The Many Certanties of Christianity

TurningPoint Community Church
www.turningptchurch.com
Palm Coast, Florida

Bible Fellowship Group Lesson
12/20/2009

1 John 5:13-21
Notes Prepared by Robert Moritz


I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.


The Uncertainties of This World

There is no question that today we live in a world of uncertainty and doubt. Everyone struggles with doubt sooner or later. Look at our economy today, there are many of us here who are uncertain where are next paycheck is coming from. Or whether or not we’ll be able to pay our bills next month. Or where our next meal is coming from. There are others who have health issues or family members with health issues and we’re uncertain about their future. I’m sure most of us here have relatives who we know are unsaved and we’re uncertain of their eternal destiny. And I don’t care how long you’ve been a Christian, at one time or another you’ve wondered whether or not you’re truly saved.

One of the Great Truths of Christianity is its Many Certainties.

John begins this portion of his letter, in v.13, by telling us how we may enjoy the full assurance of our salvation. He says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Unfortunately, there many who believe on the name of Jesus who are not sure that they have eternal life; they only hope so. Occasionally they have assurance, but there’s no real joy abiding in them.

Yet here John is telling us that we may be certain that we are partakers of this new life so that we may surely reap the benefits of it and be filled with joy and peace through believing.

Here’s what Charles Spurgeon says about assurance: “Full assurance is not essential to salvation, but it is essential to satisfaction. May you get it at once; at any rate may you never be satisfied to live without it. You may have full assurance.”

He says here that full assurance of salvation is not necessary in order for one to be saved, however, its certainly essential if you expect to have any kind of joy during your Christian walk in this life.

So what is John talking about then when he says, “I write these things to you … that you may know you have eternal life.” He’s actually referring to the whole epistle. But if we just look at the beginning of this chapter he starts off by saying: "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God."

And what about you? Do you believe that Jesus is the anointed of God? Is he anointed as your prophet, priest, and king? Have you realized his anointing so as to put your trust in him? Do you receive Jesus as appointed of God to be the Mediator, the Propitiation for sin, the Savior of men? If so, you are born of God. So how can you be sure?? If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, you are born of God. John has here positively declared the truth, that you may know that you have eternal life. Can anything be more clear than this?

I have to confess here that I used to wonder whether or not Jesus actually loved me. There are many scary passages in Scripture where Jesus separates the goats on His left and says, “I never knew you.” Passages like that used to make me wonder, ‘what if I’m one of those goats?’ What if I’m not really saved? Some of you may struggle with this very issue too from time to time. Perhaps this will help you as it did me. I read these words by Spurgeon and it really helped me to see God’s love for me and my love for Him in a whole new light. Here’s what he said:

I knew a dear Christian woman who would sometimes say, "I know that I love Jesus; but my fear is that he does not love me." Her doubt used to make me smile, for it never could have occurred to me. If I love him, I know it is because he first loved me. Love to God in us is always the work of God's love towards us. Jesus loved us, and gave himself for us, and therefore we love him in return. Love to Jesus is an effect which proves the existence of its cause. Do you love Jesus? Do you feel a delight in him? Is his name as music to your ear, and honey to your mouth? Do you love to hear him extolled? Ah, dear friends! I know that to many of you a sermon full of his dear name is as a royal banquet; and if there is no Christ in a discourse, it is empty, and vain, and void to you. Is it not so? If you do indeed love him that begat and him that is begotten of him, then this is one of the things that is written "that you may know that you have eternal life."


Will God Give us Anything We Ask For? Even When We Want It?

Lets look at v. 14-15 – “And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but my “prayer – to – answer” ratio is not very high. I’ve prayed for many things in my life but it seems they usually go unanswered. Yes, I’ve had prayers answered and God has blessed me enormously, but why doesn’t He answer all my prayers; the way I want; and when I want? Isn’t that what this passage is alluding too? According to John, this is supposed to be the confidence we have in Him. Answered prayer.

So if that’s the case then why do so many of our prayers seem to go unanswered? Well, for one, there are certain qualifications that must be met in order for God to answer our prayers. Now of course, God is sovereign and can certainly do anything He wants. But there are usually certain stipulations that need to be met before God is going to grant our requests.

First, lets take a closer look at v. 14. Did you notice that little qualification clause in there? ‘If you ask anything, according to His will…’

This aligns perfectly with what Jesus said in the ‘Lord’s Prayer’, “Thy will be done.” Our problem is that our prayers are not answered because we ask amiss, we ask with wrong motives. We desire our will to be done. We want God to bow down to us. Our desire is to make us sovereign and God the servant – our cosmic santa clause.

James says it best, “You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” And I like the way the KJV says it – “that you may consume it upon your lusts.”

We have to realize that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than ours. Although it is our privilege to approach the throne of God boldly, we still must do it with a humble heart and deep respect. Remember who you’re dealing with – this is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Creator of the universe.

We also need to remember that just because we don’t get an answer right away does not necessarily mean that God has denied our request. He may be waiting for the opportune time by His standards or perhaps there was a demonic delay in our answer being received as in the case of Daniel. Remember the story when Daniel had seen a dream and prayed to the Lord for its meaning. He prayed, mourned and fasted for 3 weeks before he got his answer. Why did it take 3 weeks? Because the angel Gabriel who God dispatched with His answer to Daniel, was held up by the king of Persia. This is a reference to satanic powers that came against Gabriel. (Originally I was going to have us go there and take a close look at that story but because of time there’s just no way were going to be able to do that.)

So we need to keep in mind when we pray that God will answer our prayers when our will is aligned with His will. Is there any unrepentant sin in your life? If there is, don’t expect any immediate answer to prayer until you’ve straightened out that situation. Your will needs to line up with God’s and then you can have the confidence that John is talking about here in this passage.


Sin that Leads To Death & Sin Not Leading To Death


v.16-17 – Now these two verses are by far some of the toughest in Scripture and without a doubt there is no one solid answer. There is a myriad of possibilities and no two commentators agree.

I cannot certainly, in the short time we have here today, go through each of the possible meanings of what the sin is that leads to death in any great detail or we would be here for months just on this topic. So what I’ll do here is just list the main views as I’ve seen them from the commentators that I’ve read and you can decide for yourselves what John meant here.

Among the opinions are the following:

1) Some say it is the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit that Jesus mentions in Mark 3:22:30.
2) Some say it denotes some sin that was punishable by death in the laws of Moses.
3) Some say John is referring to “big” sins such as murder, idolatry, adultery etc.
4) Some say it refers to sin that subjected the offender to excommunication from the church or synagogue.
5) Some say it refers to sin that brought a fatal disease upon the sinner.
6) Some say it refers to crimes committed against society for which the offender was sentenced to death.
7) Some say it refers to sins committed before and after baptism. The former would be pardoned but the latter may not.
8) Some say, mostly among Roman Catholics, that it refers to sins that might or might not be pardoned after death – meaning the doctrine of purgatory.

As you can see, for us to go into an examination of all these opinions would require a volume by itself, and we could spend weeks studying just this passage and all its possible meanings.


Victory Over Sin and Satan

Another Christian certainty is the victory we have over sin and Satan in Christ. In v.18-19 - John’s emphasis falls on the conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan and how we are protected from the evil one by God.

Now as I mentioned before when talking about how the answer to Daniels prayer was delayed by the king of Persia who is non other than some high level demon, Satan’s kingdom can and often does have a direct influence on our lives here in this world and to think otherwise would be foolish.

