by weareclctinley on Nov 05, 2023
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]).
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?
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?
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
**Music playing in the sky.**
Understand him better, and this book that he's given us also sets us up on the path to purpose that he has for our lives.
So here's the thing about the Bible: 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.
So once again, welcome to Bible School this morning, right? Bad news is there are no diplomas being handed out as you leave today. Good news is there's also no student loans, so you know, it kind of balances out.
But we're doing this series honestly because as a pastor, I want the church that I lead to know their Bible so well that if anybody, if any preacher, myself included, if anybody starts to say something to you that does not line up with the word of God, you know enough of your Bible to say, "Wait a minute, no, that's not what it says in here," right?
So that when you're watching that TikTok Christian say some utter foolishness, you can swipe on past and say, "No, no, no, that ain't what the book says," right? And so we don't get caught up in the crazy because we know what our Bible says.
That's the whole premise of the series: that it's not just enough to read your Bible; you need to become students of it, study it, and then apply it to your life.
And so today we're going to load up the front half of this conversation with the Bible school stuff. And then I'm going to do my best in the second half to kind of bring it all together with some applications.
And we're going to have information and application as we look at the general epistles today. And so if the guy next to you falls asleep in the first half, just elbow him real hard for the second half so that they get the meat today.
Are you ready to get nerdy with your Bibles? All right, we're looking at the general epistles. These are eight letters written by five guys not named Paul. That is essentially the description of the general epistles.
You have the Pauline epistles, what Paul wrote, and then you got everybody else. And so we have four known writers: this is James, Peter, John, and Jude. And then we have one unknown writer, the writer behind Hebrews. We don't know who it is, and we'll get into that more in a little bit.
But all five of these men are Jewish writers who are writing to a mostly Jewish audience, which is different than Paul. Paul was writing primarily to Gentiles with a little bit of Jewish culture mixed in. This is the exact opposite. It's pretty much all Jewish with a little bit of Gentile mixed in.
Which means the general epistles can actually become a little bit more challenging for us to understand in today's context unless you've been very familiar with your Old Testament.
Which is why we talk all the time about reading the entire Bible and not just focusing on the part you like. And as we learned last week, and I did watch the message in Japan, but as we learned last week, Paul wrote to specific churches or specific people to address specific issues.
And while that's partially true as well for the general epistles, some of them are calling out specific people in specific churches. Really, largely, the general epistles are written to a much broader audience. The entire body of Christ was the intended audience for the majority of these letters.
Many scholars believe that these letters were even written for distribution. So you would read it and then pass it on to another believer so that the entire body of Christ would be encouraged and edified.
Which is great for us today because that means the general epistles are a little bit even easier once you get past the Old Testament references. It can be a little bit easier for you to just take and apply to your life today. You don't have to do any kind of gymnastics with it because it was written for your consumption. It was written for you to take and to run with.
And so we're going to take a look now at a very first letter, which is actually three letters: First, Second, and Third John. These are John's letters. These are written by the disciple whom Jesus loved, at least according to John.
Essentially, in John's gospel, he repeatedly says, "I'm Jesus' favorite." Which honestly, if I could just be brutally honest, it used to annoy me so much. Every time I would read "the disciple whom Jesus loved," I was like, "Man, the ego on this guy," right? Like Jesus doesn't say that anywhere; it's just John saying it, and I'm like, "Man, I mean, what a jerk."
So the other disciples, like can you imagine Peter reading John's letter later, like reading the gospel and be like, "Bro, we were all there." But as I've gotten older, I've actually started to appreciate more and more his perspective.
And I think it's actually absolutely brilliant. God doesn't just like you. God doesn't just think that you're okay. Now God is so in love with you that he's willing to die for you. That is beautiful.
And I think that all of us could be encouraged by just looking at Scripture and looking at God and saying, "You know what, I'm his favorite." And I don't know how God has a favorite for everybody, but he does. You know, his ways are above my ways. And so you are his favorite.
And the idea of how much God loves us and how much we should love him back really shapes all of John's writings. He is the love guy. But John also apparently is a man of very few words because his letters are some of the shortest books in the entire Bible.
In fact, Second John is the shortest book in the Bible, and Third John is the second shortest book in the Bible. And so he really just kind of gets straight to the point, which I can appreciate.
And if you really want to impress your friends, just read Second John every morning when you wake up; it'll take you like less than a minute. And then at the end of the month, you can tell your friends that you read 30 books this month. You don't have to explain to them it was the same book 30 times, you know, just let that just kind of hang out there, you know.
