Finding Confidence as a Child of God...

At the church where I serve we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled Connect. During this series, we are looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. During this series, we are going to discover the components that make for true connection and community. During this series, we are going to discover the landmines and roadblocks that keep us from true connection and community. And as we go through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in our heads, hearts, and hands, in a way that moves us to the place where we can experience the connection and community with God and one another that we were created and designed to experience.  

This week I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of John, we will see John reveal for us another timeless truth when it comes to how we can experience the connection and community with God and one another that we were created and designed to experience. So let’s jump into the next section of this letter together, beginning in 1 John 2:28-29:

Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. ²⁹ If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.

John begins this section of letter by commanding the members of the church at Ephesus, who, as we have seen throughout this series, were every near and dear to his heart, to abide in Him. As we have seen throughout this series, this phrase “abide in Him” literally means to not leave a certain realm or sphere. John here is commanding followers of Jesus throughout history to remain in connection and community with Jesus as followers of Jesus.

John then provides the reason behind his command by stating that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. John is pointing the readers of his letter throughout history to the climactic scene that will occur at the end of God’s story here on earth, when Jesus Christ will return to earth. John’s point here is that those who remain in close connection and communion with Jesus will have a confidence and boldness in that relationship and connection when they see Him face to face. This confidence and boldness comes from knowing that they had lived in genuine and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus that leveraged their time, treasure, and talent into the kingdom mission that they had been given by Jesus.

When John uses the phrase “to shrink away in shame”, he is referring to those who we looked at last week who rejected the message and teaching of Jesus to instead follow false teaching. John is revealing the reality that those who fail to remain in connection and community with God by rejecting the message and teaching of Jesus to instead follow false teaching will find themselves ashamed and will experience disgrace of the worst kind at His second coming. This shame and disgrace will occur as the result of the realization that those who rejected the message and teaching of Jesus and attempted to fill the empty spaces in their lives through pleasure, possessions, or position will have leveraged their lives into a lie.

Then, in verse 29, John explained to the members of the church at Ephesus, and followers of Jesus throughout history, that “if you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him”. But what does that mean? What is John’s point here? To fully understand what John is communicating here, we first need to look at a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible, called the gospel of John. Because it is in the first section of the gospel of John that we see John provide the answers to this question. So let’s discover the answer to this question together, beginning in John 1:12-13:

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

In these verses we see John unpack what he means when he uses the phrase receive Him. However, to fully be able to wrap our minds around the significance of what John is saying here, we first need to wrap our mind around some words. When John uses the word received here, this word means to recognize and acknowledge one’s authority.  John’s point here is that Jesus provides the person who recognizes and acknowledges who He is as God in a bod the capability to experience a change in their nature that results in entry into a relationship with God as part of the family of God.

John then answers the question “how does one receive Jesus” with the statement “to those who believe in His name”. Now the phrase believe in here, in the language that this letter was originally written in, is the same word that is also translated trust in our English Bible. This word literally means to entrust oneself with complete confidence to someone or something. John’s point here is that when we respond to Jesus making Himself known to us by placing our confident trust in Him and recognizing and acknowledging who He is by accepting Him as being large and in charge of our lives, we become a part of the family of God.

That is what John is referring to in verse 13 when he uses the phrase “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” The phrase were born refers to the process by which one becomes part of the family of God as a child of God. In verse 13, we see John reveal three ways that one does not become a part of the family of God.

First, John reveals that we do not become a part of the family of God by being born of blood. This phrase refers to one’s physical birth parents and family tree. In other words, we do not become a part of the family of God in relationship with God by being born into the right family. Just because your parents or grandparents are Christians does not mean that you are automatically a follower of Jesus. And being a part of the family of God has nothing to do with one’s nationality, or ones ethnic or cultural background.

Second, John reveals that we do not become a part of the family of God by the will of the flesh. Now, the will of the flesh refers to our sexual desires. John’s point is that we do not become children of God simply because our parents desired to have children and acted on that desire to have children. Our sexual desires that result in physical birth does not result in our spiritual birth as a child of God.

Third, John reveals that we do not become a part of the family of God by the will of man. The will of man refers to our desires as human beings. John’s point here is that we do not become children of God simply because there are people around us who desire us to. And it is not our desire to perform for God by keeping a list of rules for God that results in us becoming a part of the family of God.

Instead, John explains that we become a part of the family of God as a child of God because we are born of God.  John here is revealing for us the reality that becoming a part of the family of God as a child of God is solely the result of God’s transformational activity in our lives. It is only through God’s transformational activity in our lives that flows from His desire to bring us into an eternal relationship with Him that results in us becoming a child of God as a part of the family of God.

