Life on the edge

Peninsula Community Church

Displaying the Life Of Christ – Prayers that Get Results

August 19, 2012

In the final moments of John’s writings, we see that John takes a moment to focus on the subject of answered prayer. John Piper, pastor and author, says that “it is amazing to know that the sovereign God of the universe and of all creation has ordained that prayer causes things to happen that would not happen if you did not pray. It is a staggering thought to know that we can affect the course of events and issues of life when we pray.” In fact John Piper continues by saying that “if we do not avail ourselves of prayer and therefore bring about change through our prayers we are foolish.”

Let us read our text together:

1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have toward 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 that we have asked of him.

The first fact about prayer is that God desires and longs to answer our prayers. God has been referred to as the Father figure. A loving dad does not want to mistreat his children or withhold from them the things they need. Neither does God, the Father. He desires to answer our requests for prayer. This is borne out throughout scripture.

• Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
  
• Matthew 18:19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
  
•  Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
• Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.    
  

 The second fact is that the one who is obedient to God, knows God’s word and desires that His will is done will see answered prayer. If we are rebellious and disregard God’s word and His will God is not obligated to answer our prayers. Too often, we can be guilty of having an entitlement mentality which says that no matter how I act or live I will demand this or that and expect God to give it even though I have not been obedient to him or His word. But God’s answered prayer comes to those whose heart is after God and desires to fulfill His plan. Throughout scripture there is what has been commonly called the “If” and “Then” principle. It simply means that if we obey God’s word then we will receive the reward promised by that word. Now let me issue a word of caution here. The problem with this teaching is that it can lead to legalism and guilt. Legalism is that we do things so that God will do things for us or we do things to put on front or façade when our hearts are far from God. Or we can live in guilt when there is no known sin or shortcoming and yet God chooses to delay the answered prayer. When we love God and we know God’s word these principles should be a supernatural/natural part of our live.

• John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
•  1John 3:21-22 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 what pleases him. 
• James 5:16B The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

The third fact about prayer is that God is not looking for perfect people but people who are perfectable in prayer. David is one such illustration of this concept. He had blown it big time and yet he was able to offer one of the greatest prayers in the Bible as found in Psalm 51. What God is looking for is humble and teachable hearts where He can do great things.

• Psalm 51:16-17 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
• James 4:6-10 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
   

The fourth fact is that God’s ways are always greater than our ways and at times His ways go beyond our ability to comprehend or understand. There will be times that we can do everything that we are supposed to. We can pray the right prayers. We can live rightly before God. We can be free of habitual sin. And yet God will choose to answer our prayers in ways we cannot imagine.

• John 9:1-7As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
• John 11:1-4 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 
• Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
• Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
  

In the final analysis, God’s desire is to answer our prayers. It is His desire that we pray life changing, event alternating and future transforming prayers for His glory. And at the same time, knowing that the possibility exists that God will do above and beyond what we are able to imagine or ask, for His glory.

Peninsula Community Church

Displaying the Life Of Christ – Eternal and Abundant Life Through Christ

August 12, 2012

As we take a look at this last chapter of 1 John we see that John focuses on Jesus’ work on the cross and the eternal life that comes from a personal relationship in knowing Christ. He does this so that we will have the assurance of our faith and our commitment to Christ.

1 John 5:6-11 This is he who came by water and blood–Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

John begins this passage by countering one of the prevalent false teachings of his day. There were many teachings being circulated through the church during John’s time. The Gnostic thought of the day was that Jesus could not be the Son of God because all material things were evil and spiritual things were good so the two could not exist together. A second thought was that Jesus did not become divine until His baptism and since Christ, the Son of God, could not die his divine nature departed from him before the crucifixion. Another teaching of John’s day was that Jesus was just a ghost and that he was not real. Others simply denied that Jesus was incarnated as the Christ.

As a result of this John throughout his writings countered these teachings. In John 1 he states that in the beginning was the word and the word was God and the word became flesh. This is a direct correlation to Christ’s birth as the son of God by way of the Virgin Mary. In 1 John 1 John states that “the life was made manifest, and we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you eternal life.

There must be no doubt that Christ is the Son of God and the Son of Man. He came fully as man and God to die for us so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. John clarifies this and assures that his readers understand that Christ is nothing less than the Son of God born of the Virgin Mary.

In this passage, John states that the Spirit, the water and the blood all serve as a testimony to who Jesus is: In a matter of law a defendants witnesses and the evidence for and against him is critical. In a court of law even on credible witness is enough to effect the trial positively or negatively. In Jewish custom the law required that there be at least two witnesses to bring a case to trial.

The Water – The witness to who Christ says he is in the water which represents the fact that Jesus was born as the Son of God through the Virgin Mary. The water here also points to the initiation of Christ’s ministry at his baptism. In both of these cases the water testifies to the fact that Jesus is the anointed one who came to redeem all of mankind.

The Blood – The second witness is the blood of Christ which was shed for us so that we might have eternal life. Without the blood there is no salvation for there needed to be sacrifice for all of mankind’s sin. Christ as man and as God took on our sins and nailed them to the cross so that we would not have to carry the penalty of sin upon our shoulder.

The Spirit – The witness to Christ as Savior is the testimony of the Holy Spirit whose s role is to point to Christ and to glorify Christ.

Christ’s main purpose was to give us eternal life and an abundant life. The salvation which is in Christ includes deliverance from numerous, varied, immense, unending evils. It is deliverance from “perishing.” It includes also restoration to numerous, varied, immense, unending blessings. It is the enjoyment of “eternal life.” (John MacArthur, The Love of God: He Will Whatever It Takes to Make Us Holy).

