Living Faithfully: Love, Discernment, and Perseverance
Summary
In the sermon, the pastor addresses the congregation's challenges and persecution, reminding them of their purpose on earth as Christians. He emphasizes the importance of prayer, love, and acts of service in fulfilling this purpose. The pastor also underscores the significance of maintaining a balance between showing love and mercy to others while also recognizing and hating sin. He encourages the congregation to become students of the Bible and to call out false teaching when they hear it. The pastor also highlights the need to defend one's faith when facing external opposition and to remember that Jesus is better when facing internal temptations.
The pastor expresses gratitude for the relevance and accessibility of the Bible in our lives today. He emphasizes the importance of not just owning a Bible or downloading a Bible app, but actively studying and engaging with the scriptures on a daily basis. The pastor prays for the congregation to be encouraged and challenged to live out their faith according to the teachings of the Bible. He also acknowledges that some individuals may face opposition to their faith, whether from external sources or internal struggles, and prays for strength and guidance for those individuals to remain steadfast in their beliefs.
The pastor focuses on the book of Hebrews and the letters written by Peter. The main message of Hebrews is that Jesus is better than anything else in which we may put our hope or allegiance. The pastor then transitions to discussing Peter, highlighting his flaws and his role as a leader among Jewish Christians. Peter's letters are believed to have been written to a Gentile audience, possibly reflecting his concern for them towards the end of his life. The pastor explains that Peter's first letter aims to give hope to followers of Jesus who are facing persecution under Emperor Nero.
The pastor emphasizes the importance of both loving God and loving people as a way to live out one's faith. The pastor quotes Jesus, who said that if we love Him, we will obey His commandments. This means that loving God is not just about singing songs on Sunday, but also about following His commandments in our daily lives. The pastor also highlights the message of John, who repeatedly emphasizes the need to love one another. Jesus Himself said that the world will recognize His disciples by the way they love one another.
The pastor discusses the significance of the letters of First and Second Peter in the New Testament. The pastor highlights that while First Peter offers encouragement and guidance for staying faithful in the face of opposition and suffering, Second Peter focuses on addressing false teachers. The pastor emphasizes the importance of discernment and studying the scriptures to avoid being led astray by those who misuse the Bible or claim to be pastors.
Key Takeaways:
- The pastor emphasizes the importance of prayer, love, and acts of service in fulfilling the Christian purpose on earth. He encourages the congregation to become students of the Bible and to call out false teaching when they hear it ([12:45]).
- The pastor underscores the significance of actively studying and engaging with the scriptures on a daily basis. He prays for the congregation to be encouraged and challenged to live out their faith according to the teachings of the Bible ([24:30]).
- The pastor highlights the main message of the book of Hebrews, that Jesus is better than anything else in which we may put our hope or allegiance. He also discusses Peter's letters, which aim to give hope to followers of Jesus who are facing persecution ([36:15]).
- The pastor emphasizes the importance of both loving God and loving people as a way to live out one's faith. He quotes Jesus, who said that if we love Him, we will obey His commandments. This means that loving God is not just about singing songs on Sunday, but also about following His commandments in our daily lives ([48:20]).
- The pastor discusses the significance of the letters of First and Second Peter in the New Testament. He highlights that while First Peter offers encouragement and guidance for staying faithful in the face of opposition and suffering, Second Peter focuses on addressing false teachers. The pastor emphasizes the importance of discernment and studying the scriptures to avoid being led astray by those who misuse the Bible or claim to be pastors ([59:10]).
Study Guide
Bible Reading:
1. 1 John 2:3-5: "By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him."
2. James 2:15-17: "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
3. Jude 22-23: "And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh."
Observation Questions:
1. What does 1 John 2:3-5 say about the relationship between knowing God and keeping His commandments?
2. In James 2:15-17, what is the connection between faith and works?
3. What does Jude 22-23 instruct about how to treat those who doubt or are in danger of falling away from faith?
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does 1 John 2:3-5 define the love of God and how it is perfected in us?
2. How does James 2:15-17 challenge the notion that faith alone, without action, is sufficient?
3. What does Jude 22-23 suggest about the balance between showing mercy and hating sin?
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your daily life. Are there any commandments you struggle to keep? How can you work on aligning your actions with God's commandments?
2. Can you think of a specific situation this week where you can demonstrate your faith through action, as suggested in James 2:15-17?
3. Is there someone in your life who is doubting or struggling with their faith? How can you show them mercy, as instructed in Jude 22-23, while also hating sin?
4. How can you actively engage with the scriptures on a daily basis to deepen your understanding and relationship with God?
