Truth Must Abide in the Christian until the End
October 5, 2008
Pastor Sean Harris
Here at Berean we are doing a verse by verse study of 1 John, and the reason we do it that way is that we believe that all Scripture is inspired of God. Every bit of it is good for instruction. All of it is good for doctrine, and it can correct us and provide reproof. I, as a preacher, do not pick the topics every week. We let God’s Word determine what the topic is. And so we are going to work through two verses this morning and do our best to work through three sentences.
I John 2:24-25: Let that therefore (for that reason or consequently) abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
What reason?
Let me first call your attention to the word “therefore.” The word is there for a reason. It communicates a link between the previous verses. The “therefore” is there in reference to the verses that precede this passage (1st John 2:18-23), and it is referring to the message and spirit of the antichrists that would cause us to deny that Jesus is the Christ. He says that we are living in an age where many are antichrists. There are many that would cause us to question whether or not He is the Christ. They would encourage us to deny the exclusivity of Jesus Christ. These are the same antichrists who would question Fundamental Baptists’ belief that there is only one way to Jesus Christ. They would rather encourage us to adopt an ecumenical perspective. And yet, we are resolved to remain firm on the Word of God. The Word of God says in Acts 4:12 that there is “no other name given unto heaven whereby men may be saved.” Only Jesus Christ! The Apostle John is encouraging Christians in a day and age where many will encourage us to deny Christ, and many will question if Jesus is really the Son of God or not. “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning.” I would encourage you to make marginal notes in your Bible.
“Let” Defined:
Followed by the third person, “let” implies permission or command addressed to an inferior. Let him go, let them remain, are commands by God addressed to the second person. This implies two ideas. First, this is in fact a command I am receiving from God. Second, I must submit to this command.
What does the word “let” remind me of?
It is also important to note that this word “let” means that I am not a robot. I am a person. I can make choices. I can choose to believe or I can choose to reject the Gospel message. In this verse, I am being encouraged to let this happen. I must allow and cause whatever “that” is to abide in me.
What is the “that” of this verse?
It is important when you are reading a verse to understand what “that” is because it is supposed to abide in you. If you read this verse and you do not understand what the “that” means, then there is no point in reading this verse. If I am told to let something abide in me, then certainly I would need to know what “that” is. I want you to get a hold of this “that.” If you do not write it down there is a good chance that you will forget it. “That” is “Truth.” In the 21st century I would say “let the absolute Truth of the Word of God abide in you. Submit to it. Receive it. Take notes in your Bible. Write it down. Let Truth abide in you. Let the absolute Truth of the Word of God abide in you.
What Truth?
1 John 2:24 “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning.” He is going to quantify this. It is not something like 2 + 2 = 4 because that truth is not truth that you heard from the beginning. This truth is going to relate to God. The truth that must remain or abide in me must directly and very specifically relate to: God “the Son and the Father” and eternal life (see vs. 25) and must be the words of Jesus or His Apostles.
John emphasizes “heard” in verse 24 because there was a lot of apostolic teaching, preaching, and oral reading of the gospels or the Apostle’s letters. Romans 10:7, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
“From the Beginning”
First, we will look at the beginning with Pentecost with the 1st Church. Let’s look at Peter’s sermon in Acts 2:14. This is one of the most famous sermons. Certainly the Sermon on the Mount is the most famous, but this is also famous. Jesus has ascended to be with the Father and He told them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came in a tremendous way. Men were able to speak in tongues. There was a lot of confusion.
Acts 2:13-17
These men are full of a new wine. But Peter (the one who denied the Lord is now bold, confident and filled with the Holy Spirit), standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day (These men are not drunk is what he’s saying. It’s only 9:00 am). But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Are you sure you are saved? Are you sure you are in the faith? Have you examined yourself?)
Acts 2: 21-24, 36
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should have beholden of it. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
What is the truth? It is that God Himself came to this earth, took on human flesh, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and was crucified by some Israelites and Romans that hated Him. He died on a bloody cross, rose again in three days, and spent 40 days appearing to a multitude of people. He did all that so that there could be no condemnation to any of us who are in Jesus Christ. The truth is that your sins and my sins can be forgiven. That God Almighty ordained before the foundation of the world that men and women, boys and girls can be saved by placing their faith in Jesus Christ. That is the truth that John wants you to have in your heart. John wants to make sure that you let that truth permeate into your mind. First you hear it with your ears, or read it with your eyes, and then let that truth soak down into your very being. Let that truth cement inside you. Fixate yourself in that truth. Wrap yourself around that truth. Don’t allow anyone to take that truth from you. Don’t let some college professor nut tell you otherwise. And don’t let Oprah Winfrey question the truth. I have a really hard time in this 21st century with a Christian that believes something for 20 minutes and then they are done believing. I will tell you right now that the Word of God says you believe and believe and believe. Your life is characterized by believing. Christianity is not a Sunday morning belief. You believe all the time. You live your life believing.
Second, we will look at the teaching and preaching ministry of Jesus. Let’s look at the beginning of Jesus’ preaching ministry in Mark 1:14-15. John the Baptist was in prison and Jesus Christ came out with this central message.
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
This is what they heard from the beginning: the truth that saved your soul; the truth that encouraged you to receive Jesus Christ; and the truth that you heard that made you bow your knee and submit to Him was the necessity to repent and place your faith in Jesus Christ. That was the truth that saved your soul. This is the truth that you heard from the beginning of your spiritual life. You grab that truth and do not let it go. Don’t let any one take that out of your heart. Repent and believe keeps me saved. Repent and believe is a lifetime experience. Repent and believe is not something that I do on one day. I live in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. I bury myself in that. I repent seven days a week. Yes, there is a turning point in your life. Yes, there was a time when you were going the wrong direction. You were a hell bound sinner. You were on your way. You were alienated from God. You needed to be turned around, and God Almighty turned you around. What a minute, we get distracted and go off way too easily. We get confused quickly. And so what do you do when that happens? You repent. Dear God, forgive me. I was wrong. I sinned. Then what do you do? You believe the Gospel. What’s the Gospel? It’s that forgiveness is possible. Don’t ever stop believing that. Here’s another truth that you don’t let anyone take from your heart, soul and mind. This truth is: You must be born again!
What Truth?
From Jesus to Nicodemus: You must be born again! (John 3) Let the truth that every man, woman and child on the planet (every single person who has a pulse) must be “born-again” abide in me. There is no other way. I need to let that truth remain in me and guard me from error and direct my very life.
I was so taken back this week by a report that a husband and wife were out walking and the wife got stabbed to death. You know the first thoughts that go through your mind are what kind of city are we living in? Is it safe to run anywhere or walk anywhere? What is going on? Then 24 hours later, the newspaper reported that the whole thing was a conspiracy, and that the husband had planned the whole thing planned. He took his wife to walk on a particular course. There was a young 18-year-old man waiting there that conspired with this Sergeant to jump out from behind some bushes and ambush this wife. It was all plotted ahead of time. What wicked and corrupt minds! These minds were influenced from Satan and the pit of hell. This is unbelievable stuff; can you imagine? It’s wicked! The husband stood by and watched his wife and scratched him self up a little bit. How wicked. Do you know what we ought to do? They ought to be hung; we ought to wrap a rope around their necks. That’s not my point. I’m not done. The 18-year-old had MySpace account, and on this account he talked about how his life had no purpose. No purpose. You see, when your life has no purpose and you are not converted, you can easily find yourself in that mess. You can find yourself rationalizing somehow that it is acceptable to jump out from behind a bush and knife an innocent woman to death as her husband stands by. You would think that even if he premeditated that and conspired that at some point and time his conscience would kick in and he would stop. But no, his conscience is so seared and alienated and wicked that he participates or allows it to happen and attempts to cover his sin. But be sure your sin will find you out. Do you know what this 18-year-old boy needed? He needed Jesus Christ. He needed to be born again. How do you wrap these two together? Let me tell you: there were Christians that knew him. There were Christians in his army battalion or squadron or whatever he was in. If you are not living with the truth that everyone needs to be born again, and you are not abiding, you might not be thinking about witnessing 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. If you live the truth that Jesus is Lord, and live with the truth that all must repent, and live the truth that everyone must be born again and let the truth abide in you. If you realize that all those outside of Christ are dying and going to hell, you’ll be conscience about witnessing. You’ll think about your neighbor outside of Jesus Christ. We have been dooped into the plurality and the ecumenical idea so much that we are caving on the Gospel. We’re letting the world doop us into thinking that there are multiple ways to the Father. We don’t really believe it because if we really believed it, we would be more soul conscience. Somebody knew that 18-year-old boy was hurting. Somebody knew his life was in shambles, and somebody needed to invite him to church. Somebody needed to invite him to come to Jesus.
From John the Baptist:
Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World.
From Andrew:
We have found the Messiah and He brought Peter to Jesus. Andrew took his friends and brought them to Jesus. There are people in your subdivision that are waiting to be brought to Jesus. What are you going to do this week to bring someone to Jesus? Who are you going to invite in your place of work or the place where you live? The reason we are not bringing them to Jesus is because we don’t let this truth fill our being and abide in us. Do you understand that you need this truth 24 hours a day 7 days a week and not just on Sundays and Wednesday nights?
Philippians 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. You have two choices to make. Either you bow the knee today to Jesus or you bow the knee to Jesus in eternity. Let me tell you something right now: every Hindu, every Buddhist, every Muslim, every Atheist is going to bow the knee to King Jesus. They are all going to fall to their knees and say “we were wrong.”