John Piper had this to say about this passage. “John sums it all up in the word LIFE. He who has the Son has life! Eternal life is not just the extension of all the frustrations and half-joys of this life. When Jesus finishes doing his thing, every frustration will be gone and every half-joy will be full. As he said in John 10:10, “I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.” If you HAVE the Son, it means that anything that infinite love and infinite power and infinite wisdom can do for your good will in fact be done for you.”

Closing – Fanny Crosby, the blind hymn writer was visiting her friend Phoebe Knapp as the Knapp home was having a large pipe organ installed. The organ was incomplete, so Mrs. Knapp, using the piano, played a new melody she had just composed. “What do you think the tune says?” asked Knapp. “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine”, answered Fanny Crosby.

The hymn appeared in the July 1873 issue of Palmer’s Guide to Holiness and Revival Miscellany, a magazine printed by Dr. and Mrs. W. C. Palmer of 14 Bible House, New York City. It appeared on page 36 (the last page) with complete text and piano score, and indicated it had been copyrighted by Crosby that year. It is not certain that this was the first printing of the hymn, but it certainly helped to popularize what became one of the most beloved hymns of all time. Although she was blind she knew the fullness that came from experiencing eternal life: life given freely and fully by the Father.

Blessed Assuranc

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.


This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.


 Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.


Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with his goodness, lost in his love.

 

Peninsula Community Church

Displaying the Life of Christ – The Love and Obedience Connection

August 5, 2012

 1John 5:1-5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

As we review this passage this morning there are a couple of truths that bear our discussion.

The key principle in John’s writing is that those who have been born of God will love each other. It is interesting to note that as we read this passage that we see that our love for God is expressed in our love for others and our love for others is expressed in our love for God. This love is a natural/supernatural outworking of the work of God in us and through us. The fact is we are family and even though we may not always agree or see eye to eye we will love each other because the Father calls us to. For some, that is a hard truth to follow because you may not have experienced real authentic love in your family. Perhaps, there has been hurt and pain rather than peace and love but God’s ideal of family is one where family members genuinely love each other.

I felt what many of us experienced at Chick-Fil-a on Wednesday was a sign of how we live that kind of love out in our lives. No one was standing up to condemn gay-marriage or homosexuality. No one was preaching. The consensus for me is that believers were taking a stand for freedom of speech and for righteousness by supporting Dan Cathy and Chick-Fil-A. Those who attended all commented that there was a sense of peace and safety in the building.

The test of who we are in Christ and whether or not we are a passionate follower of Christ is how do we past the test of loving God and loving others which is evidenced by obedience to His commands. Once again we are reminded that when Jesus was about asked about what the greatest commandment would be (Matthew 22:34-40), He stated that all of the law and the prophets can be summed up in two concepts: Love God and Love others. This does not emphasis one above the other but they are of equal importance. Notice that the Ten Commandments are divided into two sets. One set is focused on our relation to God and the second set is focused on our relationship with others.

When we are passionate followers of Christ, we hold in high regard our love for God and for those around us. As we look at this challenge to love others we are confronted with the truth that to truly love others we must have a personal relationship with God. Otherwise our love for others is thwarted and becomes based on selfish attraction and not God’s plan for love at all.

The commands of God are not burdensome because the focus is on God’s love as a motivator. Think about it for a moment. Look at the things that come so much easier for you than other things. There are things in the ministry that I love and there are things in the ministry that I do not love. What I have found is that when I love to do something I jump right to it and get the task done. When I love what I do I accomplish the task with ease.

When my son was a teen, I remember him always being late for school, for church and for almost everything that we did together as a family. It was a fight to get him out of bed and into the shower. But I also remember one Saturday that he was going to an amusement park with his girlfriend’s family. At 5AM I hear a noise downstairs. I went down to find my son showered, dressed and eating breakfast which he made on his own. I looked around to make sure that this was not someone else sitting at our table that morning. Why did this occur, he was in love….

When we love God, we love others and obey God’s commands we set ourselves up to become overcomers in Christ. And how does that work. We overcome because of faith and trust in God’s plan for our lives. We trust that his plan of love in action and obedience to his commands brings about a freedom and joy that is remarkable. This does not mean that we do not have problems in our lives. It does not mean that our circumstances will change. But it means that spiritually, emotionally and mentally we will not walk in a defeatist attitude but one that gives glory to God and one that expresses our love for God. Look at what John and Paul have to say about being overcomers.

John 16:33 – I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

1John 2:13-14 – I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

1John 4:4 – Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

1John 5:4-5 – For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Romans 8:35-39 – Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Peninsula Community Church

July 29, 2012

Displaying the Life of Christ – What Do We Do with God’s Love?

Last week, we looked at love from the standpoint of what God has accomplished for us and in us. This week, we will look at how we can personalize that love so that God’s love for us is not some ethereal truth that never becomes a reality in our lives but that His love becomes a present reality in our lives. As we study 1 John, we are given the opportunity to understand God’s love in greater ways so that we can comprehend God’s love for us but we can understand that God’s love should be personalized as well. Let us look at what John says about this in our text today.

1 John 4:13-21 – By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his 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. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for 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. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he 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: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

One of the first truths that shine through this passage is that we can know God’s love. John says that “we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.” Notice that we not only can know God’s love but we can also believe and trust God’s love. “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). The fact is we can have information about certain things but not believe.

