Wednesday Extravaganza: Sabotage–Sabotage Proof (13 of 13)

1 John 5:13-21
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.  This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.  If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death.  There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this.  All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.  We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.  We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.  And we know 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, in His Son Jesus Christ.  This is the true God and eternal life.  Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

Background
John finishes his letter by first stating the main purpose for his writing:  so that those who are Christians can have confidence in Jesus that they have eternal life.  He also makes a remarkable reference to a situation in his gospel–what scholars call the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in John 17.  John recalls this pray of Jesus, in which Jesus prayed for His disciples (the twelve guys He had invested Himself in for the better part of three years) and for the church.  In referring to this prayer, John makes it abundantly clear who the readers of the letter should listen to–the apostles (including himself) and not the false teachers.

What it means…
John states the main purpose for his writing–so that Christians may have confidence in Jesus and assurance that they have eternal life, in spite of the efforts of Satan through the false teachers (his gospel contains a very similar statement, which shows that it was written for non-Christians, so that they would believe in Jesus and have life in His name). 

After stating his purpose, John says that we can have confidence in anything we ask of God.  Taken out of context, this would seem to be that God is a genie of sorts, ready to dish out anything a Christian wants.  But the context tells us what kind of requests we have confidence in–prayers for other Christians who still love Jesus, but are caught up in sin.  We can have confidence when we pray on behalf of other Christians who commit sin “not leading to death.”

This is some of the murkiest language that John uses outside of the book of Revelation.  What is sin not leading to death?  What is sin leading to death?  Scholars have debated it for years.  Yet, when we look back at all that John has said in this letter and “connect the dots”, we see that this “sin that leads to death” refers to the false teachers.

When we look back through 1 John, we see that John exposes the false teachers in four ways: 

1. Their warped view of sin…
2. Their lack of love for others…
3. Their love for the world…
4. Their warped view of Jesus. 

John wrote that the one who doesn’t love abides in death.  He writes that the one who hates his brother is a murderer, and no murderer has life abiding in him.  He writes that those that deny God’s testimony about Jesus do not have life.  When you look at the false teachers and connect the dots, we see that this sin that leads to death is this:  the rejection of the work and person of Jesus.  It’s a rejection of the purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection; it’s a rejection of a Jesus’ humanity; it’s a rejection of Jesus’ deity.  When one rejects the biblical view of Jesus, their view of sin changes; how they live changes; how they treat others changes.  A rejection of Jesus as revealed in the Bible leads to a spiritual state of abiding in death.

John says we can have confidence in anything we ask of God, specifically when we ask on behalf of Christians who sin, but not in the manner of the false teachers.  John also says that he doesn’t recommend that we make request on behalf of those who sin in the manner of the false teachers.  John now refers to this High Priestly Prayer of Jesus.  In that prayer, Jesus prays in John 17:9, “I ask on their [the disciples'] behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours…”  John had classified the false teachers as being “of the world” earlier in his letter.  He doesn’t recommend that we pray for people who utterly reject the person and work of Jesus because we wouldn’t be praying like Jesus!  Look at what the author of Hebrews 6:4-6 writes,

 

For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. 

The Jesus of history and Scripture was dead to the false teachers.  Therefore, their fate was sealed.

 

John concludes his letter with more references to the prayer of Jesus.  He parallels this prayer by stating what we–the apostles–know.  All of these things are found in Jesus’ prayer in John 17:

1. No one who is born of God sins (habitually).
2. God keeps them–protects them–from Satan.
3. Jesus has come.
4. God has given them understanding to know that Jesus is true.

John closes the letter like He opens it–by stating his authority as an apostle, based on what he saw and experienced with Jesus.  He then makes one of the clearest references to the deity of Jesus in the Bible:  this is the true God and eternal life.

 

John’s final statement is both command and warning to his readers to protect themselves from idols–and not just obvious false gods (for the Ephesians, the most obvious false god was Diana, to whom there was a temple and mass cult following), but mainly false representations of Jesus like the false teachers were peddling.  If they did that, and thus stayed true to Jesus and gospel, they could have confidence that their faith was sabotage proof.

