1 John 1 Pt. 2

Anytime we get a new device, there is a learning curve we go through. We get accustomed to how our previous device worked but the new one has unique qualities that we need to know about.

Remember the old rotary phones? Just put your finger in the hole and spin the dial. Easy. Then push button phones. Instead of spinning the dial you simply pressed the numbers you wanted. Same effect. Only problem, you were attached to the phone base. Then came cordless where we could at least move around. Finally, cell phones. Operation was somewhat similar in pressing a few buttons but now you can talk to someone from wherever you are to wherever they are. It opened up a whole world of communication.

But a new limitation entered the picture. Battery usage. You now have to watch for how much battery life you have left before you need to recharge. Each call takes away some power.

John felt sin worked that way in our lives. Sin’s greatest power is causing separation from God. An eternal problem for the lost and an estrangement problem for the saved. The only solution for either is forgiveness.

So if we are loved by God, justified before Him with past, present and future sins covered, and our additional sins cannot take away our salvation, why do we need to ask for forgiveness?

1Jn 1:5  This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

1Jn 1:6  If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;

1Jn 1:7  but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

What John is saying: there is a connected yet separated distinction between relationship with God and fellowship with Him. The closest is marriage without the possibility of divorce.

That relationship changes our lives and defines who we are much like marriage.

But also like marriage, we can mess up the fellowship we have with our spouse. By our attitudes and actions we can make the relationship turn sour, become distant or even cause separation of heart or person.

The relationship remains intact but the fellowship stinks. It causes the whole picture to get fuzzy, feel disconnected, lose its joy.

John says it’s like stepping out of the sunshine and into a dark cave. When we leave the darkness for the light we enter the goodness of God. When we leave that light for darkness, God remains good but the effect of that goodness is diminished in our lives.

How do we sense that goodness diminishing? Guilt. Having been set free from the law of sin and death, the peace we had with God has been replaced by a load of guilt, weighing us down and wearing us out. Not condemnation but conviction. It is the red flag we are out of fellowship.

Each minute we remain out of fellowship with God drains power from our lives like a cell phone losing battery life.

Eddie Murphy played slick talking Jack McCall in a movie called: A Thousand Words. The plot involved a tree that miraculously appeared in Jack’s backyard that held one thousand leaves. Every word Jack said, a leaf would fall off the three. When the tree runs out of leaves, Jack’s life will end. And believe it or not, this is a comedy. With no way to replenish the leaves, the end is certain.

So, like Jack McCall’s tree, our power meter is slowly draining down because we are out of fellowship. But what should we expect? A weak, powerless and destructive life lived separated from the blessings God intends for His children.

I’ve seen marriages with no life, homes with no joy, couples with no love, simply living out their time together like prisoners serving time for their crime. They stay together but the fellowship is gone. I’ve seen believers living a totally inferior Christian life, far beneath their privilege. Grieving God by their neglect. The odor from both is obvious.

You can’t smell good and stink at the same time. Stink – manifesting a repulsive odor.

I know what it’s like to be repulsive. In fact as a kid, my sister told my mom on several occasions the same thing Martha said of Lazarus, “Behold he stinketh.” I wasn’t removed from the family, put in a tomb or lost my identity as a son to my parents. I was made to take a bath.

Sin is repulsive to God. Walking in the darkness is an affront to Him. He dwells in light. Sin is going back into the darkness. Darkness and Light cannot coexist.

Knowing we’re going to struggle there, God provides the fix. If we discover we are walking in the darkness, out of fellowship with God, confess that – admit it, call it what God calls it: sin.

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

For relationship it’s one and done. For fellowship it may be daily or several times a day. Is God so easily offended? It is the power of the darkness to take away fellowship.

Ask God:

·         Is there anything in my life I’m hanging onto that You disapprove of?

·         Are there any habits, attitudes or practices I have you want out of my life?

·         Are there any past sins I have covered over and not dealt with?

·         Am I grieving You by my neglect?

1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

By refusing to admit we are walking in the darkness, we close the door to fellowship.