How can we know and believe in God’s love? I suggest to you that the first way is through His Word. On more than one occasion the Bible speaks of God’s love for us and what He did by sending His son to the cross. His action of sending His son demonstrates to us the magnitude and the depth of His love for us. As John states, “We love because He first loved us.” We can understand this love only by accepting His word. These words are more than just words on a page but they define the character of God and the work of God in our lives. What an awesome moment when Christ forgives our sin and we realize in an instant that His love has come to forgive us of all our sin and has set us free from the bondage of past evil.

Secondly, we know God’s love by experience. As we accept Christ and we join with the family of God, we come to the place where we experience love in all of its magnitude. Experiencing the love of God, not just thinking about it, is something we should desire with all our hearts. Is this experience of the love of God the same for all believers? No; not at all nor in the same degree. If all believers had the same experience of the love of God, Paul would not have prayed for the Ephesians that they “be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:18-19). He prayed this because some were deficient in their experience of this love of God in Christ.

Thirdly, through sharing the Word and our testimonies we are reminded how awesome and real God’s love is to us. As we share our testimonies we are able to express God’s love to others and at the same time we are reminded of God’s love for us.

The second thing to be noted in this passage is that we can be secure in God’s love because perfect love casts out fear. The problem with so many earthly relationships is that they are based in fear. There is a fear of rejection, a fear of abuse, and a fear of the future. But God’s perfect love transcends all of these things because His perfect love casts all fear. The scripture tells us that He will keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you (Isaiah 26:3).

The fact is, human love will disappoint us and let us down. Human love will be motivated by self, pride, fear, anger and other negative emotions. How many relationships have you known that were founded in fear? Too many of us have leaved through rejection from those we thought loved us. But God will never reject us. He receives us just as we are and encourages us to grow in Him.

God’s love is not founded on the fear of abuse either. You see I grew up with the idea that if I did not toe the line that God would pull out his holy baseball bat of discipline and beat me into submission. But God does not abuse his children. He disciplines them yes, but he does not abuse us.

When we experience the love of God we do not need to fear the future. Fear of the future depresses us and causes us to either act in ways that are not pleasing to God or we hide in order to escape the consequences of the future. But when God’s love is evident in our lives, we do not have to fear judgment day because when we love God we will deal with the issues of our life. We will repent of sin immediately and we will make restitution as soon as is necessary.

The third thing that is to be noted in this passage is that we must share this love with others as a testimony of God’s love working in us. How do we do that? I believe that Paul enlightens our hearts on this subject in 1 Corinthians 13. This passage has become known as the great love chapter. As I read this passage listen to how Paul determines that we should life out this love and to show love to others:

What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains? I would be nothing, unless I loved others. What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others. Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Love never fails! Everyone who prophesies will stop, and unknown languages will no longer be spoken. All that we know will be forgotten. We don’t know everything, and our prophecies are not complete. But what is perfect will someday appear, and what isn’t perfect will then disappear. When we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways. Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us. For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love (I Corinthians 13 CEV).

Peninsula Community Church

July 22, 2012

Displaying the Life of Christ – Does Anyone Know What Love Is?

In 1984 the British rock band Foreigner had a number one hit with their song “I Wanna know What Love Is.” In the song Lou Gramm, the lead singer, popularized the concept of wanting to know “what love is?” Listen to a couple of the lines of the song:

 I gotta take a little time
A little time to think things over
I better read between the lines
In case I need it when I’m older
Aaaah woah-ah-aah

Now this mountain I must climb
Feels like a world upon my shoulders
And through the clouds I see love shine
It keeps me warm as life grows colder

In my life there’s been heartache and pain
I don’t know if I can face it again
Can’t stop now, I’ve traveled so far
To change this lonely life

I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
I wanna feel what love is
I know you can show me
Aaaah woah-oh-ooh

Do you hear the resounding need for understanding what real and genuine love is? In this song Foreigner was referring to physical and intimate love but none-the-less there was a passionate plea to understand the depth of real love. Today, we are living in world where people seek to know and understand real and authentic love.

For us this morning, as we turn to the book of first John we see that John gives us a definition of love and what love truly and honestly can be for us. Let’s read together: 1 John 4:7-12 – Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have 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 ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

If you will allow me to, let us unpack the truth that is contained in this passage so that our insight into what real, genuine love is can be enhanced and properly motivated.
 

To begin with John states that God is love. Notice that this passage is similar to the passage John writes in John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God’s very nature and who He is can be only understood through the fact that “God is love.”

What John is prescribing to is that everything that God does is from a perspective of love and grace. Every action that He performs is mitigated by one absolute value and that is His love for His creation. It is important to note that He doesn’t just love but He is love. In other words, if you want to understand what true love is you must look to God who exemplifies the very nature of what love is. Love pervades and influences all of his attributes. Just as much as He is holy, righteous and just He is also love.

Secondly, the greatest manifestation of this love is seen through sending His son to earth to become the sacrificial Lamb of God. This was a mission established by God and freely and willingly accepted by Christ. He chose to die for us. This is the ultimate sign of love. Listen to the Apostle Paul’s words: For one will scarcely die for a righteous person–though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die– but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:7-8).

Notice the key in this passage. There might be one or two of us that would consider dying for a righteous person or for one of our loved ones but I would dare say that none of us would even consider dying for someone as evil as Hitler or Osama Bin Ladin. He even died for James Holmes the shooter at the theater in Colorado. But Christ did. He died for them although they have rejected that gift and blessing. And, He died for us even before we committed our first sin.

It is interesting to note that there have been many stories that have come out of the tragedy in Colorado where people put themselves in harm’s way by placing their bodies over their friends and relatives. Some of these were wounded as a result. One story told of one girl who placed her hand over the wound of her friend even though she was in the line of fire.

