John takes a hard line with sin that is often uncomfortable for me. It is uncomfortable for me when I am wrong and want to compromise my faith walk and my flesh walk. I think the early church writers would have been right at home in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings! I have attended a few of these meetings as a guest and I am always struck by the uncompromising search for honesty in them. Perhaps this is because the participants know that to compromise with their enemy - alcohol - means to slide back into a life out of control and ruin. Maybe we need that same kind of desperation in our struggle against sin. James had it, Paul had it, John has it. how about you and me. Not so much I'm afraid.
"Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. Whoever says, "I have come to know him," but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, "I abide in him," ought to walk just as he walked." 1John 2:3-6 NRSV. Seems pretty clear where John comes down here, doesn't it? How have I allowed myself to live such a compromised life in so many areas? The answer is sin. I wonder in my attempts as a pastor to make sinners welcome in worship if I haven't gone to far and also helped them become comfortable with their sin?
Let us renew our call to righteousness friends. Turn from sin, embrace what is holy, love all people as Christ has loved us. Do not sin. May the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit fill the church.
About Me
- Pastor Bill
- I am a committed follower of Jesus Christ, a happy husband, father and grandfather!
10 comments:
Trust me, PB, you have not helped us be comfortable in our sin.
One of the things that I love about you is that the Holy Spirit has given you the ability to draw people closer to God.
Your love for Jesus is an example for all of us - When I hear you get emotional describing your love, it makes me hungry for that same relationship with our Lord.
I've heard enough fire and brimstone preaching in my life - I prefer the message that you present: God is a loving God who wants a relationship, who is willing to forgive our sins, who promises to never leave us, who loved us so much that He sacrificed His only son.
That is the God I need. One who loves me, but corrects me when I fall off the path He desires me to travel.
Comfortable with my sins?
I think not - you have made me search scriptures, spend more time in prayer, repent and forsake my sins so I can have a close personal relationship with our Lord.
You are a blessing to me, my family, and our Church.
Your message of love, forgiveness and repentance needs to be heard world-wide.
My job is to hear, obey, and pass it on to others in my daily walk.
Your influence has reached more people outside of your church walls than you will ever know - until the Lord Himself tells you when you are called home.
You are a Godly man, producing Godly men, hungry to do the service of our Lord.
And if you need a second opinion...
I think you sing well also. :)
Thank you for helping us.
Thanks Mark,
I want to do what God wants me to do and not what i've always done - I want God's best for myself, our congregation and the Church. I fall short in so many areas, and I need people like you to help me push deeper.
You are a blessing.
Bil
"POWERFUL"
This is how I received this chapter. I read the entire chapter then did the study from my bible. It was hard to read through the tears. I don't know why I became tearful. It may be for my brothers and sisters who, [like in verse 19] are not true belivers or is it that I'am the sinner that John talks about. Either way this is coming closer to being my [one of] favorite chapter.
I DO and HAVE realized that Christ guides my life and I will always be looking for the antichrist attempting to rob me from what is mine. That being eternal life.
I pray that God will always be in all of our lives forever. Amen
DeColores
Hi A-M,
Powerful for sure - one of your favorite chapters? Careful that favorite chapter thing may be contagious! The word of God often brings me to tears and sometimes I do not know why. I trust God is doing some inner work in me that needs to be done. Hang in there!
Bill
What a great chapter. It just flat-out tells the truth about what we need to do to make our lives complete, to be near God. Maybe we miss these things all too often.
If you are sinning, you are walking in darkness. You ever try to walk in the pitch dark? You could fall into a hole and really hurt yourself. God doesn't want that.
Then there's the whole don't love the world thing. It seems like a "duh" thing, but really, we love the world so much so often. We worry about tomorrow, no matter how hard we try not to. God knows this will happen, so he tries to help us through it.
Pastor, you let us know what we need to know. You sugar-coat the love of Christ because it is sugar-coated, but you tell the truth about where we need to be in our faith. Be bold, brother.
Sin is hard...because it's everywhere. How can we fix it? Only with the blood of Jesus. Amen.
In him,
Marshall
Thanks Marshall,
I appreciate your encouragement! It seems like every so often God does a tune up on me - I am in the midle of one right now! "It's all good", as Ben would say, but in the midst of it I need to look carefuly at ho and why I serve the way I do!
Bill
Oh that Ben, his generally easy-going attitude must be helpful to have around for a Pastor with as much on his plate as you.
You do wonderfully at God's work, it's clear in your relations with people, your presence in the community, your family, and even this study!
It's been great. Thanks. Keep it up. We're always praying for you.
Marsh
"whoever says, ‘I abide in him’, ought to walk just as he walked."
Indeed. The doctrine of Christian perfection is one of my favorites - to love even as I struggle to understand it.
I was once trying to express in a small group book study in Oneida my sense of sinfulness - not like some sensational confession - just a sense of failing to do that which I know God has called me to do, and that being sinful. My class just couldn't let me admit it - sweetly, but wrongly, wanted to tell me I was doing the best I could. But I wanted to communicate that it was not only ok, but important, to admit to ourselves and God our falling short. Hm.
Ps - I guess 1 John 2 got me on length after 1 John 1. :)
I understand exactly what you are talking about Elizabeth. Acknowledging our sin - missing the mark - seems to me to be an essential part of moving on towards perfection / maturity. I also have people who rebuke me lovingly when I talk about this. It seems to make them feel uncomfortable somehow to have me long for a much deeper abiding walk with God. I wonder why?
Bill
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