We must not take the spirit world lightly and I fear the often times many people do – much to Satan’s delight. He would much rather have us be ignorant of his workings in our lives than if we were actively opposing him.

We need to be very aware that Satan is much more powerful than we are, both physically and spiritually. He is also much smarter than we are and is much more organized. The Bible tells us that Satan is the ruler of this world and his is the kingdom of darkness. The Bible also tells us the he is the ruler of this world, the prince of the power of the air. Eph 2:2-3

So does that mean we need to be in constant fear of the evil one? The answer is really, yes and no. We need to fear him in the sense that we should have a healthy respect for him as he once was an angel of light but has become a master deceiver and a lire. And if God allows him to, he can inflict serious damage on our lives, physically, mentally and spiritually.

However, that does not mean there is a demon under every rock or behind every tree. There is actually one good thing about Satan – he is a defeated foe. Jesus Christ defeated Satan and his minions at the cross when he died and rose again from the dead. And John tells us here that those of us who have been born of God are protected from the evil one.

John MacArthur says, “Because the believer belongs to God, Satan must operate within God’s sovereignty and cannot function beyond what God allows as in the example of Job. While Satan may persecute, tempt, test and accuse the believer, God protects His children and places definite limits on Satan’s influence or power.”

If you’re a true born again believer today you don’t have to worry. Just keep yourself bathed in prayer and washed in the blood of the Lamb and Satan will have no hold on you.





Another certainty of being a Christian is that Christians belong to God. We have been purchased out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light by the precious blood of Jesus. According to John there are only two types of people in the world: the children of God and the children of Satan.

In v.20 John tells us that we can be certain of knowing God because the Son has come and given us understanding. And with that understanding we know the Father who is true. I love that statement at the end of this verse, “He is the true God and eternal life.”

John MacArthur says, “This verse constitutes the summation of John’s whole letter. The greatest certainty of all, the incarnation, guarantees the certainty of the rest. This is the doctrinal foundation out of which comes love and obedience.

v. 21 – Keep yourselves from idols.

John ends here with a final shot at false teachers and their hearsay. He is obviously referring to those who had originally come in but were never really saved. These were people who were under the sway of the god of this world and began teaching errant doctrine so as to deceive as many as possible and thereby divide the church.

Their false beliefs and practices are the idols from which the readers are commanded to protect themselves. These false teachers taught the philosophy of the world as being superior to God’s revelation. So here, John once again highlights the importance of adhering to the fundamentals of the faith.

Now I’d like to close by going back and revisiting verses 11-13 to reinforce the fact that whoever has the Son has life.


Having All That Jesus Came to Do

If we start by looking back at verses 11 & 12 we notice John telling us that, "He who HAS the Son has life." And now we can say that having the Son means if you have the Son, then you have eternal life. If you want to spend one of the most encouraging hours of your life, take an hour and make a list under the heading: What did Jesus come to do? What does he promise to do? It will be a very long list. And then just go down the list and beside every one write: He does his thing for ME! What He can do he does for me. What He promises to do He will do for me. That is what it means to HAVE the Son.

Having Eternal Life

John then sums it all up in the word LIFE. He who has the Son has life! Eternal life is not just the extension of all the frustrations and half-joys of this life. When Jesus finishes doing his thing, every frustration will be gone and every half-joy will be full. As he said in John 10:10, "I came that they might have life and have it abundantly."

If you HAVE the Son, it means that anything that infinite love and infinite power and infinite wisdom can do for your good, will in fact be done for you.
Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus who died, yes, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. In Romans 8 the Bible says, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors."

He who has the Son has One who can take all tribulation and distress and persecution and peril and turn it so that out of it comes not just a wounded soldier—no we are not just conquerors. Those who have the Son are "more than conquerors." Which means that the Son of God takes the tribulations of your life and actually turns them for your good. You don't just escape from your enemy. He serves you.

So if you want to be more than a survivor and, indeed, more than a conqueror in the battles of life, then you must HAVE the Son. For he who has the Son has life—all the life that an omnipotent God can give.

We Have the Son by Believing in His Name

But we still haven't answered the question, "How do we come to have the Son?" This is very important because the last part of verse 12 says that "he who has not the Son of God has not life." In other words not every one has the Son and so not every one has eternal life. It is infinitely important to know how to have the Son.

The answer is not complicated or hard to find. It is implied clearly in verse 13: "I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." Notice that verse 13 says that those who believe in the name of the Son of God have eternal life and that verse 12 says, "He who has the Son has life." The simple implication is that the way to HAVE the Son is to BELIEVE the Son.
Or another way to put it is that the Son of God does his thing for those who trust Him. You can have the Son of God if you trust the Son of God.

Passage to India

In the film, Passage to India, there was a young Indian doctor who had been arrested for allegedly assaulting a young English woman in India. The case became an explosive point of tension between the Indian people who longed for independence and the colonial English government. The whole colonialist power structure seemed to make the doctor's case hopeless even though everybody knew his integrity was above question. He was too poor to afford a lawyer.

But the most famous and able lawyer in all India got word of the case. He had a reputation of liking to take on the British and standing up for the Indian underdogs. Without a doubt, one of the most powerful scenes in the film was when two of the doctor's friends bring him word in the jail that the famous lawyer is willing to defend him—and then, as if it were too good to be true, they say, "And he's not even going to charge a fee!"

Now the doctor has a lawyer. He HAS a lawyer. The lawyer is going to do his thing for the doctor. All his reputation, all his eloquence, all his skill are now going to be used to save the doctor.

How did the doctor come to HAVE this great lawyer? He never had met him before. He had no money to pay him. He was far away from him in a different city. And yet now he could say to all his enemies, "I HAVE a lawyer!" How did he come to have the best lawyer in India?

It starts with the motivation of the lawyer. He has two goals: the liberation of India from the British, and the glorification of his own legal skills. When the camera picks him up in a tumultuous courtroom scene, he is sitting at his table utterly calm, as though in sovereign control of the situation. And to show that what he really loves is the liberation of India and the display of his skills for the helpless patriot, his services are not for sale. He will not be paid. That would call into question what he really loves.

And so how does the doctor come to have this lawyer? The lawyer makes a free offer, and the doctor hears the offer and accepts it. He trusts that the lawyer means it, and he believes he can do it. He HAS the lawyer because he TRUSTS the lawyer.

And so it is with the Son of God. He has two goals: the liberation of his people from sin and death, and the glorification of his own powers. That is the origin of salvation. That is the source of eternal life. And to show that what he loves is the liberation of his people and the magnification of his power, his services are not for sale. He will not be paid. In fact, He cannot be paid.

So how do you come to HAVE the Son of God? He makes you a free offer, and you accept His offer, you trust him. He does his thing for those who trust in him. He who has the Son has life.

God bless and have a very Merry Christmas

Rob

GLAD - Be Ye Glad

Another great song by Glad! I just love their harmonies. Hope this is a blessing to your heart.

"Be ye glad, be ye glad, every debt that you ever had, has been paid up in full by the grace of the Lord, be ye glad, be ye glad, be ye glad."

HAPPY VETERANS DAY

To all the men and women who have so faithfully served in our armed forces: ARMY, NAVY, AIR FORCE, MARINES and COAST GUARD, my wife, DeAnne and I would just like to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! from the bottom of our hearts on this Veteran's Day, 2009!

