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Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim. We are continuing today our study of the epistle of 1 John, a book that is centered on helping us to be real, authentic Christians. And John writes in…
1 John 2:18 (ESV)-- 18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. [THE CAR ACCIDENT-- A woman and a man got into a really bad car accident. Both cars are totaled, but luckily no one was hurt. After they crawled out of their cars, the woman said, "Wow, just look at our cars! They are destroyed. Fortunately, we aren't hurt. This must be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days." The man replied, "I agree with you completely. This must be a sign from God! The woman continued, "And look at this, here's another miracle.... My car is completely ruined but this bottle of wine didn't break. It's a sign that God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune." Then she handed the bottle to the man. The man agreed, opened the bottle and drank half, and then handed it back to the woman. The woman takes the bottle, immediately puts the cap back on, and handed it back to the man. The man asked, "Aren't you having any?" The woman replied, "No. I think I'll just wait for the police”] Sometimes we can be a little too trusting of people. A little discernment would no doubt have helped that gentleman. It is an important skill to learn how to tell the good people from the bad people. And though we don’t like to put labels on people, there are people we need to watch out for; some who could do us physical harm and some who could do us spiritual harm. And it is the latter that John expresses concern about in this epistle. There had been false Christians in the Church who had been perpetuating false doctrine. And people were being deceived. And today we still struggle with this as well; as there are numerous false teachers and heresies seeking to infiltrate the Church. And it’s not that hard to be deceived, especially in our day and age where the mantra is “It doesn’t really matter what you believe as long as you believe it with sincerity.” Construction Not Relative— I have known people in construction. What would happen if one day one of their employees was supposed to bring them an 8 foot by 12 foot board and their employee brings instead a 5 foot by 11 foot board. Well, they would complain. But the employee says, “They’re the same thing.” “No they aren’t!” “Well, that’s your opinion. They’re the same to me.” That employee wouldn’t last long, would he? Why? Because there are absolute, mathematical and geometrical truths associated with construction that are true whether you believe them or not!!! And if you have an architect who doesn’t understand that, you better not have him working on your house! Music Not Relative— Or let’s say that you and your friend are listening to music together in the car. And you say to your friend, “Hey, lets play a little smooth Jazz” and he starts playing a Beach Boys song. “What are playing?” “Beach Boys?” “But that isn’t Jazz!” “Well, it is for me.” “You can’t make Jazz whatever you want it to be!” And your friend says, “Come on man, don’t try to make me conform to what you think is or isn’t Jazz. Let me make up my own mind.” Relativism Doesn’t Work in ANY Field— You see, my point is that Relativism doesn’t work in ANY field or occupation. So why then do we think it works when it comes to choosing a religion? Sincerity of Beliefs-- [It is impossible to live a real life by believing lies. God has warned the church family (“little children”) about the conflict between light and darkness (1 John 1:1—2:6) and between love and hatred (2:7–17). Now He warns them about a third conflict: the conflict between truth and error. It is not enough for a believer to walk in the light and to walk in love; he must also walk in truth.] And so today our passage very much centers on truth. And John uses [two special terms: “the last time {(or hour)}” and “antichrist.” Both terms make it clear that Christians are living in an hour of crisis and must guard against the errors of the enemy.] It says in… 1 John 2:18a (ESV)-- 18 Children, it is the last hour, What are the last days?— Now whenever you see phrases like “the last hour” or “the last days”, it is referring to the time between Jesus’ death and resurrection and His second coming; that time in which you and I currently live and dwell as we wait for the return of Christ and the culmination of His kingdom. And the phrases [“The last hour” or “the last times” are phrases that describe a kind of time, not a duration of time.] They describe a time of crisis. And [Christians have always been living in “the last time”—in crisis days.] Days when false teaching pervades. They began during the days of John and has been intensifying ever since as false teaching continues to grow. Now how do we know that this is the last hour? Look at the second half of verse 18… 1 John 2:18b (ESV)-- and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. Anti-Christ-- Now [The second term, “antichrist,” is used in the Bible only by John (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7). It describes three things: (1) a spirit in the world that opposes or denies Christ; (2) the false teachers who embody this spirit; and (3) a person who will head up the final world rebellion against Christ. The “spirit of antichrist” (1 John 4:3) has been in the world since Satan declared war on God (see Gen. 3). The “spirit of antichrist” is behind every false doctrine and every “religious” substitute for the realities Christians have in Christ.] In fact “substitute” or “counterfeit” are good terms to think about in relation to this word “anti-Christ” because [anti- actually has a dual meaning. It can mean, in the Greek, both “against” Christ and “instead of” Christ. Satan in his frenzy is fighting Christ and His eternal truth, and he is substituting his counterfeits for the realities found only in our Lord Jesus.] [THE GORILLA JOB— {There is a story about an incident at a zoo that has become infamous. The zoo’s} …famous Gorilla, Gabe, died unexpectedly and he had been one of the biggest attractions – especially for the children. Well, since the busy season for the zoo was just around the corner and they did not have time to get a new gorilla, one of the zookeepers came up with this idea. They had one of the other zookeepers dress up in a complete gorilla outfit and pretend to be Gabe. This zookeeper really took to this new job and he got to be quite good at swinging from the branches, eating bananas and was fooling everyone. One day, however, he was a bit too enthusiastic. He ended up swinging a bit higher than expected and let go at the wrong time. He ended up sailing out of his cage and directly into the cage of the lion. He gulped and was barely able to squeak out a tiny “help!” The lion sauntered over to him, got really close and whispered back. “Shut up, or we will both lose our jobs!”] Apparently there are was more play-acting going on than was originally supposed. And the same is true nowadays. And more dangerous than a man in lion’s suit is a wolf in sheep’s clothing; a person pretending to be an orthodox Christian while all the time trying to woo people away from a Biblical worldview, and especially a Biblical view of Jesus Christ. But that is what was going on in John’s time. False Teachers— So he implores his readers to watch out for false teachers; for anti-Christs. They were around in John's day; they are very present and real in ours; and if we are not careful, they can very easily get us off track. FAKE MONEY MAGIC TRICK— Now having been a magician/illusionist for most of my life, I have been in the business of fooling people. I have never practiced real magic or dabbled in any dark stuff; just tricks. But I know about smoke and mirrors, gimmicked coins and cards, hidden threads, and that kind of thing. Some of these props costed me a pretty penny (and a few ugly ones two). I had a fifty-cent piece that costed me close to thirty dollars that was engineered to house a copper coin secretly inside. The copper coin had the false back of a fifty-cent piece; so when the fifty cent piece (which was just a shell of the front of a fifty-cent piece) was placed over the copper coin; the two would join firmly together into one, looking like a whole fifty-cent piece. And it was meant to be handed out for examination after the illusion. And so it was designed perfectly to look like an ordinary half-dollar. But if you know what to look for, you can tell something is wrong with it. The front may at times not be in correct orientation with the back. The thickness is slightly off; the weight is slightly off. Now in magic, people expect me to try to deceive them. It’s part of the game. But in real life deception is not a game; in the church it is not a game. It’s a serious business to be deceived when your soul is on the line. And so we need to be able to distinguish between truth and falsehood. Telling the fakes by knowing the genuine— Now I’ll tell you know the best way of knowing how to spot a fake coin. It is by becoming very familiar with a real one. And the same goes for spiritual and doctrinal issues as well. The way that you and I can best know how to distinguish that which is fake from that which is real is by having a close, personal, intimate relationship with what is real. If you know what is true, then you will more easily be able to tell what is fake. People Don’t Know Their Bibles-- But the problem nowadays is that so few people are familiar with what the Bible actually says, that they are left vulnerable to every kind of heresy imaginable. In fact, as somebody I knew once pointed out, there would be a lot less conflict amongst the different denominations of the church if each and every individual Christian would be faithful to read their Bibles regularly. We have to be so familiar with the truth of scripture that we can spot a fake merely by the fact that we are handling the Word of God so often and so frequently. And that is what I want to encourage you with today. If you want to know Jesus, then you must become a student of His Word. Know it to the best of your abilities. It will draw you closer to Him and it will protect you from those who would rob you of the life that you have found in Him. Commit to anchor yourself on His truth today. Amen.
