This coming Sunday, 1/10/16, we will be digging in to 1 John 5:6-12. After studying through this passage, I tweeted out: “1 John 5:6-12 in a sentence – “Testimony (about Jesus) with implications that may lead to life.” #believeinHim
So, what I hope we see this coming Sunday is a clear picture of Jesus and we’d respond accordingly. It’s going to be a great weekend studying this passage and considering it in our small groups, as well. I hope to see you there.
My 1/3/16AM sermon, Faith Overcomes from 1 John 5:1-5 is now online. One way God works assurance in His people is by showing the fruit of lives that are born of God, those who believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. This sermon unpacked the fruit of love, obedience and a reality of faith that overcomes the world. I hope it encourages you.
Today, as you think about the newness of the New Year, remember, part of what God’s done in the Gospel is to take away the old and make all things new.
In fact, Revelation 21:5 says, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Rest in this glorious reality today.
Do you want to read the whole Bible?
The average person reads 200 to 250 words per minute; there are about 775,000 words in the Bible; therefore it takes less than 10 minutes a day to read the whole Bible in a year.
(For those who like details, there’s a webpage devoted to how long it takes to read each book of the Bible. And if you want a simple handout that has every Bible book with a place to put a check next to every chapter, go to Don Whitney’s checklist.)
(Justin Taylor provides a post on reading the Bible each year, and he’s my source for the above information.)
I love using the ESV Daily Reading Bible.
You might need lots of grace to accomplish this, so maybe you could try to Bible Reading Plan for Shirkers and Slackers.
There are many Reading Plans Using the ESV.
I’ve distributed the Navigator’s Discipleship Journal Plan a lot.
People have also benefitted from the Bible Eater Plan.
In terms of a newer resource, J.R. Vassar’s Church At The Cross has a Bible Reading Plan that is sensitive to the church calendar (think Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost and Ordinary Times). They have daily reading bookmarks you can download.
Tolle Lege! Take up and read!
My former seminary professor Don Whitney has done a great service is helping us think through some questions to start the new year. Here’s how he begins:
Once, when the people of God had become careless in their relationship with Him, the Lord rebuked them through the prophet Haggai. “Consider your ways!” (Haggai 1:5) he declared, urging them to reflect on some of the things happening to them, and to evaluate their slipshod spirituality in light of what God had told them.
Even those most faithful to God occasionally need to pause and think about the direction of their lives. It’s so easy to bump along from one busy week to another without ever stopping to ponder where we’re going and where we should be going.
The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.
I’d encourage you to download the questions and consider how God may redirect and/or refocus you in the coming year.
If I were going to ask you about how you would wage war to fight the evil of our world, what would you give as the key component of the battle? Some of us might rush to politics, money or power. But, the Bible paints this entirely different. This coming Sunday, 1/3/16, we will explore 1 John 5:1-5, which says,
“And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. [5] Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Come this Sunday and see how your faith in God changes things.
My 12/27/15AM sermon, Love Perfected from 1 John 4:17-21, is now online. Just like we’d expect to be chilled walking outside on a day with a 5 degree wind chill or be satisfied after eating at a buffet, we can expect that when God moves into our lives with His love, things will be affected. His love perfected in us, means we can expect certain things to characterize our lives. These are what I tease out of this passage. Hope it helps you.
This Friday, remember the amazing news communicated to the shepherds:
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)
I love this song by Michael W. Smith…this version sung with the amazing Carrie Underwood…
The magician grabs the hat and challenges Santa: And just what are YOU going to do about it? Here’s the rest of the conversation:
Santa: If you so much as lay a finger on the brim, I’ll never bring you another Christmas present as long as you live.
Magician: Never?
Santa: Never!
Magician: No more trick cards or magic balls or…
Santa: No more anything.
Magician: Oh, that’s not fair. I mean, we evil magicians have to make a living too.
Santa: Now you go home and write “I am very sorry for what I did to Frosty” a hundred zillion times. And then maybe, just maybe, mind you…you’ll find something in your stocking tomorrow morning.
Magician: A new hat maybe? Oh, yes sir. Goodbye everyone. I’ve got to get busy writing busy busy busy.
Now, why do I rehearse these details? Well, they simply show that Jesus is better.
1) He’s better than Santa. You see, when Jesus came as the Savior of the world, He didn’t come calling people to work up a fake sorry and contrition so they can receive good things from Him. They don’t have to write out anything a hundred zillion times. They don’t even have to say they are very sorry for wronging another person with the hopes that maybe, just maybe, they’ll earn Jesus’ good favor. Jesus simply gives it in spite of what we deserve or have done. We’re called to give up all hope of rescue in ourselves and to lean on Him only. Jesus forgives freely. We don’t put down a down payment on these things.
2) He’s better than Frosty. After all, Frosty is frozen at this point. He’s not able to do anything to effect change. Jesus is better than that because He went into the greenhouse (to use Frostyspeak) for us. He bore all the punishment and evil that we could possibly receive from sinful people so that we might be saved not just in part but on the whole. He’s a perfectly sympathetic High Priest.
3) And, of course, the salvation Jesus brings is better than what we see here. There’s so much contingent not on grace and mercy, but on penance and contrition. After all, is this even believable. Who could possibly be sorry enough to earn a gift from Santa. Jesus, on the other hand, says to any who are burdened with such things to give up. Come to Him, all who are weary and heavy laden and He will give you rest. His salvation is sweeter, deeper, and richer.
This holiday season, then, you have good news. A Savior has been born for you. You can freely rest in Him and know a love like you’ve never known. Jesus is better than these expressions. Look to Him.