Fighting for My Pea Patch

John, who is believed to be the last of the Apostles alive – not by man’s choice, because man tried to boil him alive, then shipped him off alone to the Aisle of Patmos. Yet here is John, after all that, and he is writing this letter to a chain of churches that were in Ephesus.  If you will remember with me, he has two big messages and both begin with “And this is the message . . .”

The first message is that “God is Light” and the second is “God is Love.” Now “Light” means that He does not walk around in the darkness; He has no hidden secrets in the closest; He doesn’t have a downside or scandal lurking in the shadows; and nothing over time has changed the nature or character of God.

You and I have a dark side; you and I have scandals; you and I have shortcomings and failures; we have problems; we have “junk in our trunk;” you and I have things in our lives we would not want the good folks “down yonder at the church” to know about us.

But God does not, and the invitation that He gives to us who have “junk in our trunk,” a dark side, a downside, is to come and Live with Him and walk with Him in the Light. And that is scary, because that means that parts of your life are going to be illuminated that will not leave you feeling a strong sense of pride. And we need to understand that the Christian Walk is all about what God can do through you, and not what you can do for yourself.

So, God calls us into the Light so that what He does through you will be a testimony and an encouragement to others who are hiding in the dark. If you don’t allow the dark stuff in your life to be illuminated to others, then you don’t have much of a testimony for those who really need to see it, that are in the dark hiding. Because it is the darkness in our lives that the Light illuminates and frees up that will leave others living in the dark believing that can they come to the Light too.

How do you know that you can come to God with all the darkness in your life and not be rejected? Because “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” And God is Love and “God commended His love toward, in that while we were yet sinners, (while we were yet living in the dark) Christ died for us.” I know that seems simple, but it is the Love of God that leads us to repentance.

God leads with love and He invites us out of the darkness, not to shame us, not to say, “Well I told you so,” but as an invitation to come and “Live in the Light,” to take on that “New Name,” and to “Love others.”

Today, we are going to deviate from that message just a little bit, as the Word of God is going to give us some warnings about the world and how to deal with the world.

I John 2:15-17, “¹⁵ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

THE WORLD IS TEMPTING

John begins with “Love not the world . . .” so my first question is this: WHY? Why can’t I love this world, because after all, there are quite a few things in this world that are quite “lovely.” I love the mountains, and the beaches. I love waterfalls, and looking at the stars at night. I mean after all, wasn’t this world created because God spoke it into existence? That’s what Genesis claims, “That before the beginning, there was God, and God was in the beginning before there was a beginning, and He began the beginning because He was before the beginning could begin.” Now that’s a mouth full.

And on this earth that he created, He made man in His own image and he said of it WHAT? “That it was GOOD.” So even in the moments of our fallen nature when we are going to say, “Man, that was good.” God also gave us taste buds. Some of the things we taste, we say, “Man, that’s good.” And in fact, it is so good to taste to much of it – and it’s that last bite that does us in. See, that’s what it’s like in the world. We don’t have moderation in this world – but we live in extremes in this world. The reason we are tempted in this world is because there is a good that is in it. John says, “Don’t love the world or the things in the world, because if any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

So, what is the idea here? Well, I think the idea is this: The world is tempting, and what it tempts us to do in its current state is to not worship God, or trust God, but the world wants us to uproot and distrust God – to be independent from God. So when most of us see temptation being brought up – “lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life” that John speaks too, we think that it is the desire to occasionally sin.

But what this is speaking of is a deeply rooted desire that is tempted and desires a life not dependent on God. The temptation of the world is for us to be INDEPENDENT:

• To serve God on YOUR terms;
• follow God Your way;
• honor God with YOUR sacrifices;
• appease God with YOUR morality.

It is not dependent on the incarnate Christ coming up and taking residence within you, because allowing Christ to Live IN YOU takes the control of your life out of YOUR hands. He may have “The Whole World in His hands,” but daily I am tempted to take my life out of it, to live life my way and on my terms.

In fact, I have been to quite a few funerals of people that did not give their hearts to Christ, and on quite a few of them, the final song played at their funeral was either Frank Sinatra or Elvis Pressley singing, “I did it My Way.” And it was their way of saying, “I lived life on my terms, I did not submit to living God’s way – I DID IT MY WAY.” And that takes us all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Because that was the deception and temptation that Adam and Eve fell into.

All of us, in our fallen nature of distrust in government, distrust in the world, and others has led us to a distrust in God. And as a result, we believe that God does not have His glory and our best interest in mind. Or for some it’s His glory over our best comfort. We will negotiate the Glory of God for the Comfort of this world.

John is warning here against this temptation – this temptation to live independent from God, to live separate from the authority of God. John is saying “Don’t love it here so much that you’d rather be here than in the presence of God.” So, the threat here John is warning about is not temptation to sin, but the temptation of removing ourselves from total dependance on God.

So I guess my question for us this morning is this: Are we living our daily lives dependent on Christ, or are we living completely independent of Christ?

THE WORLD IS TEMPORAL

A second reason John tells us not to “Love the world,” is because it is temporary. Look at verse 17, “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof (the desires thereof):”

I think Solomon was a good example of this: he had the nicest house, the biggest house; he had the most stuff; he threw the biggest parties; he had more wives – in fact he was throwing them rage parties long before Diddy. He had more wealth than anyone else. In fact, people would come from all over the world to see all that he had built. Queen Sheba said of Solomon, after seeing all that she had heard about, “That half had not been told.”

Yet, Solomon writes an entire book about how life is meaningless and how all that “stuff” was just vanity and vexation of spirit. And do you know why? Because it was all temporary – he couldn’t take it with him when he died. Solomon said, “It was just a chasing after the wind.” I wonder how many of us have separated ourselves from God because we are “Chasing after the wind?” We won’t the bigger pay check, the nicer car, the bigger house, more toys and we are willing to forsake God to get it?

John said the world, and all the desires of it will pass away – they are only temporary. Yet many are willing to give up the eternal for the temporal.

Mick Jagger sang a song years ago saying, “I can’t get no SATISFACTION.” John Mayer has a song out titled, “Something’s missing.” For some of you, instead of “tasting and seeing that the Lord is Good” – You are finding and that the world is empty.” But instead of turning to the Lord who can fill you and satisfy you, you continue down the same path repeatedly thinking that the world can satisfy the soul.

• Another relationship will fix my problems;
• Another job will ease the stress;
• Another pay raise will satisfy my needs;
• My insecurities will be overcome if I can just get a little more of what the world is offering.

And John says, “No my friend, the world is tempting you to turn from God to the world where no satisfaction can be found, and whatever you find is only temporary.”

John says, “The world passeth away.” But here is our problem: Because we are made in the image of God – who is love – we were made to love. John is telling us not to direct our “Love to the world, neither the things of the world – but direct our LOVE toward GOD.” Why, because the things of the world are temporal and God is eternal.” And if you put your love in world:

• You will go from one temporal fix to another;
• one job to another;
• one relationship to another;
• one addiction to another.

And at the end of the day, you will realize it was all just vanity and vexation of spirit. You will find yourself just as empty as you were at the start. Only our love for God will last forever. Remember I finished last week by saying, “Only one life, twill soon be past; Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

So what do we do in a world that we are called NOT to love, but that we live in? What do you do in a world that is dark, and you are Light? Well, there are a couple things we are NOT called to Do.

WE ARE NOT CALLED TO HIDE

As this is what I’ve heard growing up in Baptist Churches most of my life. In fact, if Bobby Bushea’s momma could preach a sermon, this is what it would be. If it could slightly be fun – DON’T DO IT. Don’t watch television; don’t own a television – cause it’s of the devil; Don’t go to the movies, cause I actually heard a preacher preach this – cause if you go to the movies, and the rapture happens, the all-powerful, all knowing, Sovereign God will not be able to get His people out of movie theater seats; If you have a computer, don’t use it – it’s of the Devil; Got a smart phone – Don’t do it; Stay away from worldly people – they are scary – don’t do it; Don’t watch or play sports – they are evil; Don’t dress up and go out to dinner or drive a nice car; If you are blessed financially – demean it by saying someone gave it to you, rather than tell them how you’ve been blessed by God; Keep life plain, drab and colorless – and when Jesus comes, He’ll be happy.

Folks, this is the play book of fundamentalism – and I know because I dwelled there for years. FUNDAMENTALISM is a way of teaching a man-made version of holiness and righteousness that comes apart from abiding in the Spirit of God and it is you DOING first so that you can then receive second! It is a works salvation and not a grace salvation.

Listen, we are not Holy because of anything that we have done, we are Holy because we have come out of the darkness and asked Christ to Live IN US. And when you abide in Christ, holiness comes out of you.

It is not you doing a list of this, this and this – it is you accepting Christ, dying to yourself, and allowing Him to live in and through you.

So, one thing we can do is HIDE. But there is another we can do. John 17:15, says, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” That means we are to be “IN THE WORLD AND UNDER HIS AUTHORITY.” “In the world, as His Ambassadors.”

Chuck Swindoll said, “God’s desire for Christians in the world is not isolation, but insulation. To be living in the world, but not as part of the world. We are to be salt and light, witnesses in the world.”

We are not called to Hide from the world

WE ARE NOT CALLED TO PROVOKE THE WORLD

Many of us believe that if we yell the TRUTH at the world enough – the truth will effect change in the world. And in the same breath, we believe that if we just don’t say anything – that’s enough. This is where most non-denominational churches exist – where the mid-point is the same point.

The world doesn’t need you to lead with your bull horn, or with your protest, the world needs you to lead with your Love for the Lord, because it is our Love for Him, that will lead us to Love our neighbor.

The Lord leads with compassion. That doesn’t mean that He overlooks our sin, but that He is inviting us to a new way of living our lives. You see Satan (and bad parents) use shame to threaten their kids. But God uses conviction to call His out of the darkness and into the Light. Conviction is not Shame. You will never hear the voice of God say “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

What you will hear God say, “You are a child of God, and you have been invited to more.” Conviction is not a dismissal; it is an invitation to more. It is an invitation to a new way of living. It is an invitation to Grace that releases you into the power of God in your life.

If I were to ask everyone in this room this morning, “What about you assures you that you are Living in the Light?” Would your answer be: “Because I have repented of my sins and asked Jesus Christ to come and take residence in my life and I am learning daily to die to self.” Or would your answer be: “I adhere to the Scripture, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t cuss, I don’t cheat on my wife, I try to live by the 10 Commandments, and I am better than most people professing to be Christians, I do everything I can to live a righteous life.”