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Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim. We are continuing today our study of the epistle of 1 John, a book that is centered on helping us to be real, authentic Christians. And John writes in…
1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)-- 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. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. The Lust of the Eyes— Now we took a look at the lust of the flesh last week. But the second thing John warns us about is the lust of the eyes. And what John means by this phrase is the coveting of anything that is not your own. Ten Commandment Climax— I am amazed in looking at the Ten Commandments because we see that the last one is very different from the first nine. The first nine (You shall have no other gods, you shall not take the name of God in vain, you shall remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, you shall honor your father and mother, you shall not murder, commit adultery, or steal, or bear false witness) are all outward sins; sins of commission or sins of omission; things we do or don’t do physically. But the last one is completely unique in that it is the only commandment that deals with something internal; something inside of you. It says… Exodus 20:17 (NIV)— 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” A World of Discontent-- And I wonder if this in not the climax of all the Ten Commandments. Many argue that it is. The Law of God climaxes in where your heart rests, not just in what you do or don’t do. We live in a world that is always trying to make us dissatisfied with who we are and what we have. It always tries to tell us that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. [The problem is that when you get what’s on the other side you are never satisfied. The object of your desires never lives up to its billing and you are left feeling empty and unsatisfied and so you covet all the more. The burger on the TV ad is never as big and juicy at the pick up window. The truth is that the grass isn’t any greener on the other side of the fence. In fact, what’s on the other side often isn’t as good as what you already have.] Covetous Cows— One of the funnier things you can observe if you ever visit a farm is [seeing cows in a nice green pasture with plenty of grass stretching their necks through a barbed wire fence in an effort to get a bite of short, brown grass in a neighbor’s pasture. Too many Christians in our world today are acting just like those cows.] There is always something better. Apple Crazy-- Having worked for Apple I follow the various new things they create. Apple is one of the few companies that truly inspires me by what they create. I watch their new product announcements much like any of you watch a football game. I enjoy seeing what advancements are being made; what boundaries are being pushed; what new ground is being broken. And their last one was this past week. Now I will say this; whenever Apple has one of their keynote events where they reveal their new product, they really know how to make what you have look old and obsolete. That iPhone you got a month ago; it’s not really cool anymore because this new one can do this or that. When iPhone 5 came out years ago, a comedian on tv said about the previous generation of iPhone she had bought not long before that: “I now know what iPhone 4s stands for: For suckers!” Now her phone was still pretty cool, but she didn’t feel that way anymore. Now I don’t really care too much about having the latest and the greatest. I will buy a computer or phone and use it till it breaks; and then I often keep using it. But for a lot of people, they cannot have peace until they replace what they currently have with the next level up. Just read the news announcements that are going to appear this fall about how long the lines are of people in front of their local retailer to get those new Apple products, many of whom have perfectly good devices already. Cell Phone Madness— I mean cell phone plans are changing now because while people used to sign contracts for two years and use the phone they chose for that long or longer, now people want to be upgrading all the time. There are cell-phone and computer buy-back programs set up now in mobile stores and stores like Best Buy to accommodate that insatiable desire to have the latest and the greatest. Marital Discontent-- We live in a world that always makes what we don’t have seem better. And partially this may be why we struggle with divorce so much in our culture. We run into problems in our relationships, so we are told to abandon ship and start over with somebody better. But when we do we find out that that person has, if not the same flaws, flaws of their own. Many have affairs because they are seeking to gratify something in a relationship with someone else that they feel that they need and can’t find in the person they are married to. But the secret of contentment doesn’t lie with the thing possessed but in the heart of the possessor. Paul says in… Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)-- 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. A Very Misinterpreted Verse-- Now notice that last verse (verse 13): 