Posted by David on April 18, 1999 under Sermons
On April 19, 1995, four years ago tomorrow, there was an enormous explosion at the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. As rescuers searched for survivors, they located Daina Bradley. She was lying in six inches of water. Her face was barely visible as she lay bleeding under a blanket of concrete dust.
There was a problem. Her leg was trapped under some debris that could not be moved. She had only one hope for survival. She would die if she were not removed from those circumstances quickly. Only by amputating her leg was there any chance that her life could be saved. Even that offered no guarantee.
James Sullivan, an orthopedic surgeon, crawled to Daina. There was so little space that he had to climb on top of her to work. He broke four scalpel blades attempting to remover her leg. He had to complete the amputation with a pocket knife.
There was no anesthesia. As he worked, he prayed that she would not die as a result of what he had to do.
Because James Sullivan removed her leg, Daina Bradley lived.
Matthew 18:7-14, Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell. See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. [For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.] What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Somewhere along the road to being religious, we lost sight of God’s greatest desire.
- God’s greatest desire is clearly obvious in Jesus.
- God’s greatest desire is to give all humanity life.
- John wrote John 3:16,17, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- When Mary conceived as a virgin by the will and power of God, an angel told Joseph not to be afraid to marry her. Matthew 1:21, “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- It was Jesus who gave this invitation: Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- It was Jesus who said in Matthew 20:28, “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Jesus declared in John 12:32, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Paul wrote 1 Timothy 1:15, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.“ (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Peter wrote 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Somewhere along the road to being religious we Christian individuals became blind to God’s greatest desire.
- We became blind to God’s greatest desire for us personally.
- We became blind to Jesus’ greatest desire for us individually.
- How would you complete this statement–honestly? “God’s greatest desire for me is … ”
- “God’s greatest desire for me is to:”
- “Judge me.”
- Wrong. He did not have to send me a Savior to judge me.
- Will God judge me? Yes.
- But His greatest desire is to forgive me, not to pronounce me guilty.
- “Condemn me.”
- Wrong. Were that His greatest desire, He did not have to subject His Son to the pain of death on the cross.
- Will He condemn me?
- Only if I force Him to–by refusing to enter Christ and live in His forgiveness.
- “Punish me.”
- Wrong. Were that His greatest desire, He could have done nothing. All He had to do was let us pay the consequence of our mistakes, and our punishment would be certain.
- Will He punish me?
- Only if I force Him to–by rejecting His love.
- “Then what is God’s greatest desire for me?”
- God’s greatest desire is to save my life.
- God wants to give me life right now, a life that not even death can end.
- “If God’s greatest desire is to save my life, that is fine with me. He certainly has my permission!”
- If God is to save my life, I must assist God as He performs surgery on me.
- If I refuse the surgery, I will die.
- God will not kill me.
- My condition will kill me.
- The evil in me will kill me.
- It is the evil within me that is eating my mind.
- It is the evil within me that is eating my heart.
- Evil invaded my reasoning.
- Evil distorted my judgment.
- Evil deceives me every day of my life.
- Evil places me in deep denial.
- I tell myself that there is nothing wrong with me.
- I tell God that there is nothing wrong with me.
- Anyone who seriously suggests there is something is wrong with me angers me.
- If God is to save my life, first I must allow God awaken me to the evil that is killing me.
- I must let God teach me how to identify the things that support the evil within me.
- I must learn how to stop trusting me and trust God more completely.
- My confidence must be in God’s promises even when I do see or understand.
- I must believe in my life the impossible becomes the possible through the forgiveness of Jesus Christ and the love of God.
- Each of us as a Christian has a personal problem in allowing God to save his or her life–none of us are exempt from the problem.
- This is the truth: the more confidence I have in my own righteousness, the bigger my spiritual problem becomes.
- We do not see ourselves as needing help, but as giving help.
- Our great confidence in our own answers refuses to let God teach us.
- Our absolute certainty that we are right refuses to allow God to correct our concepts.
- It is probable that the most difficult lives to save are the persons who are certain that God already has completed His work in them.
- These are some identifiable Christians who fight God tooth and toenail as God earnestly seeks to save their lives.
- Christians who want God to save their lives while leaving all their ungodliness alone fight God fight God.
- “Save my life, but don’t change it.”
- “Let me stay who I am while I do all the things that I delight in doing.”
- “My sins are not bad for me; they won’t hurt me; leave them alone.”
- They don’t want surgery.
- Christians who want to be involved in Christ and to live unspiritual lives simultaneously fight God.
- When they are doing something for Christ, they want to do it 100%.
- When they are being unspiritual, they want to do it 100%.
- They partition their lives: they declare that Christ does not influence the unspiritual part of their lives and the unspiritual part of their lives does not influence Christ’s part.
- They don’t want surgery.
- Christians that regard spiritual defects to be spiritual assets fight God.
- Ungodly attitudes are an asset in defending the truth.
- Hard hearts are an asset when stressing obedience.
- Being without emotion is good because emotions produce error.
- Being a legalist is good because law keepers will not make the mistakes that are made by those who love, show compassion, and are merciful.
- Having deep feelings for God without knowledge about God is good; your feelings always will show you what is right.
- They don’t want surgery.
- Why does Jesus despise people who become stumbling blocks? Because stumbling blocks prevent God from saving lives.
- How can we become a stumbling block?
- A stumbling block person creates temptation.
- Jesus said that we live in a world filled with spiritual hazards that can destroy us.
- He gives a sober, serious warning to the person who allows evil to use him or her to create temptation.
- Notice that Jesus declared that we have two reasons for concern.
- We must be not be the reason that someone else stumbles.
- We must not cause ourselves to stumble.
- Even if it is something as basic to life as a hand, a foot, or an eye causes us to be tempted, remove it.
- Jesus was not talking about performing physical amputations.
- Jesus was saying that we will allow God to amputate anything, no matter how basic to life it seems, to escape the spiritual hazards that seek to kill us.
- Why will a Christian do that? Because the Christian understands that God wants to save our lives.
- God does not want to “least” person to die.
- God does not want the “lost” to die–even if the person is like the ignorant, none observant sheep that wanders off.
- It is not God’s will that even the most insignificant person perish.
