A Time for Unbelieving

 A Time for Unbelieving

1 John 4:1: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

·       Christianity puts a lot of emphasis on “believing.” We should not believe myths and legends, but believe in facts.

·       Faith is not trying to believe something is true… when you know it is not, it is believing something that is true.

·       We are called to believe the things that are true, but we are called to be “unbelievers” when things are not true.

·       There are times when unbelief is the right thing.

·       John tells us that we are not to believe every spirit without testing that spirit because many are there to deceive you.

·       Therefore behind every “false prophet” or “false teacher” is an evil spirit.

·       If you are going to live this Christian life…

·       You cannot believe truth without rejecting the lies.

·       You cannot love righteousness unless you are ready to hate sin… not sinners.  

·       You cannot follow good unless you are ready to reject evil…otherwise you will fail.

1 John 4:2-3: By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

·       The Holy Spirit, also called the Spirit of Truth-- is our built-in truth detector.  He is always leading us to the “true Christ” and His love for us.

·       It is no accident that this warning comes right after John telling us about God’s love because lying spirits also talk about love.

·       Every cult and every spirit knows that deep down inside of us we’re all looking to be loved.

·       Therefore, when they come talking about “love” many think they must be from God. Let’s go back to the beginning:

Genesis 3:1: Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

·       The very first thing the deceiver does is to make Eve question the word of God. It is no different today.

·       Every cult has their own “scriptures and prophets.”  

·       Many deceiving spirits try to make us question our Bibles as the authentic word of God—has God really said this?

·       If he can get you to question God’s word you will be easily deceived.

·       And if God has forbidden you to eat the fruit of a tree, how can He be a God of love? That’s what he implies.

Genesis 3:2-3: And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’

·       God did not say, “You shall not touch it,” He said “You shall not eat it.” Eve got this from another source. It was second hand info from Adam.

·       She did not know God’s word for herself, therefore she was easily deceived…she was gullible. We must know the word for ourselves!

Genesis 3:4: Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

·       You can become like God-- you can be a god.

·       “You will enter into a wonderful new life and you will discover what you were made for. As your friend, I advise you not hold back, take the fruit and eat it now! It’ll be great!”

·       Does this sound familiar? This is similar to what cults use today. And this is what their false prophets say!

1 John 4:1: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

·       Every encounter we have with another human is also a spiritual encounter. This is a fundamental understanding.

·       If you are at the grocery store checking out, you may not choose to test the spirit of the clerk behind the register.

·       But if someone comes talking to you about spiritual things, or values, especially if they are talking about love… you should test that spirit.

·        In John’s day, the people believed in “spirits.”

·       They were more aware of invisible realities. There were many “teachers” going about doing signs and wonders and “prophesying” the future.

·        John says; do not believe these spirits until you have “tested” them.

·       Don’t be a sucker. Don’t believe everyone who comes along.

·       And just as the Holy Spirit speaks through men… evil spirits also will speak through men. And it is nearly always about religious things or values, and will bring “love” into their deceptions.

·       They want to cheat us of our inheritance through our salvation by deceiving us through false doctrine!!!

·       It is very important for us to understand that the Holy Spirit of Truth testifies to Jesus as being the only Way.

·       He testifies that Jesus is “the Jesus” in the word of God. The false teachers always offer us a “counterfeit Jesus.”

·       He does not testify to a counterfeit Jesus that is portrayed in the cult religions. That Jesus cannot save you!

·       If we are going to follow Jesus we must believe this truth about His true identity.

Ø John 4:25-26: The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.

Ø Mark 4:61-62: But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

1 John 4:2-3: By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.

·       The test comes in two ways;

Ø First, is the historical record that God, Himself, appeared as a man in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.

·        Jesus is His “human name.” He was not called Jesus before His incarnation as a babe in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth. Jesus is “the Messiah” predicted in the Old Testament the Son of God who was to come in the flesh.

·        This Jesus of Nazareth is identical with the promised Messiah.

Ø Matthew 16:16-17: Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

·        This is plain language, isn’t it? This is the ultimate truth and must never be compromised. This is the one truth that is fundamental to the Christian faith.

·        He appeared as a man in the flesh, humbled Himself, and was obedient unto the death of the cross.

Ø Second, the test must also not only include that He was God come in the flesh, but he must confess it. Confessing is not just admitting this truth, biblical confession is committing your life to this truth.  Is He your Lord, or are you still Lord of your life?

·         It means to trust this fact and trust this Person and live by Him.

·        Professing is different; it is a simple admission without commitment. Some people “profess” Christ as Lord and Savior, but are not committed to it in the way they live. Even demons profess Christ!

Ø James 2:19: You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

·        The gospel accounts tell us that there are demons that “profess” the deity of Jesus Christ;

Ø Mark 1:23-25: Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”

·        Jesus would not allow the lying spirits to speak. Why?

·        He took control of them and cast them out. They “admitted or professed” that Jesus was the Messiah but they never “confessed it.”

·        They did not trust Him… they did not commit themselves to Him.

·        Throughout history there have been religious leaders, popes, priests, Catholics, and Protestants that have professed Jesus as the Messiah and His humanity, but did not commit to Him with their lives.

John 10:1-3,7: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”

·       Jesus says, There is no other door, it’s Christ and Christ alone. He is the Christ of the Bible. There is no other Christ! They are all counterfeits! And there is no salvation in them!

·       The Christ of the “liberal church” is different from the Christ of the Bible. They say that the virgin birth, the miracles, and His death and resurrection are not important facts—its about social justice and good works!

·       They don’t teach and preach the word—they are detached from the word—because its obsolete for the days in which we live, and that was for a different time. “We gotta keep up with the culture.”  It’s a dead faith!

·       The Christ of the Mormons, the Jehovah Witnesses, the Christian Scientists, the Seventh Day Adventists, and every other cult is a counterfeit…and their “counterfeit Christ” cannot save you!

·       The Christ of the Mormons was just an ordinary man-- who became a “god.” They believe that that Mormons become “gods” too. Does this sound familiar? Their prophet was Joseph Smith. They have their own book, the Book of Mormon.

·       Christian Science says something similar; the “Spirit of Christ” is the Eternal One and He came upon “Jesus the man” at His baptism until His  crucifixion, and the only thing that is of value to us is His teaching while under the Spirit of Christ. Their prophet is Mary Baker Eddy, and their writings are the Christian Science Monitor.

·       Jehovah witnesses say Jesus was an archangel, brother of Satan. They do not believe in the Trinity. Their prophet is Charles Taze Russel, and their beliefs are in the writings of their Watchtower Society publications.

·       The Seventh Day Adventists are followers of their prophet, Ellen G. White. They believe that salvation is through “Sabbath keeping.” They are modern day “Pharisees.” They focus on the writings of Ellen White.

·       These are the “spirit of error,” they are antichrist spirits. These are deceiving spirits—but it will get a lot worse!

Matthew 24:9-11: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 

·       Jesus tells us that in these last days that “many false prophets” will rise up and “many will be deceived.” This would include many that have considered themselves believers.

·       There will come many who will be “professors” and not “confessors.”

·       John says that we will know these false prophets because they will profess Christ, but they will not follow Him, and have not committed themselves to Him. The Jesus of the Bible is not their Lord.

·       I do not want to listen to any voice that professes to talk about spiritual things but does not confess that The Eternal Word of God became a man in the flesh, AND does not through His life demonstrate that he lives by that principle.

·       Test the spirits. The gospel, the good news, depends on this fact; that God became a man of flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, and now it through this life that has become available to us by which we live and move and have our being.

·       The Spirit testifies to this.

·       God helps us to become unbelievers as well as believers.

God in You Is Greater

 God in You Is Greater

1 John 4:4-5: You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.  They are of the world.

·       It’s been more than 50 years since Jesus’ death and resurrection.

·       False teachers and prophets are trying to lure the children of God away from the truth. But the “children of God” have overcome these false prophets and false teachers.

·       The world and its system can be very convincing. There was extreme pressure coming from the lies of these teachers. And it is the same today!

·       The children of God have heard the arguments of the false teachers and have been able to “see through” them.

·       John reminds them, “You are of God, they are of the world! We are children of God, they are not. We are not they, and they are not of us.”

·       It’s important for us to understand the basis of their victory, because it is also the basis for our victory!

·       They did not overcome the lies of the false teachers because of their superior intelligence, or their excellent training, or clever arguments… it was, “because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

·       It was because of the One who dwelt within them.

·       This is the greatest truth of our faith—God living within us!

·       It was the greatness of God, living in them, that helped them overcome the teachers of error—and it is Him who will help us today!

·       Our God is so much greater than the power of the enemy.

·       The world wants us to believe “something different” from our truth because of its illusions. Lies are all the enemy has.

·       This is why it is so important in the middle of our depression, darkness, despair, or disease that we turn to the word of God.

·       It is in the promises of the word of God that reveals the truth to us about the greatness of our God and the basis of our victory.

·       These promises are “covenant promises.” A covenant sealed with the blood of Jesus!

·       We can trust His word!

·       But how do we do that?

Isaiah 40:28: Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

·       God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to the “children of Israel” asking them a basic question, “What’s a matter with you? Why are you so worried?

·       Why don’t you know more about Me? I’ve been showing you who I Am since the beginning!”

·       Do you think that the LORD is not aware of what is happening in your life and the problems you are going through?

·       Don’t you know He is the Everlasting God, Creator of the ends of the earth?

Isaiah 40:29-30: He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.

·       Do not depend on your own strength and abilities in your circumstances, because God is willing to strengthen you if you are willing “to be weak” so that He can be strong.

·       But if you want to be strong and fix your circumstances, God will not strengthen you… the result will be disappointing.

·       His grace is sufficient for you, but you must know how this works or you will faint and be weary.

Ø So how do I receive His power in my problems? How do I access His strength instead of my own? Well, I am so glad you asked:

Isaiah 40:31: But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

·       When we are in a troublesome situation, our natural tendency is to try everything we can do to try to fix our problems.

·       We use our minds, our experiences, and all of our natural abilities and we faint and fail.

·       The word of God says we should wait on the Lord. Do nothing! Just wait!

·       If you want to see the Lord work--you must be patient.

·       Patience is a key element of your faith. It’s about faith and patience!

·       Panic is not your friend. You must refuse to act in your own strength.

·       Just chill until your emotions to settle down, and trust Him to keep His promises to you in His word.

1 Corinthians 2:14-16: But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

·       The world thinks that our faith in an “unseen God” is foolishness.

·       Since we are “children of God” we must trust Him like a child trusts his parents.

·       Just like a child, we don’t have to fully understand it; simply accept it, trust on it, and wait upon Him to act.

·       Remember, “The just shall walk by faith.”

·       You will find that the wisdom and intelligence of the one true God is given to you through the word of God and His Spirit dwelling within you.

·       You have been given the mind of Christ—it is a mind that waits on the Lord. It is the same mind that was in Jesus.

·       It’s the mind that appears foolish to others, but is wiser than men.

·       And it is the trust we have in Him that makes it possible to receive His greatness in our circumstances.

·       Let’s see the mind of Christ in action:

Matthew 4:1-4: And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”  But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

·       Jesus was in very difficult circumstances—He’s been fasting for forty days and nights. He had just been baptized in water and the Spirit.

·       The Father had spoken, “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

·       And in the middle of difficulties, guess who shows up?

·       The enemy with his lies and tries to get Jesus to act in His own strength—commanding rocks to become bread!

·       But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

·       The mind of Christ does not act in His own strength, but relies on the word of God.

·       The mind of Christ speaks the written word, or the promises of God… and then waits on the Lord. He stands on this ground! He refuses to be moved!

Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

·       This is a very different approach from the way the world does things.

·       We accept the authority of the Lord in our lives;

·       Because we know Him; we know He lives; we know He is the One with the power…and on that basis we accept the authority of the word of God.

·       And we trust in it with child-like faith and it is there--that we find life as God intended it to be lived. We walk in the Spirit not in the flesh (our own power).

·       God is greater than the evil spirit that is in the world.

·       Let’s go back to John.

1 John 4:5: They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.

·       “They” are the false teachers of the world.

·       This includes all varieties of false teachers; including pastors, college professors, celebrities, social activists, theologians, politicians, and televangelists.

·       When they come out and speak, there is one revealing thing about them is that they say what the world wants to hear.

·       And what is that? It all comes down to the “wisdom of man.”

·       It’s amazing that in the face of such immense failures that some man comes along that seems to have all the answers. We will enter a “golden age” of mankind where our abilities will solve the problems of man.

·       Beware of this kind of talk, even if it comes from someone you agree with. These are the utterances of an antichrist spirit.

1 John 4:6: We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

·       What does John mean by, “we are of God?” He’s talking about the apostles.

·       “We apostles are in communion with other Christians, and we are of God.”

·       We, who have walked with Jesus, have full authority, because we have been commissioned by Jesus Himself, to speak the full message of Christianity.

·       John, and the other apostles, could say that they were of God, because they were in union with Jesus Christ in a relationship that was unique because…

·       They watched Him, they lived with him, they listened to Him, and they followed Him. They were witnesses in a personal bond with Him.

1 John 1:1-3: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

·        In the beginning of 1 John, John testifies to what he had seen, heard, and touched—the Word of life.

·        Their faith was shattered by His death and crucifixion, but on the morning of His resurrection, they were convinced again—almost against their will because of what their eyes had seen.

·        The world had seen the brutal death of the King of glory.

·        There was no doubt that Jesus of Nazareth died on that cross.

·        His death was horrific. It seemed final.

·        But they saw He who was dead--was alive again. It was hard to believe.

·        But they had to believe their senses; they had to believe their eyes and their ears. They touched Him, they saw Him, and they heard Him.

·        They lived with Him for forty days until His ascension back to the Father.

·        They were completely convinced.

Acts 1:4-5: And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

·        And then finally, on the Day of Pentecost, all doubt was taken away, as was promised, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they were “commissioned” to spread the good news of the gospel.

·        They could now know Him better through His Spirit than they ever knew Him in the flesh! With the “Holy Spirit Baptism” all doubts were gone!

·        They were called to be “witnesses” of His resurrection…and they needed help!

·        John says, “We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

·        Do men receive the witness of the Apostles, or do they sit back twenty centuries later and pretend to know more than the Apostles?

·        The world’s false teachers always attack the word of God, and too many Christians enter the argument about the accuracy and authority of God’s word. This is usually not profitable. We are called to be witnesses!

·        Our truth is based on the most unsolvable problem of human life:

·        He rose from the dead! Who else has ever done that? Who else has ever provided those kinds of credentials to be believed?

·        That truth--is the basis for our faith!

·        The evidence is the empty grave. He was seen by more than 400 witnesses for forty days after His resurrection. It is true!

·        We shouldn’t ask people to believe the bible is true until we have asked them to believe that the Lord Jesus is alive and come into a fellowship with Him.

·        And then having come to know Him in their own life—then they can accept the authority of the word of God.

1 Corinthians 2:20-23: For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.  Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

·        We know Him. We are in relationship with Him. We are of Him. He is in us and we are in Him. He has given us His Spirit as a guarantee.

·        Isn’t it time to believe Him? How can we ask others to believe when we are often unbelievers?

·        We have many promises from God. They are ours, don’t let anyone cheat you. We have a God who keeps His promises. He is a God we can trust.

·        He has promised peace and protection, He promised to give us comfort, salvation, and a new life.

·        He promised to supply all of our needs.

·        He promised to complete the work He has begun in you.

·        He promised to give you rest—if you’ll just come to Him.

·        God’s promises are trustworthy and He never lies. He promises to prosper you and not to harm you, He promises to give you a future and a hope. And He goes to prepare a place for you in His heaven.

·        He kept His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

·        He Kept His promises to David and Solomon. He kept his promises to Ruth, Naomi, and Esther.

·        He kept His promises to peter, James, and John.

·        He kept His promises to Mary and Martha, and he kept His promises to Paul, Silas, Barnabas, and Timothy.

·        He is also your God. He kept His promise to them and He will keep them to you. He loves you, and he has a plan for you. His Mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning. He loves you and He cares for you. You can trust Him.

The Overcoming Kind of Love

The Overcoming Kind of Love

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

·        The defining characteristic of our Heavenly Father is love.

·        Therefore, the Bible says that “God is love.”

·        This does not mean that love is God. No… it means that our God “so loves” that there is no better way to describe Him other than love.

·        His love is pure love. It is a choice. This love loves the “unlovable.”

·        This pure love is a giving love…sacrificial giving.

Matthew 27:32: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

·        The defining characteristic of the Son is also love.

·        He poured out His love for us, yet we were not willing to receive Him.

·        Instead we nailed him to that cross, but He wanted to pay the price for our sin, and said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!”

·        What kind of love is that? It’s an overcoming love.

·        We must try to understand this “overcoming love” because it is the most powerful force in the universe.

·        In fact, all love comes from God.

·        Love pours from God into human hearts like sunshine and rain is poured upon the ground, upon the just and the unjust…upon the good and the bad.

·        Therefore if God is the source of all love, then no being on earth can love without contact with the love of God, or, without some contact with the God of love.

·        Since all love comes from God, the love of parents for children, the love of friends for friends, the love sweethearts for each other—all is a gift from God, just like sunshine, rain, air, food and shelter.

·        Love is at the center of all things that makes life beautiful.

Luke 6:32-36: “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

·       But something happens to the “pure love of God” when it comes down on the heart of fallen mankind; it becomes “twisted and distorted” because it becomes “redirected” towards “self.”

·       Love…before Christ comes into a man’s life is self-centered love.

·       There is nothing wrong with this “love” in itself. It is the direction love takes and the object it is focused on that distorts the pure love of God.

·       It’s like taking pure water and mixing dirt into it—it’s now something different.

·       We love our children because they are extensions of ourselves.

·       We love our mothers and fathers because our life is related to theirs.

·       We love our pets because they are ours and they please us.

·       In fact we love those that please us and we love those that help us; so we love those that somehow do something for us.

·       Therefore, we really love the projection of ourselves in others based on what they can do for us.

·       Jesus is telling us that “selfish love” takes “the power out of love.”

·       But…love has the power to “overcome evil” when directed toward others, particularly towards those who can do nothing for us.

1 John 3:11: For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

·       The Apostle John likes contrasts to make his point; light and darkness, death and life, truth and lies, God and the devil, and now, contrasts love and hate.

·       John tells us that true love begins when we receive Christ.

·       It is produced in us by the “message” we heard in the beginning.

·       That message is the gospel of Jesus Christ. From that very moment, we are to love one another.

·       Many say that Christians “think” they have some kind of monopoly on love.

·       The Bible never says that, but it does claim that love of the highest quality begins to flow only in the Christian experience.

·       There is a difference between the love of a Christian and the love of a non-Christian. The love of a Christian can love with nothing in return.

·       Without Christ living in us, we cannot love with pure love.

1 John 3:12-13:  Not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.

·       John wants to warn us, he’s saying if you love with the love of God… the world will hate you. He uses Cain and Abel as an example; Cain murdered Abel because Abel was righteous and good.

·       The nature of hate is against God Himself--and the outcome of hate is murder, therefore, if anyone hates… he is a murderer.

·       But Bob, I may hate someone, but I don’t murder them!

·       But in your heart didn’t you wish that person would just “go away?”

·       In fact, you don’t really want that person around at all.

·       God says that hatred eventually leads to murder.

·       God sees our heart, and in His eyes it is as good as done. He does not need to wait for the actions.

·       Matt. 5:21-22: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.

·       Therefore, Christians who hate have fallen back under the control of the evil one, therefore we must confess it (agree with) to the Lord and the Lord will deal with it in our heart. He’ll cleanse us of all “unrighteousness.”