But even though they're very short, they really do pack an incredible punch. And I wanted to give you all of my favorite verses, but we don't have time for it. So instead, I put them in the app notes.
And so you can download the CLC app and follow along. And some of my favorite scriptures, not all my favorites because I didn't want you to have the scroll for eight hours, but some of my favorites are in there, and you can check them out for each of these books we're going to look at.
And so this disciple whom Jesus loved, who is guided by that love in everything that he does, he sits down to write some letters. Why does John write his letters? Well, because the people John loves are facing some problems.
There are false teachers in the church, and we're going to talk a lot about that in some of the other letters. So out of this great love that he has for people, he doesn't want them to be led astray by wolves in sheep's clothing.
And it seems that as a result of these false teachers, people are becoming confused about their salvation in Jesus. And so John sets out to let us know how we can know that we know that we know that we know that we are saved.
And so when you're doubting your salvation or you're wanting to understand what salvation looks like, you can turn to John's letters and be reminded how much God loves you. You can rest in the salvation that you have in Christ, but you can also be on the lookout for those false teachers that John is warning us about.
So that is the letters of John. Now, next up is going to be my favorite of the eight books that we're looking at. This is the book of James. And honestly, it's my favorite of these general epistles, partially because I think James and I are twins, just separated at birth by a couple thousand years and different families, different parts of the world.
You know, besides all those little details, we're twins. Honestly, I think that in reading James, I've come to the conclusion that James and I share the same personality type just because of the way he writes, the way he thinks, the way he talks. I'm like, "Yeah, that's me."
Like I could have said that if I was smarter, but I think it was actually probably prophetic when my parents named me Brenton James McQuay. And some of you are shocked to find out that my name is not actually Brent; it's Brenton. But let's please stay on topic, people, okay?
So James is the half-brother of Jesus. And interestingly, though, he's not even the only brother of Jesus we're going to look at today. But what makes that really special is that James didn't believe Jesus until after the resurrection.
In fact, none of Jesus' brothers believed in his teachings or his claims until after the resurrection, which if you think about it totally makes sense, right? If my brother tried to tell me that he was the Son of God, I would not believe him either.
But if he could predict his own death and resurrection and then pull it off, you better believe I would start paying closer attention. And so that's what happens to James. And after the resurrection, James becomes a follower. He eventually becomes really the leader of the church there in Jerusalem.
And James is actually, his letter is probably the first book of the New Testament to be written. That's our best guess is that it was the first book written. And James is even referred to by a lot of scholars as the wisdom book of the New Testament.
Because as you're reading it, I want you to pay attention. There's kind of a mashup that's happening in James between Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, you know, where he gives the Beatitudes and you're blessed if he kind of combines Jesus's Sermon on the Mount with the book of Proverbs.
And what I love about James is that he just drops one-liner after one-liner after one-liner. It's like nuggets of wisdom over and over. Like, if Twitter was a thing back then, which I guess Twitter isn't even a thing now anymore, if X was a thing back then, like you'd be tweeting like crazy everything that James had to say.
Like, if you like highlighting important verses in your Bible, show me the book of James. I bet you it's like a rainbow of just highlighter all over the place. But the message that James keeps going back to is that you have to put your faith into action.
James is a "talk is cheap" kind of guy. Don't just say it, show it. Don't just say you have faith, show me your faith. Faith without works is dead according to James.
So James is clear though throughout this letter, and this is where there's some tension sometimes, but James is very clear that good works are not the cause of your salvation, but they are the result of your salvation.
In other words, you don't need to do the good stuff in order to be saved, but the good stuff is the fruit born out of someone who has been saved by God's incredible grace. And so sometimes people think that James and Paul's writings are at odds with each other. I don't think so.
I think they're two sides of the same coin, that they are in support of each other. And so when you need some practical help for how to walk as a Christian, turn to the book of James. Be reminded that faith without works is dead, and let's put our faith to work. Use that wisdom in a practical way to live out your faith today.
Now we're going to look at the other brother. This is Jude. The book of Jude was written by Jesus' other half-brother, a man by the name of Judas. Not that Judas, which is why the book is called Jude and not Judas; didn't want to confuse anybody.
And so like James, Jude doesn't follow Jesus until after the resurrection. And Jude is another one of those super short letters, but in addition to some great teachings, Judas also has one of my favorite doxologies in Scripture, which a doxology is just, it's basically a song of praise.
And you can read it in Jude 24 and 25; it's absolutely beautiful. But when Jude sits down to write this love letter to the church, he actually tells us that he wanted to write a happy letter.
