The best thing, and worst thing that you can ever do
John 3:31-36
[31] He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. [32] He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. [33] Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. [34] For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. [35] The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. [36] Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
The Gospel of John is about Jesus. It’s about our belief or unbelief. John is clear in his narrative. God came to earth to rescue us. He came as a man. His name is Jesus. He was born and lived and died and was resurrected. In the middle of all of this his ministry was about showing who he is and proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven, His Kingdom a Kingdom about grace and truth and humility. We’ve covered his arrival and John the Baptist pointing to him and others wanting signs and even when seeing signs having trouble believing (Nicodemus). We know that to be born again all we have to do is believe and proclaim him as Lord and Savior. Where does that leave us today as we continue walking through John? Heavenly things ….and you can either understand or you can miss it.
Absolute truth…….
More than half of Americans say religious beliefs are a matter of personal opinion, not objective facts. And that’s made clear by examining the varying, and sometimes contradictory, theological doctrines they hold.
The State of Theology study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research explores the religious and cultural beliefs of U.S. adults.
For 54% of Americans, theological beliefs are not a matter of objective truth, but rather belong in the category of subjective personal opinion.
“Many Americans treat theology like a choose-your-own adventure book,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “It’s clear from certain beliefs that some people feel truth is something people are free to define on their own, and in doing so they possess seemingly incompatible beliefs.”
Half of Americans (52%) agree Jesus was a great teacher, but not God. Slightly more than half (55%) believe Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God, which runs contrary to the historical Christian belief that Jesus is eternal as God the Son.
While many reject His deity, most Americans say Jesus physically rose from the dead. Two-thirds (66%) believe the biblical accounts of Jesus’ bodily resurrection are completely accurate.
Three in 5 Americans (59%) agree the Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being. For 1 in 5 (19%), the Holy Spirit can tell them to do something that is forbidden in the Bible.
Two-thirds of the U.S. (64%) say God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
When it comes to sin, most Americans say just a little doesn’t hurt, but a growing number believe even the smallest sins warrant an everlasting punishment, according to the 2020 State of Theology study.
Two-thirds of Americans (65%) agree everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature. Still 26% say even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation, the highest percentage in the history of the study.
A majority of Americans (56%) say hell is a real place where certain people will be punished forever.
More than half (56%) believe God counts a person as righteous not because of that person’s good works but because of their faith in Christ.
Americans are divided on what the Bible is and what authority it has over our lives.
The 2020 State of Theology study found a third of U.S. adults (34%) believe modern science disproves the Bible.
Close to half (48%) believe the Bible is 100% accurate in all it teaches. The same percentage (48%) say the Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true. This number has grown from 41% in 2014.
Around half (51%) say the Bible has authority to tell us what to do. A quarter of U.S. adults (25%) believe God is unconcerned with their day-to-day decisions.
For half of Americans (51%), sex outside of traditional marriage is a sin. By contrast, 2 in 5 (40%) believe the Bible’s condemnation of homosexual behavior doesn’t apply today.
Half (51%) say abortion is a sin. More than a third (38%) believe gender identity is a matter of choice.
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1 Corinthians 2:14
[14] The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
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It seems to me many are more passionate about politics than they are Jesus. That’s a problem. Honestly politics is the religion of some. Global warming is the religion of others. You see where I’m going. NOTE: none of these really push any moral change on people personally, they are these grandiose ideas that fix everything. Typically when it can’t be defined well or is shifting it’s just garbage and ideology and pretty much like the Greek philosophers sitting around arguing about everything or I guess you can go down to Hardees here in the morning and argue politics, religion…so pretty much the same. Here’s the thing. Jesus’ gift is free, but it demands something of us.
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John 3:31-36
[31] He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. [32] He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. [33] Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. [34] For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. [35] The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. [36] Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
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Here’s our problem.
We’ve lost our way.
The Church has lost its way.
America has lost its way.
The world has lost its way.
A man drives his car through Memphis shooting people.
A lady on her morning run is kidnapped and murdered. (A wife, a momma, a daughter)
War in Ukraine
Gender teachings, discussions and even operations on children
How do I know which way to go?
The world says follow me.
Subjective Truth says do whatever feels good (and that is “moral” as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody) a victimless crime….a victimless sin. Sadly there’s no such thing.
“Richard Hooker, the English Reformer and a hero of C.S. Lewis, once wrote of the destructive effect of ungodly customs.
Perverted and wicked customs — perhaps beginning with a few and spreading to the multitude, and then continuing for a long time — may be so strong that they smother the light of our natural understanding, because men refuse to make an effort to consider whether their customs are good or evil. (Divine Law and Human Nature, 43) *written in 1594
The poison of subjectivism removes the ordinary checks to such error and evil by denying that good and evil objectively exist at all.
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The world says “who are you to tell me what to do?” And “who are you to judge?” The world says “that’s old fashioned”
Jesus says “follow me”
Absolute truth says there is right and wrong.
From the beginning God is creator.
God is our life giver.
God is our lawgiver.
God is just.
God is our redeemer.
God is our justifier.
God is our light.
God is wisdom.
God is love.
God is grace.
God is mercy.
God is truth.
……….God will not be mocked.
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Genesis 1:1
[1] In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:26-27
[26] Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
[27] So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
[4] “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [5] You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [6] And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. [8] You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. [9] You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Leviticus 26:12
[12] And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.
Isaiah 9:6
[6] For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
John 1:1-4
[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.
John 3:16
[16] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 8:34-36
[34] Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. [35] The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Matthew 11:28-30
[28] Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
John 14:6
[6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Matthew 27:45-54
[45] Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. [46] And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” [47] And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” [48] And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. [49] But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” [50] And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
[51] And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. [52] The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, [53] and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. [54] When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Matthew 28:5-6
[5] But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. [6] He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
What have we been discussing?
Heavenly things
*Do you believe this and not that? Worldly sayings or Heavenly truths
Picking only what you want?
2 Timothy 3:16
[16] All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
So what’s the best thing you can ever do?
John 3:31-36a
[33] Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. [34] For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. [35] The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. [36] Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; ……
What’s the worst thing you could ever do?…..
John 3:36b…….whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
God’s wrath is His personal response to unbelief, not some impersonal principle of retribution.
“It is the divine allergy to moral evil, the reaction of righteousness to unrighteousness. God is neither easily angered nor vindictive. But by his very nature he is unalterably committed to opposing and judging all disobedience.”
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God isn’t vindictive. He is righteous. He loves you. He offers a way.