An Act of the Will
Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have
heard from the beginning. (I John 2:24)
“Let” is an act of the will; The Apostle is NOT instructing Christians to intellectually assent to a known group of facts about the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. He is telling them to let this truth permeate your very being. Let this truth effect how you run your marriage. What about forgiveness? What about the truth that Jesus is Lord. What about that truth? Could that affect your marriage? How would that affect your marriage? The Bible says, Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave His life for it. That’s how it can affect my marriage. The Word of God should impact your decision making.
In an age where there are many antichrists, DON’T let anything interfere with your remaining in a state where you believe Jesus is Lord!
Look at this next sentence very closely; this is a very important warning.
John 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If (meaning not everyone is doing it) that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
The Bible knows nothing of this Christianity where there is believing in Jesus and then walking away from Christianity and still being secure in Christ. Every single Christian is instructed to continue in the faith. Whether you are saved at 5 years old or 10 years old, from then on you continue in the faith! You grab a hold of these truths and secure them in your being and you believe and believe. We all doubt. We are not talking about periods of doubt. Read any journals of many of the great preachers and missionaries. They all have rough times. They all struggle with the faith, but when you look at their lives, they are characterized by staying in the faith. I expect that you will continue in the faith until death or Jesus returns. We will keep believing what we currently believe and we will believe it tomorrow and the next day, year, and decade. And there is nothing that is going to cause us to stop believing. Saved People Currently Believe! Why? They have an anointing from Christ. Genuine believers are characterized by continuing in the faith. Genuine believers are characterized by continuing in the faith which starts with a heart belief that God has made the resurrected Jesus of Nazareth whom Israel crucified both Lord and Christ. And in doing so He made eternal life possible for all who repent and believe the Gospel.
From the Lord Jesus:
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. John 8:31
Why is it so important for “truth” to abide in me? Jesus said after that in John 8:32:
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. The secular talk show host does not have the power to set your free. The counselor does not have the power to set you free. The only thing that can set you free is the truth of the Word of God. It’s the only thing that can set you free from bondage, from fear, anxiety; you pick your sin or issue. Jesus is Lord is another truth. You say I’m struggling because Wall Street is falling apart!! Don’t forget, Jesus is Lord!!! My son or daughter died. I’ve got cancer. My mom is dying of cancer. My husband left. My son did this. This happened to my daughter. Don’t forget Jesus is Lord!! He is in charge. He will always in charge. Wall Street can or cannot be bailed out, and Jesus is still Lord. The war can go on, or the war can end and Jesus is still Lord. The Democrats can win or the Republicans can win and Jesus is still Lord.
How many of you say you love the fact that your sins are forgiven through Jesus Christ? Man, that’s an awesome truth. So then what do you do when a brother or sister says “please forgive me.” I love the fact that Jesus forgives my sins, so then when? I don’t say no, I won’t forgive you. Because when the truth that Jesus has forgiven me grabs a hold of that and permeates my very being, I in turn forgive. You see these truths heal marriages. These truths bring husbands and wives back together. These truths help church members. These truths, if you apply them, can turn your life around.
Conclusion
Eternal life is a promise from God to all who abide in the truth or continue in the faith because He who began a good work in you will perform that good work until the end.
So I say to you, let Him perform it. He bought you with a price. He redeemed you; so now submit to Him. He is going to do a work in your life so let Him do it.
Listen to how Paul said it in Colossians 1:21-22:
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works (Do you remember your life before Christ when you were wicked?), yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death (the death, burial and resurrection of Christ), to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: Are you born again or are you ignoring me? Do you know for sure? Because if you do, I want you to know that God sees you as holy. Why is that important? Because Satan loves to beat us up with our sin. He wants to defeat us with our sin and keep us defeated and he wants to remind us what we are not doing for God. In Jesus Christ you are holy.
vs 23: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard (notice the similarities between John’s message and Paul’s message), and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
I am trying to get you grounded in the faith. The storm is coming and if you are grounded and settled, no one could get to move. Wall Street could fall. Chaos could happen. You are saying I am firm in Jesus Christ, and I’m continuing in the faith. I’ll not let anything move me. What we need to be doing in our churches is building some firm foundations.
How to Avoid Being Ashamed at His Appearing
How to Avoid Being Ashamed at His Appearing
October 12, 2008
Pastor Sean Harris
1 John 2:28
And now, little children (You, if you are rescued), abide in him (Jesus); that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
You can be sure that if you were rescued from sea, you would remember that time in your life. If you cannot remember a time when God rescued you, you may never have been rescued before. Birth is not rescued. Baptized is not rescued. Member of a church is not rescued. Rescued is the decisive moment in which God reconciled you unto Himself through your faith in Jesus Christ.
You can be sure that if I was able to set the date and the time that the Lord Jesus was coming back, and I could assure you in the same way I can assure you of typical earthly things, that you would begin to reorganize your life and change your priorities. Pastor, how do you know that would happen? I know it by your own behavior. Pastor, can you prove that? Yes, I can. You can be sure that if you went to the doctor today or tomorrow and the doctor looked you right in the eyes with as much seriousness as he could muster and he said that you are suffering from a fatal disease. And you only have 4 months to live. Mark my words, you only have 120 days to live, no more. In fact, it may come earlier than that. I performed the test and I know for sure that the disease advances quickly. It will radically change your life. You will begin to lose your mind and in 120 days you will be dead. If you believe that doctor to be true, you would begin to change everything about your life. Your priorities would change. The things you do would change. The trips you take would change. The way you relate to your children would change. Everything about your life would change. Well, do you know what? Doctor Bible is telling us that Jesus is coming again. I am going to show you from the Word of God how you can avoid being ashamed and how you can have confidence. Would you like to have confidence when He comes again? Yes, I do too.
Number One
The first step to NOT being ashamed at the Second Coming of Jesus is to order your life based on the fact He could come at any time. Begin to establish your life. Begin to order your life. Change it and adjust your priorities. Begin to think in terms that He is coming again. In fact, He could come at any time. He could come on a Sunday night when you are sitting at home. You are not at church and you know you should be at church; the Holy Spirit has been wearing you out about skipping church on Sunday nights for a year. You say, Pastor, that is just a guilt trip that you are putting on us to try to get us to come to church. Choose whether or not you want it to be a guilt trip. That is your individual decision, but I am here to tell you that He could come back at any time. So the question for us is how much do we order our life and our priorities. How much do we order those based on His Second Coming?
Fact
The Bible makes it very, very clear that Jesus Christ is coming again in the most personal and real sense possible. The first time He came, He came through a virgin as a small baby. He’s not coming as a baby this time. When He comes back the second time, He is coming back as a King. He’s sneaked into civilization and history as a little baby the first time 2000 years ago. When He comes the next time, there is not anyone that is going to miss His coming. The first thing that is going to happen is the Church is going to be raptured. What does that mean? The Bible indicates that in just the blink of an eye, a trumpet is going to sound, and we who are in Christ are going to be called up to be with Jesus forever in glory! And so what could happen this very day is that Christ could come and, in the blink of an eye, half this auditorium could be cleared out, and the others are going be looking around at each other. You can be sure this stage is going to be empty because Jesus is my King. I can’t wait for my King to call me home. And if you are left, you will look around and you will say, now what do we do? And do you know what? There is no point assembling next Sunday because God is done with His church at that point. He’s raptured the Church. He turns His attention to the Jews and there are seven years of Tribulation—utter misery. Read the book of Revelation; it will scare you to death. At the end of the seven years, Jesus will come to occupy a thrown in Jerusalem and reestablish an earthly kingdom as King on the throne of David. He is going to rule and reign for 1,000 years. You say, “Pastor, I’m saved. Wait a minute! There are a lot of saved people who according to 1st John 2:28 are going to be ashamed ‘at His Coming.’ They are going to be ashamed. What are you talking about?”
John 14:3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. This is a promise from the Lord Jesus Christ, and it does not get any better than that. He said to all His followers, I am coming again, and I will bring you where I am. Do you understand that life on this earth is not going to last forever?
Luke 21:34
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting (carousing), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. Let me tell you something; let me make sure that you completely understand this. You are not going to get a text message ahead of time to alert you to Jesus’ Coming. There’s not going to be a mass email that says you have seven days until Christ comes back. Get ready! That is not going to happen. FOX News is not going to report that Jesus is coming at a particular time. He’s not telling anyone. So what does that mean to me? That means that there are Christians who are going to be involved in carousing, drunkenness, and foolish behavior. They will be doing what they should not be doing, and He is going to come back at that moment. And I promise, you will be quite ashamed of yourself if you get called to glory in a drunken state. Does that mean I lose my salvation? No, it does not mean you will lose your salvation, but it says you are going to be pretty ashamed. You won’t have confidence. What is my intention? To help you have confidence.
Acts 1:11
Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. The Bible says the same way He went to Heaven is the same way He will return. Pastor, do you really believe that? Yes, I believe that because the Bible says it. So are you telling us that we are really going to see Jesus? Yes, that is what I am telling you. I am telling you that He is going to come in the most real and literal sense. I’m telling you everyone is going to notice His coming. How in the world can that be? Hey, He’s God. Are you going to tell me that He can’t make that happen? The same God who can speak matter into existence can figure out how to make sure every eye sees Him simultaneously. That is probably easy for Him. You might think “not in my lifetime. Preachers have been preaching that for years and years.” Do you know what the Bible calls you? The Bible calls you a scoffer. And I will show you that from 1st Peter in a moment.