We certainly appreciate the great sacrifices you've made to keep our country free from oppression and tyranny. And believe me when I say how grateful we are for what you've done. We certainly realize that because of your great love for and dedication to America we can sleep a lot easier at night.

We also want to recognize all those brave men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, in defense of freedom and liberty. We pray for each family member that God wold bless you and give you His peace as you deal with the loss of your hero. And to all the military family members we give you a heartfelt THANK YOU.

On this Veteran's Day please accept and enjoy this tribute of videos as a small token of our appreciation.

God bless you and may God bless America!

Love One Another

BFG Lesson

11/1/2009

1 John 3:11-18

Notes based on sermons by John MacArthur and John Piper
Prepared by Robert Moritz

I actually want to go back and include verse 10 in this lesson because I believe verse 10 is the key verse of this chapter.

v.10-11 – “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another."

John is right in more ways than one when he says we should love one another. First he’s been talking about the importance of loving one another and loving our brothers throughout this epistle. In fact he spends a good portion of chapter 2 telling us to love one another.

- Take a look back a chapter 2 for a minute starting in verse 9 and we’ll read through verse 11.

"Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."

So here, John tells us in verse 9, that we better have no hatred in our hearts toward one another. If we’re going to call ourselves Christians – which means walking in the light – then we better have love for one another, because if you don’t John says you’re still in darkness.

There are two distinct things that make up a child of God, Love and Righteousness. These are the 2 themes we see running through chapter 3. The first 10 verses speak of the righteousness of a child of God and verses 11-24 speak of the love of a Christian.

Then secondly John is referring to the teachings of Jesus which is really the beginning of Christianity which in fact was taken from the law of God which was from the very beginning.

If you would, turn in your Bibles to Matthew 22:34-40. Here, the Sadducees had been badgering Jesus with their legalism and He had just put them to shame. Now it was the Pharisees turn.

"But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him. Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? And He said to him, 'you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the prophets.'"

Notice here, that the heart of the law is 2 fold, we are to love the Lord our God and we are to love our neighbor. So back in 1 John, John just reiterates what Jesus is teaching and stating that this message of loving one another is something that is not new. Its not something we’re hearing for the first time. In fact its something that should characterize our very lives as children of God.

I remember a few weeks ago when Drew taught on loving your brother back in Chapter 2, he mentioned that he often struggles in this area. That loving or caring for other people does not come easy for him. Well, I too need to confess, that the same is true of me. And I mean, its crazy! One minute I can be driving down the road worshipping and praising God to some song on the radio and all of a sudden I find myself boxed in between some slow moving dump truck on my right and some old geezer in his Cadillac in front of me. Both are doing 10mph under the speed limit and I can’t pass. What’s up with that.

Its at about this point that I’m no longer feeling the love. Right? Now don’t you sit out there and give me no holy look like you’ve never been in a similar situation and you didn't lose it because this guy was not letting you pass.

After all, he’s got all day. He’s only on his way to the drug store to pick up his 35,000 medications. Doesn’t he realize that some of us are working here and we’re late to an appointment? Alright, that’s enough confession time for one morning. Back to our lesson.

So John tells us here in v.10 & 11 that as Christians our lives should be characterized by 2 things - living a righteous life and loving one another.

Don’t Be Like the Children of the Evil One

As we move into verse 12, John says,

"We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deed were evil and his brother's righteous."

Lets take a closer look at the story of Cain and Abel. Turn if you will to Gen 4 and we’ll look at verses 1-12

"Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, 'I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.' And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering but for Cain and his offering He had no regard.

So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The LORD said to Cain, 'why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.'"

Cain spoke to Abel his brother and when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, 'where is Abel your brother?' He said, 'I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?' And the LORD said, 'what have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.'"

John MacArthur says, “The lowest level of human relationships is murder.” And he’s right. Murder is the antithesis of love because murder comes from hate and Satan is filled with hate. That hatred first manifested itself when Cain murdered his brother Able back in Genesis. In the Gospel of John 8:44 Jesus tells us that Satan was a murderer from the beginning. Since Cain murdered his brother, the fruit of that shows us that Cain was of his father the devil.

When I was a new Christian, I used to read this passage and think, ‘why does God accept Abel and not Cain? They both gave of their first fruits? Here Cain worked the ground and gave God his best and God rejected it. Why?’ It just didn’t seem fair to me.

But as I became more mature in my faith, and learned about sin and redemption, I learned that there can be no remission of sin without blood. This is God’s requirement for forgiveness of sin. These sacrifices also portrayed a type of Christ which was to come, God’s great sacrifice of His Son for the sins of the world. That’s why God required a blood sacrifice and not just some vegetables. That’s why Cain’s sacrifice was rejected.

The example of Cain

Cain is the classic example of a murderer. And in these verses we see the formation of two polar opposite religions. Abel’s religion is the religion of grace and Cain’s religion is the religion of human achievement.

a) Abel and the religion of grace

Verse 3 says, "In process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord." That was an act of worship. Verses 4-5 say, "Abel, he also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and to his offering; but for Cain and to his offering He had no regard." It's obvious from the context God had already revealed to them that a blood sacrifice was the only acceptable sacrifice (cf. Gen. 3:21). Hebrews 9:22 says, "Without shedding of blood there is no remission [of sins]." God instituted blood sacrifices as the only proper form of worship, and Abel obeyed.

b) Cain and the religion of human achievement

Cain brought God the fruit of the ground--that which he himself had planted and harvested. He offered what he wanted to offer, not what God wanted him to offer. He invented his own religion, and the Lord would have none of it. Genesis 4:5-7 says, "Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."

Verse 8 says, "Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.." He murdered him. 1 John 3:12 says Cain murdered Abel "because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." Cain was jealous of Abel.

The character of Cain

a) He was a child of Satan

Now, going back to 1 John, it says in verse 12, Cain "was of that wicked one" (v. 12). The Greek word translated "wicked one" is poneros. It is stronger than kakos, the usual Greek word for evil. Poneros speaks of evil in active opposition to good--organized evil. A man who is kakos is willing to be evil and perish in his own corruption, but the person who is poneros seeks to drag everyone else down with him. Who is the evil one? Satan. Cain was a child of Satan. That is made evident because he was a murderer. God's children are not murderers; they love one another. John 8:44 says Satan has been a murderer from the beginning.

b) He perverted God's worship

The Greek word translated "killed" in 1 John 3:12 is sphazo, which means, "to butcher by cutting the throat." It is used in the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) to refer to the slaying of animals for Levitical sacrifices. It is quite probable that Cain cut Abel's throat. When Cain and Abel were born, the seeds of death were already implanted in the sins of Adam and Eve. But as far as we know, no one had yet died.

John MacArther states, “The fact that Cain knew how to kill implies he knew God required an animal sacrifice. God instituted a pattern of sacrifice to bring men to himself, but Cain became the first to pervert it and turn it into murder. The human race learned to murder when it was taught to worship.”

c) He was jealous of Abel

Why did Cain kill his brother? Verse 12 says, "Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." He was jealous--his brother was accepted by God but he wasn't. Jealousy lay at the base of Cain's murder. That's what life is like for the children of the devil.

Not all people are murderers like Cain, and that leads to the next characteristic of a child of the devil.

B. Hate (vv. 13-15)

1. The attitude of the world (v. 13)

Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.

Most people have never murdered anyone, but the only difference between hate and murder is the act--the attitude is the same. There are a lot of haters in this world who don't murder for only one reason--fear of the consequences. If they could get away with it without punishment, guilt, and negative social reaction, they would. In God's eyes, hatred is the moral equivalent of murder.