- It is not God’s will that you die; God wants to save your life.
Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to the evil that wishes to kill us. Open our eyes and hearts to your deep desire to save our lives.
I wonder if Daina Bradley looked down at one leg and cursed James Sullivan for amputating the other leg. I wonder if Daina Bradley look down at one leg and thanked God that James Sullivan removed her leg to give her life.
God wants to give you life. But there is a difference. Anything that you allow God to amputate makes you spiritually whole. You lose nothing by turning from those things that seek to kill you.
Matthew 16:24,25, Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
Are you carrying the cross, or are you trying to save yourself?
Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles
Arrogant, pride-filled, nearsighted humanity has a problem with “needing God.” True enough, humanity always has had “gods” in abundance. We have gods we feared; gods who served us; gods who were angry with us; gods who punished us; gods who used us for their own amusement. Paul once observed that the Greeks erected an altar to the “unknown god” in their fear of overlooking a god (Acts 17:23). Some suggest that gods are a human creation to fulfill a human need. That suggestion may reflect a degree of truth. Often gods were (are) created to explain the unknown.
Virtually all peoples worship and reverence something. (Rare exceptions exist.) While the god worshipped varies, at least one discernible thread is woven through the fabric of most concepts of deity. Humanity says that it fears, is dependent on, and can be punished by the gods. That is not the thread.
This is the discernible thread. In the final analysis, the gods owe their existence and survival to humanity. The gods exist only when humanity remembers them and chooses to serve them.
Repeatedly, Old Testament writings contrasted the living, creator God who chose Israel with gods worshipped by other peoples (and too often by Israel!). One contrast was fundamental. The living, creator God did not depend on humanity for existence. Israel did not feed Him, preserve Him, protect Him, or give Him life. When they forgot Him, He lived and acted. When they deserted Him, He lived and acted. When the temple was left to ruin, He lived and acted. And His actions proved that He was alive!
This living, creator God sent us Jesus. He saves us. Though humanity does its worst, our worst cannot destroy His love, exceed His mercy, “out need” His grace, or generate wickedness that is beyond His forgiveness. No matter what we do, He lives and acts.
We are powerless to destroy Him. He was before we were. He will be after we are not. Yet, we can do something horrible to the living, creator God. In our minds and hearts we can remake Him. We can make “a god” out of “The God.” Each time our concepts make God depend on us instead of our depending on God, we are guilty. That is when we made “a god” out of “The God.”
Too much of “our religion” exists to defend a god that we made. Too little of our Christianity surrenders to the living, creator God to allow Him to remake us.
Posted by David on April 11, 1999 under Bulletin Articles
In recent months sad events and sad news have bombarded us. So many critical illnesses! So many deaths in families! So many deaths of members! So many were in intensive care that it seemed we could rent our own wing.
Last week the bombardment intensified. Wednesday Mary Burkett drove to Searcy for a doctor’s appointment to determine the source of headaches. Immediately there was emergency surgery for an aneurysm. Thursday night Brad Pistole suffered a seizure. Tests revealed a sizable brain tumor located behind his eye. Tuesday morning, Bill Flippo had a CAT scan which revealed three brain tumors.
We are in shock, but we also rejoice. John Fowler worshipped with us Sunday. His recovery from an extremely serious heart attack is progressing well. Stan Spainhour is able to worship with us again. His battle with a brain tumor is an inspiration. Mary Burkett returned home Monday. In over 95% of occurrences, the type of tumor Brad Pistole has is benign.
We tend to think of God’s purposes in terms of physical life. We tend to believe that physical needs are our most important needs. We tend to regard Christianity to be an “insurance policy” to protect us from the physically undesirable. We tend to think that God’s priority for us personally is centered in physical well being.
God and Satan are locked in a “war of no surrender.” When Jesus died, God defeated Satan. Though defeated, Satan is not yet imprisoned. He is enraged! He hates God! He hates those who belong to God! Satan is determined to cause God pain in the only way he can–by causing people pain and distress.
God uses the physical distress of His people to achieve His eternal purposes. God’s promises to us and plans for us far exceed physical well-being. It is incredible that GOD would call us His children! We cannot see what He plans for us (1 John 3:1, 2).
Our real struggle is not against the physical. It is against powers, the world forces of this darkness, and the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).
Satan can hurt us physically, but he cannot destroy us spiritually. That is not within his power. As we grieve and suffer, never forget that physical sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the eternal glory God has for us (Romans 8:18).
Posted by David on April 4, 1999 under Sermons
Even the relationships that survive are too often frail and hollow. Too many are based on pretense instead of substance.
The greatest single power available to Christians in our society to attract people to give serious consideration to Jesus Christ are Christian relationships of love. The more successful we are at loving and building relationships of love, the more successful we will be in reaching people in our society.
- Before we examine 1 John 4, we need to remember something and be aware of something.
- First, we must remember that John did not divide his letter into chapters and verses.
- Yes, I know that I keep reminding you of that.
- Let me show you why it is so important to remember that fact.
- The emphasis in 4:1-6 is on “trying the spirits.”
- But notice that the “bookends” on each side of “trying the spirits” is an emphasis on the importance of love.
- Immediately before we read about “trying the spirits” we are told that it is love that verifies that we have passed out of death into life.
- Immediately after we read about “trying the spirits” we are told that love is the proof that we have been conceived by God and know God.
- Any spirit that tries to convince us that love is not of basic, spiritual importance is not God’s spirit.
- Second, notice that John’s emphasis is on relationship, not on knowledge.
- The antichrist, those who declared that Jesus was not the Christ, often claimed that God gave them a special revelation.
- Their “revelation” emphasized that knowledge was essential and declared love was not of primary importance.
- Knowing God’s “revelation” was more important than loving Christians.
- Note that John strongly rejected the idea that knowledge is more important than love.
- Note that John strongly emphasized that Christians loving Christians is essential.
- I John 4:1-6, the importance of “trying the spirits.”
- “Do not believe every spirit because there are many false prophets; test the spirits” (4:1).
- First notice that the voice of the spirits here are human voices, the voices of false prophets.
- In a world without Bibles, there was an enormous problem of determining what to believe.
- In a world with Bibles, there is an enormous problem in determining what to believe.