We see Jesus Himself reveal this reality in a conversation that Jesus had with a man named Nicodemus that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life that was also written by John. So let’s look at a part of that conversation together, beginning in John 3:3:

Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

When Jesus uses the phrase kingdom of God, He is referring to God’s royal reign. You see, the Jewish people were looking for a rescuer, a deliverer, a Messiah who God had promised would bring the Jewish people back to God and back to prominence in the world. Jesus told Nicodemus that, in order to be a part of this kingdom with the Messiah, one must be born again. This little phase, born again, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to be born from above. We see Jesus continue to engage Nicodemus in verse 4-8:

Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he? "Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Jesus statement here, if communicated in the language we use today would have sounded something like this: “No Nicodemus, you cannot enter into the womb again, you cannot be born from above because of something you do. To be born from above is something that the Spirit of God does to you. In the same way that you have been brought into the world physically in a way that resulted in you entering into a relationship with your earthly parents, you also have to be brought into a relationship with God by the Spirit of God. Nicodemus, you should not be surprised at what I am telling you. It’s like the wind. The wind moves throughout the world every day. And no one has any control over the wind. The wind does whatever it desires. The wind starts when it wants to start; the wind goes where it wants to go; the wind ends when it wants to end. Just as no one can control the wind, no one can control the activity of the Holy Spirit and what He does in bringing people to the place where they are brought into a relationship with God that results in them being a part of the Kingdom and family of God.”

Now looking back at 1 John 2:29, when John uses the word righteous, this word refers to something that is upright, just, and fair. So when John uses the word righteous about Jesus Christ, he is proclaiming that Jesus is right in character and is always right and just in His actions.

You see, as John remembered and reflected on Jesus conversation with Nicodemus, the point that John wanted to make unmistakably clear is that if we know that Jesus is totally just, fair, and right in character and actions, then the person whose life is marked by doing what is just and right reveals the reality that they have a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus as part of the family of God. John is revealing the reality that it is the life of a person who reveals and reflects Jesus in their character and conduct that produces the confidence that, when Jesus returns, they will enter into the fullness of the community and connection with God that they were created for as part of the family of God. 

And as John continues in his letter to these early followers of Jesus, we see John transition to reveal the reason why followers of Jesus can have confidence as a result of their connection with Jesus as a part of the family of God.

We will discover that reason tomorrow...

Our answer to the question “Who is Jesus?” determines whether or not we experience true community and connection with God and others...

This week we have been looking at a section of this letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of John. We have looked on as John revealed the reality that there will be people who possess this same spirit of rebellion and opposition to God and His kingdom mission as the Antichrist will come from within the community of the church.

John then applied the reality that truth a lies cannot coexist by basically saying “Who is the liar but the one who claims that Jesus was not the fulfillment of God’s promise to send the Messiah? This is the one who places themselves in opposition to God as an antichrist, the one who rejects and repudiates God the Father and Jesus His Son. Whoever rejects and repudiates Jesus as the Messiah does not have a genuine relationship and connection with God the Father. However, the one who pledges allegiance to Jesus as the Messiah has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus and with God the Father also.”

John called the members of the church at Ephesus, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to recognize those who are antichrists and who oppose God and the kingdom of God by their rejection and repudiation of Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promised Messiah. And because of that reality, John commanded the members of the church at Ephesus to keep the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel that they had heard from the very beginning of their relationship with Jesus at the center of their lives.

John then explained that if the members of the church kept the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel that they had heard from the very beginning of their relationship with Jesus at the center of their lives, the result would be that they would experience an ongoing connection and community with God the Father and Jesus. John here is basically saying to the members of the church at Ephesus, and followers of Jesus throughout history “If the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel that you heard remain in you, then you will remain in close connection and community with both Jesus and God the Father”.  John then concludes this section of his letter by revealing to the readers of this letter of a reason behind this letter in 1 John 2:26-27:

²⁶ These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. ²⁷ As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

Now to fully understand what John is saying in these verses, we first need to understand what John is not saying. John is not saying that followers of Jesus do not need to have any pastors or teachers in their lives. John is not saying that followers of Jesus do not need anyone to teach them about Jesus.

Because, if that was the case, if followers of Jesus do not need pastors or teachers; if followers of Jesus do not need anyone to teach them about Jesus, then why is John even writing this letter? If all we need is the Holy Spirit, then why do we even have the Bible? John’s point here is that the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a person who has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus will confirm and affirm the teaching of true teachers of the message and teaching of the letters that make up the Bible.

