5.7K
Downloads
345
Episodes
Where music, worship, family and fun collide.
Episodes
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
AUGUST 18 = 2 PETER 1
BECOMING EFFECTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE
Today we arrive at the second epistle of Peter, once again written to the church at large, rather than to a particular congregation. Therefore, the letter is known by the name of the author, rather than the location or name of the recipient. And, true to his form in the first letter, Peter is very practical and mature in his advice.
Remember, Peter is in prison in Rome, knowing that he will soon be executed by the emperor Nero. We are still prior to the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, but clearly things are not going well for believers in Jesus. Yet Peter is so completely convinced of the divinity of Jesus and the reality of the resurrection that he unflinchingly writes encouraging words of hope and love.
Remember, as well, Peter is an older man now, and as such he has gained some of the wisdom that comes from experience in the ways of the Lord. So when Peter talks about maturity, and when he talks about being effective and productive, we would be wise to learn from him. So, let us sit at the feet of this godly saint, this personal eyewitness, and learn from the Spirit who guides his writing.
“For this very reason, …
What is the reason? It is because God has given us everything we need for a godly life, and he has given us very great and precious promises, so that we may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world. Because of our deliverance and our available tools, Peter is giving us the next step.
“…make every effort to add to your faith …”
Don’t just do this halfway. Make every effort. Maturity does not come automatically. This is a top priority to reach your potential in Christ. So you believe in Christ. Now add to your faith these qualities:
“…goodness; …”
Do you know anyone who you would say is a “good” person? What does that mean to you? Honesty? Integrity? Love? Care for others? Responsibility? They are a good person. This is what we are to add to our faith. Becoming a good person. Doing what’s right. Speaking rightly. Loving truly. Serving well. Make every effort to become good.
“…and to goodness, knowledge; …”
Make every effort to add knowledge to your goodness. Notice that knowledge does not come first. First comes faith, then character. As we grow, we make sure that we are centered in truth, not just in good intentions. Now we study Scripture. We read books. We learn the facts and memorize the words. We learn the ways of the Lord.
“…and to knowledge, self-control;…”
Remember how self-control was the primary focus for young men, as well as being part of the agenda for all the other groups? Be sure as you grow in doctrine that you don’t become one of “those” Christ followers, with easy answers and quick judgment of others. Or that you are a person whose beliefs are not matched by their behavior. It takes self-control to keep your temper, to watch your tongue, to curb your desires, to say no to your flesh. So make every effort to add self-control to your life.
“… and to self-control, perseverance; …”
Especially in that era of persecution, the quality of perseverance was essential. But it is true today just as well. We have been adding qualities to our faith, not one quality at a time, but adding each one to the stack that we already have. That means that it is necessary to not give up or give in, but to keep persevering in our every effort. Others will not like what we are becoming. Some will oppose the truth. We will grow tired of the work it takes to be making every effort to attend to our spiritual lives. All of this takes a large amount of perseverance.
“…and to perseverance, godliness; …”
I think of godliness and goodness as being pretty much the same. But they are listed separately, so one must be more mature and challenging than the other. Godliness is being like God, and all that his character demonstrates to us. Being godly is being loving, just, wise, controlled, generous, and holy. And the standard for godliness, of course, is God himself. So all qualities of godliness are on an infinite scale. So it is understandable that we need to make every effort to add godliness to our lives.
“…and to godliness, mutual affection; …”
We do not stop in our spiritual growth merely focused on self, no matter how godly we might become. The true mark of maturity is love. Make no mistake about it. The Greek word used here has to do with familial love, or the love between good friends. We mutually care for each other. We don’t just tolerate, but we enjoy. We know each other. We keep no secrets, but freely confess our sins to each other. We are available to help each other with our time, our finances, and our considerateness. We speak well of each other in front of others. We speak no unkind words, and we do nothing selfishly. This is a tall order, but it is a mark of maturity in Christ.
“…and to mutual affection, love.”