- The Spirit of God confesses that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and that he came from God (4:2).
- They struggled with a huge problem that never troubles most of us.
- If Jesus was divine, if he came from God, how could he be a fleshly man?
- We do not have an answer to that question; we accept it by faith.
- We just don’t consider the answer to that question to be important.
- They did.
- To them that was a huge faith question.
- The antichrist denied that Jesus came from God and lived in the flesh (4:3).
- These Christians had heard the antichrists were coming.
- I doubt that they expected the antichrists to come from the Christian community; they likely expected antichrists to be an “outside force.”
- Antichrists were already in existence.
- Even though they began as Christians, they taught a “Christless” way to belong to God.
- John said clearly (4:4):
- You are from God.
- You have overcome the antichrist.
- Why?
- The Holy Spirit is in you.
- This was a common understanding in the first century Christian community.
- Paul emphasized the same truth in Ephesians 3:16,17 “… that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- They had not overcome the antichrists because they had defeated them.
- They had overcome the antichrists because the Holy Spirit was in them.
- God defeated Satan in the world by letting Jesus die, and God defeated Satan in you by letting His Spirit live in you.
- God’s Spirit can live in you because you believe that God sent Jesus in the flesh, and in that faith you have been conceived by God.
- We need to take a moment to focus on what John was talking about when he wrote of “trying the spirits.”
- This is one of many misused and abused verses in the New Testament.
- In the context of the point John made, “trying the spirits” had nothing to do with:
- What translations Christians use.
- What use we make of church buildings.
- What style of worship that we use.
- What spiritual programs and ministries that we select.
- Or a thousand other applications that we have made.
- We do not of ourselves decide that something is evil and authorize our opposition on the basis that John said “to try the spirits.”
- Most of the world fought the idea that Jesus was the Christ.
- Judaism denied that Jesus was the Christ.
- Paganism denied that Jesus was the Son of God.
- The Roman government considered Jesus and all who followed him to be a dangerous heresy that was a threat to the government.
- Even the antichrists said Jesus was not the Christ; and they came from among the Christians.
- There were two tests that they were to apply to those who declared that they spoke for God.
- Do they declare that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God?
- Do they emphasize the importance of Christians loving Christians?
- If they do not emphasize both essential truths, they are not from God.
- The antichrists are not from God; they oppose God (4:5).
- “We” (the apostolic voice) are from God (4:6).
- Those who know God listen to us.
- Recall how John began this letter (1:1-3)–we heard, saw, and touched him; we are actual witnesses of the life of the physical and resurrected Jesus.
- What does this mean? “It is urgent that you love each other” (4:7,8).
- Love is from God; God is into loving relationships.
- The closer people get to God the more loving they become;.
- Conversely, the further they get from God the less loving they become.
- What kind of love? Sacrificial, unselfish love. The love that God had when He sent His son to this world (John 3:16). The kind of love Jesus had when he died on the cross, the “Father forgive them” kind of love (Luke 23:34).
- Knowledge of God produces love and creates relationships.
- It is utter deceit to claim to know God and not love.
- God’s love revealed itself in them by giving them life in the Christ (4:9). [Instead of giving them an organ transplant God gave them a soul transplant.]
- Love is not revealed by what we do, but through what God did–He sent His son to be our substitute in paying for the consequences of the wrongs we do (4:10).
- If God loved every one of us that much, we ought to love each other (4:11).
- Loving each other does two things (4:12).
- It allows God to continually live in us.
- It allows God’s love to become complete in us.
- Love enables us to become 100% of what God wants us to be.
- We become what God wants us to be through relationship, not through doctrine.
- If it were possible for us to be 100% correct in doctrine, and in doing that not love, we would not be what God wants us to be.
- God living in us and our living in God is dependent on love.
- Doctrine is important because we pursue truth.
- Love is critical because we want God to live in us as we live in God.
- Possession of the Spirit verifies we live in God and God lives in us (4:13).
- The apostles witnessed the fact that God sent Jesus to be the world’s Savior (4:14).
- Confessing Jesus as the Christ is essential if God lives in you and you live in God [he is speaking of something much deeper than baptismal confession] (4:15).
- You must know and trust the love God has for us; mutually living in each other can happen only when you understand God is love (4:16).
- When love becomes complete in us, we will have confidence when the judgment arrives (4:17).
- Love destroys fear, and fear destroys love. Love can never be complete in the person who lives in fear of God’s punishment (4:18).
- If God had not first loved us, we would not know or understand love (4:19).
- It is impossible to love God and hate a Christian (4:20).
- Only liars claim they can do that.
- You cannot love the unseen God and hate the seen brother.
- This is God’s basic command that John emphasized: the Christian who loves God should love Christian brothers and sisters (4:21).
Loving relationships are the key to a successful congregation. The opportunity to form loving relationships are the key to a powerful outreach. When we let God show us how to love, we take the chains off of God. Powerful things happen.
Posted by David on under Sermons
How long is three hundred years? If we talk in approximate terms, that is the difference between the year 1700 and the year 2000. What happened near the year 1700? The year 1692 was the year of the Salem witchcraft trials. In 1701 a man pulled his boat up on bank of the Detroit River to establish a fur trading outpost. That spot is now the location of the Civic Center in downtown Detroit.
What did not exist in 1700? Virtually nothing that you use in your everyday life. Nothing that directly impacts your daily life existed in 1700. This nation was not even a nation in 1700.
- The church that Jesus brought into existence was the most unusual world religion that existed for almost three hundred years.
- “What was so unusual about the first three hundred years of the church?”
- Christians existed all over the Mediterranean world [and beyond], but no other religious group anywhere in the world was like them.
- Christians:
- Did not own any buildings that were used for religious assemblies.
- Did not build temples like the other religions.
- Had no priesthood who served in temples.
- Had no holy places where they gathered.
- Offered no sacrifices.
- No matter how many thousand Christians lived in a city, no matter how huge the city was, they did not have or do those things.
- In the beginning they had leaders that they called elders, or bishops, or presbyters, but these were spiritually mature men whose primary work was to serve and care for Christians by providing spiritual leadership.
- They were not authoritarians who controlled the church.
- They were not gifted business men who cared for church business.