How we can apply it…
Plain and simple:  stay true to the Jesus of Scripture–the Son of God who put skin on, who lived the life we could not live (a life without sin) so that He could die the death we should have died (on the cross, taking God’s punishment in our place and off of us, for our sins), and was raised again from death, sealing the ultimate victory over Satan, sin, and death.  When someone rejects the Jesus of Scripture, they start to have a warped view of sin, they start to treat others differently, they start to live selfishly.

We need to be discerning about the things we hear, read, and see about Jesus.  Not all of them are true.  Many of them distort who Jesus really is.  That means getting to know Jesus through the Bible, and being a discerning reader/watcher/listener. 

If we’ll do these things, we’ll develop confidence in Jesus and assurance of eternal life.  If we’ll guard our faith, we’ll have a guaranteed future.

Video link:  Sabotage–Confidence in Jesus:  Sabotage Proof

Wednesday Extravaganza: Sabotage–Confidence in Jesus: Faithful Obedience (12 of 13)

1 John 5:1-12
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.  For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.  Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood.  It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.  For there are three that testify:  the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.  If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son.  The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.  And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

Background
The false teachers that John confronts showed that they didn’t love God because they didn’t keep His commandments–they didn’t believe in Jesus as the Christ, they didn’t believe that Jesus came in the flesh, and they didn’t love the other members of the church.  John now specifically attacks the key tenets of one strain of the false teachers–the followers of Cerinthus, who believed that the man Jesus was distinct from the Christ spirit.  They believed that the Christ spirit came upon the man Jesus at Jesus’ baptism, but departed from Jesus before Jesus’ death on the cross.  John’s counter-argument:  God’s testimony through the Holy Spirit and both the baptism and death of Jesus proves that Jesus is the Christ and has always been the Christ.  Because of their false teaching, the false teachers didn’t have eternal life, because they had rejected God’s testimony about Jesus.

What it means…
John continues his assault on the false teachers by bluntly stating that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ are born of God, and they also love God by loving others who have been born of God.  When we keep God’s commandments (and the commandment John emphasizes throughout his letter–believe in Jesus, love others), we show that we really love God.

John says that God’s commands aren’t burdensome.  Religion is very heavy.  Religion says that we must keep a list of rules perfectly so that God will love us–and the rules are always revealed to be man-made.  That’s a very heavy load to carry, and can lead to doubt about one’s relationship with God, and also to legalism–making sure others are abiding by our rules.  God’s commands, however, aren’t heavy.  Jesus Himself said that His load was easy and light to carry.  It’s the burden of grace, made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection–He’s already done the work for us, and God loves us anyway, in spite of what we’ve done.

Those who are born of God overcome the world (anything temporary that stands between us and God–John referred earlier to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, things which are passing away with the world) do so by their faith in Jesus–the Son of God.  John now refers to the testimony of God in real-time history to strike a blow to the false teachers.  He says that Jesus came by “water and blood… not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood.”  Scholars have puzzled over this statement for centuries, but most likely John is referring to Jesus’ baptism and death–two verifiable events in history that John was an eyewitness to.  The false teachers believed that Jesus came by water only–at His baptism, they claim that the Christ spirit descended upon him, but left him before his death.  John says their view is completely false–Jesus has always been the Christ.  His baptism and death show this, and the Holy Spirit (who is characterized by truth) testifies to this as well.  The Holy Spirit empowered everything Jesus did.  The Holy Spirit also inspired the authors of the Bible–in the Old Testament, those who wrote and spoke prophetically about Jesus; in the New Testament, the apostles and their close associates who wrote the New Testament, including John.  Take those three things together, and one can see God’s testimony that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of  God come in the flesh.  The false teachers didn’t believe this, and thus John says that they were calling God a liar because they didn’t believe His testimony concerning Jesus.  Therefore, they didn’t have eternal life as the Christians who believed God’s testimony concerning Jesus did.

