writing to a friend, the following occurred to me:

do you know what i consider to be the source of the flesh-works?  it is this:
1. inner belief:  i am still separated from God. i am a sinner.
2. implied corollary:  i must get closer to God.
3. flesh-response:  i must get myself closer to God.
4. flesh-rule-for-judgement:  i am doing well if i am closer to God than other people.
5. flesh-judgement: i am doing better than these people, but not as well as these people.  return to #3.

do you know what i consider the solution?  it begins by changing #1 (above).
1. inner belief:  i am not separated from God. i am a saint.
2. implied corollary:  i cannot get closer or further away from God.  all Christians are equally close to God.
3. spiritual-response:  i can rest that God did the work; i trust in Him/His finished work.
4. spiritual-rule-for-judgement:  none; it is the Lord who judges me.  as Paul wrote, "i do not even judge myself."
5. spiritual-judgement:  so, i am not *feeling* as close as i would like OR i am *feeling* very close; either way, i just remember to keep my eyes on His finished work, what He says about me and rest in what He has already completed.  return to #1.

Takeaway
It helps to question your fundamental assumptions.
Application
Question your fundamental assumptions.

not a great book...but a good line here and there.

"The only way to save a Pharisee is to break a Pharisee's back with the burden of the law.  There was, and is, hope for the Pharisee, and that hope comes in the form of failure.  Failure is the door to freedom..."
-12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee by John Fischer

gospel exegesis note

Jesus came to do stuff; in the gospels He is doing what He came to do.  therefore, exegesis of the 4 gospels begins with why Jesus came:

I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners
That He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God
the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost
The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil
I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance
the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost
You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world
Now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself
I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world
even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many
I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly
I have come to do Your will
I did not come to bring peace, but a sword
I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose
I have come to bring fire to the earth
For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind
I have come into the world, to testify to the truth
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners
He appeared in order to take away sins
Christ ... having been offered once to bear the sins of many

i discovered that the Sermon on the Mount is not addressing Christians on 10/18/2009 because of a sermon on the 'mercy beattitude' where the following was said "God's grace is not conditional, but God's mercy is conditional."


but what i guess is couldn't believe is that the whole congregation ate it up...and many thought it was fantastic !!! so sad for my friends.


yet, using an Old Covenant sermon (from which you wouldn't think to learn), the Spirit taught me.

though it pained me

i knew a guy once who heard the gospel; he refused to accept it for this reason: the gospel isn't fair; it punishes an innocent and helps the guilty.  true, so true.  but i say, if you're a little evil, go ahead and be evil all the way: let the innocent man pay for your crimes..and walk away free.

with that experience as background...

one day, i realized that, though it pained me, it was good for me to be one of those in the crowd who shouted 'crucify Him'.  one day, i realized that, though it pained me, it was good for me to walk away like barabbas (who was guilty), and leave Jesus (who was innocent) to die.

and what was this pain???it was my pride screaming out: "i'm better than the crowd" , "i'm better than barabbas".

do you want to get rid of your religious pride??? join the crowd and shout "crucify Him" (through tears if must be).  be barabbas: walk away and let Him pay (weeping all the way if must be).  but, whatever you do, agree with God that this is best.

i've always remembered one Proverb

Proverbs 24

    ¹¹Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
         And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.

the difference between Old Cov and New Cov

salvation was always by grace through faith.

but, just as Jesus was under the law in the Old Cov, so all the believers were under the law in the Old Cov. ...this is why the New Cov is better; we're still believers saved by grace through faith, but now we have received the promises and the intimacy for which they only dreamed.

therefore, the difference is not salvation or grace through faith.

• the first difference is being free (out from under law).
• the second difference is the new nature and the Spirit inside you, and their perfect thoughts, emotions and desires (though these may be largely unconscious to you).
• the third difference is that (1) because of your freedom from law, (2) because of the thoughts, emotions and desires of the new creation and Spirit inside you (which may be largely unconscious to you), your conscious thoughts, feelings, desires and behavior can actually arise from that perfect new nature and the perfect Spirit inside of you. none of this was possible before.

i suggest to you this:

• to believe that you are free, really really free
• to believe you have a new nature and the Spirit lives in you, and both are 100% perfect, 100% in agreement, 100% in union  (despite what you do)
• believe that you constantly have a free choice to 'walk by the spirit' or to 'carry out the desire of the flesh'  ... and that you are perfectly loved, and that your spirit remains 100% perfect, 100% in agreement, 100% in union with God no matter which choice you make.

comments on a ministry some friends of mine got involved in...