- By today’s standards, there was no business to take care of since there were no buildings and no properties.
- These Christians, who were the church, were not like us.
- If a group of them could visit with us this morning, everything we do would be very strange to them.
- They met in homes without Bibles or song books or literature; printing had not been invented, and the majority could not read.
- The songs we sing are not the songs they sung.
- Our music was not their music; four part harmony did not exist.
- I seriously doubt that we do anything as they did it, and I seriously doubt they did things in the same manner in the different parts of their world.
- Jesus Christ definitely build his church.
- He did not build it while he was alive, but his death did not prevent him from building it.
Matthew 16:16-18 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Jesus built his church upon the truth that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
- By God’s guidance, Peter announced to the Jewish world and to the non-Jewish world that Jesus was the Christ.
- The church came into existence after Jesus’ resurrection, but not even crucifixion stopped him from building his church.
- The church belongs to Jesus, and only to Jesus.
- Paul told the elders from Ephesus in Acts 20:28 that Jesus purchased it with his own blood.
- He told the Ephesian congregation in Ephesians 1:22,23 that Jesus Christ is the head over all things to the church, and the church is his body.
- When you hear the word church, what do you think?
- Most of us think of a building when we think of the church.
- We quickly explain that the church is the people and not the building.
- But the truth is that when we think of the West-Ark Church of Christ we think about a building where Christians gather at 900 North Waldron Road in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
- We think of ministries, activities, and assemblies that are associated with this building.
- How can you have a church if you don’t have a building? an address? assemblies and activities?
- Is it not obvious that when the Christians in the New Testament heard the word “church” that they did not think of a building, or programs, or assemblies?
- They did not have buildings.
- Their assemblies occurred in small groups in homes.
- But the word church obviously meant something when they thought about it.
- They thought about a family of people who belonged to Jesus Christ.
- They thought about a spiritual community of believers that Jesus the Christ sustained, guided, nurtured, and nourished.
- The church was not a nation like Israel was a nation.
- The church was not a religious institution like the pagan temples.
- The church was simply the “called out” people, the people who were called to belong to God by following Jesus Christ.
- That was the meaning of the word translated church: “the called out.”
- These were the people who trusted the Christ that God sent.
- These were the people who willingly gave their lives to the Christ because he died for their sins.
- These were the people who let Jesus Christ be Lord of their lives.
- They were called out from everything that opposed God.
- They were called into the forgiveness and the salvation of the Christ.
- “I don’t understand how that worked.”
- “There were thousands and thousands of Christians.”
- “But there were no buildings, no property, no printing, no Bibles, no collective assemblies, and no institution?”
- “I just don’t see how that worked.”
- But it did. There has never been a time in history when Christianity grew as fast, was as strong, or constructively influenced the world more.
- “What happened to change this?”
- For those first three hundred years Christianity was not a legal religion.
- There were times of persecution, but most of the time it was not widespread.
- Mostly those were times of intolerance because Christians believed in only one God, and the idolatrous world was deeply offended by that.
- But every form of persecution, opposition, and intolerance could not stop the spread of the people who placed their faith in and gave their lives to Jesus the Christ.
- Then in 313 A.D. Emperor Constantine issued an edict of toleration for Christians.
- He legalized Christianity.
- He also built the first building dedicated to Christian worship.
- Almost as soon as it became legal, Christianity began an amazing transformation.
- In time it became the ultimate institution dedicated to exercising authority and demanding control.
- “But none of those things have anything to do with us.” Are you sure?
- Which is the more important in your religious life?
- To be a person “called out” of a world that does not care about God, who is “called to” follow and serve Jesus Christ?
- Or, to be a person who loyally follows “Church of Christ practices?”
- I am scared. I am scared that gradually through this last one hundred years that we have convinced ourselves that our desires are God’s concerns.
- Gradually the focus of the church has shifted to what we want, what we like, what makes us comfortable as it shifted away from Jesus Christ’s purposes.
- May I meddle a minute? Let me illustrate this by talking about some things that do not matter to God but are of serious importance to us.
- As I ask about these things, ask yourself: does this concern our personal desires and comfort, or God’s purposes in Jesus?
- The time that we assemble? Is that important to you? Why?
- The songs that we sing? Is that important to you? Why?
- The length of our assembly? Is that important to you? Why
- Having anything but preaching when we assemble? Is that important to you? Why?
- And these do not even touch the “important things.”
- Perhaps someone says, “David, you just want what you want.”
- I have been preaching for 45 years.
- I have never worked with a congregation that was “what I wanted;” (that is probably good).
- I have worked with a lot of elders, and I have never known an elder who said the church was just what he wanted it to be.
- In fact, the elders that I have known that tried the hardest to control the church were the elders who were the unhappiest with the church.
- This is a good congregation, and I am honored to be a part of it.
- There are so many good things happening here.
- So many are involved, so many accept responsibility, so many do wonderful things for Christ privately and quietly.
- This is a loving, serving congregation!
- An example: your outpouring of love and concern in recent deaths so touched visiting members of families that many were deeply moved by your love, and one person returned home and was baptized.
- It is because we are an exceptional congregation; it is because there is so much love here for the Lord and each other; it is because our spiritual potential is enormous; that I want to issue some special challenges.
- I am asking you to pray more than you have ever prayed in your life.
- I am asking you to have more courage and faith than you have ever had.
- “What do you want all of us to do?”
- I want us to give the church back to Christ. I want us to be Christ’s called out people.
- I want us to restore Christianity as it has never been restored here.
- I want us to commit ourselves to Christ’s purposes in our personal lives.
- I want us to commit ourselves to Christ’s purposes in the congregation.
- I want us to stop letting fear influence our decisions and start letting God use us as only God can.
- I want us to stop trying to take care of God, and start trusting God to take care of us.
- I want us to stop trusting “us” and start trusting God more deeply than we ever have.
- I want us to know with all our hearts that nothing is as important as letting the Christ prepare us and others for eternity.
Prayer: God help us become the “called out.” Help us be what Christ died for us to become. Our congregation, our community, our country desperately need your family!
Will you do it? Will you pray as you never prayed before? Will you help give this congregation to Jesus Christ? Will you let God use you to help restore Christianity?
Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles
The story is ancient. Only the episode is new. People have hated and killed people since Cain hated and killed Abel.
We are mystified when one people hate another people for hundreds of years. Most of the world’s enduring hatreds are centuries old. One wonders if anyone consumed by these hatreds knows why he or she hates. Most enduring hatreds are older than our nation, culture, and society. Not even our hatreds are that old.
Hate exists in America just as it does anywhere else. However, the hates that Americans commonly hold and express are quite young when compared to the centuries old hates that other cultures hold to. We “understand” the “relevance” of our “young hatreds” because “there is reason to hate.” We don’t understand centuries old hatreds–to us they exist without reason.
Horrible images from Kosovo flow through our televisions. Mass executions. Villages bombarded and burned. Women, children, and the elderly fleeing. People who lost everything. No refuge. No hope.
“How dare anyone slaughter people! How dare anyone treat women, children, and the elderly in such inexcusable ways! How dare anyone be so barbaric and unjust!”
Saturday a Christian brother from Belgrade, Yugoslavia, shared his experience beneath the NATO bombs. As you would expect, he spoke of suffering, destruction, and death. But he spoke of more. He spoke of eight Christians praying Friday night for fog and rain so the bombing would temporarily stop. He spoke of trying to stabilize the inner walls of their place of worship with tent pegs. The next day was Sunday. He spoke of Christians afraid to assemble because they might not be able to return home. Transportation is terrible. Bridges could be bombed next. And the mere vibrations from bombs would cause the building to collapse. Should he encourage Christians to come? He would pray Saturday night and call them early Sunday morning.
He began, “Hope is in God.” He ended, “Our only hope is in Christ…” He looked to the Lord of all, our Shepherd, King of kings, and Lord of lords. Senseless slaughter might terrorize people into heartless submission. Bombs might blast people into grudging submission. But as both continue, the fibers of centuries old hatreds grow stronger. The injustices might stop, but hatred will live and grow.
Political change cannot destroy hate. Neither can bombs. Only one change can destroy hate: changed hearts. The Christ changes hearts. A hundred years from now, will your love or your hate live on in the hearts of others?
Posted by David on March 28, 1999 under Sermons
Obedience has at least two primary responsibilities. In the first, ideal obedience is concerned about the best interests of the one who obeys. God asks us to obey because God seeks our best interest. In God’s concern, obedience’s objective is to prevent the injuries that result from the ignorance of the person who is to obey. Because of our ignorance, dangers, unrecognized and unknown to us can destroy us. In this concern, God asks us to obey to protect us from disasters created by ignorance.
In the second, ideal obedience functions on our understanding of God’s purposes. An unselfish understanding of God’s purposes dedicates the person to assisting God’s purposes. This is the highest level of obedience that we want to develop in our children. When a child understands his or her parents’ purposes and acts to assist those purposes, we rejoice in the child’s wisdom. When Christians understand God’s purposes and act to make those purposes happen, God rejoices in His children’s wisdom.
- Let me use some simple illustrations of both basic aspects of obedience.
- You teach your four year old to never, never, never play with the stove.
- If the child plays with the stove, he or she will turn the stove on.
- He or she will not be aware that the stove was turned on, so he or she will not attempt to turn the stove off.
- If the skillet that you used to cook hamburgers happens to be on the eye that the child unknowingly turned on, the child’s act will result in a serious fire.
- So because of what the child does not know, you punish the child when he or she plays with the stove.
- Your 13 year old learned to drive a driving a truck in grandpa’s pasture.
- But he or she is under age and not permitted to drive your car.
- Your specific instructions: “Never start the car. Never move the car.”
- Your house catches on fire, and thirteen year old alertly runs to the garage, starts the car, drives it a block down the street, and parks it.
- Do you praise your child’s understanding of the situation, good judgment, intelligent decision, and prompt action, or do you punish him or her for moving the car?
- In that circumstance, the thirteen year old understood your purposes, and he or she acted in accordance with your purposes.
- Let me share a specific example regarding the church and Christians.
- I personally doubt any issue in the church is more emotional than the role of women in the church.
- When I was a missionary in West African, my evangelistic efforts in a large village resulted in the conversion of about ten women, all of whom were baptized within one week.
- For months that congregation had only women members.
- There were no preachers to send, no male Christians near, and I could not visit more than once a week on a weekday.
- I would go for public preaching once a week.
- Deborah Wilson, then Deborah Brown, went with me to teach the women.
- Which accomplished God’s purposes in the crucifixion of Jesus?
- For the women to share nothing they learned with men in this large village because the declaration for women to be silent is more important than people learning about the Savior who died for our sins?
- Or for the women to share what they learned so the men in the village could learn about the Savior who died for our sins?
- I am not advocating anything; I am asking you to recognize the two basic concerns of obedience.
- In the first three chapters of 1 John the following conditions are acknowledged to exist in the Christian community, the family of God at this place.
- In chapter one:
- There were those who affirmed fellowship with God while they chose to live an evil lifestyle (1:6).
- There were those who affirmed fellowship with God because they declared that they did not sin (1:8).
- In chapter two:
- There were those who affirmed that they knew God but they refused to keep God’s commandments (2:4).
- There were those who affirmed fellowship with God while they hated a Christian within the Christian community, God’s family (2:9).
- Some who affirmed that God’s love was in them loved the world [those things that oppose God] (2:15,16).
- Some were antichrists, Christians who declared that Jesus was not the Christ (2:18).
- In chapter three:
- Some practiced lawlessness (3:4).
- Some affirmed they were conceived by God but practiced sin (3:9).
- Some affirmed that loving Christians had nothing to do with loving God (3:10).
- John powerfully coupled the essential bond that exists between loving God and sustaining a fellowship of love with Christians.
- Carefully note the importance of a real love relationship between Christians.
- “Don’t be shocked when those who oppose God hate you (3:13).”
- My personal understanding of the context of this statement is not restricted to those people outside the Christian community.
- Cain and Abel were in the same family, brothers, of the same parents.
- But Cain hated and killed Abel because of the influence of evil in his life.
- That is John’s illustration, an “in-the-family” illustration.
- Remember the antichrists had been a part of the community, and I would not affirm that their choice to separate removed all their influence.