By confessing we are walking in the darkness, the door reopens.

What word? That Word that transforms life. We will miss the evidence of the transformed life.

TAKEAWAYS:

1. The greatest truth you can ever accept is God loves you.
2. Through that love He draws you into relationship with Him.
3. Because of that love He wants fellowship with you.
4. Choosing to reject His love keeps us separated from Him – lost and disconnected from Him throughout all eternity, or saved and estranged from the goodness He has planned.
5. Either choice is unacceptable and the results stink.

1 John Pt. 1

Ever meet someone and you have one impression, then go a bit deeper and realize they are much more of a big deal than you first thought. I have that happen all the time.

I was congratulating a lady who had sung in the Christmas show at Second Baptist Church in Houston last year, telling her how much I enjoyed her song. She was cordial, Oh thank you. Then I mentioned that my son was Josh Smith. That Josh Smith, pointing to my son. She hit her knees and took my hand and said: Bless you.

I went to a Gala a few months ago and was introduced to a man who rang no bells in my head, then someone mentioned something about Apollo 13, and I discovered I was meeting Fred Haze, one of the three astronauts we nearly lost to an explosion in space on the way to the moon.

When I met Bill Cunningham I thought, nice guy. Then I found out he was the B in BJ’s Pizza. My absolute favorite pizza place in the world.

I can’t remember a time I didn’t’ know about Jesus. I admit in the early days He was just a Bible story character. But later He became real to me. Suddenly the stories were all true. What He said and did was life-giving.

What about the Disciples? What do you think they thought about Jesus the first time they heard Him speak? It is evident at the beginning they were most interested in what He had to say.

Early on when many were falling away from following Him, Jesus asked the disciples if they wanted to go away, too. Peter said, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of life.

Your words are giving value to life.

Then on another day Jesus got specific: who do you believe Me to be? Peter said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus said: Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. (Matt 16:17)

They had been drawn to the life they found in His words but now they realized He brought value to their lives.

All of a sudden, Jesus became a bigger deal than Peter had first thought. Not because Peter finally figured Jesus out, but the Father brought illumination – insight that brings understanding.

The Spirit was building into their memories things Jesus had said and done in order to help His men understand who He was. He said this. He did that. Remember, that’s an important clue. Like showing them puzzle pieces. Then, by illumination, they saw where the pieces fit and had a much fuller understanding of what the completed picture looked like.

Little girl finished a difficult puzzle of the world and showed it to her mother. Mom was impressed and asked how she had finished it so quickly. The little girl turned the puzzle over and showed a picture of Jesus. She said, see I couldn’t get everything to fit on the other side so I just put the picture of Jesus together and the other picture just came out right.

That’s why John, writing years later, could point out things about Jesus he didn’t grasp before.

1Jn 1:1  What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life--

1Jn 1:2  and the life was manifested,

John’s testimony: God revealed Jesus to us, we saw Him and touched Him. He was real, yet we discovered more about who He was when He was manifested to us. Manifest: illuminate, make plain, make something graspable. John says, I have grasped who He is and wish to make Him graspable to you.

I had a teacher who took the complicated subject of Calculus and made it graspable.

 and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us--

Vs. 1 – Concerning the Word of Life – Concerning means: all-around (on every side); encompassing, We might say He covers all the bases. Greek word is “peri”.

Perimeter the boundary that defines a piece of property

Periscope an instrument to look all around.

What John (we) found in Jesus encompassed the total subject of Jesus as the One through whom we experience life as God designed.

Logos is the Greek word used for Word – a broad term meaning the message, the reason, the defining idea of a plan.

Reduce God’s agenda to one single word and what do you have? Jesus.

The Bible is the story of Jesus from before creation to the end of time. The whole story is about Him. History is His story.

S.S. class was told that the answer to every question was Jesus. Boy was asked about a picture. He said, “I know it’s a squirrel but I’ll say Jesus.”

Actually the ultimate answer is Jesus –

For John, grasping who Jesus was made what He said of special significance.