FRIEND:We are a Christ-centered, Spirit-led community of students and young adults who are going hard after Jesus.
ME:Jesus went hard after you already, friend...and got you.*****
FRIEND:Who we are is defined by His incredible love for us and this truth is central to what makes up us.
ME:It's more than this. You are in union with God.*****
FRIEND:Since our first days in existence, we have gathered around our common passion to know God intimately and to abide in His love and Spirit always (John 15).
ME:You do know God intimately. What you want is to >>consciously<< know Him intimately. Consciously knowing begins in earnest by believing that you already, unconsciously, know Him intimately.*****
ME:You already abide in His love and Spirit; always always always.*****
FRIEND:It is as we behold Him that we become like Him.
ME:He birthed your spirit by His Spirit; He made you one with Him; He gave you the mind of Christ; and He will give you a brand new body. It is He who makes you more like Him.*****
FRIEND:And, it is as we become like Him that we can see our world beautifully changed to reflect His Kingdom.
ME:Your spirit is already like Him.*****

FRIEND:Our culture is simple: we want to meet God.
ME:You've already met.*****
FRIEND:Every meeting, that's our goal, to welcome His amazing presence and encounter the living God.
ME:He is always intimately present in you, though you might not consciously feel it all the time. The key is consciously feeling His presence is to begin believing He is always present (whether you feel it right then or not).*****
FRIEND:We are passionate about Jesus and it shows in our worship.
ME:All our spirits are passionate about Jesus; we worship in spirit and truth. The spirit is present, but the truth requires the pure gospel...not a works-gospel hybrid. You want real passion? Live from the spirit instead of your mind + emotions. And focus on the 100% pure gospel instead of this works nonsense.*****
FRIEND:Almost all of our meetings have extended times of worship that tend to be . . . animated and free.
ME:Fine.*****
FRIEND:The traditional ways of doing this don’t really concern us.
ME:Me either.*****
FRIEND:Our eye is on the prize of meeting with Him.
ME:You have already met Him; He has already met you.*****

FRIEND:No church is right for everyone, but if your main desire is to meet with God and know Him deeply, this is probably a great place for you.
ME:You do know Him deeply, more deeply than you consciously know. It is the desire of the spirit in all believers to enjoy intimacy with God...and, since we are always in union with God, that desire is always, and perfectly, fulfilled. If you want to consciously experience this, then please believe it.*****

John Lynch at Biola

"because you are the best and brightest, you will buy it"

shadows of Him

why do Christians think that the Law still applies to them?

i was wondering about this, when this table occurred to me:

type of Law	does the Law require obedience to this?	does the Spirit encourage similar behavior?
ceremonial	yes	no
civil	yes	no
moral	yes	yes

...the reason why Christians get confused is because the Spirit and the New Nature encourage and inspire Christians to act in a way that is quite similar to the moral law.  deep inside, they know that they want to love & care for people and not to hate & murder them.

when they read of this behavior in the moral law, they think they should obey the moral law.  and thus begins the confusion with all of the law...thus begins confusion about 'keeping the sabbath' and 'tithing' and many other practices.

but the law is simply not necessary for Christians.  Christians have the Spirit and the New Nature; they don't need the law; the law was for people who had neither the Spirit nor the New Nature.
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so, what is the problem with the law?  actually, there is no problem.  the law is perfect and holy and good; it proceeded from God and serves His purpose.  the law is actually fantastic!!!...because it leads people to Christ.  the law is weak and powerless to recreate a person, to make a person want to act certain ways; only the Spirit and the Rebirth does that.

so, what is the problem with following the law?  ahh, now there's the problem.  if Christians attempt to follow the law, they are not using the law as intended.  the law is intended to force you to give up, to give up on yourself and your own power to change yourself...and to guide you to Christ, to guide you to the Spirit and the Rebirth that will provide the power.  when a Christian focuses on the law, they have given up focusing on Christ, the Spirit and the Rebirth - and giving them up can only end in bitter failure.

ever since Adam and Eve ate of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil", we have been focused on precisely that knowledge.  having the knowledge of it causes us to focus on good and evil, the same way that having ears causes us to focus on sound and having eyes causes us to focus on light.  the knowledge of good and evil is a sensory organ.

but what matters is the "tree of life".  "good" is only a shadow of life, as "evil" is only a shadow of death.  focusing on "good and evil" causes us to get our mind off of life.  and who is Life???  Jesus Christ.  so, to sum it all up:

the law causes us to put our focus on the law, thus taking our focus away from Jesus Christ. the law exchanges Life for a shadow of Life, a shadow that was meant to simply indicate that the Life was there.

imagine someone very good looking was standing outside in the sun with you; you are both casting long shadows.

• at first, there is a barrier between you, a wall that you can't see over.  all you can see at this point is the person's shadow; you admire the shadow, you comment on how lovely the shadow is, you count yourself lucky for being allowed to see the shadow, you want to show the shadow to other people.
• but, you actually become fixated on the shadow; you wonder if you're seeing the shadow correctly; you try to make your own shadow match the shadow you love so much; you become fixated on both your shadows; you try and try, but you find that you just can't make your shadow conform to the other shadow; to fix the problem, you start making up little rules that will help you keep your shadow in what you deem to be the right position.
• then, the barrier comes down and you can finally see the good looking person, the one casting the shadow you have loved for so long.  you can react in many different ways...
• you might continue looking at the shadow, because you loved it for so long, and you built so much of your life around it.
• you might continue looking at the shadow because you are simply afraid to look that the good looking person.  you think: that person is so good looking, and i am so ugly...how could i ever look them in the eye?  how could i ever really take in how beautiful they are?  ...i should not look.
• or, you might look at the person and look and keep looking.  you might say: this is what i wanted to see this whole time; i don't want to look at either of our shadows anymore...i only want to look at Him.

...this is the way it is, you can either focus on shadows or on Him.  you don't have the capacity to intensely look at both at the same time.  you might be able to look at the shadows and see Him out of the corner of your eye, in your peripheral vision.  but would you not rather look at Him and see the shadows out of the corner of your eye, in your peripheral vision?  this is a choice that you can make; choose Life.