- Obviously, as we just noted, there were those among them that lived evil lifestyles and justified evil.
- They should not be shocked when these people hated them.
- They were to understand that the unquestionable proof of their transition from death to life was real (3:14).
- The undeniable evidence was their love for Christians.
- The Christian who does not love Christians lives in death, not in life.
- How different the church would be today if we stopped measuring faithfulness by checklists!
- How different the church would be today if measured faithfulness by Christians’ love for Christians!
- This is the fundamental criteria of faithfulness: those who love God love His people; those who hate God’s people do not love God (3:15).
- Christians who hate Christians spiritually are murderers.
- Eternal life lives only in Christians who love Christians.
- How much love are we to have for Christians? As much as Jesus has for Christians: enough to sacrifice life for them (3:16).
- The bond between Christians is such that they would die for the family.
- What bond exists today?
- John is writing about real love (3:17,18).
- It helps those who are in need; their hearts go out to each other.
- Their love is not merely limited to words; they love with deeds, with truth.
- How do we know that we are people devoted to truth (3:19-21)?
- Our hearts persuade us that we are devoted to truth because of our willingness to place ourselves before God.
- If our hearts will not let us stand before God Himself, if our own hearts condemn us, God will most assuredly condemn us.
- But if our hearts are confident before God, the all knowing God who is greater than our hearts will not condemn us.
- If we have that confidence, God will respond to our requests (3:22,23).
- Why?
- Our confident hearts stand before God obediently; we keep his commands.
- We do the things that are pleasing to God.
- We place our faith, our trust in Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
- We love each other in the way that God commanded us to love each other.
- The person who keeps God’s commandments continually lives in God and God continually lives in him.
- We know that God lives in us because God gave us His Spirit.
The number one commandment we must obey, the number one proof that we have passed from death to life, the number one reason that our hearts can stand before God in confidence, is this: we love Christians.
The number one proof that none of those things are true is this: we hate some Christians.
Christians too often teach and advocate stands and positions that motivate Christians to hate Christians. Christians too seldom teach Jesus Christ’s teachings that motivate Christians to love Christians.
No matter who we are, when in the name of truth our teachings create and justify hatred, we desperately need to reexamine our concepts as well as our positions.
Only Jesus more powerfully made this point: Christians love Christians. The only thing Christians may have in common is Jesus, the Christ. But that is more than enough. When Christians know Jesus, the Christ, the love of Jesus, the Christ, teaches Christians to love Christians.
Posted by David on under Sermons
I do not want to be insensitive, and I certainly don’t want to be offensive. I do want you to be fully aware of an essential realization. Can you conceive of any one of these things happening?
You take you car to a mechanic to check it. He calls you in two hours and says, “I have good news. Your transmission is shot.”
You put your home on the market. An inspector examines your house. When he finishes he says, “I have good news. There is extensive termite damage everywhere.”
You think your marriage is sound. Your marriage problems are typical problems. One afternoon when you come in from work, your wife greets you with these words. “I have good news. I have filed for divorce; move your things out of this house tonight.”
Or, you think your marriage is stable with only normal problems. Your husband comes in from work and greets you with these words. “I have good news. I am leaving you and the kids. I will move out this weekend. I will put this house on the market soon.”
You go to the doctor for your annual check up. You feel fine and have no medical complaints. The doctor says, “I have good news. You have a tumor.”
“David, that is not even slightly funny. That is sick.” I totally agree. To use the words “good news” in any of those situations is cruel. Good news IS good news.
- After years of studying, thinking, and understanding, I reached to a conclusion that I want to share with you.
- When the early translators either created a word or substituted a word instead of translating the word, they laid the foundation for misconceptions and conflict.
- If a word could be translated and they did not translate it; if a word could be translated and they substituted instead of translating, they created confusion.
- Some of our greatest confusion can be traced to words that were not translated.
- Let me share two examples.
- The word “baptism” was created by the early translators.
- It was created by a process called transliteration; a letter from the English alphabet was substituted for a letter in the Greek alphabet to form a new word.
- The sad thing is that the Greek word was easily translated: it was a common word that meant to sink or to immerse.
- But at that time Christian immersion was not practiced.
- So they created the word baptize.
- Enormous confusion would never have existed, countless arguments would never have occurred if “baptizo” had been translated.
- I believe that we encounter a similar situation with the word “gospel.”
- If you look in the margins of a study Bible, it usually notes that the word “gospel” means “good news.”
- The word “gospel” does not come from Hebrew or Greek, the basic languages of the Bible.
- “Gospel” comes from two old Anglo-Saxon words: “God’s spell” meaning “God’s news” or “good spell” meaning “good news.”
- The Anglo-Saxon word “spell” seems to have meant “God’s influence on reality.”
- These words were used for Greek words that mean “true message,” “well message,” or “good message.”
- In its early use the Greek word meant “bringing the news of victory,” the news that a messenger brought from a battle to inform the king of the defeat of an enemy’s army or the death of an enemy.
- We create unnecessary problems when we talk about the “gospel” without identifying what the good news or good message was.
- “Gospel” is an important word in the New Testament: John preached the “gospel;” Jesus preached the “gospel;” and Christianity from its beginning accepted the responsibility to share the “gospel.”
- Unfortunately, we make too many assumptions when we use the word.
- We assume that the “good news” that John preached was the same “good news” that Jesus preached.
- We assume that the “good news” that Jesus preached was the same “good news” that Christians preached.
- John unquestionably preached “good news” or the “true” message to Israel.
- Luke 3:18 states that John preached the gospel to the people.
- Luke 16:16 makes a fascinating statement about John’s preaching. “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John, since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached…”
- John was the transition.
- Those who taught before John taught what we call the Old Testament; they called those scriptures the Law and the prophets.
- Luke 1:15-17 and Luke 1:68-79 clearly state the mission God gave to John.
- In Luke 1:16 the angel told John’s father before John was conceived that he would turn the hearts of many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.
- Luke 1:68-79 declares God was keeping His promises by sending John. It says that John was to get the people ready for the Lord, for the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of sins.
- John’s good news was centered in God as God fulfilled His promises about the kingdom.
- Many, many statements in the first four books of the New Testament declare that Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom.