A second key is that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross deals with a dilemma forced upon Him by His very nature. How does a just and righteous God deal with sin? How does one that cannot overlook or trivialize sin deal with the gravity of sin and the depth of the depravity of mankind? He deals with sin by sending His son to die and to take on our sin upon the cross so that every sin past, present and future will be forever dealt with as we bend our knee in humble repentance and Godly sorrow for the sin we have committed.

Thirdly John insists that we are to love one another because of God’s love expressed toward us and the fact that He sent His son to die for us upon the cross. This kind of love is characterized by unselfishness by way of considering others above ourselves and by humility and consideration of others. In fact, our love for God will be directly proportionate to our love for others. What is stated here is that we cannot carry hatred in our hearts and claim to love God with all of our hearts. This does not mean that we will not carry disappointment and concern in our heart but true love comes from God and is worked out in the way we love others.

Let me take this one step further. Because it is impossible to see God because of His glory, God devised a plan where we would be the carriers of His love. As we accept Christ as our personal Savior and we are filled with His great love, we should begin to exude love in all that we do. The fact is, we may become the only Jesus that some will see. By our actions, our words and our very lives we present Jesus to those who do not know Him.

Peninsula Community Church

July 15, 2012

Displaying the Life of Christ – Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

In the passage before us today John instructs the passionate follower of Christ to examine and test the attitudes and the messengers presenting the Gospel. Let’s read together:

1 John 4:1-6 –Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for 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. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

John’s call to the passionate follower of Christ here is to test the spirits, the attitude and the message, to see if what is being spoken is from God and whether or not the message is founded in truth or falsehood.

One of the key words used in this text is the word confess. It is legal term which means to bear witness of something or someone. It also means to come into alignment with. Our confession of the gospel is in essence our testimony. A testimony is a presentation of evidence whose purpose is to help a jury decide the truth of a claim. For those giving testimony there is an assumption and presumption that the testimony presented is both factual and truthful. The job of the lawyers is to provide appropriate questions that will test the validity of the truth that is being spoken. As passionate followers of Christ we are called to examine the testimonies and confession of those to determine the validity of their faith and their message. With that understanding in mind let me make a couple of observations about this passage.

The first observation is that it is possible to come from the place of one of two extremes in testing what is true or false.

The first of these extremes is that anything goes. The key words here are gullibility and naivety. Rather than test the truths that are being propagated, we would rather accept them solely on the basis of the presenter rather than on the factualness of their claims. The fact is we have become a gullible society in that most decisions are made not on intellectual prowess but rather on emotional intuition. We are in another political season. Over the next few months we will hear a number of messages on the local, state and federal level of candidates about their “truth.” Our goal is to not accept what is said at face value but to be educated voters who find the truth for themselves. Politicians and pastors can say many things but just because they say it does not make it true. Read the word and study it for yourself so that you can know the truth.
In preparing for this message I came across an article entitled “How Gullible Are We? ” The article talks about a freshman at Eagle Rock Junior High in Idaho who won first prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair. He was attempting to show how conditioned we have become to the alarmists practicing junk science and spreading fear of everything in our environment. In his project, he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical “dihydrogen monoxide.” And he had plenty of good reasons to do so, since it can: cause excessive sweating and vomiting; it is a major component in acid rain; accidental inhalation can kill you; it contributes to erosion; it decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes; and it has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients. He asked 150 people if they supported a ban of the chemical. One hundred forty-three said yes, six were undecided, and only one knew that the chemical was……Water! The title of his prize winning project was, “How Gullible Are We?”  

Someone has said that as strange as it may seem, the danger today is greater for the fervent Christian who is on a journey to find truth. The seeker after God’s best things is eager to hear anyone who offers a way by which he can obtain them. He longs for some new experience, some elevated view of truth, some operation of the Spirit that will raise him above the dead level of religious mediocrity he sees all around him, and for this reason he is ready to give a sympathetic ear to the new and the wonderful in religion, particularly if it is presented by someone with an attractive personality and a reputation for superior godliness. But just because it is the latest religious fad does not make it true.

The second of these extremes is that we judge and criticize everything. I can testify to this as upon graduation from Bible school I found myself to be particularly judgmental of every preacher on the radio or TV. Instead of listening with an ear to receive from the message being presented I would wait for that one nugget to criticize or judge. You see this was not some local pastor on the AM radio; I am talking about men of God like Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley or Jerry Farwell. The fact is my judgment would often be a small word or the inflection of the voice or some other minor issue that I could use to discredit the entire ministry of the individual I was listening to. I reached the point where I could not sit under anyone’s ministry without being critical or extremely negative in my view of their presentation. But I had to repent and change because I was becoming miserable. In fact the change came as I began to listen to some of my own tapes and I realized how imperfect my own style and presentation was.
 

The second observation is that this text does not point out the antichrist as much as it focuses on knowing the truth of the Gospel. You see we can be so captured with finding the false that we miss the truth. God will reveal his truth to us if we search for it. God’s intent is that we learn and know the truth because it is only the truth that will set us free and restore us to right relationship with Him.

The third observation is found in this passage that there are two keys to discerning the whether or not what is being spoken is truth and if the person is receiving it. The first is key is to test what people say against what they do and how they live. We must fight hypocrisy. You see we need more than mere words to express the truth of the Gospel. We need action that is aligned with what we confess, so that our confession is acceptable.
 

Too often when we look at this subject we often look at the message carrier but the second test focuses on whether or not people will allow sincere and truthful words into their hearts. We must be teachable. Too often we concentrate on what is spoken rather than on the teachability of the person. You see we must always be in the position of learning the lessons that God desires to teach us.

