Sermon Central
-
The Completed Joy Of A Christian
Contributed by Jack Perkins, D.min., Ladc, Csac, Cclc on Feb 1, 2021 (message contributor)
-
1. The Word Of Life Celebrated
Contributed on Feb 1, 2021
John says, “We write this to make our joy complete. He presents Jesus as the source of the completed life. John says, “and the life was manifested.” Jesus is not a mysterious entity that is evasive, he is real, and Christians find their joy through him.
Reality shows continue to draw people’s attention. . . In an article, 10 Reality Shows That Aren't Real At All (And 10 That Totally Are), Chris Littlechild, talks about how they claim to be real; however, “the producers are just looking to stir up drama with fake moments. These shows are ...read more
-
2. Truth Or Consequences
Contributed on Feb 3, 2021
Acknowledgement of sin is perhaps one of the most difficult things for Christians. Yet, it is paramount for experiencing the abundant life. Honest confession opens the door for having a close relationship with Jesus and other believers.
Travel about 150 miles south of Albuquerque and you will enter Truth or Consequences. For the tenth anniversary of the popular show Truth or Consequences, in 1950, Ralph Edwards, offered any town in America the opportunity to be the site of the show’s April Fool’s Day birthday broadcast bash. On ...read more
-
3. Living In The Light Lane
Contributed on Feb 4, 2021
John uses familial, language (e.g., children, young men, and fathers) to talk about the fellowship/koinonia, the church. These are terms to describe Christian maturity. The church is energized by a flow of those in each stage of maturity.
Has Christianity been rejected by many based on a caricature which has been mistaken for the real thing? Perhaps! Yet, John calls us back home, to our foundation, to the fundamental matters of our faith. God uses John to help the church repair that which is broken, to correct the twisted ...read more
-
4. Making Wise Investments
Contributed on Jul 27, 2021
Perhaps the greatest challenge the church faces is finding her place in changing world, on that doesn’t appear to be getting better. John gives an imperative for the church, make investment on in God’s promises which are eternal, not in a worldview that is destined to fail.
Our society is infatuated with extremes, there seems to be no common ground for living. I developed a model, Pathway to Recovery, that illustrates this dynamic. While at a bookstore, I observed a group of students. They were polls apart when discussing religious thought. I had made the comment to ...read more
-
5. Staying Clam In A Storm Of Heresy
Contributed on Jul 29, 2021
A major concern for John is heresy within the church and the manner it is causing problems and robbing believers of their joy. John uses antichrist in reference to those who perhaps start with seemingly sincere faith; yet, their teaching becomes contrary to Christ and abiding in him.
There is a universal theme that runs through the book of 1 John, abiding in Christ. This is the key to “living in the world but not of the world. When we refuse to live in the world, we fail to serve Christ. Joe McKeever wrote the following. In the 1987 meeting of the Southern Baptist ...read more
-
6. Thank God, I Am A Child Of God
Contributed on Aug 2, 2021
John’s letter contains instructions, warnings, assurances and promises; however, the greatest thing he does is to affirm Christians’ uniqueness in Jesus. John writes in such a way that the confidence of God’s children is affirmed. John has highlighted several confidence builders in his letter:
We are a miracle of love! There are many things in life that cannot be explained apart from a loving creative God. One day, while walking around your beautiful, landscaped yard you observe something. First, you discover that something has been eating on some of your plants. Then you stand in ...read more
-
7. The Right Father Enhances Our Walk With Jesus
Contributed on Aug 4, 2021
Our culture attempt to redefine our God-given morality code to make it feel comfortable living while outside that code for godly living. John reminds us that Jesus takes away, forgives, our sin and enables us to experienced changed lives.
In 1969, the year I graduated from high school, 500,000 young people made a trip to Sullivan County and set up camp in Max Yasgur’s pasture. The Woodstock Music and Art Festival was billed as “three days of peace and music.” True believers see it as an era devoted to human advancement. Cynics ...read more
-
8. Love, The Infallible Test Of Salvation
Contributed on Aug 5, 2021
The church has a different goal–we are to model for the world the authentic way to love. The spiritual quest we must follow is that Jesus calls us to be different. John suggest the failure to love extravagantly, as God first loved us, is perhaps one of the greatest sins.
How do you explain the hatred and evilness in our society? How do you comprehend the hatred between the Jews and Palestinians? How can we support the evilness we see on the political scene? How we process the anarchy in our society? How do you explain Columbine? Families wounded by divorce? ...read more
-
9. Gps
Contributed on Aug 6, 2021
Postmodernity has given birth to the idea that all spiritual views are simply different roads that lead to God. We have created a confusing web of “spiritual paths” for those on a quest to know God. John gives a process for gaining and maintaining our bearings while on our spiritual journey.
GPS is a satellite-based radio navigation system that was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense. It permits land, sea and airborne users to determine their three-dimensional position, velocity and time anywhere in the world. The accuracy of it far exceeds anything that we have seen in the ...read more
-
10. Love: The Prerequisite To A Life Changing Experience
Contributed on Aug 6, 2021
John paints a beautiful picture of God and the life of believers. He says that love is the preeminent attribute of God and this is seen in the cross. Christian love doesn’t happen by self-determination, it happens because of the abiding presence of Holy Spirit.
G.A. Studdert-Kennedy, the English chaplain poet, found himself alone one dark night on the cliffs of Dover, peering sightlessly into the darkness across the English Channel. His thoughts led him to wonder what kind of force lingered in the darkness. As he thought about who may be lingering in ...read more
-
11. That They May Seek God By Our Witness
Contributed on Aug 7, 2021
This study raises questions that are extremely critical for being secure in our faith. They are not theoretical questions; they deserve an answer. The 5 questions I have raised fit under the two matters John holds before the reader: Belief and Love.
Turning to Janet, “Jan, did you turn off the stove?” Isn’t it amazing how a simple question often prompts a person to have serious doubt? Those under the influence of Gnosticism in Asia created doubt among many of the believers. John Stott “conjectured that their secession was due probably to ...read more
-
12. Fact And Faith In Creative Tranquility
Contributed on Aug 7, 2021
The intensity of John’s writing increases as he attempts to call the church back to the non-negotiables of the Gospel. In this message attention is drawn to several things: the historicity of Jesus demonstrates God’s redemptive plan and calls for a response.
As John draws this short letter to a close, I am amazed by the manner in which his intensity builds. He increasingly, uses the phrase, we know. His task has been to call the church back to foundational things. The effectiveness of this series of sermons is based on our response to a very ...read more
-
13. The Pretentious Free Life
Contributed on Aug 7, 2021
John wants all believers to know they have eternal life because they are precious in the sight of Jesus. He holds before us the key by which certainty becomes a faith response to all of life: Jesus Christ. John seeks to inspire Christians to cultivate greater intimacy with God.
As we entered the COVID-19 crisis I envisioned Christians would support those in leadership positions, I cannot fathom the stress they have endured. I never envisioned the conflict we have witnessed, among Christians and churches. As seen on Facebook, many Christians become antagonistic toward ...read more