Did he just say mutual affection? Now he says love! This is a different word in Greek. It is the sacrificial word for love, agape. It is the love that Christ always used. It is more than affection, it is sacrifice. More than caring, it is serving. It is considering others to be more than family or friends, but to be above your own self. As we noted just above, love is the true mark of Christian maturity. When we learn to love, we have begun to become like Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for a friend.
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
And there it is. This is the list of seven characteristics of an effective and productive follower of Jesus. But note that we have not “arrived” when we have completed the list. They are to be our qualities “in increasing measure.” So we never stop adding all of these to our lives.
One more thing to notice here is that Peter used what we might call the “full name” of Jesus: The Lord Jesus Christ. He is “our.” We have chosen to follow and identify with him. He is “Lord.” The master and authority and boss of all there is. He is “Jesus.” The name means Jehovah is Salvation. He is “Christ.” That is to say he is the anointed one, the promised Messiah (the Hebrew word, rather than Greek “Christ.”)
May you and I possess these qualities in increasing measure, and may we be effective and productive in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
AUGUST 19 = 2 PETER 2
WE ARE ALL ENSLAVED
False teachers had infiltrated the church, and Peter gave a clear warning about them, going into quite some detail about the false teachers and their coming demise. One of the central false teachings was apparently a kind of grace-covers-all freedom. In reaction to Jewish laws, the false teachers swing the pendulum the other direction and proclaim that since we are not saved by works or by law, there is no standard for holiness. We are free!
It is into this moment that we step here.
“They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”
Doesn’t “freedom” sound like good news? We are free to do whatever we want, with whomever we choose, and there is no guilt, no shame, no condemnation. Who wouldn’t like to have that kind of freedom? It sounds like an adolescent youth who is breaking free from parental control.
Only one problem with that kind of freedom. There is no such thing. Much as we might want to imagine being totally free from guilt and being controlled by rules and laws, the truth is that we cannot avoid being controlled. It is a simple law of life.
Let’s say, for example, that you want to use your freedom to self medicate with some mood-enhancing drug. You buy some, you take it, and you relish in your freedom, as you feel sheer pleasure for the first time in a long time. But then you come back down. Now you have to buy more. But it doesn’t feel quite the same, so you find that your body has built a tolerance for the drug, and it takes more and more of it to produce less and less results. You are now officially an addict. That means you are a slave to what you have given your life over to do.
“By what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.” That is the law of life that cannot be broken. If you are overcome by sexual fantasies, or by binge-watching some show, or by anything that might be a relatively-innocent habit, then you are enslaved by whatever it is.
Your short cut in life that you imagine makes you the exception to the rules only goes to prove that you can’t break the rules. Speed limits are for others? Eat whatever you want? Relax and let others do the work for you? Always speak your mind? Sooner or later, such a false teaching becomes clear to everyone, including yourself.
Peter says this about those who are trying to be right with God but who are living for the world:
If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.”
The unbreakable law of life also applies to being a follower of Jesus, by the way. By whatever you are overcome, by this you are enslaved. If we are overcome by Jesus, so that he becomes lord of our life, then we are enslaved by him and his Spirit. By definition, a lord is over a slave, of course.
And yet, Jesus promises freedom. He says that he is the truth. He says the truth will set us free. And so we reach a paradox: the one who thought he was free is enslaved, and the one who willingly enslaves himself is free.
Trapped in an empty world of people running after nothing
For the fate of every man is to die
So let’s fill our cups and drink our wine
And make the best use of the time we have
For tomorrow we may all die
And you want freedom, like a bird in flight
You want to fly on the wing and go off into the night
But by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved
Enslaved
And how far do you have to go to reach the end? And hey, where you going?
And when you reach the end will it be that happy end you’re looking for?
And if you find the way will you let me know that day you find real peace inside?
Cause until that day I’m going stay here by God’s side
‘Cause I’ve got freedom like a bird in flight
And I cal fly on the wing and go off into the night
And by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.
So I’m enslaved.
But Jesus is the truth, and the truth will make you free
Like a bird on the wing or a sunset symphony
And if we come to him, his gift is free
And if the Son has set you free, you’re free indeed
And, it’s the strangest thing I’ve ever heard: a happy servant
How can a man enslaved be free and at peace with his lord?