How we can apply it…
It has become fashionable for nonbelievers to assault the intelligence of believers concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus–they claim we have no proof.  John would disagree–and so would God.  God’s testimony about Jesus is grounded in history.  His baptism and His death/resurrection are the bookends of his ministry on earth.  Those things show that he is the Christ.  Scholars who are very reputable have shown that the resurrection of Jesus is one of the best attested facts of ancient history.  The question for is is this:  will we believe God’s testimony?

For those of us who are still checking out Christianity, we need to check out the evidence.  Start with the source material–the gospels (the biographies of Jesus in the Bible, which are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).  There are also other resources by reputable authors and scholars that you can check out that show the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, which validates every claim He made in the Bible.  Check out the evidence, and then think about what it would mean for you to become a Christian–a follower of Jesus.

For those of us who are already following Jesus, let’s ask ourself a question:  what parts of our life are we allowing the world to overcome us?  Are there areas of our life that we’re not allowing Jesus to change?  Sure there are.  We need to identify those areas, repent, seek God’s forgiveness, and allow Jesus to change us in those areas.  It means being accountable to our church community; it may also mean seeking help from professionals who are equipped to help you deal with certain problems.  No matter what, we need to continue to keep God’s command–to believe in the Jesus of the Bible, and love each other as Jesus loved us:  sacrificially.

Wednesday Extravaganza: Click the link!

I accidentally posted the stuff for today last Wednesday, so click here to see the post.

Wednesday Extravaganza: Sabotage–Confidence in Jesus: Love (11 of 13)

1 John 4:7-21
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.  By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.  We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.  We love, because He first loved us.  If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.  And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

Background
John now rounds third base and heads for home in his epistle by focusing even more on Jesus.  In this section, John focuses again on love.  The false teachers were characterized by their lack of love for Jesus, which resulted in their lack of love for other people, specifically the Christians in the Ephesian churches.  By showing the nature of God’s love and how it leads to our love for Him and others, John begins to hammer the final nails into the coffin of the false teachers.

What it means…
Immediately, John encourages his readers again to love each other.  The reason–love is from God.  If a person claims to be a Christian verbally and loves others practically and sacrificially, it’s a tell-tale sign that they really are following Jesus, that they really have been “born again”, that they really are being transformed by Jesus.  Those who do not love–specifically the false teachers and those who’ve fallen for their deceitful doctrines–don’t really know God, because God is love:  He is characterized by perfect, boundless love.  The proof of God’s love:  Jesus, specifically His death on the cross.  John again mentions that Jesus is the propitiation (the offering that removes wrath) for our sins.  God loved us so much that He sacrificed Jesus on the cross, where He focused all of His wrath on Jesus.  The practical application–if God loved us that much, we need to love others in the same manner.

If we love each other practically and sacrificially, then God’s love is perfected–and John probably means both God’s love for us (the cross’ transforming power on our lives) and our love for God (when we love others, it shows that we love God).  When we love others and believe the correct things about Jesus, it does several things.  First, it shows that we’re abiding in God and that God abides in us.  Second, it produces confidence for the day of judgment, when we’ll stand before God and give an account for our lives.  Why does this happen?  Because when we love others, we’re reflecting Him–as He is (love) so we are in this world (we love others).  This confidence and love throws fear of judgment out the window.  John then wraps up his argument by stating that we love because God loved us first.  Love comes from God.  The ability to love comes from God.

John then issues another indictment of the false teachers.  They claimed to love God, but they hated their brothers.  John reasoning is clear–how can you love a God you can’t see when you hate a brother who’s standing right next to you who you can see?  You can’t.  God’s command is clear–if you love God, you must love others, too.

How we can apply it…
The application is pretty straightforward:  love others.  If we claim to love God, then we need to love others.

Start at home:  how can you love your spouse more than through words?  How can you love your kids more than through words?  Next, move to the workplace:  how can you love your co-workers instead of simply tolerating them?  Think about your neighbors:  how can you love them (some of us would have to admit that we need to get to know them first).  What about our church communities:  how can we love other people in our church–both who are following Jesus and who are exploring the possibility of following Jesus?

