Palm Sunday: "The Shadow of the Cross!" from 3.28.2010

Welcome to our Palm Sunday service. Today, we have put together a dramatic way for us to walk through the events of Holy Week that began on Palm Sunday with Jesus' Triumphal Entry and concluded with Jesus' Resurrection Easter morning. Today, we are going to end our service with the events of Good Friday and we invite you back next week for our special Easter Sunday service where we will celebrate the Resurrection of the Living God

Near the end of Jesus Christ's earthly ministry, Jesus was very direct with His followers telling them that He must go to Jerusalem to be handed over to be crucified.

Jesus know His mission on earth was to walk the straight path towards His destiny and be the final atoning sacrifice for all of humanity's sin--to be the Savior of the world! On Palm Sunday, Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem as the Perfect Passover Lamb in order to bear the burden of our rebellion so that in the Father's love through the Son's sacrifice, we can each have eternal life through faith! Jesus Christ did not blindly walk towards Jerusalem, Jesus entered as the conquering King knowing that price He must pay for our freedom!

The Scriptures declare from John 12:1-3 and 12-15, "Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume [Mary was inspired to anoint Jesus body to not only honor Him, but to also unknowingly to her prepare Jesus' body for his death and burial]. . . . "The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt."

Chloe enters shouting: "Have you heard? Jesus is coming…the Messiah! He deserves a grand welcome!”

Non Choir/Kids enter center isle, waving palms.

-Choir enters center stage to sing “Save Us (Hosanna)”

-Roman Soldiers raise up green (life)/yellow (radiance) cross during song.

Pastor: The religious leaders of Jesus' day were blinded with jealousy because of the response of the people and they were blinded with pride because Jesus would not play their religious games or follow their man-made rules. Jesus did not cow down to them instead He continued forward resolutely toward the Cross.

Luke 19:39-40 describes, "Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

Jesus would not restrain the people from shouting Hosanna and declaring that He was the chosen one of Israel to bring eternal life to all of humanity. Jesus continued His ministry with passion during the Holy Week. He did not hide out!

Luke 19:45-48 dramatically records, "Then [Jesus] entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. "It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words."

From this dramatic event the plot thickens as Judas agrees to betray Jesus Christ and on that fateful Maundy Thursday night Jesus is apprehended in the Garden of Gethsemane and brought through trial after trial throughout the night and into Good Friday.

From the Gospel of John 18:28-32, "Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?" "If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you." Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." "But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled."

On this day we call Good Friday, the most insane act of brutality occurred! The innocent Son of God who came to demonstrate the love of the Father was brutalized, humiliated, and scorned because of jealousy, pride, and blind rage.

The people could not see God because they were blinded by their own motives.

The Gospel of Luke 23:17-25 records of the final court scene the blood lust of the people as Jesus stood before them beaten and bloody only wanting their own way now. In a final appeal to get Jesus released and set free because he knew that Jesus was innocent of the trumped up charges, Pontius Pilate offered to release Jesus Christ and to put to death a known criminal named Barnabas. This is how the people reacted.

"With one voice they cried out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!" (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him." But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will."

PHARISEE: Did he think he could overthrow the Romans or just ignore the Sanhedrin? We were put in charge of this ignorant, greedy nation by GOD! And here he is calling himself the “Son of God”?! Liar!!! We have charges against him, but Pilate wants to release him. But our law says this man should die because he has proclaimed and made himself out to be the Son of God…..

He should be crucified! (incites crowd)

We have no King but Caesar!

Away with him….Crucify Him!

-Roman Soldiers put up Red (sin) & Black (death) cross starting at “…Liar!”

show video of walk to Golgotha "Via Dolorosa"

DISCIPLE: There was nothing any of us could do but stand and weep, and watch them put Jesus to death. They marched him thru the same streets where he had entered in triumph only a few days earlier…but they changed their cries from “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him”-Roman Soldiers put up third cross-When I saw him there, it was almost more than I could bear. Most of the disciples were hiding, but could not leave the one I loved. As I approached the cross, I wondered…Would he speak to me? Or even look at me? Would he spit on me? Do you know what he did? He asked me to care for His Mother!

Pastor: Jesus was not crucified alone on that day we call Good Friday, which is an event that changed all of history! An event that we cannot even full understand until it is put in relationship to the miracle of the Resurrection in 3 days...on the day we call Easter Sunday!

The Gospel of Luke 23:32-43 gives us this historical account, "Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. " Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

My friends, this morning we are confronted with the same choice that each of these criminals had. This is the essence of the Gospel message. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took on our death penalty. As the one criminal declared to the other, "We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." [and then he turned to Jesus and he said], "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. "

Jesus Christ willingly took the straight path to Jerusalem and then walked the windy path up to the place called the Skull (Golgotha) so that upon the Roman tool of execution called the Cross he took on the penalty of a criminal. That is the penalty for our sin, our rebellion against God. According to the ancient covenant established by God between humanity and God only a blood sacrifice was able to pay the price for the guilt of our sin. Only a perfect unblemished sacrifice could atone for your sins and mine. Jesus Christ fulfilled the mandates of this ancient Covenant, the Law, so that we each can be confronted with the same choice that these criminals were confronted with when they faced their eternity.

Are you in right standing with God through faith in who Jesus Christ is and what He did for you on this Cross?

Do you live your lives proclaiming the glory of the coming King (Hosanna) or do you cry out with your own ambition and your own agenda (Crucify Him!)?

The choices we make every day align us with the crowd that proclaimed "Hosanna" or the lustfulness of mob that shouted "Crucify Him!"