Let’s jump to verse 15:

"Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him"

Hatred is the same as murder in the eyes of God. And murderers do not have eternal life. As a general pattern, a believer loves and an unbeliever hates.

a) Proverbs 6:17-- The Lord hates "a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood." The Lord hates murderous hands. God's children do not commit murder. According to 1 John 3:15 one who hates is guilty of murder. In God's eyes, the ethic is the same.

b) Matthew 5:21-22--In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said by them of old, you shall not kill and whosoever kills shall be in danger of judgment; but I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgment; and whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; but whoever shall say, you fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." The attitude you have toward your brother is as significant to Jesus as what you do to him.

There are few people who murder as a way of life, but there are many who hate people.

So we need to be very careful here. We need to take a good look at ourselves and ask, Do I hate people? Do I love people? Its very important to examine ourselves.

John Piper states it this way,

“Hatred is the wish that another person was not there; it is the refusal to recognize his rights as a person; it is the longing to hurt or ultimately even to kill him. If I hate somebody, I am no different from a murderer in my attitude toward him. And with God it makes very little difference whether I actually have a chance to carry out the desires of my heart or not. People who hate are murderers according to Jesus and according to John "you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." John is not denying the possibility of repentance and forgiveness for the sin of murder. What John is stating is the general principle that to take life is to forfeit life and no murderer has eternal life as a present and abiding possession.”

Now, lets sum this up with verse 14

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death."

Lifestyles of love and hate are very revealing. Specifically they reveal whether one abides in death or whether he has indeed passed out of death into life. People who persistently and consistently love other people in heartfelt ways can have assurance that they indeed possess eternal life. Brothers and sisters, loving one another is not a trivial thing; it is not optional. Loving one another is critically important, eternally important. It is a matter of life and death!

C) Indifference

So far we’ve looked at 2 things that should not characterize Christians – Murder and Hate. However, there is another thing which John warns us about here in vs. 16-18

"By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

A person who sees a Christian in need and has the ability to help, yet refuses to do so, is not a Christian according to John. The world is characterized by indifference and apathy. The world murders its own, but Christians care for each other with sacrificial love.

Love is not defined as an attitude or an emotion, but as an act of self-sacrifice. We know God loves us because He laid down His life for us. What should we do? Lay down our lives for the brethren. Cain hated and murdered his brother--that's how Satan's children behave. Christ gave up His life for those He loved. That’s how a Christian should behave. One is selfish, the other is selfless.

Piper defines love this way:

“Christian love is finding one's own joy in actively working for the joy of another, even at the self-sacrificial cost of one's own private pleasure, all for the glory of God. And that is the kind of love we are to possess as Christians and the kind of love we are to exercise.”

He goes on to say, “Not only does Jesus' death embody love because it was the greatest possible sacrifice done for the greatest possible good. It was also done for the greatest possible motive. According to John 12:28, Jesus went to the cross in order to glorify the name of His Heavenly Father. And the writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus endured the cross "for the joy set before him" (Hebrews 12:2). These two inextricably linked goals—the glory of God and our own delight and joy in it—are to be the supreme motive for any act of love. They were for Jesus, and they are to be for us.

Verse 17 says,

"But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?"

This means sharing your material resources with those in need, be it spiritual or physical. And even those of us who are on the most limited income have something to share. Perhaps with individuals directly, or through the church, or through social agencies like the Crisis Pregnancy Center or mission agencies.

But the point is clear. How can we say that we are willing to lay down our lives for our brothers if we are unwilling to part with our money for their sake?

Verse 17 also means sharing your time with others in need. Many times that's what a person needs far more than he needs money. It takes time to be a friend; it takes time to talk, to listen, to relieve loneliness. And let me tell you, there’s a lot of lonely people out there. And for many of us it is harder to part with our time than with our money. We’re so busy doing all our daily chores that its difficult for us to stop for a minute and put our arms around a hurting person and comfort them.

That's something I am always struggling with. Stopping and taking the time to really get to know someone and minister to them. My guess is that's where the heart of the battle is for many of you as well. But if you or I close our hearts with respect to time, towards a brother or sister in need, how can God's love be in us?

Verse 17 can also mean sharing spiritual resources with a person in need through a word of encouragement or exhortation from the Bible and through consistent intercessory prayer. And in many cases the sacrifice demanded is greatest at this point because the spiritual battles are very real and very intense.

We’ll conclude here with verse 18

"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

To put it in the modern vernacular, we need to walk the walk not just talk the talk. I believe Scripture tells us somewhere, we are to be doer’s of the Word and not hearers only. Right?

So I encourage everyone, lets all try to examine ourselves to see if we are truly loving the brethren. If you see someone in need, stop rushing around for a moment and give a word of encouragement; Lend a helping hand; or if necessary, donate a little money. Meet the need and glorify God.

God bless

Rob

Obama Needs To Hear This

The harmony of these kids will just bless your heart. Amazing! I can't stop listening to them.

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
2 Corinthians 5:20-21

Enjoy

DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD

BFG Lesson

10/4/2009

1 John 2:15-17

Notes based on sermons by John MacArthur and John Piper
Prepared by Robert Moritz



“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17

The text begins with a command — it's the only command in the text and therefore probably the main point. Verse 15a: "Do not love the world or the things in the world." Everything else in the text is a reason for or against why we should not love the world. A big problem with Christians today, especially in America is our love for the world and the things of the world. When we chase after the things of this world we end up committing idolatry.

The first reason John gives for not loving the world is that "if any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him" (verse 15b). In other words the reason you shouldn't love the world is that you can't love the world and God at the same time. Love for the world pushes out love for God, and love for God pushes out love for the world. Its one or the other. Jesus even said, “whoever is not with me, is against me.” Math 12:30a

Then in verse 16 comes the support and explanation of that first argument. Take a look at verse 16: The reason love for the world pushes out love for God is that "all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride in possessions, is not of the Father but is of the world.

Jesus also told us, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money" (Matthew 6:24). So don't love the world, because that would put you in the class with the God-haters whether you think you are or not. "If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him." That's the first reason John gives not to love the world.

Even though that one reason alone would be enough, he then gives two more incentives not to love the world. One is a negative and the other a positive.

The World Is Passing Away and Its Lusts - Negative

First, in verse 17a he says, "And the world passes away, and the lust of it." Nobody buys stock in a company that is sure to go bankrupt. Nobody builds a house in sinking sand. No reasonable person would lay up treasure where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal, would they? The world is passing away! To set your heart on it is only asking for heartache and misery in the end.

That's not all: not only is the world passing away, but also the lusts of it. If you share the desires of the world, you will pass away. You will not only lose your treasure, you will lose your life. If you love the world, it will pass away and take you with it. "The world passes away and the lust of it."

If You Do the Will of the Father, You Will Live Forever - Positive

Second, in verse 17b John says, "But he who does the will of God abides for ever." The opposite of loving the world is not only loving the Father (verse 15), but also doing the will of the Father (verse 17). And that connection is not hard to understand. Jesus said, "If you love me you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). John said in 1 John 5:3 which we’ll look at in a few weeks, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments." So loving the Father in verse 15 and doing the will of God in verse 17 are not really separate things.

If you love God, you will love what he wills. It is empty talk to say I love God but I don't love what God loves. So John is saying in verse 17, "If you love the world, you will perish with the world, but if you don't love the world but love God, you will do his will and live with him for ever."

