Reflections

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning,

for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil:

whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

(1 John 3:8-10)

Christian life has two defining moments:

1) The realization that Jesus saved all people. This is for all times from all sin by his sacrifice and resurrection. This action is fulfillment of divine law and predestined. It's a free gift. This is also known as grace because as no person that ever existed could earn salvation. The power of this gift to cover sins is called justification. It is God's death and resurrection that gives us justification to find hope in our own bodily resurrection. As a topic this is called Salvation.

2) The realization that Jesus established a path for the believer to walk. One only needs to look towards the Gospels. Jesus performs miracles, heals, feeds, and fellowships with sinners--all signifying his intention for salvation. A believer can live a life of ignorance in the first defining part of a Christian's life and still be saved, but he or she would miss out on something way greater.  Jesus wants those he saves to embrace a path. If a believer does not their life will inevitably be ineffective. Many scholars call the process of becoming effective in Jesus' path "sanctification." However, this is a misleading word. "Sanctification" is more like disciplined living in love. Certainly all who are saved are already seen as saints in God's eyes. But don't let this fact dilute the serious blessings that come with embracing this process of "sanctification" or disciplined living. It is a real topic of the bible and cannot be ignored.

1 John has a passage that can easily be misinterpreted. A person can read the 1 John 3: 8-10 and say--here exists proof that salvation leads to a perfect, sinless christian life. This interpretation is simply wrong. It intentionally steals authority from God. To claim a sinless perfection would negate the need for a savior, and usurp his grace with human pride. It also misses the purpose of 1 John 1:8,

"  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. "

The misleading phrase here is "born of God." This phrase is an image that makes us think upon salvation and baptism; however, in context being "born of God" more accurately portrays the second aspect of a Christian's life. Being born of God comes from words more accurately meaning "better begotten." It begs the question, what have you been saved to do? The idea of the passage is that habitual practice of goodness is the greatest testimony to God's grace. The idea is that with disciplined action people may see Jesus in us, and therefore become believers themselves.

Therefore, brothers,  be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.   (2 Peter 1:10)

Sunday Sermon Notes 8-26-2012

The answer to the question of loneliness?

Philippians 2-11

Paul’s answer today will be Gospel partnership or Jesus Centered Friendships; meaning that Jesus is the center of the relationship between you and someone else.

·         This could be a friend, a parent, or a spouse.

·         That Jesus is between the two of you because sin will come between the two of you and sin leads to spiritual death, disconnection from God, physical death and relational death. It separates people.

And so, Jesus dies to forgive—take away sin. Now, we can have a reconciled relationship with God and with one another. And so, Gospel is the good news of the person and work of Jesus, who is our God, who takes away sin and makes reconciliation possible.

·         Gospel based partnership is that kind of relationship where Jesus is at the center and he can take away the sin

·         it’s a partnership in that both people agree, “We’re going to do our life together as Christians.

·          What that means is,

·         We will treat one another as God has treated us.

·         When we sin, we will repent We sin against God. He convicts us through the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, Christian friends, and we repent. We say, “God, you’re right. I am wrong. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” And then, God forgives us and we’re reconciled. And so, we agree in this Gospel partnership to deal with sin the way that God, through Jesus, deals with our sin. “When I sin against you, you feel free to tell me that I’m in sin. And then, I will repent. And then, you will forgive me. And then, we will be reconciled.” That’s a Gospel partnership.

·         It only works if both people are willing to commit to it. That’s why you gotta define these relationships. Sometimes, I think we assume much of our friendships. We are waiting for them to act in a Christ-like way, but we haven’t defined whether or not it’s a Gospel partnership.

·         It means,

o   We’re both gonna read our Bible.

o   We’re both gonna walk as Christians.

o   We’re both gonna confess our sins.

o   We’re both gonna forgive one another.

o   We’re both gonna let Jesus be the one who keeps us close.

o   Gospel partnership is like friendship, but it’s much deeper.

The Sermon

Philippians 2-11

Paul is going to have a number of things to say about Gospel partnership.

·         Here is a guy who should be absolutely depressed.

·         Here’s a guy who should be absolutely without hope.

·         He has nothing that you and I would seek to cure our loneliness.

·         He has no wife.

·         No kids.

·         No grandkids.

·         No home.

·         No hometown.

·         No home church.

·         He’s not in proximity with people. His friends are far away in a town called Philippi.

·         He has not a lot of affinity with these people. They’re married. He’s single. Many of them have children. He doesn’t. They are going to work. He’s going to jail. They’re really at different phases of their life.

And he writes them a letter, as a friend, and he talks about how much joy he has because of their Gospel partnership with him.

Philippians 2-11 (Read)

He’s sitting in prison, facing death, lonely, hurting, hungry, and broke. He been beaten, is probably sick, and he writes a letter to his friends. And he opens with this word to explain to the depth of the relationship that they have in their Gospel partnership. He opens with this. “Grace to you.”