The fourth and final observation is that the true test of the indwelling Spirit is realized in the fact that the Spirit causes us to love which is knowledge of others and the Spirit causes us to believe which is knowledge of God.

When the Spirit of God is in us He gives us the power to love the unlovable. He gives us the ability to interact with those we never thought possible. But the Spirit also initiates the power to believe and understand God and all that He is doing. Therefore the genuineness of our love and the genuineness of our belief about Christ are the evidence of God’s work in our lives.

Peninsula Community Church

July 8, 2012

Displaying Christ – How’s Your Heart

In order to assure that we are healthy, a doctor may monitor our health by running tests on the heart. The last time I was at the doctor, they ran an EKG, tested my blood for Cholesterol, measured my heart rate and took my blood pressure so that he would have a baseline to know how healthy my heart was and to determine if I needed treatment for any specific problems.

John, in this passage, is suggesting a spiritual heart check up by giving us one test available to us to determine if our spiritual heart is healthy. Let’s read:

1 John 3:19-24 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;  for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 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 what pleases him. And this is his commandment,  that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

One of the means to determine the health of our hearts is to look to see if we are walking in forgiveness or if we are walking in the condemnation of past or present sin. The answer to this question will determine the health of our spiritual heart. Just as much as we must control the bad cholesterol in our bodies, we also need to control the levels of condemnation in us.

The problem however is that far too many followers of Christ walk in self-condemnation. While we have forgiven others and even believe that we have been forgiven by God, we fail to forgive ourselves and believe it is possible to release the sin we have committed to God.

When we look at this subject, it behooves us to understand the difference between conviction and condemnation. I propose to you, in a simplistic way, that both of these acts of the heart come from the same basis of truth in that there is a problem or sin that must be dealt with but there is most often a difference in the way we respond to these. You see condemnation says “There is a problem but there is no hope; that is just the way things are and you will never change.” On the other hand, conviction administered by the Holy Spirit, speaks to a truth in our life but points us to the cross and forgiveness which speaks of hope and brings life to our spiritual being when we act upon the conviction brought.

Therefore, we have a choice to make. Will we walk in the condemnation of the past or will we allow the conviction of the Holy Spirit to set us free? To choose the former is to deny Christ’s finished work on the cross. To allow condemnation to have its way in us is to deny the power and the work of the cross in us. To hold onto past guilt and shame is to walk in condemnation of one’s self rather than the freedom that has been given. Paul stated it best in Galatians 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.  If He has created us for freedom why would we return to the bondage of self-condemnation?

When we walk condemnation free, our relationship with God and with others is affected positively. We see here in this passage that when we refuse to walk in the condemnation of self that we approach God with a greater confidence and we can then ask God and we shall receive it. But notice the caveat here. His answering our prayer is subject to keeping His commandments and walking in a lifestyle that pleases Him. Let me illustrate this in this way.

If I am a poor steward of my finances and I squander what God has blessed me with, God is not obligated to provide finances for me when I ask him…. Even though He may act out of His grace and show mercy to us, He is not obligated to allow us to continue in sin, selfishness or ignorance.

When we look at this subject of condemnation, we must realize that there are several results of this heart condition. These negative results might include but are not limited to self-punishment, avoidance of God and others, a sense of unworthiness, uncertainty about the future, distorted thinking and/or a sense of powerlessness to change or see things different.

The question then is how do we forgive our self’s. I propose there are four steps to forgiveness. To begin with we must acknowledge our sin and that self-condemnation exists. I have often stated that healing and the beginning of faith to bring change is to begin at the starting point of truth. Too often we want to ignore the truth but it is “truth that sets us free.”

Secondly, once we recognize that there is sin in our heart we must then repent. Repentance is a military term which means “about face.”  In other words we turn and we go the other way. What we once believed or how we once lived is changed.

 Thirdly, believe God and reaffirm our trust in his word.  Notice here that John says that the one who keeps His commandments is the one who will abide with Christ and they will see God abide in them.

 And finally, we must choose forgiveness. In the final analysis, we must seek forgiveness and then accept God’s forgiveness given to us through the work of Christ on the cross.

In 1986 there was a popular movie that had a scene in it that clearly illustrates this issue. In the movie “The Mission,” Jeremy Irons plays a Jesuit missionary whose mission is to evangelize the natives of a village inBrazil. Along the way he encountersMendozaplayed by Robert DeNiro.Mendozawas a mercenary who was a slave trader. He was brutal to the point that he has his own brother killed because he had slept with his wife. In the movie,Mendozacomes to know Christ and converts to Christianity. Although he has converted to Christ, he continues to carry the weight of his past sins and wrongs.

At one point in the movie,Mendozawants to do penance for his sin and chooses to carry the weight of the armor he once wore roped to his back. Mendoza and Father Gabriel were on their way up the mountain to see the very tribe thatMendozahad taken slaves. For several days we seeMendozastruggling up the mountain to carry the load. He dragged the load on his back behind him at times facing great odds.

After great struggle and after several days of climbing the mountain under incredible odds, he reaches the apex where he and his group encounter the tribe he was so violent against. In that moment one of the tribesmen grabs a knife and places it on his neck. He begins to believe that his life is over. After an interchange between Father Gabriel and the tribal leader, the tribesman does something so amazing. He cuts the rope to the armor and it falls into the river and is washed away.Mendozabreaks down in that moment into uncontrollable sobs which lead to the laughter of his freedom.

