Note: As you can see, this sermon was preached in 1999 or eleven years ago. I preached it as one sermon but you can divide it into 2, 3 or even four sermons. In that case, you may want to do a series. Ejoy
THE ABC OF OUR GLORIOUS STANDING
Eph. 1:1-8
Sunday, September 05, 1999
CTC
Introduction:
A girl of 18 years old was scolded by a younger brother. She, out of that encounter, made the conclusion in her mind that it was a very painful experience for her. The Newspapers reported that she killed herself as a result.
Friends, most people’s reaction is that the scolding was not big enough of a reason to kill one’s self. Is it? For some people, it is not big enough. For some, like that girl, it was big enough to push her to end her own life. Whether it’s big enough or not depends, in the end, on the conclusion that one makes in his or her mind. You see, the behavior, like the act of killing the self, is always an extension or a product of the mental conclusion that was previously made. An act or a behavior does not just happen. Any act is committed because of a conclusion. When we conclude that we itch, we scratch. When we conclude that we are hungry, we look for food, or smell for the whereabouts of food and eat when we find some. Any act is always a product of a mental conclusion. So, happiness in life, or the sadness of the same is principally dictated by the kinds of mental conclusions we make about our life, about others, and even about God.
Ephesians is a book on Spiritual Conclusion. Paul guides us through his letter to the Ephesians and reminds us of the wonderful love that the Father has for us. He is in fact, saying to us, when we come to know the greatness of God’s love for us, there is nothing that this world can do to make us kill ourselves. When we come to really understand the greatness of God’s love for us, there is nothing in this world that can make us grovel in hopelessness, or whimper in our misery.
Please note very carefully that Paul begins his letter with a very clear and precise discussion of our spiritual identity. He wants his readers to be sure of who they are before God. The reason is that he will explain to them towards the end of his book that they are and will always be engaged in a very fierce and difficult combat against Satan and the primary way of standing firm against his attacks is to know our spiritual standing and spiritual heritage. To who were are means to be victorious over Satan. To be ignorant of who we are before God means defeat in the hands of someone who is crafty and wily.
Let’s remind ourselves as to who we really are before God. Right conclusions means strength. Hope is a product of right conclusions. Happiness is a product of right conclusions. Victory over Satan is a product of right conclusion and not matter of using the cross, or oil, or anything else. Let’s talk about the ABC of our glorious standing before God. Satan’s nightmare is that we will discover this and use this against him. His wonderful dream is that the Christians will remain ignorant about their rightful and glorious standing before God. The lack of assurance is a product of ignorance. Ignorance making wrong conclusions from lack of correct knowledge.
A. ACCEPTED BEFORE WE WERE BORN.
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
Paul says that God accepted us before we were born. He did this when He chose in Jesus Christ before the creation of the world. Let’s note 3 things about this acceptance. This means that we were:
Chosen for a Distinct Relationship. He predestined us to be adopted as his sons (or daughters) through Jesus Christ.
Chosen for a Distinct Lifestyle. He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.
Chosen for a Distinct Purpose. To the praise of His:
Glory. His unique being as God. (Also in verse 12)
Grace. The favor he bestows on people.
The phrase glorious grace really has two words: Grace and glory. Imagine. God has chosen us even before we were born to become instruments for His grace and glory. In other words, He has said, through you, my glory, my uniqueness as God, my grace will be recognized and honored in the sight of heaven and earth.
B. BLESSED WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
The nature of our blessing:
Comprehensive. Every spiritual blessing.
2.2. Completely Safe. In Heaven. Safety Deposit Box is still a box. It is not safe enough. Safety is found not in a box but in a place. Heaven is a very safe place. That where our blessings have been deposited with an AND Account. You ask in Jesus name. He fill up, both of you sign. The Father will give it.
2.3. Certified to be available. In Christ. As long as one is in Christ, the blessings are available. The presence of Christ assures the blessings. The absence of Christ assures the absence of the blessings. Lord, send it through DHL- Divine Holy Line.
The main signatory of the withdrawal slip is in heaven.
C. CLEANSED BY HIS BLOOD.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
C. THE ESSENCE of this Cleansing. Redemption. Paying for the freedom of the slave. Our cleansing was never cheap nor easy. It required blood, which symbolizes life and suffering.