Listen, trying to do what is right is never wrong, BUT, when you use that as the basis to explain how you know you are saved, then you have made your salvation a JESUS + Your good works salvation, a Jesus + Something else salvation. 

Our salvation is not based on anything we have done, able to do, or ever going to do – it is based solely on what He has done – PERIOD. JESUS + NOTHING.

What we are called to do is ENGAGE THE WORLD.

Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

We are to engage the world just as Light engages darkness. Let me illustrate this. Mike Brown, will you stand up for a second. Now, I know Mike Brown has gone on a few missionary trips. Now, If one of those trips was to say the Dominican Republic, when Mike Brown walks down the street, I assure you, no one is saying, “Now he’s one of us. I’m sure he grew up in the neighborhood I grew up in. he might even be related to me.” I’m quite sure that is not what would happen.

But, if Mike Brown were to stop in at Pauline Café for lunch, I’m quite sure they would say, “Yep, he’s one of us.”

Here’s where I am going with this, because we are Living in the Light, wherever we go – whether the Mall, a restaurant, our workplace, the gas station, or even our homes – we should stand out like a sore thumb; we should stand-out like Mike Brown would stand-out walking down the streets of the Dominican Republic. There should be something different about the way we look, the way we talk, the way we act, and it should be so different that others want to know what is different. We should shine so brightly in a dark place that others are drawn to the Light.

We are continuing this study in I John. In the New Testament, you have the Gospels, and after the Gospels, you have the Acts of the Apostles – this is where the New Testament church was modeled and formed. After the Acts of the Apostles, you have the Epistles (or Letters), many of which were written by Paul, who was once Saul (meaning “Big”) now he is Paul (meaning “Small”). There’s I and II Peter, and James, the half-brother of Jesus who writes a letter to the Church in Jerusalem. And then there are the letters written by the man who has written 1/3 of the words spoken in the New Testament – John – who wrote the Gospel of John, I, II, and III John and Revelation. 

In I John, he is writing to a group of churches that were in Ephesus, that he had already addressed in Revelation chapter 3 prophetically. He is writing to them to address a problem they were struggling with, their problem was not a doctrinal problem, but a LOVE problem.

So, what we have in I John is a church who loves truth, but they are struggling to love their neighbor. They love the WORD, but they do not love the people that the WORD was sent too. They are struggling with how to Live in a Faith that is illuminating the darkness of the world, with an invitation to walk with a God who is Light, one of the major messages of the book. And in the same breath, they are being called to not reject those who are being called out of that darkness into the Light. Not to revile or dismiss those who God has called.  

Listen, our attraction to Jesus was not the Law that condemned us, but the Love that redeemed us. Jesus draws us by His love, He helps us to understand our state by the Law, and helps us to understand how His love redeemed us from the penalty of that Law.

This Book begins with two hard truths that we shared in week 1, and that is that God is Light and God is Love.  The first message is that “God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all.” In other words, there is nothing about God’s life that would cause us to doubt His holiness. God is righteous and Holy and nothing that has happened over time has changed the character of God – He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

Our problem in all this is that we do have a downside, we do have darkness, we do have character flaws. We do tend to walk in the Light and at the same time try to dabble in darkness.

Funny thing about that is, we in the church like to refer to sin as something we used to do – although that “used to do” might have been at 1 am this morning! We always refer to our sin as something we USED to do way back when, but not as the sin we committed this week, or even sitting right here in a church service.

SO, I am thankful this morning that God does not operate in condemnation, but He operates in conviction. He operates in a way that draws us through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Righeous, to repentance. Conviction is not meant to condemn or reject us, but it is an invitation for us to a new way and a better way of living. He is inviting us to have not only life, but to have it more abundantly!

Conviction is not a rejection, but an invitation for you and I to Live in the Light, and Living in that Light God expects us to Live Up to our New Name in Christ Jesus, and the first step in us learning to do that is by Loving One Another.

This past week, we began to reflect on the second major part of John’s message and that is to Love. Last week we talked about how God loved us and forgave us at the most unlovable and unforgiveable points of our lives. We also discussed how we should also love and forgive others with that same kind of love.

Now join me as we read I John 2:12-17,

“¹² I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. ¹³ I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. ¹⁴ I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. ¹⁵ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

John, as I’ve told you from the start, writes repetitiously. These verses are a perfect example of that. He is writing here to little children, young men, and fathers. Now it looks like he is writing to 3 different groups, but he is only addressing 2. Let me explain that: Children is the grandfatherly title that John uses to describe the people he is writing to. So children is John’s “All y’all.” So, when John says “children,” he is saying “EVERYBODY.” “All of y’all in the church and beyond.” “All of you who are in Christ.”

In one way, John is saying he loves y’all like you are his kids and grandkids. In another way, he is addressing the new position we have in the family of God.

Now there are two messages he wants “All y’all” to remember:

1. Our sins have been forgiven (v.12) – there are no footnotes or bullet points here – this is straight to the point – WE ARE FORGIVEN. John is writing so that we know we are forgiven. WHY? Because our tendency is to think that we are forgiven today, but we will have to earn it tomorrow. You are forgiven today, but you better put more effort into it tomorrow. Listen, we came to God, not on the basis of anything that we did, because we could not clean ourselves up, but we came to God solely on the basis of Faith in what He has done. It has nothing to do with what I have done, but everything to do with what He has done. Our works did not get us saved and our works will not keep us saved! Child of God, we’ve been forgiven solely on the basis of our faith in Jesus Christ the Righteous. John message I simply this, YOU ARE SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH – it began that way, and it will end that way!
2. We know the Father (v.13) – The Father of all time works “in-time” in the most miraculous ways. There are going be times when we are going to feel forsaken, and rejected, when we are not accepted or loved by God. And it is in those moments that we have a Father that we can appeal that voice to. Our Father has clearly illustrated and demonstrated His love for us through His Son Jesus Christ.

John wants us to know that our sins have been forgiven and that we know and love the Father.

Now John is going to break this into two groups: Young men and Fathers. What John is demonstration to us through this is that we are all at different stages in our walk with the Lord.

I’ve heard it said that some folks have a “High Calling and Low Character.” They are very immature. They get very excited about things and take off like a rocket but usually come down like a rock. So, let’s start here with the YOUNG MEN so we can progress upward.

Verse 13, “. . . I write to you young men, because you have overcome the wicked one . . .” and verse 14, “. . . I have written you young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.”

John is writing to this maturing, but not matured group of followers. They are growing, but haven’t arrived in the sense of being rooted in the faith. They have quick growth, but they are easily shaken. Though they want to be used of God, they are still moving constantly between light and darkness. But that is not the conduct that you and I are to be marked by or to live by.

So, John is writing this group to encourage them in two areas: Their Strength and Their Overcoming.

Listen, when we became a child of God, our identity is no longer limited to our ability.  I may not always live up to my New Name, I may often fall and come up short, but at the end of the Day, I have overcome that by my faith in the One who redeemed me, claimed me, and called me for His purpose. And if you believe that your victory comes from anywhere other than Christ, then you will be deceived into thinking that God loves you solely based on your individual potential. Or you can be tricked into believe that God doesn’t love you as much because you don’t have the ability or potential that others may have.

Our victory is not rooted in what we will do, but what has been done for us. So, we don’t fight FOR a victory, we fight FROM a victory. And that victory was from the resurrection of Jesus Christ, giving us victory over death, hell and the grave. We are strong and we have victory – BECAUE THE WORD OF GOD ABIDES IN YOU.

Why is it so important that we spend time in the Bible? Not because the preacher tells you that you should – though he’s not wrong. You should spend time in the Word because it is where our strength comes from, it is where our victory will come from.

John’s very first introduction was John 1:1 where he said, “In the beginning WAS the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS GOD.” So when we say spend time in the Word, we are saying Spend time WITH God. And when John says, the word abiding in you, he is saying God is living IN YOU. Now that is an introduction. When you spend time in God’s Word, you are allowing God to live inside of you.

Colossians 1:27 says, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”

God doesn’t just want to just talk to you, He wants to live inside of you. This is more than just reading His word, this is Jesus Christ taking up residence inside of YOU. Young men, young Christians, that is where your strength and victory comes from! The hope is that Christ, “who began a good work IN YOU, will complete it until the day of Christ.” At the end of the day, what we need is not a God that we can go to, but a God who goes with us and that is the distinguishing mark of the Christian faith. Young Christians need to know this because they can become easily excited, easily frightened and easily distracted.  

Now John is going to address the second group called Fathers. This is a reference to those Christians who are mature. And he has one message for this group that he conveys both in verses 13 and 14 and that is that THEY KNOW;

“¹³ I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning . . .” and “¹⁴ I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning . . .”

Now this is a group that doesn’t get overly excited, or easily frightened, they don’t get easily distracted, BUT, they do get easily bored, and calloused, they often get numb. So, what is the challenge for those mature Christians? The challenge is to REMAIN AND REMEMBER IN WHAT THEY KNOW.

If you are mature in the faith, then you REMAIN when the storm comes – and it will come. The challenge is to REMEMBER what God has already done in your life – because we can easily forget. Remember what God has done in your life; remember where He has brought you from; remember the victories; because child of God, a time will come when you will need to remember.

Listen, as parent of a child who has battled stage 4 cancer for nearly 6 years, who has had a total mastectomy and hysterectomy, a child who have been on chemo for 4 years straight, a child who is given all clear then told she has it again – I’m telling you, I have to remember what God has done. Because if He could do it then, He can do it AGAIN.

Here is the call that John is given to “All y’all.” “You can be saved, adopted, received, forgiven, loved, and share in His victory and strength, simply by faith in Jesus Christ regardless of where you’ve been and what you’ve done. God loves you and He demonstrated that love for you over 2000 years ago on Calvary’s Cross. That single event changed all of history. He has demonstrated that to you and that is and “ALL Y’ALL INVITATION.”

For those of you that are young Christians, God’s desire for you is that you will grow-up in a slow, steady dependence of faith. For those of us that have been Christians for a long time, God’s desire is that we will remain and remember. God is not looking for us to be retired in our faith, He wants us on active duty! Listen older Christians, we have a lot of young people who need you in their lives to help walk them through some of the tough things they are going to go through. They need your wisdom and they need your counsel, and they need your encouragement – SO GET BACK IN THE GAME.

John finishes by saying this:

“¹⁵ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

“Only one life will soon be past,

only what’s done for Christ will last.”

