Lechem Panim #89 "Living Life Unchained" (1 John 5:19-21) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! Welcome to the show today. Today we will be finishing our study of 1 John, a letter that was written to early Christians to help them have assurance of their salvation; giving them tests they can apply to teachers to determine whether they are Spirit-filled teachers or false teachers; and tests they can apply to themselves to prove that they are true children of God. And the closing verses of 1 John remind us of five things. And the first two are these: (1) Whose control we are under as children of God, and (2) Whose control the world is under.

1 John 5:19 (NIV)— 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 

Elephants and Rope-- Once I read a story in which a group of elephants were standing together. [As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” the trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time {at least physically} break free from their bonds but because... {of their inner condition}, they were stuck right where they were.]

Our Chains— Now you and I may think we are are not in bondage simply because we don’t see any physical ropes or chains. But our mental and spiritual chains are every bit as real. The reality is that the mind of the elephant had become enslaved to the point that even though it wanted to be free, it had inner barriers that made it impossible for it to be so. The same is true of us. We, since we were young (ever since we were born) were enslaved to the law of sin and death. 

A Core Center Change— And though sin can be defeated in our lives, it requires something more than our own strength; it requires a change at the core center of who we are. And although that begins with the work of Christ; accepting and receiving His forgiveness; it cannot stop there. Because when He (The Light of The World) comes into our lives, His Light reveals just how filthy our hearts really are. And we don't actually realize how bad we really are until we're saved. In fact we usually think we are pretty good. We may even think we are doing God a favor by choosing to receive Christ. But afterwards, when the the Holy Spirit turns on the Light it's like "YIKES!!!! I had no idea how bad my sin was; how deeply its roots have penetrated my life!" And when we see that for the first time suddenly our hearts begin to cry out for something more than just forgiveness. Our hearts begin to cry out for complete freedom from the bondage and control of that sin; true freedom of the heart, life, and mind. And that freedom is what we call holiness. Holiness is a total freedom from sin that comes through a complete surrender of all of who we are to the Holy Spirit.

A New Power-- Without Christ we are under the controlling power of sin and death. But in Christ we come under a new controlling power; the law of the Spirit who gives life and sets us free from the controlling power of sin and death.

The Climax of Christianity-- You see, the Spirit does what the Law can't; and that is to bring into our lives the presence of God that can make us truly holy. This is why I have said in and throughout the course of my ministry and will continue to say that the climax of Christianity is not Christ's death on the cross; nor is it even His resurrection. Both of those events were means to the ultimate climax which was the reunion of man with the Holy Spirit of God; which began at Pentecost. Pentecost is where the Spirit of God came to dwell once again with mankind. And heaven itself is merely an extension (and of course a deepening) of that reality. But the point is that the height of Christianity is the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God who produces life in you. And that is why Jesus came; to restore that presence. Because before the Spirit could come, the debt had to be paid. We needed a Savior who could pay the price for our sin, cleanse us by the power of His blood, and make way for the Spirit of God to come into our lives. And that is something we remember in a very real and tangible way during this season of Lent, which began this past Wednesday.

Now the next two things John reminds of us in this closing passage are these: (3) The way that we come to have truth, (4) the divine identity of Jesus and how He is the source of life, 

1 John 5:20 (NIV)-- 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 

And so we are reminded that our relationship with truth and with life is personal; they come in and through a relationship with a person; the One who is truth and who is life; namely, Jesus Himself. You want to have knowledge and have life for today and for eternity, you have to come to Jesus. There is no other way. Why? Because He is truth and life itself.

Now the fifth thing John warns us about is the final thought of John. It is His final command. So simple and yet (at the same time) often the most difficult…

1 John 5:21 (NIV)-- 21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. {and so you have (5) a warning against idolatry.}

Worldly-Minded--  I don’t know if any of us worship actual idols; I don’t know, maybe you do. But an idol can be anything you put before God; what you heart is set on; what your mind constantly dwells on instead of Him. I don’t know too many people who worship actual idols (I do know some). But I do know Christians of whom 90% of their thought lives revolves around their business, even when they are not at work. I know people whose lives or kids’ lives revolve perpetually around secular activities. It doesn’t matter what is going on at Church; those things take precedence over Church every single time. Isn’t that idolatry. What disturbs me just as much is this. Let me ask you, what chance is there of those kids ever receiving the mind of Christ?; Of having their hearts set ablaze for Jesus? What are the chances that God could even be ABLE to call any of them to the mission field? We allow ourselves to be so tied up with meaningless, fleshly things, that we render ourselves incapable of doing anything truly meaningful on an eternal scale. And that is right where Satan wants to keep us. 