It is true that we make a decision in faith at one point in our life, like the thieves on the Cross that will determine our eternity, but unlike these thieves, we must continue to live in the Shadow of the Cross each and every day of our lives. The choice is yours everyday on whether you are declaring "Hosanna" or "Crucify Him!" by your words and actions! I am not talking about your eternal destiny as that has been secured through your faith decision to accept Jesus Christ, but does your life proclaim sin and death or life and glory.

(left) This thief denied Christ even at the point of death and the Scriptures are clear that without Jesus Christ you cannot be with God ("for the wages of sin is death!")....As we see the cloth wrapped around his cross: the red represents his sin and the black his death, eternal separation from God called Hell.

(right) This thief humbly confessed a deep faith in who Christ declared Himself to be and His reliance upon the grace of God for His eternal destiny. The Scriptures are clear that through Jesus Christ we have eternal life with God ("the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus"). As we see the cloth wrapped around his cross: the green represent life and the yellow represents the glory of God.

[Sam starts playing acoustic guitar]

On the third Cross, the Cross of Jesus Christ we see that the purple cloth is wrapped over the other colors indicating that the Conquering King--Jesus Christ--has covered a multitude of sin and placed His righteousness over us. The new life of Christ defeats death and the glory of God covers the blemish of our sin! Through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross we were bought at a price. "It is finished!"

As we respond to this dramatic presentation, I pray that you will not leave here without making a choice on which thief you will join ranks with. Will you live in the shadow of the cross of the thief who ridiculed God's Son and only wanted His help for His own selfish gain without submitting to His lordship. OR Will you live in the shadow of the cross of the thief who through faith in Jesus Christ received eternal life and was ushered into Paradise for all of eternity?

I plead with you today, that you do not leave this place without first and foremost making the decision to live in the shadow of the Cross of Jesus Christ where you receive forgiveness and grace because of God's love and sacrifice.

The choice is yours...let us pray.

Sam leads "Jesus paid it all"

God's Faithfulness

[written for a special Palm Sunday Service at Hinsey Brown]

We are here today to commemorate the precious life of our loved ones. All life is a gift from God and it is from God that we each find our hope in this life and for the next. It is our hope here today, and the expressed hope of Hinsey-Brown, that this Palm Sunday balloon releasing commemoration service facilities your grieving process so that you can honor the life of your loved one by continuing to live life today to its fullest. We all grieve differently, but healthy grief is one that allows us to process our emotions and be real with what we are feeling. Today, let us look to God in this journey and share our true feelings with Him.

Psalm 100 is one of my favorite Psalms and I want to read it to you, "Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."

Let us pray together.

No matter where we are on life's journey or in the stages of the grieving process, there is one truth that never changes. God loves us and He is present to our brokenness and sorrow. Jesus promised, "Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted" (Mt 5:4).

I. Psalm 100 declares that God is the Author of life; He made us and we are His; we are His people! God is our Father and we are His children. All life is a gift from God and it is from Him that we all find our source. The Psalmist described God as “the fountain of life” (Psalm 36:8) and it is from God that all life flows. We are here to commemorate the precious life of one of God's gifts to the world; your loved one and you! God's Kingdom is a relational kingdom and He treasures each person and desires to be in a personal relationship with you. He sees you and your loved one as a precious jewel. That is why He sent His Son Jesus Christ to live amongst us and to then die for our sins so that we can have eternal life in God. God loves us so much that He went to this great length for us to know Him and to be able to live in Him for all of eternity. Life is precious and through a relationship with God through Jesus Christ we pass from this life of heavy burdens to eternal Life in Glory.

II. Psalm 100 declares that we can give thanks to God for all life! We are to shout for joy; we are worship the LORD with gladness and come before Him with joyful songs; we are to enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with praise. But where do we find the strength or the hope to give thanks, rejoice, praise when death is so hard and the separation of death seem unbearable.

It is my hope that today you can rejoice in the God who made you because of the gift of life He bestowed upon you.

The fact that you are here today indicates that your loved one was a gift to you and your being here today is an expression of love and thanksgiving to that person and to the God who gave them life in the first place. Your getting out of bed each morning and trying to figure out what today will be like without them lifts up praise to God. We find the strength for today through God's love and presence in our lives. Our response is to look at each day we have as a gift and ask God how we can live today in such a way that honors the memory of our loved one.

III. Finally, Psalm 100 teaches us that we can trust in God's faithfulness in this life and the next. Even when the evidence of this life points otherwise, we can trust that God is good and that He is love. Psalm 100 states, "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." In the midst of grief, suffering, pain, and loss we can be certain of this one thing: "the LORD is good and His love endures forever!"

God has not forgotten you nor has He abandoned you! God loves you with an everlasting love and has promised to continuously give of His presence if you will only call upon His name and seek after Him. All the promises of God have been answered 'Yes' in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Turn to Him and find rest in His faithfulness!

Friends, we all mourn differently and deal with grief differently, but today we want to join with you in the process so that you can move forward into the new future that God has for you. Life can never go back to the way it was; there will always be a part of you that is missing and not the same due to the loss of your loved one, but God wants you to know that He is with you, He loves you, and He wants the best for your life and future!

Today we are gathered to give each of us an opportunity to commemorate the life of our loved one by participating in this activity of letting a balloon fly in memory of the one you love. We do this intentionally because we want to give you an opportunity to remember your loved one. To remember their life and the gift it was to you and the gift your memories will continue to be. We desire for you to remember the joy you had with them. Balloons always seem to brighten up a room. People will smile when they see the bright colors. We want you to smile today. We want you to feel the joy of the life once lived. We will be giving you some instructions here shortly and we will allow you to commemorate that important person by writing a name, a message, a love note, whatever you want to do.

Another way to commemorate is to plant a tree. As you leave here today you will be given a red bud tree. Go home and plant it in remembrance. Know in your heart that this tree is planted with your loved one in mind. Let it remind you that your loved one continues to live through their legacy and in their eternal destiny.