John’s point here is that the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a person who has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus will expose the teaching of false teachers who were opposing the message and teaching of the letters that make up the Bible. John is calling the members of the church at Ephesus to remember that they have the anointing of the Holy Spirit which teaches them all things that are true about Jesus so that they do not need these false teachers to teach them anything that lines up in opposition to the message and teaching of Jesus.

And because of that reality, John commanded the members of the church at Ephesus, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to allow the Holy Spirit, and what the Holy Spirit had confirmed and affirmed to remain in them, so that they would remain in close connection and community with both Jesus and God the Father.  And it is here, in this section of this letter, that we discover a timeless truth when it comes to connecting in true community. And that timeless truth is this: Our answer to the question “Who is Jesus?” determines whether or not we experience true community and connection with God and others. 

Just as it was for followers of Jesus in John’s day; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history; Our answer to the question “Who is Jesus?” determines whether or not we experience true community and connection with God and others. This morning, the timeless reality is that we experience true community and connection with God and others as a result of responding to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader. You see, the most important question that any and every person will ask and answer is the question “Who is Jesus?”

Those who answer the question “Who is Jesus?” by claiming that that Jesus was not the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a rescuer, a deliverer, a Messiah who would provide all humanity the opportunity to be rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separated them from God so that they could experience forgiveness and the relationship with God that they were created for reveal the reality that they have repudiated and rejected the relationship with God that they were created for. Those who answer the question “Who is Jesus?” by claiming that that Jesus was not the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a rescuer, a deliverer, a Messiah who would provide all humanity the opportunity to be rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separated them from God so that they could experience forgiveness and the relationship with God that they were created for reveal the reality that they are still in opposition to God and His kingdom mission as a result of their selfishness and rebellion.

Those who answer the question “Who is Jesus?” by responding to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader reveal the reality that they have been rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separated them from God so that they could experience forgiveness and the relationship in communion with God and in community with others that they were created for. And as followers of Jesus, we are to allow what the Holy Spirit has confirmed and affirmed about the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to remain at the center of our lives, so that we will remain in close community and connection with both Jesus and God the Father. 

So here is a question to consider: How have you answered the question “Who is Jesus”? Is Jesus just a good moral teacher? Or is Jesus God-in-a-bod who is the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a rescuer, a deliverer, a Messiah to provide all humanity the opportunity to be rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separated them from God so that they could experience forgiveness and the relationship with God that they were created for?

Are you allowing what the Holy Spirit has confirmed and affirmed about the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel remain at the center of your lives, so that we will remain in close community and connection with both Jesus and God the Father?

Because the timeless reality is that our answer to the question “Who is Jesus?” determines whether or not we experience true community and connection with God and others...

Who is a part of the visible church and who is part of the invisible church?

This week we are looking at a section of this letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. Yesterday we looked on as John revealed the reality that while the antichrist, the last great world leader who will place himself in opposition to God and His kingdom mission that we read about in the Book of Revelation, has not yet appeared, there are already present those who possess the same spirit as the spirit of the antichrist and are adversaries to God and His kingdom mission.

And some people who possess this same spirit of rebellion and opposition to God and His kingdom mission that would come from the antichrist will come from within the community of the church. There will be those who profess to have a relationship and connection with Jesus and appear as part of the visible church, but in reality, do not have a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus.

And because of that reality, these antichrists who had left the church at Ephesus and were trying to influence others to leave the church, had revealed the reality of their true spiritual condition by leaving and forsaking community and connection with the church. John’s point is that true followers of Jesus would have remained and continued in connection and community in His church.

Now a natural question that arises here is “Well Dave, if that John is saying is true, then how can we know who is a part of the visible church and who is part of the invisible church? How can we know who is really in possession of a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus and who is simply professing that they have a relationship with Jesus? How can we know who has true connection with God and who is actually opposed to God?

If that question is running through your mind, I want to let you know that you are asking a great question. And fortunately for us, we see John provide the answer to that question is what he says next. So let’s look at what John says next, beginning in 1 John 2:20-25:

²⁰ But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. ²¹ I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. ²² Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. ²³ Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. ²⁴ As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.

Now when John states “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know”, John is revealing the reality that it is the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a person who has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus that empowers them to know the truth about Jesus and the message of the gospel.

And it is the truth of the message of the gospel which John talks about in verse 21. When John uses the word truth, this word refers to the truth of the message and teaching of Jesus that forms the basis of Christianity. John’s point in verse 21 is twofold.

