1 John 2:3-14

We know God by Obeying His Commands

  

Stay out of the road!   Say please and thank you.    Use your manners!     Sit up straight.                                    Use your napkin.   Don’t hit!   Stay in bed.   Don’t play with your food!    Stop fighting!

Adults spew these and many other commands to kids constantly. Not only do they speak the words, but generally use direct and sometimes fierce intonation to get the child’s attention, to no avail. Over and over the reminders are communicated, and the results are the same. The kids continue doing exactly what they were told not to, or don’t do what they were asked to do.

Do all young people have bad memories? Are all kids testing? Are they so focused on themselves that they disregard the wishes of the adults in their lives? What is it?

In today’s passage John wrote to encourage believers, and remind them of God’s commands;

1 John2:7  “Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard.”

What is John referring to? He notes a few examples, but it is all about following God’s word and knowing God by living as He calls us to. He doesn’t change his message. He never has.

Verse 4 The man who says “I know him” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Verse 5 But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him.

Verse 9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in darkness.

Colossians 2:12-14 Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Last Sunday the message was about what God has given us-New Life.

Today let’s examine our own hearts and honestly look at the pages of our daily lives. Not the life of anyone else, just our own. Are we giving God what he has asked of us in return or are we still in need of constant reminders? If so, that's alright, we are all in various places in our faith walk.

  

1 John 2:6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Developing your faith is a lifelong process. What is your next step? Is God calling you to cross the threshold of faith and enter into His family? Is God calling you to grow in your understanding of who He is, or change the way you live your life? Is God calling you to step up and be a model for others?

      Read/listen to 1 John 2:3-14

The Walls are Rebuilt….Rejoice!

Nehemiah 8

"They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so the people could understand what was being read.” Nehemiah 8:8

What a gift, to have God’s book read to you, and then explained in a way that relates to your own life. It’s as though the Lord is speaking directly to you and you can make sense of the messages, and the words coming alive within you. That is what our God intended. His Word was written for US.

If you do not yet have the regular experience of feeling God’s word come alive within you when you attend a church service, I urge you to look further. The purpose of a sermon is to make God’s teaching clear and to show relevance to our daily lives just as Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites did. The same is true for any devoted Christ follower. Making God’s promises clear and understandable to those who do not know Him and helping them realize the importance and relevance of a relationship with God is a life saving act.

 

Though when we read and listen to God’s Word and reflect on our daily lives, we may become sad and even grieved because we know we are not always following his  commands and directives, Nehemiah reminds us; “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” God’s joy is to show grace and keep His promises. God rebuilds us through his Word. Attending worship service regularly and becoming part of a community of believers is important, but also vital is feeding ourselves through His word. Today, in this country, we can freely access God’s teachings within our own Bibles, so..... read, reflect, act, and rejoice.

The Joy Of The Lord Is Our Strength!

Read/Listen to: Nehemiah 8

Caged by Love

Psalm 19:7 (NIV)
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 

Research reveals that using a crate to train your puppy is not cruel, but a helpful tool for both owner and young pup. The crate insures that while in the puppy stages, our furry companion won't demolish our carpets and furniture. The confinement a crate offers provides for a safe environment for Fido to stay as he learns the rules.

When I feel bad because he has been left alone, locked behind wire bars, for a portion of the day the fact is he recognizes he is safe there. Many dogs are prone to seek out a den to lay in, the crate is that den, not a prison to for punishment or to keep him from having fun.

The laws of God, the Commandments are similar in intent. They are guidelines to help us grow up strong and faithful. They are lights for our path rather than chains on our hands and feet.

Psalm 19:9 (NIV)
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.

Rules are not meant to stifle our joy; quite the opposite. Just as we teach to rules of the house to a new pup so ensure his safety and to make him a fruitful part of the household, the rules Jesus teaches are for the same purpose. They teach us right from wrong and from them we gain love and peace. We become valuable players in the game of life.




Psalm 19:7-14

Proverbs 16:9 and Psalm 37: 5-6

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, and the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

These words do not say our journey will be filled with sunshine and happiness, or that our ways and beliefs will be readily accepted by those around us as our life evolves into a series of joyous events.

