Avoiding Evil

My pastor is out of town which means tomorrow morning I will be preaching. A couple of weeks ago I became excited about 1 John as we began to translate it in Greek. While translating it I decided that I wanted to preach it for this Sunday. Now, the night before I preach no doubt, I am really struggling with it. There are several different reasons that John wrote this letter, and everything fits so nicely together that I hate to pull anything apart, and yet I need to focus on one section of verses. I’ve decided to preach on 1 John 1:5 - 2:2. Here is the outline I have been working on:

Proposition: John provides 3 solutions for all believers who wish to remain in fellowship with God and with each other.

I. All believers should walk in the light as He is in the light. (1:7)

a. “God is light, in Him is no darkness at all.” (1:5)
- i. This is the message we have heard from Him. (1:5)
- ii. This is the message we have proclaimed to you. (1:5)

b. Some believers claim to have fellowship with Him, while they walk in darkness. (1:6)
- i. They are liars (1:6)
- ii. They do not practice the truth (1:6)

c. Some believers claim to have fellowship with Him, while they walk in the light (1:7)
- i. They have fellowship with one another, and God (1:7)
- ii. They are cleansed by the blood of Jesus (1:7)

II. All believers must recognize their sin and confess it before the Lord. (1:9)

a. Some believers say they have no sin. (1:8)
- i. They deceive themselves. (1:8)
- ii. The truth is not in them. (1:8)

b. Some believers confess their sins. (1:9)
- i. God is faithful and just to forgive them. (1:9)
- ii. God will cleanse them from all unrighteousness. (1:9)

c. Some believers say they have not sinned. (1:10)
- i. They make God out to be a liar (1:10)
- ii. God’s word is not in them. (1:10)

III. All believers must strive not to sin, but know that they will. (2:1)

a. If a believer does sin they have an advocate. (2:1)

b. If a believer does sin Christ is their propitiation. (2:2)

This, however, could change a thousand times before tomorrow.

Pressed

Mossy Oak Brand Name camouflage came out with a new camo pattern this year called Obsession. One of their slogans is “It’s not a passion. It’s an obsession.” I know this is just a cool slogan that sticks in your head easily to help sell their product, but it is also quite true about hunting. For the hunter it isn’t just a hobby, it isn’t just a passion, but it becomes an obsession.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s survey, between the years 1996 and 2001 Hunting and Wildlife recreation has been steadily decreasing. It has dropped from 14 million hunters to 13 million in 5 years, and that is a survey taken 4 years ago. Even with the steady decline, turkey hunting has managed to increase and not decrease. I’ve found that turkey hunters are a special breed of people. It takes more than just slapping on some sloppy old camo and trampling through the woods to “bag a bird.” It takes a lot of money, a lot of gear, and even a lot of skill to become a great turkey hunter… a sport I have yet to master (not that I have ever mastered any sport.) Most turkey hunters are know for two things. The first being they are willing to travel long distances to pursue this sport. A vast majority of hunters travel long distances and pay large out of state fees in order to hunt in the Spring. The other thing turkey hunters are well known for, which I did not know, is their desire to protect and enhance habitat for wildlife. Wildlife conservation is a big deal to turkey hunters.

Interesting Economic Facts About Turkey Hunters:
Turkey hunters are a special breed, turkey hunters are on the rise, and the most amazing thing of all is turkey hunters are big, big, big spenders. Here are a few facts about the economic contributions of turkey hunters.

1. If spring turkey hunters had their own state, they’d represent the nation’s 35th largest state.

2. A spring turkey hunter spends an average of $784.38 on spring turkey hunting each year. (I have spent about $700 already this year.)

3. Spring turkey hunter’s dollars provide jobs for 41,323 people who generate almost $200 million in federal income taxes.

4. The total number of jobs supported by spring turkey hunting in the United States is enough to completely eliminate unemployment in the states of Nebraska, New Hampshire or Idaho.

5. The jobs supported by spring turkey hunting are nearly 50 percent larger than the number of employees of U.S. Airways, a Fortune 500 company.

6. The federal income tax revenues generated from spring turkey hunting activities in the United States would pay the salaries and allowances for more than 5,600 U.S. soldiers.