Some 2000 years ago Christ climbed a mountain under incredible odds. Instead of carrying his own sin, He carried the weight of all mankind’s sin. And in an instant he died and the whole world was free from its sin. And yet we continue to carry sin’s burden although we are forgiven.

David understood this when he penned these words in Psalm 103:10-12 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Because of Christ’s work on the cross we can be free from our past sin and failures. The question is “will you continue to hold onto your sin or will you release your sin and be forever set free today.” It’s your choice. Which one will you choose: bondage or freedom?

Peninsula Community Church

June 24, 2012

Displaying the Life of Christ: The Love Challenge

John in the passage before us today makes some important notes about this subject of love. First and foremost he intimates that love has always been the focus of God’s plan for redemption. The message of love has been subscribed to from the beginning.

1 John 3:11-18 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever 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. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

John reminds us of this fact by relating the story of Cain and Abel who exemplifies what happens when one is motivated by an evil heart rather than a heart motivated by God’s love. If you remember the story of Cain and Abel, Abel offered his best offering to God while Cain offered some of his crops. In the end, God accepted Abel’s offering but rejected Cain’s offering. Because Cain allowed evil to enter his heart, he sought to kill his brother which he did even after being warned by God. It is this story that John describes the work of love in our lives. From this story we can note a couple of lessons that bear discussion.

The first lesson learned is that love unites but hatred divides. The fact is that when one who is motivated by love they will seek to bring unity rather than division. You can measure one’s passion for God by looking at their actions when issues arise in one’s relationship. When trouble comes do they respond by looking for ways to bring healing and change or do they seek to put a wedge in the relationship by their words and their actions. You see love is best measured by what one does rather than by what they say.

We are reminded in 1 Peter 3:8 and 1 Peter 4:8 how important love and unity is. Peter says “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” And he states that we should “above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

The second lesson learned is that anger is love disappointed. Someone has said that love disappointed becomes anger and anger left to its own course causes us to do things that we would not do under normal circumstances. When we have been disappointed the mind can be used to conjure up things that are not based on truth but rather on presumption and conjecture. Disappointment can so easily lead to anger which can cause us to be out of control in our actions and our words. How many times have you been angry because someone has disappointed you?

I spoke to you last week about some of the issues in my life where I thought my story was over. I have to be honest with you that a part of the reaction I had was because of disappointment in people I trusted and believed in. I trusted my son to do the right thing. I trusted the Senior pastor of the church in Virginia to do the right thing. I trusted the church to do the right thing. I trusted Michelle’s body to not become sick. As I dealt with another lesson that I learned was that when all was said and done the reality is that I was disappointed with God and was therefore angry with Him. I thought God had let me down and that hurt because I had been called to trust God in this adventure and He was not keeping His end of the bargain.

The third lesson learned from this passage is that true love never settles for mediocrity. When we are motivated by God’s love we never settle for mediocrity but we always give our best. Excellence is the hallmark of our actions and everything we set our hands to do. When we are angry we can tend to do just what it takes to get by.

The fourth lesson learned is that love is a decision and not an emotion. The truth is we must make a choice to walk in love because there will always be people in our lives that will hurt or wound us. There will always be times that we will face disappointment.

The fifth and not necessarily last lesson is that Christ is the ultimate example of love. If we want to know what love is we must go to the ultimate example of love. Christ is the greatest example of His love for us. He gave His all for us. Rather than being disappointed at His disciples, the people of Israel, the religious leaders and the roman government he set his face toward the cross and went willing. Not in anger or defiance but as a lamb led to the slaughter whereby mankind would be forever freed from their sin and from death itself.

As I was preparing for this message I came across a great illustration called “the Watch War”: Johann and Hans’ dad possessed a beautiful gold pocket watch. This watch had been handed down to their dad through three generations. While the watch in itself was not valuable it was a mark of their heritage. You see their grandfather used to tell stories about how he had come to the United States with nothing more than this gold watch in his pocket.

The day came that the father died and the battle over the watch began. Hans the older brother by rights should have taken possession of the watch but Johann entered the dad’s house the night before the funeral and took the watch and placed it on his mantle in his home. The watch instead of being in Han’s possession now mocked him from the mantle of Johann. After the funeral, the brothers argued over the watch, they shouted, they swore at each other and they said things that brought hurt and pain to each of them. That night Hans went to Johann’s house and took the watch. Johann immediately called the police and had him arrested. Hans reluctantly returned the watch with the agreement that Johann would not prosecute him for stealing the watch. That was the last time the brothers spoke for twenty years.

But Fred, Han’s son and Annemarie, Johann’s daughter, met in college and struck up a friendship. You see they had never met before that time even though they only lived about 2 miles apart from each other. Through their youth Fred had heard the stories of the stealth raid on the watch even before the body of their father had been buried. Annemarie had heard the stories from her dad about the raid on his mantle. Fred and Annemarie were not as emotionally vested in the argument so they developed a very close friendship. At Christmas, Annemarie finally told her dad about her new friend. Her dad, upon hearing this, demanded that she break this friendship off immediately.

Annemarie being a bit rebellious refused to do what her dad demanded and continued to build a relationship with her cousin. At the end of the semester, she admitted to her dad that she had continued her relationship. At first, Johann was angry but as she talked about the positive characteristics of Fred he had to admit that he was exhibiting some of the many positive qualities of his brother. Shortly after this, Hans and Johann met in line at the DMV and as you know about the DMV (at least in the old days) there was a long line. They were cordial with one another but the conversation ended with harsh words once again as they neared the end of the line.