1 John 3:14-15: We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

·       If you don’t love those who can do nothing for you, then you have not passed from death into life.  You are still just like everyone else.

·       When you passed from death to life as you were born again… a different kind of love was deposited in you and now you are able to love those you never loved before.

·       This is one of the evidences that you have new life, a changed life. Maybe you even have concern for someone that you didn’t like before your conversion.

·       This new kind of love that is within you can only come from God, Himself.

·       John knew this personally.

·       He and his brother James were nicknamed the “sons of thunder” because they wanted to see the people who disagreed with them destroyed. They were also constantly arguing with the other disciples.

·       John’s natural disposition was not “loving,” but after his conversion he was called the “Apostle of love.”

1 John 3:16-17: By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

·       This is the essence of true love. It is the laying down of one’s life.

·       It is giving up self-interest; that is the God-kind of love.

·       Once again John uses a perfect present tense of “laying down our lives,” so that we can meet the needs of another.

·       John is saying we need to get ourselves “out of the way” for the overcoming power of God’s love to flow through us. It’s denying self.

·       There’s no other way.

·       This is tangible, it’s more than just talk… it’s real. It is the essence of God’s power in the Christian life. Because if you don’t have His love flowing through you then you cannot be trusted to use His power.

·       We see others in need consistently in our world, but what are we going to do about it? You can’t fix the whole world’s problems, but we can help some.

1 John 3:18-19: My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.

·       Love must be demonstrated. Love is an action word. Love must be freed from selfishness.

·       Love is the evidence shown to the rest of the world that we are of God.

·       Today’s Christians “give some money” and expect someone else to deal with it—but there’s no power in that.

·       It’s about more than money, it’s also emotional and spiritual.

·       Find an opportunity to enter in. It could be a phone call, a visit, attend a meeting—there is a divine appointment waiting for you if you will take a risk in love! Particularly, with someone you don’t like!

·       More often than not, we just pass people by—but Jesus always entered in. And we have been given everything we need to enter in; the power of love.

John 15:9-13: “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

·       Jesus is giving us the key to the Christian experience; abiding in His love.

·       We are to make our home in His love.

·       We become intimately familiar with where we live, who we live with and what we live with.

·       You could say that we become like those we live with because our knowledge and “experience” is dramatically increased.

·       Live consistently in knowing you are loved unconditionally and you will begin to love unconditionally.

·       It will become your “experience” allowing His love to flow because you know his love, which is more than knowing about His love.

·       This is what Jesus did—He abided in the Father’s love while on earth. Therefore, the Father’s love flowed through Him.

·       This love is not self-directed it is “others” directed and it will bring you joy in a way you never imagined.

·       This love of His flowing through you and it is “sacrificial.”

·       It is there—that it becomes overcoming…and it is willing to enter in.

·       There is power in this kind of love—untainted by selfishness.

·       Let’s see it in action:

Matthew 14:14: And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.

·       You could say that his compassion or love for them healed them.

·       You will never be involved in a miracle if you cannot love…sacrificially.

Matthew 20:32-34: So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” 34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

·       Jesus was never too busy to enter in because love gives to others.

·       God’s love enters in where selfish love does not.

·       And there is power in that kind of love—power to change lives forever.

·       It’s a miraculous power.

Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

·       Paul understood it. Will you understand it?

·       Paul died to his own selfishness and chose to abide in the love of Christ.

·       He got out of the way so the love of Christ could flow through him.

·       Paul continually reminded himself that Christ loves him so much that he died for him.

·       Therefore, the Spirit worked many miracles through Paul. Please don’t try to lay hands on the sick for healing unless you can get out of the way and let the love of Christ move through you.

Romans 5:8-20: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

·       He loves us in our good times and he loves us in our bad times.

·       He loves us in the middle of our sin; He still loves us at our worst.

·       In fact, He came to earth to rescue us from our sin.  He loves us so much that he couldn’t imagine life without us, so He was stretched out on that cross and nailed in His hands and feet and sacrificed Himself for us.

·       Because that is what true loves does, it is a sacrificial love that gives all and expects nothing in return.

Living Righteously—The Mystery of Evil

1 John 3:8-9:

1 John 3:8-9: He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

·       We are faced with a flood of filth and immorality that is fed by an unseen fountain gushing out faster than it can ever be cleaned up. You cannot pass new laws that will prevent it. It is beyond human control.

·       The Apostle John tells us that behind all of this filth is an evil and unseen being who constantly is pouring out a flood of evil polluting the stream of human life.

·       In previous verses, John has told us that the nature of sin is lawlessness. And now he tells us that the source of this sin is the devil.

·       Our verses tell us that the reason the Son of God was manifested was to destroy the works of the devil, therefore there are only two ways for living:

·       God’s way or the devil’s way. There is not a third way.

·       Living God’s way is the way of righteousness; it’s the way of “godliness” or “godlikeness.” And we can only live righteously because the Righteous One lives in us. “Christ in us the hope of glory.”

·       We are essentially, chips off of the “old block.”

·       We are like Him because we are born again of Him.

John 8:44: You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

·       The term, “children of the devil,” does not mean that they are created by the devil; it means that they have the character of the devil.

·       They are tied somehow to his life, just like we are tied to the life of God, as children of God.

·       According to the Bible, since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, mankind does not express the life of God but instead expresses the twisted and perverted life of the devil.

·       Some think that children of the devil would be violent and openly immoral people—and many are like that, but the Bible also tells us that the devil may appear as an “angel of light,” moral and respectable.

·       The Pharisees saw themselves as moral, good, and as “children of Abraham.” But Jesus told them the truth, they were children of Adam who sold himself to the devil in sin, and all of his children are like him.

·       This is passed on to us by our fathers just as the color of our eyes, our height and body type, and the color of our skin is passed on to us.

·       This is why we must be born again of God so that we may leave the kingdom of darkness and enter the kingdom of His glorious Son.

Ephesians 6:11-12: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

·       All the Apostles agree that there is no explanation for human evil if we don’t recognize the existence of unseen evil forces.

·       Our battle isn’t against other humans. If we think that it is… then we will never find the right ways to fight against evil.

·       It’s everywhere… so as Christians we had better learn to deal with it or we will be defeated by this evil genius every time.

·       We are no match for him, unless we understand him, and learn to “stand” against him.

·       It is important that we understand the difference between the sin of the devil and the works of the devil.

1 John 3:8: He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.

·       The sin of the devil goes back to the beginning when he became the devil. God never created a devil, or any of his fallen angels. He created a being of glorious beauty, intelligence, and responsibility, and God gave him a free will.

·       It was in this angel’s free will that he chose to oppose God, and that changed the angel into a devil.

Isaiah 14:12-14: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north;14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’

·        Here was a glorious angel, who was not content with what he had. He didn’t want to give God any glory…he wanted it for himself.

·        In free will, he became the devil, “I will.”

·        He saw God as an obstacle to what “he” wanted to do. He wanted to be his own God. He chose to be above the law of God and the will of God, and choose his own way.

·        Therefore when we say, “I will do what I want to do,” “I’ll run my own life.” We commit the sin of the devil.

·        John says everyone who commits sin is of the devil… because he is repeating the sin of the devil.

·        He is living like the devil because the devil continues to live independent of God--without God’s authority.

·        If I accept and agree with the sin of the devil in my heart, I will commit the works of the devil in my flesh.

·        The “works of the flesh,” are the “works of the devil.”

Galatians 5:19-21: Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

·        These “works of the flesh” are the fruit and the sin of the devil is the root… which is against God. You got to deal with the root to eliminate the fruit.

·        Those that are “practicing” these things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

·        When we commit lawlessness, we are of the devil because we are allowing the devil to reproduce his character in us and then we live “from lawlessness” just like the devil does.

·       A good example of this would be premarital sex. We know that this is against the law of God, but we set that aside because our flesh lusts for it.

·       Perhaps we say, “I’ll just ask for forgiveness later.”

John 10:10: The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

·       Jesus describes the works of the devil; lying, stealing, destroying, and murdering. As Jesus said, “the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy.” This is the way the devil attacks mankind.

·       He steals away the blessings God intended for mankind—peace, quietness, courage, love and joy—and offers them illusions of sex, anger, addiction, idolatry, and “self-promotion or ambition.”

·       He is a murderer through disease, hatred, war, crime and violence.

·       This is evident to us every day.

·       The devil lies to man, deceives him, and makes him act on principles that are wrong—directly contrary to the truth of God with sayings like, “You got to watch out for number one,” or “You got to think about yourself.”

·       We act on these things at times because we believe the devil and these lies extinguish the light that is in man when we act on them.

·       That is why intelligent young people get caught up in drugs, sex, and rock’n’roll.

Genesis 4:8-9: Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

2 Samuel 11:2-5: Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.”

2 Samuel 11:11-14: In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.  And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.” 16 So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

Acts 5:1-5: But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last.

·       The business of the devil is to tempt you in any way he can to have an attitude of rebellion and act in independence.

·       The result is that the works of the devil will be your works.

·       Maybe we think we can control these things but the truth is this; he who sins--becomes a slave to sin. You will no longer have the power to say how far it will go. We do not master it, but it masters us.

·       So what is the answer to this?

1 John 3:9: For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

·       How does the devil put us in bondage? By offering us cheap imitations of the blessings of God. The devil always imitates.

·       There are always consequences to the works of the devil.

·       Christ came to set us free from these inevitable chain reactions.

·       He came to untie the chains that bind us. Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. It’s not that problems are always solved, it’s just that they seem to disappear in resurrection power.

Romans 6:4-5:  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.

·       The pattern of the death and resurrection of Christ is to be the pattern for the Christian experience.

·       Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so are we constantly being raised from the death around us into a new vitality, and a new adventure of living.

·       The way of the devil is death, but the way of Christ is being raised daily.

·       Instead of always watching out for “number one,” Jesus said, “We are to pick up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow Him.”

·       Paul said, “I die daily.” The only way to experience resurrection power is to deny our selfish nature. Not seeking our own way, but His way. This is the way of eternal life; constant death and resurrection.

·       You cannot ever experience real living unless you are in Christ.

·       Christ in us is the power of all of the Christian experience and we are to live in “moment to moment” dependent upon the Christ within us.

James 4:7: Submit yourself to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

·       Living selfish lives, doing our own thing… is the way of the devil. His way of living gives the devil full access to our lives and he wreaks havoc in us. It is the pattern for sin in us.

·       Living God’s way, submitting to Him, is resisting the devil and he will flee from you. This is true spiritual warfare.

Living Righteously—Avoiding Lawlessness

Living Righteously—Avoiding Lawlessness

1 John 3:4-5

1 John 3:4: Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

·       Perhaps this verse sums up the “human condition” as well as any verse in the Bible; sin is lawlessness.

·       All heartache and human misery are the result of lawlessness.

·       Therefore, the “major characteristic” of our days as well as in the ancient days is lawlessness—it is an attitude in every heart resulting in lawless acts by every person.

·       Maybe you are thinking, “I obey the laws—I’m a law-abiding, respectable person. I’m not lawless!” I’m glad you keep man’s laws.

·       Now, I’m not talking about traffic violations or paying your taxes— I’m talking about law in the “widest” sense—because law is the “essence” of the nature of all reality.

·       Why do we call the law of gravity a law? Because its “nature” is incredibly “consistent” and therefore has to be dealt with—it is inescapable.

·       There is also the law of electricity—the essence of the way it works is consistent and if you want to use it you must “act” within its reality.

·       Therefore, when we refer to the “laws of reality” as the nature of that reality—then lawlessness is disobedient behavior in relationship to those laws—it is behavior that ignores the laws of reality.

Genesis 3:4-5: Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

·       Lawlessness is sin; it is the original sin. It was the devil’s sin, wanting to be like God, and take the place of God in his own “reality.”

·       The devil’s “essence” is lawlessness.

·       Therefore lawlessness is of the devil!

·       The devil enticed Eve with lawlessness, encouraging them to rebel against God (who is the ultimate reality) to become like God.

·       Adam and Eve were already made in the image of God.

·       But the devil wanted to “separate” them from God; therefore he would appeal to them to become independent from God through disobedience.

·       Therefore, lawlessness is to become your “own law,” to make up your own rules for life and “rebel against those that already exist.”

·       Lawlessness says, “I don’t care what anyone else says, I’m going to do what I want to do. I’ll do it my way! I can handle this, I’ll figure it out!

·       Lawlessness is essentially--extreme selfishness—it’s really “self-worship.”

·       It manifests itself in extreme “independence” from God-- instead extreme “dependence” on God. There is no middle ground.

·       If you are not in “dependence” on God then you are in independence.

·       Lawlessness takes on two forms; open defiance and the appearance of respectability.

·       Open defiance is obvious with people openly rejecting the “forms of authority.”

·       The process of lawlessness is just as much at work in the “respectable crowd” as in the defiant crowd, they are just sneakier in how they do it.

·       The Apostle Paul refers to these two different groups in Romans 2.

Romans 2:1:  Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 

·       It doesn’t matter whether you are in the openly defiant crowd or the sneaky respectable crowd; lawlessness is still sin.

·       Those that are the defiant radicals look at the “respectables” and call them a bunch of hypocrites, narrow minded bigots, and are trying to force them into conformity to their traditions.

·       Those that are the “respectables” look at the radicals and point fingers at them and say they are the real problems.

·       They say the radicals have no respect for traditions, are trying to upset the society and are in constant rebellion.

·       If you tell them about Jesus, they just say, “No thanks, I’ll do it my way.”

·       Both are in lawlessness. So what is the answer? What is our greatest need? It’s obvious, right?

Hebrews 10:15-17:  But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

·        The Holy Spirit shows us the answer; there had to be an “internal” change--a “heart change” and a “mind change.”

·        But how is our God going to accomplish this in us? There has to be removal of our lawlessness.

1 John 3:5: And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

·        Take away the “lawless” spirit—is to eliminate the basic cause of all of the human misery.

·        We must change the nature or essence of man himself—man is his own worst problem.

·        The only hope is Jesus—He was manifested to take away our sins. Only “someone” who had no sin could take away the sins of others. Only people who are free can help others find freedom.

·        This is like a drunk person in a bar preaching Jesus to the rest of the drunk people; barstool evangelism.

·        Instead what most of us do is waste time with treating the surface issues that are merely symptoms of the underlying problem.  But we must deal with the disease itself—the basic cause.

·        We have tried education—but it cannot reach the root of the problem. Instead it just covers the problem “with a veneer of respectability” that just makes the problem more dangerous.

·        We have tried psychological treatment- we thought we could raise up a bunch of people who could understand the mind and this could all be straightened out. But now many years after our psychological research the best we have done is develop drugs that just mask the problem.

·        We have tried legislation and law enforcement—sometimes we can contain the problem within certain limits, but this is also failing. The problem is so vast, too deep seated and too widespread.

·        We have tried to ignore the problem--There are many now that think if we just leave them alone and somehow they will figure it out. Let them out of the prisons— because mankind is basically good—it’s our system that’s making them bad.

Acts 10:38: God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

·       The only way to take away the lawless spirit is to “heal” the underlying problem—not put lipstick on it like many in our society are trying to do.

·       Some say this is so narrow minded—surely there must be other ways to save humanity. This is like saying there must be many different ways to breathe, other than breathe the one thing--to breathe air.

·       This is no magic—like saying “abracadabra” and poof, suddenly you are free from sin, lawlessness is gone, and you will never have problems again.

·       When you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior that is only the beginning. You are made a new creation.

·       The results should always be the same; there is a “taking away of sin” and the “elimination of lawlessness.” Our hearts and minds are changed in this process and chaos is replaced with peace.

·       Generation after generation have seen the hardest cases responding to this reality; drug addicts, alcoholics, thieves, murderers, sex perverts… and everyone: Chinese, Africans, Indians, Russians, Eskimos.

·       It doesn’t matter about the color of their skin or where a man lives, it is always the same: the healing of lawlessness.

John 1:4-5: In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

·       This “restraint of lawlessness” has affected life as we know it for the last 2000 years through the church.

·       On any given Sunday, there are people on golf courses who have no interest in attending church.

·       On any given Sunday there are other people on beaches, or lying in bed reading newspapers, or watching sports on television. In short they are enjoying themselves and see going to church as a waste of time.

·       They do not realize that they are only able to do these things because the gospel of Jesus Christ has so penetrated our society and culture that it makes life as we know it possible.

·       The gospel of Jesus Christ is the salt in our society (and the Holy Spirit) has limited the natural lawlessness which would otherwise have made the life we live impossible.

·       Without this restraint the times in which live would be so horrible that it would be impossible to find any peace anywhere on this planet—we would only have unrestrained lawlessness.

·       But evil is spreading on massive scale- and we just try the same things over and over again like eventually it will work, but it will not work. So--are we doomed to destroy ourselves in lawlessness?

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4: Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

·       The son of perdition is the “lawless one,” a.k.a. the antichrist. As was mentioned in the beginning of this message the root of lawlessness is wanting to avoid God’s rules and be your “own God.”

·       Lawlessness is “extreme selfishness,” which taken to its ultimate desire is to be worshiped or adored. Since we adore ourselves, so should others adore us. Lawlessness loves self above all…therefore, everyone else should adore you, too.

·       Ultimate lawlessness is the desire to control others to bend to your will. It’s the desire to sit in the place of God.

2 Thessalonians 2:5-7: Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

·       Paul is reminding the believers in Thessalonica that he taught them these things in prophecy.

·       For now, Satan and the man of sin are being restrained. The principle of their working (lawlessness) is now present in the world but it is being restrained by the Holy Spirit.

·       But there is a time in the near future when the Spirit will “be taken out of the way” of lawlessness.

·       It doesn’t mean the Spirit will leave or be removed—because we know that multitudes will be saved and sealed in the great Tribulation period. It means He will no longer restrain lawlessness.

·       Paul states two certain facts about the man of sin, “the lawless one.”

·       First, the lawless one will be revealed when the Holy Spirit removes His restraint.

·       Second, the lawless one will be destroyed by the mere brightness of Jesus at His coming.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-9: The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

·       The coming of the “lawless one” is according to the working of Satan: The Antichrist will come with power, with signs and with lying wonders. But all of this is according to the working of Satan, not God.

·       If someone performs signs and wonders, it’s not enough to prove they are from God.

·       Satan can perform his own powerful works, and they are used to deceive many because they did not really want to know the truth anyway.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14: But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

·       In those days it may be too late for those who don’t want to know the truth, because of strong delusions and lying signs and wonders. Since they don’t want the truth—they will believe the lie.

·       But in our time the Holy Spirit is still restraining lawlessness, and drawing people to the Way, the Truth, and the Life through the gospel.

·       Time is short, we must step up our preaching of the gospel—that’s our job—the rest is the job of the Spirit!

The Lord of the Harvest

The Lord of the Harvest  

Matthew 9:35: Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

·       Jesus went about healing all who were oppressed by the devil and preaching the gospel of the kingdom.

·       The King of heaven, the King of glory, God Himself-- came down to rescue us. This is the good news of the gospel.

·       The fallen condition of mankind is a more serious sickness than any disease, because it has eternal consequences!

·       The gospel is the only answer. It is the only cure to our condition.

·       It is truly good news.

Matthew 9:36-38: But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

·       The ways of a sinner are hard.

·       Our region is filled with people that have lost their hope in life.

·       In Wenatchee… we’ve often been losing one person a week due to drug overdoses of fentanyl.

·       Suicide is also an issue in our Valley and up here on the plateau, too.

·       These are usually young people. We are losing a generation to despair.

·       The answer isn’t more treatment centers, or more psychologists and psychiatrists—with their prescription drugs-- the answer is Jesus!

·       Jesus has compassion on us in our condition.

·       Multitudes and multitudes are facing a crises eternity.

·       He knows our how lost we are.