First, John explains that he had written this letter to the members of the church at Ephesus because they know the factual reality about the message and teaching of Jesus that forms the basis of Christianity. In other words, they know the truth about what it means to experience a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus. Second, John explains that he had written this letter to the members of the church at Ephesus because they know that no lie is of the truth. John is reminding the members of the church at Ephesus that lies and truth cannot coexist. This morning, either something is true, or it is a lie. Two contrary claims cannot be equally true. One claim is true, and one claim is false.

John then applied this reality to the circumstances that were occurring at the church at Ephesus and that still can occur today in verse 22. If John was writing verse 22 and 23 in the language that we use in our culture today, these verses would sound something like this: “Who is the liar but the one who claims that Jesus was not the fulfillment of God’s promise to send the Messiah? This is the one who places themselves in opposition to God as an antichrist, the one who rejects and repudiates God the Father and Jesus His Son. Whoever rejects and repudiates Jesus as the Messiah does not have a genuine relationship and connection with God the Father. However, the one who pledges allegiance to Jesus as the Messiah has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus and with God the Father also.”

John is calling the members of the church at Ephesus, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to recognize those who are antichrists and who oppose God and the kingdom of God by their rejection and repudiation of Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promised Messiah. And because of that reality, in verse 24, John commanded the members of the church at Ephesus to let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning.

In other words, John was commanding the members of the church at Ephesus to keep the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel that they had heard from the very beginning of their relationship with Jesus at the center of their lives. John then explained that if the members of the church kept the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel that they had heard from the very beginning of their relationship with Jesus at the center of their lives, the result would be that they would experience an ongoing connection and community with God the Father and Jesus.

John here is basically saying to the members of the church at Ephesus, and followers of Jesus throughout history “If the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel that you heard remain in you, then you will remain in close connection and community with both Jesus and God the Father”.  John then concludes this section of his letter by revealing to the readers of this letter of a reason behind this letter.

Friday we will discover that reason together…

Profession vs. Possession...

At the church where I serve we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled Connect. During this series, we are looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. During this series, we are going to discover the components that make for true connection and community. During this series, we are going to discover the landmines and roadblocks that keep us from true connection and community. And as we go through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in our heads, hearts, and hands, in a way that moves us to the place where we can experience the connection and community with God and one another that we were created and designed to experience.  

This week I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off two weeks ago. And as we jump into the next section of this letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of John, we will see John reveal for us another timeless truth when it comes to how we can experience the connection and community with God and one another that we were created and designed to experience. So let’s jump into the next section of this letter together, beginning in 1 John 2:18-19:

Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

Now to fully understand what John is communicating for us in these verses, we first need to ask and answer a few questions. The first question that we need to ask and answer is “What does John mean when he states that it is the last hour?” In the letters that make up the Bible, the phrase “last hour” or “last days” refer to the final chapters of God’s story here on earth, which began with Jesus entry into humanity and will conclude with Jesus return to earth. So, with this phrase, John is reminding the members of the church at Ephesus, who were very near and dear to his heart, that they were part of the final and climactic chapters of God’s story on earth.

Now that leads us to the second question that we need to ask and answer, which is “who is John referring to when he states, “you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared?” When John refers to the antichrist, he is reminding the members of the church at Ephesus, and followers of Jesus throughout history, that at the very end of God’s story here on earth, a great world leader will appear who will place himself in opposition to God and the kingdom of God and will demand to be worshipped as God. In another letter that John wrote that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of Revelation, we see John go into great detail regarding what will happen in the final chapter of God’s story here on earth, when the antichrist will appear and lead rebellious humanity in opposition to God.

However, John explains that while the antichrist, the last great world leader who will place himself in opposition to God and His kingdom mission that we read about in the Book of Revelation, has not yet appeared, there are already present those who possess the same spirit as the spirit of the antichrist and are adversaries to God and His kingdom mission. And these antichrists will be present until Jesus returns to earth.

And as we get closer to the end of God’s story on earth, the adversaries of Jesus Christ will continue to become more and more hostile to God and the kingdom of God. And because of that reality, John explained that is how we can be sure that we are living in the final chapters of God’s story here on earth.

Now that leads us to the next question that we need to ask and answer, which is “What is john talking about in verse 19? They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us?” As we discovered earlier in this series, there were some people who had left the church at Ephesus and were trying to influence others to leave the church at Ephesus.

There were some people who had attended the church at one time, but had left the church who were claiming that you could have close connection with God while living their day to day lives in a way that is marked by moral and spiritual darkness as a result of selfishness and rebellion against God. There were some people who had attended the church at one time, but had left the church, who were proclaiming that they were not guilty of selfishly rebelling against God and others.  There were some people who had attended the church at one time, but had left the church, who were proclaiming that one could have close connection with God while living a life that was in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus. There were some people who had attended the church at one time, but had left the church, who were proclaiming that one could have close connection with God while finding their identity in what the world offered instead of what Jesus offered.