C.2. THE EFFECT of this cleansing. It deals effectively with our sins so that forgiveness becomes possible. Therefore, the end result of this cleansing is forgiveness of sins.
Note that this redemption or cleansing is given out of God’s
riches of God’s grace. The phrase to receive wealth is not the same as to received according to his wealth. When someone gives you a wealth, that is normally measured as wealth in relation to your poverty. It is wealth to the receiver. To receive wealth according to the rich man’s wealth is something else. That means to receive wealth by the standards of the donor. It means to be really wealthy not in comparison to your former poverty but in comparison tot he donor’s status.
We receive redemption or cleansing according to the riches
of God’s grace. Meaning, the forgiveness of sins that we have received is not measured according to the seriousness of our sins but according to the kindness of God. Because of that, our forgiveness is complete and without limits of any kind.
C.3. THE EXCLUSIVENESS of this cleansing. It is limited to
those who are in Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ is applied only to those who have received Him as Lord and Savior.
Friends, the danger in life are not the big wrong doctrines for we can easily spot them. The more dangerous ones are the small doubts. The minor dissatisfaction. The small and insignificant neglect of our time with the Bible. These are dangerous.
Six Slits Sink Ship
Scientists now say that a series of slits, not a giant gash, sank the Titanic. The opulent, 900-foot cruise ship sank in 1912 on its first voyage, from England to New York. Fifteen hundred people died in the worst maritime disaster of the time.
The most widely held theory was that the ship hit an iceberg, which opened a huge gash in the side of the liner. But an international team of divers and scientists recently used sound waves to probe the wreckage, buried in the mud under two-and-a-half miles of water. Their discovery? The damage was surprisingly small. Instead of the huge gash, they found six relatively narrow slits across the six watertight holds.
Small damage, invisible to most, can sink not only a great ship but a great reputation.
--USA Today (4/9/97)
Let not Satan deprive us of our joy. Let the problems of life terrify us. Let not the difficulties steal from us our God-given confidence and strength. Remind ourselves again and again. I have been ACCEPTED. BLESSED WITH EVERY BLESSING. CLEANSED BY THE BLOOD.
Satan says: God cannot accept you anymore because of your very rotten life. Satan, I was accepted before I was born. He has already accepted me for a distinct relationship with him. A distinct lifestyle for him and a distinct purpose for his glory.
Satan says: Yes, God may have accepted you but He will deprive you of blessings. He will not cause your business to prosper. He will bring you poverty and extreme suffering. You say. Satan, I have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing. The spiritual blessings for me are Comprehensive, it covers every need. It is Completely safe in heaven- away from your stealing hands. It is certified to be available because I have the Lord Jesus Christ.
Satan says: Yes, but your sins will bring you down. Your sins are too big and too much for God to handle. You will die in your sins. You say: Satan. I have already been cleansed. My cleaning in essense, is Redemption. Its effect is on all my sins. They have been fogiven. And the cleansing is exclusive, for me yes, for you no.
I have my ABC, you have yours. Your ABC IS . A-Alienation from God. B. Babanatan ka ng Diyos. C. Combustible material for hell.
Alam mo Satan, kahit sa Taglish, maganda and aking ABC. ANG BLESSINGS CONTINUING.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
FOUR QUESTIONS THAT CAN SAVE LIVES:
FOUR QUESTIONS THAT CAN SAVE LIVES:
Genesis 4.
Introduction:
When you wake up in the morning, what is the first thing that you say to someone in the house, is it a statement or a question? When you meet someone, what is the first word that comes out of your mouth – a statement or a question?
You may want to remember that in the Bible, the first recorded words from God to the first human beings were statements giving instructions: “Be fruitful and multiply”. On the other hand, the first words spoken by Satan to the first human beings were in the form of a question: “Did God really say you must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden?”
We may further remind ourselves in the first recorded conversation between God and Satan in the book of Job, the first words that God spoke to Satan were in the form of a question: Where have you been? Interestingly also, first words on record as having been spoken by God to Cain in Gen. 4 were also in the form of a question: “Why are you angry?”
Today, we are going to talk about Questions, specifically FOUR QUESTIONS THAT CAN SAVE LIVES.