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
FREEDOM
(Coming upon this Scripture in 1 Peter reminded me of a song I wrote and recorded back in 1980, when I was in college. So I pulled it out and recorded it, to be included with this day's podcast.)
Trapped in an empty world of people running after nothing
For the fate of every man is to die
So let’s fill our cups and drink our wine
And make the best use of the time we have
For tomorrow we may all die
And you want freedom, like a bird in flight
You want to fly on the wing and go off into the night
But by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved
Enslaved
And how far do you have to go to reach the end? And hey, where you going?
And when you reach the end will it be that happy end you’re looking for?
And if you find the way will you let me know that day you find real peace inside?
Cause until that day I’m going stay here by God’s side
‘Cause I’ve got freedom like a bird in flight
And I can fly on the wing and go off into the night
And by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.
So I’m enslaved.
But Jesus is the truth, and the truth will make you free
Like a bird on the wing or a sunset symphony
And if we come to him, his gift is free
And if the Son has set you free, you’re free indeed
And, it’s the strangest thing I’ve ever heard: a happy servant
How can a man enslaved be free and at peace with his lord?
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
AUGUST 20 = 2 PETER 3
JUST ONE MORE
I guess it is time to address this important topic again. It seems that Jesus, Paul, Peter and others in the New Testament declare that the coming of the Lord is at hand. These are the last days. The great and dreadful day of the Lord. The end of all things.
But then, even back in Peter’s day, there were doubters who came along, saying, “Where is this coming he promised?” They say, “Everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” And still today, we all wonder what happened to the coming that seemed to be so much at hand. How is this whole thing going to end? More importantly, when will it happen? And what, exactly, should we expect it to look like?
Indeed, why has that day that was so expected not happened? If the return of Jesus is any day now, why have we continued to count the days one at a time for all these thousands of years now? Did God forget? Did the prophets hear wrong? Is God actually in control of history? The doubts creep in and take hold.
In the midst of those doubts and questions, Peter gives this advice:
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.
This is probably the first thing for us to keep in mind: God is eternal, and an entire millennium is like a single day to him. So he is not confused, and he does not grow impatient, drumming his fingers on his desk as he tries to figure out how to solve the puzzle yet again. His reactions have not slowed over the years, so that he can’t make a decision. Something else must be at play.
Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. . . . “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, . . . ”
This is an amazing and beautiful truth. Could it be that God has been ready to pull the plug on history, but the reason it has not yet happened is because he is waiting on someone who is just on the verge of repentance? Though he has been waiting to execute justice and judgment against evil, he loves its victims too much to drop the hammer on the universe? Could it be that one soul is worth, not just more than many sparrows, but more than the entire world?
Two thousand years have come and gone—in heaven, just two days—
Generations come and go on earth—in heaven, it’s unchanged
But now the Judge has seen enough—he’s standing at the door
The patience of a holy God will bear his wrath no more
He signals to his captain, who gives the victory sign
Ten thousand soldiers draw their swords and mount their steeds to ride
The Lamb, who’s seated on the throne now stands to take his bride
Anticipating long this day to bring her to his side
He’s seen too much of war and hate, too much of sin and death
He readies for the signal as all heaven holds its breath
And as the trumpet starts to sound to give the victory cry
Again the Father raised his hand and a tear comes to his eye
As he says,
“Wait!
Just one more.
Let just one more precious child come home to call me Lord.
Let just one more person hear I’m not willing one should perish
So wait—wait for
Just one more
For two thousand years I’ve waited to avenge this world of blood
But two thousand years of waiting can’t decrease a Father’s love
There’s a soul that’s in the balance, one I’ve loved enough to win
I’m not willing one should perish, so let’s wait again for him
And wait…
Wait for…
Just one more…
One more…
Just one more.
Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
AUGUST 21 = 1 JOHN 1
WALKING IN THE LIGHT
The apostle John wrote starting with the big picture and then got to the particular details. Peter sort of wrote the other way around, starting with the practical application and then providing the big context to explain the WHY behind the WHAT. But John, his gospel begins with “In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God and the word was God.” It doesn’t get more big picture than that.
