Life on the edge

Peninsula Community Church

June 3, 2012

Christ’s Life Displayed: Don’t Be Deceived*

From our message last week we saw that there is an internal battle at play for who we will follow and what will guide our walk with God. This week we will look at the external effects of an antichrist mindset.

1 John 2:18-27 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us–eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie–just as it has taught you, abide in him.

People as a whole are easily deceived. People are gullible and there is no greater place for deception than in an understanding of who Christ is and what He claims. One of the problems found today is that we have attempted to make God in our image so that He is more easily received by those that do not know Him or understand Him. When we do not have a proper mooring in theology and biblical knowledge and guidance of the Holy Spirit we will be easily deceived and effected by untruths and deception.

We are in the last hour of deception. Throughout the New Testament one of the themes that is evident is the one that we are living in the final hour. It is interesting to note that Greg Laurie in a message on the antichrist stated that annually a group of renowned and well respected scientists who meet to discuss when they believe the end of the world will occur. These are not extremist or weird people but they are some of the best minds in the world. They met last year and they have set the atomic clock ahead by two minutes. They now have the clock set at 5 minutes to twelve. Now their view is not a biblical one but one that comes from the increase of the availability of nuclear weapons by such countries as North Korea and Iran.

One of the things John is saying here in this passage is that there will be one who will rise as the Antichrist but in the world today there is already an attitude or mindset of antichrist. The mindset of antichrist is to deny that Jesus was the Christ and that He was Christ was fully the incarnate one. The antichrist spirit does everything in its power to diminish Christ and substitute other views or people for the true incarnate one.

I have never seen a time in our lives where there is an all out attack against Christianity. As I was preparing for this message I did a search on evidence of the antichrist and I was amazed at what people were saying. Some believe that President Obama is the antichrist; others believed that the pope is the antichrist and others believe that Herman Cain is the forerunner of the antichrist. We must be careful at identifying who might be the antichrist and look at the mindsets that lead to an antichrist belief system

I will never forget as a kid that we had a formula to determine who would be the antichrist. If you take the alphabet and apply a numerical value to each letter in order and then multiply those numbers all by six then add those numbers up and the number equals 666 then that person must be the antichrist. In those days everyone thought that Henry Kissinger was the antichrist because using this formula his name equates to 666.

The Word of God and the Spirit of God protect us from deception and lead us into eternal life. We need to understand that our greatest protection against deception is truth. And Biblical truth comes only from the word of God and the Spirit of God. When we are seeking out the truth of the Word and are walking in the power of the spirit we are more likely to live in truth.

The truth is a gift from the Holy Spirit. John says that we have been anointed by the Holy Spirit to understand the truth and to walk in the truth. This truth is not a new teaching as some would purport but rather it is the truth that we have received from the beginning. It is the word of truth. We do not add to or take away from the word.

I am sure that you have heard the story related to bankers who learn to find counterfeit money by handling nothing but real money. After several weeks of handling real money, they are given counterfeit money into the stream and when they touch the money that is counterfeit they are able to know that it is fact immediately.

We should let the Word abide in us and we should abide in the Spirit. We must allow the word of God and the Spirit of God to be our guide and compass of our lives.

Colossians 3:16 – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Paul is agreeing with John as he states Let the word of Christ dwell in you which is the same as Let the word abide in you.

Ephesians 5:18-21And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Once again Paul agrees with John once again when he states that we should be
filled with the spirit as John states that we are to abide in the Spirit.

As we abide in the word and in the Spirit the word and the Spirit will abide in us. Guard yourself against the antichrist by loving the word, living in the word, praying the word and memorizing the word. John got it right when he says: If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.

*Please note that the skeleton of this message is from a message presented by John Piper. The meat of the message is my words and thoughts.

Peninsula Community Church

May 27, 2012

Displaying the Life of Christ – An immeasurable Full Life

God desires for us to have an immeasurably full life. And, as a passionate follower of Christ we must seek to live out that immeasurably full life. When we read the Apostle Peter’s (2 Peter 1:3-4) writings we see that He, God, has already given us all that we need to live this life to the fullest. God will also supply your every need according to his riches in Christ (Philippians 4:19) and there is nothing beyond our ability to accomplish because He gives me strength (Philippians 4:12-13). He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us, to teach us and to equip us in the areas that we fall short. We must also remember that God sets the stage for us to fulfill our purpose and that He opens doors and connects us with people that only He can do.

As we think about these gifts and blessings we have received, we are reminded that we have been created by God for a purpose and our purpose is specific to us. We have been given specific gifts and talents to fulfill this work and purpose. He speaks into our hearts promises, visions and dreams that can only be fulfilled in obedience to Christ. While this is a wonderful thought and an amazing prospect, there is a problem. It is a problem that John details here in this passage. Let us read this together.