We are continuing this study in I John under the Series titled “Living in the Light.” Week 1 we discussed how “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all,” and how you and I are to “Love one another.” Weeks two and three, the message was titled “Living in the New Name – Part 1 & 2.” If you remember from last week, John begins chapter 2 of this letter by saying, “My little children, these things write I unto you that you sin not . . .”

John is writing to us that we SIN NOT, because Light has no business hanging around in the darkness. But, when we do (AND WE WILL), we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. But Jesus is also more than just our Lawyer, our representative before God, according to verse 2, He is also the propitiation for our sins, the payment for our sins, and for the sins of the whole world.

Because of that, verse 3 says we are to “Keep His commandments.” But here’s the problem – we can’t. You and I have a hard time living up to this New Name – we need help! The only way we can Live up to this New name is to die to self, and allow Jesus Christ to live vicariously through us. HE MUST INCREASE AND WE MUST DECREASE! Remember from last week, Jesus said you and I can do NOTHING apart from Him. Do y’all remember what NOTHING means?

Then in verse 4 we learned that our actions speak louder than our words. What John is talking about here is people who constantly live their lives, day-in and day-out, contradictory to lifestyle Christ demands of our lives. They say they love Christ, but nothing in the lives reflects that. Here’s the real problem though, we are so focused on the sins people had in their past, we WON’T LET THEM FORGET. Christ might forgive them, but we sure won’t.

In verse 5, we learned that we should Obey (Keep) His Word Because We Love Him. Folks, if you say you are following Jesus, it is notObedience that cause you to follow – it is Love. You say, “Preacher why do you preach so much about love? Because listen to me, without it, we can never Live up to the Family Name.”

Finally, last week, in verse 6 we finished with this thought, “When you don’t know what to do, Do what Jesus Did.” The thought behind it was this:  before you go off and do something stupid, you are supposed to stop and ask yourself – What Would Jesus Do? When you don’t know what to do, do what Jesus did!

Now this week, look at verses 7-11:

“⁷ Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

Remember from the start we mentioned John’s style of writing, how John will make a point, then he will go here or there, then he returns to the main point. That’s what John is doing here. He is saying, “I’m writing the same thing to you now that I wrote at the start.” The message hasn’t changed.

 ⁸ Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

Now here is what’s going on: In light of the resurrection, it’s application looks different. Before the resurrected Christ was out of the tomb, you were left trying and doing what you could to try and Live in the Light and to Love others, and to Live up to this New Name. But now, Christ has Risen. And we are now to DO AS HE DID.

In fact, in John 13:14, 15, “¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.”

“IF I, BEING THE SAVIOR HAVE TAKEN ON THE ROLE OF THE SERVANT, AND I DO THE UNPLEASANT, I DO THE THINGS THAT NO ONE ELSE WOULD DO, AND I’M DEMONSTRATING THAT TO YOU, THEN YOU – THOUGH YOU MIGHT THINK YOU ARE BETTER, YOU MAY NOT BE IN AS LOWLY A STATE AS OTHERS, THOUGH EVERYONE IN THE WORLD MAY ESTEEM YOU AS BEING GREAT – YOU – BECAUSE OF YOUR NEW NAME – CHRISTIAN – DO THE SAME.”

Jesus further demonstrates this in John 13:34, 35, “³⁴ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; (AS WHAT?) as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. ³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

The strongest evangelistic tool that we have in the church that we do not use is the tool of LOVING THOSE WHO ARE UNLOVEABLE. One of the biggest hurdles of people coming to faith in Jesus Christ is their inability to believe that God can love them:

• They’ve sinned too much.
• They’ve failed too much.
• They’ve gone too far.
• There is no hope for them.
• God has no place or forgiveness for them.

And where do you think they got that idea? From the local church. Can I tell you why I think Rally Point Biker Church is different? Because right here in this room this morning, you will find some jacked-up, sinful, messed-up with a big Rapp sheet kind of people – who are loved by God and who are in a room full of people that have demonstrated that love toward them.

You want to know why churches are so unattractive today? It’s not because the preachers aren’t preaching, or because the Gospel is less true, it’s not because we are getting close to ends time and people or just lovers of self-more than lovers of God – the reason the church of today STINKS to the community is because WE HAVEN’T LOVED EACH OTHER, MORELESS LOVED THEM.

I’m telling right now, the only problem we have had in this church has been because of LOVE – period. Folks, I’m telling you right now, the message this morning is this – If you have anger in your heart for another brother – FORGIVE!

WHY? BECAUSE OF YOUR NEW NAME – CHRISTIAN! Your capacity to forgive has increased because of the Love of a Savior that loves YOU and has forgiven YOU at the most unforgiveable state of your life. And what is forgiveness? It is forgetting and letting go. The problem (and downfall) for some of you, is that you just can’t let go.

You and I need to learn to let it go. Let it go where? Either to the Cross or the Judgment Seat. Either way, let it go. Why? Because if you don’t, look at verses 9-11:

⁹ He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. ¹⁰ He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. ¹¹ But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”

Folks, without learning to Love and Forgive, you’ll never Live in the Light or Live Up to the New Name!

Learning to Live in the Light and Live up to the New Name begins with learning to Live in Love.

We are continuing this study in I John under the Series titled “Living in the Light.” Week 1 we discussed how “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all,” and how you and I are to “Love one another.” Last week, the message was titled “Living in the New Name,” and today we’ve titled this message “Living in the New Name Part II.” If you remember from last week, John begins this letter by saying, “My little children, these things write I unto you that you sin not . . .”

So, John is addressing these young Christians who still haven’t grown up in the Lord. John is reminding them, “Hey, you’re still in the family of God, even if you’re like children. God still loves you; He’s still chosen you; He’s still walking with you.” “My little children, I’m writing these things to you, as family members, so that you may not – what? So that you may not Sin. Why? Because sin is contrary to the nature of a person who professes to be a Christian. It contradicts the New Name we carry when we walk in sin.

Now let’s go back to chapter 1 and verse 9, where john says, “God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins when we confess them to Him.” But listen to me, this is very important to get: God’s willingness to forgive us of our sins is not a license for you and I to sin. Remember last week we talked about those two types of sin: The sins of Omission and the sins of Commission. John is writing these young Christians and encouraging them not to MESS WITH SIN – Light has no business hanging around with darkness.

I remember a sermon I heard years ago from an old evangelist by the name of Vance Havner. I can’t remember the particular title to the sermon, or his exact wording, but it was regarding light and darkness. He said this, “If you hang around in the dark long enough, thing begin to get brighter, clearer. It is not because the darkness has gotten lighter, it’s simply that we’ve gotten used to the dark.”

So, John is not writing to give us an excuse to sin but urging us to avoid it – to “SIN NOT.” Then John goes on, “But, if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.” John is writing to encourage them not to sin, but when they do, WHEN YOU DO, we have an advocate with the Father.

WE HAVE HELP LIVING IN THE NEW NAME (V1 & 2)

Now why is that important? Because the Tempter, when you sin, he tries to make you think that you are no longer a part of the family; You haven’t lived up to the New Family Name, so you are no longer part of the family of God. But I am telling you Church the Devil is a liar and a deceiver, because John assured you and I that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ THE RIGHTEOUS. Listen, your earthly family may have a cut-off switch with you, but your heavenly Father does not!

• You can come to God in your anger;
• And you can come to Him in your joy;
• You can come to Him in worse moments;
• And you can come to Him in your best moments;
• You can come to Him with your biggest successes;
• And you can come to Him with your biggest failures.

As the sons and daughters of God, we don’t need someone to go to Him on our behalf, but through Jesus Christ the Righteous – we can go straight to the Father.

Then in verse 2, John says, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

This means that you and I are incapable of living up to the New Name. We are incapable of living a righteous, sin-free life – we need help – and that help is “Jesus Christ the righteous And He is the propitiation for our sin . . .” God had a plan for us and for the help that we would need Living in the Family Name!

Satan may stand as our accuser – because we sin, but Jesus stands as our Advocate – and He paid the price for that sins. So, my question to you is this: Which one do you believe? The accuser or the Advocate? Folks listen; God has more Grace than you have Sin!

I want you to picture with me standing in a court room; You are the accused, standing before God the Judge. He asked you how do you plead: You know you have sinned; you know you have failed; you know you hurt your wife or your husband; you know shouldn’t have committed that crime, or that sin; you know you gossiped about your brothers and sisters in Christ and instead of building them up, you are trying to tear them down. Simply put – YOU HAVE NOT LIVED UP TO THE FAMILY NAME. You know you are guilty. And here you are standing before God and you know you need help. Then Jesus stands up and says, “Your Honor – DAD, I am the lawyer for the accused, and I have already paid the penalty for the debt Joe owed.

It is in that very moment, when I turn to Him that paid, that He steps up to defend. That’s what it means for Him to be the Advocate and the Propitiation. He is more than my lawyer, He also paid the debt I owe.

A defense attorney tries to get your sentence reduced – But Jesus comes wipes the slate clean. WE GO FREE THROUGH MY BLOOD! Folks, that is the beauty of the Cross. He is our substitute – our Advocate.

So, child of God, stop living in shame and defeat – lift your head-up and walk tall in the New Name you have in Christ Jesus. Celebrate the Advocate Who has paid your sin-debt in full.

Since We Have Help Living in the New Name;

WE SHOULD BEHAVE LIKE A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY (V3)

“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.”

Now to me, that seems pretty straight forward, doesn’t it? John is probably remembering the Last Supper, where Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” John’s not mincing words here.

The question becomes “How do you keep the commandments?” Some of you are probably thinking, “Well that’s simple – just do it.” But here’s the problem – YOU CAN’T.

I know that’s confusing, and if you are like me, you are asking the question, “If I’m supposed to just do it, but I can’t, then why am I being asked to do it?”

Because the way you go about doing it is different than every other religion. Well, I think the fact that John gave us verses 1 and 2 before verse 3 is so that we would understand the Gospel. In order to understand verse 3, we have to know what it means to be freed from the penalty of sin.

Luke 9:3 would say that we have to die to ourselves. If that is true, what has to happen for Christ to come alive in us? I think Paul would say, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Simply put, the only way we can walk in the Commandments is by surrendering our lives to Jesus. So, the way we do that is by laying down our lives on the altar, accepting Jesus Christ as the Lord of our lives – thereby taking on the New Name. And the only was we can Live in the New Name is by surrendering to Christ.

Church, STOP walking out of here every Sunday thinking YOU are going to live by the Commandments, you are going to LIVE UP TO THE NEW NAME, and walk out of here yielding to Christ and being filled with his Spirit. And let me tell you this morning, the charismatics don’t have a monopoly on being Spirit filled. If you want to Live Up to the New Name, you are going to have to trust Jesus to live vicariously in and through you.