Instructions are important but questions are also important. Questions open for us possibilities of learning or acquiring more in terms of knowledge and skills. Questions require an answer and answers are knowledge that can be fruitful for life.
THE BACKGROUND:
Although God told Adam and Eve to multiply in number and to fill the earth, two of these children became prominent in the Biblical history. This is so because they occupied unique positions in the story of humanity.
In the story today, God asked Cain four important questions. God could have asked more questions but on record, only these four were retained. These are important questions and they could have saved lives and they can still save lives today, even during our time. Let’s take a look at the questions:
1. QUESTION 1: WHY DO YOU FEEL THAT WAY? (Why are you angry?)
The question is not intended to provide God with an answer that He does not know. Not all questions are asked for the purpose of knowing. Ex. God said to Adam – Where are you? Note that God is all knowing but Adam was being given the chance to come out and repent and surrender to God.
Why do you feel that way? Many of our emotional difficulties are not necessary. Our emotions must be justified in the sight of God. Cain was asked – why are you angry? It is like saying – do you think that you are doing the right way by getting angry? Do you think you have the right to be angry?
Did you examine your emotions in the light of what is right and wrong in my sight? (If you do well, will you not be accepted?)
Questions about emotions: Why do you love the man you love now? Is it valid? Is it justified in the sight of God? Why do you dwell on your depression? Is it valid? Are you grieving?
The question is intended to remind us that not all emotions we experience are valid and acceptable in the sight of God.
You feel that you are so unloved? Why do you feel that way? You feel that the world is about to fall on you? Why do you feel that way? Is it justified? You feel that you cannot take it anymore. Why do you feel that way?
2. QUESTION 2: WHY DO YOU BEHAVE THAT WAY? (Why is your face downcast?)
Cain was acting out his frustration and anger. His face showed it very clearly. When our emotions are low, our behavior tends to follow. It should not. Just as we need to examine our emotions and justify them in the presence of God, we also must examine our behavior and justify the same in the sight of God!
Why do I behave this way? Can I justify this in the sight of God? Why do I raise my voice against my children? Is this justified in the sight of God? Why do I raise my hand to inflict violence upon my children and the wife – is this justified in the sight of God?
Why do I go out at night as if I did not have a family – is this behavior justified in the sight of God? Why do I watch TV at night when I have a school assignment to finish – is this behavior justified in the sight of God?
Why do I forget to greet or kiss my mother when I arrive home or when I leave home, is this justified in the sight of God?
Why do I no longer hold the hands of my wife when we walk at the ATC or the Glorieta? Is it because I cannot bear the thought that I am holding hands with a lola? But you are also a lolo! Is this behavior justified in the sight of God?
3. QUESTION 3: WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER?
Here is a question of accountability. The brother is accountable to God for the welfare of his brother or sister. The husband is accountable to God for the welfare of his wife. The wife is accountable to God for the welfare of the husband. The children, in some ways, are accountable to God to pray for the welfare of their parents. They are definitely accountable to God for the honor of their parents! That is why they are commanded to honor their father and mother.
Here are important parts of the question:
3.1. We must know at all times where the other members of the family are at a particular time.
3.2. we must be responsible for seeing to it that our family members are safe.
Parents, do you know where your children are at a particular time of the night? Children, do you inform your parents, or more correctly, ask permission from your parents about where you want to go?
4. QUESTION 4: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
The question is intended to save Cain’s life. He could have repented. He could have admitted the crime.
Every time we do something, we are reminded by this question to examine the following:
4.1. The validity of behavior in the light of God’s law. Right or wrong?
4.2. The validity of our behavior in the light of the welfare of family members: Family concern and obligations.
4.3. The validity of our behavior in the light of the welfare of others (love your neighbors as yourself).
Genesis 4.
Introduction:
When you wake up in the morning, what is the first thing that you say to someone in the house, is it a statement or a question? When you meet someone, what is the first word that comes out of your mouth – a statement or a question?
You may want to remember that in the Bible, the first recorded words from God to the first human beings were statements giving instructions: “Be fruitful and multiply”. On the other hand, the first words spoken by Satan to the first human beings were in the form of a question: “Did God really say you must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden?”