1John 2:15 -17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions–is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

I want to present to you four observations from this passage that will lead us to a full life in Christ

The first observation is that this passage has been used too many times as an attempt to control sin and manage the actions we don’t like in others. This concept is certainly not drawn from the context of the scripture but by way of a translation of the passage. Let me illustrate this idea in this way. I was with a group of pastors this week. IN the meeting one of the pastors related a story about how he had been called to pastor this church that was in decline. As he spoke with the church he asked them about what the church stood for. The leadership team began to detail a long list of things that they were against but could not detail what they stood far. The reality was that they had a firm grip on what they could not do but were not sure what they could do. The pastor and the church set out on a year adventure to study the world to see what God has given them and the ‘yes’s of the Bible. You see while the goal was pure, as there was a desire to keep us from any harm or negative influences, this particular interpretation of the Scripture I believed missed the mark. The emphasis was on controlling sin and managing sin and not on a change of heart that brings eternal change into one’s life. Instead of allowing God to bring change to one’s heart, we established a long list of Pharisaical rules that were intended to prohibit certain actions but did little to disciple one to stand strong in the face of temptation.

The second observation is that this passage challenges us as to where we will place our allegiance. Will you be fully committed to Christ or will you allow the world’s mindsets to dictate your actions and your life. It should be noted here that the word used for “love” in this passage is the word “agape.” There is a temptation and pull for us to love the mindsets of the world but if we love the world’s ways more than we love God’s ways we fall short of what He desires. The result is confusion and despair and a lack of hope.

You have heard me say before that what we focus our emotions on we will follow. What we give our hearts to we will serve that thing.

To comprehend this we must understand that the world’s views or paradigms are:

• Self-reliance and independency
  
• Never being satisfied or fulfilled
  
• Getting all we can at any cost
  
• Using others to gain what we want
  
• The grass is greener syndrome
  

   

And that brings me to the third observation. And that is that the desire for more can be a hindrance to our growth in Christ. The idea presented in the “lust of the flesh”,” the lust of the eyes” and “the pride of life” is that there is a desire to want more but it is usually the more that we cannot have. Most of the time, it is the things that are beyond our grasp and our ability to obtain. We want these things because we belief that our success will be achieved in obtaining things. We compare ourselves to others who possess such things, we want to be like them so we covet and struggle to get want we do not need and we know we cannot have.

The fourth observation made from this passage is that as believers we walk to a different beat. We do not succumb to the temptation of the world but we are free to walk as God would desire us to walk. We need to fall in love with God all over again. It is here that we will find a contentment and satisfaction that does not send us looking for things but for Him. We will want to build a relationship with him and not with others.

Peninsula Community Church

May 27, 2012

Displaying the Life of Christ – An immeasurable Full Life

God desires for us to have an immeasurably full life. And, as a passionate follower of Christ we must seek to live out that immeasurably full life. When we read the Apostle Peter’s (2 Peter 1:3-4) writings we see that He, God, has already given us all that we need to live this life to the fullest. God will also supply your every need according to his riches in Christ (Philippians 4:19) and there is nothing beyond our ability to accomplish because He gives me strength (Philippians 4:12-13). He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us, to teach us and to equip us in the areas that we fall short. We must also remember that God sets the stage for us to fulfill our purpose and that He opens doors and connects us with people that only He can do.

As we think about these gifts and blessings we have received, we are reminded that we have been created by God for a purpose and our purpose is specific to us. We have been given specific gifts and talents to fulfill this work and purpose. He speaks into our hearts promises, visions and dreams that can only be fulfilled in obedience to Christ. While this is a wonderful thought and an amazing prospect, there is a problem. It is a problem that John details here in this passage. Let us read this together.

1John 2:15 -17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions–is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

I want to present to you four observations from this passage that will lead us to a full life in Christ

The first observation is that this passage has been used too many times as an attempt to control sin and manage the actions we don’t like in others. This concept is certainly not drawn from the context of the scripture but by way of a translation of the passage. Let me illustrate this idea in this way. I was with a group of pastors this week. IN the meeting one of the pastors related a story about how he had been called to pastor this church that was in decline. As he spoke with the church he asked them about what the church stood for. The leadership team began to detail a long list of things that they were against but could not detail what they stood far. The reality was that they had a firm grip on what they could not do but were not sure what they could do. The pastor and the church set out on a year adventure to study the world to see what God has given them and the ‘yes’s of the Bible. You see while the goal was pure, as there was a desire to keep us from any harm or negative influences, this particular interpretation of the Scripture I believed missed the mark. The emphasis was on controlling sin and managing sin and not on a change of heart that brings eternal change into one’s life. Instead of allowing God to bring change to one’s heart, we established a long list of Pharisaical rules that were intended to prohibit certain actions but did little to disciple one to stand strong in the face of temptation.

The second observation is that this passage challenges us as to where we will place our allegiance. Will you be fully committed to Christ or will you allow the world’s mindsets to dictate your actions and your life. It should be noted here that the word used for “love” in this passage is the word “agape.” There is a temptation and pull for us to love the mindsets of the world but if we love the world’s ways more than we love God’s ways we fall short of what He desires. The result is confusion and despair and a lack of hope.

You have heard me say before that what we focus our emotions on we will follow. What we give our hearts to we will serve that thing.

