Ramsey Creek Baptist Church

The things that this psalm points our minds back to are designed to inspire reflection and praise. Everything that we have – everything that we give thanks for – comes out of this truth: God is good. What the Lord has done, He is continuing to do because of His goodness and love. God’s providence in our lives oftentimes leads us through pain and trials. God redeems, sustains, and leads His people because “His steadfast love endures forever.” The Creator of all divinely meets the needs of all because of His faithful love. If it’s true that God redeems, sustains, leads, and blesses His people, what should our response be? Our posture should be one of humility and gratefulness.

Everything hinges on the atoning death of Christ and on His resurrection. But we can’t rightly celebrate the empty tomb without first understanding the cross. When Jesus quoted the first line of Psalm 22 on the cross, the minds of the Jews listening would have immediately gone back to that psalm. Psalm 22 was coming to life in the death of Jesus. The resurrection celebrates Jesus’ triumph over sin and death, which are both things that He only experienced because of us – for us. If we as individuals, families, or churches focus people’s attention on the commercial aspects of Easter, then we need to stop and think longer and harder on the reality of the crucifixion. Jesus' cry, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" was a cry of identification with mankind’s suffering because of sin, with the deliberate hope of looking through the painful circumstances to the faithfulness of the Father. The cross reveals the consequences of sin, but it screams the love of God. The empty tom

Thanksgiving is a response to a former kindness. God instructed the people of Israel to give the census ransom as a way of remembering whose they were, who they belonged to (Ex. 30). Satan tempted Adam & Eve, David here, and you and I still today not just that we don’t need God, but that we are actually god. Herein lies David’s problem in 2 Sam. 24, and to what I believe he’s referring to in Psalm 30. Thanksgiving is an individual thing, but it is also a corporate act. When mercy is received, thankfulness is called for. When God’s people stand back and see His undeserved mercy, thanks and praise burst out.

Ramsey Creek Baptist Church

Learning from the past has two profound effects on the Christian: 1. It leads us to obedience and holiness. (Psalm 78 & 105) 2. It leads us to praise and worship. (Psalm 26) But what happens when the things that have occurred in your life don’t easily lead to these things? What happens when life leads to lament? There is proper lament, and there is improper lament. There is godly sorrow, and there is worldly sorrow. (2 Cor. 7:10) In lament, the unbeliever’s eyes are fixed on the cause of the problem, but the believer’s eyes are fixed on the solution to the problem. Jesus showed us that we can express our laments & be honest with God while submitting to Him. In our times of lament, may we be like Jesus: honest about our feelings & focused on the Father. We shouldn’t fix our eyes on the cause of the problem, but we shouldn’t fix them on ourselves either. 2 Chronicles 20:12, “‘O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this

One generation teaching the next has always been God’s way. The point of retelling history is so that the next generation might learn something. In particular, that they might learn how to obey God & keep His commands. We are commanded to remember. God remembers the covenant-promise He has made to His people. Our perspective includes all of history so we don’t make the same mistakes. Whether it’s pleasant lesson to learn or not, God’s command to remember is designed to lead us to holiness.

David's trust was not in his own strength, his fighting ability, or even in his growing number of supporters – he says his trust was in the Lord. There was something better that David wanted to constantly put before his eyes, and he resolved to walk in integrity no matter what others were doing. There is little more that revives our faith and puts things in the right perspective than remembering the love of God. Let us bless the Lord at all times, because at all times we have cause to do so. The result of a fuller view of the Savior will be worship. The result of remembering the lovingkindness of the Lord will be worship.

Psalms is a great picture of the normal life of faith. Which counsel do you heed? Who do you listen to? There’s no shortage of voices. Psalm 1 helps us weed through these voices and helps us understand that truth exists. A righteous person delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it constantly. Though your situation may seem overwhelming, remember that you have been planted, are continually watered, and will not wither. - Notice the progression of the wicked in v.1. - They start by walking in the counsel of the wicked. - Then they stand in the way of sinners. - Then they sit in the seat of scoffers. Unless God’s Spirit intervenes, wicked people will naturally grow worse and worse. Don’t make bad company your main company. How you spend your time and who you spend it with changes you deeply. Real joy is not found in selfish living, but in surrendering to Jesus.

The Spirit is the actual author of every Psalm, and Jesus and His apostles treated the Psalms as the infallible Word of God. We want to study and show ourselves approved in order to know God better through His Word, not just to be better informed. Jesus studied & memorized the same Psalms. The Psalms we read are the same Psalms He read, and cherished, and memorized, and quoted. In our time in Psalms, may we learn to cherish them as Christ did.

Just as we learn from the good example of Gaius, we also learn from the bad example of Diotrephes. John reveals 5 things about Diotrephes in v.9-11: 1. He had selfish self-esteem. [v.9a] 2. He wouldn’t listen to truth. [v.9b] 3. He was a gossip and a slanderer. [v.10a] 4. He was unhospitable. [v.10b] 5. He became as evil as Lucifer. [v.10c] (Isaiah 14:14) What John describes here is a self-obsessed, arrogant man going rogue without the accountability of a healthy church to rebuke and correct him. Diotrephes was a well-positioned man on earth, but had no position in heaven. Demetrius, on the other hand, was respectable, trustworthy, and his example was worthy of following. What a gift it is to the church when men and women live their lives in such a way that the very truth of God’s Word is a testimony to their Christian walk! Three application points: 1. We usually become like the people we follow. 2. There is biblical wisdom in shared leadership. 3. The most important thing is to know Jesu

Jesus’ command is to love one another, and when we fail to do so we reveal our wrong theology. Our friendships should thrive on a shared relationship with Jesus, the Truth. What if we asked God to bless someone physically to the same degree that they are healthy spiritually? If your physical health mirrored your spiritual health, would you be fit and energetic? Would you be in bed with a prolonged sickness? Or would we need a crash cart for you today? Gaius’ reputation preceded him. Not only was he speaking the truth, he was walking in it. It’s a joyful thing when a Christian’s profession and practice match! Christian: you are not a disciple alone. You are to be a disciple-making disciple. The church should support missionaries. You may never go to where they are, but by financially and prayerfully supporting missionaries you are their co-workers in the truth. Does your profession and your practice match? Are you walking in the truth? Are you being called to be the sender?