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. This has to be one of the most misinterpreted verses in all of scripture. We strip that verse out of its context and use it in whatever area of our life we want to see victory. I can reach that next level; I can get that better job; I can obtain more and more because I can do all this through him who gives me strength. But what we always forget is that that verse is a summary, if you will of verses 11-12, which talk about Paul’s learning to be content no matter what situation he is placed in. What Paul is saying is that he is victorious in his contentment because God gives him the strength to maintain that contentedness. And ultimately Christ can help you and me to be content no matter where we are because it is in Christ we find our ultimate fulfillment. And it is when we understand that that God is more freed up to bless us. God blesses those who find fulfillment in Him; otherwise He runs the risk of placing idols in your life. The Pride of Life-- The last thing John warns us to watch out for is the pride of life. And one author I read pointed out how [This “pride of life” essentially consists of two things: (1) Boasting about material possessions; and (2) Boasting about accomplishments. …proud of either your position in life or your possessions in life.… Such pride causes you to put your faith in yourself rather than in God. Therefore, such pride will ultimately cut you off from the grace of God because his grace is received through faith alone. The Bible clearly teaches that pride will lead to our downfall. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). It should come as no surprise to you that Jesus was also tempted in this manner. Satan dared Jesus to show off by leaping from the top of the temple. Jesus responded, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matthew 4:7). If we have been blessed with positions and possessions we must be careful not to put our confidence in them because verse seventeen tells us that they will not last.] “the world is passing away along with its desires”— [Verse seventeen says, “The world and its desires pass away...” The Bible teaches us that one day the world and all the things of the world will be destroyed by fire (2 Peter 3:10-11). If you have lived your life only for the things of this world, what will you have left on that day? Nothing! That is why Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” This verse is teaching us that we will share in the destiny of whatever we give our lives to. If we give our lives to the world we will burn in the lake of fire for all of eternity. If we give our lives to God we will enjoy paradise for all of eternity as the verse says, “the man who does the will of God lives forever.” The following quote says it well: “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what is done for Christ will last.” Are you living for eternity or for the now? Are you more concerned about laying up treasure for retirement or for heaven? Are you more concerned about what people will think of you today or about what God will think of you on Judgment Day?] Let us preserve our bodies from the lust of the flesh; let us preserve our eyes from the seduction of covetousness; let us guard our hearts against the pitfall of pride. Dear World, I Want A Divorce— This week my secretary asked me for my sermon title so she could print it in the bulletin. Preaching on this passage, I told her “Not Loving The World”. And then I thought, “No, that’s boring. Let me think of something catchy that represents the heart of what John is talking about.” And I came up with the opening of a letter: “Dear World, I Want A Divorce.” And I liked that much better. But it got me thinking; if you and I were to write a letter of divorce to the world, what would it say? Maybe something like: Dear world, I have been married to you for years. I indulged in the gluttony, the lust, the sex, the ambition; I tried every amusement and spent a lot of valuable time and money on material gain. But I just became more and more dissatisfied. And I gotta tell you, things just aren’t working out. You aren’t making me happy anymore. And what’s more, I have found Somebody better; a Way that is better; a Life that is better. So, Dear World, I want a divorce. Maybe that’s a letter you want to write this week. Then maybe write a second letter, this time to the new object of your love, your Lord. “Dear Jesus, here’s why I have chosen to unite myself with and be faithful to you. Please help me to be. Change my heart and mind so that they are aligned with Your Word and Your Kingdom. Let me tell you, don’t write or say something like that unless you are ready for God to move, because God will always respond to that kind of request if it is offered from a heart that is willing and ready to obey Him. Let’s commit ourselves to Him today. Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)— 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. May you know that transformation and renewing today. Amen. Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim. We are continuing today our study of the epistle of 1 John, a book that centers so much on what are the marks of a true Christian and the freedom that holiness and love can bring into each and every one of our lives.