This means “going the extra mile.”  It means admitting when we’re wrong and seeking forgiveness.  It means doing more even when we don’t feel like it.  It means checking our ego at the door and putting the interests and needs of others first.  No matter what we do, it won’t compare with the lengths Jesus went to show He loved us–the cross.  What we must do is reflect the cross in our lives on an everyday basis.

Wednesday Extravaganza: Sabotage–Sabotage Prevention: Discernment (10 of 13)

For those of you who were expecting this post yesterday, sorry!  It’s been a packed out week…

1 John 4:1-6

Beloved, do not believer every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  By this you know the Spirit of God:  every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.  You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.  They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.  We are from God; we who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us.  By this we know the spirit of truth from the spirit of error.

Background
John takes time in this section to contrast himself and his fellow apostles (the rest of the 12 who were with Jesus during his time on earth, and the apostle Paul) with the false teachers who were sabotaging Jesus.  This section focuses on the differences in their messages about Jesus. 

What it means…
John transitions from his previous section–which he ended by mentioning the Holy Spirit, who lives in every Christian–by encouraging his readers not to accept every message they hear about Jesus without examining it first.  If someone says that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, then they’re teaching the correct message (it agrees with the message of the apostles–see 1 John 5:6).  If someone says that Jesus isn’t the Christ, or that He didn’t come in the flesh, then they’re teaching falsehood.  They have the spirit of the antichrist–they stand in opposition to Jesus.  John reassures his readers that they have overcome the false teachers, because God (specifically the Holy Spirit) is in them–and He is greater than the false teachers.  John then contrasts the false teachers with himself and the other apostles (who have by this time all died, but their message lived on in Scripture).  The false teachers are from the world, but the apostles are from God.  Those who choose to listen to the false teachers are in error.  Those who choose to listen to John and the other apostles are in the truth.

How we can apply it…
Like John’s original readers, we, too, are to examine every message we hear about Jesus before accepting it.  Just because someone has a particular title or a fancy TV show with a gold throne and wife who looks like she lost a paintball battle doesn’t mean we should automatically accept what they say about Jesus.  The criteria we’re to use is the message of the apostles–which we find in the Bible.  They were eyewitnesses to Jesus, they learned from Jesus, and they were empowered by Jesus.  Therefore, we should listen to them and use their message as a filter to everything else we hear about Jesus.

There are many different messages about Jesus that are sabotage.  They range from relatively minor error (the prosperity gospel–you can have perfect health, wealth, and relationships now.  This mistakes future promise for present reality, and can lead to disillusionment) to major errors that question the deity of Jesus, the humanity of Jesus, the reason for His death, and the nature of His resurrection (the same errors of the false teachers that John confronted in his letter). 

The only way we can discern between what is true and what is garbage is to regularly read our Bibles.  The more we read and study them, the more familiar we become with the message of the Bible; the more familiar we become with the person, character, and work of Jesus; the more able we are to discern between truth and error.

So let’s read our Bibles more regularly and more intentionally.

Wednesday Extravaganza: Sabotage–Sabotage Prevention: Selflessness (9 of 13)

1 John 3:10-24

By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.  For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.  Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.  We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.  Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.  We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?  Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.  We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.  Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.  This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.  The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him.  We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Background
The false teachers that John confronts in this letter lived selfish lives.  They did not sacrificially love those the Christians they were trying to deceive.  John says that people belong in one of two groups–they’re either children of God or children of the devil.  The false teachers, because of their obvious selfishness, were of the devil–their lives were much more in character with the devil than with God.  John now shows his readers how to prevent the sabotage of their faith by preventing selfishness with selflessness.