John put it this way, “HE MUST INCREASE AND I MUST??? DECREASE!” Less of me and more of Him.

Jesus said, “Apart from me, you can do NOTHING.” Let me tell you what that means in Greek – NOTHING; Let me tell you what that means in Hebrew – NOTHING; Let me tell you what that means in Aramaic – NOTHING; Let me tell you what that means in French – Nothing; Let me tell you what that means in Spanish – NOTHING.” We can do NOTHING apart from Christ.

And there are just too many people in the church today trying to be SOMETHING without the Spirit of God. And it produces the fruit of what? NOTHING.

You carry a family name, so live like you are a member of the family. I saw a T-Shirt once that said this on the front: “I’m Standing on the Solid Rock.” On the back side of the shirt, it said this, “Forgive me if you had to come to the backside of the shirt to see if I were a Christian.”

We’ve been called to be illuminated by the light of Christ – to “Live in the Light.” Do you know what happens when we don’t walk in the spirit?

• We walk in the flesh;
• You say things you didn’t intend to say;
• You do things you didn’t intend to do.

Remember sin will take you further than you want to go, make you stay longer than you wanted to stay, and it will have you doing things you never saw yourself doing. How do you get out of that?

But, when we go back to remembering that we have an Advocate, and He has changed your name, He’s enabled you to walk away from sin! The problem with a lot of Christians is they are continually doing a 360 in their lives when they should be doing a 180.

You know what it means when you’ve done a 360 – it means you’ve done a complete circle and when right back to where you started. And Christ is calling us to turn from where we came from and do a 180. Paul would say we are to “Flee from sin.”

Since We Have Help Living in the New Name;

We should Behave Like a Member of the Family;

BUT WE SHOULD REALIZE OUR ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN OUR WORDS (V4)

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

Let me ask you, “How many of you had some New Years resolutions when you started this year, and now 7 months in, you find you failed to fulfill those resolutions?

• I intended to go to church;
• I intended to lose weight;
• I intended to work harder on my marriage;
• I intended to read my Bible more;
• I intended to pray more;
• I intended to cuss less;
• I intended to love more;

Rick Warren said, “People only believe the parts of the Bible that they actually practice.” So, if we examined your practice, what would it say about the amount of Bible you believe?

Look at verse 4 again, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” There is no mincing of words there.

Suppose someone says they love you, but are constantly mean, abusive and even hateful to you. How much weight does their words carry if the actions contradict it?

What John is talking about here is people who constantly live their lives, day-in and day-out, contradictory to lifestyle Christ demands of our lives. They say they love Christ, but nothing in the lives reflects that.

Here’s the real problem though, we are so focused on the sins people had in their past, we WON’T LET THEM FORGET. They have come to Christ, Old things have past away and all things have become new, they are now a part of the Family of God, they’ve been given a new name. God has forgiven them of their sin – and what do we do church? We say, “Well God might have forgiven them – But I Won’t! In stead of looking at the person the are now, we keep looking back at the person they were!

Now look at verse 5:

“But whoso keepeth (OBEY) his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.”

WE SHOULD OBEY BECAUSE WE LOVE (V5)

Does anyone know Why is it that I only date Kim? Some of you will say “Because it’s the Law.” And you’re right. But that’s not why I only date Kim. I only date Kim because I love her – and Tuesday will be our 20^th Anniversary, and I can say without hesitation that I love her more today than I did 20 years ago.

My motive for my good actions is because of love. I am a one-woman guy because of love. Now I say all that to say this: If we are called to have only One God, why do we keep going to so many other Sudo saviors?

Listen I follow Christ, not because of obedience, or because I’m a Son of God – I walk in obedience because I love God. And the longer I serve Him, the more I love Him. I love God today more than I did 55 years ago when He saved me as a little boy in Fourth Street Baptist Church; I love Him more today than the day he called me to preach over 30 years ago. I even love Him more today than the day I did over 2 years ago when we planted Rally Point Biker Church.

Folks, if you say you are following Jesus, it is not Obedience that cause you to follow – it is Love.

You say, “Preacher why do you preach so much about love? Because listen to me,  without it, we can never Live up to the Family Name.”

Let me leave you with one final thought.

WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO, DO WHAT JESUS DID (V 5, 6)

^“5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. ⁶ He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”

Back in the day, when I was much younger and much thinner, and even wore skinny jeans (I lied right there because we didn’t have skinny jeans back when I was young and thin). But back in the day, there was a bracelet people used to wear that had these initials on it: WWJD. Anyone know what that meant?

The principle behind it was this: before you go off and did something stupid, you are supposed to stop and ask yourself – What Would Jesus Do? When you don’t know what to do, do what Jesus did!

Conclusion: This morning, as we’ve talked about Living in the Light and Living in the New Name, maybe you’ve stumbled. Maybe you’ve failed. Maybe the weight of not living up to the ‘family name’ as a child of God has left you feeling unworthy. Hear me church—you have an Advocate. Jesus Christ the Righteous stands for you, not just to defend you, but to declare that your debt is paid in full. You don’t have to live in shame, defeat, or confusion. You can walk confidently in the New Name, not in your strength, but by surrendering to His. Today is not about doing more—it’s about trusting more.

This morning, we are continuing this study in I John titled “Living in the Light.” If you were here last week, you will remember that I John is chronologically the last book written in the Bible. This was a letter that was passed around to the churches, to include the church at Ephesus.

John’s writings are simplistic and direct. John doesn’t mince words. He doesn’t make the message complex – but keeps it so simple so that we might actually be able to do something with it. In church today, we consider a good sermon when the pastor wraps it up on time, or when he shares a good joke or two. But John is very surgical in his message. He is trying to effect transformation in the lives of people.

Last week we shared two points from John’s letter, and both of them begin with these key words: THIS IS THE MESSAGE. And that message was this:

GOD IS LIGHT AND IN HIM IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL (I John 1:5)

That means that God has no dark side, he has no scandals, he has no skeletons in His closest. You will never be able to say, “Can you believe what God did?” There is nothing God has done that He would be ashamed to have flashed across the screen in our church.

That’s what you and I have: I have a downside, I have a dark side, I’ve had scandal, I’ve had something’s happen in my life I would want flashed on the screen of the church for everyone to know about. I have things in my life that don’t align with the character and conduct of a Christian.

And the message of John is that you and I are to Live Life in the Light Since “God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all.” That means that you and I no longer live in the darkness, but we live in the Light – the good parts and the bad parts. We don’t go back in forth, which is terrifying, because we all have some dark stuff in our lives don’t we? Because you and I are now living in the Light, guess what? Our sins are going to be illuminated. Remember the Bible says, “Be sure your sins will find you out?” Does that mean you are not saved? NO. But it does mean you can’t live in the darkness.

So how do you live life in the Light if you continue to have things in your life that don’t line up?

We need to understand two things: First GOD IS LOVE, and second, God provided us a way to repent. 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

You and I balance our lives between two lives: There is our public life, that is the life we want everyone to think of us, then there is the private life, that’s where we hide our darkness.

Because of that, you and I need to understand that we serve a Loving God, because if he wasn’t, JOE MOORE would be in trouble.

So, through repentance, either God has enough GRACE to keep me in the Light, or His grace is going to run out – So I am going to make repentance a part of my life so that His grace doesn’t run out!

THE SECOND MESSAGE WAS, THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER (I John 3:11)

How is the world going to know that you and I are in the Light? By our Fruit of Love!

Chapter 2:10 says, “He that loveth his brother abideth in the light.” If God has forgiven me for all the darkness in my life, who am I to hold your darkness against you, or anybody else for that matter?

And according to verse 3:11, we know that we are Living in the light and that His love is perfected in us when we do what? LOVE ONE ANOTHER. That has been and will always be the message of this church.

Now, that brings us to the message today titled “LIVING IN THE FAMILY NAME.” To preface the message, I was born into the Moore family. Now, I didn’t choose the Moore Family, and to be honest, the Moore family didn’t choose me. When I was in kindergarten, my Mom explained to me that a BIRD dropped me off at the hospital.

But my grandmother used to say something to me, I didn’t really understand then, and not that I do now – but she used to say, “YOU’RE A MOORE, ACT LIKE IT.”

I think what my grandmother was trying to articulate was, “There is a value attached to your name.” And my grandmother truly lived up to the value in her name.

There is also a downside to being a Moore. Back in God’s country of Hartsville, SC, I attended the same elementary school that both my grandparents attended, and both my parents attended, and all my aunts and uncles attended, and all my cousins attended. The Junior High I attended, all of my family attended. And so, when teachers that had been there since probably my grandmother attended would read the roll out, they would say something like this: “Joey – Oh my God there’s another – Moore.”

Why do I bring that up? Well, the second YOU that chose to follow Jesus Christ by faith through grace, guess what? YOU HAD A NAME CHANGE. There are a lot of things to describe you, but there is only one thing that defines you.

Listen, before you meet Christ, you could be described by talents, or by failures, or by disappointments, but once you became a part of the family of God – none of those things have the ability, OR RIGHT, to define you anymore. Jesus Christ shed His blood on Calvary’s Cross so that you could now be defined by the blood that you have been born into. YOU ARE BLOOD BOUGHT: YOU HAVE A NAME CHANGE.

What John is going to address in Chapter two is what it means to LIVE in the NEW NAME THAT YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN IN CHRIST JESUS – YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN.

And as my grandma would say, “YOU NEED TO ACT LIKE IT.” You carry the name of the Risen Savior. So, the way that you live, the way that you respond, the way that you engage others, it all matters now because of the NAME that you represent!

So let me give you a few points this morning on what it means to: LIVE IN THE FAMILY NAME.

Let’s look at 1 John 2:1 & 2, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

John begins by saying “My little children . . .” Now when he says that, he is using a term of endearment; he is not saying they are being childish – though maybe they were.

Remember now, the Book of I john is the last Book that was actually written chronologically. We know that John is living in Ephesus at the time, and so they no doubt have already read the book of Revelation. In fact, in Revelation 3, John addresses directly the problem in the church at Ephesus, and he does because they had forgotten what? THEIR FIRST LOVE.

Here is the problem with us humans: identifying our problems is only half the problem. I know a lot of things need to change about the way I eat, but I still drink a Dr. Pepper and have a donut every now and again. I have thoughts of a Beach Body by summer, but I have habits of Buddha Body by summer.

Identifying a problem is one thing, implementing change is another. But in the Christian life, we are not just after change – we are after transformation. You see, we have the power to change, GOD has the power to Transform. Transformation is God working in us and through us.