Revelation 16:15
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. Are they talking about real garments? No, it’s a metaphor. It is talking about Christians who live ready for the coming of Jesus or Christians who don’t live ready for the coming of Jesus and it’s the analogy of getting caught naked. It is to help you understand the difference.
Mark 13:33
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. Watch is a command! We are to live with the Second Coming of Christ in mind at all times. Do you know what have more Christians this week watching Wall Street than the Coming of Jesus Christ. They are living on FOX News Business. Is it up or is it down? Who cares in the grand scheme of things. What difference does it really make? Do you understand that Jesus does not have to check with Wall Street before He comes again? Do you understand He does not have to get the President’s permission? And the command for us, every single one of us, is to watch and live in anticipation. Order our life according to the things that matter with a Kingdom mindset.
Question
Do you run your life like He is NEVER coming back? You are worried about your 401K plan or golf course membership, and you want to relocate to wherever because you are not interested in winning people to Jesus. All you are interested in is living your last twenty years in luxury. I don’t want Jesus to return and find me on a golf course. Pastor, is there something wrong with golfing? No, there is nothing wrong with golfing. Let me tell you something: if you are on your 40th hole in three days, your priorities are way out of whack. I can’t wait to retire so I can go golfing every single day. That doesn’t sound like watching or praying to me. Do you know what you ought to be thinking about? I’m going to retire so I can serve Jesus more. I am going to get my financial ducks in order so I can volunteer at the local church. Do your priorities indicate you believe Christ could come again today?
Bottom-line
The imminent return of the Lord Jesus is generally disbelieved by the majority of people.
II Peter 3:3-9
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of godly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Let me tell you something: if you do not know God today, you should be very glad that He did not return yesterday. If you are not sure of your own salvation; if you are not positively sure that you are in Jesus Christ and He in you; if there has never been a time when you repented of your sins and received Jesus Christ by faith in Him and Him alone; if there has never been a time in your life where you bowed your knee to King Jesus and you have no idea of who He is as Lord, and if there has never been a time that you received God’s gift of salvation by grace, you need to be exceptionally thankful He did not return yesterday. So, what is the Bible saying? It’s saying that God delays His coming as an act of mercy and grace. Every single day He delays His coming is one more day that I can get my life in order and rearrange my priorities. It’s one more day I can receive Jesus Christ. It’s one more day that I can structure my life in such a way that I will not be ashamed at His coming. Instead of walking around as scoffers saying He didn’t come last year or the year before or the 1960’s or the 1800’s; He’s not really coming again. According to the Word of God what we should be saying is Lord Jesus Christ, come quickly! And every decision we make should be based on whether or not Jesus is Lord.
II Peter 3:10-11
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (The house you spend so much time and money on and the 401K plan will be burned up. You can’t take it with you. You cannot take a brief case with you.) Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
II Peter 3:12
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? How does the reality that everything is going to be burned up impact you? With the understanding that only that which is eternal will make it into heaven, how should we order our life? What should our priorities be?
II Peter 3:13-14
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (Last week, some of you were as convicted as can be about needing to repent and receive Christ. You were as convicted as can be that you needed to respond to the alter call, you knew you needed to be baptized, you were convicted that you needed to change your life, and yet your hands were on that pew, white-knuckling. You need to be thankful that God delayed His coming one more week for you and gave you another opportunity to respond to the alter call. And if you delay it today, and He comes tomorrow, you will spend an entire eternity regretting that you did not respond to Jesus Christ. And you will not say, God I charge You with sin because He is being exceptionally merciful.) Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
Number Two
The second step to NOT being ashamed at His Second Coming is to presently abide in Him. To presently abide—that’s means today, tomorrow, and next Wednesday. What does it mean to abide or why should I? He tells us,
1 John 2:28
And now, little children, abide in him; Why?
that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. You can read it like this, I will abide in Him so that when He appears I may have confidence. It’s not arrogance. You do not have to be ashamed. It is the understanding that by the grace of God you have done your best. You ordered your priorities as best you could. So ask yourself, have I done my best this week? Were my priorities right?
Question
What does it mean to abide in Him? It means:
• to remain stable or fixed in a state
• to continue in a place
• to conform to Him
Logical Question
How do I know if I am abiding in Christ? So much fruit is the evidence
of whether or not I am abiding in Jesus. If I am in Jesus, there is going to be fruit
John 15:4-5
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Biblical Fact
The more I remain in a stable, fixed position with Jesus Christ as my Lord—in a state of obedience—I will bear much fruit.
John 15:16a
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:
Biblical Fact
The more I produce fruit, the less I will have to be ashamed of at Jesus’ Second Coming.
Four Types of Fruit:
Fruit: A Godly Attitude
Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. I need to manifest this all the time. The more I manifest this, the more I’ll not be ashamed at the 2nd coming. The less I manifest this, the more I will be ashamed.
Fruit: Righteous Behavior
Philippians 1:11: Being filled with the fruits of righteousness (Obeying the Word of God), which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Christians who remain in Christ SIN less.
Fruit: Praise to God
Hebrews 13:15: By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. People who abide in Christ praise God! Think about every time this collective corporate audience sings praises to God, it is a offering to God. We say be pleased oh, God with our offering of praise. Take every word, every heart, every emotion, love, appreciation and we hold it up to God and we say this is our offering of praise. People who don’t abide in Christ don’t praise God. How does a teenager who is abiding in Christ say this is lame? The Word of God is lame. This music is lame. If that teenager is saved, they are going to be very ashamed. Do you know what that teenager is counting on? He is counting on Christ not coming again. According to Peter, that teenager is a scoffer. Every scoffer is going to bow the knee. Peter says there were scoffers then, there are scoffers now, and the closer we get to the Second Coming the more scoffers there will be.
Fruit: Converts of Christ
Romans 1:13-15: Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. Paul is talking about a particular kind of fruit and it is called a convert. Paul wants some fruit in Rome. Do you want some fruit in your neighborhood? Would you like some fruit where you work? How about in your military outfits, or your company? What about in your small business, would you like some fruit there? Paul wanted to preach the gospel in Rome so that souls would be saved to His account or because of His human effort to share the truth. Does this mean I have to lead them to the Lord to have fruit?
1 Corinthians 3:6
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. According to the Word of God one plants, another waters, but God gives the increase. Five, six, or seven people may be involved in one single person’s salvation. Who sorts out who gets all the credit? God does. God knows about the grandma who has been praying for years. God knows about the mother who has been begging God to save her son. God knows about the First Sergeant who has been living his life in front of the soldiers as a Christian. God knows about the Squad leader who is going to help him come to Jesus. God knows everyone who was involved in someone coming to salvation and God will give credit to all involved. So how are you going to get involved this week? Who are you praying for? That is why we have our prayer list. Every single person who prays for someone’s salvation is seeking fruit to credit their account. How else can I get involved, Pastor? If you are not doing anything Monday nights at 7 o’clock, come on out for visitation. Preacher, you want me to be there Sunday nights and now Monday nights? It depends on whether or not you believe He is coming again. Take a chance; gamble on it.
What if I am not sure I am abiding in Christ? For those of you who believe you have salvation let me ask you this question. Have you been arranging your life in such a way that you believe that Jesus could come again today? If I was to open up your check book, what would I see? Would I see evidence of someone who believe He is coming again? What are some things I would look for? Do you put more money in the 401K plan or in the local New Testament church? Do you spend more time in the Word of God or watching FOX News? Do you spend more time preaching the Gospel or trying to get a politician elected? Whoever gets elected this coming year has got four years and then we’ll get a new one and then another one after that. And do you know Who is going to be King the whole time? Jesus. So keep things in perspective. Whether the Democrats get into office or the Republicans get in office, people still need to be saved. The Gospel still needs to be preached no matter which party is in Congress. Missionaries still need support no matter who is in Congress. The local church is still going to move forward no matter what happens on Wall Street. There was a Depression in the 1920’s, and Christians still got together and worshipped God. In fact, I believe they believed they needed Him more than before. So Christians, if you say “you know what, I need to get my priorities right”, I invite you to make a decision today.
October 12, 2008
Pastor Sean Harris
1 John 2:28
And now, little children (You, if you are rescued), abide in him (Jesus); that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
You can be sure that if you were rescued from sea, you would remember that time in your life. If you cannot remember a time when God rescued you, you may never have been rescued before. Birth is not rescued. Baptized is not rescued. Member of a church is not rescued. Rescued is the decisive moment in which God reconciled you unto Himself through your faith in Jesus Christ.
You can be sure that if I was able to set the date and the time that the Lord Jesus was coming back, and I could assure you in the same way I can assure you of typical earthly things, that you would begin to reorganize your life and change your priorities. Pastor, how do you know that would happen? I know it by your own behavior. Pastor, can you prove that? Yes, I can. You can be sure that if you went to the doctor today or tomorrow and the doctor looked you right in the eyes with as much seriousness as he could muster and he said that you are suffering from a fatal disease. And you only have 4 months to live. Mark my words, you only have 120 days to live, no more. In fact, it may come earlier than that. I performed the test and I know for sure that the disease advances quickly. It will radically change your life. You will begin to lose your mind and in 120 days you will be dead. If you believe that doctor to be true, you would begin to change everything about your life. Your priorities would change. The things you do would change. The trips you take would change. The way you relate to your children would change. Everything about your life would change. Well, do you know what? Doctor Bible is telling us that Jesus is coming again. I am going to show you from the Word of God how you can avoid being ashamed and how you can have confidence. Would you like to have confidence when He comes again? Yes, I do too.