The Reality of Satan's Reign

Before we go any further, we need to look at what John means by the world. Here John doesn’t just mean material things. He’s also talking about the whole world system.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden they forfeited their right to rule the planet as God intended. Instead they obeyed Satan and sold their rulership of the world to him. Much the same way that Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for food. Satan then created an evil world system opposed to God and that is what now dominates the planet. Satan’s system will continue to dominate the planet right up until the Great Tribulation.

In verse 15 John says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” Why? Because the things in the world are part of the satanic system. John MacArthur says, “1 John 2:15 tells us to stop loving the system and the things that are in it; for if anyone is in love with it, his claim to love God is invalid. The system that Satan has developed is in total opposition to God. A person cannot love both. John is defining a Christian as one who loves God, rather than Satan's system.” Satan’s world system can be characterized by 3 factors that enabled him to control the world:

• False Religion: Satan needed to counteract the truth. So he developed lies about God, eternal destiny, and other spiritual truths. All false religions claim that man enters God's presence not on the basis of what God has done by His grace, but on the basis of what man can do himself if he is good enough.

• Crime and War: Satan brought fear and bondage into man's life through crime and war. Men are pitted against men. Throughout history, Satan has used crime, arguments, riots, and wars to destroy the unity that God had intended for the world to have. All forms of crime are a threat against unity. Every time a person steals, covets, or destroys what is someone else's--even to the point of killing them--the unity that God designed for mankind to experience disintegrates further.

• Godless Living: Is a way of living that operates independently of God. Satan has developed a system in which he can captivate men. It is anti-God and anti-Christ. It is rebellion to truth and contradicts God’s will. Although he may not be directly responsible, Satan is behind all Godlessness taking place today in opposition to God’s Kingdom.

First John 2:15 tells us to stop loving the world system and the things that are in it; for if anyone is in love with it, his claim to love God is invalid. The system that Satan has developed is in total opposition to God. A person cannot love both. John is defining a Christian as one who loves God, rather than Satan's system. James makes a very similar statement that I’d like us all to take a look at. Turn if you will to James 4:1-4: You see if you love the world not only are you denying God, but you are an enemy of God. (READ) Love for the world and love for God are absolutely antithetical. In other words they are polar opposites. A person cannot love both at the same time. A true Christian does not love the world. It is impossible because its in direct opposition with who he is.

One reason we do not love the world is because of what it does. It incites to sin. The world's system is designed to tempt a person to sin. God wants to generate holiness in our lives as we become more like Jesus Christ. Satan uses the world to tempt us. Some of us are able to resist the world's temptation because of our maturity in Christ. But that does not change the evil intentions of the world, which opposes the holiness that God desires in every Christian's life.

Plague of the Christian Church in America

According to verse 15 in our text, if your love for God is cool today it may be because love for the world has begun to take over your heart and choke your love for God. The love of the world and the love of the Father cannot coexist. And every heart loves something. The very essence of our nature is desire. We all lust after something, we all covet something.

So what is this "world" that we are not to love? Verse 16 says it is characterized by three things: "lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." The first two—lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes—refer to desires for what we don't have. And the third—the pride of possessions—refers to the pride in what we do have. The world is driven by these two things: passion for pleasure and pride in possessions.

According to John Piper, “the passion for pleasure is described in two ways because there are two large classes of pleasure—physical and aesthetic. There is the lust of the flesh—bodily pleasures; and the lust of the eyes—aesthetic and intellectual pleasures. There is the lust of the gutter and the lust of the gourmet. There is the lust for hard rock and the lust for high Rachmaninoff. There is the lust of Penthouse and the lust of Picasso. This book ends with the ringing command: "Little children, KEEP YOURSELVES FROM IDOLS!"—whether they are crude or whether they are cultured.”

Anything in this world that is not of God can rob your heart of the love of God. Anything that is not God can draw your heart away from God. If you don't have something, the lust for it can fill you with passion to get it. If you get it, it can fill you with pride that you've got it.

The Apostle Paul deals very succinctly with the pride of life when he says in 1 Corinthians 4:7, "What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as though it were not a gift .” and again in 1 Cor 1:31, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord" So let there be no boasting in possessions because it all belongs to God.

(I was just thinking about this very thing this past week and a friend also posted this very thought on her Facebook page last night. The fact that every thing we have is a gift from God. We own nothing. Every breath we take, Every drop of water, every morsel of food we eat is a gift from God. We cannot live without any of those things for very long. Yet God provides them to us every day without us even thinking about what a blessing it is to be alive.)

And against the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes the psalmist says, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides thee." Therefore let us desire nothing but God. Possess nothing but God; pursue nothing but God.

The Problem With The Church Today

One of the greatest iniquities plaguing the Christian Church today is worldliness. If you drive across the country today, you can tune into many different “Christian” radio stations along the way and hear a whole host of teaching, the least of which is true Christian doctrine. Instead, what you hear will reveal much about the secret motivations that drive many Christians today. The same holds true for “Christian” television. Some of these broadcasts would be hilarious if they weren’t so sad.

Instead of true Biblical teaching we have false teachers deceiving and exploiting the gullible. They run around with all kinds of gimmicks to convince people that all they have to do is trust in Christ and they can have health, wealth and success in His name.

• I’ve heard one speaker offer holy water and lucky charms to those who send a donation of X amount of dollars.

• I’ve seen people like Robert Tilton who offers his listeners a prayer cloth that has been blessed by him which would bring money, new cars, health, etc.

• I heard one speaker say he would mail out holy soap which he had blessed. It would wash away any bad luck, evil friends and sickness.

Of course as a true member of God’s elect, these kinds of things should bring real disgust to our hearts because we have our present day Gnostics, teaching a false gospel and leading deceived sheep down the broad road to destruction. And how is this stuff being marketed? Churches are using every type of gimmick imaginable from famous athletes, beauty queens, even business men and politicians who, “make it in the world and have Jesus too.”

Unfortunately today, Christian values are defined almost totally by success as it is promoted by Madison Avenue marketing. Even many Christian ministries gauge their effectiveness by the standards of Harvard MBA’s. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So what can we say about today’s evangelical Christians who follow after the desires of this world. Getting into debt for cars, homes, furnishings and clothes that probably aren’t needed and sacrificing family, church and health for corporate promotions and career advancement. Should Christians be loving the world system so much?

I believe all this is deception engineered by the god of this world to ensnare and destroy effective Christians and to keep them from sharing the Gospel with those who need it. In his book, “Revolution In World Missions, Dr. K. P. Yohannan compares and contrasts what it is to be saved in America vs. what it means to be saved in Asia. The American version, he states, goes something like this: “I was sick and broke, a total failure. Then I met Jesus. Now everything is fine; my business is booming and I am a great success.” It sounds wonderful, if you’re having problems in this life, all you have to do is become a Christian and you’ll get that bigger house and a new car and a boat and you’ll be able to take that vacation around the world.

Dr. Yohannan goes on to say, “ if that were really God’s way, it would put some believers living in anti-Christian and third world countries in a pretty bad light. Their testimonies go something like this, “I was happy. I had everything – prestige, recognition, a good job, and a happy family. Then I gave my life to Jesus Christ. Now I am in Siberia, having lost my family, my wealth, my reputation, job and health. Here I live, lonely, deserted by friends. I cannot see the face of my wife or dear children. My crime? That I love Jesus.” What a difference. Satan has so completely twisted the way we look at Christianity in America today that it is completely backwards.