So, John is addressing these “Little Children” in Ephesus who are still not growing up in the Lord. They are still in the family of God, even if they are like children. He still loves you; He’s still chosen you.

THAT YOU SIN NOT

John says, “I’m writing these things unto you, (as family members – as my brothers and sisters in Christ) WHY? That ye sin not” Because it is contrary to living a Christian life, it is contrary to Living in the Family Name.

When we sin folks, it doesn’t mean that you are not a part of the family, but it does mean you are dishonoring the Family name. As my grandmother would say, “You’re not acting like it!” So, when we sin, we become a contradiction to the Name that we profess.

I John 1:9, we learned that God forgives us of our sin when we confess, but in verse 10 John reminds us that we are not sinners in our identity, though at times we are still sinful in our actions. But God’s willingness to forgive us of our sins is not a License to sin, and that is what John is addressing in Chapter 2 and verse 1. So, this is not a license to become complacent in sin.

Now there are two types of sin going on in all of our lives right now: Sins of Commission and Sins of Omission.

Sins of Omission means that you didn’t realize that the path you were walking in was sin. Now, that doesn’t make it any less sinful, it just means you didn’t know.

Then there are the premeditated sins – the Sins of Commission. These are the sins that we know are sin – yet we leave the tunnel open in our souls to go back to it every now and again.

Most of the sins that God is convicting us of are not the sins of Omission, but the sins of Commission. The things we clearly know we should do – yet we do them anyway.

Here is the question I want all us to answer inside ourselves, “Are my actions Living up to the Family Name?”

Our problem is, we like to mess around in sin. Paul tells us in I Corinthians that we are to “flee from sin” – “run from sin,” WHY? Because sin will take you further than you wanted to go, make you stay longer than you wanted to stay.

So, John is writing the church in Ephesus and telling them, “DON’T MESS WITH SIN.” “My little children, these things write I unto you that you SIN NOT.” Light has no business playing with the dark! John is not writing to give us an excuse to sin, but urging us to avoid sin, to not sin.

Now, let’s look at the second part of that verse, “These things write I unto you that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.” I writing you so that you want sin, and here’s point two:

BUT WHEN YOU DO (AND YOU WILL) YOU HAVE AND ADVOCATE

When we go to God and say:

“LORD, I’ve sinned” He says, “I know.”

“LORD, will you forgive me for my sin” He says “I do.”

There is a story I’ve shared before in the Book of Philemon about Onesimus.  Onesimus was a slave of Philemon.  Onesimus ran away from his master, and sometime later, while he was on his journey, Onesimus crossed paths with the Apostle Paul.  Onesimus got Saved.  Later, Paul was sending him to Philemon, and he wrote and said something along these lines:

“Philemon, I am sending some people to you.  But Philemon, when you receive them, I want you to receive them as if you were receiving me.  If you’re my co-laborer, receive them like you would me.  Give them the respect you’ve given me.  Don’t be mad at him, and if he owes you anything – put that on my account!”

Now, let’s bring that over into the spiritual realm.  And I can see Jesus saying something like this:

“Father – DAD – I know he ain’t much.  I know he’s done you wrong.  But when he comes to You, I ask you to receive him as if you were receiving Me.  Dad, I paid for his sins, I am the propitiation for his sin.  If he owes you anything – put that on my account!”

I want you to know that Jesus, your advocate, your lawyer, is sitting at the right hand of the Father and He is fighting for you.

Let me ask you this morning, “Are you living up to the Family Name?”

I am going to begin a series of messages through the Book of 1 John. This is a short book, but it is an incredible, power-packed book, it is a transformative book, and I believe it is a timely message for our church in this season. I am going to give you a lot of facts and background to the book in the front end. So, if you have your Bibe with you, please turn near the end of the Bible to the Book of I John.  

While you are turning there, chronologically, that means if you were to read the Bible the way it was actually written before it was Canonized, which means, after Jesus had risen from the dead, the New Testament writings are attributed to people, to Apostles and Disciples of Christ that had actually seen the Risen Savior.  I John would have been the last book written. It was written after the Book of Revelation, and after 2 and 3 John. 

Just to give you some Biblical history. If I were to ask you “Who wrote the most words in the New Testament,” what would your answer be?

• Luke wrote the most with 37,000 words in two Books – Luke and Acts
• Paul, with 32,000 words in 13 letters
• John, with 28,000 words in the Gospel of John, Revelation, and I, II, III John

Another fact is that some would argue John was not the author, and I think they do so just for the sake of arguing – you ever meet anyone like that? But there are several reasons I believe John is the author: First, Historically, the Book was written somewhere between 88 A.D. and 100 A.D. Which would fit the life span of John, and attested to by early Church father Iraneus (130 AD) and Tertullian (160 AD) who would have had first hand eye-witness accounts of John being the actual author of the Book. But secondly, the style of writing matches John’s other writings.

For example, John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the word, the word was with God and the Word was God.” Now look at I John 1:1, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life.” John also writes repetitiously. In other words, he repeats things over and over again to drive a point home. The Apostle Paul writes in a very linear manner, meaning point A will get you to point B which will get you to point C. But John goes all over the place, but always comes back to the main point.

John’s writings are also simple. In fact, if you are studying Greek in Bible College, more likely than not, the lessons are going to begin with John, because his writings are simple to understand. They are not going to start with Paul, because his writings are to confusing and complex. For instance, in Romans 7 Paul says, “The things I know to do and the things I’m not supposed to do, I do – do.” Where John says something like, “My little children . . .” Now that is not very hard to understand is it?

John is believed to be the only Apostle that did not die a martyr’s death. Now grant it, they did try to boil him alive, then he wrote the Book of Revelation. So John lived to be very old, and the church had begun to be established, and some of them had begun to have issues in the church. John, living in Ephesus, It is believed that in his old age, John would be carried into these churches to speak and they would sit him down, and crowds would gather, and John would say something like this, “My little children, love one another . . .” And that was it. His messages got shorter, and I believe that is because the further along in life you get, the more you realize what’s important. John didn’t give a dissertation like Paul that would cause you to fall out of a window and die . . . John just gave a simple message. 

If I were to give you an outline of I John, it would go like this:

• Intro – I John 1:1-4
• God is Light – I John 1:5-3:10
• God is Love – I John 3:11-5:10
• How to be Assured – I John 5:11-5:21

By way of introduction, John begins in verses 1-4 by addressing the issue of Gnosticism that has risen in the church. Gnostic did not recognize Christ as both 100 percent man and 100 percent God. So John is reiterating “That which was from the beginning . . .” What was from the beginning? THE WORD. The same Word that was given to describe “The Angel of God” in Daniel chapter 10, and Daniel chapter 3, He is mentioned again as the Fourth man in the fire, “Being in the form of the Son of God.” So Jesus was “In the Beginning!” (Read verse 1-4)

GOD IS LIGHT

Then we come to verse 5, and John has a specific message to share. That message is “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

This is a character statement about God. He has no darkness AT ALL; He has no skeletons in His closest; There is no Hyde to His Jekyll. The term “God is light,” is meant to illuminate the moral perfection of God. GOD IS LIGHT.

Listen, you will not find any fault in God. You can find fault in me; you can find fault in Richard; you can look around this church building this morning and find fault in every person sitting here – but you will not find any fault in HIM.

That’s why you and I can stand on the mountaintops and Proclaim God – because there is nothing to hide or be ashamed of about God!

You see God has no scandals, no issues, no dark side. But here is our problem – WE DO. We all have a past, don’t we? And it is that past that makes the next few verse very difficult to deal with.

Verses 6-10 say, “If we (those of us who have scandals, those of us with a past) say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Here’s the deal, If “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all,” where are we supposed to be? IN THE LIGHT. And that’s a problem for us, because the truth is, there are probably some things that have happened in our lives this past week that we would not want projected up on this TV screen this morning. And though I have not listen to every word my wife has said to me this week, I am still called to live my life in the LIGHT.

SO here I am – I once walked in darkness, but by God’s grace and through my faith in His Son, I have come out of the darkness and into the Light – I have nothing to hide from God anymore. That doesn’t mean I don’t fail, or sin – but I don’t LIVE there anymore. But when I fall, when I sin, when I come up short – I “confess my sins” – and guess what, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I’m not going back to the dark.

To “Live in the light” means people will see your struggles, your shortcomings. And they will use them against you. “Living in the Light” means that we are vulnerable.

And for most of us, we want to walk in the GUISE of PERFECTION rather than walk in the BEAUTY OF HIS GRACE.

“Living in the Light” means that sometimes we are going to mess up and our mistakes and failures will be illuminated. The Bible doesn’t say that we sin occasionally – it says we are sinners!

So why would God want to take people who have walked in darkness, bring them into the Light, only to begin highlighting their shortcomings?

Well, God’s grace is being perfected in what? OUR WEAKNESS! I am immoral and I am imperfect and Jesus SAVED ME!

So how do we start learning to LIVE IN THE LIGHT? That brings us to the second message from John. Look at Chapter 3:11:

“For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”

Remember, the first message was that GOD IS LIGHT, and the second message is:

 LOVE ONE ANOTHER.”

How is the world going to know that you and I are in the Light? By our Fruit of Love!

Chapter 2:10 says, “He that loveth his brother abideth in the light.” If God has forgiven me for all the darkness in my life, who am I to hold your darkness against you, or anybody else for that matter?

And according to verse 3:11, we know that we are walking in the light and that His loved is perfected in us when we do what? LOVE ONE ANOTHER. That has been and will always be the message of this church.

Back in the 18^th Century, there was a young boy whose mother had died. So he decided to leave his home and follow his father to the sea. When he got out into the world, it didn’t take him long to start fitting in with the world. He became rebellious and hateful and did a lot of things he was ashamed of.

In his late teenage years, he got a job on a ship transporting slaves from England over into the New World. Now this was an evil young man, but just as Paul had a life changing experience on the Road to Damascus, this young man had a life changing experience onboard a slave ship.

At the age of 23, he was on a ship when a hurricane came up, and in the middle of this storm, he saw the ship being battered, he saw people going overboard, and that young man, in fear for his own life thought back to what his mother did when she had times of trouble – she prayed. So that young man cried out to God and asked God to save him, and as soon as he did, the storm ceased and God saved not only that young man, but everyone else on that boat.

About a decade later, this young man, at the age of 33, was called to pastor a church by another man named Charles Wesley. When he was preparing to preach his first sermon, he wanted to convey to the church what God had done in his life and the best way he could of to do that was through a song. And here are the words he spoke:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but now I’m found

Was blind, but now I see.

