Grace Alone Online

Back in 1963, Marvin Gaye recorded a minor-hit song that became so popular that it was covered at least nine times, including by the Temptations and Lee Michaels, who made it a hit in 1971. The song, “Can I get a Witness.” Today’s text immediately brought this chorus to mind…and you’ll shortly see why. Today, John finishes his letter to the congregations in modern-day Western Turkey threatened by the false teaching of Cerinthus and his followers. John has spent time and energy, helping those Christians discern who is the true Christian.  To wrap up his letter he focuses our attention on three key words: testimony, faith, and to know.

Who loved who first? Is it my love for God or is it His love for me? Everyone seems to be looking for perfect love…but never finding it? “I know what love is, Jenny.” “MORE THAN A FEELING” “I WANNA KNOW WHAT LOVE IS”. Is love a “second hand emotion?”. Even though we might think we know what love is, it’s obvious we don’t have it or we wouldn't long for it through songs and saying.  Our love is broken.  Our love is not perfect....and perfect doesn't mean how we love...perfect means it is incomplete.  What is the difference between my love, human love, and God’s love? Will you at last find true love?  Find out!

"Oh, when the saints go marching in...."  A beautiful song.  Do you want to be in the number?  Sounds like there is some doubt in the lyrics: "How I WANT to be in that number."  God wants us too as well.  That is why his promises are sure.  He signs, seals and delivers us to himself according to His promise of salvation....in and through Baptism.  There should be no shadow of a doubt for those Baptized and who believe Christ's words, "in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit," because here God puts his name on us.  He claims us as His own.  Today we remember all those who are in the Lord's family, who have gone before us into glory, and wear the crown of life given to them by Christ himself.  In our worship, we gather around the throne with them.  We break into their worship, even just for a moment, to join them briefly in what our inheritance will be by their side in the future.

Whose seed are you? Test it. Test the spirits who tempt you or assure you; the spirits who lead you astray or the one who keeps you in your new life. There is only one test. It is the same one as from the beginning. It’s not new. Before the show goes on, the microphones have to be tested – to be sure everything is heard clearly by the audience. If the mics aren’t working properly misunderstanding or any understanding at all might take place.

1 John 2:28-3:10 is our sermon text: Everything has a root cause, and it has a ‘root’ cause because roots come from ‘seeds.’ The seed produces what will come naturally from that seed. It stands to reason, then, that the root cause of sin is evil seed. John says that as Christ’s children we bear the seed of Christ. We bear the DNA as the ones born of the new creation in Christ Jesus. As new creations in Christ, we are free from enslavement to sinful lifestyles, but we still live in mortal bodies, we still have human roots. Only when Jesus returns in the end times will we see who we really are, because we will see Jesus just as He is. We will then be revealed who we are in Christ Jesus.

1 John 2:18-27 is our sermon text. John has made it clear: the two ways of knowing a Christian (1) being in the light by acknowledging their sin and receiving forgiveness through Christ and (2) by following Christ in the light. It’s a comfort to hear that my sins are forgiven and that I have fellowship with God through Christ, but sometimes, I doubt. Is there any other way by which I would know I have fellowship with God for those times when I doubt

1 John 2:3-3:17 is our sermon text: “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” Live like Jesus did? Impossible! I’m a sinner; He is sinless. But, you are called to walk in the light with sins forgiven….as He is in the light. What does walking in that light sound like, feel like, taste like, look like? How does it shine in your life!

We continue our study of the Apostle John's first letter to the congregations in Western Turkey with 1 John 1:5 - 1:5 - "And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But  if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with  one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 2:2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may  not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."

Today we begin a study of John's First Epistles.  Seeing, hearing, communing, touching, smelling. God showers upon us the gifts that we need in human life to enjoy ever minute of it. The joy we get from eating food we like, seeing movies we love, hearing songs that move us, touching textures that cause us diversity of sensations. God chose to communicate with us in this way when He became flesh and dwelt among us. There is no superior intellectual, spiritual knowledge to which we must ascend or guess at; God comes to us in Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Word made flesh. How does God come to us through seeing, hearing, touching, tasting even today, to make our joy, and His, complete?

The Christian life has a certain rhythm about it: Repentance, faith and servanthood.  It can be cyclical in your life - a season, or perhaps every day.  We all go through this....it's what keeps Christians going.  We are, after all, sinner and saint; that is, we are sinners yet we are forgiven.  We repent but we don't grovel or lose hope in what we have sinned, rather, we move from repentance to faith in what Christ has accomplished for us.  His sacrificed and resurrection opened the door for us to move from helpless and condemned sinner to righteous in God's sight because of Christ's sacrifice.  this frees us up to servanthood in love to all who surround us.  Our needs met by Him, we are free to serve.  Catch this rhythm.