1Jn 1:3  what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

Vs. 3 – Our fellowship with God and with each other is based upon Who Jesus is and what He has done.

Fellowship:

·         Ability to walk together in agreement.

·         Unity of going the same direction

·         Harmony of heart and life

o   Two cats tied together are united but there is no harmony

·         Peace.

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, swims like a duck—there’s a pretty good chance it’s a duck.

What does a Christian look like? If determining if a person is a Christian, what would that person look like? What if your Christianity was judged from the outside only?

      He walks, talks like a Christian.

      How does he smell? That’s worldly cologne. Haven’t you seen those commercials?

Did you hear what he said? Did you see that look she gave that lady? Did you see him change his score?

If you hired me for a job, you would judge me on my work, not my heart. Well, he did a lousy job but his heart is in the right place, so he deserves a bonus.

God does both—knows our heart, sees our life. His goal is for the two to match.

1Jn 1:4  These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

Vs. 4 – Being able to fellowship with God and each other completes joy

Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. (Phil 2:2-4)

Vs. 5 – God is Light – Light expels darkness.

            You can turn on a switch that makes light come on,

            But you can’t turn on a switch that makes darkness come on.

            You have to turn off the light for darkness to take over.

Joh 8:12  Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

Joh 12:46  "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.

Act 26:18  to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'

Eph 5:8  for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light

Vs. 6 –

One of the tests is fellowship. What are the marks of fellowship?

            Living our lives in the Light, not in the darkness

            Walking together with God and others

            United, going the same direction

            In harmony of life.

            Peace.

Paul asked: What fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Cor 6:14)

If we live in the darkness, fellowshipping with darkness, we will become like the darkness we fellowship with. Why are ex-felons forbidden to associate with known criminals? They’ll likely go back into crime.

Stop acting like a baby and act like a man.

If I have the light of God within me and live like a man of darkness, which is me? I am lying to myself. I am not being who I am.

 TAKEAWAYS:

1.       Jesus came to bring us life.

2.      That life not only changes us on the inside but works its way to the outside.

3.      Living in fellowship with Him is like walking on a well-lit path.

4.      Choosing not to walk with God puts us in the dark.

5.      Why on earth would we prefer to stumble in the darkness when we can live in the light?

2 Peter 1:10-21

Jer 37:17  Now King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and took him out of prison; and in his palace the king secretly asked him and said, "Is there a word from the LORD?" And Jeremiah said, "There is!"

·         God, me what’s going on.

·         God, tell me why this is going on.

·         God, tell me what to do.

Remember that old commercial: When E.F. Hutton speaks…People wanted to know what E.F. Hutton said because his opinion had credibility. You listen to whom you trust.

When you read the creation story do you come back with the assurance that God did all that?

When you read of waters of the Red Sea separating so the people of Israel could walk across, do you say, absolutely?

When you read of fire coming from Heaven to consume an altar, fire in a furnace not burning three men, lions shutting their hungry mouths so they won’t eat God’s prophet, do you say, certainly?

When you read of Jesus walking on water, calming storms, raising Lazarus or dying for our sins and coming back alive in resurrection, do you say, of course!?

When you read: cast your cares upon Him for He cares for you, or He will keep you in perfect peace if your mind is stayed upon Him, or those who wait upon the Lord will mount up with wings like eagles, run and not be weary, or He will give you peace that passes your ability to understand, do you say, yes?

How much confidence do we have that the Bible can be trusted to be true? If it tells us of history, is that history accurate? If it tells us of people, did those people exist? If it tells us of an event, did that event happen? If it gives us a promise, can that promise be relied on?

Steel workers on high-rise buildings have a rule: don’t lean into the wind. There is a resistance you can feel when the wind is blowing, but when it stops and you have been using that wind to keep your balance, you’re going to fall.

Are God’s promises substantial enough for us to count on or are they puffs of wind that hold us for a minute then vanish, leaving us off balance and falling?

2Pe 1:10  Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, (Jude 1:24)

Not stumbling has a lot to do with standing firm and standing firm has a lot to do with where we’re standing.

