DO I BELIEVE - 1 John 4:1-6

I believe Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully human - the Doctrine of Incarnation. It is easy for me to take a belief like this for granted. First, I seldom fight a battle over this belief. Most people calling themselves Christians accept it as true. Also others in history fought to silence the arguments opposed to this understanding of the person of Christ. Second, I must confess, life is too busy and practical to be bogged down with such a weighty theological matter. I need self-help messages to keep my life headed in the right direction - I need wisdom, not theology.

Maybe you would agree with me; maybe not. Either way, there are huge implications for us who hold to the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Our paragraph for study this Sunday calls us to remembrance about the importance of the humanity and Deity of Jesus. Like a trumpet blast, John calls us to confess our belief is Jesus, "what do you really believe about the one they call the Christ?" The paragraph finds at its center this confession, "Jesus Christ, who has come in the flesh, is from God." It is this confession alone that reveals genuineness about our faith in God and citizenship in his Kingdom.

Why is this doctrine so important? Here are several implications of the doctrine of Christ's Deity & Humanity:

1. We can have real knowledge of God.
Jesus said, "He who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9) If we would know what the love of God, the holiness of God, the power of God are like, we need only look at Christ.

2. Redemption is available to us.
The death of Christ is sufficient for all sinners who have ever lived, for it was not merely a finite human, but a infinite God who died. He, the Life, the Giver and Sustainer of life, who did not have to die, died.

3. God and man have been reunited.
It was not an angel or a human who came from God to man, but God himself crossed the chasm created by sin.

4. Worship of Christ is appropriate.
He is not merely the highest of the creatures, but he is God in the same sense and to the same degree as the Father. He is as deserving of our praise, adoration, and obedience as is the Father.

5. Help is available to us.
Jesus' intercessory ministry is dependent upon his humanity. If he was truly one of us, experiencing all of the temptations and trials of human existence, then he is able to understand and empathize with us in our struggles as humans.

(Reference Material on Implications of Incarnation: Erickson, Christian Theology. Pp. 703-706)

DO I LOVE - 1 John 3:11-24

I continue my study through 1 John this week. As I read in one commentary, I was caught by this statement: "Loving everyone in general may be an excuse for loving nobody in particular."

Is this what the Holy Spirit is saying through John in verse 17, if anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" The one who has, must take note of the one who has not. The blessings from God in our lives must flow to those in need around us. I remember reading a great book entitled Mountains beyond Mountains, in which the author said, "God gives but he does not share, that burden he places on humanity."

So John declares, "love with more than words, but in action and truth."

We are seeing lots of abuse of these principles in our country with the economic hardship hitting everyone. The greed and mismanagement of the financial sections of business are amazing. To many of us, these problems seem huge and overwhelming. Yet, this morning I read in the Napa Register about discussions among our City Council to cut spending on some important non-profits in the City - example: Women's Abuse Shelter. So there are many local ways we can show our love and lack of greed.

Think about this comparison from 1 John: Life doesn't exist where murder is present; neither does love exist where greed is found.

Love has a major emphasis in 1 John three times. Each time the emphasis builds, creating a peak of Love as the ultimate goal for believers. In chapter two, we are to love because Jesus loved and we are to follow the ways of Jesus. In chapter three, love is our way of life because we are God's children and love has been the sustaining force of life since the beginning of human history. Finally, in the third chapter, we are challenged to love because, simply, God is Love. It is the ultimate comparison. Three times in Scripture is God compared so closely to earthy things. God is Spirit, God is light, and God is love.

Our focus for this Sunday is the Primary nature of love (it is from the beginning). Here are some scriptures to illuminate this for you.
First of the Fruit of the Spirit - Galatians 5:22
The Reality of Faith - Galatians 5:6
The Greatest of the Great - 1 Corinthians 13:2, 8, 13
The Keeper from Error - 1 John 2:10
Proof of the Supernatural - Luke 6:27-36

Review these scriptures and add to the list. Come prepared this Sunday to receive God's Spirit of love in your heart.

YOU MUST PASS 3 TESTS - 1 John 2:3-27

It is hard to believe that we are almost to the half way point in President Obama's first 100 days as our country's leader. As many presidents before him, he has accomplished so many things in these first days in office. Every major News Channel in the country is emphasizing the frist 100 days because so very much is at stake. Unemployment has gone up, the financial markets continue to be weak, and industry is still slowing down. Throughout history, we have seen these first 100 days as a test period or indicator of the remaining 3.5 years of an individual's presidency. How will he govern? What will guide his decision making? Who will be the key leaders that surround him? It is test time for President Obama and I believe he knows it. You can see it by the schedule he is keeping - pass or fail - that is the question on the table.

Life is filled with tests. School children confront this tension each week. Nathan started this year the weekly spelling test - oh, that brings back memories (not good ones). Every two weeks most of us are tested in our jobs. You know if you passed or failed by the paycheck you receive. We verify a great number of things each day by test them.

For example: How fast I should drive on the road? I know this by of course the posted speed limit, but also by testing my speed against other drivers. If I am passing more cars than are passing me, then I am probably going too fast. If too many are passing me, then too slow. Testing, testing, testing.

The churches around Ephesus were asking the Disciple John, how can we know we have eternal life? What test can you provide us? We want proof of a relationship with God.

The letter of First John is his answer, in which he lays out three tests:
1. The Righteous Test: Do like Jesus Did
2. The Love Test: Love like Jesus Loved
3. The Belief Test: Trust like Jesus Trusted

We will deal with each of these tests over the next 4 weeks. Will write again soon.