It is important to remember their life and over the years, as you walk by this tree, remember that your loved one wants you to continue to be happy and to live your life to the fullest.

As the tree grows, it is our prayer that you will grow...one day a time, sometimes 1 step forward, 2 steps back, sometimes at a crawl and sometimes at a sprint. But grow with the life that God has given to you as a gift. Embrace today and trust God with your tomorrow. Trust God with your loved one and always remember that He is faithful and His love endures forever.

Closing prayer

Are you getting it yet?

We spent the last 10 weeks in an intensive expositional sermon series walking verse by verse through the Apostle John's First Epistle to the house churches in Ephesus (1 John). How was your life transformed? What did you learn? How did you grow? How were you challenged? Where were you convicted? Did you pay attention, confess, and repent? When did your toes get stepped on? Are you falling more and more in love with God?

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ABOUT IT?

Through the Holy Spirit's inspiration, John wrote a letter to not only a specific audience in the late first century, but to the Church throughout all time in all locations. That includes you and me today at First Baptist Church in New Castle, Indiana! The Holy Spirit inspired the writing of this letter with you and me in mind; we are in a very specific way the intended recipient of God's love and grace. Why did John write this letter? He declared, "I write things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).

ARE YOU EXPERIENCING ETERNAL LIFE TODAY?

To emphasize that we have this eternal life John's letter focuses on teaching these believers to stand firm in their faith (to not be swept away by the teachings of false prophets who are animated by the spirit of the Antichrist!) and to manifest the true marks of a Child of God. Namely that we are to keep the faith in God through Jesus Christ, the Son of God; we are to daily live in the newness of the Holy Spirit who allows us to reject the spirit of falsehood; we are to renounce sin and live in the divine reality of God's forgiveness of our sin through the final atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the propitiation of sin; and we are to intentionally live in obedience to the commandments of Jesus Christ, with overarching emphasis on the primary mandate to love one another as Jesus taught us to love. These are the characteristics that are to define our lives. NO EXCEPTIONS! It is no longer the world that defines us; rather, it is the manifestation of God's Perfect Fellowship (the triune God) living in us.

DO YOU GET IT?

We have passed from death to life! We have born again through the Holy Spirit! We were bought at a price and we are now the vessels of the Holy Spirit! How much do we owe to God for choosing us with the gift of eternal life through His grace? We are forever indebted to God for sending His Son Jesus Christ to reconcile us back to the Father so that we may be called children of God. John proclaims, "How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1). We have forever been changed in the eyes of God! Do we look any different to the world? Does our fellowship as a church community manifest the love and grace of God's divine romance? Do our lives reflect the life of God demonstrated to us in Jesus Christ and through us in the Holy Spirit to the world? Do we offer the same forgiveness to others that God offers to us? Are we, as individual and as a community, ready to move forward and answer God's call to love one another and reach out to our community (and beyond!) which is in such desperate need for love, forgiveness, and reconciliation?

ARE YOU READY TO BE THE HANDS AND FEET OF CHRIST'S LOVE?

Confidence in Perfect Fellowship! (teaching 10 of 10 on First John)

"Confidence in Perfect Fellowship!"

Sermon Series: Walk in Faith (part 10 of 10)

First Baptist Church - New Castle, IN

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

March 21, 2010

We are concluding our sermon series "Walk in Faith". This is our 10th teaching time on First John and throughout this series we have been learning deep theological truths of who God is as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have been learning the Gospel Truth of why God sent His Son Jesus Christ and how we have been born again into the family of God. We have been learning the implications of our faith and how we should then live our lives as God's children. This morning we are concluding this series with John's final words to the house churches of Ephesus. These are words of assurance that summarize the letter; these are strong words with deep teaching. Please open your Bibles, pull out your sermon notes, and grab a pen.

1 John 5:13-21 (NIV)

¹³I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. ¹⁴This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. ¹⁶If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death.

I am not saying that he should pray about that. ¹⁷All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. ¹⁸We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. ¹⁹We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. ²⁰We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. ²¹Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. [prayer]

In this closing section of First John, we are going to finish where we started this series; talking about Perfect Fellowship. We are going to learn that we can have confidence in the Perfect Fellowship we have with God because this relationship is one that is built upon a strong foundation. For a relationship to be a prospering and thriving relationship it must have the essential ingredient of security!

IN PERFECT FELLOWSHIP, WE HAVE...SECURITY IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST!

In verse 13, John starts his concluding remarks with a thesis statement of why he wrote this letter of First John, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."

This immediately reminded me of John's thesis statement for the Gospel of John.

The Gospel of John 20:31 states, "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

We see a nuanced difference between John's earlier work (the Gospel) and this follow up letter to the house churches of Ephesus. The Gospel was written "that you may believe..." whereas the letter was written "to you who believe...so that you may know that you have eternal life." Examine the distinction and you see that this letter's intended audience were those who had received eternal life previously and now needed an assurance that they have eternal life. John is writing to the church and to the believers in the church to help them understand their faith and then how they should live out their faith!

What is this eternal life that John is giving his church the assurance of?

Eternal life is less about existing forever and more about a quality of life! If eternal life was simply about living forever, well that would be a nightmare reality for so many; rather eternal life is a statement of quality of life!

Eternal life is about living in Perfect Fellowship with God! When we receive the Gospel message and the Truth of God which was from the beginning enters our very being then we are ontologically changed; which means that we are fundamentally changed in our core being!

We pass from death (independent operators drifting along life's road groping for meaning and focus) to life (allowing the God who made us and gave us life to have rightful ownership so that He may direct our steps and give our lives focus, meaning, and purpose)!