To comprehend this we must understand that the world’s views or paradigms are:

• Self-reliance and independency
  
• Never being satisfied or fulfilled
  
• Getting all we can at any cost
  
• Using others to gain what we want
  
• The grass is greener syndrome
  

   

And that brings me to the third observation. And that is that the desire for more can be a hindrance to our growth in Christ. The idea presented in the “lust of the flesh”,” the lust of the eyes” and “the pride of life” is that there is a desire to want more but it is usually the more that we cannot have. Most of the time, it is the things that are beyond our grasp and our ability to obtain. We want these things because we belief that our success will be achieved in obtaining things. We compare ourselves to others who possess such things, we want to be like them so we covet and struggle to get want we do not need and we know we cannot have.

The fourth observation made from this passage is that as believers we walk to a different beat. We do not succumb to the temptation of the world but we are free to walk as God would desire us to walk. We need to fall in love with God all over again. It is here that we will find a contentment and satisfaction that does not send us looking for things but for Him. We will want to build a relationship with him and not with others.

PeninsulaCommunityChurch

May 20, 2012

I John 2:12-14 – A reminder

As we make this journey down the road of discovery there are times where if we are not careful we will forget where we have come from and we will forget all that God has done for us. When this happens we can become prideful and reject what God is doing currently. We can become myopic in our vision and in our goal to become more like Christ.

As only John can do he seems to pause in his writing here to remind his listeners of all that God has done for them spiritually. Remember, John’s writings here are as if he is thinking out loud and this is one of those moments.

1John 2:12-14 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. 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.

It always good to remember where we have come from and the changes that have come. John reminds us of where we have come from and all that Christ has done is us.

In this passage, John uses three terms to identify those to whom he is writing. He uses “father,” “children,” and “young men.” The term “children” is a generic or overall term for the believers. The term father relates to those who are mature in Christ and the young men are those who are growing in their faith.

John reminds his readers of four things that has occurred in them and is a definer of who they are as passionate followers of Christ.

First of all, their sins have been forgiven. One of the tricks of the enemy is to portray our walk with God as if we have not gained any benefit from following Him. Sometimes we do not realize how much we have been forgiven until we look back at our lives to see what He has done in us. The term sin here is a catchall term that means to miss the mark. We are aiming for God and aiming to do what He wants us to do but we miss the mark and fall short of his purposes in us. The idea of forgiveness is the idea that our sin has been sent off, it has been hurled from us, we let go of it. In a legal sense it means to cancel the debt owed.

Secondly, they have developed a personal relationship with Him – They know Him. They did not just have the facts about him but they knew him intimately. The term here means the knowledge of what really is. It is the acceptance of God’s divine love in Jesus and obedience to his commands.

Thirdly, they have overcome the evil one. The term overcome means to win, to defeat. They are victorious in their walk. This is a great testimony to the power of Christ’s love. He has delivered us. This idea of the word overcome serves two purposes. For one, we are reminded that we have overcome much and secondly, we are reminded that ultimately sin, death and the grave will be overcome by the power of Christ.

Fourthly, the Word of God dwelt in them. This is one of the marks of a passionate follower of Christ. One who is passionate about following Christ will know His word. They will know it and abide in it not for information but for transformation. There is a big difference. We can quote the word all day but just because we can quote it does not mean that it has changed us. This idea of the word abiding is also a reminder of John’s statements in the gospel of John. Those who have the word of God dwelling in them discipline themselves to look at life through the prism of the Word of God. We find in the long run that personal weakness is a very fruitful and satisfying place to be.(Paul Pillai, missionary and pastor inIndia).

Peninsula Community Church

May 13, 2012

What Mothers Need?

As I speak to you today, I recognize that things have changed in the world’s understanding of family and most importantly motherhood. Just this week I heard a news report that stated how significantly things have changed since the 1950’s and 1960’s. During the 50’s and 60’s the model family was seen on shows like “Leave it to Beaver,” “Fathers Knows Best,” “Dick Van Dyke Show” and “The Donna Reed Show” but today we have such model families as “Family Guy,” “Keeping up with Kardasians” or “Modern Family.” There is a ideology that seeks to redefine the role of the mother which too often adds guilt and shame rather than freedom and life. This can be a difficult time for moms who struggle to meant the demands of the home, provide an income in this economy and be an example to their children that one would want emulated.

In Proverbs 31:28-30 we have this statement that challenges us today. It is a testimony to the mother’s greatest, character and ability. Her children praise her, and with great pride her husband says, “There are many good women, but you are the best!” Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the LORD deserves to be praised.

As you listen to this there are some who do not feel or accept the words spoken by the writer of Proverbs because your reality is so different from the reality of the this word before us. It is for this reason that I want to share a couple of thoughts with you about moms. While these thoughts are directed to moms specifically, the fact is these thoughts can be applied to everyone who reads this or listens to this message.

First of all Mothers need to know through the hardships that God still loves them. Being a mother has its challenges and hardships. Whether you are a single mom as a result of divorce, death or an emotional/physical distant husband or you are a mom in a blended family or you a mom who has to deal with the consequences of your children’s decisions or you are a mom that has faced physical challenges in you or in your children, God wants you to know that you are stilled loved. His love for you is not contingent upon our success or failure but it is completely founded in who He is. Too often because you feel unloved by those in your family you can falsely attribute that feeling to God as well. For the mom today she must balance the budget, nurse the kids and the husband, cook the meals, clean the house, wash the clothes, do the shopping, taxi the kids, and attend every event the kids are involved with and then they have to have enough energy to meet their husbands needs. When one faces hardships or they find themselves exhausted in the task they can begin to doubt that they are loved and they can doubt that God loves them but I can promise you today that God loves you.

