DEVOTIONAL APRIL 15-21, 2018 40 5. 348. 3292 H O LYTRI N I T YEDMOND.O RG
Beloved Throughout the letters of John, the Apostle repeatedly uses that term of endearment for God s people: Beloved. Scholars suspect that John wrote all of his writings toward the end of his ministry and life, in the late First Century AD. 1 John, then, serves as a final sermon for all of the Beloved people of God the Church then and now encouraging and directing us in our life as resurrection people. In this Season of Easter, we will look at these timeless, parting words of an old Apostle. As the redeemed people of God, children of the light, we can take heart in all of life s difficult circumstances, for in Christ Jesus our Lord we stand forgiven as His dearly Beloved! We invite you to join us each week, too! Daily devotional booklets, like this one, will be provided each week in an effort to connect the Sunday messages with your daily life. The Sunday devotional offers a review of the morning s Scripture readings and message, allowing opportunity to reflect upon that day s sermon. Throughout the rest of the week, each day s offers a passage from the letters of St. John, with a few thoughts to ponder. Don t feel you have the time to look up the passages? No worries each day also has the verse or two being emphasized. We pray these devotionals will be a blessing to you and your family, and in your Christian life! The Beloved Sermon Series Themes: April 8: Practice the Truth (1 John 1:1-2:2) April 15: God s Children Now (1 John 3:1-7) April 22: We Know Love (1 John 3:16-24) April 29: We Know God (1 John 4:1-11 (12-21)) May 6: Our Victorious Faith (1 John 5:1-8) May 13: Our Living Testimony (1 John 5:9-15)
Beloved: God s Children Now Sunday Sermon Review April 15, 2018 We often use the phrase children of God, perhaps so much so we forget what it means. John seems to express an awe at that fact we are actually God s children now! Can you believe it?! When we return to that sense of awe, we better understand that our heavenly Father is worthy of all praise. It also carries with it a sense that we re no one else s child, now! How does that impact our life? Living as God s children means to be in His word (abide in Him), to gather at the Family Table in fellowship, and to be refreshed in God s presence. The Scripture Lesson Summaries for Today: Acts 3:11-21: People marvel at Peter & John healing a cripple. Peter points them to what God has done in Christ, giving a message of Law and Gospel, urging them to repent and receive the times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. 1 John 3:1-7: John lays out how marvelous of a thing it is that we are now children of God, just because He says so! As God s children we have the hope of a perfected, purified, glorified body on the last day. Until then, we live lives of worship, not practicing sin but righteousness. Luke 24:36-49: On the night of His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples. He proves His bodily presence through a meal, then spoke of the Scriptures so they could understand how it all pointed to His death and resurrection for us. Reflecting on Today s Sermon: 1. At what point was I confronted with the Law? 2. What comfort did the Gospel bring? 3. What story/phrase/teaching stuck out to me? 4. What did I learn about God from this sermon? 5. In response to the Word of God, I will Beloved: We re God s children, refreshed in our Father s presence. Pray: Heavenly Father, You prove Your mercy through Your deep love for a sinner like me. You have gathered me into Your family, invite me to Your Holy Supper, and call me to live as Your child in the world. Thank You, Lord, for this marvelous love. Help me to abide in Your Word and praise You in my life. In Jesus holy name I pray. Amen.
Hunting the Wrong Things April 16, 2018 Text: Read 1 John 2:15-17 Emphasis: Verse 15: Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. I recently read a story about a man who bought a new hunting dog. The man was eager to see how this hunting hound would perform, so he took him out to track a bear. No sooner had they gotten into the woods than the dog picked up the trail. And the man was full of excitement at where this trail would lead them. Then, the dog suddenly stopped, sniffed the ground, and headed in a new direction. He had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the bear s path. The man followed after. Moments later the dog halted again, this time smelling a rabbit that had crossed the path of the deer. And so, on and on it went until finally the breathless hunter caught up with his dog, only to find him barking triumphantly down the hole of a field mouse. Sometimes Christians can be like that dog. We start out with excitement for our faith, and resolve to keep Christ first in our lives. But it doesn t take long before our attention is diverted to things of lesser importance. One pursuit leads to another, which leads to another, until we ve strayed far from our original purpose. We find we re hunting the wrong things! Too often, these diversions revolve around worldly matters. Our possessions, our time, our power become of great importance, drawing our attention from our Savior. But this form of idolatry is nothing new. Just a few centuries after Christ s resurrection, when Christianity had spread throughout the Roman Empire, John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople (ca. 407 AD) preached in a sermon, We admire wealth equally with [non-christians], and even more! We have the same horror of death, the same dread of poverty, the same impatience of disease; we are equally fond of glory and of rule. How can they believe? Chrysostom pointed to the same struggles of love for the world that we face as Christians still today. It is hard to let go of the things of the world. But when we recognize we are guilty of this, we turn to Christ, who loved the world in the best way possible, giving up the comforts and glory of heaven to die for us. And we pray God s forgiveness, to be filled with the love of the Father, away from the love of worldly things. Beloved: Let us repent of all worldliness, and cling to the Father s love. Pray: Heavenly Father, I am a sinner. My natural inclination is to sin, and I am drawn toward the things of this world, rather than to You. Forgive me and lead me. Let me fix my eyes on Jesus and the heavenly riches He has won for me. Amen.