5. Can you identify a false teaching you've encountered recently? How did you respond, and how can you better equip yourself to discern and address such teachings in the future?
Devotional
Day 1: Embracing the Christian Purpose through Prayer, Love, and Service
As followers of Christ, we are called to live out our faith through prayer, love, and acts of service. This is not a passive calling, but an active one that requires us to become students of the Bible and to discern and challenge false teachings when we encounter them ([12:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDr6xsVuXlM&t=750s)).
James 1:22 - "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
Reflection: How can you actively live out your faith today through prayer, love, and service? Can you identify a false teaching you've encountered and how you addressed it?
Day 2: Engaging with the Scriptures Daily
The Bible is not just a book to be owned or an app to be downloaded, but a living word to be studied and engaged with daily. It is through this daily engagement that we are encouraged and challenged to live out our faith according to its teachings ([24:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDr6xsVuXlM&t=1455s)).
Psalm 119:105 - "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."
Reflection: How can you make studying and engaging with the scriptures a daily habit? What changes can you make to your routine to prioritize this?
Day 3: Jesus: Our Ultimate Hope and Allegiance
The book of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus is better than anything else in which we may put our hope or allegiance. This truth is a beacon of hope for those facing persecution and opposition ([36:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDr6xsVuXlM&t=2160s)).
Hebrews 12:2 - "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Reflection: How can you shift your hope and allegiance from worldly things to Jesus today? What does it look like to fix your eyes on Jesus in your current circumstances?
Day 4: Living Out Faith through Love
Loving God and loving people are not separate acts, but intertwined expressions of our faith. Jesus said that if we love Him, we will obey His commandments, which includes loving one another ([48:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDr6xsVuXlM&t=2885s)).
John 13:34-35 - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Reflection: How can you express your love for God by loving others today? Can you think of a specific act of love you can show to someone in your life?
Day 5: Discernment in the Face of False Teachings
The letters of First and Second Peter in the New Testament offer guidance for staying faithful in the face of opposition and suffering, and address the issue of false teachers. Discernment and studying the scriptures are crucial to avoid being led astray ([59:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDr6xsVuXlM&t=3535s)).
1 John 4:1 - "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
Reflection: How can you cultivate discernment in your spiritual life? Can you identify a time when you had to discern the truth in the face of potential false teaching?
Quotes
"Your purpose on this earth is to tell others about what God has done and you do that in three ways through prayer, through love, and through acts of service." [01:10:34]
"When living out your faith brings external opposition, defend it. When it brings internal opposition, what are you going to do? Remember Jesus is better and you're going to live out your faith by doing what God created you to do." [01:11:31]
"So here's the thing about the Bible is that it has everything that we need to follow God and to live the life he's called us to, but we can't just be owners of the book. We can't even just be occasional readers of the book, no, no, no, we must become students of it." [40:02]
"If you love me, you will obey my commandments, right? Love and obedience are the same thing, right? And so if you love me, obey my commandments, that means loving God isn't just singing pretty songs about how much you love him on Sunday morning. It's following his commandments on Friday night, okay?" [01:02:47]
"And in this he's echoing another statement by Jesus where Jesus said, by this one thing, the world will know that you are my disciples by the way that you love one another." [01:03:46]
"Please do not listen to somebody just because they quote the Bible or just because they wear the title of pastor. We have what the early church didn't have. We have the complete scriptures. We have the Bible. And so our job is to become students of it to know the word so well that when somebody starts going off in a different direction, you can say, no, that's not what it says, that's not what it means, and you can stay the course." #!!01:00:44!!#
"Jesus is better than all other people, all other pursuits, all other objects, all other things in which we may put our hope into or have allegiance towards." #!!55:49!!#
"Peter challenges and encourages his readers to rejoice in their suffering and to not lose hope." #!!58:24!!#
"But all of that is well and good, but the truth is I can't defend my faith if I don't know what I believe or what the Bible says. So I got to become a student of the book and call out false teaching when I hear it. In fact, one of our classes for life university starting on Tuesday night is actually going to help with this. We're doing a discipleship essentials class where you can actually figure out what it is that we believe, why we believe it so that you can defend it even better."
"And when we're tempted by sin or tempted to go back to our old way of doing things, we need to remind ourselves what he reminded the Hebrews of that Jesus is better. He said in Hebrews 12, therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And in other words, anything that slows me down or keeps me from Jesus has got to go. He says so that we can run the race with, run with perseverance, the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus. Church, Jesus is better. So why would you chase after anything but Him? Jesus is better."
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