John’s first epistle opens in quite a similar way:
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.”
And soon John is declaring the big picture gospel.
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”
What does this mean that God is light? Remember back at creation, before it all started, darkness (which is a lack of light) hung over the face of the earth. Then God spoke, “Let there be light.” And light became, and God saw that the light was good, and he sided with the light. He identifies himself with the light, rather than the lack of light known as darkness.
Light then has to do with purity. Knowledge. Clear motives. Holiness. Truth. This is where God dwells. With whom there is no darkness at all.
“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.”
You cannot walk with God and have secrets, live a lie, be impure, give way to temptation, or any other human impurity, because God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.
There are some who claim to know God. But their personal lives are filled with things that they would be ashamed of if they were to stand before the judgment seat of God.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
This single verse of Scripture is one of the most packed verses in the Bible. Several details from this verse:
- We are to walk in the light, as he is in the light. Openness, faith, holiness, truth, and love. This is our calling. Don’t pretend you are already there, and so deceive yourself.
- Now, what does it mean to walk in the light? Does it mean that you live a perfect, sinless life? No. I’m afraid we still live on a fallen planet. It can be illustrated this way: walking IN the light really means you are walking TOWARD the light. On the moon, did you know that your shadow is absolute, because there is no atmosphere to dissipate light there. So if you are walking on the moon, make sure you are not walking toward your shadow at any given moment, because you will not be able to see whatever obstacles might be in your way. Instead, you always walk away from your shadow and toward the sun. I say this to say that walking in the darkness is not just a matter of being on the wrong side of the planet; it is facing the wrong direction wherever you are. So what’s the solution to walking in the darkness? Turn around! Walk in the direction of the light. The Bible word for turn around is REPENT! That’s what it means to walk in the light.
- We have fellowship with one another. Our relationships with each other are a major benefit of belonging to Christ. He teaches us by his spirit to love perfectly.
- And the blood of Jesus purifies us. Take note: we are not brought into right standing with God by the ethical teachings of Jesus, or by trying to imitate and follow him, or by his everlasting love. We are brought into relationship with the Father through the blood.
- Jesus’ blood purifies us from all sin. Well, not all sin, of course. No? Really? ALL sin? We’re not 85% clean before the Lord? A B+ in holiness this week.
- And notice this: his blood PURIFIES us. That is a present tense verb, which in Greek is a continuous action participle. In other words, a better translation of this would be “the blood of Jesus is continually purifying us from every kind of sin.” I’m saying that as a Christian you can’t stack two sins back to back, because as soon as you do the first, it is already forgiven. THAT’S good news!
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
1 John 1:8 NIV
We are back to the denial stage of repentance. Rather than turning around as we walk away from the light, we simply deny that we have a shadow, or that there are obstacles in our way. I’m good enough, we say. That’s because we compare ourselves to other people we know, and we think we stack up pretty well. But if we begin to think or to say that we have no sin in our lives, we are lying to ourselves. Instead, we must do as verse 9 says:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 NIV
It’s another of those exceedingly rich verses, packed with meaning.
- We confess our sins. Not just we realize we are not without sin. No, we say it. Out loud. To someone. This is a time for humble confession, not generalizations.
- What’s more, we confess our own sins. Not someone else’s. And no excuses. I sinned, because someone made it hard for me, or I accidentally made a misjudgment, or I was angry and so I did something wrong. I sinned.
- Also notice that we confess SINS not just a sin. Our many sins we begin to list, starting with the worst ones that bring you the most shame. Go ahead and start your list. God has all the time in the world.
- God is faithful and just. He is both of those qualities, which is important. He is faithful to you. He will not turn away from you because that particular sin was too bad for him. No. He is faithful to you. He is also just, meaning that he always does what is right, rather than ignoring justice. And a just God sees the blood of Jesus, not an unforgivable sin. And the blood covers every sin. Every one. Therefore, God holds no grudges and never has a bad day.
- He forgives us our sins. It is forgiven. Forgotten. Tomorrow you do the same sin again, and you come to him and say, “Remember that sin I did yesterday? I did it again.” And God replies, “what sin?”
