heart. His Spirit will bear witness with our spirit that we are in the faith.
Now we come to what for me is a difficult verse. In verse 22 John says, " And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."
For me, this verse gets down to the issue of unanswered prayer and what John could be referring to here because no one that I know has all of their prayers answered even the most committed Christians. I'm sure there are many reasons for this. However, sometimes I wonder what is the cause of unanswered prayers.
In my life, I've had many occasions when I know the Lord has answered my prayers. I believe in the power and the importance of prayer. I've had four real major answers to prayer in my life.
When I was in my early twenties, God healed me of chronic asthma. Before this time, I'd get asthma almost every time I tried to play sports or go out when it was even slightly chilly. Now, the only time I get asthma is if I work in very cold weather, like shoveling snow. Some may say this isn't a "real" healing because it's not 100%. But if you knew what I was like before, you would have to recognize the hand of God.
I prayed twice for Toby and saw an answer to prayer. I prayed for 5 years that Toby's autoimmune skin problem would be healed. Thank the Lord, Toby was healed and spent the last years of his life free from this ailment.
Then, when Toby was diagnosed with cancer, the oncologist only gave him 6 to 8 weeks to live even with chemotherapy. I decided against chemo. I asked God to heal Toby, and Toby lived over 13 months with no trouble until the final week of his life.
Finally, when I turned 30, I was diagnosed with vitiligo. It was really bad. Praise the Lord, God has completely healed me of this.
I praise God for these wonderful answers to prayer.
However, there have been some things I've prayed about that haven't been answered. I prayed every day for six years that my Mom would recover from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and the effects of a stroke. She never improved a bit.
I prayed that my Dad would get well when he collapsed from a stroke at the veterinarian's office. He died two weeks later.
I prayed that God would give Toby just a little more time the night before he died. Toby is gone.
I know that my Mom, Dad and Toby are in Heaven safe, well and happy with Jesus. But, prayers for their recovery here on earth weren't answered.
I've often wondered about unanswered prayer when I read verses like our verse today. I'm sure I'm not alone. I know many instances of people who have lost loved ones or have suffered in spite of the prayers offered by many on their behalf.
All I can say about verse 22 is that these are the times when I have to leave these things to the mystery of faith. I have to say like the man who came to Jesus to heal his son, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief."
One day, when I see Jesus, I'll ask Him about these things. I'm sure I'll understand it then. It's not easy to understand now.
I think that part of being a Christian is continuing to believe in spite of the difficulties of unanswered prayer or the problem of evil. Sometimes it's hard, but I am confident that Jesus is who He claimed to be. I've put my trust in Him and will follow Him in spite of those things that are beyond my understanding.
John concludes chapter 3 by telling his readers about two commandments given by God.
The first commandment God has given is to believe in Jesus Christ His Son. There is no other way to have a relationship with the Father except by believing in Jesus.
We are also commanded to love one another.
If we have accepted Christ as Savior and have the evidence of love, we can have confidence that His Spirit dwells within us. Amen.
One church, All Souls at Langham Place, had a great series of messages that had an Olympic theme. Sometime next week I'll try to put up a link to their website for those of you who are interested in listening. The rector of All Souls, Hugh Palmer, is one of my favorite speakers.
In last weeks' message, we looked at living a lifestyle of righteousness as a characteristic of a true follower of Jesus. I also discussed the importance of believers loving each other in Christ. As John said, we need to love in deed not just in word. As James would put it, "Faith without works is dead."
Today's message brings us to the concluding verses of chapter 3. I have to say straight out that these verses are extremely difficult for me to talk about notably verse 22 that I will discuss shortly.
First of all, verses 19-21 deal with the theme of assurance of salvation. If a person is living a life that John discussed in the previous verses, that person has the works pertaining to righteousness. These works do not bring a person to salvation. Works of righteousness and the life of righteousness are evidence that a person's life has been transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. Loving our brothers and sisters in Christ is evidence that we are empowered by the the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Sometimes, people doubt their salvation. But, God knows our heart. His Spirit will bear witness with our spirit that we are in the faith.
Now we come to what for me is a difficult verse. In verse 22 John says, " And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."
For me, this verse gets down to the issue of unanswered prayer and what John could be referring to here because no one that I know has all of their prayers answered even the most committed Christians. I'm sure there are many reasons for this. However, sometimes I wonder what is the cause of unanswered prayers.