A second thought about motherhood is that mothers need to know their families appreciate them. Once again this is not something that is relegated to moms alone but everyone of use need to know that we are appreciated. Anne Romney the wife of Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney had this to say about mothers. “Cherish your mothers. The ones who wiped your tears, who were at every ball game or ballet recital. The ones who believed in you, even when nobody else did, even when maybe you didn’t believe in yourself. Women wear many hats in their lives. Daughter, sister, student, breadwinner. But no matter where we are or what we’re doing, one hat that moms never take off is the crown of motherhood. There is no crown more glorious.” Motherhood needs to be applauded and moms need to be appreciated for what they do and because they are just your mom. To appreciate them is to give them the credit they deserve, to say thank you and to honor them for the role they play. I know one mom of five would prepare a separate meal for every child (breakfast, lunch and dinner). The sad part is that we would watch the kids complain and argue with their mom about the meal that was prepared even though she had tripled the work. To appreciate them is to give them the credit they deserve, to say thank you and to honor them for the role they play. Appreciate your mom today. Let her know that you appreciate her. Take her to dinner. Write her a card. Do it today but do it every day of the week.

The third thought is that mothers need to let go of the “supermom”myth that pervades our culture. This concept that has been postulated states that moms are only fully satisfied when they are working a full time job, cook all the meals, wash the clothes, go to the games and so on and so forth. Do what you have been called to do. It is interesting to note that Anne Romney was criticized because she had not worked outside the home. In effect the communication was that if you do not hold a full time job you have no right to speak to the issues of women but, who better than a mother to speak to the issues of women.

The fourth thought is that mothers need to focus on the ultimate reward of motherhood. Motherhood has greater rewards than any other profession or job. As a mother, one has the privilege to guide and disciple these young people. They have the privilege to shape their destiny and their future through loving and caring for those who have been given to their care. To understand this we must understand that the child we have is not ours but God’s and his/her outcome is to be God’s design and not ours.

This is evidenced by the story told of a young child named Tom. Tom was unable to speak until he was four years old. Tom was a student in school but was having issues. When the teacher would discuss a subject in school, Tom’s nature was to ask ‘why.’ The teacher would often scold tom for his obsession to asking why. Once the teacher said that this is not a part of the teaching process and as you might guess Tom’s reply was ‘why.’ Needless to say Tom’s school life was not to continue and as he was asked to leave and so his mom took on the responsibility to educate him at home. By the age 14 Tom had read every book in the library, he had developed his own laboratory, he wrote and sold his own newspaper and he could expound on Isaac Newton’s theories and concepts. This occurred all because Tom was encouraged by his mom to ask the ‘why’ questions. As a result he went on to create the modern world in many ways. You see this Tom was none other than Thomas Edison. Later in life he made this statement about his mom: “She was the making of me! She was so sure and true to me! She was someone who was not disinterested in me but loved me and challenged me.”

With that in mind we must know realize that every child is different. They are special. Have you ever noticed how two children raised in the same household under the same rules can be so different? God has given us children raise on His behalf. The reason for this is that your child was formed for God’s purposes and God’s plan. So no matter how the situation of your child’s birth they are God’s child so therefore there are no illegitimate children, only illegitimate parents. Psalm 127:3 – “children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord.” God knows our children long before we do and much better than we do. We are not to make our kids to be what we them to be but to help them see what God wants them to be. Psalm 139:13 – We were formed in our mother’s womb and knitted us into what He chooses.

Peninsula Community Church

May 3, 2012

1 John 2:7-11 – A New Commandment

When we look at the passage before us today we see that John uses three key comparisons that qualify the character of the passionate follower of Christ. How we live these out will determine how we display the life of Christ.
1John 2:7-11 My dear friends, I am not writing to give you a new commandment. It is the same one that you were first given, and it is the message you heard. But it really is a new commandment, and you know its true meaning, just as Christ does. You can see the darkness fading away and the true light already shining. If we claim to be in the light and hate someone, we are still in the dark. But if we love others, we are in the light, and we don’t cause problems for them. If we hate others, we are living and walking in the dark. We don’t know where we are going, because we can’t see in the dark.

Notice that he compares the old commandment with the new commandment, he compares the light with the dark and lastly he compares love with hate. While these may seem to be disjointed and disconnected comparisons in reality they are connected by one issue that is a critical theme throughout the Bible and especially throughout the New Testament. Each of these comparisons relates to our focus our attention toward our love for God and for one another.

When John is referring to a new command he is referring to the words of Christ as written by John in John 13:33-35. In this passage Christ stated: My children, I will be with you for a little while longer. Then you will look for me, but you won’t find me. I tell you just as I told the people, “You cannot go where I am going.” But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.

This idea is also found in Christ’s teachings in Matthew where Christ stated: Mat 22:36-40 “Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?” Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.