- And as before notice he forgives our SINS, not just the one that we are confessing at the moment. He doesn’t have some checklist to say I’ll forgive the first three, but not that next one.
- And he will purify us from all unrighteousness. Remember how just two verses ago the word “purify” was in present tense, being a continuous action? This time we see the word purify, but it is in aorist tense. We don’t really have aorist tense in English, but that tense is like a snapshot that happens right now—oops! Now it is in past tense. As the present tense becomes past tense, it has this moment. We are passing a sign on the highway…right…NOW…now we have passed it and it is behind us. This is a marvelous distinction for us, as great as the last continuous purifies us was good news. In this case, God will purify us. He’s doing it…now it’s done. Never to be done again. It is always past. You are purified before God. And NOW you are still purified. And NOW…same thing. It is not a long process. It is a snapshot.
- And need I point out that the purification is of ALL unrighteousness? There is no sin too bad to be purified. No sin. We need not be ashamed; once we have confessed and the blood of Jesus has covered us, we are clean of even the worst of the worst. Amen.
Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
AUGUST 22 = 1 JOHN 2
ATONEMENT
How could God do all of this forgiving? Especially considering that he is just, how can his justice be served by a simple confession? For that, we jump to chapter 2.
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
1 John 2:1-2 NIV
Jesus is our advocate with the Father. Like our defense attorney, he represents our interests before the Father. He can do that, first of all, because he is THE…RIGHTEOUS…ONE. The only person who was ever sinless. He earned a voice with his Father on our behalf.
But there’s more to it than that. Jesus is the ATONING SACRIFICE for our sins. As with the Old Testament animals, offered as a sacrifice to bear the sin of people in their innocence, and by their blood to pay the price of death that was owed by the sinful person. It was ATONEMENT. You can break the word down to AT-ONE-MENT. We become reconciled to God, made at one again, by the blood of Jesus. That was the role of the sacrifice he made for us. It’s like we were given the death penalty for our crime, but Jesus volunteered to die in our place. That satisfies the court, and we are at one with the ones who determine guilt.
But it’s not just us, the Jews, or the lifelong believers, or the good people. It is the sins of the WHOLE WORLD. There is no person too far enslaved, no sin too deep, no person irretrievable. Jesus did the work of his death to cover every sin for all history by every soul on earth.
And THAT, my friends, is GOOD NEWS! John said it all, starting with the BIG picture, and then going into small specific details. And now it is your turn to tap into that good news. It can be as fast as turning around, which is the word ‘repent’. It can be as simple as confessing your sins to someone. It can be as simple as being dunked in the water—we call that word baptized—to show that you are renouncing your life and becoming born again into Jesus Christ. And then you are in the family of the forgiven, the pure, the reconciled. How does that sound to you? And now, here is water, what keeps you from being baptized?
Thursday Aug 25, 2022
Thursday Aug 25, 2022
AUGUST 23 = 1 JOHN 3
HOW WE KNOW THAT WE BELONG
On Sundays, we gather and we sing and we declare that we belong to a kingdom that is not of this world. Yet, on the weak days, many of us have lingering doubts about our standing before God. Maybe it feels like we’re not good enough, or that we don’t pray enough. Maybe it’s been years since we invited someone else to be saved. Maybe that’s because we’re not so sure it’s for everyone. Including, perhaps, ourselves.
Today, John is going to tell us how to know that we belong to the truth and how we can set our hearts at rest in his presence. Does that sound like a good thing to know?
“This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence:
Great! Tell us, John, how do we know for certain that we belong to the truth? How do we once and for all set our hearts at rest in God’s presence?
If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
Thank you, John. I think I just heard you say that if my heart doesn’t condemn me, I am in the clear.
But, wait a minute! Or are you saying that we know we belong only if our hearts don’t condemn us? If so, that is not of much help.
Let me get the whole sentence here. Is John saying even if we feel condemned in our hearts, that is not relevant, because it’s not a matter of our own judgment, but of God’s judgment of us? That sounds better. But how do I know if God condemns me or not?