With this phrase, John is revealing the reality that some people who possess this same spirit of rebellion and opposition to God and His kingdom mission will come from within the community of the church. But how could that be? The phrase they went out literally means to discontinue an association, in this case to leave the church community. When John states that they were not of us, he is stating that while they were part of the visible church, which is who we see in church on Sundays, they were not a part of what is referred to as the invisible church, which are those who have a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus.

John’s point is that these antichrists had at one time made a profession of faith in Jesus, but had abandoned that profession and were campaigning against Jesus and His kingdom. And this morning, the reality is that there will be those who profess to have a relationship and connection with Jesus and appear as part of the visible church, but in reality, do not have a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus. And because of that reality, these antichrists who had left the church at Ephesus and were trying to influence others to leave the church, had revealed the reality of their true spiritual condition by leaving and forsaking community and connection with the church. John’s point is that true followers of Jesus would have remained and continued in connection and community in His church.

Now a natural question that arises here is “Well Dave, if that John is saying is true, then how can we know who is a part of the visible church and who is part of the invisible church? How can we know who is really in possession of a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus and who is simply professing that they have a relationship with Jesus? How can we know who has true connection with God and who is actually opposed to God?

If that question is running through your mind, I want to let you know that you are asking a great question. And fortunately for us, we see John provide the answer to that question is what he says next.

Tomorrow we will look at what John says next…

Investing our time in a community group is essential because community groups help move us from independence to interdependence in a way that cultivates Christ-likeness...

This week we have been talking about why we believe it is essential for us to be consistently investing our time in a community group. And to do that, we have been looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of Galatians.

So far we have seen Paul reveal for us the reality that a lifestyle that embraces independence inevitably results in the destruction of our relationships with others. As followers of Jesus, we were created not for independence. As followers of Jesus we were created to live a life of dependence upon God and that live sin interdependent relationships with others in community with others.

However, when we turn the freedom that we have as followers of Jesus into a live that is driven by independence instead of interdependence, we will be driven to live selfish, narcissistic lives. We will be driven to please ourselves and place ourselves above others. And as a result, such a lifestyle of independence and license will eventually destroy and consume the community and connection that we were create for.

Paul then provided the members of the churches of Galatia with a situation: Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass. Paul here is referring to someone who has been caught off guard by the evil and destructive power of selfishness and rebellion and has gotten off track when it comes to their relationship with God because of their irresponsible behavior. 

After revealing the situation, Paul provides the members of the churches of Galatia a command in terms of how they are to respond to the situation. Paul commands those in the churches who are spiritual to restore such a one. When Paul refers to those who are spiritual, he is referring to followers of Jesus that are living their lives in a way that is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit and are living responsible lives.

In other words, those who are on track and who are living Spirit-filled, responsible lives as followers of Jesus are to help those who have gotten off track as a result of their irresponsibility get back on track when it comes to their relationship with God.

Paul explained that followers of Jesus have a responsibility to live in community with one another and help one another stay on track and live responsible lives when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. When we see other followers of Jesus get off track, we have the responsibility to lovingly and gently help them get back on track, while at the same time guarding against us getting off track and into irresponsible behavior as well.

Paul also revealed for us the reality that interdependent community enables us to support and encourage one another to live responsible lives. We are responsible to be developing deepening interdependent relationships with one another that strive to support and encourage one another as we live life in community with one another.

When we live in community that is marked by deep, interdependent relationships that strive to support and encourage one another to live responsibly, we reveal and reflect Christ’s character and conduct. We are living in such a way that meets Christ’s standard to love God with our total being and that shows our love for God by how we love and treat others.  However, as Paul continues, we see him confront a potential danger in Galatians 6:3-5. Let’s look at it together:

 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴ But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. ⁵ For each one will bear his own load.

Now verse three, if communicated in the language that we use in our culture today, would sound something like this: “Anyone who thinks that they are somebody when they are a nobody is only deceiving themselves. Just because you have not had a problem with being irresponsible, you are only misleading yourself if you think that you are better than others”. You see, a potential danger arises when we begin to compare our circumstances and struggles with others circumstances and struggles. And that potential danger, according to Paul, is that we become full of ourselves and think we are somebody spiritually.

Instead of deceiving ourselves into thinking that we are somebody when we are nobody, in verse 4 Paul commands the members of the churches of Galatia, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to examine his own work. Paul’s point here is that instead of comparing ourselves with others, we are to focus on whether or not we are living responsible lives that reveal and reflect Jesus in our character and conduct. If their close examination of their lives reveals that they are living a responsible life, Paul explains that they can boast, or take pride, in something. But what they can boast in is only in regard to how they are doing when it comes to meeting the standard of Jesus.

