Allen Wright Sermons: Recent Episodes
Allen Wright
Allen Wright has been a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ for nearly 50 years. This podcast features his sermons as well as some of his son's lessons that are taught at their house church. You can learn more by going to wrightfarmhousechurch.com.
This class is a follow-on to the sermon "What is the Lord's Supper"? The video referenced is the fourth video in the series "Come To The Table" by Dr. John Mark Hicks on Praiseandharmony.tv.
This class is a follow-on to the sermon "What is the Lord's Supper"? The video referenced is the second video in the series "Come To The Table" by Dr. John Mark Hicks on Praiseandharmony.tv.
This class is a follow-on to the sermon "What is the Lord's Supper"? The video referenced is the first video in the series "Come To The Table" by Dr. John Mark Hicks on Praiseandharmony.tv.
What does the Bible say about the Lord's supper? How did we get to the traditions and rituals we do today? Where do we go from here? This is a lesson challenging the accepted practices modern Christendom uses today versus how they originally practiced the Lord's supper in early Christianity.
17 year-old Kai Wright teaches us biblical lessons on what we can learn from sheep from a firsthand perspective.
Joshua 6:1-5. The Lord uses the broken, the weak, the lacking, to show his power through the "ordinary" person.
Can we be "just Christians" without any of the modern disunity identifiers? Acts 11 study.
This lesson was given by Kai, Jonah, and Michael Wright. Ages 17, 15, and 12. A lesson on contentment.
Will our lives be spent creating a forgettable legacy of worldly "accomplishments" or will we lead a life of faith in Christ and in echoing His legacy into eternity?
This class is shortened due to a technical issue that caused the recording to stop working about 30 minutes in. Our apologies for that.
This is a study from Genesis to Revelation on what it means to be the temple of God as a Christian. A study in 1 Kings 8.
What is Luke's big picture lesson for us in his Gospel? Find out here! A study in Luke 24:44-53.
Our house church motto is, "What does the Bible say?". This lesson presents a great understanding of what we can gain from a better understanding or our study of the Bible and what it says!
What lessons can we learn from the encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus? A study in Luke 24:13-35.
Two questions from a listener answered today: Why did John ask if Jesus was the one or if there was another to come? Why did Jesus tell those he healed not to tell anyone?
Are we seeking the life among the living or "life" among the dead? A study in Luke 24:1-12.
Jesus wasn't the king that was expected, but he was the king we needed. A study in Luke 22 & 23.
Was Jesus the conquering king, or the suffering servant in his final days before his crucifixion? Find out in this study in Luke 22:35-53.
This study series will focus on the four points of the cross. This lesson focuses on redemption.
Where should our focus be during the Lord's Supper and what does it mean to us as Christians? Find out in this lesson in Luke 22:7-20.
What was Jesus really talking about in his "little apocalypse"? Find out in this study in Luke 21:5-36.
Did Jesus lay out the breadcrumbs for answering this question? A study in Luke 20:41-44.
What does the Bible teach us about our common goal and our common enemy? How do we as different people form a fellowship that makes a difference?
A study in Luke 16:19-31. What is Jesus' ultimate lesson in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus? Find out in this lesson.
A study in Luke 15:11-32. Are we using God's gifts the way he expects us to? Are we honoring what he has given us undeservedly?
Thoughts on the first chapter and beginning of the second chapter of Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
It might surprise you that Jesus wants people to understand the cost and accept the cost before following him. This challenging study is from Luke 14:25-35.
What was Jesus' biggest warning concerning the Pharisees? A study from Luke 11:37-12:1.
Does it ever feel like God says, "In a minute" to you in answer to your prayers? What's the ultimate answer? A study in Luke 8:41-56.
The stories of the storm and the demonized man are meant to be told together. One asks a question. The other answers it. A study in Luke 8:22-39.
Is there such thing as a non-conformist? Jesus lets us know in this study in Luke 6:37-42.
What is the most unexpected reason unbelievers won't follow Jesus? Find out in this study in Luke 5:27-32.
What can we learn from Jesus' temptations in the wilderness? There's a lot more than meets the eye. A study from Luke 4:1-13.
Have you been found worthy? Are you balanced on God's scale? Let's find out in a study of Daniel 5.
This lessons explores the last chapter in the story of David's life as written in 2 Samuel 24. Is the chapter a random and bizarre portion of the story, or is it there for an amazing purpose?
Continuing our study series in 2 Samuel 9. David's grace to Mephibosheth was a shadow of the grace we would see towards us because of Jesus!
The cycle of power and kingdom building with violence and bloodshed only ends when we realize we don't have to let the sword devour anymore. Jesus shows us a new and different way.
We continue our series in 1 Samuel 31 and 2 Samuel 1. What can we learn from an unexpected response from David?
Today we start a series on lessons from the life of David. This is the introductory lesson.
We study how love is not proud in this ongoing series of lessons from 1 Corinthians 13.
What did Jesus say about why he came here? There might be more than you realize when we examine Jesus' own statements about why he came to earth.