·       Jesus calls us to pray that the Lord of the harvest sends workers into OUR fields for a harvest.

·       Are we the laborers to go into our fields?

·       The answer is yes—because we know our fields, right?

·       No one knows our fields better than we do.

·       Jesus shows us how to be a laborer in our fields.

John 4:6-8: Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

·        This woman comes to the well for water at midday—the heat of the day and Jesus was waiting for her. He was prompted by the Spirit to go to her.

·        He came all this way to have a divine encounter with her. He always does.

·        And we need to “go and see” the people we know that need Jesus.

·        We’ll never have divine appointments if we don’t get out of our comfort zone.

·        She was thirsty, she was weary—life was hard.

·        And now there’s a man sitting there. Not just any man, but a Jew.

·        Perhaps she was thinking, “As if this day wasn’t already hard enough, now I got to deal with this guy!”

·        It’s hot, she’s tired—and this guy wants her to get Him some water!

John 4:9-10: Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

·        She’s running over with attitude.

·        She was probably once pretty, but life and hardship had taken its toll on her.

·        Perhaps once she once had hopes and dreams different than this—but life had ground her down to reality. Life does that, right?

·        Her soul is dry and her heart is as hard as a rock—she’s living without purpose or meaning—she has lost her joy. She has a deep need.

·        Jesus knows exactly what she needs—living water—new life, a chance to start over…she needs Him.

·        This region is desperate for living water—our people are drinking from the Dead Sea because that is what the world is!

John 4:11-12: The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

·        She’s skeptical—bitterness has set in. This is often the case with a hardened heart. It’s a symptom of hopelessness.

·        Our lost people, no matter how desperate for truth—will divert conversations from the truth; change the subject…anything but taking a look at themselves.

John 4:13-15:  Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

·       Jesus does not engage her question in the way she wants…

·       He stays on track and answers her with truth.

·       Truth has a way of cutting through any diversions--any distractions.

·       We need to engage our lost people the way Jesus does—He stays on truth—He refuses to be side-tracked.

John 4:16-18:  Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

·       Jesus calls her out in her sin, because every one of us needs to come face to face with our sin or there can be no repentance.

·       Jesus does not rub her face in it, but He also does not offer her the living water to drink without confronting her sin. There is no living water without repentance.

·       We can be salt and light to those around us—but we must not avoid the truth of repentance of sin or we have lost our flavor and are useless to the kingdom of heaven.

John 4:19-20: The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

·       Jesus has exposed her sin and it makes her uncomfortable, and she tries to hide behind religion. Religion is the reason why so many young people don’t want any part of Jesus, because they can see right through it.

·       “Churchianity” does not appeal to the masses—it speaks of hypocrisy.

·       Our region is filled with churches, but it seems we are not changing our culture. In fact most churches are not growing but just “hanging on.”

·       Religion is nothing but man’s traditions, rules, and regulations. All these things are a substitute for the “real thing.”

·       Religion keeps us from the “living water.” It allows us to cover our hopelessness with a veneer of respectability.

·       Religion never confronts the real issues; it is just a hiding place where we can pretend that everything is okay.

·       Everything is not okay. It is time to pull back the veil, people are dying and facing a Christ-less eternity!

John 4:21-24:  Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

·       Jesus is not going to let her hide behind her religion.

·       He says we need the Spirit to even worship the Father…in truth.

·       No more pretenses—just simplicity—just loving God.

·       The Spirit is the Living Water. The lost people of our days are not interested in religion because they can see through it.

·       Religion is nothing but a substitute for the anointing of the Holy Spirit

John 7:37-39: On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

·       It’s only through the Spirit that we can drink

·       Salvation only comes from the Spirit.  

·       It’s only through the Spirit that we can know truth because He is the Spirit of Truth, therefore we cannot truly worship the Father without the empowerment of the Spirit.

·       Religious traditions, rules, and regulations, cannot get you there. Those are man-made things—they are not of the Spirit!

John 4:25-26: The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

·       She reveals that the Messiah is her hope—now she is ready for truth.

·       Now it is time for her to drink.

·       She has dropped her pretenses—she is ready to change her life.

·       What is the result of her drinking deeply from the Living Water?

John 4:28-29: The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

·       She didn’t need her waterpot anymore, she had a new source of water—Living Water!

·       The waterpot was a symbol of her trying to gather her own water, using her own resources…. that could never satisfy her.

·       It actually was keeping her from the hope she was really looking for.

·       This is the true result of drinking the water—bringing others to Jesus.

·       If you are not telling others about Jesus—you are not drinking! Maybe you drank—but are you continually drinking? 

·       We can never set other people free until we are free ourselves.

·       We can never lead people to the Living water until we drink deeply ourselves.

·       There are some things that we may need to leave behind if we want to follow Jesus; there may be some people we need to break from, and there may be some places we need to break away from.

·       Every one of us has a deep need, and until we drink deeply of the living water of the Spirit--we will try to satisfy our need by looking in “all the wrong places.”

·       We can hide behind our jobs, our hobbies, our vacations, our bank accounts, etc. We can even hide in our churches!

·       The truth is our churches are not growing because we are not going!

·       But--none of those things can ever really satisfy us.

John 4:35-38: Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 

·       The will of the Lord for us is to join in the harvest of souls.

·       All of us know people who are struggling.

·       All of us know people who are thirsting and hungering for something more than this world has to offer.

·       We know people who are trying to satisfy that thirst with man-made things. It’s not the Pastor’s job—it’s everybody’s!

·       Others are trying to satisfy their thirst with sin. 

·       The wheat harvest is in and the time of planting in our region is finished!

·       Maybe the wheat harvest this year wasn’t profitable, but Jesus promises us we will rejoice in the wages that we will receive for the harvest of souls. 

·       For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

·       We have an opportunity to give a cup “living water” when we tell other people about Jesus.

·       The fields are ripe for the harvest of people who are desperate for something more—and Jesus is the only thing that can ever satisfy us.

Living Righteously—Preparing to See Jesus

Living Righteously—Preparing to See Jesus 

1 John 3:1: Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 

·       It’s not just that God loves us; it’s how He loves us.

·       We were once “enemies of God” in our rebellion and sin, but He desires to make His enemies His children! How amazing is that?

·       Our evidence is this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8).

·       The world did not know Jesus. He was God acting as God veiled in flesh, perfectly righteous and standing right in front of them.

·       Many saw Him as a lowly carpenter’s son. Others saw Him as “a problem” and they wanted to kill Him.

·       Paul tells us that, “If they had known Him they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.” (1 Cor.2:8). Therefore, is it any wonder that they do not know us?

·       Jesus acted perfectly, but we do not always act perfectly. Therefore, God wants His children to become more like Jesus—and this process is by the Holy Spirit.

1 John 3:2: Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 

·       The important word here is: NOW!

·       NOW we are children of God.

·       Eternal life belongs to us NOW. We are not waiting to die to get it!

·       We have the life of Christ in us NOW.

·       We are the inheritors of all of Gods promises NOW!

·       Although all of these things are true, and we are different from the others—but we don’t look any different from them.

·       Today, as in the days of our Lord, God’s life is veiled in our flesh and it is not always revealed in us. Paul speaks of this:

Romans 8:18-19: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 

·        The creation waits with “eager” expectation of the day when “the great secret” which is now hidden among mankind will be revealed--and the sons of God will be manifest so that all can see!

·        We know that planet earth is “groaning” under sin and darkness of this present age. And we know from prophecy that the conditions in this age will get much worse.

·        But prophecy tells us these conditions will bring about something so glorious… the return of Jesus!

·        This is the hope of the believer, because he knows that the world is not headed towards an unknown end; but it is headed towards a known appointment with our Creator… and it is right on schedule.

·        Until then “great difficulty” is a process--determined by God--to prepare the world to see Jesus.

·        If it takes the world’s difficulties for them to see Jesus—it is also true in the believer’s experience. Why? Perhaps we’re not looking for Jesus in easy times.

·        Let’s go back to our text:

1 John 3:2: Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 

·        John says the world does not know who we are now-- and we do not know what we will be!

·        So what is it going to be like when Christ returns?

·        We have some general answers to these questions in scripture, but not much in details.

·        First we know from the prophets… there will be great destruction, suffering, and pain on this planet on a grand scale. There will be wars, there will be earthquakes, and there will be evil and violence.

·        But Bible also says that after His return there will be no more tears, no more sorrow, no more suffering, no separation, no pain, etc. However, there is much that is unclear to us.

·        Okay, but what are we supposed to do now, in the meantime? Become more like Jesus!   Paul gives us some info:

2 Corinthians 4:17-18:  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

·        Paul was stoned, beaten, whipped, shipwrecked, hungry, thirsty, and more.

·        Paul calls these things “light affliction” because it’s temporary and it’s working for us a “weight of glory.”

·        Many of us question God about what is “happening to us” when difficulty, or pain and suffering strikes.

·        But it is what we do in the middle of a difficulty that determines whether it will work for our good or not.

·        Many of us say, “Lord, teach me a lesson in this,” but the pain goes on and on… and finally we cry out, “Why Lord?” And our faith is tested by the suffering.

·        We are always faced with a choice in the middle of suffering—whether it be in mental anguish or physical pain; we can either use it for our good or allow it to defeat us in disappointment.

·        Suffering will work for us or against us--depending on if we “turn to Him” or to “something else”.

·        We must know that the difficulties we face are “exceeded by the power at work within us.”

·        The Spirit is “working within us” to turn everything that to our good when we cooperate with Him. Something good is being produced in us in this process.

·        It is all producing something that will not be fully manifest now--in this life… but later. We must take an eternal view in that which is temporary is doing in our lives.  It’s making us more like Jesus!

1 John 3:2: Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 

·        There is much uncertainty for us, but there are things we can be certain of:

·        Certainty number one: We know that He will appear. This is an absolute fact. He appeared once and will come again. All of history is moving towards that fact.

·        There is much confusion over this regarding the rapture and other doctrines, but remember this: as far as our experience is concerned--in rapture or in death, we will meet Him soon.

·        Certainty number two: We know that when we see Him we shall be like Him.

·        It does not say we will “become” like Him. Our new bodies will be like His then. That which was sown in corruption will be raised incorruptible. What that body will be like… we will not know until then-- but it will be like His!

·        But our bodies are only shells for the life inside us, so there is another aspect of our being like Him.

·        John is saying, what we have been “becoming” over the years will be revealed.

·        Therefore, the “light affliction” that Paul says is a process working for us and producing a likeness of Jesus.

·        As we learn to stop complaining in our circumstances, and learn to lean on His power within us-- we are becoming like Him…because this is also what He did.

·        All these things God uses to mold us and shape us into His likeness.

·        But when we try to resist “the instrument” (whatever that may be) that God uses to make us more like Him-- we face the possibility of not becoming as much like Him as we could be.

·        Certainty number three: We shall see Him as He is. Some think that this is “how” we become like Him by “seeing Him” as He is.

·        But we are becoming like He is now-- even though we see Him through a glass darkly as Paul says.

·        It does not take a full view of Christ to make us like Him. We are being transformed to be like Him now, in order for us to “see” Him--as He is then.

1 John 3:3: And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

·        What a powerful motivator we have to become like Him now.

·        Therefore, if everything that God sends your way, or allows to come your way, now, is to make you more like Him.

·        Therefore, we can give thanks for our difficulties and the “storms of life” instead of complaining and trying “in our own strength” to fix it.

·        Like James says, “Count it all joy!” Bring it on!

·        Remember--Jesus sent His disciples out onto the Sea of Galilee when He knew there was a storm coming.

·        Because it is in the storms that we can find Him in the middle of it coming to us on the wind and the waves.

·        It’s in the storms of life that we are prepared for the next one coming our way.

·        It’s in the storms of life that we learn to rely on the “power within us.”

·        It’s in the storms of life that we are becoming more like Him—purifying ourselves.

Romans 5:3-4: And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation (suffering) produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope makes us not ashamed, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

·        Suffering and tribulation produces endurance—it makes you wait, watch and pray for God to work things out. And endurance produces character as you see God work things out.

·        Again and again you see God work things for your good and you learn to patiently wait for God and this strengthens your character (who you are when nobody is looking).

·        And character produces hope. Not hope in the worldly sense, but in the biblical sense—which is absolute certainty because time after time you see that He is able to work things out.

·        And this hope makes us not “ashamed” (Romans 5:5) because it gives us complete confidence, instead of complaining under circumstances and lacking of faith (ashamed).

·        Many Christians today try to avoid suffering at any cost.

·        We put our emphasis on comfort and avoid being “uncomfortable” and therefore, miss much of the transforming process, and as a result—we may lack character and hope.

·        We must stand on His love for us, regardless our outside pressures.

·        Paul says that knowing we are loved is the key in the midst—it’s a heart issue.

·        In all of these things-- the Holy Spirit transforms us into the image of Christ—because He loves us.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18: Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

·        Moses wore a veil over his face “to hide” that fact that the glory of the law was fading away.

·        The law was bondage to “self-effort.”

·        We were required to work at changing our nature in our own strength—but the law could not help us, it could only condemn us in our failures!

·        Relying on the “strength of our flesh” is “its own veil.”

·        Paul invites us to drop our veils—He invites us to drop all of our pretensions and just rely on the Lord.

·        Your trying to be strong in your trials does not “impress the Lord!”

·        It’s only there that the Spirit can transform us—It’s a grace process, not a law process--all true change is effortless change on our part.

·        It’s a transforming process and it happens from glory to glory--not pit to pit (not from backsliding to backsliding). It can be a continual progression

·        We have the glory of the Lord in the “liberty” of the Holy Spirit—this is a special, glorious intimacy with God in His grace—not in His law. This fellowship with Him has transforming power.

·        Mirrors in their time were usually polished metal, and gave a clouded, fuzzy, somewhat distorted image—we see Him now through a glass darkly—but not with our eyes---but with our heart. (We will find Him when we seek Him with all of our heart) (Jer.29-11).

·        As we behold Him with our heart, we will be transformed effortlessly.

·        God will change our lives and change us from the inside out—without our effort. It’s supernatural.

·        How do we behold Him now? We must behold Him or look for Him in the middle of our circumstances.

·        We behold Him in the word.

·        We behold Him in worship.

·        We behold Him in prayer.

·        We behold Him in the fellowship of His Presence.

1 John 3:3: And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

·        All of that begins here and now as God as God works through our circumstances to make us more like Him. So John says that everyone who has this kind of hope purifies himself.

·        But you say, “I can’t purify myself!” God knows that, so what does He mean? Well, you purify yourself by the means that He has provided to purify yourself.

·        Your mothers knew this, she says, “Go wash your hands before dinner.” As many boys do, he sticks his hands under the water and wipes them off with a towel, and she says, “Your hands aren’t clean, did you use soap?”

·        What is soap? It’s a cleansing agent, it will do its job when it is used.

·        The boy doesn’t clean himself, the soap cleans him.

·         The cleansing that has been provided for us is the Word of God and the Spirit of God.

Knowing the Truth Part 4

Knowing the Truth Part 4 

1 John 2:28-29:  And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

·        This is one of the great truths in the New Testament…Jesus is coming back again! This is the “hope of believers” of every age and has kept them through great difficulties.

·        John ends this section of his letter with a central truth about standing face to face with Jesus. He uses the terms “when He appears,” and “at his coming.”

·        John says that “abiding in Him” is a key in being prepared for His coming.

·        Abiding is “sharing” life with Him; it’s sharing “His life” in fellowship.

·        In this fellowship… Jesus teaches us how this life operates in us so that we may fully partake of it. Therefore, when Jesus comes again it will be a joyous experience for the believer!  Let’s look at what Paul says:

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 

·        We will all step out of time and step into eternity; we will either be caught up at the rapture or rise at our death.

·        Here’s kind of a grim thought; we are all standing at the edge of the grave….

·        But it is true and it is comforting to know that we will always be with the Lord, in life and in death—never separated, never forsaken! Let that sink in.

·        Let’s see another verse that confirms this:

2 Corinthians 5:8: We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

·        To summarize-- whether in the rapture or in death, ever believer has an “appointment or meeting” with the Lord at “an unknown moment in time.”

·        This event is no further away than the day of our death—and it may be closer than that. Jesus will no longer be hidden from our eyes…but be openly manifest and visible face-to-face.

·        What a wonderful day that will be! Let’s make sure it is!! Right?

·        Let’s go back to our text:

1 John 2:28-29:  And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

·        According to John there are only two outcomes for the believer on that day: “confidence before Him” or “ashamed before Him.”

·        John says another key is to know that He is righteous.

·        Do you know that Jesus is righteous?

·        Whatever God does is right. He does everything perfectly.

·        And behaving as God behaves… is behaving right.

·        It takes God’s life in us to behave like God, therefore whoever behaves as God is born of God and bears the family resemblance.

·        Jesus manifested the Father so we would know how God acts and how God behaves. If we know how God behaves then we will know “righteousness” when we see it.

·        And anyone who behaves righteously in righteousness…is pleasing to God.

·        We are to be like Christ, we are to act like Christ, we are to speak like Christ, and we are to love like Christ.

·        The world may not know us, but our God knows us.

·        And we are to know each other; we are to recognize each other because we bear the family resemblance.

·        In other words, we are to be salt and light in our society… just like Jesus-- or we have lost our savor.

·        We are called to demonstrate righteousness in the middle of the darkness—or we are useless to our God. Paul tells us more:

2 Corinthians 5:9-10: Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

·        Two possibilities: good or bad; one producing confidence and boldness, the other producing a sense of shame and loss.

·        That is the day that our reality will be made evident, when things are seen as they really are.

·        There’s a false teaching in Christianity, that our appearing before the Lord, for the believer, will only be a day for rewards, nothing negative, all sweetness and light. Let’s see what Jesus says:

Luke 8:17: For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”

·        Jesus says that there will be a time when everything is revealed and it will be a time of receiving or a time of great loss. Everything will be laid bare, nothing hidden anymore.

·        Someone once said, “What we weave in time, we will wear throughout eternity.”

·        Here’s the question; will you be bold and confident, or shrink in shame? It will be one or the other, not both.

Genesis 3:9-11: Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

·        Adam was ashamed before God, he was unfruitful, he was disobedient, and therefore he wanted to hide from God. He was naked. Everything was laid bare. He was not bold and confident before the Lord God.

·        We have a choice in how we will appear before God… and it will be a result of all of the choices we’ve made whether we are confident or ashamed.

·        Therefore, we should live our lives with that perspective.

·        This message is not to make you fearful or feel condemned… but it is to prepare you to walk in victory on that day and hear those words, “Good job, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.”

·        The question therefore is: “what is it that will make you ashamed then?” These would be “areas of unrighteousness” in our lives that we are protecting now.

Ø So, therefore, what makes you ashamed “now?”

Ø Are there things in your life “right now” that you keep secret?

Ø Are there attitudes that you have “right now” that you have towards others?

Ø Are there things “right now” that the Lord is calling you to that you are not obeying?

·        We all know what the “if only I had done that” are like. The “if onlies.”

·        If there are wrong things right now, if there are bad attitudes right now, if there is disobedience right now, then it is time to fix those things right now!

·        Unfortunately, it is very possible to fill our days with activities that keep us from facing these things right now.

Revelation 3:17-18: Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

·        Jesus is calling the Church of Laodicea to repent while they can.

·        This is not negative but incredibly positive. His clear intention is to make us bold on that day by seeing things clearly today.

·        This is not about your past; what is done is done.

·        This is about your present, right now, and your eternal future so that you can be “unashamed” on that day. How can I be bold on that day?

Ø Therefore, what are the things that make you bold right now?

Ø I find that I am bold when I am on familiar ground, I understand the process. For instance, when I first learned to drive, I was not bold, I was very tentative until I learned how the car works and responds to me. Now I am bold driving.