Number One
The first step to NOT being ashamed at the Second Coming of Jesus is to order your life based on the fact He could come at any time. Begin to establish your life. Begin to order your life. Change it and adjust your priorities. Begin to think in terms that He is coming again. In fact, He could come at any time. He could come on a Sunday night when you are sitting at home. You are not at church and you know you should be at church; the Holy Spirit has been wearing you out about skipping church on Sunday nights for a year. You say, Pastor, that is just a guilt trip that you are putting on us to try to get us to come to church. Choose whether or not you want it to be a guilt trip. That is your individual decision, but I am here to tell you that He could come back at any time. So the question for us is how much do we order our life and our priorities. How much do we order those based on His Second Coming?
Fact
The Bible makes it very, very clear that Jesus Christ is coming again in the most personal and real sense possible. The first time He came, He came through a virgin as a small baby. He’s not coming as a baby this time. When He comes back the second time, He is coming back as a King. He’s sneaked into civilization and history as a little baby the first time 2000 years ago. When He comes the next time, there is not anyone that is going to miss His coming. The first thing that is going to happen is the Church is going to be raptured. What does that mean? The Bible indicates that in just the blink of an eye, a trumpet is going to sound, and we who are in Christ are going to be called up to be with Jesus forever in glory! And so what could happen this very day is that Christ could come and, in the blink of an eye, half this auditorium could be cleared out, and the others are going be looking around at each other. You can be sure this stage is going to be empty because Jesus is my King. I can’t wait for my King to call me home. And if you are left, you will look around and you will say, now what do we do? And do you know what? There is no point assembling next Sunday because God is done with His church at that point. He’s raptured the Church. He turns His attention to the Jews and there are seven years of Tribulation—utter misery. Read the book of Revelation; it will scare you to death. At the end of the seven years, Jesus will come to occupy a thrown in Jerusalem and reestablish an earthly kingdom as King on the throne of David. He is going to rule and reign for 1,000 years. You say, “Pastor, I’m saved. Wait a minute! There are a lot of saved people who according to 1st John 2:28 are going to be ashamed ‘at His Coming.’ They are going to be ashamed. What are you talking about?”
John 14:3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. This is a promise from the Lord Jesus Christ, and it does not get any better than that. He said to all His followers, I am coming again, and I will bring you where I am. Do you understand that life on this earth is not going to last forever?
Luke 21:34
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting (carousing), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. Let me tell you something; let me make sure that you completely understand this. You are not going to get a text message ahead of time to alert you to Jesus’ Coming. There’s not going to be a mass email that says you have seven days until Christ comes back. Get ready! That is not going to happen. FOX News is not going to report that Jesus is coming at a particular time. He’s not telling anyone. So what does that mean to me? That means that there are Christians who are going to be involved in carousing, drunkenness, and foolish behavior. They will be doing what they should not be doing, and He is going to come back at that moment. And I promise, you will be quite ashamed of yourself if you get called to glory in a drunken state. Does that mean I lose my salvation? No, it does not mean you will lose your salvation, but it says you are going to be pretty ashamed. You won’t have confidence. What is my intention? To help you have confidence.
Acts 1:11
Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. The Bible says the same way He went to Heaven is the same way He will return. Pastor, do you really believe that? Yes, I believe that because the Bible says it. So are you telling us that we are really going to see Jesus? Yes, that is what I am telling you. I am telling you that He is going to come in the most real and literal sense. I’m telling you everyone is going to notice His coming. How in the world can that be? Hey, He’s God. Are you going to tell me that He can’t make that happen? The same God who can speak matter into existence can figure out how to make sure every eye sees Him simultaneously. That is probably easy for Him. You might think “not in my lifetime. Preachers have been preaching that for years and years.” Do you know what the Bible calls you? The Bible calls you a scoffer. And I will show you that from 1st Peter in a moment.
Revelation 16:15
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. Are they talking about real garments? No, it’s a metaphor. It is talking about Christians who live ready for the coming of Jesus or Christians who don’t live ready for the coming of Jesus and it’s the analogy of getting caught naked. It is to help you understand the difference.
Mark 13:33
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. Watch is a command! We are to live with the Second Coming of Christ in mind at all times. Do you know what have more Christians this week watching Wall Street than the Coming of Jesus Christ. They are living on FOX News Business. Is it up or is it down? Who cares in the grand scheme of things. What difference does it really make? Do you understand that Jesus does not have to check with Wall Street before He comes again? Do you understand He does not have to get the President’s permission? And the command for us, every single one of us, is to watch and live in anticipation. Order our life according to the things that matter with a Kingdom mindset.
Question
Do you run your life like He is NEVER coming back? You are worried about your 401K plan or golf course membership, and you want to relocate to wherever because you are not interested in winning people to Jesus. All you are interested in is living your last twenty years in luxury. I don’t want Jesus to return and find me on a golf course. Pastor, is there something wrong with golfing? No, there is nothing wrong with golfing. Let me tell you something: if you are on your 40th hole in three days, your priorities are way out of whack. I can’t wait to retire so I can go golfing every single day. That doesn’t sound like watching or praying to me. Do you know what you ought to be thinking about? I’m going to retire so I can serve Jesus more. I am going to get my financial ducks in order so I can volunteer at the local church. Do your priorities indicate you believe Christ could come again today?
Bottom-line
The imminent return of the Lord Jesus is generally disbelieved by the majority of people.
II Peter 3:3-9
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of godly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Let me tell you something: if you do not know God today, you should be very glad that He did not return yesterday. If you are not sure of your own salvation; if you are not positively sure that you are in Jesus Christ and He in you; if there has never been a time when you repented of your sins and received Jesus Christ by faith in Him and Him alone; if there has never been a time in your life where you bowed your knee to King Jesus and you have no idea of who He is as Lord, and if there has never been a time that you received God’s gift of salvation by grace, you need to be exceptionally thankful He did not return yesterday. So, what is the Bible saying? It’s saying that God delays His coming as an act of mercy and grace. Every single day He delays His coming is one more day that I can get my life in order and rearrange my priorities. It’s one more day I can receive Jesus Christ. It’s one more day that I can structure my life in such a way that I will not be ashamed at His coming. Instead of walking around as scoffers saying He didn’t come last year or the year before or the 1960’s or the 1800’s; He’s not really coming again. According to the Word of God what we should be saying is Lord Jesus Christ, come quickly! And every decision we make should be based on whether or not Jesus is Lord.
II Peter 3:10-11
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (The house you spend so much time and money on and the 401K plan will be burned up. You can’t take it with you. You cannot take a brief case with you.) Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
II Peter 3:12
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? How does the reality that everything is going to be burned up impact you? With the understanding that only that which is eternal will make it into heaven, how should we order our life? What should our priorities be?
II Peter 3:13-14
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (Last week, some of you were as convicted as can be about needing to repent and receive Christ. You were as convicted as can be that you needed to respond to the alter call, you knew you needed to be baptized, you were convicted that you needed to change your life, and yet your hands were on that pew, white-knuckling. You need to be thankful that God delayed His coming one more week for you and gave you another opportunity to respond to the alter call. And if you delay it today, and He comes tomorrow, you will spend an entire eternity regretting that you did not respond to Jesus Christ. And you will not say, God I charge You with sin because He is being exceptionally merciful.) Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
Number Two
The second step to NOT being ashamed at His Second Coming is to presently abide in Him. To presently abide—that’s means today, tomorrow, and next Wednesday. What does it mean to abide or why should I? He tells us,
1 John 2:28
And now, little children, abide in him; Why?
that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. You can read it like this, I will abide in Him so that when He appears I may have confidence. It’s not arrogance. You do not have to be ashamed. It is the understanding that by the grace of God you have done your best. You ordered your priorities as best you could. So ask yourself, have I done my best this week? Were my priorities right?
Question
What does it mean to abide in Him? It means:
• to remain stable or fixed in a state
• to continue in a place
• to conform to Him
Logical Question
How do I know if I am abiding in Christ? So much fruit is the evidence
of whether or not I am abiding in Jesus. If I am in Jesus, there is going to be fruit
John 15:4-5
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Biblical Fact
The more I remain in a stable, fixed position with Jesus Christ as my Lord—in a state of obedience—I will bear much fruit.
John 15:16a
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:
Biblical Fact
The more I produce fruit, the less I will have to be ashamed of at Jesus’ Second Coming.
Four Types of Fruit:
Fruit: A Godly Attitude
Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. I need to manifest this all the time. The more I manifest this, the more I’ll not be ashamed at the 2nd coming. The less I manifest this, the more I will be ashamed.
Fruit: Righteous Behavior
Philippians 1:11: Being filled with the fruits of righteousness (Obeying the Word of God), which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Christians who remain in Christ SIN less.
