Sermon Reflections from God and Evil | Alex Hardt | October 29, 2023 Pastor Alex exercised a bit of free speaker’s license in his sermon this week. He went through the scriptures of 1 John 5, and then added his own personal reflections. I will attempt to do the same with my reflections. In 1 John 5:1-5, John speaks to us plainly about the results of believing in Jesus and loving God. Believing Jesus means we are born of God. That means we have His Holy Spirit indwelling us when we step out in faith. Loving God means we love Jesus. We can’t do one without the other as Jesus said in John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.” This knowing and believing empowers us to follow His commands and love others. That may sound like a burden, no one likes to follow rules constantly. But God promises His commands are not burdensome and will help us achieve victory in overcoming the world. John takes it a step further in verse 5 “ Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” He is saying that the only way to be an overcomer is through faith in Jesus. Jesus has the power and faith in Him links us to that power enabling us to face and overcome evil. In verses 6-12, John speaks about testimonies. By Jewish law one must have 2 witnesses to be proven true and here John presents 3 witnesses. First he mentions the water and the blood. The water would refer to Jesus’ baptism which was seen by many and John the Baptist. John 1:32-34 “Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” The blood referred to the crucifixion of Christ and his atoning blood. John saw him die on the cross, saw the risen Christ and was present at his ascension. The last witness John offers is the Spirit of God who convicts, reveals and affirms all truth about God. John is adamant that unbelief about Jesus and who He is, is like saying God is a liar. If one does not believe this truth, then John says you will be missing out on eternal life and will in essence have no life. John 5:11-12 “ And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” John concludes his letter with powerful reminders and affirmations. 1 John 5:13 “ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” We can be assured of our eternal life in Jesus! Praise God! 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” John reaffirms that God does indeed hear our prayers. He cautions us to pray according to God’s will not our own, then ask away. God hears! 16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.” John wants to clarify that sin is wrong but when you are a believer you need only ask forgiveness to be made right with God again. One does not need to feel despair but seek forgiveness. The sin that leads to death is rebellion against God, unbelief. Not believing in Jesus is a grievous error with eternal consequences. 18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” John wants us to know that knowing Jesus doesn’t mean we will never sin but we won’t sin habitually, on purpose, and willfully. We need to cling to Jesus as the world is ruled by evil desires and purposes that are in direct opposition to God the Father and God the Son. We are to always keep an eternal perspective on life. 21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” John adds this little bit at the end to remind us that the world is full of enticing idols and we are to keep ourselves away from them. Idols can be subtle like entertainment, education, power, the love of money, or not so subtle like other religions seeking to draw us away from Jesus. May our reflections cause you to read the scripture and do your own reflecting. There is much to ponder and consider. God’s Word is deep and requires we dive deeply with our minds into it. Have a great week. Linda MESSAGE LINK Click Here to View the Message on Youtube Our Sunday service is online and in-person at 11:00am. Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass. Sermon Reflections from Transform the World | Damon Hopkins | August 27, 2023
This Sunday Damon embarked on part 2 of the sermon he started last week. He reminded us that the first step is to take in from God. Be that going to church, from Christian radio, podcasts, or your own study, we need to avail ourselves of hearing the Word and encountering God. When we do, the next step is to take it and share it. Our love for God is energized by encounters with Him. We are to use opportunities within the week, within our sphere of influence to share about Him. God commands us to do this in Matthew 28:19-20 “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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Part 2 of this process is to make the sharing real. We are not perfect for sure, as we are all sinners saved by grace, but our sharing should be authentic and genuine to the core. We should seek to reflect Jesus in our lives then the hearer or seer will see that our walk with Jesus reflects our talk about Jesus. Damon had several examples of this from his life and pointed out to us that humility is required. One needs to be quick to admit their inconsistencies and praise God for His forgiveness and righteousness that covers our sin. Admitting our own constant need for the Savior requires humility. Although humility is difficult, scripture teaches us that it has great benefits. It is the high calling of all Christians and helps us reflect our Lord and Savior to the world. Benefits of humility: Rest for our souls, Matthew 11:29 Salvation as our crown, Psalm149:4 Wisdom, Proverbs 11:2 Guidance and His teaching, Psalm 25:9 Grace, God’s unmerited favor, Isaiah 66:2b Exaltation from God, Matthew 18:4, Matthew 23:12 So when Damon encourages us to be real, vulnerable and open in our sharing, it is the attitude God desires. To be like Jesus we need humility in our walk with Him. Our lives are constantly being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. We need to listen, accept and respond with boldness so we may show Christ to our needy world. If we seek to show Christ in our lives, we will see a growth in the fruit provided by the Holy Spirit. Check yourself, think back and reflect on how you have changed in regard to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in your life. Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.’ How have you seen growth in the fruits of the Spirit in your life? Are you more forgiving, patient, faithful? Do you allow the Holy Spirit to use you to comfort others? 2 Corinthians 1:4-5 “ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” How about your desire to talk to others about Christ? Do you feel His boldness spurring and engaging you in conversations that before you would have wanted to avoid? Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Scripture also speaks of a hope that comes from His indwelling Holy Spirit. Romans 15:3 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Are you feeling this, are you more hopeful in Christ and willing to share that hope of a solid affirmed future with others? Do experience peace when you know the situation is desperate but God gives you peace and joy? That is the work of the Holy Spirit in your life! How about your time with others at work or church? Do you seek unity of Spirit or demand your own way? Ephesians 4:3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. The Holy Spirit imparts gifts to every believer. Think about your gifts and ask yourself- am I allowing God to use them within me? 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-6,7-11 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. There is much to ponder and evaluate this week. If we are to reflect Christ in our lives we need to be humble and use the gifts God imparts to us through His Holy Spirit. Thanks Damon for your encouragement to dynamically seek to live for Jesus in both word and deeds. It requires intentional living for Him! Thankfully, those He calls he equips! (Hebrews 13:21 and 2 Timothy 2:17) Linda MESSAGE LINK Click Here to View the Message on Youtube Our Sunday service is online and in-person at 11:00am. Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass. |
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