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, …
This sounds helpful. If my heart does not condemn me, then I am confident that when I ask God to forgive me, he will do it. Are there any conditions we need to know that might limit this wonderful free pass?
“…because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. …”
Oh, no! This doesn’t seem helpful at all! My heart doesn’t condemn me because I keep his commands and I do what pleases him? Now I truly despair, because I know that no has kept the ten commandments, and my holiest days are still full of disobedience and sin. I’m back to confusion again. What commands is he talking about?
“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them.”
There apparently is just one or two commands that John is actually talking about here. Believe in Jesus. Love one another. In other words, my good standing with God is not based on me doing good things, but in accepting the free gift of forgiveness that comes from his Son, Jesus Christ. I nearly gave up when I was just covering these verses one sentence at a time. But now I think I’m seeing what John is saying: I know that I at right with God because I trust in the blood of Jesus to cover me. So now how my heart feels is no more of an issue. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!
And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”
So, we come to the bottom line of this matter of knowing that you know that you know that you are right with God: Listen to the Spirit that He gave you. The Spirit will tell you that you belong because you believe. The Spirit will tell you that you are not perfect, and you never were, but you have taken God at his word and put your trust in him. The Spirit will tell you that he is God’s gift to you, not something that you earned by being good enough.
The fact that the Spirit is there speaking in the first place tells us that he lives in us. Otherwise, we would have no comfort, for the Spirit is the comforter. We would have no help, for the Spirit is the helper. We would have no counsel from God, for the Spirit is the counselor. The Spirit is the one who distributes spiritual gifts from the Father and who makes him known to our hearts.
So, I know that I belong because the Spirit confirms that I am right with God. I am trusting in the blood of Jesus. That’s all I can do. That’s all I need to do. I am his, and he is mine, forever.
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! Amen.
Thursday Aug 25, 2022
Thursday Aug 25, 2022
AUGUST 24 = 1 JOHN 4
TEST THE SPIRITS
It seems to have been regular practice in the early church for two or three prophets to speak, or you might say for two or three members to prophesy. Most house churches did not have a full-time paid preacher, as we might expect today. And following synagogue practice, they would have a more open teaching tradition.
Given that culture of open-pulpit teaching, it is no surprise that the early church would have a challenge in letting those people speak. The problem is, sometimes a person would speak words from the Holy Spirit, and right after that person, another could speak and contradict or give false teaching. And without a New Testament to measure such teaching, it was a special challenge to recognize when someone might be a false teacher or false prophet.
That might provide a context for John’s instruction here:
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
John’s instruction is still valid for today, of course. People say they have a word from the Lord for you, and you hear them out. But just saying that it is a word from the Lord don’t make it so, ya know. Sometimes, people will use a so-called revelation as their excuse and means of manipulating others.
I have a joke that I think of from time to time, but have almost never actually said it. It goes like this: “I was praying for you yesterday, and I think you should…” It’s too subtle to say it out loud, really. But the joke is that I “imply” that God told me something, simply because I mentioned praying for you. But the punch line actually says, “I think you should.”
But what I am saying is this exact practice. If I say what I think, nobody listens to me. If I say that God told me this or that, then they are not just ignoring me; they are ignoring God himself!
So, John says, we need to test every spirit. Every teaching. Every sermon. Every announcement. And especially future-predicting prophecies. You can’t prove that it won’t happen, until it does or doesn’t. So we must test the spirits.
But how do we test the spirits?
“This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, …”
Of course, our primary test for any new prophet is to compare the teaching with the words of Scripture. God does not contradict himself. He doesn’t change. If it is not true in Scripture, it simply cannot be true in our present day.
The test that John directs is whether the person who is speaking acknowledges Jesus Christ as being God. That’s a good starting point.
The idea that all roads lead to heaven is quite attractive, especially if you want to attract a lot of people to your message. You can even say that Jesus was a great teacher, or that Jesus was one of the messiahs or prophets who have come along over the years. It sort of sounds like you are in agreement that Jesus is significant, and you are not against his message.
