Exposed or Encouraged?
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Phony SEALS exposed
Phony SEALS exposed
Navy SEALS
BUDS Training
Intense fitness
Mental and physical strength
Best of the best
There are some people who like all of the attention, benefits, and glory without any of the work
Steal benefits
Tell lies
Attention
Fame
REAL SEALS expose them, get the truth set straight. There are ways they can confirm or expose:
BUDS
“Secret” vs. public
Bragging vs. humility
the stories themselves
database
We can claim whatever we want, but it doesn’t make it true.
You can claim to be a billionaire, you’re not
I can claim to be Pastor Josiah, I’m not
Someone can claim to be a girl, when in reality they’re a boy.
The truth remains the same, even if we try to claim otherwise.
This is true of those who claim to follow Christ as well.
This is true of those who claim to follow Christ as well.
There are true followers, and there are phony followers who make claims but it doesn’t add up
When someone claims to follow God, how can we know if they’re phony or for real?
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
1. Holy God has revealed Himself in the Bible: Get to know Him.
1. Holy God has revealed Himself in the Bible: Get to know Him.
God is light and in him is no darkness at all
God is light and in him is no darkness at all
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF “GOD IS LIGHT”?
Option 1: Light - Self-revelation
Option 1: Light - Self-revelation
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
This is true. God is light. He does reveal himself to us, his light shows us the right way in which we should walk. However, there is another way this can be read that I think fits the context and comparisons here...
GOD IS LIGHT — not just “the” light.
Option 2 (preferred): Light = holiness, righteousness, purity
Option 2 (preferred): Light = holiness, righteousness, purity
Darkness = sin, evil, wickedness
Darkness = sin, evil, wickedness
3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
5 The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. 5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
Light casts out the presence of darkness. Holy God casts out the presence of evil/wickedness
34 Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
God’s holiness on display
God is Creator, He made you and He gives you purpose
God is Judge, He will require you to give an account for your sin
God is Savior, He alone is able to save you from your sin
Cain (God values life, hates murder)
Achan (When God commands things, he requires obedience. Achan was selfish, stole from things devoted to God, coveted, lied)
David (lust, murder, lies)
Jesus’ life (displayed holiness in action)
How do you get to know God as He has revealed himself?
The Gospels and the Epistles are a great place to start!!!
Look at the life of Christ, how he lived in relation to the Father (in the gospels)
Look at what Christ taught his disciples, how he taught them to live (in the gospels)
Look at what Christ’s disciples—the apostles—wrote to others about God and following Him
Colossians is a great book to study!
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
Why is it important?
If you don’t know God, if you don’t know His standards, His purposes, what He has called you to and how you should live, then how could you claim to be his follower?
If a person claims to be a Navy SEAL but doesn’t know the training process, doesn’t know the demeanor of a SEAL, doesn’t look like a SEAL, never did the actions of a SEAL, are you going to believe he’s a SEAL?
AJ hates coffee, likes to have quiet time, hates surprises, and likes plain chocolate cake. So, if I, because I say I love AJ, plan a huge, loud surprise party for her, I spend a lot of money to have a coffee cart come, and I make a suuuuuper fancy german chocolate cake, that’s not going to go over well at all.
You can’t make God who you want him to be in your head and then serve him that way.
That’s a problem with legalism. You lower the standard from what God says to something that’s attainable for you and then you keep that so that you can have some sense of assurance in a false salvation
When we rightly understand God’s holiness and our sin, that should drive us to our knees in an overwhelming spirit of helplessness considering the severity of separation. All that’s left is to cry out to God for help, trusting in Christ and then living in the power of the Spirit.
2. If you want to have fellowship with God and others: Pursue holiness.
2. If you want to have fellowship with God and others: Pursue holiness.
If…we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness —> we lie and do not practice the truth
If…we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness —> we lie and do not practice the truth
If…we walk in the light as he is in the light —> we have fellowship with one another...
If…we walk in the light as he is in the light —> we have fellowship with one another...
Fellowship with God
Fellowship with God
14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
The Garden - no sin
The Tabernacle - only Moses, then Joshua
The Temple - only the High Priest
The Incarnation - here to pay the debt
The Spirit - sin has been paid for
The New Heavens and Earth - no sin
FELLOWSHIP - Close association, share, willing contribution, communion, partnership
WALK - Walk, live, behave, to go about doing
Fellowship with Others
Fellowship with Others
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
REFERENCE COLOSSIANS 3:1–4:6
Why doesn’t he do an equal comparison here?
You say you have fellowship with God
Walk in darkness
Liar, no fellowship
You walk in the light as he is in light
Fellowship with other believers
Why is that his point of emphasis?
in our fallen world it is not natural to have fellowship with others
murder
slander
lies
gossip
anger
jealousy
violence
even the people you love, you fight
If there is a group of people experiencing true fellowship, it can only happen because they have fellowship and the help of God, and they’re practicing the truth
WHAT about people who seem to have fellowship but hate God?
their fellowship is grounded in sin
Babel, Nazis, LGBTQ+, gossip, pride, etc
that fellowship is only going to go so far, and it can turn on you at any point
it’s superficial
it’s not functioning rightly
it’s not good for you or them
it doesn’t give glory to God
AS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THIS, AS I WAS STUDYING, IT’S OVERWHELMING. HOW…?
3. In order to accomplish these things: Trust in Jesus Christ.
3. In order to accomplish these things: Trust in Jesus Christ.
And the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
And the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
God has given us the provision necessary to do what He has called us to do
Unbelievers
Trust in Christ
Live joyfully as a new creation
Believers
Pursue holiness
Know, love, fear, and serve God
Rely on the Spirit
Praise God regularly for Christ’s cleansing work
As we talk through these things, my goal is to encourage the believers in this room. You trusted in Christ, he has made you a new Creation, you should be experiencing these things in your life, praise God for the cleansing work of Christ and keep practicing the truth—fellowshipping with God and others!
For the unbelievers, I pray that these things help you to see your life for what it is, I pray it exposes the darkness in your life so that you can come to Christ, experience cleansing redemption, and walk in the light! I don’t say these things to shame you but to invite you to new life! This isn’t a clique where we’re too holy for you to join. But the fellowship between believers is for believers only.
Summary/Closing
Summary/Closing