Creation Museum: Changing Minds-- When the Creation Museum, a Museum that takes and presents a Biblical perspective on dinosaurs, was being planned to be built in Kentucky, there was an uproar from many evolutionists. And one of them said one of the most remarkable things. He said, “We wouldn’t mind if you were going to build a Church, but you’re trying to change people’s minds!!!”

An Unchained Christian-- You see, that is exactly what the Devil wants; for us to have just enough religion to where we feel we’re covered, but not enough to where it begins to change the way we think. You see, nothing is scarier to him than a Christian who has become unchained from the flesh and the things of the world. It is as scary to him as a bull elephant.

Wesley’s Ten-- John Wesley once said an amazing thing about the power of the unchained Christian. He said, “Give me ten men who hate nothing but sin and love nothing but God, and we’ll change the world.”

Your Potential-- What could God do through you if you allowed Him to unchain you? If you let Him change the focus of your mind; the way you think? I am telling you, Satan loses sleep over that very question; and the entirety of his mind is bent on keeping you focused on the world and on the flesh; on the things that have no long-term eternal value. Your salvation is not based on a decision made at an altar or even your baptism. Your salvation is based upon knowing and having the presence of God in your life. Salvation is not an event; salvation is person; a person who died for your sins so that you could enter into a holy relationship with Him. And if that is the case, then that relationship must take precedence over everything else.

Affairs Are Gradual-- Some time ago I was looking at some statistics as to the number of married people who have had extramarital affairs. And obviously the number was high. But you know it occurred to me, very few men (or women), having been committed in marriage, wake up one day and decide they are going to have an affair. No, there is a whole series of decisions leading up to it. And many of those decisions are harmless in and of themselves, such as saying "hi" to the other person, getting to know them on a friendly basis in an appropriate context. But sometimes there comes a point where you start spending a little bit more time with them than you should; you let your guard down; boundaries begin to be erased. You begin to only see each other a little more than you should. But what ends up happening is you give more and more of yourself to the other person; taking little step after little step until the actual act itself is only the last small step. There was no momentous decision to abandon your spouse. Only the small decisions that steadily accumulated.

Spiritual Affairs Are The Same-- The same is true in our relationship with Jesus. Even the things we do that are not sinful can be just as dangerous if we begin to give ourselves to them just a little bit more and a little bit more. What was once an occasional indulgence or hobby becomes something you flirt with; then you devote just a little bit more of yourself to it; and just a little bit more. And pretty soon, unbeknownst to you, you are cheating on God. He is no longer the center of your thought life or the center of your time. And whether that thing was sinful before or not, it has become sin for you because it has drawn you away from the Holy Spirit and the Mind of Christ. In Revelation 2:4 God tells John to write to the Church in Ephesus (the very people 1 John is written to), saying…

Revelation 2:4 (NIV)-- 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

Our Obligation-- We (you and I) are the Bride of Christ; we are His spouse. And we have an obligation to love Him over and above anything else.

Sacrifice and Eliminate— Sin? It has to be put to death in us. Idols? They need to be placed on the altar. Worldly things and pass-times that don’t matter on the larger scale of eternity? They need to be kept to a minimum or (in many cases) eliminated completely.

“Your Hand Is Bigger Than Mine”— [A little boy and his father visited the country store, upon leaving the store the owner of the store offered the little boy some free candy. "Get a hand full of candy", the merchant said to the boy. The boy just stood there looking up at his father. The owner repeated himself, "Son get a hand full of candy, its free." Again the boy did not move continuing to look up in the face of his father. Finally, the father reached into the candy jar and got a hand full of candy and gave it to his son. As they walked back home, the father stopped and asked his son why he did not grab a hand full of the free candy. The boy with a big smile on his face looked into the face of his father and said "Because I know that your hand is bigger than mine.”]

God Gives Greater-- The truth is, when you and I unclasp our hands; when we keep our hands from grabbing the temporary things that may have fleshly appeal, what God gives us in exchange is much greater and more abundant than anything we could grasp ourselves. His hands are bigger. And that is why today I would like to invite you to become unchained; to, in this moment, tell God, “I have let stuff come in between you and me. I have lived in defeat far too long. I am ready for you to change my mind; I am ready to surrender to your Spirit; I am ready to be free; free from death and the sin that holds me. Please Lord, set me free!!!” Pray that prayer today, and He will respond. Amen.