Fruit: Praise to God
Hebrews 13:15: By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. People who abide in Christ praise God! Think about every time this collective corporate audience sings praises to God, it is a offering to God. We say be pleased oh, God with our offering of praise. Take every word, every heart, every emotion, love, appreciation and we hold it up to God and we say this is our offering of praise. People who don’t abide in Christ don’t praise God. How does a teenager who is abiding in Christ say this is lame? The Word of God is lame. This music is lame. If that teenager is saved, they are going to be very ashamed. Do you know what that teenager is counting on? He is counting on Christ not coming again. According to Peter, that teenager is a scoffer. Every scoffer is going to bow the knee. Peter says there were scoffers then, there are scoffers now, and the closer we get to the Second Coming the more scoffers there will be.
Fruit: Converts of Christ
Romans 1:13-15: Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. Paul is talking about a particular kind of fruit and it is called a convert. Paul wants some fruit in Rome. Do you want some fruit in your neighborhood? Would you like some fruit where you work? How about in your military outfits, or your company? What about in your small business, would you like some fruit there? Paul wanted to preach the gospel in Rome so that souls would be saved to His account or because of His human effort to share the truth. Does this mean I have to lead them to the Lord to have fruit?
1 Corinthians 3:6
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. According to the Word of God one plants, another waters, but God gives the increase. Five, six, or seven people may be involved in one single person’s salvation. Who sorts out who gets all the credit? God does. God knows about the grandma who has been praying for years. God knows about the mother who has been begging God to save her son. God knows about the First Sergeant who has been living his life in front of the soldiers as a Christian. God knows about the Squad leader who is going to help him come to Jesus. God knows everyone who was involved in someone coming to salvation and God will give credit to all involved. So how are you going to get involved this week? Who are you praying for? That is why we have our prayer list. Every single person who prays for someone’s salvation is seeking fruit to credit their account. How else can I get involved, Pastor? If you are not doing anything Monday nights at 7 o’clock, come on out for visitation. Preacher, you want me to be there Sunday nights and now Monday nights? It depends on whether or not you believe He is coming again. Take a chance; gamble on it.
What if I am not sure I am abiding in Christ? For those of you who believe you have salvation let me ask you this question. Have you been arranging your life in such a way that you believe that Jesus could come again today? If I was to open up your check book, what would I see? Would I see evidence of someone who believe He is coming again? What are some things I would look for? Do you put more money in the 401K plan or in the local New Testament church? Do you spend more time in the Word of God or watching FOX News? Do you spend more time preaching the Gospel or trying to get a politician elected? Whoever gets elected this coming year has got four years and then we’ll get a new one and then another one after that. And do you know Who is going to be King the whole time? Jesus. So keep things in perspective. Whether the Democrats get into office or the Republicans get in office, people still need to be saved. The Gospel still needs to be preached no matter which party is in Congress. Missionaries still need support no matter who is in Congress. The local church is still going to move forward no matter what happens on Wall Street. There was a Depression in the 1920’s, and Christians still got together and worshipped God. In fact, I believe they believed they needed Him more than before. So Christians, if you say “you know what, I need to get my priorities right”, I invite you to make a decision today.
The Gospel Test
Join the BBA sophomores and see how well you know the the gospel. Every Christian should be able to tell someone of the good news that radically changed their lives.
The (1) _______________________ according to Jesus is the Good News that the Son of (2) _______________ and second person of the (3) ________________ left the glories of (4)_______________________ and was born of the (5)________________ Mary. As God (6) i_____________________, Jesus of (7) ____________________________________ was tempted to (8) ______________, yet He lived a sinless life, was crucified, (9) ________________ and rose again. (10) ________________ did this so that those who, by the (11) g_________________ of God, repent and (12)___________________ in the Truth can have their sins (13) ____________________________, have their condemnation removed, be (14) s___________________________ from the (15) w_____________________ of God, have their relationship with the God of the Universe restored, receive (16) e_________________________ life, and be born-(17)____________________ as sons or daughters of God.
(18) What does it mean to repent?
(19) What does it mean to believe?
(20) What is sin?
What are thoughts? Was this too easy of a test for these sharp 10th graders?
The (1) _______________________ according to Jesus is the Good News that the Son of (2) _______________ and second person of the (3) ________________ left the glories of (4)_______________________ and was born of the (5)________________ Mary. As God (6) i_____________________, Jesus of (7) ____________________________________ was tempted to (8) ______________, yet He lived a sinless life, was crucified, (9) ________________ and rose again. (10) ________________ did this so that those who, by the (11) g_________________ of God, repent and (12)___________________ in the Truth can have their sins (13) ____________________________, have their condemnation removed, be (14) s___________________________ from the (15) w_____________________ of God, have their relationship with the God of the Universe restored, receive (16) e_________________________ life, and be born-(17)____________________ as sons or daughters of God.
(18) What does it mean to repent?
(19) What does it mean to believe?
(20) What is sin?
What are thoughts? Was this too easy of a test for these sharp 10th graders?
Chili-n-Chips
Do you enjoy fellowshipping with others as much as I do? Or may be more? The other night a family had us over for a bit of chili and chips and then invited a few others over as well.
What a wonderful time. Thanks.
Fellowship is such an important part of the Christian walk. Friendships begun at church can grow so much stronger in a home.
I know we are all busy, but let me encourage each of you, and most especially our teachers, to plan a get together at your house every now and then—even twice a year would be great. Invite some new members and some not so new members and help people connect.
We enjoy getting to be with church members outside of the church walls so much and hope that God will continue to grant such opportunities.
Once again thanks for a great dinner and time of fellowship.
What a wonderful time. Thanks.
Fellowship is such an important part of the Christian walk. Friendships begun at church can grow so much stronger in a home.
I know we are all busy, but let me encourage each of you, and most especially our teachers, to plan a get together at your house every now and then—even twice a year would be great. Invite some new members and some not so new members and help people connect.
We enjoy getting to be with church members outside of the church walls so much and hope that God will continue to grant such opportunities.
Once again thanks for a great dinner and time of fellowship.
Favorite Study Bible
Do you have a good study Bible? It’s just amazing how much a good Bible can help you get the most out of your Bible reading time.
For those of you who still get to make a list for that overweight man who flies in from the north to deliver gifts on Christmas day let me urge you to put “study Bible” on your Christmas wish list.
I use several different ones for my daily reading and find them to be especially helpful. Let me know if you need some help with what to put on your list and I would be happy to help.
Seriously let me encourage you to get beyond the $4 gift Bible and make getting good quality study Bible a Christmas priority for your son, daughter, wife or husband.
What's your favorite study Bible?
For those of you who still get to make a list for that overweight man who flies in from the north to deliver gifts on Christmas day let me urge you to put “study Bible” on your Christmas wish list.
I use several different ones for my daily reading and find them to be especially helpful. Let me know if you need some help with what to put on your list and I would be happy to help.
Seriously let me encourage you to get beyond the $4 gift Bible and make getting good quality study Bible a Christmas priority for your son, daughter, wife or husband.
What's your favorite study Bible?
The Eternal Consequences of Denying the Person and Work of Christ
Interview between Larry King and Pastor Joel Osteen
“Larry: Do you believe in good deeds?
Joel: I don’t know, what do you mean by that?
Larry: Because we’ve had ministers on that have said your record don’t count. Either you do or you do not believe in Christ. If you do believe in Christ either you are or you are not going to heaven. And if you don’t, it don’t matter what you’ve done in your life, you ain’t.
Joel: Yeah, I don’t know. There’s probably a balance between, I believe you have to know Christ, but I think that if you know Christ, if you’re a believer in God you’re gonna have some good works. I think it’s a cop out to say well, I’m a Christian, but I don’t ever do anything to help any body.
Larry: “What if you are Jewish or Muslim and don’t accept Christ at all…?
Joel: You know, I am just very careful about saying who would and wouldn’t go to heaven. I don’t know. I think only God knows.
Larry: Do you believe that you have to believe in Christ? They’re wrong, aren’t they?
Joel: Well, I don’t know if I believe they’re wrong. I believe here’s what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe, but I just think that only God can judge a person’s heart. I’ve spent a lot of time in India with my father and you know, I don’t know all about their religion, but I know they love god and I don’t know I’d have to…I’ve seen their sincerity so I don’t know. I just…I know for me, and what the Bible tells me, I want to have a relationship with Jesus, but
Larry: The Senator apologized last week for slavery…”
Why are you picking on Joel Osteen? When you put yourself as a pastor in front of 100 million viewers, everything you say is fair game. Some of you may watch it and think if Pastor Osteen struggles with this, I can understand how I would struggle with it too. Why do I care so much about what he says? My job is not to fix the world, but my job is to pastor you. I serve God by equipping you. I want to equip you today if you will allow it.
Let me tell you something, and listen very closely. When that person comes to you and asks you “what about the god in India” or “what about the god in Africa, the Buddhist, the Hindu, the Muslim, the Mormon, or the Jehovah Witness?” Let me tell you they are not looking for you to say “oh, um…” That is not what they are looking for. That is not the kind of answer that will bring hope to their lives. That kind of back peddling and wishy washyness is not going to confirm in their heart that you believe what you believe. That is not going to do it. I’m not really sure. I don’t know, but let me tell you about my faith. That is not going to work. The world we are living in is looking for decisive answers. They are looking for real people who know what they believe and can take the Word of God and show them what they believe to be true. They are not looking for ways out, cop outs, or one more person who believes in relative truth, and that is exactly what Joel Osteen is proposing in that interview—relative truth. I know about the Christian faith, but I don’t know about that faith. Do you know what I know? I know that Jesus Christ said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) I know that to be truth, and the world is looking for people who know what they believe. The world is not looking for anyone else that is wishy washy. Luke warm Christians aren’t doing anything for the world. They are not turning the world upside down. You can be sure that the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul would not have given a Joel Osteen answer. Those Apostles were fully convinced that if you deny Jesus, there is nothing left. How important is this? This is eternally important. I am fired up because there is fire, eternal fire, behind this. I’m fired up because people are dying and going to hell every single day, every single hour, every single moment. The reason they are dying and going to hell without any hope is that we have too many Joel Osteens in the pulpit.