What it means…
John has just told his readers that Jesus came to destroy–to render null and void–the works of the devil.  He now says it is abundantly clear which group that people in the church belong to:  if they claim to be a Christian and practice righteousness (their character is defined by a life that reflects Jesus), then they’re a child of God.  But if they claim to be a Christian, but their lives are characterized by hatred (a lack of sacrificial love) for other Christians, then they are children of the devil.  John references the Old Testament account of Cain to illustrate his point about selfish hatred.  Cain was a child of the devil because he murdered his brother Abel.  God had told the brothers what to sacrifice–a blood sacrifice.  Abel, in faith, obeyed God and sacrificed lambs from his flock.  Cain, however, ignored God’s directions and brought and offering of fruit from his garden.  God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, but rejected Cains, and with a warning about the danger of sin.  Cain allowed this rejection to spur bitterness and hatred, which led him to slaughter his brother.  Hatred takes life.  John equates hatred with murder.  Those (specifically the false teachers) who selfishly hate their brothers, are murderers and, in John’s words, abide in death (this will be very important at the end of the book), having no eternal life in them.

Jesus, however, showed us a better way–the best way.  By giving His life for us, he showed us the antithesis to hatred–sacrificial love.  While hatred takes life, love gives life.  It isn’t just in grand ways–like dying for our faith.  It’s in giving life in small ways, like providing for those in need.  When we have the world’s goods, and provide them to those who do not have them, we’re giving life to them.  Therefore, we need to love not just with words, but with actions. 

When we love others like Jesus loved us, it assures our hearts before God.  At times, we may have times of doubt about our relationship with God.  When we love others–when we give life–it is a confidence booster.  Even when our hearts still doubt, God is greater than our doubts.  When we keep His commands and love others, we can pray with confidence and for that confidence, and God will grant it to us.  That’s God’s command to us–that we believe in Jesus as He is revealed to us in the Bible, and love each other sacrificially and selflessly.  If we do these things, we’ll be guarding our faith, and have confidence in a guaranteed future because we’ll abide in Him and He’ll abide in us through the Holy Spirit.

How we can apply it…
Applying this section boils down to this:  are we selfish or selfless?  Do we love others sacrificially and selflessly, thus giving life or do we withhold love from others (which is the same as murderous hate) and thus take life from them?  We must look for ways and opportunities to love each other and those outside the church, thus giving them life.  What are some ways you can love your family, and thus give of your life?  What are some ways you can love your church community, and thus give of your life?  What are some ways you can love those you want to introduce to Jesus, and thus give of your life as Jesus gave his life?  We must love with more than words–we must love with action.  We must love with our lives.

Video Link:  Sabotage Prevention–Selflessness

Wednesday Extravaganza: Sabotage–Life Transformation (8 of 13)

1 John 3:4-9
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.  And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.  No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.  Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.  The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.  No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Background
John has referred to the Christian’s future hope (Jesus’ return) to motivate his readers to live a life that reflects Jesus.  Now he “turns back the clock” and uses Jesus’ first appearing, specifically His death, to motivate them to living a Christ-reflecting life.  The false teachers tried to separate what was done with the physical body from one’s spiritual standing with God.  In other words, eat, drink, and be merry, for it really doesn’t effect the “spiritual you.”  John now points back to the purpose of Jesus’ first appearing to crush this sabotage.

What It Means…
Having told his readers that their hope in Jesus’ return must motivate them to purify themselves, John now “flips the coin”:  everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness.  In other words, those (namely, the false teachers and those who followed them) whose lives are characterized, not by Christ-reflecting living, but by sinful living are lawless–they’re rebelling against God.  John says that the purpose of Jesus’ first coming was to take away sin, which He did on the cross.  If that’s the case (and it is), then those who stay true to Jesus do not practice sin–their lives are being transformed.  Those who’s lives show absolutely no evidence of life transformation don’t really know Him.

John then restates his argument, but from a slightly different angle.  The false teachers were trying to deceive the Christians–it doesn’t really matter what you do with your body.  John warns them to ignore those false teachings.  The truth is this–if you’re life is characterized by righteousness, then you’re reflecting Jesus.  It does matter what you do with your body!  He goes on to say that those who claim to be Christians but whose lives are characterized by sin, they’re living Satan-reflecting lives–their character is more in line with the devil than with Jesus!  The purpose of Jesus’ first appearing was to destroy–to render null and void, to render ineffective–the works of the devil.  Therefore, what’s the point of living a life that reflects the devil?  None!  John then reminds his readers that they have a new nature–those who are born of God do not practice sin because they are born of God.  Their new nature helps them to battle sin–and if they do sin (and they will), they have a defense lawyer with God, Jesus Christ the righteous one.

