Life on the edge

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.

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?