Do as you please by Loving God.

Today, I again heard something that I had liked:

Love, and do as you please. - Augustine

Latin: "dilige et quod vis fac." This quote is often presented: "Love God, and do as you please."  However, there is no implied object of the love in the sentence; it could be "God", could be “one another”, could be “your neighbor” and could be "kitty cats".  Because there is no implied object, the  actual object would be more "everything and everyone".

The full quote:  Once for all, then, a short precept is given thee: Love, and do what thou wilt: whether thou hold thy peace, through love hold thy peace; whether thou cry out, through love cry out; whether thou correct, through love correct; whether thou spare, through love do thou spare: let the root of love be within, of this root can nothing spring but what is good.  -Augustine’s Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John VII.8

But somehow, as I recognized before, it just didn't seem complete to me, just didn't seem quite right.

- - - - -

I figured it out today; I figured out what was bothering me.  What I would say is this:

Do as you please, period.  But what pleases you is to Love.

-or-

Do as you please: Love.

-or-

Do as you please by Loving.

- - - - -

I say this because it is how I view God:

God does as He pleases, period.  But what pleases God is to Love. 

...God does as He pleases by Loving.

...Christians all over the world want to love, the same way that God loves.  To love the way God loves goes beyond merely doing things, it requires the same motivation that God has.  Any other motivation is of man and not God.
...Unlike natural man, God has no motivation and requires no motivation.  God is love.  God loves outwardly because He is love inwardly; when God loves, He is doing exactly who and what He is, He is true to His own character and nature.  Thank God, actually.  I don't think any 'motivation' would result in 'God dying for ungodly sinners'.  Motivation doesn't cut it; only perfect love, as character and nature, works.

...So, the only way that man can love the way that God loves is to have the same character and nature as God.  At this point, it seems hopeless for man, that we should give up the whole idea.
...Remember now what God says about us - that we were reborn and made into a 'New Creation' and brought into union with Him.  I believe that this means that we have God's very own character and nature deep inside of us; it may not be getting out, but it is there deep inside the believer.  And, if His character and nature is Love, then we are Love as well.  So, like God, we Love outwardly because we are Love inwardly.

Takeaway

In making us New Creations is making us reborn of Him, God made us Love.

Application

It is suitable for us to release the Love that God made us to be.

on 2 Peter 3:14

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The following verse is taken from multiple translations for your reference...
2 Peter 3:14
New International Version (NIV)
14So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
14Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 

English Standard Version (ESV)
14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 

Amplified Bible (AMP)
14So, beloved, since you are expecting these things, be eager to be found by Him [at His coming] without spot or blemish and at peace [in serene confidence, free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].
New Living Translation (NLT)
14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.
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People read 2 Peter 3:14 and they think it is telling them to work to remain spotless and blameless, to be without sin. Not so! But, this is especially what the NIV, ESV, AMP and NLT (for example) seem to say.

Take a look at the NASB. It is telling us to 'be found by Him in peace'.  Later on, Peter encourages 'steadfastness'.

...Now, why wouldn't they be at peace? Peter mentions in later verses all the erroneous teaching that abounded at that time.  And, what was this erroneous teaching?  It would seem to be something that made a person doubt their eternal security or their 100% holy status.  Erroneous teachings 'infect' our minds, but we can guard against the infection actively...and 'be found by Him in peace' instead of turmoil.

...And, why should they be at peace??? Because they are 'spotless and blameless'.  This is the opposite of the erroneous teaching that is mentioned later. This is what we are meant to remain 'steadfast' about.  Although, we 'ought to' live 'spotless and blameless' lives, what matters is 'His promise', His promise that we will not suffer the coming destruction.

If I were to re-write the verse, it would look like this:

14Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things [since you are saved and look forward to Heaven instead of Destruction], be diligent to be found by Him in peace [in serene confidence], [because you are] spotless and blameless,

This is what drives me nuts with different translations, by the way.  ...The original language was inspired by God, and I believe translators do their best, but I find that the bias of a translator / group of translators always finds a way into translation. I typically find that the NASB does the best job, precisely because they tried to keep it more literal; this also makes the NASB harder to read.   ...But I'd rather have it harder to read and closer to the original meaning, than easier to read and further from the original meaning.


Takeaway
You are already spotless and blameless.  And since you are spotless and blameless, God holds nothing against you. And since God holds nothing against you, you can and should feel peace. However, there is so much error out there, you may feel that you are not at peace with God. ...Fully believing, mentally and emotionally, you are spotless and blameless results in feelings of peace.
Application
It is suitable to always remember that you are spotless and blameless, no matter what teaching you hear that would say the opposite.

have you ever considered...

we read:
Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

many people believe that they were 'set free in order to serve'.

that's interesting...but i really wonder where they get that.

have you ever considered that just maybe God set you free because He simply values freedom?  Maybe, just maybe, God purely and simply likes you to be free...  Maybe God's goal for setting you free was completely, 100% accomplished when you were found to be free !

...it is for freedom that Christ has set you free; by setting you free, God accomplished His goal. !!!