You can even refer to the “spirit of Jesus” being in various contemporary prophets who continue in his general ways. But in truth, you don’t believe that Jesus is THE son of God, come in the flesh, who died for our sins and rose again, and is the ONLY way to salvation. Now, THAT is a very limited message that does not win you friends and a wide following.
but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.
This is a powerful negative test, just as John had just given a powerful positive test. Jesus is THE truth. He is THE way. He is THE life. No one comes to the Father but through him. That’s pretty exclusive. And anyone who does not share in that message as part of their belief system is simply not from God. Do not listen any further. Reject that teaching and move on.
This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
The antichrist is a single figure who is going to make an appearance in the book of Revelation. In this case, John is referring to “the spirit of” the antichrist. In other words, the person’s heart is against Jesus Christ, the message that they bring is contrary to that of Jesus, the center of their doctrine is opposed to Christ. You know he is coming. But there are many already in the world today. Beware!
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
This is a phrase that is one of the better known ones in the Bible: Greater is the one who is in you than the one who is in the world. That’s good to know when we are being tempted. It’s also good to know when our teaching or our message is being resisted or opposed by another. Jesus and his Spirit in you is greater than the spirit of the antichrist which comes and fills lots of people around you.
There is one more verse in this chapter that I want to mention, because it is only found here:
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
I heard it explained in a way that has affected me for many years now: There are two basic emotions: love and fear. We can do everything from the motive of fear. We won’t be at peace, but we will be scared into doing the right things. But if we do what we do out of a motive of love, it drives away the fear that we once had. Because perfect love drives out fear.
Next time you are not content, ask yourself if you are experiencing fear in some way. Then choose love. Follow Jesus to see how to do that. You will find that the motive of perfect love wins over fear, every time. Amen.
Friday Aug 26, 2022
Friday Aug 26, 2022
AUGUST 25 = 1 JOHN 5
One of the clear marks of John’s writing is circular unfolding of ideas, and the repeat of themes. It’s one of the ways that we can be certain that both the gospel and these three letters are written by the same author. Revelation carries some of those characteristics, as well. These circles are poetic in style, and often revolve around the words faith (belief, know), love (both God and other people) and obey.
Chapter five provides one of these beautiful poetic circles. Let’s follow it and see what the Lord would teach us from it today.
FAITH LEADS TO LOVE:
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.”
LOVE LEADS TO OBEY
“This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands.
OBEY BY FAITH
And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”
John wrote it elsewhere, and we are wise to hear it: When we believe that Jesus is literally God in flesh, then we have come to realize that God loves us. That brings us to love God in return, and to love others as well. Then, if we love God, we will do what he tells us to do. So faith leads to love, which brings us to obey. And God’s command is for us to believe, so when we obey him, it brings us back around to faith.
There is much more in this chapter, including this reiteration from chapter four that faith is the victory that overcomes the world.
But what I’d like to zero in on is John’s closing sentence, which is such a great slogan for us all to live by. I have written it and put it in my office for some years, because I think the applications are surprisingly abundant. John says,
“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”
Know that John is writing this out of love, not out of legalistic bullying. He calls us “dear children,” just as he calls himself “the elder.” So this is Grandpa giving us life advice in a sentence—the most important thing he can close with.
What does he say we are to do? Keep ourselves from idols. Idols are everywhere. They tempt us every day. I don’t mean statues of people or false gods in the traditional sense. Modern culture doesn’t fall for that kind of superstitious mumbo-jumbo, thinking there is some invisible spiritual power out there that we can all tap into if we just touch the right thing and say the words. Or, maybe that is all around us, but because there isn’t a statue, we don’t see it as an idol.
Or what about the rise of superstars in the last generation or two? Sports heroes? Movie stars. Musical artists? Because of our access to media, celebrities are made almost overnight. And because wealth comes with such fame, we focus even more on the lifestyles of the rich and famous. John says to keep ourselves from such false gods as wealth and fame.
Have we as a society made idols out of science? Self-expression? Medications? Church? Entertainment? Education? (That one just got too close to home!) Possessions? Health? Psychology? The earth? Self-help? Money? The list goes on and on. Can you see how each of those things—for that matter, literally anything or anyone on earth—can become idols if we are not careful to keep ourselves from them?