God redeemed us so that He might come and live in us. It is God's presence in our lives that changes us! His Perfect Fellowship causes us to pass from death to life! From being lost to being found! This is eternal life! It is here and now and forever! And when you receive this new life everything changes!

John has been teaching us this throughout the letter; we hear this truth in 1 John 4:9, "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him."

Eternal life is about surrendering our lives to God so that He can live through us and give us life in abundance. Jesus promises us of this reality in the Gospel of John 10:10b, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

What does this full life look like? When we live our life in God then the attributes of God's character flow into our life. We experience the life of God!

In God there is peace; therefore, eternal life means serenity. We are liberated from the fears that burden us in this life. God's perfect love drives out fear!

In God there is power; therefore, eternal life means the defeat of frustration. We now have a life filled with power which is truly the power of the Holy Spirit living in us which means we are more than conquerors in Jesus!

In God there is holiness; therefore, eternal life means the defeat of sin. This is a life covered with the blood of Jesus Christ meaning His right standing with God is ours; His righteousness becomes our righteousness!

In God there is love; therefore, eternal life means the end of unforgiveness, bitterness, and hatred. This is a life lived in the shadow of the Cross—the greatest event in history where we all are offered reconciliation with God! Eternal life is getting right in our relationships!

In God there is life; therefore, eternal life means the defeat of death. This is a life filled with the hope that comes from the light of Jesus' empty tomb. We are born again not of perishable seed, but of imperishable so that through the Spirit of God we will never taste death.

Eternal life is in our midst today!

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in this life we will have troubles and trials, but we can be secure in this one reality that will never change--through our faith in Jesus Christ, we have eternal life in God. Let us find our source of hope, our security of personhood, and our strength to persevere in this life through our confidence in God's Perfect Fellowship!

In Hebrews 10:23, the Holy Spirit teaches us, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

This is the foundation of our new life in Christ. This foundation is how we can have confidence. For every relationship to grow it needs more than security; it needs effective communication.

IN PERFECT FELLOWSHIP, WE HAVE...EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH GOD!

John continues his conclusion with teaching on prayer in verses 14-15, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."

This is an incredible benefit of our confidence in having eternal life in God through Jesus Christ. He is our Paraclete—our Mediator and Advocate to God sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding for us!

When we live in God and God lives us, then we can approach Him with boldness and confidence because He has promised to listen and be present to us. Jesus promised in John 15:7, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."

Again Jesus promised in the Gospel of Mark 11:24, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

These passages, nor our Scripture lesson, are teaching that God is a cosmic vending machine in the sky. Prayer is not a means for us to ask God to get on board with our plans or for Him to fulfill our wish lists; rather, prayer is the means that God renews our minds, transforms our hearts, and conforms our wills to His higher purposes!

We are God's beloved children being conformed into our daddy's image! It is the Holy Spirit of God living in us that continuously transforms us more and more into His likeness as we engage God in intimacy through prayer.

Prayer is a response to God's gift of eternal life living in us! Prayer is the power to hear God's Word in us and to be transformed by it in such a way that God's will is our desire so that our prayer is offered up in accordance to the will of God rather than our own desires.

Prayer is the submission of a child to his/her Father. Listen to this powerful prayer of Jesus Christ recorded in the Gospel of Mark 14:36, "'Abba, Father,' he said, 'everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.'"

Jesus Christ confidently and with boldness poured his heart and soul out to God the Father on the night he was to be betrayed, brought before the courts, and handed over to the Romans to be crucified that Good Friday 2000 years ago. With profound confidence and intimacy Jesus cried out to His Father knowing that all things are possible through God. This is why John can write with such boldness these 2 verses: God hears us and we can know that anything that we ask of God He has done.

The key is that our heart must be conformed into the heart of God just as we see Jesus doing here. We must submit our lives to God and His plan for each of us and we can only do this when we: 1) have deep abiding security in our relationship with God and 2) know Him well enough to know His heart and will for our lives.

This new life grows within us as we learn to trust God and walk with Him in the midst of our everyday situations.

The Apostle Paul teaches in Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Eternal life is this deep abiding trust in God!

Knowing that we have an open and effective communication with the God who is Perfect Fellowship, we can now live our daily lives with the right focus.

IN PERFECT FELLOWSHIP, WE HAVE...THE RIGHT FOCUS IN THIS LIFE!

God desires for our relationship with Him to bear fruit in our relationships with our brothers, sisters, and neighbors. To be adopted into God's Perfect Fellowship as a Child of God, is to be recruited into the Mission of God--His Ministry of Reconciliation with all people!

In verse 16, John teaches us the power of prayer in our relationships, "If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.

The main point of this passage can easily be distracted by the distinctions between "a sin that does not lead to death" versus "there is a sin that leads to death." There is a lot of scholarship written on what this distinction may or may not be.

I want to side step the pitfall of speculative teaching and get to the one thing we do know for sure: We are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves and if we say we love God who we cannot see, then we better show it in our love for our brother who we can see.

And how do we love them? We reconcile them to God by praying for them! John is not saying that we cannot pray for our brother who has this sin that leads to death, but he is making a distinction to focus on what we are called to do: we are to intercede on their behalf and petition God for our brothers and sisters caught in sin!

We are to be "stretcher-bearers" and carry our brothers and sisters to the throne room of God and stand in solidarity for their healing, their deliverance, and their reconciliation! We are to bear with them in hard times!

To pray for our brother's forgiveness and his pardon from sin is an outflow of our being pardoned from sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. Forgiven people forgive! Reconciled people reconcile! What is fruit of your faith?

Let's listen to the heart of God from a very powerful series of teachings on reconciliation. From the Gospel of Matthew 18:12-14, Jesus teaches, "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost."

God does not one of his little children to be lost; to be drawn away from the flock because of sin! This is God's heart and this we know without hesitation!