In my life, I've had many occasions when I know the Lord has answered my prayers. I believe in the power and the importance of prayer. I've had four real major answers to prayer in my life.
When I was in my early twenties, God healed me of chronic asthma. Before this time, I'd get asthma almost every time I tried to play sports or go out when it was even slightly chilly. Now, the only time I get asthma is if I work in very cold weather, like shoveling snow. Some may say this isn't a "real" healing because it's not 100%. But if you knew what I was like before, you would have to recognize the hand of God.
I prayed twice for Toby and saw an answer to prayer. I prayed for 5 years that Toby's autoimmune skin problem would be healed. Thank the Lord, Toby was healed and spent the last years of his life free from this ailment.
Then, when Toby was diagnosed with cancer, the oncologist only gave him 6 to 8 weeks to live even with chemotherapy. I decided against chemo. I asked God to heal Toby, and Toby lived over 13 months with no trouble until the final week of his life.
Finally, when I turned 30, I was diagnosed with vitiligo. It was really bad. Praise the Lord, God has completely healed me of this.
I praise God for these wonderful answers to prayer.
However, there have been some things I've prayed about that haven't been answered. I prayed every day for six years that my Mom would recover from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and the effects of a stroke. She never improved a bit.
I prayed that my Dad would get well when he collapsed from a stroke at the veterinarian's office. He died two weeks later.
I prayed that God would give Toby just a little more time the night before he died. Toby is gone.
I know that my Mom, Dad and Toby are in Heaven safe, well and happy with Jesus. But, prayers for their recovery here on earth weren't answered.
I've often wondered about unanswered prayer when I read verses like our verse today. I'm sure I'm not alone. I know many instances of people who have lost loved ones or have suffered in spite of the prayers offered by many on their behalf.
All I can say about verse 22 is that these are the times when I have to leave these things to the mystery of faith. I have to say like the man who came to Jesus to heal his son, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief."
One day, when I see Jesus, I'll ask Him about these things. I'm sure I'll understand it then. It's not easy to understand now.
I think that part of being a Christian is continuing to believe in spite of the difficulties of unanswered prayer or the problem of evil. Sometimes it's hard, but I am confident that Jesus is who He claimed to be. I've put my trust in Him and will follow Him in spite of those things that are beyond my understanding.
John concludes chapter 3 by telling his readers about two commandments given by God.
The first commandment God has given is to believe in Jesus Christ His Son. There is no other way to have a relationship with the Father except by believing in Jesus.
We are also commanded to love one another.
If we have accepted Christ as Savior and have the evidence of love, we can have confidence that His Spirit dwells within us. Amen.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Weekend Sermon--I John 3:4-14
I've enjoyed watching the Olympics the last few days. My favorite sport so far has been the equestrian events. Watching the beautiful horses doing the sport jumping was fantastic. The diving was good too. That was what my Mom liked to watch the best. She liked the Winter Olympics because her favorite sport to watch was the figure skating.
I had an interesting visit with a businessman this week that turned into a witnessing opportunity. Out of the blue this man began asking my opinion about various theological subjects. He began by telling me that he didn't believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. I tried to explain this belief to him which led us to a discussion about the deity of Christ. He also rejected this idea. We also discussed the necessity of trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation apart from good works. I hope that at the end of our discussion he continued to ponder these matters. Please pray for this man that he might come to know Jesus as his Savior. Hopefully, I will have more chances to be a witness in the future.
One more thing, this particular individual has been a church member for over 40 years. He has also served on a church board. As I've said, there are many people who go to church, but they have no understanding of doctrine or who Jesus really is or who He claimed to be.
In last week's message, we examined the greatness of the love of God. I talked about how God loved us so much that He sent Jesus into the world to redeem this world from sin through His death and resurrection. Not only that, we saw that God loved us so much that He calls those of us who believe in Jesus the children of God. We also saw that those who are in Christ will be like Jesus when we see Jesus face to face. I am looking forward to seeing Jesus in Heaven.
John goes on in verse three of chapter three to urge his readers who have hope for Heaven based on their relationship with Christ to purify themselves even as Jesus Christ is pure.
Because we love Jesus, it should be our desire to want to be like Him in all we do and say. It is our duty as Christians to study the life of Christ and conform our attitudes and actions to Jesus' attitude and actions.
The next section of chapter three is basically a reiteration of the main themes we have studied so far in I John. In verses 4 through 10, John once again drives home the point that the true follower of Jesus does not live in continual sin. One of the distinguishing points between those who are the children of God and those who are not is a lifestyle of righteousness versus a lifestyle of unrighteousness.