- In Matthew 11:2-6 John is in prison, he can’t preach, he can’t prepare people any more, and he likely realized that he would be killed.
- He sent some disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the One who was to come?” In our words, “Did I complete the work God gave me? Did I fulfill my mission?”
- Jesus answered John’s question by reciting a promise God made in Isaiah 35. Go tell John:
- The blind are seeing; the lame are walking; those with leprosy are healed; the deaf hear; the death are raised; and the poor have the gospel, the good news, preached to them.
ii.Blessed is the person who is not offended by me.
- When John heard that, he knew Jesus was the Christ; he knew Jesus was the person God promised to send; he knew he fulfilled his mission.
- In Luke 4:18 Jesus was in his home town of Nazareth reading Isaiah 61:1 on the Sabbath day in the synagogue.
- Luke 4:18,19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Jesus said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (4:21). (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- That was the good news: God is keeping the promise He made to Israel hundreds of years ago; it is happening right now.
- After the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, from the time of Acts 2 forward, a fundamental responsibility of the Christian community, the family of God, was to share and spread the “good news.”
- What “good news?”
- Understanding the good news presented to Israel is fairly simple.
- For hundreds of years they had the scriptures.
- Most of the prophets were sent to Israel.
- God promised to send His son to Israel.
- God promised a renewal of the kingdom to Israel.
- To reveal to Israel that God was keeping His promises was good news.
- But Israel was a small nation and a small people. What about the greater majority of the world, people who were not Israelites?
- Most of the world’s population did not know Israel’s scripture.
- They did not have the messages of the prophets.
- They did not know the promises of God.
- That Information could not be the basis of “good news” for them.
- When the “good news” was shared with the non-Jewish world, what did Christians share?
- Paul in writing to people who were not Jews declared the “good news” he preached to non-Jews. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4– 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… (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- This was the good news that he preached to them, that they accepted, that enabled them to spiritually stand, that saved them.
- This is the good news: Christ died for our sins; he was buried; three days later he was raised from the dead.
- Please notice the good news is centered in the Christ.
- To another group of Christians Paul wrote this: Romans 1:16– For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- I am not ashamed of the good news.
- I am not ashamed of Jesus who was executed like a criminal.
- I am not ashamed to place my total confidence in his resurrection in a world that does not believe that dead people come back to life.
- I am not ashamed because it is in this good news that God released the power that can save anyone who believes that Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead.
- To these same people Paul wrote: Romans 15:18,19– For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
Prayer: God, increase our understanding of the meaning of Jesus being the Christ and help us place our faith in the Christ.
For those who have lost hope, there is good news. For those oppressed by their burdens, there is good news. For those who are depressed because life overwhelms them, there is good news. For those whose life is in ruin because of their mistakes, there is good news. For those who are troubled, there is good news. For those who are in despair, there is good news.
What good news? Jesus is the Christ. Exactly as the prophets predicted, He died for our sins. Exactly as the prophets predicted, God raised him from the dead. The God who sacrificed Jesus’ life for our sins will forgive us. The God who raised Jesus from the death will resurrect us out of spiritual death and give us new life in Christ. The God who made Jesus the Christ can and will make us sons and daughters of God. That is the gospel. That is the good news. That is the true message. That is the well message. That is the news of victory.
Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles
God succeeded! His intention became reality! His “plan of action” became an accomplished fact! God made us in His own image. God knew what He would do if we used our free will to rebel (1 Peter 1:20, 21; Ephesians 1:4). And God did it!
When evil entered human life, God set His plan in motion. He was determined to succeed! Nothing would stop Him! Reconciliation to God would become fact!
Satan’s best efforts could not stop God! Mankind’s worst wickedness could not stop God! Nothing could make God quit! Not the absolute wickedness of Noah’s day! Not the problems in Abraham’s family! Not the family problems of Abraham’s extended family! Not Israel’s faithlessness in the wilderness! Not Israel’s horrible wickedness in the time of the judges! Not Israel’s unthinkable idolatry in the time of the kings! Not the Assyrian captivity of northern Israel! Not the Babylonian captivity of southern Israel! Not the crucifixion of Jesus! Nothing stopped God!
God succeeded! He did what He intended to do! Nothing stopped God from making Jesus the Christ! Because Jesus is the Christ, God’s every intent became reality!
Peter announced God’s success. “Let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36). In making Jesus the Christ, God did three things. (1) He kept His promise to Abraham [Genesis 12:3]. (2) He kept His promise to restore the nation of Israel [Ezekiel 39:25-29]. (3) He produced the means to recreate every person in Christ [Colossians 3:8-11].
On March 14, I shared the lesson, “Who Are You?” I suggested that many of the problems and trials that we experience in life and in the church exist because we have not understood the meaning of Jesus being the Christ.
The Elders asked me to focus on differences produced by understanding the meaning of Jesus being the Christ. Last Sunday’s focus: Understanding of the Meaning of Jesus Being the Christ determines the way we understand the world, life, self, and death. (1) It teaches us that life is about God, not about “me.” (2) It teaches us to let God define “who I am.” (3) It creates in us a godly conscience.
The next two lessons: “God’s Good News” (March 28th) and “God’s Called-Out People” (April 4th).
Posted by David on March 21, 1999 under Sermons
The husband has an affair with her best friend. In his shame, he does not confess his unfaithfulness. She discovers his unfaithfulness. She is devastated. The two people whom she trusted the most betrayed her trust. She feels betrayed. She feels rejected. And she is deeply wounded.
After the shock wears off, after she copes with her grief, she approaches her husband. “I want us to save our marriage. I want us to restore our love. I want us to heal our relationship and rebuilt our trust and respect for each other. I honestly, genuinely love you. I will forgive you. I will not be vengeful. I will not try to punish you. I do not want to make you suffer.”
“If this is what you want, I offer it to you. But it must be your choice. You must trust my love and my promises. You must be committed to working with me to restore what we had.”
What do you think of that wife? “That is not a parable; that is a joke! In his dreams! That jerk deserves every consequence he gets!”
- What God does for everyone of us so far exceeds that wife’s forgiveness and love that God’s love and forgiveness and her love and forgiveness are not comparable (1 John 3:1).
