AF-S118-041606 Easter
Alêtheia Christian Fellowship
John 18:37-38 ~ Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said* to Him, “What is truth?”
“What is truth?”
SK - John 1:3&4 ~ Every single thing was brought into existence through the active agency of the Message. Obviously then, not even one single thing has ever come into existence apart from the presence and activity of the Message. Contained within the Message was the power to bestow life, and it is this power to create and sustain life that is the light that illuminates the central Truth for all mankind. That God alone is responsible for not only the origination, but also the continuation of life.
Only God’s Message is Truth – Romans 3, God is true even if everyone is a liar & Jesus said:
ἘγώNPN-1Sἐγώ εἰμιVIPA--1Sεἰμί ἡDNFSὁ ὁδὸςN-NF-Sὁδός καὶCCκαί ἡDNFSὁ ἀλήθειαN-NF-Sἀλήθεια καὶCCκαί ἡDNFSὁ ζωή
SK - John 1:5 ~ And so, this light of Truth was presented to the darkness of man’s ignorance and self-centeredness, and although these twin elements of darkness did not welcome or even comprehend the light they could not destroy it either. John 1:9&10 ~ This was the True Light, which is able to illuminate the Truth and therefore able to enlighten every person’s thinking, that was coming into the physical world. Into the physical world He came, and even though it was through His active agency that the universe was created, His own creation, did not know Him.
“What is darkness?”
Darkness is Sin and Sin is Self-Rule - - - INXS, 20 yrs ago - Every single one of us – The Devil inside.
DARKNESS IS:
WILLFUL REBELLION ~or ~
IGNORANCE, WHICH IS WILLFUL REBELLION:
Agnostic – I just don’t know. Are you ignorant?
God won’t punish me for not knowing – I’m a good person.
1- Relative to what?
2- Not knowing is willful rebellion because you don’t want to know!
Romans 1:18-22 ~ But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. (NLT)
Romans 1:28-32 ~ When they refused to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. They are fully aware of God’s death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And, worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. (NLT)
“What’s the choice?”
John 1:11&12 ~ He came to His own domain among His chosen people, and His own did not receive Him. However, He gave the power, authority and ability to become the very children of God, to all of the people who did receive Him, believing Him to be able to grant such a right. (SK)
SIT IN THE CHAIR ---
Philippians 2:6-11 ~ Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. 7He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. 8And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. 9Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
1 Peter 2:24 ~ He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds!
Hebrews 10:26-29 ~ Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received a full knowledge of the truth, there is no other sacrifice that will cover these sins. There will be nothing to look forward to but the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. Anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Think how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God and have treated the blood of the covenant as if it were common and unholy. Such people have insulted and enraged the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to his people.
Mercy – Actually Grace of which mercy is a part.
God is perfect and we are not. If you could earn a spot in heaven with God, then you would be God. Since we all want to be our own god we try to earn our way into heaven and it will never work. Jesus was absolutely perfect and therefore He did in fact earn a position in heaven, gee I guess that makes Him God. He achieved perfection not by doing things His way, but by being completely obedient to the Father. We have no hope of emulating His behavior and thus must fall on God=s Grace; you=re in His hands whether you like it or not. It is now for God to provide a way, a plan, and that plan is the only thing that can save you and it is called Grace. The revelation of the plan is Truth, and so the Word of God, Jesus, is the glory of God which encompasses the salvation of man by the twin elements of Truth and Grace. plh>rhv ca>ritov kai< ajlhqei>av, AFull of Grace and Truth.@