Takeaway
God loves your freedom; God values your freedom; God made you free.  God wanted you free and He completely accomplished exactly what He wanted.
Application
it is suitable to walk in your true freedom, no strings attached.
Question
If God wanted you free and God made you free, does it honor what He did (He made you free) to live, think or feel as if you are not?   ...Is it weird to you that, as a free person, you don't have to honor what He did for you?

David as the legalistic Christian in 2 Samuel 12

2 Samuel 12
1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him."	------------------------------ David has been a shepard for many years. Could Nathan have picked this specific example to provoke a response? ------------------------------
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die!	------------------------------ David's anger is strong! David understands that sin deserves death; although the Law would require a smaller penalty, David understands that sin deserves death. But he says it in anger... Is it surprising that a saved man would demand justice in burning anger instead of mercy? ------------------------------
6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity."	------------------------------ But, he thinks better of what he said and essentially pronounces the sentence required by the Law (4X the loss). This is not a picture of David expressing mercy...this is what is required and allowed by the Law. ...Although he is saved, David is hung up on right-and-wrong, good-and-evil, the Law, etc, etc. ------------------------------
7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.	------------------------------ At this point, Nathan confronts David with David's sin; we know that Nathan (and God) considered David to have killed Urriah. What is required by the Law in such a case? Death. ...The Law requires the death of murderers. ------------------------------
10Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.' 11 "This is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.' "	------------------------------ Nathan prophecies about what God will do; it sounds quite harsh to us...but it is actually quite lenient! In the Law, murder requires death! What is the difference between David's pronounvcement and God's pronouncement? ...Where David had reacted in anger wanting 'justice', God reacts in love with grace and mercy. ...Where David had thought better of his first reaction and pronounced the Law on the rich man, God did not pronounce the Law on David. ------------------------------
13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."	------------------------------ David doesn't pick up on how differently he reacts from how God reacts. Modern people read this statement from David as if he was 'doing the right thing' and confessing his sin. But this is really a picture of disbelief. ...David knows the requirements of the Law and can't beleive how lenient God treats him. How is that lenient? David thinks that stealing a ewe lamb deserves death...how much more does he think murder deserves death!?! ...David hears the pronouncement and states 'I have sinned against the Lord'...he is practically reminding Nathan that he is a murderer deserving death, correcting Nathan and prodding him to judge him and pronounce the Law's 'proper penalty'. ...David is not 'confessing his sin', he is encouraging his own death !!! ...Although he is saved, David is hung up on right-and-wrong, good-and-evil, the Law, etc, etc. ------------------------------
Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.	------------------------------ Nathan responds to David's legalism with the Gospel: "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die." ...Even though God had already saved David, even though David's sin was already paid for, David was still in bondage to the idea that he still owed a sin-debt to God! God's prophet, Nathan, corrects David - David had no sin, and David was not going to die. That's the gospel. All in all, David is a saved man, bogged down and in bondage. He is given mercy, but reacts with justice. He is given life, but keeps expecting death and keeps expecting God to kill him. Though saved, he keeps disbelieving the gospel; his faith is as long as his arm. Poor David... ...But, even sader given that we're on this side of the cross, most believers still disbelieve like David did. ------------------------------

it's about acceptance...

to get others to serve, i often hear people quote this verse:

Romans 12: 1Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

however, this verse is not really about service...it's about acceptance.

in the past, very few people were allowed to serve God; the High Priest could enter the Holy of holies only once a year.  in short, people were not acceptable to God under the Old Covenant.  people were not worthy to serve Him.

under the New Covenant, however, we are acceptable to God.  we are (finally) living and holy, where before we were dead and stained.  where we were once rejected, we are now accepted.  where we could not worship, we now can worship.

this verse in an encouragement...you could read it like this:

brothers, God made you holy and alive by His mercy; He accepts you.  you don't have to be afraid of Him anymore or stay away from Him anymore.  i urge you to believe this and to act like it is true.  and, if you want to, you can now serve Him

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
but, i haven't gone far enough yet.
you see, despite what i wrote above, i would go so far as to say this is not about 'service' at all...this is not about 'doing things' in the slightest.  what paul saying is that simply believing we have become holy and living and acceptable IS, ITSELF, our spiritual service of worship.  in other words, paul is saying that we worship God BY BELIEVING, not by doing lots of stuff.

this all connects with the verses that follow.  believing we are this living and holy person is the way that we 'renew our mind'; believing is how we 'test and approve God's perfect and pleasing will'; we 'test' it when we consider not believing it; we 'approve' it when we believe it, when we agree with it.  ...however, if we do believe this (we are holy), we might get a big head; hence the warnings about thinking too much of ourselves that follow.

Takeaway
you are acceptable to God; you are alive and Holy.  believing God is worship.
Application
it is suitable to act like you are Holy and alive and acceptable, to present yourself to God that way, to worship Him by believing it is finished.