Ø I also discovered that I am bold when I already know the outcome, when I know everything is going to work out alright. It’s almost like flying in an airplane—I don’t have to be afraid of flying—the plane will land, and I will reach my destination. I can trust the pilot behind the controls.

Ø I’m also bold when I know that I’ve got resources that are working for my good--it’s like having “an ace up my sleeve.”

1 John 2:28: And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

·        Here’s how John tells us we can be confident in that day, “abide in Him.”

·        Three simple words, but so many Christians are lacking understanding on what this means!

·        It begins with learning to wait on Him, and refusing to act in your own power in your own self-effort.

·        It means to step out in dependence on Him who dwells “within you” for everything you do and everything you say-- all the time.

·        Therefore your actions are not a result of you and your personal resources-- but it is Him and His resources doing everything through you.

·        Abiding in Him means “sharing life” with Him. Sharing His life with Him.

·        Sharing His power, sharing His love, and sharing His purposes…this is pleasing to the Father…and you will be rewarded on that day! Paul gives us a different perspective of the same thing:

Galatians 2:19-20: For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

·        Paul tells us something very important; he died to the law that he might live to God. The law is always requires “self-effort.”

·        God demanded righteousness (right living) from sinful men, but they didn’t have the “right equipment” (Holy Spirit) to live that out, therefore, the law was there to show man his inability live righteously before God without a Savior.

·        Under the law, man worked and worked to satisfy the righteous requirements of the law, but in his self-effort--- usually experienced the “curse of the law” as the consequence of his failures.

·        Paul discovered the key; he died to all his self-effort, he crucified his old self with its dependency on its own weak resources, he abandoned all confidence that he had in the strength his flesh.

·        Instead, he put all of his confidence in this Christ-life that now dwelt within Him because he knew he could trust this new life because of the reality that Christ loved him and died for him. That was his evidence.

·        The life Paul lives NOW was the “new life” he shared with Christ because it was “more than sufficient” in any circumstances that Paul faced. The grace that was available was beyond whatever he could hope, ask, or imagine for.

·        What’s the point of having the Christ-life dwelling within us if we fail to use it?

v All he had to do was keep his old self weak, so Christ could be strong.

v All he had to do was wait on the Lord before acting in His own strength!

v All he had to do was refuse to use his own strength just like Jesus did!!!!!!

·        “When I am weak, I am strong.”

·        Paul did this by “abiding in Jesus.” Therefore, Paul’s works were God’s works. He will never do in you anything that is unacceptable to Him.

·        All of the shame and wastefulness of the past and present are based on the things we do in our own power and will be judged before Christ as such.

·        (Wood, hay, and stubble)

·        But everything that is done through His power is pleasing to God and will be rewarded.

·        (Gold, silver, and precious stones)

·        Think of it this way, He wants to reward you for everything you will let Him do through you, and He will give you all the credit just for submitting to letting Him do His works through you.

Philippians 4:13:  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

·        Paul understood that everything that the Lord calls us to do, He gives us the strength to do it.

·        Therefore, I never need to rely on my own strength. Look at what Jude—half-brother of Jesus—said about this.

Jude 1:24: Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.

·        Abide in Him so that when appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming.

·        It may be that you need to settle some things with the Lord right at this moment.

·        Think of the things that currently make you ashamed, the attitudes that you have towards others, or some of the habits you cling to, or the long term disagreements you have with others which make you avoid them.

·        These things need to be settled now. Abide in Him now, time is short.

Knowing The Truth P.3

 Knowing the Truth Part 3

2 Timothy 2:15: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

·        Our Christian experience is for us to “live life” as He intends it to be.

·        And He has given us His word to do that “in us.”

·        Some people say, “I know I should read my Bible more, but I have trouble understanding it.” Others say, “There are so many interpretations of the Bible, I don’t know which one to rely on.”

·        Here’s the good news; we have more than the word of God! We also have the anointing of the Spirit abiding within us leading us into the truth of God’s word when we are reading it alone or studying it with others.

1 John 2:26-27: These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.  But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

·        This anointing will help us to deal with the “problem of deceitfulness and deception” around us.

·        So how do we know the truth? Well, John says we have “an anointing” that “abides within us” for that very purpose.

·        This is the anointing of the Spirit—it’s a partaking of Jesus’ anointing, the Anointed One.

·        This doesn’t mean we can’t be led astray; it means if we do go astray it is because “we are either ignorant of the anointing,” or are “resisting the anointing” that abides within us.

·        Someone spoke the word of God to you, you received Jesus as Savior and Lord in response to the word… and you also received the Holy Spirit from Jesus!

·        The word of God requires a continual coming to the word. We all need more word going through us.

·        But as far as the Spirit, John says, “He abides.” There is no need to ask for more of the Spirit as so many do! He is all there!

·        He is a person and He comes in as a full person. Just as when we come into a room, we do not come in with our legs only and then other parts follow.

·        No… He is all there because that is the way a person comes in. But we must abide in Him.

1 John 2:27: And you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

·       Does this mean we don’t need teachers? No, of course not.

·       We know that we have teachers provided by the Holy Spirit because there is a spiritual gift of teaching.

·       But the answer lies at “the level” that this teaching takes place.

·       Jesus talks about us having, “eyes to see, and ears to hear.” And we use our eyes and ears to process information based on the physical level.

·       But the anointing of the Spirit is not at this physical level.

·       But we need to use the “eyes and ears” of our heart to reach the level of “understanding and anointing” from the Spirit at the spiritual level!

·       Paul helps us understand:

Ephesians 1:16-19: I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.

·       Paul describes for us this different level of understanding that operates “within our spirit,” and it’s by the power or anointing of the Holy Spirit.

·       He calls this the “eyes of our understanding.”

·       When we understand on this “spirit level” we begin to grasp these wonderful things and we experience the excitement of revelation from the Spirit.

·       A teacher cannot touch the human spirit in a man and give him spiritual understanding, only the Holy Spirit can do that.

·       However, the Spirit may use a human teacher to bring the word, but the only understanding can come from the Spirit. Let’s see Jesus in an example of this.

Matthew 16:15-17: He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

·       Peter had been walking with the Lord for a while, but still didn’t have the “eyes of his understanding open” of who He was just like the other disciples.

·       But now Peter sees it in the flash of an instant, and had a sudden grasp of the truth, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

·       And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you,” because you didn’t reason that our in your own mind—but my Father has revealed this to you. This is the anointing of the Spirit. And it brings blessing into our lives!

Luke 24:25-27: Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

·       Jesus appears on the Road to Emmaus where two disciples were troubled and disturbed over His death on the cross.

·       They had seen these scriptures many times before, but they had never seen that they referred to the Messiah. They did not know who this stranger was, but now they knew the Messiah must suffer.

Luke 24:30-32: Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?

·       They had heard what He was saying, but they did not grasp it until He opened their eyes, the eyes of their hearts and then their hearts burned with these magnificent truths. This is what the anointing does.

·       This also teaches us a very important concept; this anointing is an illumination from the Holy Spirit but it is not a knowledge that is separate from the word or not in the Bible!

·       He will NEVER contradict the word!

·       Jesus wants them to see Him in the word, and receive the revelation from the anointing and the word. He wants to meet you in the word, too.

·       It is taking the scriptures as they are written and giving them confirmation of the truth that is in them.

·       Others will try to deceive you with information that is not written in the Bible and the Spirit will not confirm that!

1 Corinthians 2:12-16:  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.  These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.  For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

·       I believe the Spirit of God is at work with all men, but is “not abiding” in all men.

·       Therefore only the believer has the understanding that allows him to come into a relationship with God, and fellowship with the Father.

·       There are deep mysteries and truths hidden in Christ that are to be revealed to us by the Spirit as He teaches us the word.

·       These revealed truths are the things that help us to make sense of this world, and give us purpose in the midst of it.

·       Because of the abiding of the Spirit, we have the mind of Christ. It’s an “inner mind,” different from our original mind.

·       We must “renew our minds” to use the “mind of Christ” within us that comes from the Spirit of God.

·       And just as Christ depended completely on the Holy Spirit revealing the purposes of the Father in perfect fellowship, we can also depend completely on the Father through the Holy Spirit.

John 21:20-22: Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

·       This anointing that abides within us is an intensely personal thing. So don’t compare yourselves to others.

·       Our activity must always be based on those things that the Spirit has revealed to us…. aligning with the word.

·       In other words-- you walk by faith as God has brought it to you—not by what you have learned by religious tradition.

·       Your actions cannot be based on some church hierarchy, traditions, or secondhand information contrary to the word.

·       You must not walk in a way that “has not been confirmed” to you by the Spirit Himself.

·       It is intensely personal and comes from the anointing that is within you.

·       But that being said, we must be open to hear what others are saying because sometimes I do not always hear things correctly.

·       If you believe something that is completely contrary to what all others are saying, I must make sure I am hearing correctly.

·       I must remember that the Spirit of God speaks through others too…but I must get internal confirmation from the Spirit.

Acts 2:1-4: When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

·       After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Promise of the Father came to men who believed in Jesus. Men could now be filled and anointed with the Holy Spirit.

·       This was the ultimate result of the resurrection was that we could become the temple of God, not just filled with the Spirit of God… but with the anointing or empowerment too.

·       The fire of the Spirit came upon each one of them; it was personal, and powerful. Each had a flame that was personal for him/her. It was perfect for each person, but “special and particular” for each.

·       It’s the same Holy Spirit, but the anointing is perfect for you and your calling in life.

·       You got a flame with your name on it.

·       It’s perfect for who you are.

·       It’s perfect for how you were made.

·       And it’s perfect for your destiny!

Knowing the Truth Part Two

 Knowing the Truth Part Two

John 14:6:  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

·       As we learned last week, all truth has Jesus at the center of it.

·       Without Jesus in the center of our lives, we cannot know truth.

·       And without Jesus in the center of our lives, we cannot know the Father or “receive from” the Father.

·       Here is a foundational truth of the Christian faith; God can be known as “Father” and this knowing can only come through His Son.

·       Jesus came to reveal the Lord God as our “Father” and that we may become “His children,” “sons of God” born again of Him.

·       And now, we can know Him as our Heavenly Dad.

·       Galatians 4:6: And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

·       This is the truth, and we all need better understanding.   Let’s look a little closer:

Hebrews 12:9: Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?

·       The Bible says that God is the “Father of spirits.”

·       The Father made us from dirt, with a body and soul…just like the animals, but these could not fellowship with Him; so He also breathed into us a spirit; a part of Himself was given to us to allow us to respond to Him!

·       Mankind was made in the image of God; he was created in purity, and walked with God in fellowship.

·       Sin polluted our spirits and made our spirits “unresponsive,” or dead. Death is the “absence of life.” A dead body does not respond to any outside stimulus, it is unresponsive.

·       Therefore, in our “fallen condition” we cannot respond to the Father, or even understand His Fatherhood or His heart for us, or receive from the Father!

·       And no human philosophy can help man’s condition because our fallen minds “cannot respond” to the Father; and our spirits are “unresponsive” to these intellectual pursuits of truth…not solving man’s basic problem.

1 John 2:23: Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

·        The one thing the dead spirit needs is “life.” You must be born again of the Spirit in “new life.” And this life is in the Son and only in the Son.

·        And when the “spirit is made alive” by receiving the Son… then God may be known as the Father. Our ability to respond to Him is restored.

·        Therefore, He who confesses the Son has the Father also, but without the Son… man remains “spiritually unresponsive,” spiritually dead.

·        Now that John has led us to this truth, he gives us some very practical information on “how to experience” the Father. Because it’s one thing to know you have the Father, but it’s another to know the Father.

·        Here’s the process:

1 John 2:24a: Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning.

·        What is it that we have heard from the beginning?

·        John 1:1-3: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 

·        We cannot separate Jesus from the word. He is the Word! He is God!

·        The word includes all that He came to “manifest” to us about God and about man—and all the words and deeds of Christ are truth.

·        If we are going to believe Him, then we need to believe everything He says about every subject.

·        We can’t pick and choose the things we like and the things we don’t like depending on what the culture believes.

·        I’ve heard some people say, we don’t follow the Bible—we follow Christ.

·        The person who doesn’t believe the word does not know Christ and therefore does not know the Father.

·        If you do not believe the words of Jesus, then you do not believe the words of the Father, therefore, you cannot know the Father.

·        The Father wants us to know Him! He delights in His children being in fellowship with Him.

·        And John wants us to know the Father and all things the Father provides for us—and it is written in His word, this is the “word of life:” “We can now experience the Father as His sons!”

·        This word of life is written to us so that we may know Him…and knowing Him is life--for without Him there is no life.  Here’s how to know the Father:

1 John 2:24b: If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

·       If you want to know the Father—you must abide in the Son and in the Father – and the word you hear must abide in us.

·       To have the word abide in us is more than just hearing and reading it occasionally… it means that the word “remains” in us or it is “possessed” by us, and is at “home” in us.

·       We say, “Mi casa is su casa” but we don’t really mean it, because that would mean someone could come into our house and take it over. It would mean you can “go anywhere and do anything you like” in my home.

·       Feel free to clean out the closet and rearrange the furniture. My house is now your house.

·       When we read the word, it’s more than an intellectual exercise or an emotional event—there’s going to be some house cleansing!

·       We must meditate on the word, and hide it in our heart.

·       If we look at the Bible as just pretty words that make us feel good, then when we go our way nothing has really changed, we live as we have always lived. We must take in the word eat it and digest it, not just snack on it.

·       When we allow the word to grip us or possess us then we will respond to it and obey it.

·       Yes… it will affect our emotions, yes it will confront us mentally, and yes… it will affect our choices.

John 14:23-24: Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

·       Jesus is saying that He and the Father will be with us when we work, and will be with us at home, and in our relationships with others, and in our problems and in our joys!

·       It’s going to be an abiding all the time—not just some of the time. Notice that this is a reciprocal relationship---it is fellowship!

·       There is no other life like life we can experience with the Father. It’s is an adventure like no other, filled with newness and joy eternal!

·       But there is a condition: Keeping his word is “obeying” His word.

·       To the degree that you obey the word and act in faith is the same degree that the Father and the Son will be in you manifesting the word in you.

·       This explains why there is so much difference between Christians.

·       Therefore if you obey much you will receive much, but if you obey a little you will receive little.

·       If God gives Himself to us as much as we give ourselves to Him, there are three conclusions:

Ø (1). You can have as much of Christ as you want.  There is no limit to the degree in which you may experience Christ—if you will believe and obey Him without limit. Asking for more without obedience is useless.

Ø (2). You will have only what you are satisfied with because God will never give you more than you really want. He will never force more blessings upon you than you really want.

Ø (3). Your current experience level with God is all you really want. Therefore you cannot blame God if you are not filled with all of the blessing that God’s word promises.  

Ø It is not His fault; because for one reason or another you are not willing to take all He is willing to give.

Ø And this is what He is willing to give:

1 John 2:25: And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

·       The traditional view of “eternal life” is life in heaven forever and it never ends—and that is true. But it also relates to quality as much as quantity.

·       It’s not just something we are going to get someday, but here right now.

·       It is “divine life” sharing “God’s life” lived out in our current situation, right now, and ever increasing in joy.

·       This is the message of the Bible that we need to tell others!

·       In other words, John says that this eternal life is the “daily adventure” of experiencing God’s solutions in every problem we face instead of relying on our own solutions.

·       That’s always the choice; His way or mine. 

Isaiah 40:31: But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

·        Here’s what the word promises us, for those willing to “wait on the Lord” instead of trying to do things in our own strength or understanding.

·        They are expecting Him to be at work in them.

·        This is the reciprocal relationship. This is abiding.

·        They shall renew their strength because they are actually “exchanging” their strength for His strength, His power, and His wisdom. Then what?

·        They shall mount up with wings like eagles, shall run and not be weary, and walk and not faint.

·        This is a description of the mind, emotions, and will (or soul) of man.

·        Their “will or choices” will be stimulated knowing that God is working in their midst. Their “seeing” will be opened up like an eagle soaring above the mountains …seeing things from His perspective instead of their own.

·        They will run and not be weary—we will experience all of our emotions in such a way that they will not wear us down. We will experience joy, gladness, and relief much as Jesus did—without the fear, anxiety, and worry that is common to those without the abiding presence of the Lord.

·        They will walk and not faint: we are constantly experiencing decisions, decisions, and decisions! But that is the way life is intended to be as we take each step of life.

·        Each decision is a step, and each step is an opportunity for “exchanging His life for our deadness,” exchanging our weakness for His strength, and exchanging our emptiness for his fullness.

·        So every decision may be a strengthening experience.

Romans 8:32: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

·        Paul tells us that God causes all things to work for our good.

·        Therefore, in any situation, we can say, “Okay Lord, You are in me and have come to live in me, therefore this situation is part of your planning because I wouldn’t be in it if it weren’t for you. Now Lord do through me what you want to do.”

·        Then we become available to him in any situation as we discover his plans, and every difficulty becomes an opportunity to display His glory, wisdom, and power.

Ephesians 3:14-19:  For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

·       The Apostle Paul opens and incredible secret to us, as we bow to the Father in obedience and truth we are strengthened in the inner man.

·       And as we see the width, depth and height of the love Christ has for us—we will be filled “with all the fullness of God.”

·       I can experience as much as I want in this fellowship with the Father according to how much I will believe and obey, and I can do that because I know how much He loves me—and I can have all the fullness available to me. There are no limits except in my own mind.

·       One more thing:

Ephesians 3:20-21: Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

·       Is this really true? Will God really offer to me way above whatever I could ask or think?

·       I can ask a lot out of life. I can dream and imagine a lot of great and wonderful things.

·       Unfortunately I can also think of ways to tell God how to do it… and I have tried.

·       But now that I look back over my life—I have messed up a lot of things, but despite my failures He has always been there.

·       Even with all my failures—this promise has been true in my life.

·       If we are willing to let his word abide in us, understand it and possess it; and obey it—and if we will hold tight to that which was from the beginning that abides in us—we will experience this eternal life!

Knowing the Truth

Knowing the Truth 

Acts 20:28-30: Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.

·        Paul calls the leaders of the church of Ephesus for some final instructions to them, knowing he may never see them again to warn them that “savage wolves” would come in among them perverting the truth.

·        These savage wolves are among the sheep, so they look like sheep. They are in the church, and their intention is to draw the sheep away from the flock and devour them.

·        In our days, we are “tolerant.” The church is struggling to be relevant and has allowed the culture into the church rather than changing the culture outside the church.

·        But what you believe will eventually lead to what you do and how you live, and will lead to certain inevitable outcomes.

·        In every time, every century… since the resurrection of Jesus, heresies, or false teachings work their way into the church.

·        Since the devil could not kill the church, he decided to join the church. John also addresses this:

1 John 2:18: Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.

·        John writes these things more than 30 years after Paul said something similar.

·        The term “antichrist” seems to mean the person is against Christ, and it does mean that… but it can also mean “instead of Christ.” It’s someone who comes in the name of Christ and says he is declaring truth, but when you look closely it is “contrary” to God’s word

·        And John warns us about these same people and gives us important information on how to recognize them. In these last days…great confusion is coming and it’s important to have this understanding.

·        John calls the time “the last hour.” He doesn’t mean that Jesus return was imminent; it means we must always have a sense of urgency in this threat.

·        But John warns, “the antichrist is coming and many antichrists have come.” This is part of events that cycle over and over again though the centuries.  History repeats itself because the enemy uses the same tactics that have worked before!

·        But there is one thing we can know for certain, as the time rolls by, these events are moving with an accelerating pace. We are moving rapidly towards the return of Jesus, therefore we will see more antichrists and eventually “THE antichrist.”