L.O.T.R.-- Recently my wife Tanya and I started to watch again one of our favorite movie trilogies; a movie trilogy made of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Christian masterpiece The Lord of The Rings, a story about sin’s effect on the world, how it can poison the mind and make us slaves to it, and ultimately our redemption from it by putting it to death and coming under the rulership of the true king. Now in this film, one of the characters we are introduced to is a character by the name of Gollum, a hideous frog-like creature named for the sound he makes in his throat. He used to be very much like a hobbit, a human-like creature in the story. His name had been Smeagol; but then he came to possess the evil ring of power, which corrupted him with its evil and led him into sin. And he became a twisted, greedy little creature that felt a great need for the ring, the very thing that was destroying his life. Now as the story progresses he comes under the authority of the hobbit Frodo, who becomes his “Master”. And Frodo shows him grace and kindness. And Gollum slowly but steadily begins to change. And there is a powerful scene in the film when Gollum’s two natures are arguing with each other (the renewed Smeagol and the evil Gollum). And Gollum brings up all of Smeagol’s old sins and tries to make him feel hopelessness and despair; and stirs up the desire to betray his master and seize the ring again. But Smeagol weeps and then suddenly comes to a point of realization. He says that Master takes care him and that he no longer needs Gollum. And so he tells Gollum (his sinful self) “Go away! We don’t need you” “What?” Asks Gollum. But Smeagol responds, “Leave, and don’t come back!” And suddenly Smeagol looks up and Gollum has vanished. And when he realizes he is free from his old self, Smeagol jumps up and begins to dance, saying, “Gone! Gone! We told him to go away, and away he goes! Smeagol is free!” Now what Tolkien wanted to communicate in this part of the story was the fact that you and I can experience the same kind of freedom from sin. And it is our coming to experience that kind of victory that is one of the central purposes of John’s 1st epistle. He says in verses 12-14… 1 John 2:12-14 (ESV)— 12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. 14 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Fathers, Young Men, and Little Children-- Now John is referring here to people who are on all different levels of spiritual maturity; fathers, young men, and children. But no matter what stage they are at on their spiritual journey, there is one thing that unites them; and that is a desire to keep their hearts from becoming entangled with the world. 1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)-- 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. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Loving Good Means Hating Evil-- Warren Wiersbe once told of: [A group of first graders {who} had just completed a tour of a hospital, and the nurse who had directed them was asking for questions. Immediately a hand went up. “How come the people who work here are always washing their hands?” a little fellow asked. After the laughter had subsided, the nurse gave a wise answer: “They are ‘always washing their hands’ for two reasons. First, they love health; and second, they hate germs.”]. And in a similar way, our love for Christ is going to awaken in us a hatred of those things that hurt our relationship with Him. If we love Him who is good, we will hate those things that are evil. The World?— Now the first phrase of verse 15 can bit a bit confusing: 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. I don’t know about you, but there are a lot of things in this world that I love, and I think I do so rightly. I love the beauty of creation, fishing and getting out into nature and experiencing the glory of creation; I enjoy many of the things God created. But John isn’t talking about the beauty of creation; nor does he mean that we are not supposed to love the world in the sense that we love people. John himself says in his Gospel… John 3:16 (NIV)-- 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. The World/Realm of Sin-- In that sense we are to love the world and live our lives as a sacrifice to God for others. So what are we talking about here? Well, [World is used in three different ways in the Bible. (1) World of creation (Acts 17:24). (2) World of human beings (John 3:16, 17). (3) System of this world, which aligns with Satan and opposes both God and Christ (John 12:31; Eph. 6:11, 12; James 4:4).] And it is the last of these that is used here. [This “world” named here as our enemy is an invisible spiritual system opposed to God and Christ.] And if we have friendship with that system, we are in trouble, because it sets us against God. James writes in… James 4:1-4 (NIV)-- 1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Unhealthy Appetites-- You see, what we are talking about here are appetites that we don’t seek fulfillment for in God. Instead we allow them to drive us and lead us to covet those things around us. As verse 3 indicates, they drive us to have an unhealthy focus on personal pleasure and fulfillment rather than on God. And this is what John wants to help his readers with in our passage today. And he mentions three things in particular. The Lust of the Flesh— The first is the “lust/desire of the flesh”. Now whenever we hear that word “lust” we immediately think of sexual lust and impurity. And that is not wholly misguided because that plays a major part of it (especially in our culture). But it is not limited to that. It could also be an unhealthy desire for food or a particular kind of food. Gluttony isn’t all about eating too much; it’s about your appetite for something taking priority over what is good for