1 John 2:28-3:10

1 John is a difficult book for most people. Most people are initially biased toward believing 'this is about behavior'; if this is your bias, you might try another one instead...try  'this is about belief and unbelief' or 'this is about the gospel'.
1 John 2:28-3:10 (New American Standard Bible)
28Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.	Who is a child of Him?  Believers. Will the sins of believers be held against them, or are their sins completely paid for by Jesus Christ?  Completely paid. Who can have confidence when He appears?  Believers. If a believer feels distant from Him, will they be confident when He appears?  No.  If a believer consciously knows he 'abides in Him', will he be confident?  Yes.
29If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.	Who knows that Christ is righteous?  Believers. Can unbelievers do righteous things or is their best just 'filthy rags'?  Filthy Rags.  So who can do righteous things? Believers. Who is born of Him?  Believers.
1 John 3
1See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.	Who is a child of God?  Believers. Who knows Him?  Believers.
2Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.	Who is a child of God?  Believers. Where will believers see Him?  Heaven.  Who goes to Heaven?  Believers.
3And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.	Who fixes their hope on Him?  Believers. Who is pure?  Believers? Who are as pure as Him?  Believers?
4Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.	In this context, what is 'sin'?  The disobedience of unbelief. Is it lawlessness to not believe? Yes. Is it obedience and lawfull to believe? Yes.
5You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.	Who is in Him?  Believers. Who has no sin?  Believers.
6No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.	In this context, what is 'sin'?  The disobedience of unbelief. Can a human not believe (sin) and 'abide in Him'?  No. Do beleivers 'abide in Him'?  Yes. Do unbelievers 'see Him' or 'know Him'?  No. Do believers 'know Him'?  Yes.
7Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;	Who is a 'child of God'? Believers. In this context, what are the likeley types of 'deception' this could mean?  Could the false teaching be that 'believing in Christ does not make you righteous'? What makes you righteous?  Believing. How righteous? As righteous as Him.
8the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.	Who are 'of the devil'?  Unbelievers. What sin makes them unbelievers?  The disobedience of unbelief. Among his many works, do the works of the devil include inspiring unbelief?  Yes.
9No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.	Don't ALL believers sin in some form or another?  Yes. Do all believers (that is, people 'born of God') believe (that is, not 'sin')?  Yes. 'His seed' abides in whom?  Believers. If someone is a believer ('born of God'), do they commit the disobedience of unbelief?  No.
10By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious:  anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.	Who is 'of God'?  Believers. In this context, what does it mean to 'practice rightesousness'?  To believe. If people believe, if they 'practice righteousness', are they 'of God'?  Yes; they are believers. Is 'love' part of the 'New Creation' package?  Yes. Did God poured out His love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit? Rom 5:5.  Whose love compels us?  2 Cor 5:14.  Is love included in the fruit of the Spirit? Gal 5:22.  Does God make love increase and overflow?  1 Thess 3:12.  Who is given sincere love for the brothers?  1 Pet 1:22.

do this in remembrance of .... what?

1 Corinthians 11 

23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

we were to eat and drink the  Lord's Supper in remembrance of Jesus Christ.  ...all across the country, people are slowing down the service, perhaps dimming the lights, and playing some music while people stay in their seats and ... what?  what are they doing?  remembering what?  it is my experience that we are generally told to remember our sins.

but why then are people doing it in remembrance of their sins?  i suspect that it is because of a collective misunderstanding of the next couple verses...

 27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 

while it certainly SEEMS to indicate we should examine our sins, this is not the context.  the context is that certain people were showing up with food - some ate all the food before others even arrived, some had plenty and ate all their food without offering it others who had nothing, some drank so much wine that they got drunk, etc.  some people would show up 'late' and other would show up so poor they had nothing, hoping to eat, and yet they left hungry.  how's that for fellowship and loving each other ?!
so, when these men were urged to 'examine himself', they were being urged to think about how much they were eating and drinking.  have they had enough to eat?  enough to drink?  do they have plenty and can give to others?  must they eat now?  or can they not wait to enjoy a meal with Christian brethren?

20When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. 22Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!

...

29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

 33So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. 

      And when I come I will give further directions

indeed, it would be better to eat alone in their homes than to come to the gathering and eat everything up in front of people who had nothing.  ...if they would 'recognize the body of the lord' (that is, other Christians), then they would either share or, at a minimum, eat and drink alone at home.

[aside: i think all this may actually be related to the verse on the 'weak, sick and asleep'.  i suspect that some people could eat nothing and got weak. some others ate so much that they got sick, and still others drank so much wine that they fell asleep.  these are the consequences; and, though seemingly natural, they are described as 'the Lord's judgment'.  this is emphatically not punishment; Jesus Christ received all of the punishment in our stead.]

Takeaway
the Lord's supper is about remembering Jesus Christ, not about remembering your sins.
Application
it is suitable to remember Jesus Christ and rejoice in Him and in what He did at the Lord's supper; being dour and serious about your sins is not suitable at the Lord's supper.

making Jesus Lord...

the idea that we 'make Jesus Lord of our life' is curious.  first of all, Jesus is Lord whether you like it or not, whether you know it or not.  but, second, Jesus Himself is Life...He is your Life.

...what really happens is something different.  over time, we just realize, more and more solidly, that He is who He says He is and you have no life other than Him.