What these verses do communicate, is that when we truly commit to living as the Lord commands, our righteousness (being “in the right” in relation to God) will be what is most important, and what makes us stand out among men in the eyes of God.

“Commit your way…” “Trust in Him…” 

This “shining” may never look or feel like a bright, beautiful experience to us because of the earthly burdens we bear. We might never reap the benefits of our labors directly. The one who matters most however, will be well aware of our heart’s intentions and the steps we have taken to follow HIS course. To live our lives daily, for His glory. As we were reminded last Sunday:

“The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.” Galatians 5:22-23

amen

Read/listen to Proverbs 16:9

Read/listen to Psalm 37:5-6

How we say “yes" to God

“Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today.  Learn them and be sure to follow them.  The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.  It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today.”  Deuteronomy 5:1-3

[To read about the giving of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5:1-22, click here.]

A little covenant theology, anyone?

OK, now that it's just you and me ... let’s look at three covenant “basics” and then apply them today.


Covenants.  Since the fall of man, God has made “agreements” with his people through covenants.  Unlike mutually forged contracts, God’s covenants are not negotiated, rather he alone sets their terms.  Our involvement lies in our response: we accept his terms or we reject them; we enter into his covenant, or we don’t; we say “yes” to God or we say “no” to God.

Covenant terms.  God speaks in two types of covenants terms: promises and commands.  Typically, both types are delivered together, one nestled within the other.  When God called Abraham, for instance, he began with a command: “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”  Then showing his love for Abraham, God encouraged him for his task with rich promises of descendants, a land and a blessing.

So in the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses, we can already see two covenant basics in operation.  Clearly, God did not negotiate with Moses; rather he commanded while Moses dutifully took notes.  But what about encouragement for the people of the Exodus?  Had God no covenant terms of promise for them?

Yes, he did.  He had already delivered them.  Ten promises, to be exact.  They’re found in Exodus 6:6-8:  (1) I am the Lord, (2) and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.  (3) I will free you from being slaves to them, (4) and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.  (5) I will take you as my own people, (6) and I will be your God.  (7) Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.  (8) And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.  (9) I will give it to you as a possession.  (10) I am the Lord.

In these Ten Promises – three of which are “I am the Lord” – God expressed his love and compassion for his people.  And into this reality did he then give them the Law, the Ten Commandments.

Saying “yes” to God.  So God speaks in unilateral covenant terms of promise and command.  Ours is to respond.  So how do we enter into his covenants?

It depends on the covenant terms.  We say “yes” to God’s promises by believing them and entrusting our entire lives to them.  And we “yes” to God's commands by obeying them, doing what he tells us to do.

Looking, then, at the Great Commission in Matthew 28, let’s apply our three covenant basics.  When Jesus unilaterally commands, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you,” we say “yes” by obeying him.  And when, in encouragement, he unilaterally promises, “And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age,” we say “yes” to such loving assurance by believing him.

It is in the power of God’s promises that we keep his commandments.  Believing, we obey.  Today.

John 15: 1-17

Empowered By God’s Grace

John 15:1 Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches.”

John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so I loved you. Now remain in my love”

John 15:10 “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love.”

John 15:17 “This is my command: Love each other.”

1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

We have heard that once we hit bottom the only place to look is up. Perhaps this is a somewhat non-biblical way of pointing people to the Lord. It suggests that when all else fails and there is no hope left, one might as well go for the last resort and look to God. In many ways this seems like such a backward approach, but for some, it may be the only way they can let God in.

This is pruning to the max! Created by God, we are an extension of Him. We truly are the branches. For some of us, being stripped of all we think is valuable to the point of breaking is the pruning we require to wake us up to God’s Love. It does not have to be this way, but for some, it is the only way. When we see others in this position, what do we do?  I hope we love them, pray for them with a deliberate heart, and are there for them no matter what. That is God’s command; “Love each other.” It does not say love others when they are nice to you, or when they give to you what you desire, He says; “Love each other.”

It is easy to love those who show us love and behave in a way that pleases us, but there are many others who need our love and the love of the Lord who do not appear to deserve it. As they are being pruned, they seem to want to take us down with them. We are to be strong, and LOVE THEM. We are empowered by God’s grace and it is by offering God’s Grace to others that we truly live.

Read/Listen to John 15:1-17