What I’m concerned about is that you might watch him and think that if Joel Osteen is not so sure about this, I shouldn’t be either. My commandment and commitment is to get you firm. I am going to take the Word of God and hopefully I am going cement your feet into this foundation. That’s my goal.
Please look at1st John 2:23 and Matthew 10:33
1st John 2:23 “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
Matthew 10:33 “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” (You really do not have to wonder there. There is not too much grey area there).
The context of verse 23 demands that the denial of Jesus as the Son specifically relates to Jesus as “the Christ”; that is the spirit and message of the antichrist. We are not saying that this is the denial of historical Jesus. We are saying it is the denial as Jesus as the Christ.
My Thesis Statement
From the context of chapter 2: “Any person that denies that the God-man Jesus of Nazareth was and is the only begotten Son of God—the Christ—God incarnate, the second person of the trinity, does not have a relationship with the one and only true God of the Universe.” This is the foundational statement that I want everyone to grasp. My goal is that you fully embrace that as your truth. My goal is that when you watch Larry King or any preacher botch it up, you will be able to recognize that he missed it. He wasn’t definitive enough, and you will immediately recognize it as heresy. You will recognize it because you know what you believe and what the Bible teaches.
We have all had questions regarding this group and that group, and that is exactly why the Apostle John addresses this subject. He gives us a chapter and verse—a proof text. What should have happened in that interview is that Joel should have gotten out the New Testament and let Larry read it for himself. What we need to understand is that the world we are living in is continually assaulting the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. These weak “Sally’s” who call themselves preachers are not doing anything to help Christians equip themselves. They are not equipping the saints. They are too concerned with being politically correct, not hurting anyone’s feelings, or building a big, huge church, and we recognize that will not go over so well.
Here is the reality: some of you are going to speak to people that I will never contact. You work in places that I will never see. You work with unbelievers. You work with people who are struggling with this exact issue. My job, motivation, and focus is to properly equip you. My goal is to train you so that you are able to give an answer for the hope that lies within you. The objective is to properly address this issue, so that when you hear someone saying “Well, they are sincere.” and “Don’t they love god?”, that you will say “time out.” You have a big responsibility in the great commission to give an answer for the hope that lies within you. All of us are called to be ready to share the faith. All of us are called to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered according to Jude 3. So my job as your Pastor is as coach, trainer, and mentor. I should be getting you equipped to go out into a world of unbelievers and ready to interact with them.
Define Deny
• to declare untrue
– Anyone who says it is untrue that Jesus is the Son of God
• to refuse to admit or acknowledge
– Anyone who refuses to admit that Jesus is the Christ
• to give a negative answer to
– Anyone who answers negatively to the Prophet, Priest, & King
Question: Why is it that a person cannot deny Jesus as the Son of God and still have a salvific (saving) relationship with God the Father?
Answer: Ontologically (being, essence) it is impossible to separate God the Father from God the Son; but we say “didn’t they separate or aren’t they separate?” No; the omnipresence of God communicates that God the Spirit was with Christ every moment He was on this planet. If God the Father were separate from God the Son, He is no longer God. “I and my Father are one.” (same, complete, unified) John 10:30
Isn’t it interesting that a former Jew is pinning a so-called former Baptist to the wall? That is ridiculous. We are supposed to be the ones who are equipped as Christians.
One God
• Ontologically the Father and Son are the same being with the same existence.
• The Father does not have any properties in essence that the Son does not have.
• The Son does not have any properties in essence that the Father does not have.
• They are one in everything that makes God, God.
The fact that God chose to put on flesh and come on this earth for some period of time should not cause confusion in your mind. Jesus has always existed and will always exist. He’s the Alpha and the Omega. He’s the Beginning and the End. Jesus was there for the hanging of planets, the creation of the planet, and the removing of the rib. His life did not start at the Virgin Birth.
Trinity
• The Trinity may very well be the most difficult thing for any human mind to comprehend; yet, it is one of the absolute fundamentals of orthodoxy.
• 1 John 5:7: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
You cannot have a relationship with the Father and deny the Son. You cannot maintain a relationship with the Son while denying the Father. It is impossible.
• John 17:11: “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are” [one].
Do not think it is possible for a human being to deny and ignore Jesus Christ and have a saving relationship with the God of the Universe. Why is this so important? If you deny Jesus Christ, it means you do not have a relationship with God. If you do not have a relationship with God, you are dying and going to hell. No one is exempt.
This is what you must grasp. Here is the reality: You are the only one who can reach some people. The Bible does not indicate a time where unbelievers can confront believers, but just imagine for just a moment if that were the case. Can you imagine? You may have spent your entire life with a neighbor, co-worker, or friend, and you never told them the truth. You never told them that in denying Jesus Christ that they do not have a relationship with God. You never shared that with them, and you had been properly trained. You were at Berean Baptist Church and you heard this truth. You visited this church for the very first time. You never came back to this church, but you heard it and you knew that you had a responsibility to share it and you didn’t. You let it go. You said that is too confrontational, and now all of a sudden, it is eternity. They finally find out that all this time they thought they had a relationship with God as they ignored Jesus. Can you imagine if that unbeliever came up to you and said “I can’t believe you knew! I can’t believe you knew the truth and you never ever told me. And now I’m going to spend all of eternity separated from God and you knew!” You cowered in the philosophy class at Methodist University or Fayetteville Tech, and you were not definitive. Someone at work had watched the Larry King interview the night before and the conversation came up. People were talking about it. You had been properly trained and equipped, and when you had that moment in which you could jump in and intervene in the conversation, you didn’t do it. You let it go by instead. You let the opportunity pass you by. Joel Osteen was talking to half the world on Larry King Live and he had one opportunity, a gospel opportunity, to set the record straight. You might not be Joel Osteen, but it might be your brother, your sister, your mother, your father, your cousin, your co-worker, or another student at Methodist College who needs to hear the truth. And you have one opportunity to stand up in a classroom and say “Thus, saith the Lord.” Who do you think you are? What is your authority? The authority is the Word of God.
The relativism of truth has so impacted Christianity that preachers are about “things from my perspective in the Christian faith.” What does that mean? According to Jude 3, there is one faith, once delivered. Everyone cannot have their own faith. You cannot deny that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. A Mormon will tell you that God had many sons and daughters, and that Jesus is one of many. This is heresy!
Yes! It is hard to understand!
It is exceptionally difficult to understand how God and the Son can be one, yet they communicate one with another and love each other. The Son willingly and joyfully subordinates Himself to the Father. This is exactly why it takes faith. It does not take much faith to trust in a chair that is properly engineered with four legs and metal to secure my weight. This does not take much faith at all because I understand how it all works. But the Trinity is hard to understand. There is not one example that properly explains this concept. The egg fails miserably. The three parts of the egg are not the same in essence. A shell, a white, and yellow: I can taste them, and they are not the same. And every single illustration that you come up with for the Trinity falls short because the Trinity is a God thing. They must believe by faith.
The Logos
• John 1:14
– “And the Word was made flesh [incarnate], and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
– God Incarnate!
• Invested with a body; with flesh
Once the Word became flesh and dwelt among humans as the full and perfect revelation of God, it was no longer possible to deny the Son and maintain a relationship with God the Father. Every Jew that denied Jesus is perishing. The Jews that recognized Jesus as the Messiah had a relationship with God the Father. Those that rejected Jesus as the Christ never had a relationship with the Father. They had a relationship with a god, a god that they created in their own mind.
Jehovah and Allah are NOT the same! Jehovah is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Ergun Caner is the President of Liberty University’s Theological Seminary, and he is a converted Muslim. He said they are not looking for Christians that waiver. They are not looking for Christians who do not know what they believe. They eat those kinds of Christians alive. They think that is a joke. They are not looking for soft Christians. Instead, they are looking for Christians who can say definitively Jesus is the Son of God, and all who deny Him will spend an eternity in hell. Now if you pointedly say something like that to them and you mean it, it will rock them. Because most of the time they meet Joel Osteen Christians—back pedaling, wavering, politically correct, don’t want to offend anyone Christians. The Gospel message is exceptionally offensive. It divides father against mother. It divides brother against sister. It splits family right down the middle. Ergun Caner was converted as a senior in high school. When he came home and told his dad that he was a follower of Jesus Christ, that was it; there was no more relationship. That young man, at 18 or 19 years of age, had to choose between Jesus Christ and his family, and he chose Jesus Christ. We are telling every single Muslim that he has to choose between his family and Jesus Christ. You say that is too harsh, but that is biblical. Jesus Christ said “If any man will come after me. Let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” (John 16:24)
Jesus is God!
• Not part God!
• Not close to God!
• Not some God!