I Belong April 17, 2018 Text: Read 1 John 2:18-25 Emphasis: Verse 20: But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. With five children born to my grandparents, my mom s side of the family has always enjoyed family reunions as a time to reconnect and catch up with each other. While it s not one of those families where everyone avoids weird Aunt Ruth, lately my cousin and his family seem to deny that they are a part of the family. Despite invites, voicemails, and other attempts at communication it s as if they have fallen off the face of the earth. Over the years, it has become clear they do not want to be a part of the family. In our text for today (and throughout much of 1-3 John) John highlights the community we experience as believers. We get a sense of belonging and connecting with each other over profound truths The Truth! This connection runs deep and stems from our baptism when we are anointed with the Holy Spirit through water and the word. That Spirit brings us together as a family in our homes, in our church, and around the world. We may not fully understand or comprehend the family we have in Christ Jesus because it is large and mysterious, but we know that it is full of promises, purpose, and identity. In the body of Christ, it does not matter what your past is, what you look like, your abilities, or your age. You belong! There is no denying, we are joined together into this family of faith. God takes lowly sinners and makes them His saints. He welcomes them into His family and gives them eternal life. So now we wait anxiously in the last hour as we anticipate the moment we will all be reunited in our eternal home. Beloved: You belong in God s family where you are filled with hope and grace. Pray: Abba Father, thank you for adopting us into your family and giving us identity and purpose. Help us to operate as one body for your Kingdom. Amen.
Covered April 18, 2018 Text: Read 1 John 2:26-29 Emphasis: Verses 28-29: So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right has been born of him. Shame. Some psychologists suggest that no other feeling is more disturbing or destructive to the self than shame. That word, shame, derives from an older Proto-Indo-European word meaning to cover. With that definition in mind, it s no wonder that when you feel ashamed it brings up the desire to hide our faces in our hands, to run away, or even hoping the earth will swallow us up. At the heart of shame is the feeling of being exposed. That certainly seemed to be the case with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. For, from the moment they ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree, shame was precisely what they felt, and they immediately sought to cover themselves. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (Gen. 3:7) And in their shame, they hid, for they knew the Lord was coming back. Thanks be to God, we are covered covered in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and in His robe of righteousness! But we know that our Lord is coming back for us. John cautions all believers to remain (abide) in the Lord Jesus, so that we may not be ashamed before Him at His coming. Why would we be ashamed? If we re clothed with Christ s righteousness, why would we seek cover at His return? The answer is that we are still sinners. We have been called to do what is right, and to show the world that we are God s children now but we struggle with this. Like St. Paul, we can all say: For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. (Rom. 7:19) Where we fail, we call upon the Lord for forgiveness. Where we have dishonored our heavenly Father, we seek His mercy for the sake of Jesus. Where we are covered in shame, we look to Jesus to cover us with His grace and love. For, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins. Beloved: The blood of Jesus has covered you! Go out confident in His unending love for you, and by faith remain in Him. Pray: Lord, thank You for Your never-ending grace poured out for me in Jesus. Where I dishonor You, Father, forgive me. Help me to live confidently in the one true faith, pursuing righteousness, not ashamed of the Gospel, until the coming of Christ. Amen.
Lavished April 19, 2018 Text: Read 1 John 3:1-3 Emphasis: Verse 1: See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (NIV) My Aunt Karen loves to buy me t-shirts. It s awesome! Over the years, I ve received t-shirt after t-shirt. Often times I ve received a shirt for Christmas even when it wasn t on my list. Other times, she buys me a shirt for no particular reason or occasion. She lavishes t-shirts upon me at various times of the year. She gives me lots of t-shirts to communicate her great love for me, her nephew. My Aunt Karen s t-shirt generosity reminds me of God s love. But God lavishes us with something even cooler than t-shirts: His love. God gives us a great amount of His love. In fact, He gives all of His love to us. He sent His only Son, Jesus, to give His life for the sake of the world. Jesus did this because His love for every human being is so great. In God s opinion, you are a person worth everything! To God, you are His prized possession and He has lavished His unlimited love upon you by allowing the life of His Son to be limited. Through Jesus death and resurrection, God makes you His child. This means you re part of God s family, you possess His righteousness, receive His Spirit, and you walk in His way. God s love for you continues to impact you each and every day. He doesn t rain down t-shirts from heaven that say, Child of God. Though you could make one, and it would be awesome! God does clothe you daily with His righteousness. His forgiveness always rests upon you and He always goes with you. The Holy Spirit guides us children of God so that we would do things that clearly communicate I am a Child of God. God gives us or lavishes upon us a new identity so we can live renewed lives. Whether it involves giving a t-shirt to someone, giving a meal, our time, or our prayers, God calls us to lavish others with a love that comes from Jesus only. Beloved: God calls you His child! He transforms you by His unlimited love! Pray: Lord God, You have lavished me with your great love. Thanking you for giving me all of your limitless love. Please guide me by your Holy Spirit to seek opportunities in my life where I can lavish someone with the love you ve given me. Amen.