And what about the heroes of the faith down through the ages? The apostles laid down their lives for the Lord. Christian martyrs have written their names on every page of history.

(Book – Fox’s Book of Martyrs.) Countless stories of men and women down through the ages who have given their lives for the cause of Christ.

One Indian man named Sundar Singh, born and raised in a rich Indian sect’s home became a Christian – his own family tried to poison him and banished him from their home. He lost his inheritance and walked away with one piece of clothing on his body. Yet, following his Master, he made millions truly rich through faith in Christ. American Christianity is so corrupt and backwards. It follows after the system of the world which as we saw was created by Satan. It has become fat, dumb, lazy and happy. Content to just watch the world go by, unwilling to lay it all on the line for the cause of Christ.

Today we have people like Joel Osteen telling his followers that they can have their best life now. That God wants them to be happy and that they can preserver and overcome their struggles. What a damnable message. And he preaches to 30,000 plus every week, not to mention the people he reaches around the globe via TV. He’s leading them all down the path of destruction. His message is a complete polar opposite to what John is talking about in our passage this morning.

Christians in Asia and other parts of the world often suffer for their commitment to Christ. Coming from non-Christian backgrounds, they often are literally thrown out of their homes, lose their jobs and are beaten and chased from their villages when they accept Christ. They faithfully serve Christ daily, suffering untold hardships because Jesus promised His followers in John 16:33, “In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Christ never promised us health, wealth and prosperity in this life. In fact, He promised just the opposite – trials and tribulations. We can face them because we know He already has won the battle. God does promise to meet our physical needs. And He does, indeed, bless His children materially. But He blesses us for a purpose – not so we can squander those resources on ourselves but so we can be good stewards, using our resources wisely to win the lost to God’s saving grace.

Some people say, "It's so hard to live a pure life today." It's always been hard, but the media today has probably made it more difficult to maintain a pure life. There's no sense in watching a movie that is filled with profanity, violence, and sexual immorality. Exposing yourself to things like that is only going to allow your mind to be preoccupied with the world's value system. And this is something I struggle with all the time. Like, when the latest movie comes out and we want to go see it, we’re giving our money in support of Hollywood which is a large component of the current world system.

Have you ever carefully listened to the music of world? I like many kinds of music, but the ideas that are conveyed through the music of the world rarely square with what the Word of God says. If your ears are constantly bombarded by such music, you may find yourself following the world's morality. The same is true with television: When you watch it, you are sold the world's standards in a very slick way. The system is geared to generate sin, and if you want to play with it, that's exactly what it will do in your life. If you want to stick yourself in the world's mold--its materialism, humanism, and immorality--you are going against the very nature of your identity in Christ. Since we are called to "shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:15), we had better make sure people can see that there's something different about us. We need to disconnect ourselves from the system by saturating our minds with the Word of God to establish the right kind thought patterns.

Conclusion

If you are a Christian, are you living the holy life that the Lord expects of you?

Knowing that we are conditioned to accept the world's values through secular media, we must carefully evaluate the kinds of things that we expose our eyes and ears to. Is TV programming you with its distorted perspective of human relationships and materialism? Its influence on you may have been so gradual and subtle that it has been hardly noticeable. Have you become so worldly that it is difficult to tell you apart from an unbeliever who attends church? Based on your understanding of the Word of God, examine yourself to see how brightly your life shines in the world as a lighthouse of truth to the people lost on the sea of secularism.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. John Piper puts it best when he says, "If the love of the Father is in you, if you love God with all your heart, then every room you enter will be a temple of love to God, all your work will be a sacrifice of love to God, every meal will be a banquet of love with God, every song will be an overture of love to God."

AMEN

Obama Declares War on Fox News

During the president's address in New Hampshire the other day, he continued to press for his health care reform bill which is floundering in the polls. Amazingly, he misquotes AARP and uses a little girl in the audience, who is a plant, to ask a ridiculous sobbing question. It was so ridiculous that it was uncovered by the very liberal Boston Globe. They found that the girls mother is kathleen Manninghall who was the coordinator of the "Massachusetts Women for Obama" during the election campaign.

Liberals can't seem to understand why everyone is so angry. They think its all because of Obamacare and yes that is a big part of it. However the anger is increasing more and more because of the self righteous, arrogant attitude of the members of the House and Senate who are treating citizens like little children and not taking their concerns seriously.

Democrats just "poo poo" everyone's concerns because none of them have read the bill and therefore are unable to respond to people coherently and correctly on the issue. People want a truthful response but are being lied to by those who are supposed to be representing them. Especially when it concerns 1/7 of the US economy with life and death decisions hanging in the balance. Its truly amazing to watch some of these town hall meetings where a citizen will ask a question, directly from the bill, and the congressman will flat out deny that its in there.

Its just truly stunning to see how backwards our country has become. The US government is supposed to be, "of the people, by the people and for the people", not the other way around. Our politicians are supposed to govern, not rule. They are to serve "we the people" not we the people serving them. It seems as if no matter who we send to Washington, once they get inside the Beltway, its like they enter the Twilight Zone and completely forget why they were elected in the first place and the people who sent them there.

Enjoy the video of O'reilly calling the Obama administration on their antics.

Socialized Obama Care

So far ObamaCare has not been a big hit with most of the American people. Even democrats are beginning to wake up to see what this is going to mean to there families and themselves if this behemoth program passes. Trillions of dollars in new debt that future generations will have shoulder the burden for. All for the sake of a one payer system which has been proven not to work the world over.

To emphasize this, Glen Beck talks to Daniel Hannan from Great Britain who tells how well a socialized health care system is going over there. If you don't like waiting a few hours for treatment now, just wait until Obama implements his socialist mess. Check it out below.

The National Debt Road Trip

Thought this was quite interesting. It shows in graphic detail the speed at which our national debt is going to increase under Obama's watch, far and above all previous presidents, Bush included.

The Freedom Of Boundaries

Today, you will often hear non-Christians say that they would never become a Christian because they don't want to give up their freedoms. They don't want any boundaries in their lives. But it's actually having rules and boundaries that give us freedom and allow us to live happy and secure lives.

I know this sounds backwards but think about it for a minute. Think of the rules of the road. There is great freedom in driving, but we need to obey certain rules. In America we drive on the right side of the road. What if you said, 'well I'm free to drive on whatever side I want.' Well you could do that but the consequences might me deadly. Or, what about a traffic light? Red means stop and green means go. Should we not listen to those rules. If you pull up to a red light and say 'I don't need these rules' and drive right through the light, the consequences could be deadly. There is safety and security and freedom in boundaries.

Mark Cahill, in his book, "One Heartbeat Away" gives another good example. "If you were staying on the 30th floor of a hotel, would you go out on the balcony if it were just a slab of concrete, but had no railings? Would you put your child out there?

Of course not, it would be too dangerous. But once you put some good strong railings on the balcony, would you go out there then? Would you go out there with your child? Of course. Not only would most of us go out there, we would even lean on the railing while we were out there. Why would we do this? Once there is a boundary, you have all the freedom you want inside that boundary. You can even have lunch out there if you want. Boundaries actually provide freedom."

The 10 commandments are not the 10 suggestions. God did not give us the 10 commandments to suppress us but so that we may live life to the fullest. If we try to live our lives by keeping them we will live happier, fuller lives.