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fear relieves.

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come

And His grace has brought me safe thus far

And His grace will lead me home.

When we’ve been there 10,000 years

Bright shinning as the sun

We’ve no less days to sing God’s grace

Than when we first begun!

John Newton wrote about the day he found God’s grace – and truly it is AMAZING GRACE!

That word “amazing” means “To fill with surprise or wonder.” Webster’s Dictionary defines grace as “Divine love and protection.”

In II Corinthians 12, Paul’s ministry is being questioned, so he begins to open-up his heart in this letter to the Church in Corinth. In Chapter 12 he really begins to focus in on the Provision of God.

In verse 7 he speaks of being given a “Thorn in the flesh.” A lot of people speculate what this thorn in the flesh was – maybe blindness, or sickness, or arthritis. Truth is, we really don’t know what his thorn might have been.

What we do know is that it Hurt Paul, it Hindered Paul in the ministry. So, Paul prayed three times that the LORD would remove his thorn in the flesh. But God said to Paul, “I not going to remove it, but I’m going to give you and added ingredient called “Grace.”

As a combat veteran, I have carried with me over the years a “thorn in my flesh” called PTSD – among other ailments. I have prayed and asked God to remove that thorn from me, but He hasn’t (and probably never will) – but what He has done is give me an extra ingredient – Grace. And I am so thankful this morning for God’s amazing grace!

IT’S AMAZING BECAUSE OF ITS AUTHOR (v.9a)

In verse 9 He says, “My Grace.” Paul wanted the church in Corinth to understand that Grace could only come from God Himself.

Paul didn’t need his friends grace – He needed God’s grace. Many people are seeking a lot of things in this world to fill that empty void in their life, but the only thing that can fill it is GRACE, GRACE, GOD’S GRACE!

I have a very good friend of mine that is probably 10 years younger than me. He used to be on fire for God, and years ago he turned his back on God. He has spent years trying to fill that void in his life, with drinking, with drugs – and he knows the only thing that will fill it – he just won’t turn it over to God. Sin has taken a heavy toil on his life and to see him you would think he is in his 70’s.

Listen to me this morning, you can search high and low trying to find something to fill the empty void in your life, but the only thing that can fill it come from Him – GRACE.

There was a young man that planned to go on a one-week fishing trip with his buddies, but a few days before they were going, he stepped on a piece of glass and cut his foot. He was wearing a pair of blue socks and the dye from the socks caused his foot to get infected. Back in those days, they didn’t have the antibiotics we have now. So while he was home, he decided to attend a revival service, since he didn’t have anything else to do. During that revival service, that young man gave his heart to Jesus. Who else could use a blue sock to bring someone to saving grace? That young man’s name was James Garfield – the 20^th President of the USA. And God goes out of His way to make sure we know GRACE comes from Him!

IT’S AMAZING BECAUSE OF ITS ABUNDANCE (v.9b)

“My grace is sufficient.” James 4:6 tells us that “he giveth more grace.” That word sufficient means “more than enough.” Aren’t you glad God gives us more than enough? That’s why God’s grace is so amazing – He provides me with more than enough and MORE THAN I DESERVE.

I’m reminded of a story of a family during the Depression Era. They were struggling and extremely poor. Every evening at dinner, the mother would set out a glass of milk, and on the glass, there were lines marked. Each member of the family would take a drink down to the next line and then they would pass it on to the next member of the family. The daughter got very sick one day and had to be admitted to the hospital. The first evening there, the nurse brought in a tray of food, with a big piece of cake and a full glass of milk. The little girl asked the nurse, “Where are the lines?” The nurse asked her what she meant. The little girl proceeded to tell her that in her house, they were so poor that they could only drink to the next line, then pass it on to the next family member.  With tears in her eyes, that nurse said, “Oh sweetie, don’t you worry about that here. There is more than enough to go around here. When you finish that glass, there’s more waiting.”

Isn’t that the way it is with God’s grace. Sometimes we feel like we are going to exhaust the grace of God and we drink and drink and drink, only to find that the grace just keeps on coming. God’s GRACE IS NOT ONLY ENOUGH – IT IS MORE THAN ENOUGH.

• God’s Grace was enough for Abraham when he was going to offer his son as a sacrifice – God provided a Ram. His grace and provision was more than enough!

• God’s Grace was sufficient for David when he picked up a stone and slew Goliath.

• God’s grace was more than enough for Elijah when he called down the fire of heaven on Mt. Carmel and sucked up the sacrifice.

And I’m telling you this morning, God’s grace is more than enough for if you will just trust in His Amazing Grace!

God’s Grace is Amazing because of its Author and its Abundance, But

IT’S AMAZING BECAUSE OF IT’S APPLICANT (v.9c)

“My grace is sufficient for thee.” Let me replace that word with my name, or with your name. In fact, on the count of 3, let all say this verse together and replace that word “THEE” with your name. Ready, 1, 2 , 3 – “My grace is sufficient for JOE MOORE.”

Listen, no matter what your need is this morning, God’s Grace is Sufficient for you! It is more than enough FOR YOU.

I Peter 5:10 says “He is the God of all grace.” No matter what the need is, God has the grace to cover that need. Because God’s Grace is:

• Amazing Grace
• Abounding Grace
• Believing Grace
• Beautiful Grace
• Comforting Grace
• Cleansing Grace
• Delivering Grace
• Dying Grace
• Enduring Grace
• Everlasting Grace
• Free Grace
• Far reaching Grace
• Guarding Grace
• Guiding Grace
• Humbling Grace
• Helping Grace
• Infinite Grace
• Impartial Grace
• Justifying Grace
• Joyful Grace
• Keeping Grace
• Loving Grace
• Longsuffering Grace
• Matchless Grace
• Miraculous Grace
• New Grace
• Never ending Grace
• Overcoming Grace
• Overwhelming Grace
• Providing Grace
• Protecting Grace
• Quickening Grace
• Redeeming Grace
• Righteous Grace
• Saving Grace
• Sustaining Grace
• Supernatural Grace
• Timely Grace
• True Grace
• Underserving Grace
• Understanding Grace
• Victorious Grace
• Wonderful Grace
• Words You Can’t Explain Grace
• There’s no words for X so it’s X-Citing Grace
• Yielding Grace
• Zealous Grace

No matter what your need is this morning, He has the A-Z Grace to cover you Hallelujah! Can somebody say AMEN right there? God’s grace will be there when you need it.

When you really boil down Grace, it simply means God’s Riches At Christ Expense. Dying alone on that hill, He gave us GRACE. I can’t explain it, but I think John Newton got about as close to describing it as you can by writing: 

AMAZING GRACE HOW SWEET THE SOUND

THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME

I ONCE WAS LOST BUT NOW I’M FOUND

WAS BLIND BUT NOW I SEE.

Let me begin this morning by thanking you all for joining us in celebrating our 2^nd anniversary. I believe that I can confidently say, two years ago, I never dreamed that we, as a church, would be where we are today. Looking back over these past few years, we certainly have a lot to thank Him For.

Paul, in writing to the church in Corinth, reserves chapter 15 to specifically deal with some issues that had risen. Mainly, the issue of the Resurrection of Christ. You see, if the Greeks had a problem understanding the crucifixion of Christ, they would definitely have a problem dealing with the Resurrection of Christ.

So, Paul is writing to the church in Corinth to remind them that the message he is sharing now is the same message he shared at the very beginning – the message hasn’t change. Can I say this morning, the message that we began to share here at Rally Point Biker Church is the same message today that it was 2 years ago when we began – LOVE GOD AND LOVE EACH OTHER – and that message hasn’t changed.

Chapter 15 Paul is making what is probably the strongest case for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in all the Bible. Then, after talking about death and the sting of death, Paul finishes with these words, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore (because of that, in light of that), my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

 Paul has decided that he is going to give all the thanks to the LORD from whom the victory over death, hell, and the grave come from.

Listen, you and I certainly need to give God thanks for the things He is going to do – in our lives, in the life of our church, and we can do that through faith – But we also need to give God thanks for the things He’s already done in our lives. Truth is, if He never does another thing for me, He has already done more for me than I ever deserved. So, I’m going to thank God for what He has done, regardless whether or not He does anything else.

If God never blesses me again, if he never does another thing for me, I get to stand up here this morning and say, “I’VE GOT SO MUCH TO THANK HIM FOR.”

WE’VE GOT SO MUCH TO THANK GOD FOR BECAUSE THE STORY  NEVER CHANGES (v.1)

Paul says in verse 1, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand.”

Over the past 2 years, we’ve had some things change. The size of our crowd has changed; our seating arrangement has changed; Our sound equipment has changed; the place our kids learn has changed; Our music changes from time to time; the way we conduct the services has changed.

But do you know what hasn’t changed?

The story of Jesus Christ NEVER changes

How the perfect, sinless Son of God was born of a virgin, came to bear my sins and your sins on Calvary’s Cross, how He suffered, and bleed and died for your and I, and how He rose from the grave on the third day with victory over death hell and the grave and is now at the right hand of the Father where He makes intercession for you and I THAT NEVER CHANGES.

The Word of God NEVER Changes

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my Words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

God NEVER Changes

“For I am the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6). He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

Paul is saying to the church in Corinth, “This is the message we are declaring to you, this is the message we are standing on.” Two years down the road – that’s the message Rally Point Biker Church is standing on.

WE’VE GOT SO MUCH TO THANK HIM FOR BECAUSE HE STILL REIGNS (V25)

I look at all the struggle and trials, and heartache our church has been through over the past two years and the one thing I realize is there is nothing that has happened in the life of our church, in my life or in your life that has caught God off guard. Nothing has caught Him by surprise.

You know why? Because He is still on His throne! Verse 25 says, “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.”

The Bible tells us that “Heaven is His throne, and earth is His foot stool.” I can picture my dad years ago when He come home from a long day of work. He’d sit in his favorite chair and throw his legs up on the footstool. At that point of his day, my daddy didn’t have a care in the world.

So when I think about God sitting on His throne and His feet kicked up on the earth, He doesn’t have a care in the world – He’s got this! He has you and I in His hand and we have nothing to worry about – HE IS IN CONTROL – HE REIGNS!

But that is hard for us to get a grip on though isn’t it, because we won’t to take care of everything on our own. One lesson I have learned in my life is that you can’t always take care of it; you can’t always fix it; you can’t always pull yourself up by the boot laces – BUT GOD CAN.