We may further remind ourselves in the first recorded conversation between God and Satan in the book of Job, the first words that God spoke to Satan were in the form of a question: Where have you been? Interestingly also, first words on record as having been spoken by God to Cain in Gen. 4 were also in the form of a question: “Why are you angry?”
Today, we are going to talk about Questions, specifically FOUR QUESTIONS THAT CAN SAVE LIVES.
Instructions are important but questions are also important. Questions open for us possibilities of learning or acquiring more in terms of knowledge and skills. Questions require an answer and answers are knowledge that can be fruitful for life.
THE BACKGROUND:
Although God told Adam and Eve to multiply in number and to fill the earth, two of these children became prominent in the Biblical history. This is so because they occupied unique positions in the story of humanity.
In the story today, God asked Cain four important questions. God could have asked more questions but on record, only these four were retained. These are important questions and they could have saved lives and they can still save lives today, even during our time. Let’s take a look at the questions:
1. QUESTION 1: WHY DO YOU FEEL THAT WAY? (Why are you angry?)
The question is not intended to provide God with an answer that He does not know. Not all questions are asked for the purpose of knowing. Ex. God said to Adam – Where are you? Note that God is all knowing but Adam was being given the chance to come out and repent and surrender to God.
Why do you feel that way? Many of our emotional difficulties are not necessary. Our emotions must be justified in the sight of God. Cain was asked – why are you angry? It is like saying – do you think that you are doing the right way by getting angry? Do you think you have the right to be angry?
Did you examine your emotions in the light of what is right and wrong in my sight? (If you do well, will you not be accepted?)
Questions about emotions: Why do you love the man you love now? Is it valid? Is it justified in the sight of God? Why do you dwell on your depression? Is it valid? Are you grieving?
The question is intended to remind us that not all emotions we experience are valid and acceptable in the sight of God.
You feel that you are so unloved? Why do you feel that way? You feel that the world is about to fall on you? Why do you feel that way? Is it justified? You feel that you cannot take it anymore. Why do you feel that way?
2. QUESTION 2: WHY DO YOU BEHAVE THAT WAY? (Why is your face downcast?)
Cain was acting out his frustration and anger. His face showed it very clearly. When our emotions are low, our behavior tends to follow. It should not. Just as we need to examine our emotions and justify them in the presence of God, we also must examine our behavior and justify the same in the sight of God!
Why do I behave this way? Can I justify this in the sight of God? Why do I raise my voice against my children? Is this justified in the sight of God? Why do I raise my hand to inflict violence upon my children and the wife – is this justified in the sight of God?
Why do I go out at night as if I did not have a family – is this behavior justified in the sight of God? Why do I watch TV at night when I have a school assignment to finish – is this behavior justified in the sight of God?
Why do I forget to greet or kiss my mother when I arrive home or when I leave home, is this justified in the sight of God?
Why do I no longer hold the hands of my wife when we walk at the ATC or the Glorieta? Is it because I cannot bear the thought that I am holding hands with a lola? But you are also a lolo! Is this behavior justified in the sight of God?
3. QUESTION 3: WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER?
Here is a question of accountability. The brother is accountable to God for the welfare of his brother or sister. The husband is accountable to God for the welfare of his wife. The wife is accountable to God for the welfare of the husband. The children, in some ways, are accountable to God to pray for the welfare of their parents. They are definitely accountable to God for the honor of their parents! That is why they are commanded to honor their father and mother.
Here are important parts of the question:
3.1. We must know at all times where the other members of the family are at a particular time.
3.2. we must be responsible for seeing to it that our family members are safe.
Parents, do you know where your children are at a particular time of the night? Children, do you inform your parents, or more correctly, ask permission from your parents about where you want to go?
4. QUESTION 4: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
The question is intended to save Cain’s life. He could have repented. He could have admitted the crime.