Let us remember, however, that John doesn't say that Christians are always absolutely 100 percent perfect in everything that they do. John tells believers in chapter one that we are to confess our sins to the Lord who will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John is talking about sin as a way of life. He is also speaking about someone whose will is not fixed on living for God but is fixed on fulfilling the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life.
Someone who is true follower of Jesus has undergone a transformation. He has become a new creature in Christ Jesus. All of the old is dead, and a new person has taken the old man's place. That new person is not a slave of sin. He is committed to following the Lord Jesus Christ.
A good example of this is my own Dad. My Dad didn't become a Christian until he was 40 years old. I was two years old at the time. Before my Dad became a Christian, he drank heavily, got in bar fights and cursed frequently. After my Dad came to know Jesus as Savior, his life was turned around completely. The people who knew him were astonished. My Dad became active in the church, gave up drinking and was one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. My half brother, who is a lot older than I am, said to me at our Dad's funeral that the Dad he grew up with was very different from the Dad I knew. Jesus made the difference.
A person who is not a follower of Jesus is not transformed and does not have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit in his life. He is still dead in trespasses and sin and is therefore a slave of sin. This is clearly manifested in his actions.
John then moves on in chapter three to once again point out the importance of loving our brothers and sisters in Christ. This also distinguishes the children of God from the children of this world.
In verse twelve, John compares those who do not love their brothers to Cain. Cain killed his brother because Cain was enraged that God accepted Abel's offering and rejected Cain's offering of the fruit of the ground.
In verses 17-18, John puts the love of the brethren down in practical terms. Verse 17 states, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"
John asks a great question. How can someone really call himself a follower of Christ when he sees a world that is filled with so much misery and need and not do anything about it?
If we know someone who is a Christian and they are experiencing a financial problem, if we have the resources, we should put them to use and help our brothers and sisters in Christ.
As I've said before, if we in the church would help each other, we could eliminate many needs. For instance, if there is someone in the church who needs food aid, the other members of the body should help the other member to have what is needed. A church member having to seek public assistance from the government should be a last resort if the church can't come up with enough. However, and this is sad, many churches just won't help out. How can this be among Christians?
This week, let us work to be more like Jesus in thought, word and deed. Let us seek to do good to our brothers and sisters in Christ and make the world the best it can possibly be. Amen.
I had an interesting visit with a businessman this week that turned into a witnessing opportunity. Out of the blue this man began asking my opinion about various theological subjects. He began by telling me that he didn't believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. I tried to explain this belief to him which led us to a discussion about the deity of Christ. He also rejected this idea. We also discussed the necessity of trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation apart from good works. I hope that at the end of our discussion he continued to ponder these matters. Please pray for this man that he might come to know Jesus as his Savior. Hopefully, I will have more chances to be a witness in the future.
One more thing, this particular individual has been a church member for over 40 years. He has also served on a church board. As I've said, there are many people who go to church, but they have no understanding of doctrine or who Jesus really is or who He claimed to be.
In last week's message, we examined the greatness of the love of God. I talked about how God loved us so much that He sent Jesus into the world to redeem this world from sin through His death and resurrection. Not only that, we saw that God loved us so much that He calls those of us who believe in Jesus the children of God. We also saw that those who are in Christ will be like Jesus when we see Jesus face to face. I am looking forward to seeing Jesus in Heaven.
John goes on in verse three of chapter three to urge his readers who have hope for Heaven based on their relationship with Christ to purify themselves even as Jesus Christ is pure.
Because we love Jesus, it should be our desire to want to be like Him in all we do and say. It is our duty as Christians to study the life of Christ and conform our attitudes and actions to Jesus' attitude and actions.
The next section of chapter three is basically a reiteration of the main themes we have studied so far in I John. In verses 4 through 10, John once again drives home the point that the true follower of Jesus does not live in continual sin. One of the distinguishing points between those who are the children of God and those who are not is a lifestyle of righteousness versus a lifestyle of unrighteousness.
Let us remember, however, that John doesn't say that Christians are always absolutely 100 percent perfect in everything that they do. John tells believers in chapter one that we are to confess our sins to the Lord who will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John is talking about sin as a way of life. He is also speaking about someone whose will is not fixed on living for God but is fixed on fulfilling the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life.