When Johann got home he related the activities of the day and spoke to his family about the harsh criticism that his brother had levied at him. Annemarie asked him if he thought any of the accusations were true. After some contemplation he had to realize that yes some of them were indeed true. At that moment, he agreed to stop criticizing Hans and to speak only positive about him. On a whim Johann invited Hans out to lunch and they began to cordially meet on several occasions. Finally, Hans invited Johann to dinner at his house and even with a moment of harsh words they continued to be cordial and began to build their relationship.

Three years later upon Fred’s graduation, Johann and Annemarie gave Fred the watch as a gift as they agreed that he was the next rightful heir to the watch. However, she removed from her neck a beautiful necklace that had been made from the chain that once held the watch. Now both would have a piece of the heritage of their family and in the moment the war was over.

Can you imagine how the wasted years might have been different if they had allowed love to be the basis of their actions rather than disappointment and hatred at their brother? What are the issues in your life that need to be revisited? What areas of your life need to molded and shaped by love and not anger? Will you allow God to bring healing today so that you are freed from past failures and past hurts?

The Love Challenge: The question at hand here is how different would this relationship have been if there life had been motivated by love rather than hate and decision.

Peninsula Community Church

June 17, 2012

“God is Writing Your Story”

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

I want to begin this message by looking back at a period of time in my life that I thought my story was over and a period of time that I thought that I had missed what God wanted me to do. Prior to this period of time I had always told people that I did not believe in mid-life crisis’ but the events of late 2005 and early 2006 would change my mind about this.

As I have shared with you many times we moved to VA in 2003 after pasturing a church onLong Islandfor 10 plus years. We definitely felt God leading us to resign and felt His call for us to trust him which we attempted to do to the best of our ability. During this transition I was asked to come on staff at Radford Baptist church in May of 2004.

The following summer the youth pastor resigned and then in late November I had the senior pastor come to me office where he told me that he would be resigning as the senior pastor that Sunday. Now what you must know is that I was not a Southern Baptist and any new pastor coming into the position could let me go or he could bring in his own staff and replace the current staff. So, I became worried that my position was tentative and was not guaranteed. I must be honest with you that I thought my ministry was done. I was not aware of any openings in churches that would be available and I thought that my life was to forever change. My emotions nonetheless were running high. I felt that I was not accepted.

Two weeks later we received a phone call from our son who informed us that he was living with girl, the girl was now pregnant and when I pursued the question of whether or not he would marry her he informed me that he could not marry her because he had to get a divorce. In 45 minutes he had in fact explained how he was living an antithetical life to everything we had raised him to live and to be. Needless to say that conversation did a number on my emotions. I thought I can I stand in the pulpit again when my son has blown it so big. I felt that I was not good enough.

By April of the following year the church selected a new senior pastor. He was the youth pastor who had been hired in August to replace the prior youth pastor who had resigned in August. While I had been considered for the role the youth pastor the church felt that the youth pastor was more of what they were looking for and so they chose him over me. He was 17 years younger than I and had only a couple of years of senior pastor experience. The selection committee and the boards said that I could train and help mentor him in the position. The fact is during this time I felt rejected.

In May, Michelle and I were getting ready to go out and I heard her scream in the other room where she had passed out. We went to the doctor and they did a cat scan but there was nothing conclusive. On July 15 Michelle was in the kitchen making breakfast when I heard her scream again and found that she was on the verge of passing out. This time we rushed to the hospital where she was admitted for a five day stay. During this visit is when they began to suspect that she had MS. When the conclusive diagnosis came in he following March we were devastated. All of the thoughts of might be were running through my head. You see Michelle as always been a critical part of my ministry. She has been a true help meet and now what if she could not help me anymore? Once again I felt that my life was about to take a turn and I did not know what to do.

In all of this, I began to believe that my ministry and my life could no longer ne effective for God. I believed that God could no longer use me in the ways that I thought he would use me. The bottom line for me is that I thought my story was over. I thought about going out and getting a regular job and giving up on the ministry. But, God was not through with me.

In our final moments here I want to share a few things that helped shape me and mold me in that moment of time:

What I realized was that our story is in reality God’s story. Too often the problem we have in life is that we attempt to write our own story. We in essence take the pen from God’s hands and write our own story line. But what I have found is that we are not very good authors. In Genesis the Bible says that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…” David stated that we were formed or created in my mother’s womb.” The idea here that our life is not a mistake but it was purposed by God.

Secondly I realized that we must discern the difference between the end of a chapter and the end of a story. While God may finish a chapter in our life it does not mean that the story is over. You see I thought that the story of my life was over when in reality I was coming to the close of a chapter. Have you ever noticed on TV series that when they come to the end of a season that they leave you hanging so that you will tune in next season. I remember not too long ago the big question was “Who shot JR?” For those who watch NCIS the question is which stars will be back next year as Ducky was left on the beach dying of a heart attack and the rest of the team was caught up in an explosion at NCIS headquarters.

Fourth, no matter what circumstances of life may seem to be controlling you, God is and will continue to be in control of your life.

Fifth, rather than looking at the obstacles in life, we must look to the author and finisher of our faith. The past does not have to be a measure of the future for us. We look to the author and finisher of our story because He is the only one that knows how it will end. He knows the beginning from the end. Who is writing our story? Are you allowing God to write your story or have you submitted that to Him in order for Him to fulfill that in you?

And finally, while the past may shape us it does not have to define us. You see I came from an environment that was shaped by divorce and the abuse of a step-father that later committed suicide but I have not allowed that environment to dictate the kind of life of I am to live. In fact I am a better dad, husband and a man because of my past because I have refused to allow the past to dictate my future.