Like he wanted to write about the salvation that they all share, but an issue showed up in the church that he needed to address urgently. And so he changes what he was going to write to address this issue.
And I was taught early on as a pastor that if you're facing a problem in your church, you need to preach your way out of it. And so Jude is doing that. He is preaching his way out of a problem.
What's the problem? Sadly, once again, the church is dealing with false teachers. This time, men are denying the Lordship of Jesus, which is kind of brilliant because who better to deal with that issue than the least likely person to believe in the Lordship of Jesus? His younger half-brother, right?
If Jesus isn't really Lord, Jude would be the last person to follow him. And so Jude writes to warn followers of false teachers and what to do with them. And Jude calls out these false teachers and challenges the followers to contend for their faith, or fight for their faith, to not just roll over and let these false teachers have their way, but to stand up for what's right.
And his instructions to them should be followed by us today as well. Don't let people twist who Jesus is, or what he taught, or what he did. Know the gospel, protect it, defend it, follow Jesus as the Lord of your life.
Next up is our letter from anonymous. This is the writer of Hebrews; he is unknown. Most people used to believe that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, but the style, the language, and the vocabulary compared to Paul's other writings make it very unlikely that Paul actually wrote Hebrews.
In fact, practically no scholars today still believe that Paul wrote Hebrews. They argue it could be Barnabas, it could be Silas, it could be Apollos, it could be Luke, and several others. The truth is, we don't know who wrote it, but while the author is unknown, we do know a few things about that person.
Because of their knowledge of events and teachings, they clearly spent time with the original disciples or are in fact one of the original disciples. The writer demonstrates excellent knowledge and understanding of the Old Testament, which means they are clearly Jewish.
And because their repeated use of the Old Testament is done without any explanation, they're clearly writing to a Jewish audience. In fact, one scholar said this kind of tongue-in-cheek: he said, "The book of Hebrews was written by a Hebrew to other Hebrews, telling the Hebrews to stop acting like Hebrews."
Because when you read Hebrews, you understand what all that means because what's happening behind the scenes in Hebrews is that the Jewish converts to Christianity are suffering so much persecution from both other Jews and from the Romans that many of them are thinking that it's better for us to just stay Jewish, right?
And so a lot of them, a lot of these new converts are beginning to revert back to Judaism and are abandoning their new faith in Jesus. And so because it's a Jewish writer to a Jewish audience addressing Jewish issues, this book can be very challenging for a non-Jewish audience like ourselves to understand.
There's a lot in here that is beautiful, but if you don't have a grasp of the Old Testament, you'll miss the nuance, which is part of why we say all the time reading the entire Bible is so important for you.
And so the writer of Hebrews' solution to this problem that the Hebrews are facing is really very simple. And for 13 chapters, the writer just reminds the readers over and over and over again that Jesus is better.
It's a beautiful message. Throughout its pages, Hebrews makes it clear that 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.
Jesus gives us a better life through salvation, a better hope than the Mosaic law could promise, a better sacrifice for our sins than a goat or a bull, and gives us a better inheritance in heaven for those who place their faith in him.
Hebrews' message is simple: why would you leave what is perfect for something inferior? Jesus is better.
And now, final two books, these are two letters written by Peter. This is the infamous disciple, the one that walked on water for at least a few steps, the one who's called Satan by Jesus, the one who cuts off a guy's ear, says crazy things.
And when Jesus is facing death, denies even knows him three times, but it's also the same Peter who is forgiven and restored by Jesus, preaches the first sermon, sees 3,000 converts to Christianity at the close of that one message, who then evangelizes the first non-Jewish convert, opening the door to all of us, Peter, the rock on which Jesus builds the church.
In fact, Peter is viewed as the leader of the Jewish Christians in Scripture, while Paul is seen to lead the Gentile followers. But interestingly enough, though, even though Peter's focus is on the Jewish Christians, these two letters, most likely, are best understood as that he actually writes them to a Gentile audience, which I think the only explanation for that is that at the end of Peter's life, that's who was on his mind, that's who was on his heart.
Because even Second Peter kind of reads like a farewell letter. Shortly after he writes it, he is killed by Emperor Nero. But Peter has two very different purposes in writing these two letters.
And so First Peter is all about giving the followers of Jesus who are facing incredible persecution under Emperor Nero hope in their suffering, right? He wants to give them hope in the suffering and in the persecution that they're facing.
While in Japan, our team had the opportunity to visit a museum to the 26 martyrs who were crucified 500 years ago in Nagasaki. They were marched for 30 days to this hill, right here where this monument is, and they were crucified at the top of it.