A study from Philippians chapter 2 on what it means to empty ourselves as Jesus emptied himself.
This lesson explores how Peter teaches us to be proactive in being ready to express our hope to a changing world.
How are we to approach the sermon on the mount? Is this a new law from Christ that we are to follow. How is it possible for us to keep this high standard? In this lesson we search for an answer to this question.
A study in Jeremiah 18 of how God gives us free choice, but he is still sovereign and always in charge.
Chapter four of Jonah we discover Jonah's worldview and God's worldview. We are often much like Jonah and need to learn to change our view of life to God's view of life.
At the half-way point in the book of Jonah we see God calling him to a new beginning. He goes to Nineveh where he preaches a simple message of condemnation. The Ninevites repent and God repents of his plan of destruction. Come explore this chapter with me!
Jonah finds himself in the belly of a sea monster. He composes a beautiful prayer that has elements of Psalms, Deuteronomy and Exodus. We are like Jonah in many ways. People who struggle with life and God's directions. We are people who are flawed and in need of God's grace.
This lesson is on Jonah chapter one. What is the theme of this book? In my study I found it in 1:14 - words spoken by Gentile sailors. It set the direction for the rest of the book.
What are some lessons we can learn from Elijah's encounter with God. What does God whisper to us and how do we respond in faith?
The Key to a Wonderful Life - follow this and you will never be unproductive or ineffective!
Exploring Revelation chapter 4 this is the fourth lesson. We see God at the center of the universe and the whole creation's response to Him
The judicial language is apparent in the words "charge" and "condemn". We stand in the courtroom of heaven in these verses and discover the charges and the sentence laid out to those in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:31,32 begins an encouraging section and perhaps one of the most well known sections of scripture. I entitled it, "Four 'Who' Questions with the same answer." There are 7 questions in this section which I divide into four "Who" questions. The first is "Who can be against us?"
When one studies this passage, most commentaries either direct the reader toward a "Calvinistic" view or explains "Free Will". Understanding this passage in context will show that Paul's point here is not a deep theological statement but instead is meant to be highly encouraging to Christians living in a suffering world.
In the middle of suffering and with the creation, ourselves and the Holy Spirit groaning, how can good come out of all this bad? The verse begins by saying, "We know". How can we know all things work together for good when we see so much evil in the world?
Two subjects that cause a great deal of difficulty for the Christian are prayer and the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26,27 deals with both and how they are interrelated.
We have great hope as we look into the future as revealed in the Scriptures. The world tells us of disasters that will destroy the world if we don't change how we get new energy sources. Pollution will kill us all or the planet is going to overheat....or freeze. While recognizing God's call to stewardship, Christians also see all the "bad news" as the pains of childbirth. Sometime good is going to happen! These pains we are currently experiencing are leading us to something great God has for us!
Paul uses personification speaking of the creation waiting for when God brings all things to an glorious newness. The Bible is mainly focused on how sin affected mankind and God's answer to our brokeness. But there are passages such as this which gives us a glimpse into the future regarding the "new earth" that God will bring about.
The words, "not worth comparing" come from a Greek word that gives the visual idea of a balance scale. Paul places this world's suffering on one side of the balance scale and on the other side he places our future glory and what we end up with is a broken balance scale. We try to see glory to come in this lesson so that we can see our present sufferings in the proper perspective.
Part of discovering the reality that is in Christ is learning what it means to be a child of God. We are born anew but we are also adopted into God's family. How does the Holy Spirit witness with our spirit that we are children of God. We discover this and more in this lesson.
We are called sons of God. We are adopted into God's family. This should cause us to respond both in our minds and hearts as we understand what this means to us.
Many times people will take a phrase such as "led by the Spirit" and interpret this apart from the context. Here Paul is directly applying the previous verse with being led by the Spirit. In addition we find that being sons and daughters of God is shown as we are led by God's Spirit.
We are under obligation, Romans 8:12 says. That word means, "debtor" We are debtors. To whom or to what do we owe a debt? Didn't Christ pay for all the debt of my sins? We explore the debt that we still owe as Christians in this lesson.
As Christians we are "of the Spirit". This reality is a spiritual place = we are In Christ, In Spirit. It is a life where we no longer center ourselves around Self but around God and his Spirit.
Three words that we assume we understand but perhaps we don't in "street English" Those words are "flesh" (or "sinful nature"), Spirit and mind. I attempt to define these words in a way that can be understood without getting into theological explanations....common English.
This lesson covers Romans 8:3,4 and we see what God has done in Christ as far as condemnation and righteousness. This passage centers around what God has done, how he did it and what he did.
We examine the first two verses of Romans 8 in this lesson. The beauty of living with no condemnation and the emphaisis that this is how we live in our present life is an encouragement from God.
We are living paradoxes. The wonderful opening of chapter 8 in which we find that there is "no condemnation" has to be understood in the context of a disconcerting sentence. The sentence prior to the opening of chapter 8 tells us that even though we are a living paradox - Christians who know God's way, we are also people of human weaknesses. God is showing us that he understands and that we still live without condemnation. It drives us back to God. We need a Savior before we are saved; but we still need a Savior after we are saved.