• Thomas said to Jesus:
– My Lord and My God! (John 20:28)
Turn to John 14:7-10
“If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you and yet hast though not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father, and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”
God the Father and God the Son are not in competition. They are not keeping track of who gets prayed to the most. God the Father says every knee shall bow and the Son directs us to pray to the Father. God the Father and God the Son have perfect unity. The Father is thrilled when the Son is exalted, and the Son is thrilled when people acknowledge the Father.
God is the King
• Isaiah 44:6: “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”
Paul describes Christ as the one who redeemed us from the curse of the law in Galatians 3:13.
The Godhead
“They are not three roles played by one person (that is modalism), nor are they three gods in a cluster (that is tritheism). The one God (“he”) is also and equally “they,” and “they” are always together and always cooperating with the Father initiating, the Son complying, and the Spirit executing the will of both, which is His will also.” J.I. Packer
Consider these two verses: Father-Son
• John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
• John 6:44: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
The perfect unity of the Godhead prevents someone from denying Jesus and still having God in their life. They may have ‘a god’ in their life, but it is not the God of the Bible. Jesus is the God of the Bible, and to deny Jesus is a sin unto eternal death.
So, you and I need to be ready to give an answer about this. Let me tell you something. When you are sharing the Gospel from Romans and someone says that they do not understand the Trinity, you do not set that question aside and keep moving on. You stop and deal with that question in the Gospel presentation, because if they do not understand the Trinity, how in the world can you expect them to believe in Jesus Christ in Romans chapter 10? This is not something that you can set aside. This is Orthodoxy. Every single Christian needs to be ready to give an answer about the Trinity. Make sure that you understand that they are three, yet they are one, and there is complete unity and they are never divided.
1 Corinthians 2:1-2
“And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Christ’s willingness to subordinate Himself to flesh and a death on a cross should not detract from His preeminence in the Word of God or in YOUR life.
Philippians 2:8-11
“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (If God the Father was to permit men and women to have a relationship with Himself outside of Christ then one has to ask what was the purpose of Christ?) Wherefore God [the Father] also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
God the Father is not willing to compromise on His love for the Son and plan of eternal exaltation so that some humans can deny Christ and still have a relationship with God. God’s plan is that men and women love the Son and, in loving the Son, the Father is glorified.
Our goal is to get as many to confess that Jesus Christ is God today. Our goal is not to wait. Our goal is to show them Jesus now.
If God the Father permits humans to have a relationship with Himself—outside of faith in Christ, then one must ask: “What was the purpose of the passion of Christ?” If it is possible outside of the faith, then why did Jesus die on the cross?
If God the Father permits Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists, Mormons, etc. to deny His Son in this life without eternal consequences, why would He expect all to bow the knee after life on this earth? When you realize that Jesus Christ was the one that died on that cross, rose from the grave, that He’s at the right hand of the Father currently interceding on your behalf, you get crazy about Jesus. You’re bananas for Jesus. You can’t wait to tell others about Him. You exalt Jesus and lift Him up. There are some serious issues with people who are not crazy about Jesus. Jesus put Himself in flesh and died for the sins of the world. Jesus did not have a place to lay His head. And if you place your faith in Christ, you can live eternally. We are proclaiming Christ in the 21st century, not proclaiming a god. Christ is the Prophet, Priest, and King; that’s who we are proclaiming. Our mission is to go out and proclaim Christ.
1 John 2:23
“Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
What does it mean to acknowledge the Son? It means to bow down before Him. It is to receive the gift of Christ. It means to realize that you are a sinner, your sins separate you from a Holy and Righteous God, that you need to repent of those sins, and place your faith in Jesus Christ. That is what it means to acknowledge the Son.
“Larry: Do you believe in good deeds?
Joel: I don’t know, what do you mean by that?
Larry: Because we’ve had ministers on that have said your record don’t count. Either you do or you do not believe in Christ. If you do believe in Christ either you are or you are not going to heaven. And if you don’t, it don’t matter what you’ve done in your life, you ain’t.
Joel: Yeah, I don’t know. There’s probably a balance between, I believe you have to know Christ, but I think that if you know Christ, if you’re a believer in God you’re gonna have some good works. I think it’s a cop out to say well, I’m a Christian, but I don’t ever do anything to help any body.
Larry: “What if you are Jewish or Muslim and don’t accept Christ at all…?
Joel: You know, I am just very careful about saying who would and wouldn’t go to heaven. I don’t know. I think only God knows.
Larry: Do you believe that you have to believe in Christ? They’re wrong, aren’t they?
Joel: Well, I don’t know if I believe they’re wrong. I believe here’s what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe, but I just think that only God can judge a person’s heart. I’ve spent a lot of time in India with my father and you know, I don’t know all about their religion, but I know they love god and I don’t know I’d have to…I’ve seen their sincerity so I don’t know. I just…I know for me, and what the Bible tells me, I want to have a relationship with Jesus, but
Larry: The Senator apologized last week for slavery…”
Why are you picking on Joel Osteen? When you put yourself as a pastor in front of 100 million viewers, everything you say is fair game. Some of you may watch it and think if Pastor Osteen struggles with this, I can understand how I would struggle with it too. Why do I care so much about what he says? My job is not to fix the world, but my job is to pastor you. I serve God by equipping you. I want to equip you today if you will allow it.
Let me tell you something, and listen very closely. When that person comes to you and asks you “what about the god in India” or “what about the god in Africa, the Buddhist, the Hindu, the Muslim, the Mormon, or the Jehovah Witness?” Let me tell you they are not looking for you to say “oh, um…” That is not what they are looking for. That is not the kind of answer that will bring hope to their lives. That kind of back peddling and wishy washyness is not going to confirm in their heart that you believe what you believe. That is not going to do it. I’m not really sure. I don’t know, but let me tell you about my faith. That is not going to work. The world we are living in is looking for decisive answers. They are looking for real people who know what they believe and can take the Word of God and show them what they believe to be true. They are not looking for ways out, cop outs, or one more person who believes in relative truth, and that is exactly what Joel Osteen is proposing in that interview—relative truth. I know about the Christian faith, but I don’t know about that faith. Do you know what I know? I know that Jesus Christ said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) I know that to be truth, and the world is looking for people who know what they believe. The world is not looking for anyone else that is wishy washy. Luke warm Christians aren’t doing anything for the world. They are not turning the world upside down. You can be sure that the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul would not have given a Joel Osteen answer. Those Apostles were fully convinced that if you deny Jesus, there is nothing left. How important is this? This is eternally important. I am fired up because there is fire, eternal fire, behind this. I’m fired up because people are dying and going to hell every single day, every single hour, every single moment. The reason they are dying and going to hell without any hope is that we have too many Joel Osteens in the pulpit.
What I’m concerned about is that you might watch him and think that if Joel Osteen is not so sure about this, I shouldn’t be either. My commandment and commitment is to get you firm. I am going to take the Word of God and hopefully I am going cement your feet into this foundation. That’s my goal.
Please look at1st John 2:23 and Matthew 10:33
1st John 2:23 “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
Matthew 10:33 “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” (You really do not have to wonder there. There is not too much grey area there).
The context of verse 23 demands that the denial of Jesus as the Son specifically relates to Jesus as “the Christ”; that is the spirit and message of the antichrist. We are not saying that this is the denial of historical Jesus. We are saying it is the denial as Jesus as the Christ.
My Thesis Statement
From the context of chapter 2: “Any person that denies that the God-man Jesus of Nazareth was and is the only begotten Son of God—the Christ—God incarnate, the second person of the trinity, does not have a relationship with the one and only true God of the Universe.” This is the foundational statement that I want everyone to grasp. My goal is that you fully embrace that as your truth. My goal is that when you watch Larry King or any preacher botch it up, you will be able to recognize that he missed it. He wasn’t definitive enough, and you will immediately recognize it as heresy. You will recognize it because you know what you believe and what the Bible teaches.
We have all had questions regarding this group and that group, and that is exactly why the Apostle John addresses this subject. He gives us a chapter and verse—a proof text. What should have happened in that interview is that Joel should have gotten out the New Testament and let Larry read it for himself. What we need to understand is that the world we are living in is continually assaulting the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. These weak “Sally’s” who call themselves preachers are not doing anything to help Christians equip themselves. They are not equipping the saints. They are too concerned with being politically correct, not hurting anyone’s feelings, or building a big, huge church, and we recognize that will not go over so well.
Here is the reality: some of you are going to speak to people that I will never contact. You work in places that I will never see. You work with unbelievers. You work with people who are struggling with this exact issue. My job, motivation, and focus is to properly equip you. My goal is to train you so that you are able to give an answer for the hope that lies within you. The objective is to properly address this issue, so that when you hear someone saying “Well, they are sincere.” and “Don’t they love god?”, that you will say “time out.” You have a big responsibility in the great commission to give an answer for the hope that lies within you. All of us are called to be ready to share the faith. All of us are called to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered according to Jude 3. So my job as your Pastor is as coach, trainer, and mentor. I should be getting you equipped to go out into a world of unbelievers and ready to interact with them.
Define Deny
• to declare untrue
– Anyone who says it is untrue that Jesus is the Son of God
• to refuse to admit or acknowledge
– Anyone who refuses to admit that Jesus is the Christ
• to give a negative answer to
– Anyone who answers negatively to the Prophet, Priest, & King
Question: Why is it that a person cannot deny Jesus as the Son of God and still have a salvific (saving) relationship with God the Father?