 What is being communicated through these scriptures is that love must be the focus of why we do what we do and that love is one of the most significant definers of our relationship with Christ and with others. It is interesting to note that in that day the passionate Jew could be recognized by their dress and by what they looked like on the outside. The same would hold true for the military, the poor and so forth. In that day, a person’s occupation was seen most often identified by what they would wear and how they were dressed.

But, here in our text and in the supplemental passages we read Jesus is communicating a new paradigm by which we define the life and actions of a passionate follower of Christ. In essence Jesus through the communication of John is saying that the defining characteristic of a passionate follower of Christ is that they walk in love. In other words, a passionate follower of Christ loves God and therefore seeks to honor Him in all they do. This love encompasses the whole being and all that a person is, as noted in Matthew’s writings. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul and your mind.”

John continues his use of comparison by using two illustrative comparisons as an example of how this is worked out in one’s daily life. He states that the person who is walking in the light of Christ’s revelation is one who walks in love. This is in part because they have experienced the greatness and the magnitude of Christ’s love through forgiveness and wholeness.

The opposite is true as well. One who is not walking in the light is one that exhibits an attitude and characteristic of hatred. Hatred is the opposite of love and is therefore an absence of love. It is interesting to note that in Proverbs 10:12 the writer states: “hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” In the Contemporary English Version it states: “Hatred stirs up trouble; love overlooks the wrongs that others do.” True love can only be realized by accepting God’s love for us. Rather than being dictated to by hatred we can be motivated by love that compels us to serve God with our whole heart. It is interesting to note here that the Greek word used here for love is AGAPE and not PHLILEO or EROS love. The love John is speaking of comes only by way of acknowledging and accepting God’s love.

The fact is we cannot love and hate a person at the same time. We must understand that hatred is not the same as being angry at someone, being disappointed or feeling rejected. You see hatred stores up a list of wrongs against another rather than releasing the wrongs. It is the antithesis of 2 Corinthians 13 which is known as the love chapter. Hatred is self-focused and self-centered rather than others focused and others centered. There is an element of revenge involved. “I don’t get mad; I get even” is the motto of hate.

In the Proverbs passage, it is interesting that the word stir carries with it the idea of awakening. When we carry hatred in our hearts towards another we are in essence awaking the heart toward trouble and strife rather than letting things go. The problem is that most of our hatred is focused on things that cannot be changed and in the end we wound and hurt ourselves in the process.

A saw a movie a number of years ago entitled The Count of Monte Cristo. Edmond Dantes the focus of the story was falsely imprisoned for thirteen years. During this time hate was stirred up within him. While in prison he became friends with a “mad” priest who told stories of a treasure hidden on the Island of Monte Crisco. The priest, Abbe Foria began to teach Dantes how to fend for himself and he taught him the wisdom of the world. They also began to dig their way out of the prison but before they could do so, the priest died and Dantes used this opportunity to escape in the burial linens that were intended for the priest. Once out of prison, he found his way to Monte Cristo where he found the treasure. He began to use this new found treasure to exact his revenge against his four conspirators and especially against the one who had taken his love, Mercedes, from him. He slowly but methodically destroys his enemies. But Mercedes had always loved him. He was filled with hatred and an evil desire for revenge that was destroying him but the one thing that turned him around was the love that Mercedes gave him and showed him.

We can be filled with hatred and darkness may rule our lives but there is one that has been rejected who never stopped loving us. He is ready today to accept us and through love remove the pain of hatred in us so that we can love God and love others in ways we never imagined. Let Him love you today.

Peninsula Community Church

April 29, 2012

1 John 2:1-6: How do You Know?

The question that is often asked is “How do I know that I am a passionate follower of Christ?” It is a question that concerns many in the faith and many who are seeking out Christ. People have a genuine desire to know that they belong, and that they have not been deceived. John was aware of this issue and uses the following verses to clarify the answer.

In 1John 2:1-6, John states: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

In the first part of this passage, John identifies two actions taken by Christ on behalf of the believer. And, in the last half of the passage, John illuminates our thinking in terms of the believer’s responsibility toward the Word of God and the Commands of God. By understanding these things we are filled with hope that we can know that we are His children and therefore are His followers. To define Christ’s work on our behalf, John uses two terms. When we understand these terms we have a better idea about what Christ has done on our behalf.

The first of these terms is the term “advocate.” This term in the Greek is the word “parakoleo” or “parakletos.” It is defined as “one called in to help,” “one summoned to give assistance” and is used most often as a legal term. In New Testament times the term was used of one that would speak on behalf of the accused before the rulers and/or magistrates. It would be similar to our term “lawyer.”

John also uses this term in the gospel of John to define the work and role of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that will lead us to truth. It is the Holy Spirit that will give us the words to say in the moment that we need them. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts of sin and leads one to repentance. This is the work of the Holy Spirit as the “parakletos”.

What is important here is that God did not leave us defenseless or without assistance. Christ came to assist us in seeing that our walk is in alignment with God’s design. This term “parakletos” is also used of legal advice. Not only does an advocate represent one before the judge and jury but they also give advice as to how to present their case and how to avoid these legal issues at some later date. Christ came to show us and guide us toward truth and righteousness. Have you ever experienced that still small voice within you? You know that voice, that voice that is loud and clear when you are about to do something sinfully or that would cause injury to you.