WE’VE GOT SO MUCH TO THANK HIM FOR BECAUSE WHETHER WE LIVE OR WE DIE – GOD HAS IT ALL UNDER CONTROL (V. 51-56)

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.”

John 14 Jesus tells us, “I go to prepare for place for you,” How many of you believe that to be true?  And then He said, “If I go to prepare a place for you, then I WILL come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.”

I’VE GOT SO MUCH TO THANK HIM FOR

WHEN I LOOK AROUND AND SEE

THE GOOD THINGS HE DOES FOR ME

I KNOW I’M UNWORTHY OF THEM ALL.

FOR HIS BLESSINGS HE FREELY GIVES

I OWE MY LIFE TO HIM

I’VE GOT SO MUCH TO THANK HIM FOR.

CHORUS

I’VE GOT SO MUCH TO THANK HIM FOR

SO MUCH TO PRAISE HIM FOR

YOU SEE HE HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO ME

AND WHEN I THINK OF WHAT HE’S DONE

AND WHERE HE BROUGHT ME FROM

I’VE GOT SO MUCH TO THANK HIM FOR

SOMETIMES WHILE ON THIS WAY

I KNEEL TO STOP AND SAY

THANK YOU LORD FOR ALL YOU’VE DONE FOR ME.

ONE DAY I’LL REACH SWEET HEAVEN’S SHORE

OH PLEASE LET ME KNEEL ONCE MORE

I’VE GOT SO MUCH TO THANK HIM FOR.

Turn your Bibles with me if you will, and by the way, do you realize that when we open the Bible, we open the very mind of God.  So let’s see what God has to say to us from Romans 8:28, and while you are turning there, let me remind you:

Now Romans 8:28 is a very familiar passage of Scripture. And I want to ask you to stand with me, and let’s read this out loud together.  Romans 8:28 says:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”  ALL MIXED UP.  Let’s Pray:

Back when I was attending Bible College outside of Raliegh, North Carolina, Jennifer was about 12 or 13 years old and Josh was around 8 or 9, we used to have some really bad winters.  And since we lived out in a rural area called Corinth Holder, we would get snowed in for 3 to 4 days at a time before they could clear our roads.  That was good for the kids because they got to stay home from school, and being a college student, I learned to appreciate those days as well.  At the time, we had an old 1983 Jeep CJ7, and we loved that thing.  We had a big ole 10 acre yard behind our house, so the kids would take the jeep and drive it around this field – it was a blast.

But this one day, me and Jenni and Josh were out driving around in about a ft. and a half of snow like we had good sense, and as we’re driving along, a car up in front of me hit it’s brakes and began sliding sideways down the road.  And I was immediately confronted by 2 choices:  1) I could move to the right side of the road where there was a big ditch and take the chance of not slipping into the ditch, or 2) I could just ease on my brakes and hope for the best.  So, I thought about it, and I thought about it, and thought about it some more (which ended up being about a half a second), I decided to hit my brakes.  Well, that didn’t go quite work-out the way I planned it.  When I hit the brakes, my jeep took off like a rocket – straight for that ditch.  We slipped down into that ditch and slide a little ways, and when we stopped, the jeep just turned completely upside down.

Now Josh was in the front with me, and Jennifer was in the back seat – hanging upside down unable to unstrap herself from her belt buckle.  After Josh and I stopped laughing at Jenni, we got her unbuckled.  We all climbed out and while we are standing there in the snow, looking at our jeep turned upside down, Josh says to me, like any 9 year old would, “Dad, I don’t think any good can come of this.”  I told him like any self-respecting father would, “Hush your mouth boy, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”  Then after walking around the Jeep and surveying the situation, I said to myself, “I don’t think any good can come of this.”

Have you ever stood in the middle of a storm—your heart broken, your mind racing, your life seemingly turned upside down—and said something like:

“I know Romans 8:28 is in the Bible, but I can’t see how any good can come from this storm.”

“This tragedy doesn’t look like it’s working together for anything but pain.”

“This valley is too deep, this sickness too cruel—how can any of this be good?”

Let’s be honest—sometimes life feels like it’s just all mixed up.

Nothing’s in the right place. Nothing’s working like it should. And even though you know what the Word says, you still wonder:

“God… how can You possibly make something good out of this?”

Romans 8:28 is one of the most beloved verses in the Bible…

But this morning, I want to suggest that it’s also one of the most misunderstood, misquoted, and misapplied.

Because Romans 8:28 doesn’t say that everything is good. It doesn’t say that God prevents us from walking through the valley, facing the storm, or carrying the weight. But it does say that when God gets involved—when His hands are in the mix—He can take what feels broken, painful, and confusing… and He can mix it all together for something good.

So today, under the title “All Mixed Up,” I want to take a fresh look at this powerful promise. And I believe there is enough truth and strength in this one verse to bring peace to your chaos and purpose to your pain.

There are three divine aspects of Romans 8:28 I want you to see this morning—because even when life feels all mixed up, God is still in control of the outcome.

I SEE A FAITHFUL PROMISE – “AND WE KNOW . . .”

There were 2 Greek words translated in the New Testament as the word “KNOW.”

First, there was the word “Genosko,” which means “to come to know; to get to know, to gradually know.”

And Secondly, there was the word “I-Do,” which represents the force or power of knowing something. 

• “To be persuaded of truth;”
• “To know without the need of understanding;”
• “To know without the need of explanation.”

Strangely enough, these two words and often been used in the same verse throughout the New Testament.  For example, in John chapter 13, Jesus has laid aside His garments, and has a basin of water, He has girded His loins with a towel and He approaches Simon Peter.  When He does, Simon Peter asked a question:

“Lord, dost thou wash my feet?”  Jesus said, “What I do now, thou knowest (I-DO) not;  You don’t fully understand what I am doing, but thou shalt know (Genosko) hereafter.”

“You don’t understand now – but you will.”  “Eventually, you’re going to know.”

Now the word that Paul uses here is in the strongest form of the Greek word KNOW.  “AND WE KNOW”

He was fully persuaded;

He knew, even though he didn’t understand;

He knew, even though he couldn’t explain it.

Paul said, “I may not understand all things, I cannot explain all things, but I KNOW that all things work together for the good to them that love God.”  IT IS A FAITHFUL PROMISE.  There’s a lot of things I don’t understand

• I don’t understand why some people have so much while others have so little;
• I don’t understand why some are always sick, while others are rarely sick;
• I can’t explain why some people have to die so young, while others live a good long life.

I may not know it and I may not can explain it, BUT “I know that all things . . . “

Not only do we see a Faithful Promise, but notice with me:

I SEE A FRUITFUL PROCESS

“And we know that all things work together FOR GOOD . . .”

One reason that we have so much trouble understanding Romans 8:28 and accepting Romans 8:28 is because we want the verse to say “ALL THINGS ARE GOOD.”  But that’s not what it says.

When bad things happen in our lives, we look at Romans 8:28 and we just don’t understand.

The Bible does not say that ALL THINGS ARE GOOD.

When you follow a loved one to a grave – that’s not good;

When the doctor gives you devastating news – that’s not good;

The Bible doesn’t say that “All things are good,” It says “All things work together FOR GOOD.”

In the manufacturing of medications (and I’m sure some of you know this better than I do), did you know there was a process to making medications?  They take just a small portion of the actual medicine, and they mix it with a lot of other medicines.  They say that if you took the entire dose of a particular medicine, your body couldn’t take it – this is called “cutting it.”  But, when you mix it up and dilute it with other medicines, it is good for you.

Listen to me now:  If that one storm; If that one trial; If that one tragedy Was all there was, it would be too much for us. We couldn’t handle it.

• But I’m glad that with our storms – God adds peace!
• I’m glad that with my valleys – God adds some Mountaintops;
• I’m glad with with my tragedies – God gives some triumphs;
• I’m glad that with my sorrow – God gives some joy;
• I’m glad that in my darkness – God gives some light.

When it’s all mixed together, when it all “Works together,” It “works together for good.”

Church, we have to understand that it is a Fruitful Process.

You know what, I don’t like Raw eggs, and I don’t like raw dow; and I don’t like eating plain sugar, and I don’t like drinking vanilla flavor out of the bottle – BUT, when you mix it all together, give me a call, cause I sure like eating cake AMEN!

“All things work together for good.”  Now let’s take it a step further.  We saw the Faithful Promise, the Fruitful Process, now let’s look at:

I SEE THE FINISHED PRODUCT

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to HIS PURPOSE.”

I have known this verse for as long as I can remember.  I have studied it, I have preached on it, but sitting in my room a few weeks ago, I was reading this verse, and when I got to the part that says, “To them that are called according to HIS PURPOSE.” That word PURPOSE just jumped off the pages at me.  And I began to ask myself, “What is God’s ultimate purpose for my life?”  What is His ultimate purpose for your life?

Now don’t miss this:

If you look at verse 29, you will notice that it begins with a little 3 letter word – FOR.  That word FOR is a conjunction.  Conjunctions are words that connect words, or sentences, or paragraphs or phrases.

This little word FOR takes verse 28 by the hand and then it takes verse 29 by the hand and it joins them together.  And since verse 29 begins with that word FOR – we really cannot understand verse 28 without knowing something about verse 29.  SO, I want everybody to join hands, now I’m gonna get right in the middle here and I want the right side of the church to be verse 28 and I want the left side of the church to be verse 29.  Right side read verse 28:  “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Now left side read verse 29:  “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Now, let me tell you what that means.  God had only 2 Sons.  What I mean by that is that there were only two men that ever walked the face of the earth that were not born of woman.

In Luke chapter 3, we find a listing of genealogies.  It says that so-in-so begat so-in-so, and so-on and so-on.  Then down at the bottom it says, “Adam, He was the son of God.“

Adam was the CREATED Son of God.  Everything we see here today was spoken into existence – except man!

“God formed man with His own hands; He formed us from the dust of the earth and breath into our nostrils the breath of life and we became a living soul.”

And by the way, things that are always the most costly are the things that are hand-made!

God said, “Let us form man in our own likeness, in our own image.”  The words image and likeness mean to “mirror” or the “reflect.”

GOD CREATED MAN TO REFLECT WHO HE IS!  And God said, “This was very good.”  And do you know why?  Because when God looked at man, He saw Himself. 

But you know the story, man fell into sin.  God came into the Garden and could no longer see Himself and He knew something has died.

But remember, there’s another Son.  And that is the “Only Begotten Son.”  The Second Adam, the Final Adam.  His name is Jesus Christ and He was everything God intended for man to be.

