Delivered June 22, 2008
by Pastor Eric Henderson
Way back in 1994, Newsweek had a 6 page feature article titled: In Search of the Sacred. A 50yr old woman's spiritual journey was used to describe the spiritual journey of many in North America. Her spiritual journey included a smorgasbord of religions and spiritual experiences. Various rituals and symbols were melded into a personal religion. The ever changing altar in her home at the time consisted of "an angel statue, a small bottle of "sacred water" blessed at a women's vigil, a crystal ball, a pyramid, a small brass image of Budda, a votive candle, a Hebrew prayer, a tiny Native American basket... and a picture of her "most sacred place," a madrone tree near her home."
One writer calls such religious trends and experiences "The New Spirituality"- a swirl of beliefs and practices inspired by elements of Eastern Religions, New Age-ism, self help and pop psychologies, the occult, and "a dash of Western optimism" bolstered by "whatever current scientific theories can be assumed." Or put another way many are creating a personal religion or ism.
If people are using any sort of method to determine truth or falsehood, or testing the spirits, the primary test is probably whether it feels right or works for me.
Rather than embrace whatever feels right or works for me, the book of I John invites anyone willing to listen to:
not believe every spirit,(or voice, or loyalty, or religion, or spiritual experience) but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how we recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of antichrist which you have heard is coming into the world and even now is already in the world.
You, dear children are from God and have overcome them, because greater is the one who is in you than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us, but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood.
There are two kingdoms. One from God as lived by Jesus Christ. Another is from the evil one or antichrist whatever is opposed to Jesus and the Kingdom of God.
I John gives a fuller description of the Spirit of God to help anyone determine what is from the Spirit of God and what is antichrist or opposed to Christ.
I John 4.7-21
John's message is clear-God is love. One test for the Spirit of God or the Kingdom of God is love. To help us understand God's love allow me to tell you a few stories.
Jonah was one of the best evangelists of his day. He knew God intimately and told others about God in such a way that people turned to God in large numbers. So God asked him to go to a big city that was infamous for its wickedness and where people hated Jonah's country.
But Jonah had issues with God's request so he booked a cruise for friendlier places. After a storm and run-in with the crew of the cruise ship, Jonah found himself in an unusual retreat center. After some uncomfortable time in this unusual retreat center, Jonah decided to get on with God's plan for the city. So he got to the city and preached a couple of amazing sermons warning the people of God's punishment unless they changed, and sure enough, people repented and changed their ways.
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the LORD,
"O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity." (Jonah 3.10-4.2)
love comes from God. God forgives and has compassion for big city sinners and even for reluctant angry preachers. (Luke 15.3-7)
Suppose you were a member of a congregation of 50 or 500 and noticed that a young couple was missing. Wouldn't you leave the 500 or 50 and call the missing couple at home, or work, or send emails? And when you finally spend time with them and help them deal with their issues that created separation, you return to fellow believers. And when the couple begins meeting and worshipping again, wouldn't there be a great party and lots of celebrating?
I tell you that in the same way God rejoices in heaven over one lost person or one couple that is restored.
love comes from God. God is like the one who left those that remain in fellowship and sought one or two people who have strayed rejoicing when the lost are found.
After Jesus was arrested he appeared before Pilate and told him that he was a king of a kingdom. Pilate asked the crowd which prisoner to release. The king of the Jews or Barabbas? The crowd asked for Barabbas to be released, so Jesus was flogged, stripped, beaten, and taken to Pilate again who tried to free him, but feared a riot from the crowd so handed Jesus to the guards to be crucified. Jesus died after being crucified and was pierced in the side with a spear.
God is love. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son-Jesus, as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
John's message is clear-God is love. God's love is holy and cannot tolerate sin but willingly forgives. God's love is compassionate and slow to anger. God's love seeks fellowship with the lost. God's love sacrifices self for all people of the world.
John's message is clear
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
One test for the presence of God's spirit in a person or group is love for others. Allow me several illustrations of the presence of God's spirit and love for others.
Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite Church Canada are accepting financial contributions to help people in China affected by the May 12 earthquake.
"On May 18, Peter Yuan, pastor of a church in Chengdu, Sichuan province, led eight mini-vans and sport utility vehicles full of church youths to a church in the earthquake-devastated city of Mianzhu...The group then split up, visiting eight villages outside the city, delivering food and supplies, including much-needed medicine. While most of the villagers were working in the fields when the quake hit, many of their homes were destroyed, burying their possessions." (Canadian Menn., June 9,2008, p. 16)
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
A well-established church needed to decide whether to trim or cut-down aging trees on their property. Opinions for both were voiced in a congregational meeting. One man was particularly strong in voicing his opinion that the trees should be trimmed and saved. The congregational vote was to cut down the trees and a date was set. One of the first to arrive to help cut down the trees, was the man who had strongly opposed the trees being cut down. He had apparently decided that relationship with brothers and sisters was more important than his personal opinion on one issue.
No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
Each Sunday morning for several decades, a man makes the short trip to the church building early enough to spend a half an hour or more in prayer with the pastor for the congregation and community.
On any given day or night throughout the world, men and women invite others into their homes for a drink, food, fellowship, prayer, Bible study and worship. Time and effort are invested in cleaning, preparing, and spending time with those invited who come.
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
John's message is clear.
We love, because he first loved us.
God's love for us and the love of people for others takes more forms than my few short stories portray. The whole of the Bible, the whole of human history, the history of PMC, our personal histories, gives a fuller revelation that God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
I John is clear that God is love and those in God or filled with God's spirit will love others. But what if I don't know God's love and I have a need or desire to know God's love? Or what if I haven't done anything in the recent past that demonstrates love for brothers and sisters and feel shame, guilty or convicted for my lack of love and want to change?
Verses 13-15 directs us this way.
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.
God's spirit helped Peter boldly declare Jesus as the Christ the Saviour of the world. God's spirit prompted Peter to demonstrate love for believers of different ethnic groups. But Peter didn't instantly arrive at love for God and love for others. Between the first bold declaration and loving others there was brash denial, hiding, fear, and refusal to be with believers of other groups. Over time Peter grew up into love for God and others. Hopefully we are growing and becoming more and more like Jesus. But we haven't yet arrived but God's spirit desires to work in us. We have heard that God is love. We have heard the call to testify that Jesus is the Saviour of world and love our sisters and brothers.
How can we grow in knowing God's love and loving others with the help of God's spirit?
I suggest at least 5 ways.
As we open our lives to God's spirit, may we know more fully God's love and pass that love on to others.
Petitcodiac Mennonite Church