And if you can tell in that picture, I don't know if you can tell, but there's three images that are smaller than the rest; that's not a mistake, that's an artistic decision to represent the 12-year-old, the 13-year-old, and the 14-year-old who were also crucified on that hill.
Each one of them given the opportunity to deny Jesus and live, and yet chose to die for their faith instead. Honestly, it's heartbreaking to be in a place like that, and what happened in Japan 500 years ago is still happening today in parts of the world, and I can't even begin to understand that level of suffering and that level of persecution, and that level of faith that it takes to gladly get up on a cross as opposed to denying your relationship with Jesus.
I can't even wrap my head around it, but Peter challenges and encourages his readers to rejoice in their suffering and to not lose hope. And while most of us, we don't face persecution like they did, and we won't face suffering like they do, you can still turn to First Peter when you need encouragement to stay the course, when there's opposition, and how to hold on to your faith even in your suffering.
It's a beautiful letter. And then Second Peter is not like that at all. It's like he just went a totally different direction because Second Peter is once again addressing false teachers.
In fact, nearly every book of the New Testament addresses false church today, possibly even made worse by the Internet and by TV, right? Because anybody can get a platform now, and they can even quote the Bible and make you think that what they're saying is truth, right from God's word.
But 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.
Peter doesn't have to write us a new letter because we have the first letter he wrote. So man, that took me a little bit longer than I'd hoped. Those are the eight letters we call the general epistles.
Now we're going to make all of this practical for life. I think these eight books can really become the guide for how to live out your faith. Like how do you live out this faith that you have in Jesus?
After praying a prayer, making Jesus Lord of my life, what do I do now? What does it look like to be a Christian? Because it's more than just a box you check on a form. Being a Christian is more than just where you go on Sunday mornings.
And so we want to unpack this, but I've only got ten minutes left. And so here's my disclaimer: I knew I wasn't going to have enough time. So we're going to load up our Between Sermon's podcast this week with all the practical stuff.
And so if you haven't been listening to the podcast, we go on all the podcast platforms every week to kind of talk about Sunday Sermon. And this week we're really going to get into this second half of the message to talk about the practice.
What does this look like to live out your faith? You can get it on the website there or pretty much anywhere you get a podcast. So we're going to talk about that more during the week.
But let's start our guide for how to live out your faith with the book of John, because remember John wanted you to know that you know that you know that you're saved.
And to answer that question, what John does is he echoes a statement made by Jesus that the two greatest commandments are to love God and love others, right? And so here's what he says in First John chapter 2: "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."
I don't know why he had to double down. Like if you were a liar, then you ain't got the truth, but man, he wanted you to know. "But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. And by this we may know that we are in him."
Remember he's wanting you to know that you have salvation. This is the way we know. "Brent, I thought you said that we had to love God first." And that's exactly what I quoted.
You're like, "No, no, no, you said obey his commands." Same difference, right? Because Jesus said, "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?
So first we love God by following his commandments. And then John says in John 3, "For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another."
And John goes on and on and on and on through all three of his letters, all about how much we need to be loving one another. 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."
And so if you're going to live out your faith, then first we have to love God enough to obey his commands, and then you've got to love people enough to put them first.
And so we're going to build our guide to living out our faith, starting with John's instruction. So here it is, and we're going to add to this as we go, but you have to live out your faith by loving God and loving people.
And then James is going to jump in with, "Talk is cheap, don't just say it, show it. Don't just say you love God, demonstrate your love for God with action. Don't just say you love people, demonstrate your love for people with your actions."
Here's how he phrases it in James chapter two: "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."
James is saying over and over again, put your faith into action. So let's add that to our guide: "But don't just say it, show it."
And then Jude is our killjoy. He comes in with a warning that there are going to be external oppositions to your faith that are going to try and pull you away from Jesus.
And when the opposition to your faith comes, you need to defend it. Don't fall for their sweet words or twisting of scripture; boldly declare what's right is right and what's wrong is wrong, and then stand up for what is right.
Here's how Jude tells us to do that in Jude 22 and 23: "Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire. The others show mercy mixed with fear, hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh."
And so I would rather risk offending someone trying to snatch them from the fire than watch them go to hell with my mouth shut. We have to speak up when someone is teaching contrary to scripture.
But pay attention to what Jude said: we do so with mercy. That means this is not permission for Christians to be jerks. This is not permission for you to be mean or ugly, right? So watch your words, watch your attitude; don't be a jerk about it.