Answer: Ontologically (being, essence) it is impossible to separate God the Father from God the Son; but we say “didn’t they separate or aren’t they separate?” No; the omnipresence of God communicates that God the Spirit was with Christ every moment He was on this planet. If God the Father were separate from God the Son, He is no longer God. “I and my Father are one.” (same, complete, unified) John 10:30
Isn’t it interesting that a former Jew is pinning a so-called former Baptist to the wall? That is ridiculous. We are supposed to be the ones who are equipped as Christians.
One God
• Ontologically the Father and Son are the same being with the same existence.
• The Father does not have any properties in essence that the Son does not have.
• The Son does not have any properties in essence that the Father does not have.
• They are one in everything that makes God, God.
The fact that God chose to put on flesh and come on this earth for some period of time should not cause confusion in your mind. Jesus has always existed and will always exist. He’s the Alpha and the Omega. He’s the Beginning and the End. Jesus was there for the hanging of planets, the creation of the planet, and the removing of the rib. His life did not start at the Virgin Birth.
Trinity
• The Trinity may very well be the most difficult thing for any human mind to comprehend; yet, it is one of the absolute fundamentals of orthodoxy.
• 1 John 5:7: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
You cannot have a relationship with the Father and deny the Son. You cannot maintain a relationship with the Son while denying the Father. It is impossible.
• John 17:11: “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are” [one].
Do not think it is possible for a human being to deny and ignore Jesus Christ and have a saving relationship with the God of the Universe. Why is this so important? If you deny Jesus Christ, it means you do not have a relationship with God. If you do not have a relationship with God, you are dying and going to hell. No one is exempt.
This is what you must grasp. Here is the reality: You are the only one who can reach some people. The Bible does not indicate a time where unbelievers can confront believers, but just imagine for just a moment if that were the case. Can you imagine? You may have spent your entire life with a neighbor, co-worker, or friend, and you never told them the truth. You never told them that in denying Jesus Christ that they do not have a relationship with God. You never shared that with them, and you had been properly trained. You were at Berean Baptist Church and you heard this truth. You visited this church for the very first time. You never came back to this church, but you heard it and you knew that you had a responsibility to share it and you didn’t. You let it go. You said that is too confrontational, and now all of a sudden, it is eternity. They finally find out that all this time they thought they had a relationship with God as they ignored Jesus. Can you imagine if that unbeliever came up to you and said “I can’t believe you knew! I can’t believe you knew the truth and you never ever told me. And now I’m going to spend all of eternity separated from God and you knew!” You cowered in the philosophy class at Methodist University or Fayetteville Tech, and you were not definitive. Someone at work had watched the Larry King interview the night before and the conversation came up. People were talking about it. You had been properly trained and equipped, and when you had that moment in which you could jump in and intervene in the conversation, you didn’t do it. You let it go by instead. You let the opportunity pass you by. Joel Osteen was talking to half the world on Larry King Live and he had one opportunity, a gospel opportunity, to set the record straight. You might not be Joel Osteen, but it might be your brother, your sister, your mother, your father, your cousin, your co-worker, or another student at Methodist College who needs to hear the truth. And you have one opportunity to stand up in a classroom and say “Thus, saith the Lord.” Who do you think you are? What is your authority? The authority is the Word of God.
The relativism of truth has so impacted Christianity that preachers are about “things from my perspective in the Christian faith.” What does that mean? According to Jude 3, there is one faith, once delivered. Everyone cannot have their own faith. You cannot deny that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. A Mormon will tell you that God had many sons and daughters, and that Jesus is one of many. This is heresy!
Yes! It is hard to understand!
It is exceptionally difficult to understand how God and the Son can be one, yet they communicate one with another and love each other. The Son willingly and joyfully subordinates Himself to the Father. This is exactly why it takes faith. It does not take much faith to trust in a chair that is properly engineered with four legs and metal to secure my weight. This does not take much faith at all because I understand how it all works. But the Trinity is hard to understand. There is not one example that properly explains this concept. The egg fails miserably. The three parts of the egg are not the same in essence. A shell, a white, and yellow: I can taste them, and they are not the same. And every single illustration that you come up with for the Trinity falls short because the Trinity is a God thing. They must believe by faith.
The Logos
• John 1:14
– “And the Word was made flesh [incarnate], and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
– God Incarnate!
• Invested with a body; with flesh
Once the Word became flesh and dwelt among humans as the full and perfect revelation of God, it was no longer possible to deny the Son and maintain a relationship with God the Father. Every Jew that denied Jesus is perishing. The Jews that recognized Jesus as the Messiah had a relationship with God the Father. Those that rejected Jesus as the Christ never had a relationship with the Father. They had a relationship with a god, a god that they created in their own mind.
Jehovah and Allah are NOT the same! Jehovah is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Ergun Caner is the President of Liberty University’s Theological Seminary, and he is a converted Muslim. He said they are not looking for Christians that waiver. They are not looking for Christians who do not know what they believe. They eat those kinds of Christians alive. They think that is a joke. They are not looking for soft Christians. Instead, they are looking for Christians who can say definitively Jesus is the Son of God, and all who deny Him will spend an eternity in hell. Now if you pointedly say something like that to them and you mean it, it will rock them. Because most of the time they meet Joel Osteen Christians—back pedaling, wavering, politically correct, don’t want to offend anyone Christians. The Gospel message is exceptionally offensive. It divides father against mother. It divides brother against sister. It splits family right down the middle. Ergun Caner was converted as a senior in high school. When he came home and told his dad that he was a follower of Jesus Christ, that was it; there was no more relationship. That young man, at 18 or 19 years of age, had to choose between Jesus Christ and his family, and he chose Jesus Christ. We are telling every single Muslim that he has to choose between his family and Jesus Christ. You say that is too harsh, but that is biblical. Jesus Christ said “If any man will come after me. Let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” (John 16:24)
Jesus is God!
• Not part God!
• Not close to God!
• Not some God!
• Thomas said to Jesus:
– My Lord and My God! (John 20:28)
Turn to John 14:7-10
“If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you and yet hast though not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father, and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”
God the Father and God the Son are not in competition. They are not keeping track of who gets prayed to the most. God the Father says every knee shall bow and the Son directs us to pray to the Father. God the Father and God the Son have perfect unity. The Father is thrilled when the Son is exalted, and the Son is thrilled when people acknowledge the Father.
God is the King
• Isaiah 44:6: “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”
Paul describes Christ as the one who redeemed us from the curse of the law in Galatians 3:13.
The Godhead
“They are not three roles played by one person (that is modalism), nor are they three gods in a cluster (that is tritheism). The one God (“he”) is also and equally “they,” and “they” are always together and always cooperating with the Father initiating, the Son complying, and the Spirit executing the will of both, which is His will also.” J.I. Packer
Consider these two verses: Father-Son
• John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
• John 6:44: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
The perfect unity of the Godhead prevents someone from denying Jesus and still having God in their life. They may have ‘a god’ in their life, but it is not the God of the Bible. Jesus is the God of the Bible, and to deny Jesus is a sin unto eternal death.
So, you and I need to be ready to give an answer about this. Let me tell you something. When you are sharing the Gospel from Romans and someone says that they do not understand the Trinity, you do not set that question aside and keep moving on. You stop and deal with that question in the Gospel presentation, because if they do not understand the Trinity, how in the world can you expect them to believe in Jesus Christ in Romans chapter 10? This is not something that you can set aside. This is Orthodoxy. Every single Christian needs to be ready to give an answer about the Trinity. Make sure that you understand that they are three, yet they are one, and there is complete unity and they are never divided.
1 Corinthians 2:1-2
“And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Christ’s willingness to subordinate Himself to flesh and a death on a cross should not detract from His preeminence in the Word of God or in YOUR life.
Philippians 2:8-11
“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (If God the Father was to permit men and women to have a relationship with Himself outside of Christ then one has to ask what was the purpose of Christ?) Wherefore God [the Father] also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
God the Father is not willing to compromise on His love for the Son and plan of eternal exaltation so that some humans can deny Christ and still have a relationship with God. God’s plan is that men and women love the Son and, in loving the Son, the Father is glorified.
Our goal is to get as many to confess that Jesus Christ is God today. Our goal is not to wait. Our goal is to show them Jesus now.
If God the Father permits humans to have a relationship with Himself—outside of faith in Christ, then one must ask: “What was the purpose of the passion of Christ?” If it is possible outside of the faith, then why did Jesus die on the cross?
If God the Father permits Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists, Mormons, etc. to deny His Son in this life without eternal consequences, why would He expect all to bow the knee after life on this earth? When you realize that Jesus Christ was the one that died on that cross, rose from the grave, that He’s at the right hand of the Father currently interceding on your behalf, you get crazy about Jesus. You’re bananas for Jesus. You can’t wait to tell others about Him. You exalt Jesus and lift Him up. There are some serious issues with people who are not crazy about Jesus. Jesus put Himself in flesh and died for the sins of the world. Jesus did not have a place to lay His head. And if you place your faith in Christ, you can live eternally. We are proclaiming Christ in the 21st century, not proclaiming a god. Christ is the Prophet, Priest, and King; that’s who we are proclaiming. Our mission is to go out and proclaim Christ.
1 John 2:23
“Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
What does it mean to acknowledge the Son? It means to bow down before Him. It is to receive the gift of Christ. It means to realize that you are a sinner, your sins separate you from a Holy and Righteous God, that you need to repent of those sins, and place your faith in Jesus Christ. That is what it means to acknowledge the Son.
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