How We Can Apply It…
First, we need to be honest with ourselves:  do our lives reflect Jesus or Satan–are our lives characterized more by transformation or rebellion?  Life transformation is different for each person.  Some people seem to instantly give up old sinful habits; some seem to instantly desire the things of God.  Other people, it’s much more gradual… they seem to take baby steps in their pursuit of God.  Start by evaluating your life as a Christian so far:  are you more like Jesus now than you were before?  In some areas of your life, yes (even if just a little), in other areas, maybe not so much.  Ask another person if they see a difference in you.

Secondly, spend some time really reflecting on what Jesus’ death and resurrection means for your life.  This text in 1 John is good to reflect on, as is Romans 6:1-14, which talks about us no longer being slaves to sin, but slaves to Jesus.  Let the crucifixion really sink in–Jesus died for my sins.  Visualize your sins as nailing Jesus to the cross.  Visualize your sins as being nailed to the cross.  Let the resurrection really sink in–Jesus was raised from the dead, which gives me hope.  Jesus beat death.  Now, I can be like Jesus.

Finally, assess what areas of your life are characterized by transformation, and what areas of your life are still characterized by rebellion.  Spend time praying about them, seeking God’s forgiveness and accepting it.  Then, carry out an action plan for dealing with those rebellious areas of life.  Don’t try to do it on your own–enlist the help of people in your church.  If necessary, seek professional help for things that are beyond the expertise of those in your church.  Always remember that you have a defense lawyer before God–Jesus.  He alone gets your right with God; He alone keeps you right with God.

Wednesday Extravaganza: Sabotage–Righteousness and Hope (7 of 13)

1 John 2:28-3:3
And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.  If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.  See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are.  For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be.  We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Background
The false teachers John was confronting believed and taught things about Jesus that didn’t line up with the gospel.  It affected their lifestyle–they didn’t love others sacrificially, and they weren’t concerned with living a life that reflected Jesus.  John takes time to encourage his readers to stay true to Jesus, and in this section, he uses their hope in Jesus’ return as a motivation to stay true to Jesus in their beliefs about Him as well as motivation for living as God wants them to live.

What it means…
John encourges his readers to abide in Jesus–to stay true to the gospel.  As his readers would know, this includes their beliefs, how they live, and how they love others.  His motivating reason:  confidence in Jesus when He returns.  The false teachers would shrink back from Jesus in shame because of their twisted beliefs and lifestyles that were anything but Christ-like.  John tells his readers that a sure red flag to tell if those who claimed to be Christians actually were so–a life characterized by Christ-empowered change, a life characterized by righteousness.  John launches off the phrase “born of God” to talk about how great God’s love is.  It’s so tremendous that Christians are called God’s children.  He goes on to say that it doesn’t make sense to those outside the church in the world.  Why should it?  They didn’t know Jesus. 

John then goes into the hope that Christians have.  We don’t know exactly what our existence will be like (as Paul makes clear in 1 Corinthians 15, we’ll have new bodies), but we’ll be like Jesus is now.  That hope is a huge motivation for allowing Jesus to change our lives.  That hope motivates us to purify ourselves as He is pure–to live a life that kills sin and replaces it with Christ-like living.

How we can apply it…
We need to take time to think about the eternal hope we have in Jesus–a hope that includes freedom from sin, death, illness, and pain.  As we think about that hope, it must motivate us to examine our lives to see what parts are still not like Jesus.  So take some time to dream–what are you looking forward to most about eternity?  Let that hope move you to look at your life.  Which parts need purifying?  Which parts still need to be turned over to God?  What is your action plan for dealing with those areas of life that need purifying?