What about your story? Is your story a drama, a comedy, a thriller, or an action movie?

Peninsula community Church

June 10, 2012

Displaying the Life of Christ – What Do You Practice?

2 John 2:2:28-3:9

1 John 2:28 – 3:9
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

As we read this passage one of the key words that stand out is the word practice. I always have a little chuckle at the idea of doctors and lawyers practices. We have always heard the joke about doctors and lawyers that practice and ask the question of when will they ever get it and stop practicing. The fact is, however is that we are all in essence on the practice field because the life we live here is only preparation for our future life with Christ.

The idea of practicing something is that we will continue to get better at what we do. In this regard a couple of illustrations come to mind. First of all, while living on Long Island I had the opportunity to go to the US Golf Open at Shinnecock and then a few years later at Bethpage. We had a great day watching the pros make some amazing shots. I one the players we were following at Bethpage was Phil Mickelson. Phil had played the 18 holes of practice and we thought that he was on his way to the club house when he turned and when to the practice range where he hit another 1000 golf balls. Why? His goal was to improve the areas of his game where he was weak so that he would be ready for the match over the weekend. While these guys were pros and they could hit the ball with such great precision and power, they realized they could always improve their game and needed to have ongoing practice to improve their skills.

A second illustration is the upcoming summer Olympics in London. I don’t know about you but I look forward to watching the various events represented through the Olympics. But again one of the things that have amazed me is the amount of time each athlete practices to maximize their skills so they will be in the position to win their events. I read of one gymnast that will spend 4 hours in practice in the morning before school and then another 5 to 6 hours after school. And they do this up to 6 to 7 days a week.

How does this apply to us? John says here that we will either practice righteousness or we will practice lawlessness. It is our choice. But what we practice we will become good at. In essence, this passage is about working on our game; it is the game of life. If we want to live righteously we will practice doing righteous things.

Once again time will only allow us to skim the surface of the depth of the passage but allow me to make a couple of observations.

As we are living life we must first understand that this passage deals with the conflict we experience between the reality of the new life found in Christ and the sin we often experience. The fact is Christ has come to forgive us of sin and by accepting Christ into our hearts we ask that all sin past and present be forgiven and removed. Once the blood of Christ has been applied we are made whole and we are set free from the power of sin. There is no sin not impacted by the power of Christ’s forgiveness.

The problem that exists is that while we have been forgiven of all sin past and present and we have become a new creation we continue to be impacted by the power of sin that exists in this world. This can be difficult because we often battle the failure of sin in our lives. As we experience life, we understand that we will sin and fall short of God’s desire for us. The result can be that we feel guilty and saddened about our failures. But we all sin and come short of God’s glory. Like the game of golf we can aim for the target and miss it. And when we do we reset and aim for the next target.

The second observation to be made here is that we are known as believers not by what we confess but by how we live and as passionate followers of Christ we will not willingly allow habitual sin to exist in our lives. The question at hand here is the concept or idea of habitual sin.

It is here that it behooves us to understand that when we speak of sin we understand that there are two extreme views. For one there are those that believe that once we become a believer in Christ that we will never sin again. This extreme view has been called sinless perfection but there is only one who deserves or merits that honor and that is Christ. While it might be an admirable goal to never sin, the fact is it is not possible. The second extreme view is that because of grace we do not have to worry about our sin because God will show us grace but one who does not recognize their sin and seek forgiveness for their sin cheapens the idea and concept of grace.

We should also note that habitual sin is not defined by the magnitude of the horror and repulsiveness the sin elicits from the self-righteous Christian. It can be any sin that we are unwilling to give to Christ. Do you lie to cover up your failures or weaknesses because of pride? Do you live in a state of self-deception because of pride or false humility? Do you say you tithe when you don’t? Do you say “I will pray for you” when you don’t? Do you cheat on your taxes? Do you cheat others? Do scam the system?

Sometimes habitual sins are not easily dealt with because they provide for us a sense of security and self-protection. For example people may go to pornography hen their self-esteem is low or they have a lack of self assurance. Thus we see the willful accumulation of patterns and practices of sin.

Habitual sin can also be a result of learned ways to deal with issues in our lives. For example, a child that learns that lying is ok from their parents can struggle with lying when they are adults.

Too often we want to rid ourselves of habitual sins so that we will feel better about ourselves rather than from an understanding that health and wholeness comes from walking in liberty and freedom.

The third observation is in reality a solution for habitual sin and a lifestyle that is contradictory to the life Christ desires for us. As we abide in Him, His Word and as we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our lives we will be better equipped to resist the temptation to habitually sin.

We must understand that there is a cacophony of voices and mindsets that pull on us. At times there seems to be an endless sound of ideas and standards that create confusion and failure in our lives. It is for this reason that we need to have the Word of God active in our lives. It is the standard that we live by. It becomes the new compass by which we direct our lives.

The truth of the matter is that we can in reality do very little to change peoples minds. However, the Word of God combined with the Spirit of God can do more in five seconds than we can do in five years. So to bring change into one’s life we bring them into contact with God’s word and with His principles of life and that will bring change.

To be honest the brain or the mind must be rewired for a new set of commands or actions. For example, if I have a plane that is on auto pilot and it is headed north, if I try and turn the plane around manually I am going to have great resistance because the auto pilot is going to try and take over. OS it is with our minds. We have been ingrained with certain mindsets and ideas that must be changed in order to be guided in the right direction.

Just as much as a golfer goes to the practice range to unlearn and improve their swing we must go the word to improve our game.