Verse 2

·         Grace

o   The best word to summarize what we believe about God as Christians

o   God is not obligated to us in any way, but he has given grace to us in every way

o   Our relationship with Jesus is absolutely bound by grace

o   we are to receive God’s grace humbly and share it gladly

o   God only gives grace to the repentant

o   grace and repentance are intimately connected

o    

·         Peace

o   Through Grace and repentance we find peace

o   Without repentance we are at war with God

o   We are by our sin nature, objects of God’s wrath

o   Peace in our relationship with Jesus brings peace in our other relationships

o   Without repentance in all relationships there is no peace (example)

Verse 3

·         Remembrance (my Vision of Paul)

o   If you don’t have a Gospel based partnership that has grace and peace that’s centered in Jesus, many of your memories are going be painful and bitter.

o   You’ll remember people who sinned against you, and hurt you, and betrayed you, and abandoned you, and disappointed you, and lied to you, and neglected you, and you’ll be this angry, bitter person.

o   If it’s a Gospel based partnership, you have the opportunity to redeem those memories and, as Paul says, thank God for the memories you have, where not only where there was sin; there was repentance, and there was forgiveness, and there was reconciliation. There was grace and there was peace.

Verse 4

·         Joy

o   He is in prison, about to die and he speaks of Joy, his joy.

o   He writes in Philippians of joy 14 times

o   Joy is not as much an emotion as it is a lifestyle

o   Joy does not mean Happy

o   The Christian art “faking happiness”

o   The Bible says that we should rejoice with those who rejoice and we should weep and mourn with those who weep and mourn

o   The majority of the Psalms are songs of lament

o   Joy is a lifestyle that includes sorrow, and grief, and pain, and poverty, and loneliness, and death.

o   joy is a lifestyle that celebrates the forward progress of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Verse 5&6

·         Gospel centered partnership

o   Our theme

·         Verse 6 is all about Perseverance

o   Definition of what a real Christian is!!

o   True Christians always persevere

o   We will stumble

o   We will fail, but by god grace we will be saved

o   The fifth point of Calvinism, “Perseverance of saints”!!

o   The reason you can persevere is that he’s persevering with you

o    

Verse 7,8, 9, & 10

·         Heart, Prayer

o   Jesus is both heart changing for us, and prayer compelling.

o   We’ll become more merciful, and compassionate, and concerned, and more prayerful

o   That’s what Gospel partnership is. It’s prayerful intercession and loving concern for people

·         Grace

o   I’m not the only person that God’s giving grace to. He’s giving grace to many of us

o    

·         Discernment

o   It expands our capacity to love people, and it increases our discernment in regards to who is trustworthy

o   Some of you are to trusting

o   With maturity comes better discernment

o   The devil cam to Steal, Kill and Destroy. He is the great deceiver

o   Gospel centered partnership takes time to develop

o   Love and trust develop over years

Verse 11

·         Righteousness

o   The Great Exchange!! (There is no righteousness apart from Christ Jesus!!)

o   Righteousness comes through Jesus Christ.

o   2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57496064/afghan-uniformed-gunman-kills-nato-soldier/?tag=stack

"It was the latest in a string of attacks by apparent Afghan forces against their NATO allies. "

The above article is a testament to the conspiring war nature of people. Assumed allies firing upon each other, Why? I believe it's simple. The NATO force's presence challenges a belief of the opposing force. Such is the nature of war. It's observable fact, when anything/any-person disagrees with another, they become a target of hate. It can be seen in the religion of the new Testament: the Pharisees and Sadducees conspire against Jesus, Paul, Stephen (first martyr),  the Apostles, and various disciples. This NATO soldier was the victim of hate. Christians can find a related promise in scripture. The topic of John chapter 15 supplements how to process conspired-hate.

John 15: 18-21

    If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

    If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own;

    but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world,

    therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you:

    'A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me,

    they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

    But all these things they will do to you on account of my name,

    because they do not know him who sent me.

Jesus says at the start of this chapter that his believers are his branch, and he is the vine (John 15:5). What does this mean? He goes to great detail to show dependence. The vine grows around the branch; likewise, God works through believers. Not that God or Jesus needs the people, but by design God moves through people. Every believer is connected to God. The above passage challenges Christians to compare themselves to Jesus. How did Jesus hate? How did Jesus conquer the world? The only biblical way of addressing hate is for Christians to embrace God's love. As God conquered the world through self-sacrifice; Christians should conquer hate by putting to death their hate.  Believers should look at hate as a chance to embrace God. Further, a Christian's work only come forth because of God. A believer's fruit is really God's fruit: love. Anyone can be that structure that allows God to work a miracle.  

There is a large segment of the world that still has not heard the Gospel; moreover, there are those that have and reject salvation. When Jesus says, "the world" he speaks about these people that have simply refused to look upon their actions as sin. They reject God because they refuse to look upon their reflection--God's perfect law of Liberty can reveal sinful nature (see James 2:10-13). People typically don't want to look at their actions as sin. Time under sin can lead a person to complacency. Complacency can lead to open despite. Eventually people fight the light of God. Those that reflect God's light and produce his fruit run a huge chance of eventually becoming a target. What are Christians to do?

John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

So what does this mean? It means Jesus is in charge. Not Christians. Jesus will be Judge.  He sees little reason to forgive those that have heard but do not respond. There is a simple saying, "you should know better." And I imagine Jesus saying that here.

I cannot claim to know the religious background of the NATO forces killed; however, their death is a tragic testament to hate. It's a testament to the extent sinful people will go when entangled in hate and intolerance--which only comes from boldly holding to a lie; that killing a person in their way isn't sin but in fact a service to the greater good (see John 16:2). These kind of events remind me that hate is not defeated on a literal battlefield, but is a spiritual battle already being fought and won by God and his love.