God bless

Rob

Obama Snubbed By World Leaders

So not only do many Americans think our President is a clown, but it looks like some world leaders are having very little respect for him also. Nobody will shake his hand, this is hilarious. LOL

And you can see him start to get frustrated. Oh man, his diplomatic inexperience shows! And people were worried about Sarah Palin? At least she was only going for the #2 spot?? Palin has more governing experience in her pinky then this "community organizer" does in his entire body.

Check out this video.

How to Solve all of California's Problems

This video is of a young woman who goes before the Santa Cruz town council in 2008.

You decide.

Obama's White House is Falling Down

Hopefully this is a sign that even Liberals are beginning to wake up to the sham that is Obama.

This is Canadian insight into the Obama mess. What is astounding is that it comes from The Canadian Press in left leaning Canada .



Obama’s White House is Falling Down
By Daniel Greenfield Thursday, June 11, 2009

In the sixth month of his presidency, Obama has turned an economic downturn into an economic disaster, taking over and trashing entire companies, and driving the nation deep into deficit spending expected to pass 10 trillion dollars.

Abroad, Obama seems to have no other mode except to continue on with his endless campaign, confusing speechmaking with diplomacy. It is natural enough that Obama, who built his entire campaign on high profile public speeches reported on by an adoring press, understands how to do nothing else but that.

Ego driven photo-op appearances and clueless treatment of foreign dignitaries

While the press is still chewing over Obama’s Cairo speech, this celebrity style coverage ignores the fact that Obama’s endless world tour is not actually accomplishing anything. Instead his combination of ego driven photo-op appearances and clueless treatment of foreign dignitaries have alienated many of America ’s traditional allies. Those who aren’t being quietly angry at Obama, like Brown, Merkel or Netanyahu, instead think of him as an absurdly lightweight, as Sarkozy, King Abdullah or Putin do.

While his officials carry out their dirty economic deeds, Obama responds to any and every crisis as if it were a Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland musical, with a cry of, “Let’s put on a show.” Thus far Obama has put on “shows” across America , Europe and the Middle East . And what the adoring media coverage neglects to cover, is that Obama’s shows have solved absolutely nothing. They have served only as high profile entertainment.


Neither alienating America ’s traditional allies, through a combination of arrogant bullying and ignorance, nor appeasing America ’s enemies, has yielded any actual results. Nor does it seem likely to. Islamic terrorism is not going anywhere, neither are the nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran . While Obama keeps smiling, the global situation keeps growing more grim.

At home, if Obama was elected as depression era entertainment, the charm of his smiles and his constant appearances on magazine covers appear to be wearing thin on the American public. Despite the shrill attacks on Rush Limbaugh or the Republican Enemy of the Weak-- the Democratic party of 2009, is polling a lot like the Republican party of 2008. The Democrats have suddenly become the incumbents, and the only accomplishment they can point to is lavish deficit spending, often on behalf of the very same corporations and causes they once postured against.





The European Union Parliament’s swing to the right cannot be credited to Obama, though doubtlessly some European voters seeing socialist economic crisis management on display in the world’s richest country decided they wanted none of it, but it is part of a general turning against federalism. And Obama’s entire program is dependent on heavily entrenching federalism at the expense of individual and state’s rights. Yet that is precisely his Achilles heel with independent voters who are polling against more taxes and expanded government. And no amount of speeches by Obama can wish away his 18 czars or the national debt he has foisted on generation after generation of the American people.

That leaves Obama with a choice between socialism and the independent voter. And thus far he has chosen socialism.

Obama’s tactic of hijacking Bush Administration era policies on the economy and the War on Terror, and exploiting them as Trojan horses to promote his own agenda, have left him coping with a backlash from his own party, as well as general Republican opposition.

His Czars are meant to function as the bones in an executive infrastructure accountable to no one, but a lack of accountability isn’t just another word for tyranny, but for incompetence. A functional chain of command is accountable at multiple levels if it is to function effectively. Obama’s White House by contrast is in a state of over-organized chaos, the sort of organized disorganization that undisciplined egotistical leftists naturally create for themselves, complete with multiple overlapping levels of authority and no one in charge but the man at the top, who’s too busy doing other things to actually be in charge.

Dennis Blair as National Intelligence, who collaborated with the Muslim genocide of Christians in East Timor , trying to muscle out the CIA to create his own intelligence network, is typical of the kind of chaos being spawned by every chief in an expanding government bureaucracy working to make sure that all the Indians answer to him. Similarly the National Security Council wrestling with the State Department, highlighted by Samantha Power getting her own specially created NSC position to butt heads with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, illustrates the state of conflict and chaos in American foreign affairs. A state of chaos so pervasive that incompetence has now become commonplace, and no one can even be found to double check the spelling of a Russian word that is meant to be the theme of American’s diplomatic reconstruction with Russia , or to pick out a gift for the visiting British Prime Minister.

The death of Chrysler at the hands of Fiat and the UAW

Meanwhile on the economy, Obama exploited the ongoing bailouts, transforming them from bailouts into takeovers meant to shift the balance of power in what had been a democracy and socially engineer not only corporations, but the lives of ordinary Americans. But the public’s patience with corporate bailouts is at an end, most Americans were never happy with them to begin with, and want them to end. The death of Chrysler at the hands of Fiat and the UAW might look like a victory in the union ranks, but it doesn’t play too well outside Detroit . And tacking on CAFE standards that will kill the pickup truck and the SUV will badly erode Obama in the swing states, if exploited properly in 2010 and 2012. Despite the constant media barrage, orchestrated out of the White House, the public is growing disenchanted with the performance of Obama and the Democrats.


With unemployment booming and the economy dropping, the jobs aren’t there and the spending is out of control. Republicans today are polling better on ethics and the economy, than the Democrats are. That shows a trend which is likely to register in the mid-term elections in 2010, in the same way that the EU parliamentary elections served as a shock to the system.

In the opposition, Republicans are free to embrace the rhetoric of change, to champion reform and push libertarian ideas about the size and scope of government. In turn all Obama has is his celebrity fueled media spectacle world tour. A charade now serving as a parallel to the depression era entertainment that functioned as escapism in a dour time. But before long, it may be Obama that the American public will want to escape from.

A shallow, manipulative and egotistical amateur who is in over his head

Obama has tried to play Lincoln, Reagan, JFK and FDR-- but in the end he can only play himself, a shallow, manipulative and egotistical amateur who is in over his head, and trying to drag the country down with him. Obama’s White House is falling down and while the flashbulbs are still glittering and the parties are going on in D.C. and around the world, Obama and the Democratic Congress may be headed for a recession of their own.

The Nightmare of ObamaCare

As an FYI, Obama Care is worse than we thought. Feel free to read the whole bill for yourself: HR 3200 Obama Care.

• Page 16: Ends Private Healthcare Insurance!

• Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!

• Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed!

• Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and, unlike an insurer, there will be no appeals process)

• Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.

• Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.

• Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.

• Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.

• Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans (read: SEIU, UAW and ACORN)

• Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.

• Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans)

• Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for services;
translation: illegal aliens

• Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.

• Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically
enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.

• Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly. Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.

• Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set wages.

• Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government- run public plan. No alternatives.

• Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.

• Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll •

Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6% tax on payroll •

Page 167: Any individual who doesn’t' have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.

• Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay for them).

• Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.
Page 203: "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax." Yes, it really says that.

• Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors and the poor most affected."

• Page 241: Doctors: no matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same (thanks, AMA!)