1 John 2:19: They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

·        John warns us that these people always begin within the church. They begin in the church, but leave the church and take as many followers with them as possible.

·        So these heresies begin or have their root in the midst of Christian doctrine.

·        Our Lord predicted this would happen:

Matthew 13: 24-30: Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

·        Jesus warns that the enemy plants these antichrists in the church… and at first they are difficult to recognize. For a while they walk like the sheep and talk like the sheep, but they are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

·        The wheat and the tares look alike as they are growing, but the Lord seems to be suggesting that as the wheat grew up would recognize them as evil.

·        But the Lord instructs them not to uproot the weeds because they may accidently uproot some wheat. How many times has that happened in history?

·        There is a long list of these people; Mary Baker Eddy, Ellen G. White, Joseph Smith, Charles Russel, David Koresh, Jim Jones, and so many others.

·        They use the same terminology or words that Christians use, but they substitute other meanings of those words. These people then use these words to deceive many and call themselves prophets.

·        They pervert the terms such as resurrection, evangelism, and even the gospel.

·        They do not believe the concepts of New Testament Christianity which is to change men from death to life. Without that… it is not the gospel.

·        John says that these will go out from among the flock to deceive others. And when they do they claim that only they know the real Christianity and the rest of us are wrong.

·        Heretics will cut themselves off from those who share the “life of Christ,” by the word of God, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. If you suggest studying the Bible with the people who are in heresy you will soon feel their dislike of the word. If they read it at all, its to take certain parts out of context.

·        There are many today that are “trapped” in these heresies and genuinely want to know the truth. Don’t worry about that—get them back into the scriptures. The word of God has an amazing ability to correct error.

·        It’s always the word that brings us back to truth in the midst of antichrists.

1 John 2:20: But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 

·        When you received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit came to dwell within you and from Him will flow rivers of Living Water as Jesus said.

·        Perhaps you didn’t even feel anything. This often leads people astray because they are expecting to feel something. This is His life coming into you, and you don’t need to feel it to know that it has happened.

·        You are now capable of knowing truth, as it was intended from the beginning.

·        That which was lost in the Garden of Eden and the great fall has been restored; your heart and your spirit, and now you have the Holy Spirit living in you… giving you the ability to know God.

Ø You have all the “necessary equipment” to know the truth.

John 16:12-15: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

·        The disciples couldn’t understand everything Jesus wanted to tell them because Pentecost had not yet happened. They didn’t have the “necessary equipment.”

·        They didn’t have the Spirit of Truth. They didn’t have “the Spirit of Christ,” the Holy Spirit.

·        How does the Spirit of Truth do this? He guides us into all truth. How does He guide us into the truth?

·        He speaks what He hears and declares it to us.

·        This is the only way we can come to know the Truth. Jesus is the Truth. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life! And all that the Father has will be declared to us.

·        Truth will evade us if we don’t have Jesus in the middle of our lives. Without Jesus we will be deceived.

1 Corinthians 2:10-12: But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

·        Why do we have a world so filled with confusion today?

·        Obviously there is “something missing in man,” man does not know how to bring himself into the glory the God has intended for him.

·        He is missing the key. He doesn’t have the necessary equipment.

·        No one seems to know the answers to the overwhelming problems we face today.

·        Every cult and every heresy is an attempt to reveal how man can fulfill himself, but they are all “antichrists” because they all offer something instead of Christ.

·        Every cult and every heresy is always offering a way to “unfold the secret nature” that mankind always longs for in searching for truth. Yet they can never come into the truth.

Ø 2 Timothy 3:6-7: For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

·        They cannot get there because the Truth is a Person…Jesus!

·        They cannot even know the reason for their existence and remains forever ignorant apart from Jesus Christ.

·        Therefore unless “Christ is at the center of everything,” there will be more delusion.

·        Truth is always consistent in every circumstance. You do not need to alter facts to make them fit into the truth, because then you do not have truth.

·        Therefore, they always rely on their own abilities, and their philosophies always lead to some kind of humanism where we unlock the secrets buried inside of us and this delusion just leads to more ignorance.

·        The one that discovers God living in him and becomes completely dependent on Him… discovers what he is here for.

·        Truth is absolutely critical so that we don’t embrace the lies. 

1 John 2:21: I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.

Ø First, John says that since we are now equipped to know truth, you can understand error and its nature. Therefore, John can write to you and you will understand what he is telling you because you have the ability to understand and know truth.

·        There is no longer any reason for failure if you will listen to the anointing in your life. The Teacher living inside of you will lead you into the abundance of this life you have been given.

·        There is no reason for John to write to people who do not have the anointing of the Spirit to understand; therefore they will just reject it. You must start with Christ before you can have any understanding.

Ø Second, John says, you have learned that there is no relationship between lies and the truth. In other words, there are no gray areas.

·        A thing is either black (lie), or white (truth), and there can be no mingling of the two. Because of the anointing of the Spirit, a Christian has the ability to know right from wrong and never say there are gray areas.

·        Yet, too many Christians still go along in life as if there can be “shading” of the truth. John says he is writing to them because they have figured this out and are choosing to walk in truth.

·        God wants to establish absolutes and these must be our standards especially when it is inconvenient. There are consequences.

·        The consequence in our circumstances is much less than the consequences in our fellowship.

·        There is no darkness in our God; He walks only in the Light. But if we walk in darkness we will not find Him there.

·        Therefore we must bring everything into the light of His anointing and examine it there.

·        Examine everything, the voices you hear, the philosophies around you, and the explanations of life that are constantly being presented before you.

·        Instead of listening to their lies…. you should bring them to the One from whom you have learned …He is the Truth.

·        That makes you worth writing to.

·        Are you willing to know the truth and then obey the truth?

·        That makes you worth writing to.

·        Will you cease to depend on your own abilities to react in situations and instead rely on His life within?

·        Then that makes you worth writing to.

·        He writes these things because he knows the necessary equipment is there for our understanding. All that remains is for us to use it.

 1 John 2:22-23:  Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

·       There is no truth that does not begin with “He who is the Truth.”

·       This truth is Jesus.

·       They will always pervert who Jesus is.

·       They will always make Him to be something less than God Himself come in the flesh.

Colossians 2:8-9: Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

·       The Apostle Paul warns us not to be “cheated” by these empty deceptions. These philosophies and traditions keep us from knowing truth and receiving the benefits of knowing absolute truth.

·       These philosophies also cheat us out of our fellowship with the Lord.

·       Jesus warns us that the enemy is a thief, he will pick your pockets of the fullness that is available in Christ.

·       Paul tells us that since we have “the right equipment” we are complete in Him because we have come to know the truth that is in Jesus.

·       You can understand the things that are happening in the world, and know the One who is leading you and guiding you.

·       You can understand how He intends you to function and respond in all situations. He doesn’t want you to rely on your own abilities of understanding because those are the traditions of men and are false abilities.

·       The antichrist is coming and will establish a one world religion.

·       It will be a false church, and many will be deceived.

·       Instead He wants you to rely upon His life within you. That is why John is writing to you!!!!  It’s a life and death decision!

Fellowship with God Part 5

Fellowship with God Part 5 

1 John 1:15: Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

·       This is John’s final word about fellowship with God.

·       John deals with the greatest threat to our fellowship with God and growing into maturity: It is the world and its pleasures.

·       I think it’s important to understand that John is saying there is something very dangerous about the world for the Christian.

·       So he warns us to, “not to love the world” or the “things that are in the world.” Two things; don’t love the world itself and don’t love the things in the world.

·       John is not talking about the physical world; the world of nature. God has given us the world of trees, mountains, rivers, lakes and the sea to enjoy. There’s nothing wrong with that world.

·       And he is not talking about the world of humanity, its people, and its customs. We know that because, “God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

·       But there is a world that we are not to love and John expects us to know what that is. Jesus defines it for us:

John 15:18-19: “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

·       Here’s the world Jesus talks about. It’s the world that hates Jesus Christ.

·       Who were they? They were mostly religious people. This is a religious world that hated Jesus, and a secular world that was indifferent to Him.

·       And Jesus tells us that “the world also hates us.”

·       The world wants compromise from us, but it will never be enough.

·       Compromise will never make the world love you, therefore we should seek the love that comes only from God.

Ø John 5:44: How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?

·       Jesus constantly challenged the basic philosophy of this world, because it is centered only in this life and this world.

·       This philosophy has two ends; the cradle and the grave, and focuses completely on the in between. We focus beyond the grave.

·       It was basically this philosophy that nailed Jesus to the cross, because it says that the only thing that is important is this life—is it not the same today? The world says eat drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

·       This philosophy is in everything—advertising, radio, music, television, and the internet.

·       But John says we shouldn’t have this philosophy, and if you do you will lose out on the fullness of the Christian experience. And here’s why:

·       You will be deceived, and you will be trapped and “deluded by the devil” just as Adam and Eve were.

·       So where does the battle begin? The battle begins with “the things that are in the world.”

1 John 2:16: For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

·       The same techniques that the devil used on Eve in the Garden of Eden, he uses on us today.

·       These temptations broke the fellowship that Adam and Eve had with God and they will break the fellowship that we have with God too.

·       John says that we must reject these actions if we want fellowship with the Father. Let’s go back and see this:

Genesis 3:2-6: And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Ø The lust of the flesh: The flesh in scripture usually means something other than the body, usually our sin nature which is in the body. God gave us desires, urges, and hungers that we must satisfy to live and multiply.

·       We hunger for food to eat and live. We need shelter from the elements, and we desire sex to multiply our species. These things are natural to us, but there is a difference between hunger and appetite. Hunger is physical, our appetites relate to desires or lusts.

·       The devil tempted Adam and Eve through their appetites and they ate the fruit, choosing it above their relationship with God. This was the result of giving in to lust of the flesh.

·       The flesh always wants to add something to these natural urges, it goes beyond the things necessary to maintain life. We want the finest delicacies to eat, we want luxurious places to live, and the pleasure of sex necessary to produce children becomes something to indulge ourselves in lust.

Ø The lust of the eyes:  Adam and Eve were tempted by desiring that which would harm them because it looked pleasurable. This was the lust of the eyes.

·       It’s about the things we see that we want to acquire for ourselves and make them MINE! We want more and more. We want to keep up with the Joneses. We like to stand out above the rest… and make them jealous. Auto manufacturers are very good at using the lust of the eyes to get us to buy things we don’t need to impress people who don’t care.

Ø The pride of life:  Adam and Eve were tempted to be their own “god.” They could do things their “own way” instead of relying on God. When the serpent said they would be like God if they ate the fruit, this was the pride of life.

·       John does not get legalistic about these things because we must use the things of this world, but John is telling us not to love these things.  Do not set your hearts on them, do not try to acquire these things, do not love the luxury of these things, and do not try to outshine others.

·       If we love these things, our hearts become focused on them and we are in major danger because it will affect all of our choices towards worldly things instead of Godly things.

·       Why? Because these are the devil’s tools. Here’s how we fight the devil:

James 4:7-8: Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

·        Let’s see Jesus do this when the devil tries to do the same thing to Jesus that he did to Adam and Eve.

Matthew 4:1-4: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ 

·        Here, Jesus was tempted to sin against God by pursuing worldly things rather than God.

·        He was tempted by the devil to meet His own physical needs, the lust of the flesh, and He was tempted to turn the stones into bread…instead of doing things God’s way

Matthew 4:5-7:  Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

·        Next, Jesus was tempted to do something spectacular by throwing Himself off the temple and having His angels rescue Him…Instead of doing things God’s way.

·        He could “show everyone” who He really was… the lust of the eyes.

Matthew 4:8-10:  Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

·        Finally, Jesus was tempted to receive all the kingdoms of the world if He worshiped Satan; this is idol worship and the pride of life.

·        He could avoid the cross…instead of doing things God’s way!

·        Jesus always used the word of God as the sword of the Spirit!

·        And it worked for Him and it will work for you.

Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

·       We were created to love and to serve one master; our God.

·       Therefore, our love for the world and our love for our God are mutually exclusive. If you love one you will hate the other.

·       We were made to be mastered by something greater than ourselves. Therefore, our master is either the world and the darkness of the evil one, or our God. That is always the choice

·       That’s why John says, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

·       There are two powerful forces constantly making their appeal to us.

·       Both of them offer to fulfill us, to satisfy us and make our lives richer in the process. But one is a lie and the other it the truth.

·       You cannot do both.

·       One… we can see the desire for things with our eyes, and the other we must see through the eyes of our faith.

·       Unfortunately there are many Christians who want to have both, but the scriptures say that is impossible therefore we walk in darkness and cannot walk in the light of the fellowship of our God.

1 John 2:17:  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

·       This is another reason we are not to love the things of this world, not only does it exclude the love of God, but it is a foolish choice because this world is passing away.

·       This world is temporary, “but he who does the will of God abides forever.” Abiding and fellowship are similar concepts.

·       Martin Luther once wrote: “I have held many things in my hands and have lost them all. But the things I have placed in God’s hands I still possess.”

·       How true that is. Nothing lasts very long. It all decays and fades away. That is the way of this world.

·       Should we give ourselves to those temporary things? Should we build our lives on that kind of shaky foundation? Or should we build our foundation on the Rock?

Colossians 1:19-20: For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

·       This is God’s ultimate plan… reconciling all things to Himself.

·       One of these days the world and all that we see in it shall pass away into the dust of the centuries.

·       But according to the scriptures one day the Lord will stand with His own and view a universe where everything has been brought together in Jesus Christ.

·       What an incredible day that shall be and we will be able to say, “I had a part in that!”

Luke 11:23: He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

·       Jesus narrows everything down to two words, are you gathering or scattering? Are you uniting and reconciling, or dividing and scattering?

·       John says if you are living for the world, loving its glory, and seeking its fame and riches, and clinging to them desperately, you are scattering and dividing.

·       But if you are walking with Christ and if the things that are important to Him are important to you, and giving a cup of cold water in His name is more important to you than putting another dollar in the bank, then you are gathering.

·       You are laying up treasures in heaven.

Matthew 16:25-27: For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

·       He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

Fellowship With God Part Four

Fellowship with God Part Four

1 Corinthians 3:1-3: And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal.

·         One of the big problems of the church is immature Christians. They are Christians that never grow up.

·         They’ve stopped growing soon after the beginning of their new life.

·         It’s like the little boy who fell out of bed, and his mother asked him, “What happened?” He said, “I guess I fell asleep to close to where I got in!”

·         New babes in Christ are not the problem; it’s the ones who are still babies after ten, twenty, or even thirty years.

·         If your child stayed immature and refused to grow up, you would know there’s a problem in your house!

·         The Apostle John brings us face to face with this problem and describes the three phases of spiritual life:

1 John 2:12-13: I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. 13 I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one.

·         If you are a Christian… you are in one of these three phases. He begins with the “little children.” These are freshly born again. These are new members of the family of God.

·         You cannot get into the family of God without a new birth. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again!”

·         The first thing a new Christian is aware of is that his/her sins are forgiven.

·         There is a great sense of release and freedom as we experience the forgiveness of sins.

·         This is true of every Christian.

·         There must be a beginning in this life, but it is not an end.

·         We are not to get stuck there; we are to move on to maturity in our growth process.

1 John 2:13a:  I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning.

·         John then describes the fully mature Christian; he calls them “fathers.”

·         The chief characteristic of a father is that he has “known Him who is from the beginning.” He has come to know Jesus Christ.

·         This word “know” means that he has come to “know Jesus” through experience.

·         There are different kinds of knowing someone. The first is through casual acquaintance.

·         No one can become a father through a casual acquaintance with Jesus.

·         The only way someone can become a “father” is through years of “fellowship together” with Jesus.

·         Just as with a married couple over many years they become more like each other and a mutual identity begins to grow because they are communicating and grow to be like one another.

·         Fathers are no longer unstable in their ways or juvenile in their attitudes.

1 John 2:13b: I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one.

·         Young men are the third stage that John describes in our spiritual development. These are no longer children, but they are not yet fathers.

·         These are growing… and they have overcome the wicked one.

·         Their eyes have been opened to the struggle of life. And they no longer make the same mistakes over and over again.

·         As Paul said, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood.”

·         Our problem is not people. The immature person always blames someone else for their problems.

·         But anyone who is learning to overcome the devil knows differently.

·         He knows our real enemies are principalities, powers, and wickedness in high places. Their eyes are opened.

·         Therefore they have learned that the only way to overcome the evil one is to live in fellowship with the Son of God. They know they cannot live in the strength of their own might or they will be beaten every time.

·         James 4:7-8: Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

·         Yet they are still not fully mature. Let’s see this on a physical level.

·         If you child comes up to you and says, “Daddy, I want to grow up big and strong just like you.” Would you say, “Go and try hard to grow.”?

·         Growth is automatic when you give yourself the conditions that are right for growth. So you should say, “If you eat well, exercise, and sleep, you can’t help but grow.”

·         This is also true when you apply it to the Christian life. You cannot help but grow in “fellowship” with Jesus. We see these three stages of growth throughout the Bible. Other scriptures verify this truth.

Mark 4:8: Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

·         These are the three stages of spiritual maturity; little children, young men, and fathers.

Romans 12:2: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

·         To the children… God’s will is good, to the young men, God’s will is pleasing, and to the fathers it’s perfect.

1 Peter 1:7: That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

·         Praise, honor, and glory. Paul tells us every Christian receives praise from God. But that is a starting point for a new Christian. The next step is to honor God in all things, and the mature Christian gives God all the glory all the time.

1 Corinthians 13:11-13:  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

·         Faith, hope, and love. Faith is the basic requirement of the Christian life; believing God. Then we move on to see all the possibilities of the hope of the promises of God. Finally we reach the stage of pouring out our love.

1 John 2:13-14: I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.

·         John comes back to the same three stages of maturity, first with the little children. Why do the children know their sins are forgiven? Because they know the Father. They have joined the family of God. And the only way they can do that is through Jesus Christ the Son.

·         Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.” And we can only come to know the Father is by the Holy Spirit.

·         Galatians 4:6: And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

·         Even baby lips can say, “Abba!”

·         When my sons were babies, they messed their pants, they screamed and cried, woke us up in the middle of the night, but I loved it when they learned to say, “Daddy!” We all looked forward to the day when they grew out of infancy, and I’m sure our heavenly Abba feels the same way!

Hebrews 5:12-14: For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.  But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

·         The immature Christian still lacks the knowledge to discern good from evil and ends up in trouble. He charges ahead without knowing the difference.

·         He often thinks things look good when they are actually evil… and evil when they are actually good.

·         Because he is unskilled in the word of righteousness—learning to act righteously.

·         And he cannot teach others because he is still not taught correctly—still in infancy.

·         And most of all, he still looks at life through the eyes of the world, therefore, he has not begun to renew his mind. He’s still worldly.

·         He looks at cult religions as being good things.

·         He still wants to trust the government instead of God. He thinks a presidential candidate is going fix everything. He still plans his life based on his own perceptions. He has not learned to trust God.

1 John 2:14: I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning.

·         This is exactly the same thing John said before about maturity, you have known Him who is from the beginning.

·         It is not only the way to maturity, but it is the evidence of maturity.

·         Only someone who has walked with God for years, and has seen the faithfulness of God really knows Him. What else can you say about such a man?

1 John 2:14: I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.

·         John reveals the key to spiritual growth, that which brings a child into becoming a young man. It’s the word of God abiding in him.

·         That is also what will bring a young man into becoming a father, able to reproduce himself in others.

·         The perfect instrument for bringing us into maturity is the word of God.

·         This is why the devil does everything he can to keep us from going to Bible study, and reading the scriptures on our own.

·         The devil cannot keep us from being Christians, so he tries to keep us from becoming strong Christians.