The second term is the term “hilasmas” which is translated “propitiation.” The idea communicated through this word is “to cover” but in reality the word means so much more. It is not just a matter of covering but setting one’s guilt aside. It carries with the idea of expunging a record so that if anyone attempted to go back to their past there would be not evidence of past crimes or indictments. Because of sin there was a need to have justice on the part of God because He could not allow sin to go unpunished. Christ came on our behalf and took the penalty of our sin upon his shoulder and in essence expunged our record of sin – Romans 3:25-26. At the cross all the fury of sin was directed to Christ – 1 John 4:10.

Do you see what Christ has done? How do we know that we are followers of Christ? We do so by recognizing the work of Christ in our lives. As a result, we do not and cannot allow our past failures to dictate our future. We cannot allow the accusation of wrongs done in the past to cause us to miss the present joy of a life lived in Christ. We cannot allow our mistakes to rule our future. We have an advocate that has gotten the judge to expunge our record and we are free from any past indictments and we are free from any future indictments relating to that particular record of our lives. The problem is that too often we live as if we have been imprisoned by our sin rather than walking in the liberty that comes through confessed sin and righteous living.

I am so glad that my record has been cleared. As a result I am called upon to live a life of obedience to His commands. But we need to realize that the sustenance of my life does not come from observing the commands and rules of God but in the very life of Christ. You see the law and God’s commands only point out the wrong we have done but are powerless to bring life or forgiveness. It is only the work of Christ in us that allows us to be obedient to Him. But when we know Christ we desire to follow Him whole heartedly.

John says: “By this we know that we have come to know him…” How do we know that we know Him? We know that we know Him when we seek to be obedient to what He has called us to do. In this case, it is a matter of keeping His commandments. Secondly, he states that we know that we are in Him when we begin to act like Him and walk as He would walk. Our measure of perfectedness is in keeping His word and following after Him in a pure relationship.

John clearly defines one of the aspects of knowing that we have a relationship with Christ. Because John is dealing with the Gnostic concept of understanding God, John allows his readers know that they can know God personally and that He is not some distant God that is not concerned about them.

This knowledge is about experiencing truth and is not about understanding the facts per se. While experience cannot define our theology, experience does underscore our theology and makes it real for us. The concept of knowing is the idea of perception by experience not just a set of facts. In others words while facts are important these facts are solidified and proven by way of experience. The result is that we are characterized not by any representative trait or quality of His own personality but as a work of divine love which accomplishes its perfect work in us and through us. This intimacy with Christ produces a daily walk that mirrors the pattern of Christ’s life as we abide in Him. We see this is John’s teaching of the vine and the branches in John 15.

So how are you today? Do you know that you know? Are you passionately following Christ?

Peninsula Community Church

April 22, 2012

Displaying the Life of Christ –

Our Decisions have Consequences

 We are continuing to look at 1 John as a means to determine how a passionate follower of Christ should display the life of Christ in their life.

1 John 1:5-10 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 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 cleanses us from all sin.  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

In studying the Bible, one of the keys to understanding a passage is to look for common words that are used. In the passage before us today, there is one word that stands out above any other word. In fact, it is a small word but it is a word that has powerful meaning and adds great depth to our discussion.

The word I am referring to us is the word ‘if.’ The word means “in case that; granting or supposing that; on condition that.” It is in essence a word of condition. It is used throughout Scripture in what is called the “if/then” principle. It means that if you do ‘A’ the result will be ‘B.’

I can remember that my parents would use this if/then principle on us. Perhaps your parents said similar things such as: ‘If’ you don’t clean your room you will be grounded. ‘If’ you miss your curfew you will not be able to go out this weekend. ‘If’ you drink coffee, it will stunt your growth. ‘If’ you don’t stop crying I will give you something to cry for. I am sure that as I just say these illustrative ideas that your mind is filled with some of your own.

Since the word ‘if’ is a word of condition, the thought expressed through the word is the idea that there are consequences to our decisions. As passionate followers of Christ, one will want to display Christ in their lives by recognizing that one’s decisions have consequences. Therefore, one who is passionate for Christ will consider their actions and the results of the actions they take.

In 1John 1:5-10,  John uses five ‘if’ statements that teach us about walking in God’s light as passionate followers of Christ. Let’s take a look at these five statements:

The first of these states: If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. John is stating here that we cannot say that we are in fellowship with Christ and continue to knowingly live in the dark shadows of the past. The reason John is communicating this is that there is a tendency that what we set our attention to we will follow. Barclay the theologian stated “A man’s character will necessarily be determined by the character of the God whom he worships.” Therefore, what we follow will determine who we become.

Thus John is saying that we cannot continue to walk in the ways of darkness and continue to have open fellowship with God because our focus will be on the darkness and not the light. These actions break fellowship with Him. Have you ever tried to hide something from someone?

I love throwing surprise parties and yet I hate them at the same time. Anytime I am a party to such an event I find that I become less communicative which causes the fellowship to be broken.  I remember throwing Michelle a 30^th birthday party. My ruse was that we were to attend one of our staff pastor’s surprise parties as his birthday was the same day. The problem was that there was a speaker that was going to be in town that day and Michelle wanted to go to the event rather than what she thought was going to be a boring birthday party. Needless I had to dart and sway around the subject to convince her to go to the pastor’s party. I used guilt and the art of persuasion which did not make for a happy home. Needless to say our fellowship was not very sweet for a couple of days because I was keeping her in the dark.