- Everyone of us fail God in ways that hurt God deeper and create more unnecessary disaster than that husband’s failure.
- Yet, God’s love is so incredible, so enormous, that He not only forgives us, but He also accepts us into His family as His own children.
- When God forgives us and accepts us into His family, God begins to remake us into totally different persons.
- God remakes us to be like Him.
- Those who oppose God do not recognize God.
- Because God remakes us like Him, those who oppose God do not know us, either.
- God’s declaration that He loves us with this astounding love is not merely a claim.
- He proved His astounding love for us by giving us Jesus.
- He proves that love by allowing us to be His own children.
- That God would allow imperfect, flawed, weak, sin prone physical beings to actually be His children is absolutely astounding!
- John’s point in 3:4-12 emphasized again the truth that he declared in 1:5,6: God is light; in God there is no evil; we cannot practice evil and be in fellowship with God.
- In His love, God allows us to be His children.
- The blessings God will give us in eternity cannot even be imagined.
- One small indication of His great blessings to come is seen in the promise that when Jesus returns we will be made to be like Jesus.
- Children are to be like their father (3:3).
- God makes us His children so that we will be like Him.
- By choice and preference, we want to be pure because God is pure.
- The more we become like God the less those who oppose God will understand us.
- They did not recognize God; the more like God that we become, the less they will understand us.
- John emphasized the truth in 3:4-12 that he emphasized in 1:5-10.
- Just as there is a total contrast between light and darkness (chapter one) and a total contrast between the chosen lifestyle of evil and the chosen lifestyle of fellowship with God, there is a total contrast between a life of purity and a life of sin.
- Sin is lawlessness; a sinful lifestyle declares “good” does not exist, so there is no “right doing” (3:4).
- Law does not exist.
- Therefore right doing does not exist.
- There is no standard.
- Righteousness declares “right doing” does exist.
- There is a standard.
- Those who live in God’s love accept God’s standard, honor God’s standard, and cherish God’s standard.
- When a Christian wants to be in fellowship with God, wants to be God’s child, wants to be pure, wants to be devoted to God’s righteousness, he or she must understand that sin and purity are total opposites (3:7,8).
- There is zero compatibility between practicing sin and practicing righteousness.
- It is impossible for a Christian to embrace both by choice.
- Jesus came to destroy sin; he succeeded; in Jesus there is no sin.
- In Jesus the Christ sin does not exist.
- The person living in Jesus Christ has his or her sin destroyed by Jesus Christ.
- The choice of the person living in Jesus is not to practice sin.
- The Christian who practices sin has not seen and does not know Jesus.
- The person living in Jesus chooses to practice righteousness.
- Jesus was righteous.
- The person who lives in Jesus chooses to be righteous.
- The person who chooses to be righteous practices righteousness.
- It is impossible to chose to do both, to practice sin and to practice righteousness.
- The Christian who believes that you can do both is deceived.
- The Christian who consciously seeks to do both is following the devil.
- The truth:
- Jesus is righteous (3:7).
- The Christian who is devoted to Jesus practices righteous living.
- To be righteous you must practice righteousness.
- The Christian who practices sin belongs to the devil (3:8).
- The devil practiced sin before human history began.
- Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil.
- We cannot belong to Jesus while we practice an existence that Jesus came to destroy.
- Christians conceived by God do not practice sin (3:9).
- The Christian who chooses to practice sin has not been conceived by God.
- Christians conceived by God do not chose to practice sin.
- Their choice is purity, not sin.
- It is not a matter of fear; it is a matter of desire.
- Even if there were no consequences, they still would choose to practice righteousness.
- They choose righteousness because they understand how much God loves them, what Jesus did for them.
- They choose righteousness because it is in being like God they find both joy and privilege.
- When John said that a Christian conceived by God cannot sin, John is not saying conception by God makes us incapable of sinning.
- John was saying that a Christian understands that loving God and practicing sin is not an option. He or she has no desire to practice sin.
- Practicing sin opposes everything we become by living in Christ.
- Practicing sin opposes God’s love and embraces the existence Jesus came to destroy.
- If we have been conceived by God, we simply cannot do that.
- These are the distinguishing characteristics that contrast the children of God and the children of the devil [among Christians–remember the influence of the anti-Christs who had been among them] (3:10,11).
- The children of God practice righteousness.
- The children of the devil practice sin.
- The children of God love those who are in God’s family.
- The children of the devil hate some who are in God’s family.
- It has always been true that the people who love God also love God’s people.
- Christians are not like Cain who killed his brother Abel (3:12).
- Cain killed Abel because Cain’s deeds were evil and Abel’s deeds were righteous.
- Evil’s influence in Cain’s life made loving his brother an impossibility.
The person who has been conceived by God does not want to practice sin and does not choose to practice sin. Why? He discovered God’s love. He discovered the privilege of being righteous. He wants to be righteous and do righteous things. He has no desire to be evil or to practice ungodliness. He is elated that Christ destroyed evil in him through forgiveness.
John’s declaration and the too common practice of some who have been baptized illustrate the failure to see life from God’s perspective. How many baptized people say, “If you cannot show me in the Bible where it says that I will go to hell if I do that, leave me alone.” How many say, “Just show me where the Bible condemns that?” How many say, “Well, I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
I suggest that the church has fought the wrong problem in the wrong way too long. In our attempt to prove that every kind of sin will send a person to hell, we did and do things that Christians conceived by God should never do. We created commands when we needed one. We took proof texts out of context. We used creative logic and deduction. All to try to prove that a Christian will go to hell or be condemned if he or she practices sin.
We lost sight of the basic problem. We believed that the basic problem was correcting ungodly behavior. In truth, the basic problem is changing the heart. Have we ever proven that we can change behavior without touching hearts!
The Christian who chooses to practice unrighteous behavior understands little or nothing about God’s love. He or she feels no sense of privilege in being God’s child. He or she finds no joy in practicing righteousness. Joy is found in practicing sin if he or she can just find a way to do it without being punished. The motivation is to avoid hell. It is not being a part of God’s family in heaven.
The person who is conceived by God is overwhelmed by the knowledge of God’s love. He or she finds it a privilege to be God’s child. It is an honor to practice righteousness.
