Posted on 11/21/2016 8:05:19 PM PST by pastorbillrandles
We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.(I John 5:18-21)
The Author Watchman Nee made an observation in a book called “What Shall This Man Do?”, that what Peter Paul and John were doing professionally when they met Jesus, became a metaphor for their work in the Kingdom of God.
Peter was “casting his nets into the sea”, and went on to be the great evangelist. Peter was always first; the first to ask the questions of Jesus all were thinking, the first to step out of the boat, the first to preach on the day of Pentecost, and the first to preach to the Gentiles.
Paul was a tent maker, and what is the church but the tabernacle of God? Who teaches more than anyone else the structure and function of the new temple of God, the body of Christ, then Paul?
Finally John comes, last; the last gospel, the near last epistle, the last Revelation was entrusted to John. But John ,though a fisherman, wasn’t casting his nets when Jesus found him, he was mending the nets!
The church will always end Peter to show the way, and Paul to teach and minister the Life. But at the end we need John’s message, which is to repair us to the Truth which has by now been distorted and gnarled and in may people’s cases, their faith has been destroyed , due to the influence of false teachers, prophets and apostles, i.e. “anti-Christs”.
So John tells us that he writes no new thing to us,but rather, ‘what we have heard from the beginning’. His is a ministry of restoration, a teaching designed to repair the damage done by gnostic re-interpretations of the knowledge of God, which in the end leave so many confused, lost, shipwrecked and ruined.
The Apostle John wrote his epistles to address a specific problem in the churches, one which is very relevant to our current situation in todays church. The problem? False teachers were distorting the meaning of the knowledge of God.
This was not merely an academic question, for salvation itself is the believing reception of the knowledge of God, according to Jesus.
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.(John 17:3)Notice in the opening scripture from I John 5 , how many times John talks about knowledge, truth, and understanding ? Who truly knows “him that is true”? ‘We do’, says John. Why does the Lord’s apostle emphasize this?
This emphasis is because pseudo spiritual teachers had come and were redefining Christianity, just as they are seeking to do today. They demeaned the Apostolic version of knowing God as unspiritual , offering a more mystical, sensual ‘knowledge of God” in its place.
What is the Christian teaching on knowing God that the heretics undermined ?
First of all that it is only possible by the revelation of Jesus Christ and what he did to save us. All is of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who know God, do so by believing in the gospel of Jesus.
But the knowledge of God is by faith, we have not seen Jesus but we love him, we walk by faith (in the Word) and not by sight.The faith has been delivered “once and for all” by the apostles. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ.
Also that we are to love one another, and that Love is not lawlessness, rather it is the fulfillment of all of the Law of God. This love is to be concrete, in word and deed, for Jesus became a real man to love us.
Furthermore we hate sin, and have repented of it and been delivered of its dominion, although it is still possible to sin. We who know God constantly confess our sin to God, repenting and seeking the forgiveness and cleansing from His Son.
Finally, we are waiting for Jesus to come from heaven, to judge the world in righteousness.
In the meantime we pray, evangelize, worship God, intercede for others, in a fallen world ruled temporarily by the devil. Only by submission to God do we hope to overcome the devil and the world.
Along came the “knowing Ones”, who would come to be known as gnostics.
Through the mystical, experience based spirituality of the new apostles and prophets, the knowledge of God now became a matter of higher revelation, visions, dreams, spiritual elitism,(ie Outer court, inner court and holy of holies christians), encounters with Angels, Demons, trances, ecstasies, prophetic directions from exalted men.
As a result, the old-fashioned “garden variety” christian was tempted to question his own spirituality. His experience of repenting of sin, waiting for Jesus, believing the Bible, yet not feeling anything most of the time, didn’t match up to the “new and improved version”.
We find ourselves at the same place today,don’t we? The boldness and mysticism of false apostles and prophets such as Rick Joyner, Todd Bentley, Bill Johnson, Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, etc, has undermined the faith of many.