OK, I can't resist a quick excursion into speculation…what is this sin that leads to death?

My immediate answer is that it is the denial of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This faith-based relationship is the key to all forgiveness and reconciliation. But this letter is written to those in the church who have already received the Truth of Jesus Christ. So, you have to dig deeper: it is the sin that at first may go unnoticed, or self-justified, but overtime slowly hardens our hearts towards God and then becomes an idol in our lives; we nurture it and protect it rather than humbly coming before God and confessing it. It is the sin for which we do not ask forgiveness! It is the sin we feel justified in!

How do we prevent such a sin becoming one that leads to death? In James 5:19-20, James taught, "My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins."

We need to be a reconciling community! We are to have one another's backs seeking forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, deliverance, and freedom from sin!

Imagine a faithful remnant who sought a new way in this old world where love was put before pride and restoration was placed before reputation! Imagine if we were to truly forgive one another and let go of our grudges that have become common place in our lives and families! Imagine real genuine relationships where sin is confronted and lives are saved, marriages are restored, and our children have hope and a future.

This is life or death friends! This is eternal life being lived out in a darkened world!

John makes a transition in verse 17 and heads into the triumphant reality of God's love as demonstrated on the Cross for all humanity, in verses 18-19, "All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one."

John is reminding the followers of Jesus of the implications of our victorious reality that allow us to live with focus! As followers of Jesus Christ, we must hate sin and listen to the Holy Spirit when He is convicting us of sin; then we are never beyond forgiveness. All wrongdoing is sin and sin cannot be tolerated or self-justified; nor can any of us make sin a way of life. To do so is antithetical to being in Perfect Fellowship with God; to having eternal life!

As the Children of God, born again through the Holy Spirit making His dwelling place in our hearts, we must reject the temptations of this world order in rebellion against God under the control of the evil one. We are mandated to stand firm and keep the faith which has brought us into Perfect Fellowship. The Victory of Jesus Christ is our unseen, yet true reality, and in this reality we can have focus in a world that overwhelms us with distractions! We must live by faith and not by sight!

This is the Victory of Jesus Christ. Paul summarized in Romans 6:22, "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."

In the Perfect Fellowship of God we are protected by all evil because we are covered in the blood of Jesus Christ who defeated the devil and through our faith gives us eternal life. We are set free from sin so that we can become the servants (slaves) of the Most High God! We receive His righteousness (right standing before God); His Holiness (purity from this world); His eternal life! And living out this eternal life is our focus!

John now comes to the second to last verse of his letter's conclusion in verse 20, "We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."

This verse draws from the Gospel of John 17:3, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." In this passage, John is concluding his letter with a reminder of what this eternal life is and who it comes from.

Throughout this letter John has been teaching us the focus of a child of God who has received eternal life. The four defining characteristics of a child of God are: 1) we keep the faith in God through Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 2) we are filled with the Holy Spirit allowing us to reject the evil one's schemes and deceptions in this world; 3) we renounce sin in our lives and live in divine protection covered by the blood of Jesus Christ; and 4) we intentionally live in obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ, with emphasis on loving one another! [repeat!]

John is essentially bringing his letter to an end by pointing his listeners to the truth that all He has written us is because he is a witness to the greatest event in all of history—the living God who is Spirit, took on flesh and dwelt amongst us.

John is a firsthand witness to the historical fact that Jesus Christ manifested and demonstrated the love of God for all people to behold and then triumphantly declared the Mission of God by reconciling all of humanity to God by taking our sins upon Himself on the Cross of Calvary, effectively making fellowship with God possible for all time at one specific time in history!

Through his witness of the testimony of God to all of humanity John finishes his letter much the same way as he started it; with this good news in 1 John 1:3, "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ."

What is that good news? You are invited to have fellowship with the living body of Christ who is in fellowship with God, the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ! This invitation is extended to each person in God's house today and this confidence is yours to be had.

John then concludes with this powerful statement in verse 21, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols."

Not one for watering down the truth, John concludes with one last exhortation: I have written to give you an assurance of the eternal life you have only in Jesus Christ so stay focused and keep your head in the game!

Like a good football coach, John is grabbing the face guard of the helmet and saying, "You must stay focused and stop being distracted with the idols (false gods, false religions, false philosophies) of your surrounding culture!"

My brothers and sisters in Christ, there is no salvation to be found in the false promises or false comforters of this world or of our culture! Nothing in this life or from this world can reconcile you to God or reconcile your family and friends to God. For that fact, there is nothing in this world that can reconcile us to one another! Our only hope for today is found in God's indescribable gift to humanity—Jesus Christ! He is our way to the Father, the Truth of the Ancient of Days, and the Eternal Life of God! No one reconciles us to the Father except the Son!

I conclude this series with the same exhortation as John, but written by Paul in Galatians 5:1, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

Today, God is offering you the real deal…love, joy, peace, freedom and the choice is yours. I know that you are burdened by this life and there is so much pain and disappointment, but you do not have to suffer in this life without hope. If you are tired and burdened, why not give God a chance to show you how much He loves you?

RESPONSE TIME: Pastor Ken and his team are now going to lead us in a time of response.