Paul’s point here is that if you want to compare yourself with someone, your comparison is to be against the example of Jesus and not other followers of Jesus.  Paul hammers his point home in verse 5 when he states that “For each one will bear his own load.” Paul’s point here is that at the end of our lives, when we stand before Jesus, there will no comparison of how responsible we were with how responsible other followers of Jesus were. Paul is saying “You better focus on your how responsible you are being instead of comparing yourself with others”.

You see, while independence often leads to comparison with others, interdependence leads to cooperation with others. While independence often leads to one being full of themselves over others, interdependence  leads to one being willing to empty themselves for the sake of others.

And it is here, in this section of this letter, that we discover a timeless truth as to why it is essential for us as followers of Jesus to be consistently investing our time in a community group. And that timeless truth is this: Investing our time in a community group is essential because community groups help move us from independence to interdependence in a way that cultivates Christ-likeness.

Investing our time in a community group is essential because while we as followers of Jesus have freedom from the slavery that comes from attempting to keep a list of religious rules for God in order to experience a right relationship with God, that freedom should not lead to independence. Instead, the freedom from the slavery that comes from attempting to keep a list of religious rules for God in order to experience a right relationship with God, should lead to a life of dependence upon God and that lives in interdependent relationships with others in community with others.

Investing our time in a community group is essential because when we live in community that is marked by deep, interdependent relationships that strive to support and encourage one another to live responsibly, we reveal and reflect Christ’s character and conduct. Investing our time in a community group is essential because when we live in community that is marked by deep, interdependent relationships that strive to support and encourage one another to live responsibly, we can help others from getting off track when it comes to their relationship with Jesus and lovingly help those who have gotten off track get back on track because somebody can see what you can’t see.

Investing our time in a community group is essential because when we live in community that is marked by deep, interdependent relationships that strive to support and encourage one another to live responsibly, we are living in such a way that meets Christ’s standard to love God with our total being and that shows our love for God by how we love and treat others.  Investing our time in a community group is essential because while independence often leads to comparison with others, interdependence leads to cooperation with others. Investing our time in a community group is essential because while independence often leads to one being full of themselves over others, interdependence  leads to one being willing to empty themselves for the sake of others.

That is what we are such big believers in community groups here at City Bible Church. That is why we have as a goal that everyone who attends C.B.C. would be investing their time in a community group. Community is not optional. Community is critical, because what you do is not optional, it is critical.

We believe that the circles that are community groups are betters than the rows of corporate worship gatherings because transformational spiritual growth occurs in community with others where those supportive and encouraging relationships can be developed where people can take that next step in their relationship with Jesus wherever you are at in that relationship with Jesus. And, as a church, we believe that the earlier the better when it comes to community groups. That is why we have community groups for every age and stage of life here at City Bible Church.

And here is the thing: If you wait to get in a community group until you need it, you will not have community when you need it. And when you are in close community as part of a community group, community is already there for you when you need them to be there for you.

So with all that in mind, here is a question to consider: When will you take the step to get into the community that you need the most by being a part of a community group?

Because, as we have discovered, investing our time in a community group is essential because community groups help move us from independence to interdependence in a way that cultivates Christ-likeness.

A Call to Interdependence...

This week we are looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of Galatians. Yesterday, in Galatians 5:13-15, we looked on as the Apostle Paul turned his attention to the members of the churches of Galatia who were abandoning a gospel centered lifestyle to embrace a lifestyle of license.

Paul responded to those who were embracing such a lifestyle of license by stating that while they were called to freedom; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. In other words, Paul is explaining that while the message of the gospel provides us freedom from the slavery that came about from attempting to do things for God by keeping a list of religious rules for God, we are not to respond to that freedom by allowing our old nature apart from Jesus that is dominated by the evil and destructive power of selfishness, rebellion, and sin to become active and dominate how we live our day to day lives.

Instead of embracing a lifestyle of license that is driven by our old selfish and rebellious nature to please ourselves and place ourselves above others, Paul called the members of the churches of Galatia to through love serve one another. Now the word love here refers to an other-centered warm regard and affection for others that places others before ourselves. When Paul states that we are to serve one another, this word literally means to conduct oneself in total service to another.

Paul revealed for us the reality that a lifestyle that embraces independence inevitably results in the destruction of our relationships with others. While we as followers of Jesus have freedom from the slavery that comes from attempting to keep a list of religious rules for God in order to experience a right relationship with God, that freedom should not lead to independence. Instead, the freedom from the slavery that comes from attempting to keep a list of religious rules for God in order to experience a right relationship with God, should lead to interdependence.