·         He will even try to get us to use shortcuts to grow in an instant.

·         Often the devil will try to get us to move in the gifts of the Spirit without developing the fruits of the Spirit. These people often crash and burn. There are no shortcuts to the word of God “abiding” in you.

·         This word of God abiding in you is not just talking about the Bible, it means the Bible plus the Holy Spirit together.

·         It is the word of God illuminated by the Spirit, and with the power of the Spirit; abiding.

Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

·         This is the word of God with the power of the Spirit. It reveals the thoughts and intents of the heart.

·         It separates us the flesh from the spirit of a man. The word must be more than a hobby with us because it is what produces maturity in us.

2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

·         This is requires our diligence. You got to dig into it, not just get some tidbits on Sundays.

Matthew 5:13: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

·         The culture today wants us to shut up and sit down. But the word of God illuminated by the Spirit is to govern our actions and attitudes in the normal encounters of life.

·         We have allowed the culture to invade the church when we are supposed to be invading the culture.

·         The “worldlings” think that what is wrong in the Bible is right in our culture, and what is right in the Bible is determined to be wrong in the culture.

·         We are to be salt to our society.

·         But instead the message of the church is regarded as useless, irrelevant, meaningless, worthless and trodden under the feet of men.

·         Why? Because the word of God is not abiding in our hearts with the power of the Spirit.

·         We point our fingers at the society and say, “Oh, what a shame, we are going downhill so fast!”

·         But the only thing that is going to change that is not our denouncing them, but loving them with the love of Jesus Christ!

·         If we remain immature Christians all of our lives, the word of God is not getting into our hearts where the Spirit truly has something to use in us to change our world.

·         We will never fulfill our calling until we move into maturity and speak the word of God with love and power!

Fellowship with God Part 3

 Fellowship with God Part Three

John 10:10: The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

·        This abundant life is so wonderful that it is beyond our wildest expectations and we can have as much of it as we want.

·        There is no limit to the amount of this life that we can have. It is freely available to every born again Christian.

·        This life is in “fellowship” with our God. We are the only ones that can limit our experience of this abundant life.

·        You cannot blame God if your life is not filled with the blessing and fullness that the Bible has promised you, because you can have all that you are willing to take…. therefore you have all that you really want.

·        If your abundant life isn’t as satisfying as it should be, it is not God’s fault.

·        It is you that are not willing, for one reason or another, to take everything He is willing to give you. There are some who will and some who won’t.

Ø John’s position is: if we know the reality of what is available to us we will do what it takes to live the life promised to us.

·        The ministry of John is always to call us back to original things and to repair what has been broken.

·        Unfortunately, those around us see the broken because we are not projecting the “reality of this abundant life”.

·        One of the reasons why Christianity has been rejected by so many in the world is that it is only a facsimile or a caricature of the real thing in many of our churches. This is nothing new; it goes back to the early days of the faith in John’s time too.

·        Christianity is about discovering the most satisfying life that anyone could ever experience in this life; this is abundant life. This abundant life is living in fellowship with our God instead of just a relationship.

·        Therefore we must learn how to have fellowship with Him.

·        John is calling us back to fellowship where we get all of Christ and He gets all of us.

·        And it is in this fellowship that we can live fully in the present instead of getting caught up in worries about the future or regrets of the past. We must focus on living fully in the present 24 hours God has given you.

·        The real goal of Christianity is to produce love filled homes, here now, with strong men of faith, grace filled women, and respectful children… all dependent on the “activity of a living God” abiding in their midst, and living the highest possible abundant life of fellowship with God.

·        This is our goal in this study. Let’s begin with Jesus:

Matthew 8:24-27: Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does (obeys) them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house (home) on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand (world): 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

·        When you were “born again” Jesus became your Lord and Savior. So many of us like the Savior part (relationship) but are lacking something in the “Lord” part.

·        John is going to help us with the “Lord” part (fellowship) so we make our home on the Rock (Jesus) and not built on sand (the world).

·        We must be doers of the word not hearers only as James would say. This will help us in our “fellowship” with Him.

·        If you obey little, then you will experience little.

·        If you obey much, you will experience much.

·        Therefore to the extent that you give yourself to God in understanding and obeying His word is the same extent that He will give Himself to you in fellowship.

·        It’s reciprocal.

Ø Don’t get it wrong, relationship was freely given to you by faith—but fellowship requires obedience by faith (walking in the Light). 

1 John 2:3-4:  Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

·        It’s natural that some of us might develop a “spiritual hypochondria” or maybe even question whether we are Christians at all… and the devil jumps quickly on board.

·        So Johns stops to deal with this as he is dealing with the difference between “relationship and fellowship.”

·        John is examines our “spiritual lives” as a doctor examine our “physical lives” pointing out the sicknesses in our souls.

·        When I was a child we had a book in our house called the “Journal of Home Medicine.” I would sometimes read about all these different diseases and look at the pictures. Soon I would start looking for symptoms and before long… feeling ill. I had hypochondriac tendencies.

·        This happens to many of us while watching commercials on TV about the latest medicines. We start getting symptoms.

·        John tells us the sign of relationship; that we are KEEPING His commandments. It is the proof of our relationship. Now, it’s not about having “kept” the commandments in the past, it’s about keeping the commandments in the present.

·        There should be evidence that our actions have changed, and our desire is to obey Him. The Lord is not expecting a perfect performance from us, but He is looking for those who want to keep His word.

·        We can never come to know God by keeping His commandments alone; we can only know Him by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. They who love Jesus and want to keep His word, “The just shall live by faith.”

·        But those who do not want to keep His commandments, but just go on sinning because they love their sin shows there is something deeply wrong.

·        Their deeds show there is no relationship. 

1 John 2:5-6: But whoever keeps His word (fellowship), truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

·        Here is the evidence that we are moving beyond relationship into fellowship: our desire is to walk as Jesus walked. And that is in complete dependence on the Father. Allowing Him to work through us, manifesting His power in us.

·        When we are faced with “issues” we have two choices; fix it ourselves in our own strength as “worldlings” do, or we can do “God’s program” where every problem becomes and opportunity.

·        We say, “Lord, do through me what you want to do.” And we instantly become available. Instantly His love and compassion move in us

·        He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than I can think or ask. And every problem becomes an opportunity for His glory.

·        This is what fellowship with the Father looks like.

·        Unfortunately we can be like little children and say, “Dad, I want to do it myself!” As if we had the ability within us to do something significant when God is looking to help us.

·        And sometimes we delude ourselves into thinking it’s a little of us-- but mostly Him, so we get a little bit of the glory!

·        This is not authentic Christianity, we must walk as Jesus walked. Look at what Paul says:

Philippians 3:10: that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.

·        Therefore His death being reproduced in us is that all of this selfishness has to go. Otherwise His life is not being reproduced in us.

·        This resurrection power that only works in the midst of death. Without resurrection power working in us we are in delusion that we are in fellowship with God. It’s a package deal.  That is authentic Christianity and fellowship with God.

1 John 2:7-8: Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. 8 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

·        What is this “Old commandment?” Well you find it in the beginning and it flows like a river throughout the Bible from beginning to end. It is this:

·        Luke 10:27: So he answered and said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

·        This was the first commandment to be broken by Adam in the Garden. Adam loved his wife more than he loved God and chose to follow her into temptation and sin.

·        The second part was fulfilled by Cain when he murdered his brother Abel and said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

·        “The darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.”

·        Is this true in you? He doesn’t say the darkness is past, “it’s passing away.”

·        The light is shining for us to walk in, and inviting us, and gripping us as His grace is available to us in fellowship with Him.

·        But how do we measure this in our lives? How do you know how far you have come? I’m glad you asked!

·        And now John says he is giving us a new commandment, it is very similar, yet different. Let’s look to Jesus for this:

John 13:34: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

·        Jesus adds something, “as I have loved you.” Let’s be honest, the disciples were not a very lovable group. They were selfish, unbelieving, prideful, ambitious, stubborn, and unloving.

·        Yet Jesus loved every one of them, only God can love that way. It’s only through the Holy Spirit can any of us love that way. It only comes through a shared life. It only comes through fellowship.

·        Therefore, it is a new thing!!! Yes… we are our brother’s keeper!

1 John 2:9-11: He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

·        What is hate? The dictionary says it extreme hostility or extreme dislike of another person.

·        Now this can be active as if throwing your garbage over your fence into your neighbor’s yard, or it can be passive in just talking trash about one another, or just being indifferent or unconcerned for another.

·        Just look at our Lord; some hated Him enough to crucify Him, others talked badly about Him, and others just calmly stood by while they crucified Him.

·        John tells us that he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness.

·        This person does not know where he is going because of his darkness, and it will eventually lead to death because his blindness is the source of great “insensitivity,” just like a dead man feels nothing.

·        Hearts can get so hardened that almost nothing can soften it.

·        John is telling us that only those of the world (worldlings) can walk in this kind of darkness.

·        A Christian can give into this kind of thing, temporarily, but cannot stay in this kind of darkness because he is not a child of the darkness.

·        I believe the Spirit will deal with a Christian in this matter of hating his brother.

·        His conscience will struggle with him, and before long guilt, anxiety, and lack of peace sets in until he forgives his brother.

·        I have talked with people in my life as a pastor who are holding “unforgiveness” in their hearts. Many of them had experienced serious wrongs in their lives and had been treated unfairly. Others had horrible things done to them.

·        These things turn to bitterness, poisoning thoughts, and turn to terrible consequences spiritually, mentally, and physically.

·        I believe John is telling us that if we cannot forgive, then we were never really born again. Because God tells us we must forgive…it’s not an option!

Matthew 6:14-15: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

·        Once our eyes have been opened to see our extreme offence against God, the injuries which others have done to us appear small by comparison.

·        If, on the other hand, we have an exaggerated view of the offences of others, it proves that we have minimized our own.

·        If a man has hardened his heart so much with hate that he cannot forgive others… then he is probably unable to open his heart to the salvation available in Jesus Christ.

·        It would be wrong to say that unforgiveness itself is the unforgivable sin.

·        It is better to say that forgiveness is evidence of truly being forgiven, and that habitual unforgiveness may show that a person’s heart has never really been touched by the love of Jesus.

·        But we are called not just to forgive like God forgave us, but we are called to love like He loved us!

Matthew 18:21-34: Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

·        Since we have been forgiven so much, we have no right to withhold forgiveness from others.

·        We are the debtor forgiven almost an infinite debt; will we hold on to the small debts others owe to us?

·        If anyone had the right to withhold forgiveness it is God – and He forgives more freely and more completely than anyone we know.

·        What possible right do we have to hold on to our unforgiveness? There are many who are tortured by their own unforgiveness toward others. And… it keeps us from fellowship with our God!

Fellowship with God Part Two 1 John 1:7-2:2

 Fellowship with God Part Two

1 John 1:7: But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

·        Walking in the light is the secret to “fellowship” with God. Fellowship is the actual experience of the Lord’s power, love, and life at work in you.

·        Fellowship is to come into a day-by-day experience of Christ manifesting Himself through you. This is exciting… it brings us joy.

·        And this experience is yours if you will live honestly before God and call the actions in your life what God calls them instead of living in any pretense.

·        That’s walking in the Light as He is in the Light.

1 John 1:8-9:  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

·        The word tells us that we have been forgiven of all of our sin; past, present, and future, when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore we do not confess our sins to be forgiven, we are already forgiven. So why should we agree with our sin?

·        We are deceiving ourselves if say we have no sin… this breaks our fellowship (not our relationship) with the Lord…“this is walking in darkness.”  

·        But if we admit this sin, He helps us to “clean out the closet,” and walk in the Light.

·        Jesus told Peter, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

·        The world is the domain of the “serpent” who is condemned to crawl in and eat dust, therefore as we walk in this world we will pick up the dirt of the devil’s domain and we need cleansing.

·        Otherwise--we are walking in darkness if we pretend we don’t need cleansing.

·        There’s at least three types of ways Christians can deny their sin:

v Some Christians do not like the light that exposes their sin; therefore, they keep themselves busy with worldly things so that they never have to look at themselves in the Light.

v Others think that since they have been forgiven of all their sin that there is no need for the Light, thinking, since I am forgiven… there is no sin in me so they ignore the Light (sloppy grace).

v Then there are those who rationalize their sin, and usually call it something else. We will look further into this type of Christian.

1 John 1:10: If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

·       The Christian, who rationalizes his sin, knows he can sin, but he refuses to see his actions as “sin.”

·       He prefers to use words like weakness or failure rather than sin. This is the man that John is talking about.

·       The fancier names we put on it the more we like it because it sounds so much better than the “sin word” God uses.

·       Sometimes we will even go to a psychiatrist to get a better label to put on it and therefore it’s not my fault.

·       There’s no condemnation for taking prescription drugs, but there may be a deeper underlying spiritual problem.

·       Essentially, all of us do this at times by evading or avoiding the reality of our situation.

·       Our minds love to put new clothes on our wrongs to make them look right. We are all experts at this. It’s our flesh nature!

·       Some have called it putting lipstick on a pig. We want to make our pig look better than it really is.

·       We tone down our unpleasant reality to make it more acceptable because the word “sin” makes us so uncomfortable!

·       Our attempt to cover our sins is to try to excuse them… or make excuses for them and we cast the blame elsewhere. Maybe its our tiredness or pressure at work, or our neighbor’s bad behavior, or whatever are the reasons for our resentment, bitterness, and anger.

·       “I know I shouldn’t have said that, but it’s not my fault, I can’t help it. It’s because of the circumstances, therefore it’s not really sin.”

·       So if you are saying it’s not your fault then it must be God’s fault!

·        There are only two people in this relationship; you and God.

·       Lord you know I really want to be what you want me to be, but because of these circumstances I can’t…so it’s your fault. 

·       This is the oldest excuse in the world.

 Genesis 3:11-13:  And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” 12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” 13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

·        Both Adam and Eve blamed God. Adam blamed God for the woman the Lord gave him, and Eve was blaming the Lord for the serpent. She was blaming God for her listening to the serpent.

·        But John calls this something worse; he says that we are calling God a liar.

·        The word says that since we have Christ within us we have an inner strength, but we are saying that it is impossible for us to do what God’s word asks of us.

·        Difficulties, pressure, and sickness make it impossible for me to do the things You say I can do. I know I cannot do it… therefore You are a Liar!

·        Just think about what we are saying, “Lord, what you say in your word is not true! Therefore your word isn’t true! ”

·        We stand in church and sing about the unchanging and faithful God when everything is good while we are in our comfort zone.

·        But when things get out of our control, we say it is not our fault… therefore it must be His and His word is not true.

 1 Corinthians 10:13: No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

·        Well that’s not true.

·        I’ve been tempted beyond my ability to bear it. How many times have we said this in one way or another?

·        Do we realize that’s it’s impossible for God to be wrong and us be right? If that were true we would be God and not Him!

·        The truth is that we don’t like the pressures and circumstances we have to live under and we refuse to accept them.

·        Therefore, we don’t really believe in Christ’s power within us to get us through our circumstances, because we believe the reality of our circumstances more than we believe his word.

·        Therefore, we fail because we choose to meet our circumstances in our own power rather than with His strength and we blame God…it’s no wonder we fail.

·        It’s no wonder we lose fellowship and walk in darkness!

1 John 2:1: My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

·        Here’s John’s solution: there’s never any need to sin… but if we do sin, we have the perfect defense which the Father will gladly receive, and that is our Advocate, Jesus the Righteous rushing to our defense immediately!

·        But His defense is of no use to us if we keep trying to defend ourselves. There cannot be two advocates here, you either rely on His defense of you (which is the finished work on the cross which wipes away every stain) or you rely on your own excuses!

·        If you stop justifying yourself… he will justify you. If you stop making excuses, He will excuse you. If you will live transparently before Him and agree with your sin His blood will cleanse you of all unrighteousness.

·        His blood doesn’t cleanse excuses, it only cleanses sin.

·        But it is more than that, because I am admitting my weaknesses instead of trying to be strong. And when I do that the strength of Christ flows into my inner man, peace flows back into my heart, and I can go right back into the circumstances where I failed and find the grace of God is strong in my weakness, but it requires my admission of my weaknesses.

 1 John 2:2: And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

·        Why does John say this in the context of our sin? Why does he compare us to the non-Christians?

·        He is reminding us that Jesus took the guilt on the cross of not only our debt of sin as Christians, but also the sin debt of the whole world.

·        There is no man who will be kept from God by His sins if he accepts the work of Jesus on the cross, no matter how extreme it is, at any time or in any age… if the work on the cross is received.

·        So why is it that everyone in the world is not reconciled to God? Why is it that the others who sins have been paid for at the cross are still living in hostility towards God? Why is it that men are still experiencing death and darkness rather than running to God?

·        You already know: because they don’t believe Him.

·        In this way we can still be very similar to the unbelievers because we are “unbelieving” believers!

·        When we will stop making excuses for our own bad behavior we will begin to see the full flow of the Holy Spirit of power, life, and love flow into our experience. It’s all available to us. Let’s see Jesus show us these things:

John 7:37-39: On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

·        I believe that Jesus describes for us what this “fellowship” with Him looks like… it’s rivers of living waters flowing from the center of our life.

·        These rivers cannot be quenched by anything that’s external to us because it comes from within, it can only be quenched from within.

·        We’re the only ones who can stop the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

·        This fellowship is the day-to-day experience of Christ working, living, and manifesting Himself in your life through the Spirit.

·        And this fellowship is yours continually if you live honestly and openly before Him calling the things in your life what He calls them and completely avoiding all pretending and deceptions.

·        Walking in the Light is the key to this fellowship. And fellowship is the secret of His power.

John 15:1-4: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

·        Jesus compares this fellowship with abiding with Him and the Father. “Abides with Him” and “fellowship with Him are the same thing. You can be in Christ as a member of the vine and produce no fruit, this is relationship without fellowship

·        The Father is the vinedresser, or the “farmer” in today’s language. The farmer prunes the branches that are not producing fruit.

·        Said differently, the branches that do not produce fruit only produce leaves. From a distance, the branch “looks good.” It has the appearance of a good healthy branch, but it is not. You could call it a pretender.

·        There’s no fruit, it’s useless.

·        Obviously, we are the branches and we are expected to produce fruit in direct fellowship with the vine. The Father is going to get fruit one way or another. He expects fruit just like any farmer does. He will not put up with a useless branch.

·        Pruning can be painful to the branch, but it gets rid of the useless parts—our excuses and our pretending.

Matthew 21:18-22: Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”  So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

·       When I was a child, my mother had a bowl of plastic fruit on the table. It looked very real, but it was only a pretension of fruit.

·       It was only pretend fruit. It was all show, and no go.

·       In the morning, as Jesus travels from Bethany to Jerusalem, he spots a fig tree with leaves.

·       Even though it was early for figs, this tree had the appearance of fruitfulness. Jesus inspects the tree for fruit. He is disappointed. All leaves, no fruit. All pretension, no satisfaction.

·       Jesus curses the tree and makes it wither from the roots, never to yield fruit again. This seems out of character for Jesus. It was a warning to Israel, but it is also a warning to us. Jesus judged the fig tree.

·       Then Jesus turns the conversation towards prayer and faith. Because without prayer and faith there will be no fruit.

·       Our personal lives can look “leafy.” But the root may be withered. There may be no fruit of holiness and no intimacy or fellowship with God. What’s worse—our leaves may even fool us. God knows, deep down we know too.

·       Someday, Christians will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

·       We will be judged based on the fruit that we produced in fellowship with Him while abiding in the vine.

·       There will be no pretending then, only real fruit inspection.