• Page 253: Government sets value of doctors' time, their professional judgment, etc.

• Page 265: Government mandates and controls productivity for private healthcare industries.

• Page 268: Government regulates rental and purchase of power-driven wheelchairs.

• Page 272: Cancer patients: welcome to the wonderful world of rationing!

• Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the government deems preventable re-admissions.

• Page 298: Doctors: if you treat a patient during an initial admission that results in a readmission, you will be penalized by the government.

• Page 317: Doctors: you are now prohibited for owning and investing in healthcare companies!

• Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals cannot expand without government approval.

• Page 321: Hospital expansion hinges on "community" input: in other words, yet another payoff for ACORN.

• Page 335: Government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures: i.e., rationing.

• Page 341: Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc.

• Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL NEEDS individuals.

• Page 379: More bureaucracy: Telehealth Advisory Committee (healthcare by phone).

• Page 425: More bureaucracy: Advance Care Planning Consult: Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia?

• Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory. Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.

• Page 425: Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death.

• Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends.

• Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient's health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT.

• Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.

• Page 469: Community-based Home Medical Services: more payoffs for ACORN.

• Page 472: Payments to Community-based organizations: more payoffs for ACORN.

• Page 489: Government will cover marriage and family therapy. Government intervenes in your marriage.

In closing Obama Care is not about Health Care, it is all about control. They will be able to regulate every aspect of your life with this bill.

Please Contact your Representative and Senators.


"The Complacency that is Prevalent in this Country is what Politicians count on while they STEAL our Liberties." Barry Bench

It is Complacency that will snuff out the Flames of Liberty and Darkness of Tyranny will fall upon this land." Barry Bench
"All Tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent" Thomas Jefferson
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." Thomas Jefferson

A Social Experiment

Below is an email I received that I thought you might find interesting. Its supposed to be a true story. Very interesting and thought provoking. Enjoy.

Its Washington DC, Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. There, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later: the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.... How many other things are we missing?

When God Abandons A Nation

Today our society is awash in the sins of sexual immorality and homosexuality. According to John MacArthur the reason for this is God's wrath of abandonment. He tells us that God has already abandoned our nation and shows the incremental steps of how this has taken place using Romans 1. If you haven't heard this sermon before, its well worth a listen. Its only a half hour long but very powerful. It explains why America has become so totally depraved in these last days. Enjoy!


When God Abandons A Nation.

A Soldier's Rant About America's Worship of a False Idol

Originally I thought a good friend of mine who attends Riverbend Community Church in Ormond Beach, Florida, wrote this and sent out an email expressing his feelings toward the injustice of what he saw in the news the other day between the way Michael Jackson's death was treated and how the death of real hero's, our troops, are treated. However, I've come to find out that this was written by a soldier currently on his third tour of duty in Iraq. So I make that correction now and still say, this country has definitely gone completely insane.


Okay, I need to rant.


I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael
Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an
entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent
millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villain to many
people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and
I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn't the point
of my rant.


Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their
minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the
country was to ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to
flock to a memorial in Hollywood, and even Congress sees the need to
hold a "moment of silence" for his passing?


Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's a
freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What
about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those
Soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war,
still raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the
United States of America. Where is their moment of silence? Where
are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over
them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a
Soldier dies, there are more people saying "good riddance," and "thank
God for IEDs?" When did this country become so calloused to the
sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off
their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a "Pop
Icon?"

I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS
for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every
service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They need to PUBLICLY
recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people
can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE,
those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for
them. But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have
been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never
make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit
songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat
and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.

Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it.
Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military;

"So that others may live..."

God bless

Rob

The Other Side Of Racism

I heard this on the Neil Boortz radio show today and thought I'd share it with you. This is a letter from a black woman who did not vote for Hussein Obama. It was written shortly after the election.

Dr. Anne Wortham is the author of "The Other Side of Racism: A Philosophical Study of Black Race Consciousness". She is Associate Professor of Sociology at Illinois State University and continuing Visiting Scholar at Stanford University 's Hoover Institution. She is a member of the American Sociological Association and the American Philosophical Association. Pretty strong credentials, don't you think?

Why bring her up? Because I've just come across a letter she wrote to her fellow Americans on November 6th of last year. I thought you might enjoy it ... so here goes:

Fellow Americans,

Please know: I am black; I grew up in the segregated South. I did not vote for Barack Obama; I wrote in Ron Paul's name as my choice for president. Most importantly, I am not race conscious. I do not require a black president to know that I am a person of worth, and that life is worth living. I do not require a black president to love the ideal of America.

I cannot join you in your celebration. I feel no elation. There is no smile on my face. I am not jumping with joy. There are no tears of triumph in my eyes. For such emotions and behavior to come from me, I would have to deny all that I know about the requirements of human flourishing and survival - all that I know about the history of the United States of America, all that I know about American race relations, and all that I know about Barack Obama as a politician. I would have to deny the nature of the "change" that Obama asserts has come to America. Most importantly, I would have to abnegate my certain understanding that you have chosen to sprint down the road to serfdom that we have been on for over a century. I would have to pretend that individual liberty has no value for the success of a human life. I would have to evade your rejection of the slender reed of capitalism on which your success and mine depend. I would have to think it somehow rational that 94 percent of the 12 million blacks in this country voted for a man because he looks like them (that blacks are permitted to play the race card), and that they were joined by self-declared "progressive" whites who voted for him because he doesn't look like them. I would have to be wipe my mind clean of all that I know about the kind of people who have advised and taught Barack Obama and will fill posts in his administration - political intellectuals like my former colleagues at the Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

I would have to believe that "fairness" is equivalent of justice. I would have to believe that man who asks me to "go forward in a new spirit of service, in a new service of sacrifice" is speaking in my interest. I would have to accept the premise of a man that economic prosperity comes from the "bottom up," and who arrogantly believes that he can will it into existence by the use of government force. I would have to admire a man who thinks the standard of living of the masses can be improved by destroying the most productive and the generators of wealth.

Finally, Americans, I would have to erase from my consciousness the scene of 125,000 screaming, crying, cheering people in Grant Park, Chicago irrationally chanting "Yes We Can!" Finally, I would have to wipe all memory of all the times I have heard politicians, pundits, journalists, editorialists, bloggers and intellectuals declare that capitalism is dead - and no one, including especially Alan Greenspan, objected to their assumption that the particular version of the anti-capitalistic mentality that they want to replace with their own version of anti-capitalism is anything remotely equivalent to capitalism.

So you have made history, Americans. You and your children have elected a black man to the office of the president of the United States, the wounded giant of the world. The battle between John Wayne and Jane Fonda is over - and that Fonda won. Eugene McCarthy and George McGovern must be very happy men. Jimmie Carter, too. And the Kennedys have at last gotten their Kennedy look-a-like. The self-righteous welfare statists in the suburbs can feel warm moments of satisfaction for having elected a black person. So, toast yourselves: 60s countercultural radicals, 80s yuppies and 90s bourgeois bohemians. Toast yourselves, Black America. Shout your glee Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Duke, Stanford, and Berkeley. You have elected not an individual who is qualified to be president, but a black man who, like the pragmatist Franklin Roosevelt, promises to - Do Something! You now have someone who has picked up the baton of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society. But you have also foolishly traded your freedom and mine - what little there is left - for the chance to feel good. There is nothing in me that can share your happy obliviousness.

November 6, 2008

I couldn't agree more!

God bless

Rob

America's Judeo - Christian Heritage