Takeaway
Jesus is Life and Lord already
Application
it is suitable to ask Jesus to show us who He is already, rather than trying to 'make Him something'

for God's glory...

most Christians believe that they can and should do things 'for the glory of God'. giving God more glory, then, becomes the motivation for all types of service.  [1 Cor 10:31 seems to say this.]

i would put a couple different ideas in your head.

first, what is more glorifying to God:

1. the small things we can do for God? or the big things God has done?
2. the small love we express for God?  the gigantic love God expresses for us?
3. the things we do for God?  taking away our sins on the cross?

in every case, i will argue that God Himself gives Himself more glory; you are not as important for giving God glory as you think.

i would propose to you that the most God-glorifying thing that exists is God's love, not your love.  God's love within the Trinity, God's love for us, God's love placed inside of us to love Him and others is, simply, the most glorifying thing that exists.  now, of all of God's great love, the single greatest expression of that love is the gospel; seeing the gospel in truth, believing the gospel in faith, repeating the gospel over and over is, in my opinion, the best way for God's love and God's glory to be expressed.

relax a little bit.  people get really strung-out about doing things for 'the glory of God'; i would propose to you that the main thing about the 'the glory of God' as 'gospel', is to simply believe the gospel and continuously revel in it.

second, what is this thing we call 'the glory of God'???  what is it, really???  is it some glow that surrounds God at all times?  what is it?

i propose that when the bible refers to 'the glory of God', it is referring to the gospel;  'the glory of God' is the gospel.  1 Cor 10:31 is a prime example of this; Paul is exhorting strong Christians to avoid a 'bad witness' before unbelievers.  (unbelievers do not understand freedom in Christ; they generally hold Christians to a high standard and judge the Christians, Christianity and the 'Christian' God by that standard.)  when Paul uses the 'glory of God' phrase, what Paul means is the gospel; Paul could have written, 'do all for the GOSPEL', just as easily.

i know this is hard to believe at first; i encourage you to go through the entire books of 1 Cor, 2 Cor and the other Pauline epistles to see (1) how often 'gospel' and 'glory' are directly connected and (2) see if you can't substitute 'gospel' when you see 'glory'.  when you see this connection, you will relax a little bit.

alternatively, i will propose that the 'glory of God' are His People.  this verse has always stuck with me for this very reason:
Proverbs 14:28  In a multitude of people is a king's glory, But in the dearth of people is a prince's ruin.

Takeaway

the gospel bringing many children to God is the glory of God.  believing the gospel and continuously reveling in it is more important than all the things you think you should do.

Application

it is suitable to simply believe the gospel and continuously revel in it.

punished by God?

some Christians think that God punishes them for sins.

really?  are you kidding me?

the Word says that there is one punishment for sin - death.   ...if you get physically sick, lose a job, etc, etc, etc, you are expressly NOT being punished for sin.  ...death is the one and only punishment for sin that there is; you are kidding yourself if you think you can be punished by anything less of death.  [or did you really think that sin can be punished with a light slap on the wrist?]

in my opinion, people who believe they are punished by God have yet to internalize:

1. how truly abhorrent God finds sin
2. why death is the only punishment for sin
3. that Christ was punished for all our sins, INSTEAD of us
4. that the punishment for our sins is totally complete
5. that the work of Jesus Christ is totally complete
6. that no sins remain to be punished
7. that God has completely forgiven us by His complete, amazing grace

Takeaway

we are never punished by God; Jesus Christ was punished instead.

Application

it is suitable to believe we are never punished, that God is wholly happy with us.

cheap grace?

'cheap grace' was coined by the pastor/author Dietrich Bonhoeffer; you can read about it on the web.  unlike many pastors of his day, Bonhoeffer apposed Hitler and was locked up; he is highly respected for doing so.  to give him as much grace as i can, i imagine that he saw Christians turning their backs on the peoples Hitler hated, peoples that God loved; i imagine that many Christians turned their backs because they were afraid of the worldly consequences (getting locked up or killed).  
if i was in nazi germany and as bold as Bonhoeffer, i imagine that i too would want those Christians to change their behavior...i imagine that my desire might get the better of me and, apart from my best judgement, i too might criticize them with this 'cheap grace' idea....instead of encouraging them with the 'full gospel'.


the rest of this post is not about Bonhoeffer or Christians in nazi germany; it's about the Christians i know in the uber-comfortable USA.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

the phrase, 'cheap grace', does not appear in the bible.  grace is abundant, grace is spreading, grace is abounding, grace is surpassing, grace is sufficient, grace is manifold, but grace is not described as 'cheap'.  (Romans 5:17, Romans 5:20, 2 Corinthians 4:15, 2 Corinthians 9:8, 2 Corinthians 9:14, 2 Corinthians 12:9, 1 Timothy 1:14, Peter 4:10)   
...why, then are we talking about 'cheap grace' instead of 'abounding grace'?  why are we focused on something bad instead of something good?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

it scares me that people use the term 'cheap grace' to express their distaste with the actions of others. 