Let's pray together. [Pray]

Textual Variant in 1 John 5:7

Friends,

Well I decided that I don't have the time in service tomorrow morning to cover this textual variant found in 1 John 5:7. I know for those of you who sit under my teaching each Sunday you may find it hard to believe that I don't cover everything that I study or simply brain dump all that I learned on you, but I actually show great restraint in not doing that and attempt to present God's Word in a way that is accessible for all people at varying levels of biblical literacy. There is much that I learn that I don't cover. For example, throughout this 10 week study I have not been dealing with the major heresies that John was dealing with specifically in the house churches of Ephesus. I have made mention to Gnosticism, Docetism, and even the Ebionites, but week after week I have chosen not to go there in my teaching time. That is more relevant to a classroom setting, then the Sunday morning teaching platform where I am speaking to a diverse audience ranging from theologians to not yet Christians to everything in between. But, I thought this was a point that I needed to atleast let people have access to the discussion. As well, as a fellow student of the Word with finite time to study due to the many other responsibilities as a pastor of God's church and the ever pressing deadline of Sunday morning I can only study so much myself. Often, though I find great spiritual nourishment in my study time, it takes a lot to get into God's Word and then prayerfully allow God to shape a message that both teaches verse by verse and preaches life transformation and the good news of Christ to all present; once again, both impacting the mature disciple with meat to eat and providing milk to young believers, and the gospel presentation to those who come each Sunday seeking to know this God we worship. Only by the Holy Spirit is that possible week after week!

Below is a short and incomplete discussion based on my studies and specifically drawing from IH Marshall's commentary on 1 John, Stephen Smalley' Word Biblical Commentary on 1 John, and William Barclay's commentary on 1 John.

What is a textual variant? A textual variant, simply stated, is when a copyist (someone who was copying an older manuscript of a book of the Bible...they didn't have copy machines or computers back in the day!) either accidently or intentionally makes a change to the text in their copy when copying from an older manuscript.

In the case of the major textual variant in 1 John 5:7, known as the "Comma Johanneum", there is an entire phrase added that is not found in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts. That phrase is still found in the 1611 Authorized Version (King James Version), "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one." This is completely absent in most modern translations while in others (such as my New American Standard Updated) there is a footnote at the beginning of verse 8 that states, "A few late manuscripts add ...in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth, the Spirit"

Why is this considered a textual variant?

This is considered a copyist addition and almost all modern scholars agree that it was not included in any of the Greek manuscripts (original language of the New Testament is Greek) earlier than the 14th century. The oldest and most reliable manuscripts are from the 3rd and 4th centuries (none of the original autographs have been found yet!) so those are heavily leaned upon for accuracy of the text. None of the early church fathers knew of this verse as indicated by the lack of references to such a powerful trinitarian statement and trust me they would have used it widely if it was original! The doctrine of the Trinity has always been a hot topic issue...still is for many!

According to IH Marshall, "it first appears in Greek in council reports of 1215." He continues to state that none of the ancient versions of the New Testament contain the words, except in Latin versions. Latin has been the official church langauge for the Roman Catholic Church. It did not appear in Jerome's edition of the Vulgate (404 AD) and in varied forms in old Latin manuscripts. The oldest Latin reference is in Liber Apologeticus of the Spanish writer Priscillian (late 4th century), but none of the Greek Fathers quote it. The theory is that this was written into the margin of a Latin manuscript and then later found its way into the text itself; and then through further copyist it found its way into later Greek manuscripts. Prior to the archeological finds that led to the great manuscripts to be discovered, this copyist edition began to be seen as original text rather than copyist commentary that lended good evidence for the doctrine of the Trinity.

How did it end up in the 1611 Authorized version?

Erasamus rejected this variant and stated that he would not put it into his Greek translation unless someone could show him a Greek manuscript that included it rather than only Latin manuscripts. Erasmus published the first Greek New Testament in 1516 without this variant, but under significant pressure, MS (61) appeared, probably written in 1520 and Erasmus, who protested forcibly, had to include it in his third addition (1522) of the Greek New Testament. Hence, the words remained in the Latin Vulgate. Erasmus knew this was not part of the orginal text, but the pressure against him was unbearable. In 1550, Stephanus printed his great edition of the Greek New Testament called the Received Text and it was the basis for the Authorized Version and for many Greek printed texts for the coming centuries.

Does its addition or omission affect the meaning of the text?

No, its continued addition simply demonstrates some groups unwillingness to bend from their own traditions or personal preferences and accept the wonderful scholastic input from modern archeology and academia (though some of the input from academia should be wisely denounced, we should not throw the baby out with the bath water!). At the same time, this textual variant is one amidst thousands found in the Bible that range from inclusion of sections of Scripture within a book all the way to small pronoun shifts. Whenever you are dealing with ancient texts and translations from one language to another, you are bound to have subtle shifts in word usage or phraseology. It is by faith we live this life and it is by faith the we trust the Word of God as God's inspired Word for our lives today.

If you want more information on Textual Variants, then please come by my office and I will be happy to either sit with you and look through Metzger's Textual Commentary.

I choose not to include this discussion in my sermon on 1 John 5:1-12, not because it isn't important, but because it neither adds to nor takes away from the Apostle John's purpose in writing nor from the message. This is true of all textaul variants as their inclusion or omition from the text, as a whole or case by case, never once change the gospel message of Jesus Christ or the message of God's Word to His people. It is a miracle of God's grace that His Word has so uniquely survived the wars over thousands of years and the pollution and abuse of God's will as interpreted and executed by the church and its designated leaders. It is only by grace that God continues to endure our rebellion and patiently seek after our hearts one person at a time.

For His Name and His Glory!

Love Overcomes Everything! (message 9 of 10 on First John)

"Love Overcomes Everything!"

Sermon Series: Walk in Faith (part 9 of 10)

First Baptist Church Family Life Center

New Castle, Indiana

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

March 14, 2010

We are continuing in our sermon series "Walk in Faith". We are in our 9th teaching time on First John. Please open your Bibles, pull out your sermon notes, and grab a pen. Let's dive in!