Fellowship With God 1 John 1

Fellowship with God

1 John 1:1: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life…

·       John was called by Jesus while “mending nets” by the Sea of Galilee. John’s ministry calls us back to the original foundations. By the time John wrote this epistle “false doctrines” like Gnosticism were creeping into the faith and John wants to set things straight.

·       John talks about Jesus “from the beginning.” There are at least three beginnings in the Bible; the beginning that goes back before creation which is that which is eternity. That is the “unbeginning” beginning.

·       Then there’s the creation beginning. creation,  

·       And then there is the beginning that came into effect when they came to know Him who is from the beginning. That’s our new beginning!

·       The cults and false teachers of today want us to look at something that is “different” that has come along after the truth we have in the Bible. They say that they have additional information, we should say to them, “Keep it. I want that which is from the beginning!”

·       John says this One who is from the beginning is a Person that he has seen, heard, and touched. In other words our faith is based on real facts.

·       John knew Him personally and “fellowshipped with Him.” They had come into direct contact with the “eternal life of God.”

1 John 1:2: …the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—

·       John says this “life” is “eternal life” and this “life” was in “relationship” with the Father.

·       Jesus did not come to show us “God,’ but Jesus came to show us how to have relationship with the Father!

·       As you look at Jesus you see the “lost relationship” by which man was supposed to live in the Garden of Eden—in constant “relationship and dependence” with the Father. John says this is available to all of us!

John 14:10: Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

·        Jesus looked to the Father for the “words to speak” and the “works to do.”

·        This is that new life that John is talking about. It’s a new way of living. This is the “life” that Jesus lived.

·        This is one of the hardest things to learn because of the way that we have learned to live life “in independence, not dependence.”

1 John 1:3: that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

·        Fellowship is the next step beyond relationship. It means to share things in common. If there’s nothing in common, then you cannot have fellowship, right?

·        John is talking about a “different fellowship” which only those who share this “eternal life” in Jesus Christ can have. We have this “one life” in common.

·        This fellowship with Christ is a combination of “partnership and friendship.”

·        God and I working together are a “partnership,” and all that I have I place at His disposal… for His use.

·        Well, what do I have? I have me—my mind and my body.

·        It’s true that they are a gift from God to do as I will with them—they are at my disposal to use as I choose.

·        If I place everything I have at His use, everything He has is available for my use.

·        The greatness of God, the wisdom of God, the power and glory of His might are made available to me when I make myself available to Him.

·        This is the great secret of fellowship… and it also leads to “friendship.”

John 15:15:  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

·        Jesus wants you to be His friend. What do you do with a friend? You share life and you share secret things… and God wants to tell us secret things.

·        As you grow in partnership and friendship with Him, your eyes will continually be opened to things you’ve never seen before; things about yourself, about others, about life and about everything—this is part of fellowship.

·        This fellowship begins with relationship. When you gave your life to Christ you were adopted into a “new family” where you are secure and be free from fear.

·        You will never be alone again, and you should never be “lonely” again.

·        You are in a forever “relationship” with God as part of His family. That can never be broken.

·        However, relationship and fellowship are two different things and it’s important to understand.

1 John 1:4:  And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

·        When we have fellowship, we should also have joy!

·        Perhaps what John means by joy is better described as “inner excitement.” So you could say that your “excitement” may be full!

·        Joy is that kind of quiet inner excitement that happens when we begin to really experience the kind of fellowship with the Father that John is talking about.

·        When God begins using us, it is the most exciting experience ever known to men. I have seen people begin jumping up and down after God has used them.

·        John is talking about a life filled with excitement, it doesn’t mean without difficulties, but it does mean with the wonderful feeling deep down that God is at work with you, in you, and around you!

1 John 1:5: This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

·        This life that we share, John says is also a “message.” The whole life of Jesus Christ is a message.

·        John simply says the message of Jesus is, “that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”

·        John does not say that light is God… he says that God is light. That means that “all that light is” in the physical realm, God is in the “spiritual realm.”

·        What light does, God does. We must understand this concept if we want to continue in fellowship with God.

·        The first thing about light is that it “reveals.” Light make things visible that cannot be seen in the dark. It enables to see that which was there all along. It reveals reality. Light reveals and so does God.

·        Illusions are seen for what they are… deceptions and lies.

·        The light reveals the truth of myself to me… I am my problem. All my problems are not outside of me… they are from within me.

·        The second thing is light is a measuring stick. Everything in space is measured by light years which is the distance light can travel in a year. It gives us a point of reference. God is our reference point. It’s impossible to measure truth without a point to begin from, or it becomes a moving target.

·        There are many voices and theories out there telling us very different things. But if we measure by the truth of God’s word then things become very clear.

·        Truth about marriage, finances, behavior, etc. are given to us to measure our lives by a set reference point. There is ultimate truth and it never changes.

·        The third thing is light energizes.  This is what God does, He intensifies, fulfills, and glorifies our humanity.

·        He makes it new again and it becomes an ever-growing experience of life. Then why aren’t all Christians experiencing this ever growing life in His light?

1 John 1:6: If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

·        John tells us a secret; relationship is receiving Jesus Christ, but fellowship is experiencing Jesus Christ. You can have relationship without fellowship, but you cannot have fellowship without relationship.

·        Relationship means that you have the potential to have all that God is, but fellowship means that you are actually receiving His resources.

·        Relationship is possessing God; fellowship is God possessing you.

·        John says that a Christian who has relationship, but is not experiencing this flow of the life in the Spirit, says he is in fellowship… but he is lying.

·        He has the potential but if there is no evidence… he is lying.

·        This man talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk.

·        What’s wrong?

·        Nothing is wrong with the relationship because he is a Christian, but he has no fellowship therefore he is walking in darkness.

·        It is the opposite of walking in the light.

·        Unfortunately many think that walking in darkness is leading a sinful life and walking in the light means that you have everything right—but this is wrong.

·        We are not walking in darkness necessarily because we sin—we sin because we are walking in darkness.

·        It’s possible to be a Christian but walk mostly by the world’s standards. We can go to church and read our bibles, but walk in the world rather than in the light.

·        These things are very subtle, but become very significant over time, because in reality… we value the pleasures of the world more than the things of God, even though we talk differently.

·        It’s similar to walking in the sunshine with an umbrella up, we think we are walking in the sunlight but there is really something between us and the light.

·        In a very real way we are pretending that everything is ok. It is like putting lipstick on the problem. The darkness is our own self-delusion.

·        We are walking in the darkness of not seeing ourselves correctly. If you appear to walk in the light and aren’t, then you don’t see yourself as needing anything.

·        You appear to already have everything. Therefore you can receive nothing because you are not in fellowship where all things are received from Him.

1 John 1:7: But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another (me and God), and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

·        Our brother John, the fixer or the mender, tells us to simply walk in the light.

·        If you’re in a dark room, turn on the light!  Be honest with yourself and admit there is a problem and come into the light.

·        One Christians’ most serious problems of is not admitting that anything is wrong, and we never tell anyone else that we are walking in darkness.

·        To walk in the light is to have everything exposed and open to God or anyone else who is interested.

·        But to walk in darkness is to “talk about” love, joy, and peace, but to live a lie.

·        If you come into the light you will have fellowship with the Lord and you will experience His life and His power in the middle of your weakness.

·        But why does John say, “and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin?” This is simple, because the end result of not walking in the light is feeling guilty. Guilt causes us problems from depression and anxiety to sickness, disease, and other infirmities.

·        To walk in the light means to hide nothing, you refuse to make excuses or be defensive, and refuse to appear to be something you are not, and refuse to lie to yourself or to God about your condition anymore.

·        The blood cleanses us from all of our deceptions.

·        Think of it like this; it’s like a fireman fighting a fire—you will be covered in soot everywhere but in two places—your eyeballs! Because your eyelids continually cleansing your eyes all the time with their blinking cleansing action.

·        The blood of Jesus cleanses us from pretense by the grace of God from the finished work of the cross!

1 John 1:8-9: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

·        To confess means to “agree with.” You were forgiven of all sin past, present, and future when you were born again. Some think we need to confess every sin to be forgiven and the Bible does not say that.

·        We admit we are sinners in our salvation moment and we are forgiven of sin, made righteous, and are made new creations.

·        John is telling us that we need to admit we’ve been walking in darkness and come into the light (repentance) and restore our fellowship with Him.

·        It’s refusing to pretend anymore,

·        it’s refusing to hide anymore,

·        it’s refusing to make excuses anymore!

·        It’s like putting our umbrella down and let the sun shine on us

John 13:8-10: Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”  Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

·        Peter and the rest had experienced the full cleansing of salvation and did not need to be bathed again in the spiritual sense.

·        Salvation is a one-time act by faith-- but, just as a bathed person needed to wash his feet periodically, we need periodic cleansing from the effects of living in the flesh in a sin-cursed world.

The Great Mystery

The Great Mystery 

·        We all love a good mystery.  My favorite movies are mysteries. My favorite books when I was a child (Hardy boys) were mysteries.

·        There is something about our nature that loves something that is “hidden and secret,” waiting to be discovered and revealed. We like to look for clues…for who “dunnit!” (Roy liked Scooby Doo!)

·        Proverbs 25:2: It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

·        God understands us completely, and he has hidden His mysteries in every aspect of life. We struggle to understand the great mysteries of life, but the Lord wants us to know the truth of these things. He wants us to dig a little for them…seek them out.

·        However, physicists tell us that everything is filled with uncertainties.

·        Their sciences are based on the “principle of uncertainty.” In other words, everything is based on probabilities rather than certainty. Therefore truth remains a mystery to them--but not to us… we have certainty!

Ephesians 3:1-4: For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).

·        Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians from prison in Rome.

·        But he was not a prisoner of the Romans—he was a prisoner of Christ. Jesus had Paul right where He wanted Him… writing letters from prison—letters that have changed the world.

·        This “dispensation of grace” is the greatest revelation ever been given to mankind. We are now in a time where God is now relating to us by His grace, He is giving us what we don’t deserve--instead of what we do deserve!

·        He is pouring out his love, and His mercy and His forgiveness, and His blessings on us based on what Jesus has done, not on what we have done!!!

·        Paul says it is a “mystery,” but he wants to reveal these truths to us. The key to all mystery is Christ. 

Ephesians 3:5: Which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets…

·        The greatest men of God in the Old Testament did not understand this mystery. Moses, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the rest… may have understood some of God’s plan as God revealed it to them, but they didn’t understand this mystery. This secret was hidden in past ages.

·        If we listen carefully to television news, talk radio, and the internet, many are talking about the overwhelming problems we face on planet earth.

·        It’s clear that we are living in very troubled times.

·        We worry about war, pollution, crime, violence, drug abuse, homelessness and so many other things. Yet all these things are just an extension of the main problem that has plagued mankind from the beginning.

·        The brightest minds of our times propose all kinds of solutions, but they never deal with the core problem; that core problem is sin!

·        And the key to solving that problem is Jesus!

Matthew 13:34-35: All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”

·        God needed to prepare mankind for the revelation of this secret.

·        He prepared mankind in the Old Testament with rituals and symbols—giving them the Law and sacrifices of animals—so they could understand there was something very wrong with them in the core of their being and therefore, they could also see the solution when He came!   

·        New Year’s resolutions couldn’t help us.

·        The only thing that can cure our sin problem is DEATH.

·        God was preparing mankind to be able to grasp this concept. And even then the mystery was not fully revealed; it remained hidden.

·        We need to go “way back” for some “clues” to the answers for this mystery.

Genesis 3:17-18: Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

·        In this, “who dunnit,” we can say, “Adam did it, with an apple, in the garden!” 

·        Man was created to have dominion over the earth, but with Adam’s disobedience sin entered the world and the ground became cursed.

Ø The old creation—the original creation--was cursed with an unbreakable law; the “law of decay.”

·        Scientists call this the “Second Law of Thermonuclear Dynamics” This states that everything is in a perpetual state of decline; everything is in a state of decay, it is running down in corruption and deteriorating… there’s no such thing as evolution!

·        Paul talks about this corruption and man’s inability to solve our problems, but God has a different solution. He’s making all things new!

Romans 8:19-21: For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

·        God is beginning a new creation, one that lives by completely different principles and not subject to the law of decay and corruption.

·        And this new creation has already begun. It began with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection was an act of creation!

·        All of creation eagerly waits to be delivered from the bondage of corruption…into the liberty of the children of God.

·        That is what the apostles taught—that God has already broken through the old creation-- and He is bringing about His new creation.

·        As children of God we are to live on the basis of that new creation.

·        We are to thrive in this new creation

·        We can experience personal “revival” in this new creation even if the people around me are not interested in revival!

Ephesians 3:6-7: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

·        God’s plan was to eliminate the divisions between men and make them “one new man” in Christ Jesus.

·        There would no longer be distinctions between Jew and Gentile, black or white, red or yellow. All those distinctions would be gone in Christ.

·        We would not differentiate each other based on skin pigment.

·        We could find unity in the Holy Spirit, instead of fighting with each other.

2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

·        One day, all of creation will be in a complete reversal of corruption and decay and all will be revitalized and renewed. Until then, we have been re-created.

·        We have been made new. We have been transformed.

·        We may now walk in the power of the Spirit. We can choose to walk in the Spirit of new creation, or we can choose to live in the old creation.

·        Let me say it differently; you can choose to walk in the flesh and fulfill the lusts of the flesh, or you can walk in the Spirit.

·        If you choose to walk in the old creation of the flesh, you will not experience the fullness of your inheritance.

·        But in the realm of the Spirit, we can love, forgive, and reach out to others. Here is a different view.

Colossians 1:26-28: the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations but now has been revealed to His saints.  To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

·        Here’s the fulfillment of the mystery; Christ living in us! What great riches we have. We are rich beyond our wildest imaginations!

·        The greatest riches are internal, not external—and they are forever riches. You can take them with you!

·        God Himself, dwelling in us, abiding in us, living with us. His Presence continually with us forever!

·        This is not some future fulfillment, this is our “now” reality.

Romans 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed (metamorphosis) by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

·        If you really want to experience all that Jesus died and was resurrected to give you, you have to choose to leave the old creation and walk in the new.

·        This old creation with its civilization, politics, greed, and pride… is dying a slow painful death like a slow sinking ship with its sin and darkness.

·        It is passing away. It will make way for the new creation

·        You’re going to have to change some of your old thinking and change some of your old priorities, or you will not experience all this new life has for you… or you will be stuck in the old creation.

·        The caterpillar is a wonderful parable that God has put in nature to teach us His ways if we would only pay attention. We are like that caterpillar.

·        It can only crawl painfully on the ground, everything is an obstacle. It cannot see very far, and it doesn’t know which turns to make. This is the way we live our lives.

·        But God has a wonderful plan for the caterpillar. It fastens itself to a branch and its life as a caterpillar comes to an end. It encases itself in a silken death shroud, it becomes limp and lifeless.

·        But inside that cocoon a mystery takes place. Springtime comes and the cocoon begins to split, and out comes a beautiful new creature with colorful wings—the butterfly no longer has to crawl on the ground but is able to fly far above this world.

·        You and I must choose to become part of his new creation or remain in the same old--same old. We cannot do both. It’s your choice. One more thing:

Ephesians 3:8-10: To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.

·        Paul preached the “immeasurable riches” in Christ—not in some time to come, but right here and now. These riches are a present reality, not just a heavenly hope.

·        But Paul also told us that this manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and powers in heavenly places by the church!

·        Angelic beings are watching us and learning from what is happening in the lives of believers. Peter said in his first letter that “angels longed to look into these things.”

·        God’s incredible love within the church amazes the angels. His manifold wisdom is infinitely faceted like a diamond refracting His colors of wisdom and love towards us.

·        As the angels watch us, they see us learning to turn from our fears, our anger, and our sin…as we learn to trust God.

·        When the angels who have seen God--see the weak and faltering humans, who have never seen God, can learn to trust and obey Him, they cannot help but to praise Him. Even the fallen angels see us love and obey God, where they failed and rebelled.

·        The mystery of the ages began in a stable in Bethlehem, and was further revealed on a cross on a hill outside of Jerusalem, and more importantly in an empty tomb… is still going on.

·        The reverberations of the mystery are reaching out around the world, and penetrating the heavenly realms. It is shaking the kingdoms of Satan and breaking the power of darkness, as it illuminates the hearts of men with the truth of God’s love.

Times of Refreshing

 The Times of Refreshing

Acts 3:19: Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

·        Repenting, is “changing your perspective” or how you see things, and turning from that which does not please the Lord.

·        It is not a one-time event; it should be our lifestyle. Our repentance pleases the Lord.

·        The Lord says we will be refreshed by His Presence if we repent.

·        Refreshed means to be “fresh again,” instead of stale!

·        Nobody likes stale… like stale bread or donuts; it’s past it usefulness date!

·        I’m not accusing anyone of sinning in big ways; it’s the little sins that may creep in like “weeds in a garden” that we should repent of. Jesus tells us more about these weeds:

·        Mark 4:18-19: Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

·        The problems of life can be overwhelming and we focus our minds on that.

·        Therefore, we miss the things that God is doing and wants to do… and our relationship with Him becomes dry and stale… and our God is never stale!

·        If you are living in the same old, same old… you are missing what the Lord wants to do in your life. 

·        His mercies are new every morning. We do not have a God of the same old, same old. Our God wants to lead you into the newness every day and we shouldn’t miss them.  He is always doing something “fresh.”  He wants us to see and behold these things!

Isaiah 43:19-21: Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 20 The beast of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. 21 This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.

·        Even though God spoke these words through Isaiah the prophet more than 2500 years ago, these are now words for us. God’s word is living and active, it’s never stale!

·        He says to behold these words.

·        It is more than just seeing—it’s seeking understanding until something is revealed.

·        Therefore, our “beholding” should lead us into “revelation.” And it’s only by “revelation” that we experience God’s truth.

·        And it’s experiencing God’s truth that leads to change and revival in our lives-- new things are coming and we should be ready and desiring His newness.

·        Just as it was for the children of Israel, it’s possible that we have been walking in the desert of the “same old thing,” and maybe not even be aware of it.

·        If Jesus is not our purpose for living, it’s because we are still finding our purpose for living from “our worldly pursuits” and we will settle for the desert without ever truly living in our Promised Land, the life in the Spirit.

·        The things of this world are like a mirage of pools of water, but there’s no water there just misery. You’ve seen plenty of mirages of things that seem to be one thing and end up being another.

·        Some days in our lives are dry and barren wilderness and it’s hard to remain grateful. It’s easy to fall into complaining rather than praising.

·        It’s easy to become “stuck” in our Christian life. And when we are stuck days turn into weeks, weeks turn unto years, and years turn into decades. The only solution is a “personal revival,” to be “revived again.” To be “revived” is to bring back to life and to be refreshed again in your spirit.

·        He wants to make a way for you “out of your desert” and make “rivers of water flow” in your life. These ancient words were for God’s chosen people, but these are now words for you today. He wants to refresh you in ways that you have never experienced… in joy and freedom.

·        He wants to lead you to an oasis in the desert, filled with deep, fresh, cool, and clear spring water. Surrounded by date palms and beautiful flowers, just for you. He knows your cares and concerns and wants to satisfy deep things in your life, and He wants to refresh you in ways that only He can do.

·        It’s time to behold Him with the eyes of your heart, behold His qualities, behold Him in His love, in His grace, and in His mercy. He wants to reveal Himself to you as you seek His face in His presence.

Ephesians 1:17-19: …that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.

·        Paul prays for the Ephesian believers to receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation for the believers, so they would receive the knowledge of Him. Let’s not “just know about God” and enter in to the life of “knowing God” and experiencing Him.

·        Once the eyes of our understanding are opened, we must respond by believing it. If you have believed it you will act upon it. You have never truly believed the truth if it has not changed your experience.