And also, he says it should be mixed with fear, meaning there but for the grace of God go I, right? I'm not perfect either, and I'm not above being misguided. And so I need to show them mercy because it could easily be me in their shoes, right?
But he also says, "Hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh." You know what that means? That means don't get so close that you get caught up in it yourself.
And sometimes we have this approach to people that we just want to embrace everyone in love so much so that we excuse sin. And we call things that are sinful, not sinful, out of this desire to be loving and kind.
But Jude is saying, "Look, there's a balance here. Yeah, you're going to show mercy. But look, you still got to hate the clothing even stained by corrupted flesh. Like sin is still sin, no matter how loving you want to be about it."
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.
So Jude, we're going to add to our guide. We start with live out your faith by loving God and loving people, thanks to John. But don't just say it, show it, thanks to James.
And then Jude gives us when living out your faith brings external opposition, defend it. And then Hebrews reminds us that that opposition we face is not always external. Sometimes it's internal; sometimes it's actually what's going on right here in our heart.
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."
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 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.
And while you may not be tempted to go back to Old Testament Judaism like the audience in Hebrews was, the temptation to go back to sin may still be knocking at your door.
And let me just remind you today that Jesus is better than anything the world has to offer. Jesus is better.
So Hebrews continues our guide: live out your faith by loving God and loving people. But don't just say it, show it. When living out your faith brings external opposition, defend it. When it brings internal opposition, remember Jesus is better.
And we finish with Peter, who reminds us that all of this is so that we'll be able to do what God created us to do. We best live out our life, our faith when we do what God created us to do.
And over and over and over in First and Second Peter, Peter reminds us that we have a purpose on this earth. In light of the persecution you're facing, you have purpose. In light of the false teachers trying to pull you in another direction, you have a purpose.
Here's what he says in First Peter 2: "You are his chosen people; God picked you. The king's priests, you are a holy nation, people who belong to God."
And then he says, "He chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He brought you out of darkness of sin into his wonderful light."
That is your job as a Christian, as a follower of Jesus, to tell how wonderful God is. That's your job. That's your purpose: to tell others about how awesome God is.
And then he tells us how to fulfill that purpose. I wish I had time to dive into this deeper. But First Peter 4 real quickly says, "The end of all things is near; therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins. For hospitality to one another without grumbling, each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace."
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.
And I would love to elaborate more on that, but we're out of time. So check out our Between Sermons podcast later this week because we're going to focus on this second half.
We're going to dive into that prayer, love, and service as well. But here's our general epistles roadmap to living out your faith. This is our guide.
We live out our faith by loving God and loving people, but don't just say it, show it. 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 what? By doing what God created you to do.
That's what it looks like to be a Christian. So I'm going to repeat a question, and then we're going to pray.
This question I was asked years ago, probably as a teenager for the first time, you've probably heard it a few times in your life, but I want you to hear it now with this kind of in mind, that this would be the criteria for answering this question.
My question for you today is: if you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict? Is there enough evidence that you're living out your faith by loving God and loving people?
Is there enough evidence to show that when there's opposition to your faith, you're defending it? Is there enough evidence to show that you're being reminded daily that Jesus is better, you're not being led astray by your own sinful desires?
Is there enough evidence to say that you've been doing the thing that God created you to do? Is there enough evidence to convict? If the answer to the question is, "I don't know" or "no," then I think that we've got some work to do.
This is what being a Christian is all about. It's not a form you check; it's not a place you go on Sunday morning. It's a life you live Monday through Friday as well.
So let's pray.
Father, we just thank you for your word. We thank you for the fact that it is relevant to us today, that it comes alive in our hands.
So, Father, I pray right now for a room full of people that would become students of your word. But it wouldn't be enough for us to just download the Bible app or own a Bible and stick it on a shelf.
But God, every single morning, every single day, at some point in the day, we would be students of your word. We'd be studying your scriptures personally and deeply.
Father, we just ask that you would encourage us and challenge us to live out our faith according to scripture. Pray right now for every person that may be struggling with external or internal opposition to their faith.
Maybe it's pressure from a friend, a family member, maybe it's a sin that's pulling them aside, pulling them astray. Father, I pray that you would give them the strength to stand their ground, give them the Holy Spirit to encourage them, to strengthen them, to stay the course, to live out their faith every single day.
Help us to discover our purpose and live it out in Jesus' name. Let's worship together.
"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."
Hi, I'm an AI assistant for the pastor that gave this sermon. What would you like to make from it?
© Pastor.ai