1 John 5:1-12 (NIV)

¹Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. ²This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. ³This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, ⁴for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. ⁶This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷For there are three that testify: ⁸the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. ⁹We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. ¹⁰Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. ¹¹And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹²He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Last Sunday, we learned that love is the reality of who God is and when we come into a relationship with this God, then love changes everything. Our study this morning is framed around this thought: as a Child of God nothing can overcome us because the God who is love lives inside of us and He is greater than the world! Love overcomes everything!

Let's now look at our Scripture lesson and see how the love of God overcomes…LOVE OVERCOMES THROUGH...OUR RELATIONSHIPS!

John teaches us of our true identities and the implications of this reality in the first two verses. In the first half of verse 1 John states: ^"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…"

This is a summary statement of so much of what we have learned. In 1 John 3:1, John declared that we are children of God because of the great gift of God's love. We are given the right to become children of God through our faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:12), who is the great gift that God lavished upon us!

It is when we believe that the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth, born of Mary through the Holy Spirit over 2000 years ago, IS the Christ (the Messiah) – God's anointed Savior for the world—that we become Children of God. This transformation happens through faith that God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life!

We have learned through the Apostle John that when we receive Jesus as the Christ, then we are born by the Holy Spirit and the God who was our paternal Father becomes our intimate Father who we can grow in relationship with through a personal relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. We are born again into God's family!

The Apostle John in the second half of verse 1 into verse 2 reinforces the true mark of God's children, "… and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. ²This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands."

This is the main point of what John is teaching the church: if you love the parent, then you will love his/her child. John is referencing the natural order where this is a general rule that does have exceptions, but in God's economy (the spiritual reality of this world) there are no exceptions! If you love God, then you will love his children! The Kingdom of God is a relational kingdom!

Friends, we must study this text in its context. Listen to the previous 2 verses in chapter 4: "If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

How do we know that we are the children of God? It is by the way we live our lives in obedience (righteousness!) manifested in our love for God (faith!) and our love for brothers and sisters in Christ (love!).

Jesus stated in the Gospel of John 14:21, "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

We know we are God's children by our vertical love lived out in our horizontal relationships!

In the Gospel of Mark 12:30-31, Jesus teaches us the two greatest commandments of God for His children, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

This is what John is teaching us: How do we know we love God? By the way we love His children! Inversely, how do we know we love the children of God? "By loving God and carrying out his commands."

Let me share with you an image that I made up that helps me understand this teaching: Our love for God is the thermostat and our love for our neighbor is the thermometer.

If you want to see how hot someone is for God then you must look at their horizontal relationships (their love for their neighbor and fellow Christians!). If these relationships are luke-warm and the thermometer is measuring low in this earthly visible love then the only way to increase the temperature is to adjust the thermostat on the vertical relationship with the God who is love! You can't just will yourself to love more; you have to be filled with more love from God!

How can you say you are passionate for God when your thermometer is measuring low on earth!?! It's impossible! You say you love God, then show me it in the way you love people in your relationships!

If you saw your neighbor on fire, would you not race up to them and put the fire out. Of course you would! How much more, should we then share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our community! If we care for our neighbors' earthly bodies and well being (as we should!), how much more should we ensure they will not be in Hell for an eternity because we did not invite them to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

But, I know that you may not feel comfortable sharing the Gospel yourself so we've made a way for you. We are providing invitations for you to give to your neighbors, coworkers, friends and family. I am asking that each of you invite three people to our Holy Week Services. We are working hard on three Holy Week services, each of which the good news of Jesus Christ will be presented in a special setting: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (explain), and Easter Sunday. In your sermon notes, there is a place for you to write down three names.

I COMMIT TO INVESTING IN MY RELATIONSHIPS BY INVITING THREE PEOPLE TO OUR HOLY WEEK SERVICES:

Take a moment and think about who you are going to invite, then we are going to commit together to pray for these names and give them an invitation this week. [take a moment then prayer]

Next week, I will be asking you if you have completed your mission to love your neighbor. You can pick up your tickets on the way out of service this morning. Only take the number of tickets you are going to use. Remember, these are not for you; they are for your neighbor, your coworker, or your fellow student who needs Jesus Christ.

John continues in verses 3-4, "This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world."

Love is only exemplified in obedience! We have a duty to love. This is the primary mandate of God that must be first on our minds in every situation of every day! We are called to love and this command to Love is not burdensome; it is freedom!

Unlike the religious leaders of Jesus' day, the Apostle John did not, nor do I as your pastor today, want to put unnecessary burdens on you that make it impossible to have a relationship with God!

In the Gospel of Matthew 23:4, Jesus said of the religious leaders of his day, "They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them."

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free so let us stand firm, then, and do not be burdened again by a yoke of slavery! Jesus did not come to burden us with religious laws and customs. Jesus came to save us from works-based religion so that we can know God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! That is why John says that everyone who is born of God through Jesus Christ overcomes the world; because that person is free in Christ to love God and to love their neighbor.

In the Gospel of Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus promised, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I want to share with you an old story: A person met a young boy going to school who was carrying a smaller boy on his back. The smaller boy was physically disabled and unable to walk and so he had to be carried. The stranger said to this young boy, "Do you carry him to school every day?" "Yes," said the young boy. "That's a heavy burden for you to carry," said the stranger. "He's not a burden," said the young boy, "He's my brother."

Love turned the burden into no burden at all. The commandments of Christ are not a burden, they are a privilege; they are an opportunity to show our love for the Father by loving his children-our brothers and sisters in Christ! Love overcomes through our relationships because the Kingdom of God is a relational kingdom!

LOVE OVERCOMES THROUGH...FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST!

John continues in the second half of verse 4 into verse 5, "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

John is referencing the foundational truth of Christianity that we are redeemed by our faith in what Jesus did for us and not by our good works. The love of God overcomes everything that this world (seen and unseen) can throw at us through our faith in Jesus Christ! Jesus has won the Victory for us!