'grace' cost a lot of God, so no one can argue that grace is cheap.


unfortunately, the words 'cheap grace' leaves people with a fear that grace can run out, that grace is scarce, that grace is in limited supply.  expensive things are scarce things; scarce things are expensive things; if grace is expensive, it must be scarce; if grace is scarce, i had better be awfully careful with the way i act.  the term, 'cheap grace', leaves people here...without enough grace.  and that is scary.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


here are three things that i think the 'cheap grace' crowd could emphasize instead:

1. indeed, grace DID cost God much, but the price has been fully paid already; grace costs Him nothing more than what He has already paid; as Jesus said - 'it is finished'.
2. grace is infinitely abundant.  God has grace enough to forgive us of all things, of anything.  we cannot out-sin the grace of God.  ...when we sin, grace simply increases all the more [check Romans 5:20 and Romans 6:1].  believing in the grace of God means that we revel in it, that we soak in it, that we breath it and drink it and eat it; God's grace is abundant.
3. grace IS expensive, but it gives God what He wants - and what He wants is us, His children.  grace IS expensive, but He bought us...and He was happy to buy us.  the price (grace) was less than what we are worth to Him.
4. it is probably more accurate to say that 'grace WAS expensive and IS valuable' than 'grace IS expensive'.  i suppose it might be how a married couple feels about their engagement ring...the ring WAS expensive and IS valuable.  it is like a family heirloom passed down through the generations...it WAS expensive and IS valuable.  though this gift WAS expensive for the Father, it IS now valuable and free for His children.

this all makes the grace of God so completely different from anything we humans naturally understand from our experience in life; we can only understand grace supernaturally.  grace is expensive, but is abundant; grace is expensive, but more grace costs nothing more; grace is expensive, but God's children are worth even more; grace WAS expensive, but IS valuable.   ...now that's amazing grace!


i believe that people worried about 'cheap grace' are focused on sin instead of God.  furthermore, i firmly believe that focusing on sin will get you nowhere, and it certainly will not result in less sin.   ...sin reduction is a side-benefit that results as believers keep looking to God and His grace, as believers believe all the more in God's finished work, God's grace poured out on us.  
you cannot reduce sin, which is the reliance on your self-life, by exerting your self-life....your self-life remains just as strong as before.  while you might stop certain obvious self-life-sins via your self-life-effort, hidden self-life-sins will just step in and replace them; you will stop drinking and carousing and lying only to find yourself more proud, more judgmental and more legalistic.  while you were attempting to escape your old bondage, you will find yourself in just as much bondage as before; it is the rare person who will see this new bondage in themselves...most will think they are 'doing good'.  ...as if (obvious) drinking and lying are 'worse sins' than (hidden) pride and legalism.  so sad.
the key to sinning less is not will-power and disciplines, but simply believing God.  you get reborn when you believe God and give up on your self-life; you also grow when you believe God and give up on your self-life; this is the kind of growth you really want.




Takeaway
grace is expensive, but the expense is less than what God received.  grace is abundant, and ever increases at no further cost to God; we are forgiven - it is finished; we are worth more to God than what grace cost Him.  grace WAS expensive and IS valuable.
believing God is the key to growth.  you didn't get saved via self-effort; you don't grow via self-effort either.
Application
it is suitable to not talk about 'cheap grace' or even 'expensive grace' anymore...it is suitable to talk of 'valuable and abundant grace, which ever increases at no further cost, and cost less than what we are worth...a great mystery of the faith'.
it is suitable to give up on changing our behavior through our self-life/ self-effort and to simply believe God.

you talkin' to me?

often, Christians think Jesus is hard to understand.  i sure did.  these days, He is much more clear to me.

the toughest thing about Jesus is that He often says things that directly contradict the 'gospel of grace' that we read in acts and the epistles.  read for yourself:

• Matthew 6:12 
• Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
• Matthew 6:14-15 
• For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
• Matthew 18:21-35 
• Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"  22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.   23"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.   26"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.   28"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.   29"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'   30"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.   32"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.  33Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.   35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
• Luke 6:37
• "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
• Luke 11:4
• Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ' "
• Luke 17:3-4
• So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.  If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."

the above are but one example - Jesus is directly saying that people MUST forgive other people perfectly in order to be forgiven themselves.  we can try to wiggle out of what He is saying, we can try to explain away His 'hard teachings', but He means exactly what is right there on the surface...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

and yet, i totally believe in the gospel of grace; i totally believe that we do NOT have to forgive other people perfectly in order to be forgiven.  thus, i believe we are saved in direct contradiction to the words of Jesus.

why is that?

it's because Jesus is not speaking to me.  in fact, Jesus is speaking 2000 years ago to a people convinced they would make it to heaven if they obeyed the letter of the Law.  Jesus is 'raising the bar', introducing to the 'spirit of the Law' - the perfection of God Himself.  Jesus is showing them that no-one lives up to God's righteous standard, not even those who seem to obey the letter of the Law.

it's all meant to lead them to a knowledge of personal sin and their need of Him as Savior.

as such, it does not apply to any Christian.  today, God encourages us to forgive others, but He does not require it.  our salvation is a free gift, no strings attached.

Takeaway
in the Gospels, Jesus is not always talking to you; often, Jesus is actually talking to the people He was talking to.
Application
be very careful when you want to apply the words of Jesus to yourself or other Christians.  ask yourself if Jesus might be trying to convince the people He was talking to, self-righteous people, of their sin and their need for a Savior.

head knowledge vs heart knowledge...

Christians tend to believe that they often have 'head knowledge' that has not yet become 'heart knowledge'. i believe that this is the opposite of what is really going on.

King David cried out to God in Ps 51, 'create in me a clean heart'. God has done so in every single believer; our hearts are completely new and renewed. there is no more heart transformation necessary; there is no more heart transformation possible.

rather, believers experience 'head transformation'. we're told that we 'have the mind of Christ'. yet we're also encouraged (1) to 'renew our mind' and (2) to not be 'double-minded'.  it is not the case that we take our (learned) head knowledge and move it down to our hearts; rather, we take our (Christ-given) unconscious heart knowledge and move it up to conscious head knowledge.

by the way...what's THE most important thing to have your mind transformed about, to no longer be double-minded about? it's the true, full gospel.