God has built a platform, a foundation for our faith, to stand on. It’s called: His faithfulness. We don’t stand on our ability to believe things but on Him to be faithful in who He is, what He does and what He says.

When He says My Words will accomplish what I intend, we know immediately those words are backed by His faithfulness not upon our ability to believe them. They are not floating in some hope-so realm of wishful, happy thought thinking but words energized by the One who said them. In fact, they are true whether we believe them or not.

As soon as we see these three together: who He is, what He does and what He says, all sharing the same faithfulness, we begin to see Scripture differently.

2Ti 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

What is Scripture? The Bible. God’s Word, breathed from God’s Spirit, through the mind and heart of perhaps as many as 40 people, over a span of 1600 years, moved to write what God wanted written so that that word could be counted on to make us adequate and equipped for every good work. He used kings, prophets, priests, a farmer, a tax collector, fishermen, a radical zealot, disciples, historians, a doctor. But all had one thing in common: moved by God.

That’s where our confidence comes from. His words have power to accomplish what He wants, purpose to fulfill His will and specificity to target the circumstances of our lives.

2Pe 1:16-19 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”—and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.

We have to pay attention in the dark. When you turn out the light you lose sight of what’s there. When you lose sight you stumble. When we enter the dark times, we can lose sight of who God is, what He’s done and what He says. But if we seek His light we won’t stumble. Never doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light.

A Scripture you’ve read thousands of times may suddenly become your word from the Lord.

2Pe 1:20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,

2Pe 1:21  for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Movement of the Holy Spirit to produce Scripture.

Movement of the Holy Spirit to protect Scripture.

Movement of the Holy Spirit to illuminate Scripture.

Satan’s attack: to discredit Scripture. Did God really say that? Did God mean that? Can you trust what God said? It’s not all true, only some of it. It isn’t the word of God, it contains the word of God. That’s man’s opinion. That’s only for those people back then. Don’t let Satan deceive you!

God is God or He isn’t. God does what He does or He doesn’t. God’s word is true or it’s not. Can’t have one without all three.

Practical exercise:

Php 4:1  Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

Standing firm on His faithfulness.

Php 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

      How can I rejoice? My circumstances have no room for rejoicing.

Php 4:5  Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

      What do I know about the presence of God?

·         He will never leave you nor forsake you.

·         He will be with you to the very end.

·         He is the God of all comfort.

·         He will accomplish what concerns you.

·         He, who began a good work in you, will bring it to completion.

·         He will supply all your needs.

Php 4:6  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

      Nothing going on should be allowed to take me into anxiety—hopelessness.

      In everything not for everything.

            God does not plan everything that happens but in everything that happens, God

            has a plan.

      He is waiting to hear the extent of your faith.

#What do I have to do, thank Him for what’s going on? No. I thank Him that in what’s going on, He has been and will be faithful in my life.

Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Php 4:9  The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Practice: make them a habit.

TAKEAWAYS:

1. If God isn’t God, doesn’t do what He does, and His Word isn’t true, I have no hope.
2. If only part of any of this is true, how am I supposed to know which part I can count on.
3. If it’s all true, I can settle my concerns and stand upon God’s faithfulness in all circumstances.
4.  If it is all true, I can say, without doubt: It is Well with My Soul.

2 Peter 1:5-11

Ever get hung up between what God is supposed to do and what we are supposed to do?

Two sides: for the aggressive, impatient – they want to step in and do God’s job for Him.

For the non-aggressive, more aid back – they want God to do everything for them.

Guy praying for God to send someone to help.

            You are the one.

David wrote: God will accomplish what concerns me. Ps 138:8. He didn’t say how.

Parable of the soils: Mark 4:14-20 

To get good soil:

      Remove obstacles

         Dig deep 

      Enrich soil with growth enhancers

None of the good soil practices change the nature of the seed. They only give the seeds better opportunity for good results. Working the soil gives the root system of whatever is planted room to do what it’s designed to do.

From the parable, the same is true for the Word of God. God said through Isaiah: Isa 55:11  So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Track record: spoke the world into existence.