Someone who is true follower of Jesus has undergone a transformation. He has become a new creature in Christ Jesus. All of the old is dead, and a new person has taken the old man's place. That new person is not a slave of sin. He is committed to following the Lord Jesus Christ.
A good example of this is my own Dad. My Dad didn't become a Christian until he was 40 years old. I was two years old at the time. Before my Dad became a Christian, he drank heavily, got in bar fights and cursed frequently. After my Dad came to know Jesus as Savior, his life was turned around completely. The people who knew him were astonished. My Dad became active in the church, gave up drinking and was one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. My half brother, who is a lot older than I am, said to me at our Dad's funeral that the Dad he grew up with was very different from the Dad I knew. Jesus made the difference.
A person who is not a follower of Jesus is not transformed and does not have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit in his life. He is still dead in trespasses and sin and is therefore a slave of sin. This is clearly manifested in his actions.
John then moves on in chapter three to once again point out the importance of loving our brothers and sisters in Christ. This also distinguishes the children of God from the children of this world.
In verse twelve, John compares those who do not love their brothers to Cain. Cain killed his brother because Cain was enraged that God accepted Abel's offering and rejected Cain's offering of the fruit of the ground.
In verses 17-18, John puts the love of the brethren down in practical terms. Verse 17 states, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"
John asks a great question. How can someone really call himself a follower of Christ when he sees a world that is filled with so much misery and need and not do anything about it?
If we know someone who is a Christian and they are experiencing a financial problem, if we have the resources, we should put them to use and help our brothers and sisters in Christ.
As I've said before, if we in the church would help each other, we could eliminate many needs. For instance, if there is someone in the church who needs food aid, the other members of the body should help the other member to have what is needed. A church member having to seek public assistance from the government should be a last resort if the church can't come up with enough. However, and this is sad, many churches just won't help out. How can this be among Christians?
This week, let us work to be more like Jesus in thought, word and deed. Let us seek to do good to our brothers and sisters in Christ and make the world the best it can possibly be. Amen.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Weekend Sermon--I John 3:1-3
I want to begin this week by thanking everyone who reads the blog. I hope that it is a benefit to some. I know that one of the highlights of my week is writing out the sermon. I'm glad I can do this little thing to bring honor to the Lord.
We completed the second chapter of I John last week. We discussed the two ways John taught about abiding. Believers have the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit who leads us into the truth and keeps us from error. Believers are also called to abide in Christ. We must study God's Word and spend time in communion and prayer with the Lord.
We begin chapter 3 this week. Verse 1 is an interesting verse. John says, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we shall be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not."
There are two important ideas expressed in this verse. To being with, we as believers have received the abundance of the love of God so much so that we are sons of God.
Let's just look at the love of God for a moment. Whenever I think of the love God, I remember the fact that my sin separated me from God. My sin was an offense in the sight of a Holy God. Also, according to the Scriptures, not only were we dead in our trespasses and sins, we were also the enemies of God. We desired to fulfill the sinful lusts of the flesh and not fulfill the righteous requirements God set before us.
However, in spite of all of this, God still loved us with an everlasting love. He loved us so much that He wanted to deliver us from the burden of sin and have a relationship with Him.
In order to accomplish this, God the Father sent His Son Jesus to this earth. Jesus lived a holy and sinless life. He bore our sins in His body on the cross atoning for our sins. Then, Jesus rose from the grave conquering death, hell and the grave which were the consequences of sin.
Then, the Father offered unto sinners the free gift of salvation. Whoever would place their faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead would be forgiven of sin.
But, even more than that, the Father has accepted those who believe in Jesus to be sons and daughters of God.
Because of the Father's great love, we who were sinners have been brought from the lowest place to the position of being the children of the Almighty Sovereign King of the Universe.
Because those of us who believe our children of God, we no longer have a relationship with this sinful world. The world doesn't know us because it doesn't know the Lord.
The world system has rejected the light of the world, Jesus. John spoke about this in I John chapter 1. This world system doesn't want the light therefore it despises those who identify with Jesus. Of course, this is the way Jesus said that it would be. Jesus said if they hate you don't be surprised because they hated me first.
John moves on to say in verse 2, "Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
Because we are the sons of God by faith in Jesus, Heaven is our eternal home. When someone dies who has placed their faith in Jesus, they go to Heaven and will be with Jesus for all eternity. Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for those who believed in Him so that we could be with Him forever.