That s Why He Came! April 20, 2018 Text: Read 1 John 3:4-6 Emphasis: Verse 5: You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him. [I came across the following story involving a Vicar and a Bishop. The story comes from an Anglican background, so the two church positions mentioned are of a different context in that denomination than ours. But, obviously, when we have our own Vicar and Bishop, I couldn t help myself!] A certain vicar had a dream one night. In this dream, he was on his way to heaven. The Vicar arrived, not at the pearly gates, but at the foot of a long, long flight of stairs. As he started to go up the steps, the Vicar was given a piece of chalk. He was instructed to put a chalk mark on each of the steps for every sin he had committed. The Vicar went on and on, step by step, up the stairway stretching higher and higher into the skies. When he was about halfway up he met the Bishop coming down the staircase. The curious Vicar asked why his Lordship was returning, going the wrong way. To this the Bishop answered, I m just going back down to get some more chalk! Thankfully, it s only a silly story! For, as John emphasizes, Christ came to take away sins! When we depart from this world, for all who are in Christ Jesus, there will be no tedious task of marking our sins. The blood of Jesus Christ does far more to cover the account of your sins than any amount of chalk could do! Remembering your sinfulness is not the purpose of heaven. When Christ returns it will be for us to joyfully join Him in eternity! There will be a judgment, indeed. But for all who are in Christ, we will be judged according to what He has done for us. God will look upon you and say, there is no sin in him/her! Jesus has taken away all sins! To be sure, however, we are still called to a life of righteousness until Christ returns. Verses 4 and 6 of our passage today point to that. Everyone who commits sin practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness Everyone who remains in him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen him or known him. This is why John continually directs us to Jesus, to confess our sins to Him and receive His Word of forgiveness. We constantly need His grace and forgiveness. And, thankfully, He constantly gives it because that s why He came! Beloved: Christ has taken away your sins! Thanks be to God! Pray: Lord Jesus Christ, I praise You for coming to take away my sins. Fill me with Your Spirit and guard me with Your holy angels to keep me from sinning. Amen.
Ascribed Righteousness April 21, 2018 Text: Read 1 John 3:7-10 Emphasis: Verse 7: Children, let no one deceive you. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. In my College sociology class freshman year, we discussed two types of status ascribed status, and achieved status. As you may guess, ascribed status is a status you are born with, or which obtain without doing anything. Meanwhile an achieved status is one that you work towards. There are several places in which we may strive to obtain status: our careers, school, athletics, or with our peers and co-workers. Even the law God gives to us challenges us to seek status through His commands as we strive to be perfect and obtain His approval. The problem is, we will never be able to achieve a status with God. We may achieve status in other areas of life, but God s law demands perfection. That means, as sinners by nature and choice, we have already broken the law and have fallen short. There is NO way for us to keep the law and receive a status with God through it. However, God has provided His own opportunity for us to obtain status an ascribed status! In our baptism we are clothed with Christ, His robe of righteousness which covers up all of our sins. We receive righteousness Christ s righteousness from His perfect fulfillment of the law. We do nothing to receive this status, it is simply given to us; nor do we have to do anything to maintain it. Sure, we strive to grow in our faith by keeping God s law and relating to God, but it will not give us a better status with Him because we already have Jesus perfect status. Rather, we strive to grow in our faith because of what God has already given us. His gifts lead us to worship Him and abide by the law, and when we fail, it leads us to confess our sins and receive forgiveness with the reminder of Christ s righteousness for us. Beloved: You have been ascribed the status of God s child, clothed with Christ s righteousness. Pray: Heavenly Father, we are sinners who deserve nothing but punishment, yet, in your mercy, you ascribe us with your Son s righteousness. We praise you for your boundless gifts of grace and forgiveness. Lead us to honor you. Amen.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
DEVOTIONAL APRIL 8-14, 2018 40 5. 348. 3292 H O LYTRI N I T YEDMOND.O RG