God’s Word is designed to accomplish what God wants accomplished. However (now insert the parable of the soils), unprepared soil can interfere with expected results.

Matt 13:58  And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

            Disbelief – I will not engage my ability to accept or believe.

            Is there a difference between I cannot believe and I will not believe? Same results.

We prepare our soil to accept the Word of God because we believe He has something He wants to say into our life and something He wants to do in our life.

So, since we have the promise of God accomplishing what concerns us, and His Word accomplishing what He desires, what are His options:

            Run over us if necessary

            Work with what we give Him

            Draw us into compliance – God I want what You want for me.

Mark 4:26-29 

We’re not the sower, God is. We’re not the grower, God is. We’re not the seed, we’re the soil. The pile of dirt into which God deposits His glory and excellence—who He is and what He does.

Our job is to remove the obstacles that inhibit the results God wants—denying the old tendencies of our flesh, and giving ourselves to the desires of the New Nature which opens us to the activity of God in us and through us.

2Pet 1:4  For by these [who He is and what He does] He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them [the promises – the seeds] you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

To partake of (to participate in) the divine nature, God must give us a new nature [our old nature cannot participate in God’s divine nature]. The Old nature lives out of its own selfish desires. The New nature lives out of a desire for God’s best. The unrestrained, driving force to satisfy myself is now challenged by the desire to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and body.

2Pet 1:5 Now for this very reason [that we are partakers of the divine life], also, applying all diligence in your faith, supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,

Applying – not surface application but brought in deeply – get to the root system that feeds my life. Parable – I wonder if the people Jesus was talking to got that. No, I must ask myself: did I get it?

·         Is my relationship with God too shallow to give His word room to grow?

·         Is my life too congested with problems to work God’s word into my life?

·         Do I have too many things more important than God to me that prevent me from hearing His voice?

What prevents me from going deep?                     

Even Socrates said: An unexamined life is not worth living.

n  To never challenge my own attitudes or actions…

n  To never ask God is this activity best for me?

n  To never question how I’m living in light of the truth I know?

n  To never place my life up against the promises of Scripture to see how I match up…indicates, I’m not interested in God’s Word accomplishing what’s best in my life. Instead of good, deep soil, I’m full of obstacles.

Diligence – with determination.   Set this as priority. Work at it.

Supply – add these into your faith.

Moral excellence – God isn’t going to make us make moral choices. He doesn’t force obedience: Luke 6:46  "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?”

Knowledge that you learn. Dig into the Word. God show me what is better than how I now live.

We can’t live out God’s intentions apart from God’s direction.

2Pet 1:6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,

Control of attitudes and actions. Staying on track.

Feels like self-improvement but actually it is seeking to allow the divine nature room to work so it can express itself in our lives.

Perseverance – staying with it

Godliness – devotion to God. Living in a way that demonstrates our love for Him.

2Pet 1:7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

Devotion to God should lead to devotion to others.

2Pe 1:8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 15:8  My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

The Seeds of the Word remain full of potential.

      Medieval Cathedral was destroyed during WWII. After all the rubble was removed a flower through extinct grew up and bloomed.

     

2Pe 1:9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

If there is no change, there’ll be no difference in our lives, soon there’ll be is no respect for what Jesus did to save us.

2Pe 1:10  Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;

Make certain you belong to Him.

Things that can’t save: church, being a good person, doing good things, having good parents, believing good things.

What can save: God when we call out to Him.

If you are His, everything you need for life and godliness are seeds planted in your soil. Give them room to grow.

Practice these. Let them become habits. Exercise your faith. Stretch your desire to believe.

2Pe 1:11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

Entrance – not door to get into the kingdom, but since you are already in, it is your access into all the kingdom provides.

TAKEAWAYS:

      1. We have been set up for success in our Christian life not failure.

      2. God has planted within us all that is necessary for an abundant, meaningful and fruitful life.

      3. By not examining our soil—our life—we may be competing against God’s best.

      4. Our job is to prevent anything from interfering with what God wants to accomplish.