God created man for the purpose of reflecting who HE was.  Jesus was everything God intended Him to be to the extent that He could say, “when you see me, you see the Father.”

No wonder when John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River the Bible says, the Heaven’s open and a voice descended from Heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

In fact, God was so pleased with Jesus that He said, “I’m gonna make all my children just like Him.”  “That He might be the first-born among you.”

But how is God doing that?  How is God conforming us to the image of His Son? 

By using “ALL THINGS.”

The “Good” in verse 28 is not talking about being happy, or healthy, or wealthy, it’s talking about conforming you to the image of God’s Son.

That means that God is orchestrating all things in our lives:

• The good things;
• The bad things;
• The things we understand;
• The things we don’t understand;
• The things we can explain;
• The things we can’t explain.

God is orchestrating, He is conforming us to the image of His Son through the events in our lives.

It is said that when a great artist paints a picture, he starts by painting the insignificants parts first.  You can look at the painting and it doesn’t make any sense to us – and that’s the way life seems sometimes, it just doesn’t make sense to us.  But to the artist, he knows where he’s going, so He paints on.

They say that a truly great artist has the ability to work his mistakes into the painting.  When an artist makes a mistake, he doesn’t try to erase the mistake, he just works it into the painting.

Now we know that our Heavenly Father doesn’t make mistakes – BUT WE DO.  And I’m glad this morning that my Heavenly Father has a way of working all my mistakes into the picture of my life.

I’m glad that when the vessel was marred, the Potter didn’t throw the vessel away.  I’m glad our Heavenly Artist just keeps painting!

You see, God is painting a picture of His Son in our lives.

God is taking all the bad things that have happened in your life, all the pain and all the disappointment, all the failure – and He is mixing them together and painting a picture of His Son in your life.

In closing, look quickly at verse 31:  “What shall we then say to these things:

• The good things
• The bad things
• The things we don’t understand;
• The things we can’t explain.

“If God be for us, who can be against us? 32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 37  Nay, in all these things (WHAT THINGS? ALL THINGS) we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Verse 28 and 29, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Will you stand with me with every head bowed and every eye closed, nobody looking around please.  I want to ask you this morning:

• Maybe you are in a valley that you don’t understand;
• Maybe you’re in a trial you don’t understand;
• Maybe you faced some tragedy you don’t understand;
• Maybe you’ve had some failures that you don’t understand.

Maybe you haven’t asked God with your lips, but with your heart you’ve cried out to Him – GOD WHY?

God is using that trial in your life, whether you understand it or not, whether you can explain it or not – He is using your needs to conform you to the image of His Son.

Maybe you just need to come and gather around the altar, and talk to God about the things that are going on in your life.

Maybe there are some things that have happened in your life in the past that have made you angry, and bitter, and hard-hearted.  Maybe you felt those things were so bad that God can’t forgive you.  Friend, God is using those failures to paint a picture of His Son in your life.   

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth on Him, so not perish, but have everlasting life;  For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him, might be saved.”

God loves you, all you have to do is accept that.  Want you come this morning and kneel at the altar and ask Christ into your heart?  You were made in His image for a reason.

“What shall we more say to these things:  If God be for us, who can be against us!”

Each year we observe a National Day of Prayer. It is good that we observe a day where the nation collectively prays together. But, you know what would be even more wonderful, if each day were a day of prayer. The apostle Paul said we are to “Pray without ceasing.”

This morning, I am interested in the prayer that Paul prayed for the saints and faithful brethren at Colosse. He was in prison as he prayed for the Colossians. He didn’t pray that he might be released, for healing from his infirmity, or that Jerusalem be freed from the Romans. In fact, he didn’t even pray for those who needed Christ. Now, he had a burden for lost souls, but his focus was on the church. He wasn’t in any way insinuating that those other needs aren’t important, but rather emphasizing the significance of prayer for the church. Most of the prayers he offers are for the church. 

A strong church will lead to a strong nation. A local body in tune with the Lord will reach lost souls. The greatest needs of our day could be influenced tremendously by the church if we were only where God desires us to be. Simply put, we need to pray for each other. 

I want to challenge you to pray each day for a specific individual within our church. Let the Spirit guide you as you begin to pray, individually, for the members of Fellowship. Using Paul’s prayer as a guide, I’m certain that we could see a tremendous difference around Fellowship if we would only commit to pray. The text reveals three areas that we need to pray about for each other: 

THAT WE RECOGNIZE THE WILL OF GOD (v9)

“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;”

Paul prayed that they might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. We must be filled to the brim, fully equipped. This isn’t simply knowing God’s will but allowing His will to completely saturate our lives so that nothing within our lives is contrary to His will.

We must look at the “big picture”, not just a few things, but every area of life. All that we do must be according to God’s will. Living according to God’s will involves both wisdom and understanding. As we pray for individuals, we must pray that they:

Obtain Wisdom

He prayed that they had all wisdom. Clearly Paul isn’t referring to knowing all things as God does but obtaining godly wisdom to deal with the issues of life.

Many of life’s problems are the result of a lack of wisdom. This leads to poor choices and difficult circumstances. We all need God’s wisdom in our lives. We will never be what He expects us to be apart from it. 

You don’t have to be a Harvard grad to obtain spiritual wisdom. In fact, we would probably do well to possess less intellect and more intercession to obtain wisdom. How do I handle this problem? What would God have me to do? We’ll never know without wisdom. We are obligated to pray for those who need wisdom in making proper decisions (leaders, youth, young adults, parents, etc.). Wisdom isn’t obtained through the world, but in prayer, Bible study, and the Spirit revealing truth to us. 

Applying Understanding

We need a spiritual understanding, literally a mental “putting together – putting into action.” Life requires that we take the truth we’ve learned, put the pieces together, and apply that truth to our lives. 

We need to pray for the ability to apply God’s wisdom, actually put it into action. We will never be able to fully understand all that God is doing, but we must learn to trust and obey His will. I’m no auto mechanic, but I do know this key will start my vehicle and it will take me down the road. I don’t fully understand how all that works, but I do know enough to get where I need to go. 

Our spiritual lives are no different. I don’t know what all God is doing “under the hood”, but I do know He’ll get me where I need to go! Take the key of understanding you’ve been given and go for God. Recognize the Will of God.

Secondly, Paul prayed:

THAT WE WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD (V10)

“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

He prayed that the Colossians would walk pleasing unto the Lord, being a testimony for Jesus. We certainly need to pray that prayer for each other. 

We no longer live in a Christian society. Everyone we meet and know isn’t a Christian. Much of what they know about the Lord and His church is read from the book of our lives. Our day desperately needs those who will walk worthy. This involves three things:

Our Pattern (v.10a)

 “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.”

Our walk is to glorify Christ. Our life should be a reflection what Jesus has done for us and the change that has taken place; we’re no longer the same!

The word walk means to “set our lives, all of it, after Christ.” The word worthy means “to have the weight of or weigh as much as something else.” So, our walk should weigh as much as the walk of Christ. That’s a sobering thought! We are to live as He did. 

This will never happen in a carnal Christian. We must be totally submitted to God. I need the prayers of God’s people to walk worthy and you do too! I can’t live that life within myself. As we pray for each other, pray that God would guide our steps. Pray that we live according to the pattern Jesus set for us. 

Our Production (v.10b)

“being fruitful in every good work.”

Paul also prayed that they be fruitful in every good work. He was praying that God would open doors of opportunity for them and that they would have the boldness and dedication to pass through them. 

How many lost people came through our doors lately crying out that they needed to be saved? You see, praying for the lost is good, but praying for fruitful Christians is better. Jesus saw the field ready for harvest, but He didn’t pray for the field:

Matt.9:38, “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”

If we really want to see souls saved, pray for fruitful Christians. Pray for those who are witnessing and inviting them to come.

Eph.2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”

Rom.10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Our Progression (V.10c)

“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

He also prayed that their walk would result in an increased knowledge of God. He wanted them to know God on a deeper level, growing spiritually in Christ. There is no better way to grow in the Lord than through a daily walk with Him. It is then that we learn to fellowship with Him, trust Him in trials, learn Him, and love Him more! May we pray that our church, beginning with individuals will mature in Christ. 

St. Augustine said, “Faith is understanding’s step, and understanding is faith’s reward.”

Each of us needs to grow daily. I challenge you to pray that we will develop a deeper relationship with Christ. I pray that we will abandon the shallow water and dive into the deep things of God. We all need a closer walk, growing spiritually. Let’s make that an object of prayer.

Recognize the Will of God

Walk Worthy of the Lord

THAT WE POSSESS THE POWER OF GOD (V11)

“Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;”

Lastly, Paul prayed that they might be strengthened with all might according to God’s power. We serve the God of all power. He created the universe and mankind. He is able to part seas, defeat armies, heal disease, and raise the dead. 

These are all great manifestations of His awesome power, but we have that same power within us! He can take a life of wickedness, anger, and hatred and create a life of righteousness, joy, and compassion. That is a God thing! We need the power of God in our lives. We need those who are emboldened to stand for Him; those, who through His power, become an effective witness. Our lives will be void and ineffective without God’s power. It produces:

Patience

This is endurance when circumstances are difficult. Patience doesn’t accept defeat; it is endurance in action. It doesn’t sit idly by waiting on God or someone else to achieve something. 

It is the soldier who endures the battle, seeking complete victory. It is the runner enduring the hardships of the race seeking the finish. It is the Christian who will not accept the lies of this world and believe that all hope is lost.

 Longsuffering

 We need God’s power for patience. – This is possessing self-restraint. Where patience deals with circumstances, longsuffering deals with people. It allows us to overlook their faults and differences, loving them as Christ does, seeing them as Christ sees them. 

It doesn’t give up on a man just because he doesn’t act or behave as we think he should. It is a spirit of fellowship and compassion for all, even those who may have wronged us. We need that kind of spirit in the church today.

Joyfulness

I think you would agree that many have lost their joy. The difficulties and circumstances of life have left them feeling defeated and desperate. There is joy in serving the Lord. They just need to rediscover His joy in their lives.  

Happiness is dependent on circumstances, but joy remains even in the midnight hour. We need to pray for those who need to have their joy restored. 

CONCLUSION

I know that we’ve taken a different approach to prayer than usual, but this is biblical. I promise you, if we commit to pray this prayer for each other, we will see a difference in our church. 

I trust that you will begin to pray this prayer daily for a specific individual in our church. During the hymn of invitation, I want us to begin praying this prayer together. I’m sure there is someone within our church that the Spirit has touched your heart to pray for. Let’s pray together for these in need.