you and taking control of your life. Jesus’ Fast-- Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness with the same temptation Satan tempted Adam and Eve with; to eat something against the will of God. And Jesus resists that temptation. Now you have to understand that Jesus, during most of His 40-day fast in the desert, was not hungry. After the first several days of a prolonged fast, the hunger pangs go away as the stomach shrinks and goes into hibernation mode. And you can often go weeks with little hunger. When the hunger pangs come back (which is usually around the 40-day mark), that means that the body has entered starvation mode and has now begun to feed on live tissue; and it is then that you need to break your fast. Now (knowing this), look at what it says in… Matthew 4:2 (ESV)-- 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The hunger pangs have returned. Jesus is starting to starve; and there is a medical necessity for Him to start eating again. We sometimes say Jesus was tempted during that 40 days. No, it was afterwards, when Jesus was at His weakest; which is always when Satan comes; because he’s a coward and likes to kick us when we are down. And listen to how Jesus responds to Satan’s temptation to turn stones into bread and satisfy His hunger His own way. It’s so powerful. It says… Matthew 4:4 (ESV)-- 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Jesus was being very clear; food is not my life. And I would rather honor God and keep His Word and starve than break with His will for my life. Is there a more challenging verse in scripture than that? Now your struggle may not be with food. It may be something else. But whatever it is, Jesus can help you achieve the same victory over the flesh as He did. But we have to be willing to put God’s will first and obey. Obedience to the will of God is what brought life to Jesus; and is what He promises will bring life into our daily experience. You want life in your home or your place of work. It is going to come from your choosing to make Christ the center of your life rather than whatever else you may be clinging to; whatever the lust of the flesh looks like for you. I want to encourage you today (whatever that is), give it to Jesus. Give your life into His hands. Choose to obey Him; choose to give Him that old Gollum (that old self) and He will renew you and will make you altogether new. Give your life to Him today. Amen. Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim. We are continuing today our study of the epistle of 1 John, a book that was written during a time when there were those who were trying to lead the Church astray. And one of the things these early gnostics were teaching was that it didn’t really matter how you lived in the flesh. Do whatever you want; because eventually you are going to be saved out of your flesh anyway. This ideology was very new age like in its teaching.
Cheap Grace-- Now while most Christians today would say Christians ought not to sin, some Christians (if they can be called Christians) keep sinning time and time again. And they do so not because they are ignorant of the fact that what they are doing is sin, but because they have a cheap view of grace. They think they can watch whatever they want to watch; look at whatever they want to look at; think about whatever they want to think about; talk however they want to talk and then just say a quick prayer afterwards and everything will be ok. But that is not how we are called to live. Why does John write this letter at all? He tells us in 2:1a… 1 John 2:1 (NIV)-- 1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. Powerful Purpose Statement-- That’s a pretty powerful purpose statement for your book. He's saying,"I'm going to help empower you; to help strengthen you; to give you the spiritual equipment you need to have complete victory over sin.” We May Stumble— Now does this mean we cannot sin? No, because everybody is vulnerable to temptation; even Jesus was. And succumbing to temptation is always a choice. And sometimes Christians (even holy Christians) may stumble into sin. That is why John says here, as a means of encouragement… 1 John 2:1b-2 (NIV)-- …But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We Can Stand-- But notice John doesn't say, "when anybody does sin” but “if anybody does sin”. While the possibility to fall is always there, so also the ability to stand is always there. And we can choose the right path; the way of obedience. Because if we don’t do so consistently, then we clearly do not know or love Christ. This is why John says in the next verse (verse 3)… 1 John 2:3-6 (NIV)-- 3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God[a] is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. Christ’s Life the Model-- And verse six points us to the reality that Jesus always intended the life that He lived on earth to be a model for how we ourselves were to live on earth. We are to walk in his footsteps, not only in his mission, but also his righteousness. We are to love the way He loves; we are to care about the people that He cares about; and we are to remain so close to Him that His righteousness becomes ours. A Sign of Holiness Manifested in our Lives— Now how is that righteousness manifested? I am sure that you could list a dozen different things right off the top of you head. You could say, “A stronger prayer life; a growing hunger for God’s Word; a changing of your thought life.” But what does John focus on here. It is very interesting what he chooses; how practical John gets in this next section; as to what is that ultimate thing that sums up how the holiness of God is revealed as being manifested in your life. He says it is revealed in how you and I treat one another. 