In the Gospel of John 16:33, Jesus declares to His followers, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

In 1 Corinthians 15:56-57, Paul declares of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ: "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

We overcome this world through our faith in who Jesus Christ is and what He did for us! John is emphasizing faith because evil in this life appears to be unchecked and temptation appears unharnessed! John is declaring for those in Christ that Jesus has won the victory and we must stand firm in what we know is true through faith!

John takes the next 7 verses (6-12) to teach about this faith that allows us to overcome the evil and temptation in this world. Then in our last point we will see how it even allows us to defeat our own mortality (the sting of death!).

Verse 6 teaches, "This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth."

What does it mean that Jesus Christ is the one who came by water and blood and that the Spirit is the one who testifies?

Honestly, there are theologians and scholars much smarter than me who argue and debate about this, so after reading through some of them I searched the Scriptures to come to this humble conclusion: John is pointing to two key events in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ that testify to the victory that allows us to overcome the world, each of which were empowered and proclaimed by the Holy Spirit.

The first event, symbolized by the water, was Jesus' baptism when he began His formal ministry of teaching and miracles. From the Gospel of Matthew 3:16-17, "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'"

This is the event that marked Jesus as the Christ—the anointed One of Israel declared by the Father to be the Son indwelt with the living presence of God through the Holy Spirit. The historical Jesus of Nazareth lived and walked, was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit who empowered the ministry of the Christ to teach the Truth with authority, heal the lame, give sight to the blind, raise the dead, and set free the captives; to declare the year of Jubilee! That began on the day of His baptism and the Victory was won on the Cross of Calvary.

The second event, symbolized by the blood, was the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote in Colossians 1:19-20, "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

It was on the Cross, that the historical Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the 2^nd person of the Trinity, the God-man, the Christ, the One who was without sin or blemish as our perfect Passover lamb took on all of the sins of humanity so that we can be found sinless in the eyes of God and have victory through faith! God did this through the Christ in a double imputation (unpack…).

To fully understand John's reference to the Spirit who is the truth let's continue with the next three verses (7-9), "For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son."

Matthew 18:16 quotes the 5^th book of Moses, Deuteronomy 19:15, stating, "every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses."

John states this legal precedence for human affairs to demonstrate the triumphant witnesses of God which declare that Jesus is the Christ and through Him, and only Him, can we have right standing with God!

God works through Jesus' baptism, his death on the Cross, and thirdly, through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, who is the third person of the Trinity, the perfect presence of God who is our Sustainer and Comforter was sent to testify of Jesus Christ. He is the testimony of God who is greater than any human testimony!

Jesus promised before His crucifixion, "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me."

This promise is fulfilled 50 days after Easter Sunday on Pentecost Sunday when the Church of Jesus Christ received the Holy Spirit and ushered in the age of the Church!

We live in that age today (last days), and we overcome as the body of Christ through our faith in Jesus Christ and through our relationships with one another. Both of which are empowered by the Holy Spirit who continues to testify of the Truth of God through us and in our lives! The Holy Spirit is God's instrument of revelation to the world!

Our faith finds it completion not in this life, but the next! That moves us to our last teaching point:

LOVE OVERCOMES THROUGH…GOD'S GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE!

John continues to teach about our faith in Jesus Christ, stating in verse 10, "Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son."

Through the Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus Christ and delivered upon the church throughout every generation one person at a time through faith, the God of the universe comes and lives in and through us and testifies about His Son; and we have this testimony in our hearts!

Through faith we receive the Holy Spirit who seals us for the day of redemption; that is the Judgment Day to come! We no longer need to fear because love has overcome death through God's gift of eternal life. This is the fulfillment of the Victory of the Christ!

Why would someone not believe this multitude of witnesses? If presented to you, why would you not want to grab a hold of this wonderful gift that God has so richly bestowed upon each of us that we would be called, and are, the Children of God?

In 1 Corinthians 1:18, Paul states, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

This testimony is yours to grab a hold of today. You have 2 choices and no in betweens: you can either reject this message as foolishness or accept it as the power of God.

I stand up today as one who has experienced God and I give witness through the testimony of God's Spirit living in me that I once was lost, but now I am found! What an amazing grace that saved a wretch like me from my own self-reliance and addiction to sin!!

And no matter who you are and what you have done, this same amazing grace is available to you today. This is the gift of God for all the world!

John concludes with verses 11-12, "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

This gift of eternal life is not about you being good enough; this gift of eternal life is about the Son whose name is the name above all names—the name of Jesus Christ!

This is a free gift that cost the Son of God His life, but gained back to God the entire world! The Victory is in the blood of the final atoning sacrifice that appeased the wrath of God caused by our rebellion against the ancient covenant between God and humanity. Because we were unable to restore ourselves to right standing with God, God sent the One who could redeem us and place His righteousness (right standing with God) on us!

The Gospel of John 3:35-36 declares, "The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

I declare to you today brother and sisters in Christ that the witness of Christ's victory on the Cross continues because as a believer in God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ you and I will never experience the sting of death. Though this tent (yours and my own body) will fail each of us one day, the Spirit of God who lives in us overcomes death through God's gift of eternal life!

In the Gospel of John 14:6, Jesus stated without flinching and without compromise the truth of the testimony of God through the Holy Spirit, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Do you believe this testimony by God?

God has given you the way to overcome, but first you must overcome the great chasm between your head and your heart. The greatest obstacle that stands in your way can be overcome in a blink of an eye if you ask God to help. It all starts with a simple prayer of faith and I now invite you to pray with me.

No matter what stands between you and eternity, I pray that you know today that the love of God overcomes everything!

RESPONSE TIME: Pastor Ken and his team are now going to lead us in a time of response.

Let's pray together. [Pray]