You see, independence is not a Biblical value. Independence is an American value. Freedom is a Biblical value. Interdependence is a Biblical value. As followers of Jesus, we were created not for independence. As followers of Jesus we were created to live a life of dependence upon God and that live sin interdependent relationships with others in community with others.

However, when we turn the freedom that we have as followers of Jesus into a live that is driven by independence instead of interdependence, we will be driven to live selfish, narcissistic lives. We will be driven to please ourselves and place ourselves above others. And as a result, such a lifestyle of independence and license will eventually destroy and consume the community and connection that we were create for.

Now, a natural question that could arise here is “Well Dave, if that is the case, then what does the interdependence that you are talking about look like? What does such community and connection look like?” If that question is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a great question. And just a few verses later, we see Paul begin to provide the answers to those questions. So let’s discover those answers together, beginning in Galatians 6:1:

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

Here we see Paul provide the members of the churches of Galatia with a situation: Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass. Paul here is referring to someone who has been caught off guard by the evil and destructive power of selfishness and rebellion and has gotten off track when it comes to their relationship with God because of their irresponsible behavior. 

After revealing the situation, Paul provides the members of the churches of Galatia a command in terms of how they are to respond to the situation. Paul commands those in the churches who are spiritual to restore such a one. When Paul refers to those who are spiritual, he is referring to followers of Jesus that are living their lives in a way that is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit and are living responsible lives.

In other words, those who are on track and who are living Spirit-filled, responsible lives as followers of Jesus are to help those who have gotten off track as a result of their irresponsibility get back on track when it comes to their relationship with God. But notice how Paul says that followers of Jesus who are responsible are to help those who have gotten off track as a result of their irresponsibility get back on track when it comes to their relationship with God.

First, Paul explains that we are to display a spirit of gentleness as we come alongside those who have gotten off track as a result of their irresponsibility that was caused by selfishness and rebellion. In other words, followers of Jesus are not to use their Bibles like a sledgehammer to beat the person who has gotten off track back on track. Instead, for the person who has gotten knocked off track by their irresponsibility, we are to lovingly and gently come alongside and guide them and encourage them in a way that results in them getting back on track.

Second, Paul explains that we are to be “looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”  Now if Paul was making this statement in the language we use in our culture today, this statement would sound something like this: “As you are helping those who have gotten off track get back on track, pay attention and look out that you don’t end up being enticed by your old nature apart from Jesus that is dominated by selfishness and rebellion so that you don’t end up off track as well.”

Paul here is revealing for us the reality that followers of Jesus have a responsibility to live in community with one another and help one another stay on track and live responsible lives when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. When we see other followers of Jesus get off track, we have the responsibility to lovingly and gently help them get back on track, while at the same time guarding against us getting off track and into irresponsible behavior as well. Paul continues to unpack the responsibility that followers of Jesus have in community with one another in verse 2:

 Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

Here we see Paul command the members of the churches of Galatia, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to bear one another’s burdens. Now this command conveys the sense of sustaining and supporting one another through the difficulties that come about as we follow Jesus here on earth. And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the reality that interdependent community enables us to support and encourage one another to live responsible lives.

We are responsible to be developing deepening interdependent relationships with one another that strive to support and encourage one another as we live life in community with one another. Paul then reveals for us the reality that when we experience those deep, interdependent relationships that support and encourage one another to live responsibly, the result is that we fulfill the law of Christ.

Paul’s point here is that when we live in community that is marked by deep, interdependent relationships that strive to support and encourage one another to live responsibly, we reveal and reflect Christ’s character and conduct. We are living in such a way that meets Christ’s standard to love God with our total being and that shows our love for God by how we love and treat others. 

However, as Paul continued his letter, we see him confront a potential danger. Friday we will discover that potential danger together…

Is independence a value that Jesus embraces?

At the church where I serve, we gather every week in community so that we can create the space to explore faith, grow in our faith, and experience genuine and authentic community. As a church, we desire to create environments where you can move on a spiritual journey from the place of being a consumer who is either searching and shopping for answers when it comes to Jesus and the Bible or who view that church as a place that provides spiritual goods and services, to the place where you are an owner who owns and genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus and where you can move from the place of being an owner to being an investor who is investing their time, talents and treasure in the kingdom mission that we have been given.

Every week, we express that our goal is that everyone who attends here at City Bible Church would be investing their time in a community group, their talents serving God by serving others on a ministry team, and investing their treasure in a way that reveals and reflects the generosity of Jesus through regular and proportional giving. So this week I would like for us to spend our time together talking about why we believe it is essential for us to be consistently investing our time in a community group.