Paul adds to this discussion on darkness when he states: “Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:7-10)

He continues in Colossians 1:11-14 “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,  giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

John in this passage is in essence saying that when we continue to walk in the ways of the past without any regard for our new relationship there are consequences that occur. When we received Christ He delivered us from the ways of darkness and He brought us into the light of His will. But too often we live and act as if we were never redeemed from the darkness and thus we minimize His work in us.

The second ‘if’ is found in verse 7: 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 cleanses us from all sin. John continues his discussion by giving us the opposite context of living in darkness. In contrast to walking in darkness, if we set our focus on following Christ we will see positive results and will have fellowship with one another and will experience the cleansing that come from God’s washing of our sins. Notice, that our fellowship with God and with others is impacted by our relationship with the dark. The quality of our fellowship will be determined by where we walk. If we walk in the dark our relationships will be negatively affected and if we walk in the light we will have open and honest relationships which result in a quality experience.

The third ‘if’ is:  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. To display the life of Christ we must be honest and open about who we are. God’s relationship with us must be one that is based in truth and not deception. In John 4:24 it is interesting to note that John states that God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. That means we must be honest about who we are and the issues that contradict who we are attempting to be in Christ. The greatest deception is self-deception and the greatest self-deception is to think we can hide our sin without suffering the consequences of such action.

The fourth ‘if’ is: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. As we are honest with him he is more than willing to forgive and restore us to the place we need to be and ought to be.

The fifth ‘if’ is: If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. The reason for this is that the Word’s purpose is to lead us into truth. Psalm 119:11 “I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” When we say we have not sinned we are in effect denying the power of the word of God to change and develop who we ought to be.

Notice that in this passage there is a progression:

1. Walking in darkness breaks fellowship;
2. Walking in the light restores fellowship and cleanses us;
3. When we are walking in the light we must be careful not to assume that we never sin;
4. When we walk in the light we understand that when we do sin there is more than enough forgiveness available to heal and restore us to a proper relationship;
5. And finally, when we say we have not sinned we make God a liar and his word is not in us because it is the word that brings conviction.

Peninsula Community Church

April 15, 2012

Christ’s Life Displayed

 The goal of the John’s writings is to show believers what it means to display the life of Christ to the community and culture around them. Join us as we take a journey through the pages of 1 John.

1John 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life– the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us– that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

The theme of 1 John is walking in fellowship with God’s light and love. In this letter, John deals with how we display the life of Christ through our lives. His focus is on the light of God and the love of God. We receive both of these from God. We do not work for them but we simply receive them as a gift.

As we read through this book we see that John answers some important questions about how to display the life of Christ as we follow Christ:

The first question answered by John is “What does God’s life look like in a true
believer?” In other words, if we are passionate followers of Christ, what should our life look like? If you had asked me that question a number a years ago, I probably would have over emphasized the process of obedience. While this is certainly a key component of living a life that honors God but when that is all that we consider we can begin to live a life that is guided by legalism and control rather than being light and showing love. The result is a concentration checking off the list of duties performed rather than living a life fully dedicated to Christ and His ways. I know have a whole new perspective about God’s love which drives me to do things not to gain His love but to simply accept that He loves me and that is enough. Additionally I do not have to strain at being the light because it is an action that is deposited in us as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit within me. When God’s life is being revealed through me our speech, our attitude and our character will be effected.

The second question answered by John is “How can we recognize falseness in living and teaching that would attempt to lead us astray?” He thereby addresses the issue of do we discern those things that create in us false expectations and attempt to lead us astray from the truth of the Gospel. Have you noticed that the nation as a whole is being dumbed down? It seems that people do have the ability to think critically. There is a tendency to accept things with out discerning the truth within the facts given. We are living in a sound bite world where truth is defined by one-liners and in 30 second discussions on the news hour. John encourages us to discern the spirits and the truth that is at play around us. Without which we are easily deceived and confused. We can become very gullible.

The third significant question addressed by John is “How do we share God’s love horizontally?” It is critical that we learn to not only love God but also live out that love toward others. It has been said that we love best when we loves others and we love even greater when we love those who do not deserve our love.

It was critical for John to address these questions as one of the key issues t affecting the church of the day was a Gnostic belief. Gnostics believed that matter was evil and only the spirit was good. For this reason, they did not believe in the incarnation or the resurrection. They taught that the spirit of God entered Jesus sometime after his birth and then exited before the crucifixion so that he would not suffer. By denying the deity of Christ, led them to deny His atoning sacrifice, His redemption and His offer of reconciliation. To the Gnostics salvation came by way of freedom from the sinful body through mystical knowledge.

Note that John countered this philosophy in the first few verses of his letter. He states that the focus of his writings was on the who was there from the beginning. Christ created all things and brought all things into existence. Rather than being a distant God, He in reality was one who was very close. Notice the words John used to define Christ who was revealed through the Word:

The first three of these reveals the personal encounter that John had with the Savior and the same encounter that is available to us. This revelation does not come from second hand knowledge but from firsthand experience. And finally, this revelation is not a nebulous experience but one that is personal and up close and understandable.