1 John 2:9-11 (NIV)-- 9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister[a] is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister[b] lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. “I’ll Be Right Back”-- [Pious Lydia was kneeling down saying her prayers when her four-year-old brother sneaked up behind her and pulled her hair. “Pardon me, God,” said Lydia. “I’ll be right back after I kill my brother”]. Now we always can find a good reason to harbor bitterness towards another person. Often times we feel justified in doing so because of some wrong that they have done to us in the past. But here John says that there is no room in a Christian’s life for those kinds of feelings. We need to love, even when it is difficult; even when that might involve our forgiving them for something monumental. Joseph-- You know, in talking about this verse I cannot help but think of the story of Joseph; how he ended up in prison for a crime he didn’t commit; living the life of prisoner-slave. God had made a promise to his great-grandfather Abraham to make his descendants a great nation and he finds himself (to all appearances) cut off from that inheritance. Why? Because his own jealous brothers hated him so much that (as an alternative to killing him and so that they could make a buck off him) sold him into slavery. Joseph had every excuse to go to sleep every night cursing their names; naming every rat he saw in that prison after one of them. He could have let hatred consume him. But what is amazing to me is that he never does that. He keeps his heart pure. And because of that, God grants him favor in everyone’s eyes and he eventually (because of the providence of God) rises to become the second in command of all of Egypt. And his brothers then come because of the famine and present themselves before him (not recognizing him). And Joseph has the perfect opportunity to exact that revenge. But he doesn’t. He tests them, but he never exacts any kind of revenge. Instead he spares them and pours out his love for them. And you and I are left in kind of a stupor. How was it that Joseph was able to forgive them after all that they had done to him? And his own brothers don’t believe it. In fact, they believe that after their father is dead, then Joseph will surely kill them. Genesis 50:15-21 (NIV)-- 15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. 19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. Recognizing God’s Plan-- It is such an amazing thing to me; not only that Joseph is able to forgive; but how he is able to forgive. He was able to forgive because he saw how their sin against him allowed God to do something great through Him to accomplish His purpose. He was able to forgive because he recognizes and accepts that plan God had for His life. Can We Have That Perspective?— When is the last time you and I were hurt by somebody in any context; and we immediately were able to forgive and release them in Christ and even love them because we saw how God was using what they intended for evil to produce good in or through you. That is stunning to me; that someone can have such a perspective. This is What it Means to Walk in the Light-- Now I want to impress this upon you because a love that can allow you to forgive like that; that is at the heart of what it means to be the Church. It doesn’t matter what has been done to you; what differences separate us; we are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ and those in the world we engage with. If we cannot do this, John says we are then those who still walks in darkness. Radical Holiness— Is this radical? Yes. That is what Christ’s call to holiness is. A complete change of who we are that affects how we live, how you and I see our circumstances and relationships with other people; a change of mind and a change of heart. The ability to walk in the light of the kingdom and not in the shadow of the world. That is depth of the salvation Christ offers; a present transformation where our hearts become oriented on Him. And that orientation can start right here today when you say, “Jesus, I am tired of walking in darkness. I’m tired of the shadows. Help me to walk in the light as you are in the light. Separate me from all darkness. Make me holy as you are holy so that I might live and walk victoriously as I abide in you.” Invitations to Freedom-- Dr. Dennis Kinlaw (former President of Asbury College) expressed his gratitude for John Wesley making clear something very important. God’s commands are also God’s implicit promises. “If God tells me to have a pure heart, it is because he has the power to purify my heart. If he tells me to live above conscious sin, it means he can keep me there; he will enable me not to sin. His commands are promises that he will do in me all that I need him to do. His commands are not burdens, but invitations to freedom.” Romans 6:12-14 (ESV)-- 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Let us embrace that freedom today. Amen. |
Rev. Cameron Ury graduated from Asbury University in 2007 with a B.A. in Bible and Theology. From there he continued his studies at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, MS. It was there that he met his wife Tanya, who graduated from WBS with her M.A. and M.Div. degrees. Cameron and Tanya got married in 2009. Cameron then graduated with his M.Div. degree with a pastoral concentration in 2011.
After shepherding churches in both Mississippi and Ohio, they joined the ministry team at Renton Park Chapel in January of 2018, where Cameron serves as Senior Pastor and Teacher. Cameron is also the founder and host of Lechem Panim, a weekly radio show that airs on KGNW 820AM "The Word Seattle". The ministry of Lechem Panim is centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through Bible study, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Archives
March 2020
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