Every time we do something, we are reminded by this question to examine the following:
4.1. The validity of behavior in the light of God’s law. Right or wrong?
4.2. The validity of our behavior in the light of the welfare of family members: Family concern and obligations.
4.3. The validity of our behavior in the light of the welfare of others (love your neighbors as yourself).
Saturday, June 5, 2010
CAPACITY TO FORGIVE IS DEPENDENT ON OUR CAPACITY AND WILLINGNESS TO BE GRATEFUL
CAPACITY TO FORGIVE IS DEPENDENT ON OUR CAPACITY AND WILLINGNESS TO BE GRATEFUL
Ang marunong magpasalamat ay marunong humingi ng tawad at ang marunong humingi ng tawad ay marunong ding magpatawad. Ang hindi nagpapasalamat, hindi humihingi ng tawad at hindi rin nagpapatawad.
“Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.”
Mat. 18
15 "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. 17 "And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer.
18 "Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven 19 "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.
20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst." 21 Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. NASB
23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 "And when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents.
25 "But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. 26 "The slave therefore falling down, prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.' 27 "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.
28 "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.' 29 "So his fellow slave fell down and began to entreat him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.'
30 "He was unwilling however, but went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. 31 "So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. 32 "Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me.
33' Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?' 34 "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35 "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."
How important are these words /concepts to us in our daily life?
Repentance, forgiveness and gratitude?
I- Admitting the wrong that we have done and asking for patience and mercy from the offended person is necessary for beneficial forgiveness. This is called repentance Verse 23-27
In the story, a servant owed the king some money. He was not able to pay (symbolizing what we owe God that we cannot pay). He asked for mercy. It was given to him. This represents repentance that was acknowledged and so mercy was granted. That is why the Lord teaches that the offending brother must be confronted privately – with his sin so that he can be resorted.
II- Administering forgiveness to the offender after a gentle but firm confrontation is a matter of obedience and faithfulness to God. verses 15-22
The Lord’s teaching is clear: Confront to clarify sin and then be willing to forgive. When Peter asked how many times should he forgive a brother who sins but keeps on asking for forgiveness (he thought 7 times was good enough), the Lord told him, 70 times seven.
III- Allowing God’s grace and mercy to be reflected in our dealings with offenders is called Gratitude and Faithfulness- verses 28 -35
The servant who has received forgiveness was expected to be forgiving also as an expression of his gratitude to the King who forgave him. His problem was that he was not grateful and so he ended up becoming an unforgiving to someone who owed him something. Ang hindi marunong magpasalamat ay hindi marunong magpatawad.
WHAT WAS IT REALLY THAT THE SERVANT RECEIVED?
MERCY- When a justly deserved punishment is withheld, that is MERCY.
GRACE- When a favor that a person does not deserve is given to him, that is GRACE.
A NEW BEGINNING- A free man
WHAT IS THIS STORY TELLING US?
The story tells us that an ungrateful and unforgiving attitude is deadly. It can destroy life.
It also tells us that we must then learn how to be grateful because a grateful man becomes able to forgive and a forgiving heart is allowed to enjoy the blessings of life.
We need to ask for forgiveness and we need to give forgiveness because: Matt 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Although we have been forgiven for our eternal destiny, daily sins affect daily life and so must be repented of and forgiven daily. If we do not forgive others, God will also not forgive the sins that we commit in our daily life.
John 20:22 And with that He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
This has nothing to do with salvation forgiveness for God alone can do that. This has something to do with offenses we commit against each other. Forgiveness is a legal act. If we do not declare it, it has not taken place and the person can end up carrying the consequence. That is why it is important to forgive.
Ang marunong magpasalamat ay marunong humingi ng tawad at ang marunong humingi ng tawad ay marunong ding magpatawad. Ang hindi nagpapasalamat, hindi humihingi ng tawad at hindi rin nagpapatawad.
“Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.”
Mat. 18
15 "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. 17 "And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer.
18 "Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven 19 "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.
20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst." 21 Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. NASB
23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 "And when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents.
25 "But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. 26 "The slave therefore falling down, prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.' 27 "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.
28 "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.' 29 "So his fellow slave fell down and began to entreat him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.'
30 "He was unwilling however, but went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. 31 "So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. 32 "Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me.
33' Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?' 34 "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35 "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."
How important are these words /concepts to us in our daily life?
Repentance, forgiveness and gratitude?
I- Admitting the wrong that we have done and asking for patience and mercy from the offended person is necessary for beneficial forgiveness. This is called repentance Verse 23-27
In the story, a servant owed the king some money. He was not able to pay (symbolizing what we owe God that we cannot pay). He asked for mercy. It was given to him. This represents repentance that was acknowledged and so mercy was granted. That is why the Lord teaches that the offending brother must be confronted privately – with his sin so that he can be resorted.
II- Administering forgiveness to the offender after a gentle but firm confrontation is a matter of obedience and faithfulness to God. verses 15-22
The Lord’s teaching is clear: Confront to clarify sin and then be willing to forgive. When Peter asked how many times should he forgive a brother who sins but keeps on asking for forgiveness (he thought 7 times was good enough), the Lord told him, 70 times seven.
III- Allowing God’s grace and mercy to be reflected in our dealings with offenders is called Gratitude and Faithfulness- verses 28 -35
The servant who has received forgiveness was expected to be forgiving also as an expression of his gratitude to the King who forgave him. His problem was that he was not grateful and so he ended up becoming an unforgiving to someone who owed him something. Ang hindi marunong magpasalamat ay hindi marunong magpatawad.
WHAT WAS IT REALLY THAT THE SERVANT RECEIVED?
MERCY- When a justly deserved punishment is withheld, that is MERCY.
GRACE- When a favor that a person does not deserve is given to him, that is GRACE.
A NEW BEGINNING- A free man
WHAT IS THIS STORY TELLING US?
The story tells us that an ungrateful and unforgiving attitude is deadly. It can destroy life.
It also tells us that we must then learn how to be grateful because a grateful man becomes able to forgive and a forgiving heart is allowed to enjoy the blessings of life.
We need to ask for forgiveness and we need to give forgiveness because: Matt 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Although we have been forgiven for our eternal destiny, daily sins affect daily life and so must be repented of and forgiven daily. If we do not forgive others, God will also not forgive the sins that we commit in our daily life.
John 20:22 And with that He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
This has nothing to do with salvation forgiveness for God alone can do that. This has something to do with offenses we commit against each other. Forgiveness is a legal act. If we do not declare it, it has not taken place and the person can end up carrying the consequence. That is why it is important to forgive.
Friday, June 4, 2010
THE WAY THAT HE LOVES
TITLE: THE WAY THAT HE LOVES IS TO THRILLING BECAUSE, HIS LOVE REACHES EVEN ME. (Verse 2 of the song: THE WAY THAT HE LOVES)
2010 Feb 14 1 John
We have started our study on the Biblical concept of love. We call it Divine love and also Biblical love. Today is a special day for many people in the world because they believe that this is the day of love. Let’s us compare, for a moment, the love of God with the way love is understood by some people. Somebody said in a chatroom: I witnessed 5 marriages, 4 ended in divorce. A lady writes: I got married when I was 22. I am now 25 and I have just finished the divorce proceedings.
That says a lot about how love is viewed by many. Surprisingly, February is not the favored month for weddings although it has the day of love- February 14. In the USA, it is said the most popular month is June, followed by August, May, July, September, October, December, November-April, February, March. January brings up the rear.
The primary reason that people do not exercise true love for one another is that they have a very limited understanding of what love really is. For most, love is a feel good transaction. I want you, you want me, let’s be happy. But, of course we all know that love is more than a feel good transaction. It includes willingness to suffer as when a parent takes a most difficult job abroad to support the education of his children. It includes unintended moments of terror as when the wife was told to prepare herself because the husband required surgery immediately the prospect of success of which is only less than 15 %.
The main reason why people do not acquire sufficient understanding of love is because they will not study first of all love as God’s love or Agape. The other reason is that some people attempted to love others without first loving God with all their heart and soul. So the effect is disaster.
Let’s read our text for today:
1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By 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. 11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous.
Let us try to understand this deep spiritual truth we call AGAPE, DIVINE LOVE, BIBLICAL LOVE OR THE LOVE OF GOD. We will use, as our text for today, 1 John 3.
MTS: We really have to understand what is this that we call LOVE OF GOD and how do we benefit from it. MTQ: How should we understand AGAPE or the LOVE OF GOD?
I- FIRST: AGAPE IS OURS AS A PURE GIFT AND NOT AS SOMETHING EARNED FROM WORK.
1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
John speaks of this LOVE as something that the Father has bestowed upon or lavished on us as the NIV would have it. The word used DIDOMI has the idea of FREELY GIVEN. God did not ask anything from us in order for Him to love us. In fact, He loved before we ever understood this thing we call love. In a wedding, love is expressed and sealed with I DOS. Not with God. He loved us first- for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son- then as we experienced His love, we said I DO. I worship you, I receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
In theology, we call this the UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION, which, in simple terms really means: God loved us first without requiring anything from us to make Him love us. UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION or AGAPE LOVE, when applied in our relationship means making giving the basis of love.
I- SECOND: AGAPE IS LOVE THAT CONFERS A STATUS AND A TITLE: Children of God and called Children of God. 1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
Note how John explains this so carefully: He says that the believers are really CHILDREN OF GOD but they are also, as a privilege called CHILDREN OF GOD. What is the difference between a status and a title? Status is undeniable position in life but title is recognition of that status.
Ex. In Bulacan now, there are two persons claiming to be governors, a political status. But only one will ultimately be recognized with the title Governor. You have heard of stories where a daughter eloped and found hard to be forgiven by her father. She is his daughter, that is her status in life but he will not recognize her as the daughter. Some couples are married legally so they have the legal social status of being husband and wife. But they do not recognize each other as such for they keep on fighting like sworn enemies, like presidential candidates.
Similarly, we are, by God’s grace given the spiritual status of sonship of children of God. What is wonderful is that God does not only give us the status, He calls us HIS CHILDREN! God wants us to know that He has given us the status of sonship but He is happy to announce to the angels that we belong to Him. Proof? Luke 10:20- our names are written in the book of life in heaven.
II- THIRD: AGAPE IS LOVE THAT REMINDS US OUR NEED TO GROW, MATURE AND LIVE AS CHILDREN OF GOD.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By 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. 11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous.
Agape reminds us that we need maturity: We are called LITTLE CHILDREN. Little children are small kids needing to grow and mature.
Agape reminds us that we need to be constantly purified from sin and evil. Practice righteousness.
Agape reminds us that not all people are the same in this world. We need to be careful. Some people, according to John, are children of the devil They are known by the evil that they carry out against others.
SUMMARY:
Agape, or divine love is: OURS AS A GIFT, A PURE GIFT. It confers a status- sonship but it also carried with it recognition. Then, finally, it reminds that we are still growing, maturing and increasing in our spirituality. We need constant purification. We need to live a life different from the lives of those considered as belonging to the other side.
How is this related to us and how can we apply this?
We apply this by examining our lives. Do you love to give or to receive? Is your love conditional or unconditional? Is your family life described as godly or ungodly? Here is what happens when the Love of God grips our heart:
God is love- 1 John 4:8: The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
God who is love is in us and therefore we are expected to love as He loves: 1 John 4:16 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
God’s love is us is to manifested in the following spiritual characteristics:
When provoked- patience
When confronted with a need- kindness
When not having what others have- gratitude instead of envy
When blessed with what others do not have- does not boast
When dealing with others of less importance- not rude
When dealing with needs – not self-seeking
When dealing with frustrations- not easily angered
When dealing with offenders- not keeping a record of wrongs
When seeing someone affected by evil- grieves and does not rejoice
When confronted with a choice: protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres
2010 Feb 14 1 John
We have started our study on the Biblical concept of love. We call it Divine love and also Biblical love. Today is a special day for many people in the world because they believe that this is the day of love. Let’s us compare, for a moment, the love of God with the way love is understood by some people. Somebody said in a chatroom: I witnessed 5 marriages, 4 ended in divorce. A lady writes: I got married when I was 22. I am now 25 and I have just finished the divorce proceedings.
That says a lot about how love is viewed by many. Surprisingly, February is not the favored month for weddings although it has the day of love- February 14. In the USA, it is said the most popular month is June, followed by August, May, July, September, October, December, November-April, February, March. January brings up the rear.
The primary reason that people do not exercise true love for one another is that they have a very limited understanding of what love really is. For most, love is a feel good transaction. I want you, you want me, let’s be happy. But, of course we all know that love is more than a feel good transaction. It includes willingness to suffer as when a parent takes a most difficult job abroad to support the education of his children. It includes unintended moments of terror as when the wife was told to prepare herself because the husband required surgery immediately the prospect of success of which is only less than 15 %.