Takeaway
believer...God gave you a new heart and the mind of Christ.
Application
it is suitable to be ever more certain of the true, full Gospel.

Law conscious or Grace conscious? sin conscious or God conscious?

Law makes a person conscious of sin; believers are not under Law.
The Holy Spirit convicts the world with regard to sin; believers are not of the world.


Mercy and Grace make a person conscious of God and His perfect forgiveness in Christ.


Law conscious --> sin conscious
Grace conscious --> God conscious


Being Law and Sin conscious does not help a believer stop sinning or start doing good works; being Grace and God conscious is the only thing that can do either.


Takeaway
there is a world of difference between being Law/Sin conscious and being Grace/God conscious.
Application
it is suitable to be Grace/God conscious.
Question
do you find yourself more conscious of your sins/the sins of others or more conscious of God within you/others?

do you feel really free?

 we read:

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

do you feel free?  really really free?
if you do not, you might have let yourself be burdened by a yoke of slavery.  ...just the fact that we read this here indicates that it must happen to some people, some of the time.

Takeaway
some people in the church will be burdened by a yoke of slavery.
Application
it is suitable to examine ourselves and others to see if we are burdened by a yoke of slavery.

on forsaking your first love...

what does it mean to forsake your first love?
like the 'lukewarm Christian' question, this comes up in Revelations 2-3.
'forsaking your first love' means to forsake the -true Gospel-.  people usually assume that the 'first love' is Jesus Christ...but i have never seen that in anyone.  every believer i know first falls for the Gospel, and later, over many years, maybe falls for Jesus Christ.  no, i truly believe that the Gospel is our 'first love'.
the Ephesians had accepted the Gospel with joy and had lived with freedom.  they had deeds, they endured hardship, they removed false teachers, lots of great stuff.  ...but they had forsaken their first love.
i see this ALL THE TIME with new believers.  they start out with just the Gospel; they enjoy a period of sublime peace and really enjoy their relationship with God.  but after a little while, they start wondering 'what they should do' and 'what God wants from them'.  the result is that they look to add something to the Gospel - this is, almost inevitably, the Law.

Takeaway
forsaking your first love is forsaking the true Gospel, generally by adding the Law to it.
Application
it is suitable to hang onto the true Gospel.

on lukewarm Christians...

what is a lukewarm Christian as mentioned in Rev 3?
people usually think that lukewarm Christians are not 'on fire for the Lord'...that they are self-satisfied and overly-content and aren't busy doing things that matter to God.

i disagree.
lukewarm Christians are neither hot nor cold for the -true Gospel-.  it is not that they do not evangelize enough, it is that their Gospel has been infected.  ...not infected by wealth, but infected by the Law.  they mistakenly think that they are 'rich and have everything they want' because they have added the Law to the true Gospel.  you see, people who only have the Gospel tend to, as a figure of spiritual speech, think they are poor; they then look for something that will make them 'rich' and find the Law; they then grab onto the Law...and believe they have 'everything they need'.

Takeaway
lukewarm Christians add the Law to the true Gospel.
Application
it is suitable to believe the true Gospel, not the Law-infected one you will commonly hear

"Gaze at Jesus and just glance at men and you will always be an optimist.  Gaze at men and glance at Jesus and you will be a pessimist.  Gaze at Jesus, glance at yourself and circumstances, and the peace that passes understanding will always be yours.  Glance at Jesus, gaze at yourself and circumstances, and you will surrender to decay."

-Michael Wells, Abiding Stories

Takeaway
what we focus on fills up our mind and changes our emotions.
Application
it is suitable to focus on Jesus Christ and His life more than anything or anyone else.

"There are two ways to be controlled by sin.  One is to constantly be thinking of participating in it,and the other is to constantly be consumed with staying away from it.  Either way, sin is the focus."

-Michael Wells, Abiding Stories

Takeaway

if you focus on sin (doing it or avoiding it), then sin controls you.  sin and sinning is almost irrelevant for a believer; Jesus Christ is everything, our very life.
Application
it is suitable to focus on Jesus Christ, not on sin.

what is the Gospel?

it's a simple question.  do we really know what it is?  i dare say that we do not.
Romans 5:8-9
 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.  10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

i call this the 'Salvation Gospel', and i see two pieces to it:

1. the first piece is that we are justified by the death of Christ - the cross.
2. the second piece is that we are saved by the life of Christ - He still lives because of the resurrection

imagine a linear scale, a ruler so to speak.  this scale is numbered from -10 to +10.  when we are conceived, we are sinners by nature; we start out at -10.  when we accept Christ, two things happen.  the first is that Christ pays for our sinful nature on the cross; we move from -10 to 0 through the death of Christ..  the second is that Christ gives us His life; we move from 0 to 10 because of the life of Christ (not His death).
Takeaway
we are saved by the life of Christ, not by the death of Christ.
Application
it is suitable to spend more time on the life of Christ given to us than we commonly do today.
Question
we wear crosses around our necks and erect crosses on top of our churches to symbolize the death of Christ.  what is the best symbol of the life of Christ?