• We have heard him.
  
• We have seen with our eyes
  
• We have touched with our hands
  

The second part of this is what we do with this personal revelation:

• His life was manifested in such a way that His actions could be seen.
  
• We testify to all He had done.
  
• We proclaim Him as the way of salvation.
  

To translate this in modern terms John shares some key information about the work of Christ in our lives:

• The work of Christ is relevant and current.
  
• The work of Christ is trustworthy.
  
• The work of Christ is applicable to every experience.
  
• The Work of Christ affects our whole being.
  

Peninsula Community Church

The Power of Hope

April 8, 2012

1 Peter 1:3-5 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

As we gather to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, I recognize that one of the greatest issues facing people today is fear. Fear is one of those emotions that can bind us and hold us back from accomplishing what we need to do and it negates our joy and peace.

Fear is generated when there is a concern that our happiness, our health or our future will be negatively affected. One of the ways that I can illustrate this is one of the adventures I had with my car as a teenager. I admit that I drove much faster than I should have. This included one evening that we were headed to the local high school’s baseball game. I was following a group of cars in front of me (and they were all clipping at a good deal of speed) when a car pulled out in front of me suddenly stopped because the light had turned red. I immediately locked up the brakes and slid through a gas station. In fact, I slid all the way past the service station and stopped on the road that was perpendicular to the service station. When I looked up the light was green, I put on blinker, turn right and kept going for about a mile when I had to pull over and gather myself. In that moment, my thoughts were that my future had been at risk and that I was very fortunate that I had not hit one of the gas pumps. Needless to say, the rest of the trip I drove at a reasonable speed. So fear can be a good thing but too often fear can be something that binds us and holds us back from accomplishing what we need to.

I would suggest that there are four fears that can drive us to either go into neutral or do things that only serve to hurt and hinder us:

The first of these is financial fear. As we look around us there are certainly enough issues to cause us fear. Rising gas prices (now $3.93 per gallon), devalued home prices, decreased wages, and increased cost of living are bringing fears about what the future will hold. What we once trusted financially cannot longer be trusted to bring about happiness and that might be a good thing.

Secondly, many are filled with political fear. Many are fearful about the future of this nation as so many of the freedoms that we held dear are being eroded. Congress and state legislatures are attempting to control what we eat, what we drive, and so on and so on. People, today, do not trust the government to protect them and to assure the pursuit of happiness which by the way cannot be legislated although they may try. This is borne out best by the fact that the current congress has less than a 12% approval rating and an 85% disapproval rating (this includes both democrats and republicans). But the fact is that people have allowed this to occur because they have turned to the government to do what only God can do. They now expect the government to provide their every need.

Thirdly, many are filled will physical fear. We are afraid because of the doctor’s reports that gave us bad news. We are afraid that we will be sick in the future. We are fearful about a negative report on crime or that a sexual offender is loose in Selbyville.

Fourthly, we have relational fears as we do not know if our friendships will be intact in the future. We no longer trust another person’s words because we are no longer people of our word. We are afraid that contracts will be broken and our marriages will disintegrate.

As I was preparing this Franklin D. Roosevelt’s quote about fear at his first inaugural address, came to mind. He stated: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself–nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” What he was saying is that we will not allow fear to cause us to retreat rather than advance and succeed.

Enough on fear as I propose to you that the answer to fear is hope. And today, we celebrate that hope in the person of Jesus. I propose to you that one of the problems we face is that we don’t fully understand what hope means to us.

Our definition or definition of hope is too often founded in “a desire for some future thing which we are uncertain about?” When we speak of hope we are hoping that something will occur such as we hope that our favorite baseball team will play well this year (the Orioles, the Phillies, the Nationals, the Yankees and yes even the Red Sox’s) and go to the World Series. You may hope that relative you are having a problem will change…. You hope you will have enough money to retire.

But, the New Testament’s definition of hope is “a full assurance, or strong confidence that God is going to do good to us in the future.” Any other words this hope is not based on physical things but on a promise from the Lord. At least a couple of scriptures come to mind here:

• I know the plans I have for you…. Is a common verse that is quoted but there is more to the verse. Listen to the entire passage in Jeremiah 29:10-14 “For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
  
• Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1)

This definition of hope makes the resurrection even more important. What does the Resurrection teach us about hope? If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:19-20). The Resurrection brings with it a full assurance and confidence that God is going to do good for us in the future.

You see no matter what happens today there is a tomorrow on the horizon. “We can know that all things will work out for our good because God is in control” (Romans 8:28). The problem with fear is, when we fear what will happen tomorrow, we will subconsciously what to satisfy the pleasures of the self without regard to consequences of those decisions. We will begin to live by the motto: “Eat, Drink and Be happy because tomorrow I die.”

• The trials we face now cannot be compared to what is in store for us in heaven. “Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:13-18)
  
• Christ through his death and resurrection has defeated every foe and has conquered death for us all.
  

The assurance of hope comes only to those who have a relationship with Christ.