Idols can be man made institutions or structures, which we treat with such reverence as to be sacred. They could be holidays or traditions. We can make an idol out of a hobby or a favorite vacation spot.
Perhaps a question to ask ourselves is whether we let anything get in the way of our Bible reading or devotions. Or anything that causes us to doubt our faith. Or sources that place bad words in our minds that come popping out when we are under pressure.
As you can see, I think there are many idols in our midst, and just because we don’t bow down to statues doesn’t mean we aren’t surrounded by idolatry. But because it is in disguise, we can easily miss seeing it.
So I will close by saying to you, dear brothers and sisters, keep yourselves from idols.
Saturday Aug 27, 2022
Saturday Aug 27, 2022
AUGUST 26 = 2 JOHN
GRACE MERCY AND PEACE
Before we talk about anything spiritual, it is. . .
Trivia time! We have come upon a unique phenomenon for the first time here in 2 John. There is only one chapter, which causes confusion when citing a verse. Traditionally, for example, you would cite verse 13 as being 2 John 13. And since no chapter numbers are needed, it’s clear that you are referring to the 13th verse. But I’m noticing that most of the Bible reading software is being programmed to clarify that it is 2 John 1:13, in order to be more clear, or to help the computers know that a verse always comes after a colon.
Anyway, let’s now cover the entire book of 2 John.
The letter here must have been written at about the same time as 1 John, as he says many of the same things in it. But here are a few of the poignant phrases from this letter:
“Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. . .
This is as full a greeting as we will find in any New Testament book. The author blesses his readers with these spiritual blessings, which God has already given to us:
Grace. Paul often opened letters with “grace to you.” This is what anyone needs most, isn’t it? We don’t need justice or revenge, we don’t need fairness. We imperfect people need a perfect and holy God to offer us grace. He empowers us by his amazing grace, which teaches our hearts to fear and then our fears relieves.
Mercy. Paul often began most of his letters with “grace and peace to you,” but John has added this subtle distinction of mercy. As with grace, mercy is what we need most from God. To make a distinction between grace and mercy, mercy is God withholding punishment that we deserve, and grace is giving favor that we didn’t earn. And mercy is what he desires from us. May we show others the mercy that we know ourselves to have received. May mercy fall down in showers around you and cover you, drenching your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.
Peace. Peace with God. Peace with one another. The angels pronounced peace on earth, goodwill toward men at Jesus’ birth. Reconciling God and man is what he came to earth to do. In the midst of stress and anxiety, in the face of persecution and rebellion, while wars and rumors of wars swirl around us, may we know the peace that passes understanding.
From God the Father. Jesus was the first to use the term “father” for God. And the church has followed that practice. In fact, Jesus often called his Father the more intimate term, “Abba,” or Daddy. We recognize that grace, mercy and peace are ultimately gifts given from him, the father of lights.
And from Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the means by which God the Father delivered those gifts of grace, mercy and peace. And so John makes a distinction to say, not just a general “God bless you,” but much more specifically, “God the Father and Jesus Christ” grant you grace, mercy and peace. Maybe try saying that to someone next time they sneeze. Let me know how that works for you, by the way.
The Father’s Son. A beautiful completion of the relationship between Jesus and his heavenly Father. Now we are perfectly clear, and theologically, this is a part of what John has been warning us about–that some say Jesus did not come in the flesh, or that he was not the son of God. Can’t be much more clear.
Will be with us in truth. The act of blessing someone is much more of an action than we usually think in our culture. See how John declares that these things he just said “will be with us” in truth? I tend to say, “I hope you get better.” But John might say, “The Lord heal you and restore you, in the name of the Father and the Son.” And because of that, it’s like he did exactly that already, because of the faith by which it was declared.
And love. These things that he said will be with us in truth. But also in love. Remember how John writes in a circle that connects faith and love and obedience. He then combines “in truth” and “love.” They are inextricably linked, faith and love. I suppose because God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son for our salvation. So when we find him, we find love.
May you know faith, hope and love this day and always. Amen.