The truth of Christ is found in the commands Christ, and the commands of Christ are expressed in love for fellow believers. There is an unusual purpose for this expression of love - walking in obedience is not just to display devotion but to discern deceivers. Gospel community helps us discern wrong and deceitful doctrine. How do we know if we or others belong to Jesus? - What’s their/our relationship with the Word? - Do we abide in Him?

Right relationships with one another only exist where the Gospel is taught, believed, & lived out. The knowledge of God always affects our relationships with one another. But it’s not just the mental ability to know you should love one another, but the practice of actually doing it. This is what it means to “walk in it”. Hebrews 10:24 says, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works”. Resolve this year to intentionally show love to someone(s) specific every week. When someone loves us well, it motivates us to go and do that same kind of thing for someone else. Then it continues on down the line to the point where we look up and the world looks in and all are amazed at the genuine, selfless love the church has for one another.

If we understand that the “elect lady and her children” refers to the church, then John lays out 4 aspects of truth: 1. Truth is the basis for mutual love in the Christian life. 2. Truth is the basis for mutual fellowship in the Christian life. 3. Mutual love and fellowship amongst believers is built on the eternal nature of truth. 4. The Gospel details walk upon the two legs: truth and love. Mutual love, fellowship, sharing, and genuine unity must be built on the doctrines of God and Christ.

"The Son of God has come..." - that’s Christmas! This short and simple statement from John sums up something that all of creation had been waiting for, longing and yearning for – the coming of the Messiah. Jesus Christ has come so that everyone who believes in Him knows the Father. Everyone who is found in Jesus is simultaneously found in the Father. Knowing God means being in God; being in God means being in Christ. "To embrace a form of Christianity that allows one to deny the truth about Jesus, not live a godly life, or not love others, is to create an idol – and that is something all Christians must constantly guard against.” (Ben Merkle, “What Is the Meaning of Idols?”) “When we turn a good thing into a god thing it becomes a bad thing: an idol.” (Daniel Akin) The enemy lies and says the things of this world will satisfy you and give you rest, but only Christ truly and eternally satisfies and gives true rest. Only Jesus can, because He is

John ties knowing you have eternal life to believing in the name of the Son of God. Confidence of eternal life comes from believing in Jesus. Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, practice obedience, and love others, can be assured that they have eternal life. If you do believe in an ongoing and obvious way, then you can be confident that you not only have eternal life, but that your heavenly Father hears you when you pray, especially when you're interceding for a brother or sister. When we do this, John is certain that God will give them life. Therefore, believer’s need to seek and learn God’s will in order to pray properly. The first thing we’re supposed to do when we see a professing believer in sin is to pray for them. The practice of sin is NOT acceptable to Christians, and if we see sin in a brother or sister’s life, we should intercede for them, both in prayer and in person. The Christian who doesn’t make a practice of sinning is protected by God.

John is building a case for the divinity of Jesus. - Jesus’ water baptism testified to the truth that He is truly God’s Son. - The blood testified to the truth that Jesus is God in the flesh. The Father’s testimony concerning the Son is that Jesus is really God in the flesh. So no one can say that they believe in God but deny Jesus is His Son. John says that if you believe the truth about Jesus being God’s Son, then you have eternal life. Only He who is eternal can give you what is eternal. What God has given to believers is a gift within a gift. His gift is His Son, and His Son gives the gift of eternal life. --Christ’s life gives life.

In order to believe a person must be born of God. A person must be born of God before they can believe in or love God. A person must be born of God before they can love others. John says, “Whoever BELIEVES…”. True belief is an ongoing, continuous action. We show evidence of being born of God when we love His children. We show evidence of loving His children when we love God & obey His commandments. Did you realize that you love other Christians when you obey God? Our love for God and our love for truth prove the love we have for each other is genuine. When Christians obey God they display real love in action. Obeying God’s commands aren't burdensome, they're expressions of worship. God has given His children new affections & loves, and faith gives us eyes to see them. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

[v.12] told us that “if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” [v.13] points back to love for one another and says, “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us…” [v.14] then explains how anyone can love another sinner, because “the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” Notice the thread of love: • God loved us enough to send His only Son to save us. • Jesus loved us enough to satisfy the righteous wrath we deserve. • The Spirit loves us enough to abide in us and confirm our standing before God. Christians love others because of their connection to the love of the triune God. Love has an intended goal here: to instill confidence and eradicate fear. If a person refuses to show love to others, they really reveal their lack of love for God.

The source of love determines the definition of love. If mankind is the source of love, then we’re free to define it and categorize it and show it however we want. If God is the source, then He gets to define it – not me, not you, and not a confused culture. In the world today, love is understood in selfish and oftentimes sexual terms, but John paints a much different picture of love in the text today. • Love does not define God. God defines love. Christians love others because love comes out of the person who has been loved by God. Propitiation has to do with satisfaction. The death of Christ satisfied the wrath of God on behalf of every believer. He has already endured the fire so we can stand before God as redeemed children. “No one has ever seen God” – do you know why John included this statement? Because if no one has ever seen God, people look at Christians and the kinds of lives they live because they are His children who take on His traits. What is your l