To better understand chapter 8 of Romans we must place it in its context. The chapter begins with "therefore." This is a linking word and so the question is, "What is it linking us to?" Some think chapter 7:25, others believe it links back to chater 5 or as far back as chapter 3. I believe it is linking us back to the theme of the book found in 1:17 - the righteous will live by faith. In one sense this lesson is a summary of the first 7 chapters of Romans showing us how it links us to the thoughts on chapter 8.
John 15 speaks about relationships.15:1-11 – Our relationship with Christ is one of remaining.• 15;12-17 – Our relationship with one another is one of loving• 15;18-25 – Our relationship with the world is antagonistic• 15:26, 27 – Our relationship with the Spirit is co-testifying.
The primary function of the branch (a Christian) is to remain or abide in Christ. This is the normal Christian life. When that occurs then there will be fruit. What is fruit in the Christian life? We will discover this in this lesson.
Where should our focus be? Our thoughts are going to be dominated by something. This passage calls us to live Christ-focused, God-centered and Spirit-directed lives.
We end our series in Romans 6 with a constrast between how the dimension of this world and the dimension of Grace plays out. One side is focused on you "paycheck". You can "get what you deserve" in this dimension. The other side celebrates your birthday with a gift from God.
Freedom is something we cry for - but free from right living? Paul shows that there was a time when you could be free from God's way of right living but what that looks like is slavery to Sin - in a sense, "enjoying" death. But Life is what God gives us - call it "slavery" to God but it is true Life.
Paul begins in what seems to me an apologetice voice; "I'm sorry that I have to use this type of illustration" Slavery is not something we desire but it helps us see the change that God made in us when we were "buried with him in baptism into death." What does it means to be a "Slave to impurity" or a "Slave of righteousness"?
Trying to understand "WHERE" we live in Christ is an important but difficult concept. Paul speaks in these verses using the analogy of slavery. God has transferred us from slavery to sin to slavery of righteousness. We explore that topic in these verses.
God has given us new life and this new life is in a new place. We live in the heavenly realms, we live in a new dimension called Grace. Our journey in this new life is an exploration of how God is calling us to live.
Paul equates living under law in the same catagory as having Sin as our master. But we are people who are comfortable with law and living under law. We want to know the rules, the 7 ways to master life or the 10 ways to live. Then God transfers us into a completely new dimension - the dimension of Grace. It is like Edwin Abbots book, "Flatland" where a 2 dimensional creature came in contact with a 3 dimensional creature. He had difficulty understanding. For law keepers it is difficult for us to understand how to live in Grace and under Grace but that is what God calls us to do.
What should my life look like when I live in grace? Paul answers that question with four simple imperatives. But even though these are simple instructions, applying them takes thought and personal application.
Keeping our eyes in the proper direction is essential to a fulfilled new life in Christ. One direction we look is to our future resurrection. This lesson helps us see what that means and how to live it out. Paul re-centers us in Romans 6:9,10 when he brings us back to Christ. 6:11 is an application of these verses.
Purposeful living means knowing who you are, remembering your new identity in Christ. It also entails being crucified with Christ. What does this "mystical" concept of being crucified with Christ means?
A close friend of mine challenged me to write out Romans 6 in first person. The exercise was not only revealing but spurred me to do an indepth study of this chapter of Romans. The following lessons explore Romans 6 in depth and detail.
This lesson was one of the first after the "shutdown" from the Corona virus. The focus for most people was centered around the virus. Although it is good to be reasonable and take precautions, I believe God's word directs us to center our life and thinking differently than from a fear-based stance.
A summary of 1 John. We look at six lessons learned which include how we live our lives, who we are in Christ, how we approach God's written word and more.
John anchors his exhortion to "keep yourselves from idols" in the relationship that we have with God as his children. This relationship that we have with God is a thread that runs throughout this letter and is an important, although often overlooked concept, of this letter.
The whole point of John's teaching on "knowing" is summed up in this verse. Why do we "know?" It is not so that we can be smart or have more information. This point of "knowing" is directed toward a person. Our quest is to know him, the True One. Knowing God is the centrality of Christian living and this gives us our true identity and teaches us how to live.
God coming to mankind could either be good or bad news. John was convinced that God came to mankind in the flesh and that the news he brought was good. In this lesson we see in more detail what John has been explaining to us in the whole of his letter. We know that the Son of God has come!
John uses the word "know" around 40 times in his letter. What do we know? More importantly, what do we do with what we know. In this seond lesson covering this subject we find that we "do not compromise." What does that mean and how do we do it as children of light?
First part of two lessons exploring a Christian's worldview. What we know in Christ is essential to living the Christian life. John continually shows us in the letter what we "know" even though we have often forgotten it. But now we must put what we know into practice.
There are two facts presented in this verse that give us a true and correct worldview. If you don't have a correct worldview then you won't live your life in the right way. These facts are "We know that we are children of God" and "we know that the world is under the control of the evil one." In this lesson we disscuss how these two facts focus the way we think correctly so that we can live the life of Christ.
What do you know in Christ? We have been taught certain spiritual truths. But they are useless to us if we do not believe them and put them into practice.
We discuss a difficult passage where John makes an absolute statement that may cause one to wonder if he or she has been born again. Does this mean that a true Christian never sins?
The "sin unto death" is not some special sin that can't be forgiven or even a sin that I committ willingly. We discover and explore the meaning of this phrase in this lesson
John begins by drawing us to our spiritual family roots. "If anyone sees his brother..." This is far more that a religious greeting but an actual fact. We are related through Christ. What is you first reaction when you find a brother or sister in sin? Often we approach them in a religious way instead of as family.
The key word that we center this study in is "Confidence" Confidence is linked to one of John's favorite words, "Knowing". Confidence is then linked to the asking which is joined to whom we are asking - the Giver.
We look at each description of the overseer in this lesson. What we see is the character of Jesus is particular descriptions rather than a legalistic list of requirements a person must meet before becoming an elder.
John states three purposes in writing this letter - that we will have joy, that we will not sin and that we will know that we have eternal life. Thirty-seven times he uses the word "know" in this letter. We will summarize what we know and then look at how we are to know that we have eternal life.
The quest for truth has eluded great thinkers. What is truth? John answers that question in these verses and in discovering what the Truth is we also discover how to live
Mark 10:35-45 sets the fundamental principle for Christian life. The world strives for recognition and power. Godly leadership begins with being a servant.
John begins in chapter one of his first letters showing that he was a reliable witness of Christ in the flesh. John points to three witnesses in what is perhaps the most difficult verses in this letter. What is the witness described as the Spirit, water and blood? Hopefully we gain some insight to this question in this lesson.
It is easy and the world's way to live according to our feelings. But Christians must learn to live, not according to their feelings but according to God's facts. John teaches us to move from the realm of feelings to the heavenly realms of God' reality. We live in the world but not of it.
The Principle of Inquiry is found throughout the scriptures. It was pointed out to me at lunch by my son who is a diligent reader of the Bible and studies God's word. The principle is simply this: Those who inquired of the Lord usually had good results and those who didn't often found themselves in trouble. We look at several Old Testament examples, make application from the New Testament and then make a simple, yet profound application in putting our faith into action with this principle.
In this section we will see how we all desire victory in our lives. We will define what John means by "overcome" and then we will discuss how we are overcomers in Christ. The key is our faith.
In this lesson we explore the phrase: "his commands are not burdensome". We break this down into two parts. First we explore what "his commands" are. Second we will see what they are not designed to be a burden but designed to lift us up, help us live as we are meant to live and be joyful.
Faith-living is Obedient living. Faith-living is other-world focused. When we live by faith sometimes life goes well with us and sometimes it does not. Hebrews 11 shows us that and then the book of James helps us learn how to put this type of faith into action.
1 John 5:1-5 describes what a person "born of God" looks like. They are people of faith, displaying their faith in acts of love and obedience.
1 John 4:19 states the kind of character we are to have.1 John 4:20 states how NOT to love God1 John 4:21 states the command we are to follow
I continue part two of "No Fear" by expanding on thoughts from Johann Albrecht Bengel a German theologian and writer who lived between 1687-1752. He described people living in one of four states. Without fear and love; with fear without love; with fear and love; without fear with love.
"We are like Jesus" the latter half of 1 John 4:17 says. We will see how we are like Jesus and therefore how we can live without fear. If understood properly we will see that this message is totally God-centered and we can live confident lives, without fear and in perfect love.
So many Christians struggle with standing confidently before God. I think the reason is that they look at themselves, their failings, sins and struggles instead of looking confidently to his love and sacrifice that completely cleanses us and places us in a right relationship with him.
We define faith in this lesson by looking at how non-Biblical thinkers define faith and then how the Bible defines it. The Bible talks of "the faith" meaning the historical record that lays out the perameters of what we are to believe. Then our application to "the faith" is "our faith," how we live out our lives the way God directs us.
Part of examining "God is love" is looking back to 1 John 3:11ff and seeing John's circular style of writing. He has already introduced love and now he brings it into a greater explanation. One helpful way to understand what love is, is to look at its opposite. I introduce several ideas based in previous scriptures in 1 John but look at "sin" as the opposite of love. We then look at the practical element of love in the Christian life.
James helps us improve our "State of Affairs". The context of James 4 causes us to reflex on our worldview. Friendship with the world is enmity with God. We must see the world as it truely is and then rely on God's grace - he gives us more and more grace (4:5). We then find 10 imperatives that are in the aorist tense. This means we are to make deliberate decisions. Each command stated I need to ask myself - "Is this something I need to change in my life." We look at each of the 10 commands and discuss how we can apply them to our lives.
For many, faith is based in believing something that cannot be proven. Yet, Biblical faith is not that - it is belief based in facts. We will see this in 4:14. Once faith comes then God calls us to live in agreement with him. This is living in God and God in us. We see this in 4:15. We then discover in 4:16 that knowing and trusting go hand-in-hand and we trust in God's love.
This verse gives us two anchors of how we can have confidence in our relationship with God. The first anchor is mutual abiding - he lives in us and we live in him. The second anchor is his Spirit working in our lives. We examine what John means by this in this lesson.
No one has ever seen God. Why bring this up at this point in the text. It seems to me that it is a sub-theme of "God is love" and how we can be assured of his love for us. It is based in his love in our lives being displayed toward one another
Spirituality is for every Christian, not just an elite few. Spiritual health is based in what you do and what you know. It is based in being "so loved" and it is based in how we love one another. We examine these four concepts in this lesson.
God's message is more than words - it is an action. It is love shown. The gospel message is a demonstrated message in the action of love. It is important to understand what love is and how it was shown to the unloveable. To properly define love we must look at God and begin to get a glimpse of him for he is the definition of love
The Greatest test of living and knowing God is in how we learn to love and love in the way God shows us. When we learn to love right we get to know God and begin to understand Him.
In searching out the Spirit of God we find in this passage it has to do with discovering what is central to your life. Where's your center? is the question I ask. It is not in what you do or how good of a Christian you are. It has everything to do with learning to live a Christ-centered life. It has everything to do with who you are listening to. Are you listening to the call of the world or the call of God?
We do a quick review of 1 John 3 in this lesson and then begin examining 4:1. The first word of chapter four is "beloved" which I believe is God's description of his children. We are God's beloved ones. He then tells us one way of how to live based on who we are (the beloved). We are not to live naive lives but lives of wisdom.
I introduce this lesson by tying it into the previous verse. We then look at the relational aspect of life in God. A mutual abiding and obeying his commands. John writes in a circular fashion. He states a proposition and comes back and expands on it. This is an example. He has already spoken of this in 2:3-6. Here he expands on that concept.
We introduce this section looking at the awesomeness of God, yet he is a God who calls us his children and wants a relationship with us! Because of that we can approach God with confidence and we look at this centers us in God and the Scriptures. John says we will receive anything we ask, which is an all-encompassing statement that we unpack to discover what he means.
When we remember the three reasons John wrote this letter (Joy, not sinning and assurance) it helps us disect this passage. We do not set our hearts at rest but God has set our hearts at rest because of what he has done in Christ. This, therefore, gives us confidence toward God.
In the section of 1 John 3:11-18 we have spent five lesson which have pointed us to God's motivation in our lives. Often Christian's take their cue for motivation from the world's way -fear, reward, ambition or others. John takes us back to the first book of the Bible, Genesis and says, "Don't be like Cain" and shows us where our true motivation lies. This is true motivation and is foundational in our walk in the Light.
John is describing in these verses truths that motivate us in proper living. He contrasts our life of love with that of Cain and his life of "hate". Part of our struggle as Christians is that we forget where we dwell. We are not of the world but of Christ and live out the life of Christ in love.
If we live our lives the way God calls us to live - lives of love - one would think that the world would find this appealing. However, the world's heart is a heart of hate and so John warns us not to be surprised when the world hates us. There is something radically and fundamentally wrong in the world and we are children of God helping turn an upside down right-side up. As good as this is, it will cause opposition and the world will hate us for our righteousness.
We are learning how to walk in the light. The first half of 1 John speaks of walking in the light but the second half is application, how we walk in the light. In one word it is "love" When we learn how to love properly we are walking in the light. It is a life long journey because we can never fully understand God-love but we can grow in it and learn how to live in God-love in our daily lives.
John is teaching us how to live in the light. In this verse he describes it as "love." We are to "love one another." The word "love" is used 35 times in 1 John so it is an important and essential concept in the Christian life. John states this in the positive (love one another) and the negative, "do not be like Cain". In this lesson we will explore both the positive and negative aspects of love.
Light means many things in the Bible. It speaks of God's holiness and purity. of life and its revelatory nature. Christian are not only in light but they are light. Light doesn't mean living a perfectly sinless life but means living in such a way as allowing God to continually reveal himself to you and to reveal your own character to yourself so that he can change it into his image
We have a sin problem - even Christians. John says, "everyone who sins..." (v.4) and that would include everyone. The solution to our sin problem is wrapped up in the concept of abiding in Christ. What does that mean? Later John expands upon the word, "abide" but here are the beginnings of God's answers for us
As we listen to John's strong statements regarding sin we must seriously examine these words. In this first of two lessons covering these verses we examine the concept of sin and explore exactly what sin is. Secondly we will look at some of the traditional interpretations of this passage and note those weaknesses in the context of 1 John.
The Fact is who we are (3:1). The Promise is what we will become (3:2) and The Labor is How we Change (3:3).The Fact that we are children of God has taken care of our sin problem. The Promise assures us of a complete and final redemption. But the Labor is what we do now, how we change and grow in our present lives.
John's beginning words of chapter three are some of the most marvellous in the entire Bible. This is a truth, a fact in which we must establish ourselves firmly - who we are in Christ. Everyone lives in such a way in how they think of themselves. If you think you are worthless you will live that way. Here John tell you who you are and thus how you should live your life.
It is difficult to outline 1 John because he writes in a "circular" way, (going back to previous thoughts and expanding on them) rather than in a linear way. But it seems to me that these verses begin a new section. 2:28,29 are transitional verses tying back to the fundamental teaching that Jesus is the Christ and his second section will show a constrast between living righteously and sinfully. He introduces the thought of living righteously in 2:29. 3:1-3 are a parenthetical exclamation regarding who we are before he begins to fully develop his section section.
The foundation of knowing the truth is knowing that Jesus is the Christ. The annointing that he speaks of here is a present happening. We are, in fact, "little annointed ones." In constrast to "knowing" John explains "the liar" that is, the person who denies what you know. You know that Jesus is the Christ, those who deny this participate in "the lie." Then the charge of what we are to do with this knowledge is given. We are to "abide".
I have written an expanded paraphrase of 1st John. In this letter I combine a summary along with the paraphrase of chapters one and two. We see in our summary that this letter is completely God and Christ centered, and so should our lives. This is what true reality is - a God-centered life. In chapter two we are introduced to a major theme under the word "know" and also see how John uses his circular style of writing coming back to a previously stated theme and expanding upon it. He does this throughout the letter.
We all live out our lives in what we believe we are. Part of living as a Christian is remembering who God has made us in Christ. The world makes it easy for us to forget and that is why we need constant and even daily reminders of who we are as new people in Christ.
We examine the meaning of Anti-Christ and Last Hour. It is all centered in Christ. Who he is and what he does for us. We live in a world where bad things happen to everyone so don't expect that at the next catastrophe Jesus will come again. John is saying that we are to expect these things, there have always been those who are Anti-Christ and there always will be.
God's good news is so good that we can scarely believe it! It is easy to bask in the theological thoughts and principles but the Bible is always practical and brings us back to earth and how we are to live. John states it in the negative - Do not love the world. The world is always calling for Christians to return to its love. It is tempting and the call of the world can sound sweet. But it is antithetical to God-love, it is temporary and valueless. You will eventually become like that which you love. God, who is love, is Who we want to become like so we learn to live out our lives in God-love rather than world-love.
Why is it difficult to be motivated by God's amazing grace? It seems people respond quicker to fear or punishment. In these verses, and as we will see, all throughout this letter, John is supplying us with proper motivation - God-centered motivation.
We find here the command which directs our lives. It's been with us since the beginning of our walk with God. And then we see the evidence of not living this way - living in the darkness; and evidence of living this way - living in the light. How do we live this way when we are a parodox of inconsistencies? We are kind and yet unkind. We are patient yet impatient. It is a matter of where we focus our lives. When we focus our lives in our efforts to live well we find ourselves in darkenss. When we focus our lives on Christ and his love we walk in the light.
In our last lesson we saw John expand from "my dear children" in 2:1 to "dear friends" in 2:7. We explained his meanings behind these idioms. In this lesson he expands from his opening words, "...we proclaim concerning the word (logos) of life..." to the phrase in 2:7 "...the word (logos) you heard." By "expansion" I mean that John is taking a previous concept and then expands the meaning as he continues to write his letter. This is something he does in his "circular" writing - continuing to go back to previous concepts and expanding on them.
We will see two "expanisions" in this one verse. First he expands from "my dear children" to "dear friends". We will see what John is pointing us to with these words. Second, he expands from "that which was from the beginning" in 1:1 to "which you have had from the beginning." Again we will see how these tie together along with the meaning. All this teaches God's beloved ones, Christians, how we are to love.
One reason John wrote this letter was "that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13). He spends much of his writing helping us know. Here will discover two keys that lead us into being fully confident of our relationship with Christ.
The word "know" is used 37 times in 1 John. But there are two Greek words that our English translates "know". Some commentaries say that John is using them as synonyms and do not put much stock in the subtle difference between the two words. I believe in most cases John is making a distinction but even if he isn't the overall goal is the same. He wants us to "know" we have eternal life. He wants us to be certain while living in an uncertain world. He wants us to know the Lord Jesus and know that we are "in Him". And he wants our knowledge to be based in rock solid evidence. All throughout 1 John we will see this.
When we sin we have a friend who is our Advocate, the one who speaks in our defense. But our defense isn't in the good we have done nor is there a legal loophole that our Good Lawyer is able to 'get us off the hook." His defense for us is his propiation, his atoning sacrifice, his payment for our sins. We are forgiven because of his righteousness that is placed upon us.
Unlike many preachers who approach teaching about sin, John begins with concern and tender affections. His approach is not to be harsh or angry. His approach is to expose our lives to the light of God and to clarify our thinking about sin. When we keep our focus where it should be, John states, "we will not sin."
Here we examine 1 John 1:8-10. We see the reality of our marred human condtion (1:8). Christians don't pretend to be perfect - they sin. Next we see how God views our marred and sinful condition (1:9) and we discover good news in this. Then in verse 10 we see the reality of sins and the revelation of God in our lives. This passage is full of truth, what is real and good news!
Christians should "face up to reality". That's the nature of living in the truth and living in the light. We explore verses 8-10 of 1 John one and see that we face up to the reality of our marred human condition (1:8). We do not pretend that we have overcome sin, only God, through Christ, can do such a thing. We face up to the reality of how God views my sin (1:9) and find that this is part of the good news. Third we face up to the reality sins and how the revelation of his word helps us (1:10).
Light is a theme in John's writing and he uses the concept of light not only to describe God but to also describe the way we live our lives. Too many times we have been told that we are walking in the light when we don't sin and walking in the darkness when we sin. But a simple reading of this passage shows this is not true. Walking in the light has more to do with how we handle our sin and where our fellowship is.
This passage offers a great deal of hope and joy. Living in darkness does not mean sinning - it means more of living a "me-centered" life than a God-centered life. Me-centered living often involves in "me" trying harder or focusing on not sinning which leads to a life that is not very joyful. When we learn to be God-centered we learn that he deals with our sins properly and we can then live a life of joy.
The "if" clauses of this section have been used by some to cause a great deal of guilt in Christian's lives. Yet, properly understood, this is a wonderful section (1:6-10) that brings assurance in our relationship with God and much joy
After finishing John's prologue in the first four verses we now see that John's first words center in the gospel of God - God is light. The gospel is a message primarily about God and his first description of God is "Light" Here we find that God reveals himself. He wants us to know him and what it means to be holy.
The proclamation of John that there is good news to share brings us into a restored relationship with God. Through His Son we have the joy of fellowship with the Creator of the world and that relationship is extended to all who enjoy fellowship with God. This fellowship is maintained through the power of the Holy Spirit and is matured as we put into practice the fruit of the Spirit.
After taking three lessons to introduce the first epistle of John we begin a closer examination of the first four verses. John is saying that he had a message to proclaim. Not an ideology or a theory but a message of a person. That person was God in the flesh, one who came to bring us a new way to live on this earth.
John states, "We write this to make our joy complete" (NIV). We examine the difference between happiness and joy and see that this complete joy is God's desire for us. How do we experience this joy? John gives us a key word in his letter which we will see many times in this series. That key word is "know". We will begin to see how joy comes in knowing and we will build on this theme of "knowing" all through 1 John
After discussing John's testimony and the validity of his testimony, I give 6 reasons why I think we should believe him.
As I began this study of 1st John, I did not realize how inspiring (and long) it would be. John is unique and difficult to follow when we are trained in our thinking to approach a study linear. John reasons in a circular way and thus he is difficult to outline. A key to my study is presented in this first lesson. He tells us, three times, "I wrote this so" and in the Greek the word is clear - "For the purpose of" or "for this reason". There are three reasons - 1) Joy 2) So that we will not sin 3) So that we will know we are saved. I hope these lessons will uplift you as they did me!
We live toward that which we hope. All of us live in hope - for some it is a false hope and for some it is the firm hope of a resurrected life in Christ and all that means in the present world and into the age to come. The superiority of Christ over all powers gives us direction in life and hope for the future.
Learning to pray for people and have an effective prayer life begins with the continual awareness of God in our lives and learning to "pray without ceasing." Here we see that Paul's time of prayer was "continually." His trigger for prayer was remembering the Ephesians Christians faith and love and the subject of his prayer was God-centered.
Paul says we are marked with a seal - the Holy Spirit. We see what a seal is used for and it's application to Christian's lives in this study. At what point do we receive the Holy Spirit? What does this look like practically in my Christian walk? Is the Holy Spirit an "experience" in my life or a daily event? These are some of the questions we explore in this study.
God choses those in Christ to be his special ones. And the invitation is open to anyone who hears the word of truth and responds to the gospel of salvation. Salvation is more than being saved from sins - it includes that - but it covers every aspect of our lives. Salvation is a way of life!
The world is not right, something is terribly broken. This section of Ephesians shows how God has begun the process of bringing back all things to their right order. At the cross he did all the work necessary to bring the world back to where it should be. As Christians we have begun that journey and one day the full consumation of this work will take place.
We focus on Redemption in this lesson. Redemption leads me to think of three concepts: Value, Justice and Ownership. After introducing this lesson with God's grace upon grace, talked about in 1:6, we examine being redeemed through his blood. Why Blood? Why couldn't God simply say, "You're forgiven?" The concept of redemption and what it means answers that question for us.
There is so much to discover in these three short verses. We find that there are 9 things said about God that are attahced to the two blessing he gives us. This section of Ephesians has been called "doctrine set to music" and it is a beautiful doxology of praise to God.
Thirty years ago, I spent 6 months reading through Ephesians every day in different translations. The impact of this letter is immesurable on my life. It caused me to see God as Father, to rejoice in who he was and marvel at his attitude toward me. I hope studying Ephesians is as impactful to you as it was to me.
The superlatives regarding Ephesians seem unending. "Marvelous, the crown of Paul's writings, etc." and certainly it is one of the most amazing letters ever written. The first two verses highlight the entire book. It centers on God the Father and focuses on Jesus Christ. It calls us to remember who we are in Christ, reminds us that we are saints and faithful and sums up our life in Christ with the words 'grace' and 'peace.' As we begin to explore this book, if we are receptive to it, our lives will change in dramatic ways. That's an incredible promise but we will find it true as we study Ephesians together.
God's character is displayed in this Aaronic blessing. We learn of who he is and through this blessing we are encouraged to become more like him.
After this lesson I was asked "But how is it possible to see the face of God?" My answer is found in the lesson - it is through the Face of Christ; 2 Corinthians 4:4,6. If we do not see Jesus in this Aaronic Blessing then we miss the message. Christ's work is plainly see in the blessing of graciousness and how he "catches our eye", turning his loving attention to each of us.
The beauty of the Hebrew language is in concrete word pictures. We exaime the word "keep" and see that it means protection. Further God makes his face to shine upon us. His face is his presence and his face "smiles" upon us. It is hard for many to believe that God's attitude towards us can be summed up in a smile but this blessing shows us that this is true. God ultimately smiled upon us through the life and sacrificial death of Jesus through which we can receive a forever relationship with him.
Before actually getting in to the blessing we look at 3 questions to ask when studying the Old Testament This will help us make correct application to Old Testament scriptures. We then look at the phrase "the Lord bless you" and see how God blesses Christians today
The Wright family and the Central church has a history of working in New Zealand and Fiji that dates back to 1963. Allen made a three week trip and shared. with the church some of the highlights of the trip
After introducing the lesson my 1st point comprised a series of video clips of my trip to Turkey last April. My hope in doing this was to connect everyone with the real people that these 7 letters were written to. My main point is specially for the Podcast listeners is how we are overcome reus in Christ in what that means
The command to "Be earnest and repent" means more than "get fired up" or "be enthusiastic" about God. Those who are not extroverts often feel guilty if they can't be "pep-rally" Christians. You can be an introvert and still be zealous for God.
We found a lot of "scripture echoes" especially in Collosians and Ephesians regarding the gold, garments and eye salve. The Laodiceans most certainly had a copy of both of these letters. In the previous lesson we had looked at Jesus counseling or giving advice. I introduced the lesson by reading Isaiah 30, a "scripture echo" that really spoke of God's counsel to us.
This part of scripture is often used to get people "fired up for God." After the presentation of this lesson a young man approached me saying that he had always felt guilty when a sermon was preached about being "lukewarm," This was the first time he was encouraged. I share in this lesson that the opporite of luke warm is not "hot for God." Listen to find out what it is.
I present four videos (which are easily heard on the podcast) that I made in a trip to the city in April, 2018. It was easy for me to see why these Christians "had it made" it such a beautiful and perfect location. I was virtually alone as I wandered through many acres where the city of Laodicea is still being excavated. Colossae is close by (10 miles away) and we can gain some insight to the Laodiceans as we read the letter of Colossains.
In this second lesson on the church of Philadelphia, we will discover 3 keys to discern an open door from God. We will also see how Christ protected them and rewarded them as they kept their focus on him and not their circumstances.
I found myself "rushing" through each city (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum) doing my best to limit myself to one lesson per city. But there was so much I was leaving out and I was lovingly reprimanded by a lovely Christian sister to slow down and not leave so much unsaid. Beginning in Thyratira I started taking 2 lessons per city.
The ruins of Pergamum are quite impressive. I spent several hours wandering through the ruins high on the peak of the mountain that looks over mondern day Bergma. It was here that I sat at a roadside "Tea House" with a new found Turkish friend and drank tea and visited. My host at the Hera Hotel, a privately owned hotel, was extremely helpful, nice and hospitable. (I recommend staying there!) There is much I missed and I hope to return one day to re-explore this area.
A serendipity occured in Izmir at the site of the Smyrna ruins. I came into contact with Christian Believers from Cambridge, England singing and praying in the underground rooms. In a short half hour together I bonded with them. Unfortunately we did not exchange email addresses and so I have no contact with them....one day in heaven?
In late 2017, as I began studying for this series, my wife walked through the room and I said to her, "I would love to go to these cities (the 7 cities of Asia) and see the places and get a feel of the times and people before I present these lessons." She replied, "Why don't you?" That set me on a quest. In April 2018 I flew to Izmir, Turkey, rented a car and drove to the seven cities on a self-guided tour. I speak no Turkish, had never been to this country and had no guide and even got lost a couple of times. It was a wonderful experience. The people in Turkey were friendly and hospitiable. I never felt in danger or unwelcomed. I hope that my experience enhances these lessons. I utilized video clips that I made on the trip during the lessons and even though you can only hear and not see the videos I think it will still give you a sense of the places.
This series which covers the first three chapters of Revelation is entitled, "The Lampstand at Central." The seven churches of Asia were symbolized by lampstands. The thrust of these lessons will be to look at us (Central church) through the message delivered to the 7 churches. We will see our strengths, weaknesses, dangers and where we should place our focus as we explore the cities and the messages from Jesus where our brothers and sisters lived, worked, shared their faith and died about 2,000 years ago.