Source
Series: Turn on the light
Sunday Sermon / December 9th, 2007
Intro: Every light has a source; an origin. Every ray of light has a source and when you trace it back from the object seen to the source that is shining you may understand why a thing appears the way it does.
Have you ever been in a place in your life where you questioned everything?
Have you ever been in a place in your life where you felt disconnected and misunderstood?
Or times when you just felt confused by the way things unfold in life?
This was the situation for the church John was writing to. Some ‘Enlightened’, hyper-spiritual and false teachers had put down roots into this church. Their teachings started up-rooting the true Christians there.
John doesn’t tell us the circumstances but they up and left the church. Apparently, the Christians were left wondering what happened. (False teaching, false examples of Christ, false charisma left the people confused and disheartened)
I believe the Church in America is right in this spot.
I truly believe that people are generally and genuinely searching for answers. Most people recognize their own need for answers and even more people recognize that mankind has a real need for answers.
• Some settle for: “Distraction” (Everything from adrenalin to addiction)
• Others believe the answer lies in reducing the “footprint” of man: (Nature, abortion and even genocide[other people are the problem])
• Others look to government for answers (education, benefits and protection.)
• Still others think that if we can just eliminate religion and God: (Golden Compass movie)
• Even those looking at faith for answers are on thin ice:
Barna Research published this week the results of it’s 2007 findings:
The research discovered that people are reframing not just faith in general, but Christianity in particular. While slightly fewer adults - and many fewer teens - are identifying themselves as Christians these days, the image of the Christian faith has taken a beating. This battered image is the result of a combination of factors: harsh media criticism, "unchristian" behavior by church people, bad personal experiences with churches, ineffective Christian leadership amid social crises, and the like. The result is that those who choose to remain Christian - however they define it - are also reformulating the popular notion of what "Christian" and the Christian life mean. Some of those changes are producing favorable outcomes, while others are less appealing.
• Self Trust but suspension of everything else.
• Frustration with church as usual
• Questioning everything
What is your answer? What is your source?
How do you see the world?
Text: 1 John 3:1-10 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
4Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. 10By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
I. God’s Love is our source.
“1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
A father carries pictures where his money used to be. ~Author Unknown
a. See what kind of Love (Not pity, not impersonal, not puppy love but Fatherly love)
b. Children of God, adoption into God’s family.
c. Misconceptions of true love (Unlike all Human fathers, God isn’t tainted by sin)
d. Even God’s discipline comes from His Father’s heart.
e. John reassures us: You are God’s Children and you are in process.
John moves into reassurance and settles the reader’s hearts down. These false teachers came into the Church stirred the people up, preached so called “enlightenments” and confused the true Christians in the Church. They must have been questioning their spirituality and even their salvation. They temporarily lost their way. They got “turned around.”
II. Lawlessness is the source of mankind’s problem.
4Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
a. The Devil’s influence in the world coupled with the sin in our own hearts is the reason for all our problems.
i. Sin is the breaking of God’s law in word, thought or deed.
ii. Some of you don’t like for anyone tell you what to do.
"Our earth is degenerate in these latter days; bribery and corruption are common; children no longer obey their parents; and the end of the world is evidently approaching."
-- Assyrian clay tablet 2800 B.C.
If that was then, what is now? If we haven’t learned to shape-up in the 4800 years of trying since the writing of those words, or the roughly 6000 years since Adam and Eve first sinned, what hope do we have?
Most people recognize “A” problem - People are bad!
In our world, a person’s source (life, identity and our “answers” to life) are thought to be our own power; their own faculties; abilities and energy. “The light of man is man.” So people set out to achieve, to improve ourselves and improve our world. But the problem is this, we aren’t making any progress.
Matthew 6:23 “…If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
The answer isn’t in us. We need God.
b. We need to humble our hearts to God
i. Sin is lawlessness.
ii. Lawlessness is rebellion.
iii. Rebellion stems from pride.
“6…no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”
Let this be the consuming desire of your heart:
To see and know God.
And to do so in increasing measure.
c. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
i. When we see what is happening to the Devil and what will happen to the Devil we desire to move away from him.
ii. HOWEVER, the knowledge of the Law and Truth AND the threat of punishment isn’t enough.
iii. The real victory over sin is knowing and accepting God’s love for us.
iv. Once we know God we want to be like him.
III. God in you is your Hope.
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. 10By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
a. When we realize God didn’t just “lay it on us” but rather he came to be inside us, we find great hope and freedom.
b. The Devil infects us but God heals us.
Infection: contamination / Antonyms: sanitation, sterility
The Christian life is commonly thought to be a life of mere restraint and unsubstantiated dogma. This is unfortunate. For although a Christian must exercise restraint, the Christian life is really about release. The release of Life at it’s best.
c. God’s life changing power is at work in your life.
John Newton “I’m not the man I ought to be, I’m not the man I wish to be, I’m not the man I hope to be. But by the grace of God I’m not the man I used to be.”
i. His seed (Think of DNA)
ii. His Character
d. With God you will make it / You can do it / You will overcome.
Conclusion:
