19th Sunday after Trinity – Sermon 119

Prayer to start

May the words of my lips and the thought of our hearts be graciously received for the Glory and Honour of our Lord Jesus Christ
AMEN

Introduction

Words – are important – they help us learn and understand – communicate our feelings- explain to people who we are

They are important – for explaining – our Faith to others –

In John’s time the words and phrases Christians used to – communicate their faith – were being corrupted –

Common phrases like – ‘Knowing God’ – ‘walking in the Light’ – were being associated with less than true – Christian practices –

For new Christians – unfamiliar – with the jargon – it was becoming difficult for them to grasp – what following Jesus really meant –

So – in our NT lesson John is reminding – us what some of these formula phrases – are about  

Point 1          Repent & sin no more

 

One of the first sets of these difficult words – he brings to our attention – is about ‘sin’ –and ‘atonement’

‘This is so that you should not commit sin’

‘ Jesus is Himself a sacrifice to atone for our sins’

The root meaning of the Greek word – for ‘sin’ is ‘to miss’ – to miss the mark – fall short of the standard trying to be reached –

For Christians – it means falling short of the standard – set – by God – through His Son – in order to reach a right relationship with Him –

Our relationship with God is important because – He is our creator – and we belong to Him – We are no accident of physics or chemistry – but ‘Made in His image’ – to express His love in the world –

Many people’s lives are driven by resentment – fear- anger- materialism – the need for approval – but Christians – only serve one master

A young man was out walking in the hills – and realized he was lost – and asked directions back to his campsite – ‘You can’t get there from Here’ was the reply – ‘You’ll have to start from the other side of the hill’ –

In the same way we can’t arrive at our life’s purpose – by taking the path that we would like to follow – we have to begin again – and focus on God’s directions –

Each day we fall into personal sin – sometimes without knowing it – because of what’s in us – and a part of us – our pride, anger, envy, greed, fear – laziness – takes control – and afterwards – because of our actions – leaves its mark – through feelings of guilt and helplessness –

One way of thinking about it – is if we hammer a nail into the wall and then remove it – the nail has gone – but the hole is still there –

sin acts in the same way – it leaves scars – deep within us – and we can’t remove them by ourselves

Which is where Jesus comes in –

Christianity is not just about turning away from sin – its also about turning to Christ –

Jesus was sent by God to save us from our sins –to ‘atone’ or pay the price for our failings – and to bring us to eternal life – and as John says – not just ours – but the whole worlds.

Jesus experienced the worst of mankind’s pain and humiliation – when He died for us on the cross –

Through the cross He dealt with the forces of evil that thrive on us – Jesus came into our history – to share our weakness – and to show us how important we are to God – and how serious and costly our sins – and real forgiveness are –

Through the cross God demands a decision – a choice – we either repent and ask for forgiveness – or reject – and crucify Him –

God has seen us fail many times – seen us ‘trapped in the snare’ – but rescues us – time and time again – through Jesus –

When we accept Jesus as our Saviour – because – of His death – we are brought closer to God – and our sins no longer separate us from Him –

Because of Jesus’ resurrection – we know that death is – but a removal of the final barrier between ourselves and God – and – there is something more marvelous – and everlasting – to come.–

 

Point 2      Obedience & following

 

“Whoever says I know Him, but does not obey His commandments is a liar”

“Whoever claims to be dwelling in Him must live as Christ Himself lived”

These two verses help us to focus on the meaning of two more important words – ‘obedience’ and ‘following’

John tells us that obedience to God – is not an unachievable option –

Jesus was obedient – so we too can be obedient –

But what drives that obedience – should not be fear or gain – but love

At the end of an evening out – a teenage girl – was dared – by her friends – to stay out until the early hours of the morning – with out asking permission. – When she refused – they teased her, ‘what’s the matter – are you afraid?” – No! she said, I love my parents – I don’t want to hurt him!’

Not wanting to hurt God – who loves us – should be our response too! –

Sometimes we have to melt a little – before we come to realize that loving God – and other people is not too hard after all –

No matter how painful the surrender of our will may seem – obedience to God through love – saves us from an unhappy loss in this world – and an irrecoverable loss in the next

Which brings us on to ‘following’-

Many people – have a second hand relationship with God – a sort of hand me down religion – more about what someone once said – about Jesus – rather than knowing Jesus for themselves-

To get to know Him – we have to – follow Him – in a very personal way – take the same road that He takes – learn to be like Him – so that we do the things that Jesus would do –

Following also means listening and learning –

In this age of microwaves – and fast foods – many of us have got out of the habit of investing time and energy – into learning for God

We have developed a short attention span – and fewer of us – take time out – to spend time with God –

The writer of Proverbs wants us to pursue God’s wisdom – like an enterprising treasure hunter – who is thrilled – to spend all he has – in an effort and passion – to know Him –

He wants us to grow in God – in order to ‘understand – what is right and just – amd keep only to the good mans path’

We do this through prayer and worship – Bible reading and study – by sharing and learning in fellowship – with other Christians – and through service – through His church –

All these bring us closer to God – and help us – become inspired and nourished –

What we need to realize is that unless we tap into these sources of wisdom – we will become Spiritually drained – as if like water running out of a hole in a bucket – so we continually have to keep filling up – otherwise we will run empty – –

 

 
Point 3        live in love and light

God wants us to be like Jesus – who is full of ‘love and ‘light’ –

To understand what he means by this we only need to look at Paul’s letter to the Corinthians – and His well known passage on Love – if we use the word Jesus – instead of love – then we see exactly what Jesus is like – and what God wants from us –

‘Jesus is patient and kind – is not jealous conceited or proud – Jesus is not ill-mannered selfish – irritable – does not keep record of wrongs – Jesus is not happy with evil – but with the truth – Jesus never gives up – and Jesus- Faith and Hope will never fail’

God’s love is bigger than every struggle we will ever face

The commandment to love is fundamental to our relationship with God – John calls it new – because Christian life is a pattern of constant renewal – through Jesus –

John reminds us that we cannot be in a new situation if we hate someone else –

Light and love go together – and so do hate and darkness-

We sometimes put blindfolds on ourselves – because of our sins – but He longs for us to keep in His light – and take firm steps towards it – We are to be fully involved in the world – but live in the light of the world to come – 

Ending    

 

One of the most popular songs of the last 50 years is – Frank Sinatra’s ‘My way’ – Most of us want to do things our way – but in a relationship with God – my way is the worlds way – and that is never the right way –

To live such a life – is to have your heart stolen away from God –

As Christians God – encourages us to be distinctly different – to stand out from the crowd – but not for our sakes – but so that Jesus will be noticed through us –

And – if we really think about it – the only way to handle things properly in this world – is it to take notice of the one who made it – because in the end we know He will always have the final word

 

Prayer  

AMEN