Also, are we confident in Jesus’ return, or are we scared?  The entire point of John’s letter is that we can have confidence in Jesus–including His return.  Again, look at your life.  Are you purifying yourself–are you killing the sin in your life, are you replacing it with Christ-like habits?  Are you trusting God’s grace and forgiveness?  Are you living in such a way that shows gratefulness for God’s grace–loving other people sacrificially, living righteously, and clinging to the hope we have in Jesus for eternity?  Are you abiding in Jesus?  If so, you can be assured and confident about your relationship with Jesus.

Video Link:  Sabotage 7–Righteousness and Hope

Wednesday Extravaganza: Check Back Next Week…

Our church’s Network Celebration is this coming Sunday, which means our Sabotage series will continue the week after that.  So check back next Wednesday, when we’ll continue our Wednesday extravaganza.

Wednesday Extravaganza: Sabotage–Character Assassination (6 of 13)

1 John 2:18-27
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour.  They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for it they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.  But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.  I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.  Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?  This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.  Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.  As for you, let that abide in you which you have heard from the beginning.  If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.  And this is the promise which He Himself made to us:  eternal life.  These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.  And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

Background
John writes with urgency as he exposes the core of the rotten doctrine of the false teachers he is confronting.  He shows his readers that the false teachers are antichrists–they stand in opposition to Jesus.  There were apparently claiming that a person could know God through their “secret knowledge”, which either gave no place to Jesus or saw Jesus as unimportant.  John urges them to hold on to the original gospel message that was preached to them–that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was crucified for their sins, was buried, and was raised physically from the dead.  The reason it is so important to stay true to the gospel message is this:  eternity hangs in the balance.

What It Means…
John urgently points out to the churches in Ephesus the red flags that show that the false teachers stood in opposition to Jesus (thus, he calls them antichrists).  First, they left the church over doctrinal differences.  If they really were followers of Jesus, they would have stuck around and would have conformed their beliefs to the gospel.  Instead, they took their false beliefs and left the church, attempting to take others with them.  Second, they denied that Jesus was the Christ–they were assassinating His character.  This was a direct blow on the false teaching of Cerinthus, who taught the false doctrine that Jesus and the Christ were two separate beings.  So, if they’ve left the church because of a dispute over the nature of the gospel (and they did), and if they deny that Jesus is the Christ (and they did), then it is abundantly clear that the false teachers really don’t know God and really are not Christians, because they have denied the core of the gospel message.  One cannot claim to know God, deny Jesus, and be a Christian.

John encourages them, telling his readers that they know the truth about Jesus, and that eternity hangs in the balance.  The anointing from God–the Holy Spirit–taught them all things, and did so in truth.  Therefore, the Christians that were under pressure to abandon Jesus from the false teachers could stay true to the gospel.  They knew the red flags that identified the false teachers as standing opposed to Jesus, and they had the true message about Jesus which they had heard and known since the beginning of their faith journey.  Therefore, they need to continue to stay true to the gospel, in their beliefs and reflecting it in their lives.

How We Can Apply It…
Filter what you hear about Jesus.  There’s a lot of garbage being spread around about Jesus in our culture.  Just because someone says something about Jesus–a TV talking head, a preacher, a friend, a documentary–doesn’t make it true.  Read, watch, and listen critically.  What is our criteria for filtering what we hear about Jesus?

The Bible–read it.  The Bible is about Jesus.  The only way we can get to know Jesus is if we read the Bible, and do so regularly.  Reading the Bible is exercise for the mind and soul–the more regularly you “exercise” through the reading of the Bible, the more benefits you’ll get from it.  Don’t expect to be able to filter what you hear about Jesus if you’re not getting to know Him.  Get the info from the main source–the Bible.

Stay true to the gospel, both in your beliefs and in your life.  Jesus is God in the flesh who was crucified for our sins and was raised physically from the dead.  His death and resurrection secured God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness.  Jesus gets us right with God.  Jesus keeps us right with God.  The gospel is about one thing:  JESUS.  We must stay true to the Bible’s teaching about Jesus, and we must reflect Jesus in our lives–in what we know, what we say, what we do, and how we live… in every aspect of our life.

Video Link:  http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=26887429