The main reason why people do not acquire sufficient understanding of love is because they will not study first of all love as God’s love or Agape. The other reason is that some people attempted to love others without first loving God with all their heart and soul. So the effect is disaster.
Let’s read our text for today:
1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By 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. 11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous.
Let us try to understand this deep spiritual truth we call AGAPE, DIVINE LOVE, BIBLICAL LOVE OR THE LOVE OF GOD. We will use, as our text for today, 1 John 3.
MTS: We really have to understand what is this that we call LOVE OF GOD and how do we benefit from it. MTQ: How should we understand AGAPE or the LOVE OF GOD?
I- FIRST: AGAPE IS OURS AS A PURE GIFT AND NOT AS SOMETHING EARNED FROM WORK.
1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
John speaks of this LOVE as something that the Father has bestowed upon or lavished on us as the NIV would have it. The word used DIDOMI has the idea of FREELY GIVEN. God did not ask anything from us in order for Him to love us. In fact, He loved before we ever understood this thing we call love. In a wedding, love is expressed and sealed with I DOS. Not with God. He loved us first- for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son- then as we experienced His love, we said I DO. I worship you, I receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
In theology, we call this the UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION, which, in simple terms really means: God loved us first without requiring anything from us to make Him love us. UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION or AGAPE LOVE, when applied in our relationship means making giving the basis of love.
I- SECOND: AGAPE IS LOVE THAT CONFERS A STATUS AND A TITLE: Children of God and called Children of God. 1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
Note how John explains this so carefully: He says that the believers are really CHILDREN OF GOD but they are also, as a privilege called CHILDREN OF GOD. What is the difference between a status and a title? Status is undeniable position in life but title is recognition of that status.
Ex. In Bulacan now, there are two persons claiming to be governors, a political status. But only one will ultimately be recognized with the title Governor. You have heard of stories where a daughter eloped and found hard to be forgiven by her father. She is his daughter, that is her status in life but he will not recognize her as the daughter. Some couples are married legally so they have the legal social status of being husband and wife. But they do not recognize each other as such for they keep on fighting like sworn enemies, like presidential candidates.
Similarly, we are, by God’s grace given the spiritual status of sonship of children of God. What is wonderful is that God does not only give us the status, He calls us HIS CHILDREN! God wants us to know that He has given us the status of sonship but He is happy to announce to the angels that we belong to Him. Proof? Luke 10:20- our names are written in the book of life in heaven.
II- THIRD: AGAPE IS LOVE THAT REMINDS US OUR NEED TO GROW, MATURE AND LIVE AS CHILDREN OF GOD.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By 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. 11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous.
Agape reminds us that we need maturity: We are called LITTLE CHILDREN. Little children are small kids needing to grow and mature.
Agape reminds us that we need to be constantly purified from sin and evil. Practice righteousness.
Agape reminds us that not all people are the same in this world. We need to be careful. Some people, according to John, are children of the devil They are known by the evil that they carry out against others.
SUMMARY:
Agape, or divine love is: OURS AS A GIFT, A PURE GIFT. It confers a status- sonship but it also carried with it recognition. Then, finally, it reminds that we are still growing, maturing and increasing in our spirituality. We need constant purification. We need to live a life different from the lives of those considered as belonging to the other side.
How is this related to us and how can we apply this?
We apply this by examining our lives. Do you love to give or to receive? Is your love conditional or unconditional? Is your family life described as godly or ungodly? Here is what happens when the Love of God grips our heart:
God is love- 1 John 4:8: The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
God who is love is in us and therefore we are expected to love as He loves: 1 John 4:16 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
God’s love is us is to manifested in the following spiritual characteristics:
When provoked- patience
When confronted with a need- kindness
When not having what others have- gratitude instead of envy
When blessed with what others do not have- does not boast
When dealing with others of less importance- not rude
When dealing with needs – not self-seeking
When dealing with frustrations- not easily angered
When dealing with offenders- not keeping a record of wrongs
When seeing someone affected by evil- grieves and does not rejoice
When confronted with a choice: protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres
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