And to do that, I would like for us to look at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of Galatians. The book of Galatians was written by a man that we know today as the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul, who once persecuted early followers of Jesus, became the greatest missionary of the early church after to his encounter with Jesus Christ after He had been raised from the dead on the Damascus Road, which we read about in Acts 9.

After that encounter with the resurrected Jesus, Paul was given the unique role and gifting to be the messenger that would deliver God’s new message to the world regarding Jesus Christ and message of the gospel. Paul was sent by Jesus with a message from Jesus as His representative to the churches of Galatia.

These were churches that Paul had previously planted in Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystre, and Derbe during his first missionary journey, which is recorded for us in Acts 13-14. These churches were located in the southern section of Asia Minor, or modern day Turkey.

After Paul had planted these churches and returned from his missionary journey, he decided to write this letter to these churches around 48 A.D., which was within 20 years of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. So, with this background information in mind, let’s jump into this section of this letter together, beginning in Galatians 5:13-15:

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

Paul begins this section of his letter by turning his attention to the members of the churches of Galatia who were abandoning a gospel centered lifestyle to embrace a lifestyle of license. As we have talked about in the past, a lifestyle of license maintains that as a result of God’s grace, we can do whatever we want and still be right with God. For the lifestyle of license, the idea that forgiveness and a right relationship with God is solely based on placing one’s confident trust in what God has done for us through Jesus seems to give us license.

Paul responded to those who were embracing such a lifestyle of license by stating that while they were called to freedom; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. In other words, Paul is explaining that while the message of the gospel provides us freedom from the slavery that came about from attempting to do things for God by keeping a list of religious rules for God, we are not to respond to that freedom by allowing our old nature apart from Jesus that is dominated by the evil and destructive power of selfishness, rebellion, and sin to become active and dominate how we live our day to day lives.

You see, Paul knew something that we all need to know, which is that when we allow our old nature apart from Jesus that is dominated by selfishness and rebellion to dominate our lives we will lives selfish, narcissistic lives. We will be driven to please ourselves and place ourselves above others.

Instead of embracing a lifestyle of license that is driven by our old selfish and rebellious nature to please ourselves and place ourselves above others, Paul called the members of the churches of Galatia to through love serve one another. Now the word love here refers to an other-centered warm regard and affection for others that places others before ourselves. When Paul states that we are to serve one another, this word literally means to conduct oneself in total service to another.

Paul then reinforces his call in verse 14 by pointing to a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament letter called the book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 19:18, we see God command the Jewish people to love their neighbor as yourself. Paul’s point here is that the entire Old Testament is summed up and fulfilled when we love God with our total being and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Think of it this way: If we loved God with our total being and loved our neighbor as ourselves, would we break any of God's rules? Would we lie? Cheat? Steal? Sleep around on our spouses? You see, a selfless, other-centered love completes the Law; a life driven by love will be a life that fulfills the Law’s requirements.

However, Paul explains “But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” With this phrase, Paul is painting a word picture of the discomfort and destruction that results when we engage in selfish and spiteful strife. When we are involved in division and dissension that arises from the selfishness that flows from a lifestyle of license, the result is that we can tear one another to pieces, can’t we? That is the word picture Paul is painting here.

And it is this word picture that we see Paul reveal for us the reality that a lifestyle that embraces independence inevitably results in the destruction of our relationships with others. While we as followers of Jesus have freedom from the slavery that comes from attempting to keep a list of religious rules for God in order to experience a right relationship with God, that freedom should not lead to independence. Instead, the freedom from the slavery that comes from attempting to keep a list of religious rules for God in order to experience a right relationship with God, should lead to interdependence.

You see, independence is not a Biblical value. Independence is an American value. Freedom is a Biblical value. Interdependence is a Biblical value. As followers of Jesus, we were created not for independence. As followers of Jesus we were created to live a life of dependence upon God and that live sin interdependent relationships with others in community with others.

However, when we turn the freedom that we have as followers of Jesus into a live that is driven by independence instead of interdependence, we will be driven to live selfish, narcissistic lives. We will be driven to please ourselves and place ourselves above others. And as a result, such a lifestyle of independence and license will eventually destroy and consume the community and connection that we were create for.

Now, a natural question that could arise here is “Well Dave, if that is the case, then what does the interdependence that you are talking about look like? What does such community and connection look like?”

If that question is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a great question. And just a few verses later, we see Paul begin to provide the answers to those questions.

Tomorrow we will discover the answers to those questions…