·        Our God wants to move in “power” in our lives. Our God is a God of miracles, and if you won’t believe that… you will never see it.

·        If you say that you believe that something is true and you are still living in the same old unbelieving way, then you have never really believed it and you’re only kidding yourself.

·        We are still drawing on our own strengths and talents, rather than receiving his strength, His power, His love and His wisdom.

·        This is the Living Water of his Spirit that is available to us in our wilderness. Isn’t it time to leave the same old and move into the new?

John 7:37-39:  On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

·        Jesus boldly called people to Himself to drink and satisfy their deepest thirst. The invitation said, “if anyone thirsts.” It’s for everyone and anyone, but there is a condition: One must see their need or they will not come to Jesus and drink…freely.

·        Anyone can drink: Jesus is offering “rivers” of living water, more than enough to satisfy our thirst.

·        These rivers come from within. There would be no more need to wander and search, no more mirages, no more dead seas, no more empty promises of religion and false doctrines. These rivers are “infinitely more” than anything the world has to offer.

·        Jesus says these living waters flow from our heart in the abundance of the Holy Spirit.

·        The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not been glorified through death and resurrection.

·        But on this side of the cross, the Living Water of the Spirit always flows when we glorify Jesus! If Living water is not flowing in your life, perhaps you are not really glorifying Jesus in “all things.”

1 Corinthians 2:9-12: But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

·        The Holy Spirit reveals to us “the things” that have been “freely given” to us by God.

·        These things cost us nothing because Jesus paid for it in full!

·        Most of us don’t know the things that are ours, or know how to access these things.

·        We wander in this world like the children of Israel and never enter the Promised Land of the finished work of Christ, and don’t ever enjoy the fullness of what is ours in the New Covenant.

·        For most of us--these things remain in the area of theology rather than experience. Religion has robbed us of our inheritance by telling us that we don’t have these things, so we keep trying to get what we already got.

·        We try to deserve these blessings.

·        This tells us that these things “have been given to us.” In other words these things are already ours. They are like money in our bank account ready for us to spend. These are blessings from the Father.

·        Try just thanking the Father for these things that you need-- praise Him in His goodness and His great love for you and see if these things that have been "freely given" don’t begin to manifest!

Ephesians 1:3-6: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

·        This tells us that we have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. This doesn’t mean we will get them when we finally get to heaven, it means the source of these blessings is from heaven.

·        These blessings are not determined by earthly things, they are from the Father. He loves to bless His children.

·        You were chosen long ago by Him to be “in Him” so that we will be holy like Him and be without blame. It does not mean we are without sin, it means we are without blame! You can quit condemning yourself for your past mistakes… you are accepted in the Beloved Jesus.

·        But Bob, if I was predestined to be chosen by Him, what role does my own choice play. Predestination and choice both play a role, it’s not one or the other…it’s both. It’s love on His part and its choice on my part!

·        He always planned on us being His sons by the work of Jesus on the cross.

·        How does this work? The Father adopts us. Adoption is taking someone out of one family, and bringing them into a new family with all the rights of inheritance and authority the family possesses.

·        This is not a second-class status—it is with full acceptance that can never be revoked, it is permanent status.

Ephesians 1:13-14: In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

·        You received the Holy Spirit when you were born again and were sealed with the promise of your redemption. That sealing means that you belong to Him.  It is an eternal belonging! It is not temporary until you make a mistake.

·        You must not only hear the word of truth but believe it. The word of truth and the Holy Spirit are a one volume set.

·        Without the word, people who trust in the Spirit only will get goofy.

·        Without the Spirit, we will get religious, dry, and replace traditions for the movement of the Spirit in our midst.

·        It’s the Holy Spirit that brings Jesus out of the pages of our Bibles and makes Him real in our experience. It’s the Spirit that makes the word become alive in us and burn with fire in our hearts.

Luke 24:27-33: And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. 28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them. 30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?

·        Jesus appears to this couple after His resurrection before He appears to the disciples, and they do not know that it is Him. He chooses to remain hidden to them.

·        He walks with them unfolding the Scripture to them. It’s more important for them to see Him in the word and experience Him in the word… than in person!

·        They had been discouraged and downtrodden, but now their hearts burned within them—they had holy heartburn! The eyes of their hearts had been opened.

·        They were being refreshed because they were “beholding Him in the Scriptures.”

·        If the Bible is dull and boring to you and you want the word of God to come alive to you, ask Him for illumination. Ask the Spirit to open your heart to the word; “Lord show me Yourself in your word, make Yourself real to me in these pages.”

·        The Spirit wants to make Jesus come alive to you in His word, and then in every other area of your life. But it begins with His word!

·        It is the Spirit that makes the truth burn within your heart and so captivates your soul that you know that God is real and the hope of your calling is real, and the power of His Presence is flowing through your life.

·        Matthew 5:8: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Empty Vessels

 Empty Vessels

2 Corinthians 4:5-6: For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

·         We are here to preach the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We are not here to please men…we are here to please the Lord. We are bondservants of the Lord.

·         It is God who commands light to come out of darkness, and that light come from the knowledge of Jesus Christ—the Jesus of the Bible.

·         It is God who shines the light of truth in our hearts as the gospel is preached directly from the word of God. We are not the light, it’s not about us or our opinions; it’s about Jesus… He is the way, the truth, and the life!

·         This light is meant to be shared, you shouldn’t try to hide it or keep it to yourself. It is only when we share it that it shines brighter and brighter!

·         Real Christianity is more than a conversion!

·         It is a Life that is to be lived in the middle of a dark and sinful world…it is not an easy life, but it is a remarkable life and there is nothing like the real thing.

·         There are imitations—but their foundations are something other than God.

2 Corinthians 4:7: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,  that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

·         What are vessels for? They’re basically containers made to hold something.

·         The vessels around your home are probably pots and bowls, and when nothing is in them they are, of course—empty vessels.

·         We as human beings are vessels and we are meant to contain something. What are we meant to contain?

Ø  The amazing truth is that we were meant to contain God Himself! The Almighty God of the universe.

·         Christ in us the hope of glory! That is the glory of humanity!

·         Therefore, without God in us we will live “empty lives.”

·         Paul tells us that we are not just vessels, but earthen vessels, made from clay or dirt… which in itself has very little value. Apart from God, man is nothing but a humble pot, and maybe even a cracked one at that!

·         But the Christian is more than an empty vessel because he has something within— Someone within. That is what humanity was always intended to be.

·         The vessel itself is not very valuable—but it holds an immeasurable treasure beyond price; it’s a power greater than any power known to man.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29: But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 

Ø  The second great truth is that God has designed ordinary people like us to carry this these riches so that everyone can see that this power is of God and not of us.

·         This is essence of the New Covenant—nothing coming from us and everything coming from God!

·         God designed it this way that it would be obvious to all people that this great power, wisdom, and love would become very visible in ordinary people.

·         This is not a theological mystery—it is a hard reality which is incredibly practical. The mystery will always be that God wants to use people like us to fill with the Spirit of Christ!

·         The only hope we ever have of seeing “the glory of God” here in this life is to draw on that treasure within and be empowered by the resurrection life that is available.

·         To see lonely, selfish, and empty individuals transformed, slowly but surely-- into whole, loving, warm and joyful people-- is to see why Paul calls the power of Christ in us immeasurable riches.

·         There are cults that have tried to imitate it, but all end up leaving the people emptier than before. And they cannot stand up to the tests that this life brings and they are exposed as lies. Only Christ in us endures.

·         This is why we must be “transparent” people in our weaknesses and failures… honestly admitting them as opposed to those who try to hide their failures.

·         So that when the power of God is released in our lives no one will think it is anything other than God in us.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9: We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

·         There are afflictions that are common to man—Christians are not exempt.

·         One of the greatest lies told by some is that when you give your life to Christ everything will get easier and all difficulties will disappear.

·         No. We are not part of an exclusive club; we must face this life just like everyone else.

·         The purpose of the Christian life is not to escape dangers and difficulties but to face them differently.

·         There must be trouble for the power of Christ in us to be demonstrated.

·         There is a power within us difficulties that presses back against these difficulties with a greater power than the circumstances from without.

Ø  We must learn to tap into power if our neighbors are ever to see something different. Because if we lose our tempers at little things, if we feel sorry for ourselves and throw our own pity parties… we will just reveal ourselves to be more “unbelieving believers” like so many others.

·         We are either ignorant of the way of God or we are choosing the ways of sin of unbelief, but there will be no deliverance without a believing faith!

2 Corinthians 4:10:  Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 

·         It is first, “carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus.”

·         The death of Jesus was by the cross. The cross has one purpose, and one purpose only--to bring about the death of a man.

Ø  So what is the secret to manifesting this life within us? I must make His cross, my cross!

·          “He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!”

·         At the cross of Christ, God took all that we are in Adam—all of our natural life with our hopes, dreams, ambitions—and our self-pity, self-indulgence, self-confidence and any other selfish desires—and put them to death on the cross with Christ.

·         And he wants to replace your plans with His plans for you. He wants to give you a destiny, a future, and a hope that is infinitely better than anything you could imagine for yourself.

Romans 6:5-6: For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the  likeness of His resurrection,  knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

·         You cannot do this yourself—it is not up to you to put your old life to death—it’s been done for you!!!!!

·         The cross has already set us free, it is only waiting for us to believe it so that it can be made real in our experience.

·         I am only expected to agree with this truth and cease trying to resurrect the old life again. I am not to try to take my old life and put lipstick on it—it must die and we are to reckon it dead!

·         When I cease trying to make excuses for the flesh and agree with God that it rightly deserves death, I will experience the “carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus.”

·         And then I can rightly expect to experience the life of Jesus being manifested in my mortal body when I need it most—such as turning the other cheek, loving my enemies, waiting on the Lord, etc.

Ø  Here’s a great truth: First comes death and then comes life. Death is intended to lead to resurrection, not the other way around.

·         In resurrection, the mistakes of my past will be turned into instruments of His grace making us clearer and brighter manifestations of His love to those around us and leading them to His love and grace like moths to a flame.

2 Corinthians 4:11: For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

·         This second part is essential to understand; we are being given up to death.

Ø  In other words, God is going to send circumstances my way to force us to abandon trying to fix it in our own strength and lean on the power of the Spirit.

·         God will see to it that you will have opportunities to practice the things you were supposed to learn, to rely on the strength of Christ rather than you own strength.

·         Remember, the New Covenant is “nothing from me and everything from God.”

2 Corinthians 4:12-15: 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you.  And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, knowing  that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

·         We must come to the realization of how we are all connected.  All of this has an effect way beyond the life of the single individual. We must understand of how your life and my life will change others’ lives.

·         Death to my selfish desires will not only affect my life but it will result in life to someone else.

·         The Corinthian believers were reaping the results of Paul dying daily. People were watching Christ being manifest in Paul’s flesh through the difficulties and trials of being a Christian.

·         We are all members of one another, and if we will see it—what affects one affects all.

·         Through all the suffering, death, and tears—it is all working for our good. And the New Covenant will be understood by more and more people.

·         Who can help but to praise our God who brings joy out of our sorrow, life out of death, and liberty out of bondage.

·         This is the life that the church is called to demonstrate before the unbelieving world. They are watching us. But even that is not the whole story. These present difficulties point to something far greater beyond—so glorious that the apostle has a hard time explaining it.

With an Unveiled Face

With An Unveiled Face

1 Corinthians 11:24-25:  And when He had given thanks, He took the bread and broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

·        A covenant is an agreement between two parties. It’s like a contract, but it’s stronger than a contract because it’s a life and death agreement. The agreement is usually sealed in blood, signifying the strength and importance of the contract.

·        The covenant becomes the basis for all further agreements between the two parties.

·        The old covenant was the agreement that God made with man, and was sealed with the blood of animals. The new covenant that Jesus brought to us was sealed with His own blood!

·        Paul says these are the two covenants that are still at work in life. One is the old, which he says “everything from me and nothing from God.” This is the law covenant. The other is the new, which He says “nothing from me and everything from God.” This is a grace covenant.

·        The question of whether it is law or grace is: “what’s your source?”

Ø “Christ in us the hope of glory!” But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 

2 Corinthians 3:5-6: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

·        Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee of Pharisees, a student of the law, highly educated and highly trained, but Paul had come to the conclusion that all of that was useless. It was nothing but manure. Paul had learned the hard way when it came to his own abilities.

·        Paul had to learn to operate in the new covenant (everything from God and nothing from me) which gives life, by shifting away from the old covenant (everything from me and nothing from God) which Paul tells us brings death.

Ø The Lord told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

·        He had learned to depend completely on the Lord. He had learned that within him dwells no good thing, he was bankrupt. He had to learn to be weaker, not stronger. God will not trust this power to those who think they are strong because they will think it came from them.

·        This concept can be taught, but only learned through experience. 

2 Corinthians 3:7-8:  But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

·        This glory shining on the face of Moses is a key to this message.

·        The old covenant which Paul calls the “ministry of death” was symbolized by the glory shining on Moses’ face when he came down from Mt. Sinai with the commandments on stone.

·        There was a certain glory about the Law of Moses. To this day, there is a kind of attractiveness to the law. The world highly regards the law (everything from me and nothing from God), therefore they are still under the law.

·        Paul said the law is holy and just and good (Romans 7:7), it is perfect for what it was meant for; man’s flesh—man would understand do good—get good; do bad—get bad. There was simplicity to it. There was a reward for good and punishment for bad;

·        Man could glory in his good deeds under the law; get self-respect, be self-reliant …essentially be selfish. But the law condemns sin in the flesh; death.

·        Paul tells us that the new covenant is a “ministry of the Spirit” and is much more glorious. The glory of the law was always intended to pass away and be replaced with grace because resurrection life is always intended to replace death.

·        Paul contrasts “the shining on Moses’ face” with the “light of the glory of God in Jesus’ face,” this is far more glorious than on Moses.  

2 Corinthians 4:6:  For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Ø The shine on Moses’ face is a symbol of the old covenant, and the light of Jesus’ face is a symbol of the new covenant.

·        The unredeemed world lives looking at the face of Moses, trying his best to please God (do good) in his own strength continually living in fear of God and death.

·        But the face of Jesus shows us the light of the love of God which shines in our hearts! Perfect love casts out all fear.

·        The Christian can live by either. Therefore, the activity in the life of a Christian is dependent “in the moment” by which face he is looking at: Moses or Jesus!

·        Jesus brought us the new covenant; He was dwelling in the new covenant, and shows us the ministry of the Spirit in the new covenant. 

John 14:10-11: Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

·        He said, “Father who dwells in Me does the works.” Jesus clearly shows that everything He did… was not done out of any power of His own.

·        Jesus was our prototype. He demonstrated new covenant living for us while on earth.

·        However, fallen man working in the energy of his own flesh can do many good deeds—good in the eyes of himself and others around. But God does not see them as good, they are a waste because the source of the work is wrong.

·        There is attractiveness to men in the flesh trying to do good, but it is like the shine on Moses’ face—fading vain glory.

·        But the glory of the new covenant—is far greater because it gets its glory from Jesus’ work in them. Thus it is perfectly acceptable to God because it is the activity of the Son, the source of the work is right. This is as it should be.

·        Let’s go back to Pauls’ practical application of the two covenants; the shine on the face of Moses or the light in the face of Jesus. 

Numbers 6:24-26: “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” ’

·        Moses said this after the glory faded away from his own face. He now points the people towards the face of the Lord.

Ø But Bob, how can we know which face we are looking at in any given moment?  How can you know if you are in the flesh (producing death) or if you are in the Spirit (producing life)?

Ø The answer is: by what kind of life—or fruit---that is being produced!

·        Let’s look at what the Bible means by death; it is the absence of life.

·        When a doctor examines a badly injured man, he looks for signs of life not signs of death. If he does not find them then the man is dead. Life produces its own signs and in death they are not present.

·        So what is life? Jesus says it is abundant and it is full of joy; or enjoyment of fruit in the Spirit—love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control. Therefore death is the absence of these things.

·        Those would include fear, worry, anger, depression, self-pity, etc. These would indicate the presence of death, they are part of our existence while still living.

·        Therefore, we can know which face we are looking at by the fruit we are producing.

Matthew 7:16-17:  You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

·        Many think that the negative qualities of our lives are a result of a bad mood or changing circumstances in our lives.

·        But Jesus is telling us, no! These things actually come from something much deeper. They come from the old covenant interacting with our flesh, a bad tree.

·        Therefore they are depending on something coming from them… rather than depending on everything coming from God. And the result of that--- is the presence of depression, loneliness, self-pity, disappointment, etc., and is the marks of death.

·        This gives us a clue as to which covenant is at work.

·        The fruits of the Spirit come from one source, the new covenant of the Spirit of Life.

·        There is a sort of glory in the marks of death, and some can find a sort of pleasure in them. Many like to wallow in their self-pity and resist efforts to bring them out of it. Feeling sorry for yourself and pity parties feed the flesh and in a strange way pleasures the flesh.

Ø We can look at these two covenants as a Tree of Life; or a Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

2 Corinthians 3:9-10:  For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels.

Ø Most of us think of righteousness as “doing right,” and there is an aspect of that, but its deeper, because doing right comes from “being right.” Therefore righteousness is coming from God and not from me.

·        So one does right because one is right and its pleasing to God!

·        Since our righteousness is a gift from God, it means we are fully acceptable to God; therefore we are valued by God. All of our internal struggles are settled, the believer no longer tries to “become” acceptable to God.

·        He knows he is pleasing to God so he is free to act to help others who are hurting or feeling condemned because he is free from these things to be completely depending on God.

·        On the other hand, how many Christians are depending on themselves for their good works to please God?

·        There is no glory in that other than “self-glory.” And, how can we ever know if we’ve done enough, not knowing that they are dead works? Performance based Christianity leads to frantic activity with little being actually accomplished, except exhaustion!

·        Many churches base their success by how many activities that they have going on, their programs, bookstores, their swag sales and they glory in their activity with self-approval… yet the source of their activity is the wrong covenant.

2 Corinthians 3:12-13:  Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away.

·        Why did Moses keep the veil on his face?

·        It was because he knew the glory was fading away and he was afraid. Afraid of what? The children of Israel would learn that the glory was fading.

·        He did what millions have done, he wore a mask because he didn’t want anyone to see what was really going on inside.

·        Veils come in many forms today, but essentially they are the same; they represent the image we want to project to others, hiding our real selves.

·        They are basically pride and hypocrisy, and we don’t want people to see our fading glory. Often we don’t even want to admit to ourselves what has happened.

·        If we wear our veils long enough we will believe we are the kind of people we want others to believe we are. We started pretending and it’s hard to stop.

·        These veils can be removed, but we must first be honest about ourselves and with ourselves. It’s hard to be free in the Lord when wearing our veils.

·        So how can these veils be removed?

2 Corinthians 3:15-17: But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.

·        Here is our first real key in moving from the Old covenant into the new: The Spirit of the Lord! We must turn from our own self sufficiency, and simply turn the other way… turn to Christ

·        We must choose to turn from the flesh with its lying promise of success, and by faith put our trust in Jesus in a similar manner to when we had our born again moment.

·        It’s the Spirit that manifests Christ to us; His death and His resurrection. In His death the power our old life is broken, and in resurrection His sufficiency is released in us.

2 Corinthians 3:18: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

·        When our veils are dropped and we are ceasing to looking to the face of Moses, and we behold with “full vision” the glory of God in the face of Jesus is transforming us, by the simple act of “beholding,” or choosing to stare with intention.

·        The Sprit begins to move those parts of us that are not surrendered out of the way.

·        It’s glory to glory. It’s all Him, none of us! Won’t you drop your veils, won’t you stop pretending by putting on a strong face?