The Apostle John is taking us back to the beginning, for he writes to restore our torn faith, to clear up our blurred and distorted vision. We don’t need a “new Word”, in fact that has been our problem, lusting for novelty,
Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.( I John 2:7)
How does John take us back to the beginning to restore our faith again ? In stating three simple theological propositions, we find our way back…
God is Light…
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (I John 1:5)
God is Love…
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
(I John 4:8)
Jesus Christ has come(and remains) in the flesh…
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: (I John 4:2)
Thanks Pastor Bill,
Many here share your burden for our republic.
May the King of Kings bring revival to America; opening our land once more to the truth and deliverance, which can ONLY come thru faith in Jesus the Christ.
.
Paul was not a “Tent” maker.
Paul was a suka maker. Sukas were specifically for keeping the feast of Tabernacles (Succot).
.
“May the King of Kings bring revival to America; opening our land once more to the truth and deliverance, which can ONLY come thru faith in Jesus the Christ.”
AMEN!
Did you know that some believe that the Oddssey was not written by Homer but by another Greek with the same name?
Excellent sermon. Love the wisdom of Watchman Nee, too.
.
Do you always miss the point that badly?
Paul, like all of the apostles, was engaged totally in the keeping of Torah, and the teaching thereof to others.
That is what evangelism was in the early centuries AD.
That, coupled with the fact of the perfect sacrifice at the cross, was the Gospel.
Surely we have inherited lies. The churches have lost all contact with what Yeshua and his apostles preached.
.
Paul, like all of the apostles, was engaged totally in the keeping of Torah, and the teaching thereof to others.
- - - - -
Upon what, pray tell, do you base this statement?
.
I base it on his epistles, and largely on the testimony recorded as the Acts of the Apostles.
They describe nothing but the practice and teaching of Torah and the cross.
.
So all newly converted Gentiles were circumcised, Peter was never told that everything God created was clean for food, Paul never called out Peter for being a hypocrite who ate with the Gentiles until some Jews came to visit, Paul never said that the purpose of the Torah was to prove that fallen man could not be righteous?
And then there is the little matter of Isaiah 1 and 2.
.
You simply demonstrate your lack of understanding of the scriptures.
Peter interpreted his vision himself, and it was definitely not that everything was declared food.
Circumcision was a temple issue, and the temple is gone.
You misinterpret Paul’s words. Paul issued nothing but praise to those that kept Torah (Colossians, Thessalonians).
Isaiah 1 and 2 are an incomplete story. What do they mean to you?
Hosea is a complete story; do you understand it?
Yehova divorced his bride and promised to re-marry her. That is against Torah, so how was that issue resolved?
Do you have any grasp of the profound issue there?
.
Circumcision was a temple issue, and the temple is gone.
- - - -
When was circumcision given as a part of the Torah? It was given to Abraham before there was a temple. So how can this be a temple issue? Besides, the temple is not gone! The Temple rose from the dead three days after the Crucifixion! We, who believe in Him, are the Body of Christ and part of that Temple. Just for one example, didn’t Paul write in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20:
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up †by His power.
15 Do you not know that †your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!
16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”
17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins †against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Nelson, Thomas. Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV) (p. 1110). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
Now, if you can read “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful”, and still think that Paul is preaching that we should keep the “Torah”, then I don’t know more I can write or say.
Again, you provide your personal misinterpretation of Paul’s words.
Paul, like every other apostle taught and practiced Torah 100% of the time.
He kept every feast and taught others to do so. He kept every Sabbath, and taught others to do so.
He demanded that monetary gifts be held until the Sabbath was over (first day of the week, Saturday evening to you).
Also, all of what was given at Sinai was also given to Adam, as shown by the conflict of sacrifices between Cain and Abel, and Noah’s knowledge of clean and unclean animals.
One can read and study the whole word, or one can pick and choose. I’ll stick with the whole word.
.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.