When we die, we will see Jesus face to face. I can hardly wait. I long to see Jesus even today. I want to fall at Jesus' feet in adoration, praise and thanksgiving. He is my Lord. I love Him, and I want to be with Him throughout eternity.
When we see Jesus in Heaven, John says that we will be like Jesus. As the Bible says, we will receive a glorified body like unto Jesus' glorified body. We will lay aside this body that is often filled with pain for a body that will suffer no more. Once again, I can't wait. Since the early days of my life, I've been plagued with numerous health issues. However, a great day is coming when I will see Jesus and be delivered from all of these things.
Better yet, when we enter into the direct presence of Jesus, we will be fully delivered from sin. We will have the mind Christ. We will no longer be plagued by temptation. All of these old burdens will fly away when we see Jesus face to face.
What love. The Lord loves us so much. He calls everyone and anyone to come to the foot of the cross and yield their life to Him. Whosoever will may come and drink of the water of life.
This week, take some time to stop and meditate on all that Jesus did on the cross. Meditate on the greatness of the love of God.
Hopefully, as we do this, we will grow in our love for God which will move us to love others and tell them of the love of God we have experienced. Amen.
We completed the second chapter of I John last week. We discussed the two ways John taught about abiding. Believers have the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit who leads us into the truth and keeps us from error. Believers are also called to abide in Christ. We must study God's Word and spend time in communion and prayer with the Lord.
We begin chapter 3 this week. Verse 1 is an interesting verse. John says, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we shall be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not."
There are two important ideas expressed in this verse. To being with, we as believers have received the abundance of the love of God so much so that we are sons of God.
Let's just look at the love of God for a moment. Whenever I think of the love God, I remember the fact that my sin separated me from God. My sin was an offense in the sight of a Holy God. Also, according to the Scriptures, not only were we dead in our trespasses and sins, we were also the enemies of God. We desired to fulfill the sinful lusts of the flesh and not fulfill the righteous requirements God set before us.
However, in spite of all of this, God still loved us with an everlasting love. He loved us so much that He wanted to deliver us from the burden of sin and have a relationship with Him.
In order to accomplish this, God the Father sent His Son Jesus to this earth. Jesus lived a holy and sinless life. He bore our sins in His body on the cross atoning for our sins. Then, Jesus rose from the grave conquering death, hell and the grave which were the consequences of sin.
Then, the Father offered unto sinners the free gift of salvation. Whoever would place their faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead would be forgiven of sin.
But, even more than that, the Father has accepted those who believe in Jesus to be sons and daughters of God.
Because of the Father's great love, we who were sinners have been brought from the lowest place to the position of being the children of the Almighty Sovereign King of the Universe.
Because those of us who believe our children of God, we no longer have a relationship with this sinful world. The world doesn't know us because it doesn't know the Lord.
The world system has rejected the light of the world, Jesus. John spoke about this in I John chapter 1. This world system doesn't want the light therefore it despises those who identify with Jesus. Of course, this is the way Jesus said that it would be. Jesus said if they hate you don't be surprised because they hated me first.
John moves on to say in verse 2, "Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
Because we are the sons of God by faith in Jesus, Heaven is our eternal home. When someone dies who has placed their faith in Jesus, they go to Heaven and will be with Jesus for all eternity. Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for those who believed in Him so that we could be with Him forever.
When we die, we will see Jesus face to face. I can hardly wait. I long to see Jesus even today. I want to fall at Jesus' feet in adoration, praise and thanksgiving. He is my Lord. I love Him, and I want to be with Him throughout eternity.
When we see Jesus in Heaven, John says that we will be like Jesus. As the Bible says, we will receive a glorified body like unto Jesus' glorified body. We will lay aside this body that is often filled with pain for a body that will suffer no more. Once again, I can't wait. Since the early days of my life, I've been plagued with numerous health issues. However, a great day is coming when I will see Jesus and be delivered from all of these things.
Better yet, when we enter into the direct presence of Jesus, we will be fully delivered from sin. We will have the mind Christ. We will no longer be plagued by temptation. All of these old burdens will fly away when we see Jesus face to face.
What love. The Lord loves us so much. He calls everyone and anyone to come to the foot of the cross and yield their life to Him. Whosoever will may come and drink of the water of life.
This week, take some time to stop and meditate on all that Jesus did on the cross. Meditate on the greatness of the love of God.
Hopefully, as we do this, we will grow in our love for God which will move us to love others and tell them of the love of God we have experienced. Amen.
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