We are not just passionate about this sport, we are obsessed with it. The camouflage, the guns, the spring weather, the gobbling turkeys, the thrill of calling them in, the excitement of the kill, and the good times and memories associated with every hunting experience makes hunting one of the greatest sports in the U.S.

I certainly hope that turkey hunting continues to be a passion and an obsession in the lives of hunters and that it is something that is passed down from generation to generation throughout the years. If you’ve been hunting already this spring I would love to hear your stories in the comments below!

Pressed

P.S. Sorry I have not posted in a few days… been busy turkey hunting.

The church contains different people with different personalities joining together for one purpose. Sometimes, however, those personalities clash and created conflict. How can we keep each other in our hearts, share in the gospel, alleviate each other’s burdens, and love each other when our behaviors and opinions conflict with those around us? You just can’t get along with everyone right?

Jack Lipton, a psychologist at Union College, and R. Scott Bulione, a graduate student at Columbia University wondered the same thing. They came up with these findings on how members of the various sections of 11 major symphony orchestras perceived each other. The percussionists were viewed as insensitive, unintelligent, and hard-of-hearing, yet fun-loving. String players were seen as arrogant, stuffy, and unathletic. The orchestra members overwhelmingly chose “loud” as the primary adjective to describe the brass players. Woodwind players seemed to be held in the highest esteem, described as quiet and meticulous, though a bit egotistical. Interesting findings, to say the least! With such widely divergent personalities and perceptions, how could an orchestra ever come together to make such wonderful music? The answer is simple: regardless of how those musicians view each other, they subordinate their feelings and biases to the leadership of the conductor. Under his guidance, they play beautiful music.

What a tremendous message! Regardless of feelings and biases that you may have if you submit yourself to the lead conductor, Jesus Christ, then under his guidance you will experience a common love and compassion for one another that you thought was not possible. God can do far more that you can think or imagine in your life but there is a requirement; surrendering yourself to His leadership.

Do you work to created unity in your church by submitting yourself to the leadership of God? I’m afraid that if we looked deep inside we would find several areas that we have not submitted to God and therefore cause conflict in our congregations. We must give our thoughts and feelings over to Jesus. Do you find yourself trying to conduct the Orchestra yourself in your own way, or do you submit yourself to the true conductor and let Him do the work? If you were listening and watching an orchestra performing a masterful piece of music wouldn’t you find it strange if in the middle of a song a flute player stood up and tried to conduct the orchestra herself instead of letting the conductor do the work? In the same way, how strange it is when the children of God try to take the lead, refusing to let Christ have control.

Pressed

Chapters 3 and 4 of Colossians doesn’t directly refer to God, Jesus, or the Spirit as much as some. These chapters make it short and sweet.

God has chosen us
God has forgiven us
God is pleased with obedience
God gives us an inheritance

Jesus is seated at the right hand of God
Jesus is our life
Jesus created us
Jesus is all
Jesus gives us peace
Jesus is our master
Jesus is in all

Check out the other daily Bible entries:
Daily Bible Journal I
Daily Bible Journal II.
Daily Bible Journal III
Daily Bible Journal IV
Journal V
Journal VI

Today’s daily Bible journal entry comes from the first two chapters of Colossians. I have read through these first two chapters and picked out things said about God, Jesus, or the Spirit.

God is the father of Jesus
God has glorious might
God has qualified us to share in the inheritance
God has delivered us from darkness
God transfers us to the kingdom of Christ
God is invisible
God chose to make the glory of Christ known to the gentiles
God’s mystery is Christ
God raised Jesus from the dead
God made us alive in Christ
God forgave us for our trespasses
God cancelled the record of debt against us
God nailed legal demands to the cross
God causes the body (church) to grow

Jesus contains the whole fullness of deity
Jesus is the head of all rule and authority
Jesus created all things
Jesus holds all things together
Jesus is before all things
Jesus is the beginning
Jesus is filled with all the fullness of God
Jesus reconciles all things
Jesus gives us redemption
Jesus gives us forgiveness of sins
Jesus is the image of God
Jesus nourishes the body (the church)

Check out the other daily Bible entries:
Daily Bible Journal I
Daily Bible Journal II.
Daily Bible Journal III
Daily Bible Journal IV
Journal V