As the Apostle continues the little letter bearing his name, he brings up to an impossible to avoid issue. Could it be that the genuineness of our trust in Jesus Christ – therefore the legitimacy of our salvation – is discerned in how we live out our relationships with other people? Is not salvation a wholly private matter between a person and God? Unpacking the teaching of Jesus Christ on this issue, John gives us a firsthand summary of what he heard Jesus teach about our love as it pertains to our faith. Leaving us no wobble room, John declares that a person who does not love cannot be a person who has experienced the saving love of God through Christ. Listen closely and consider your own heart. We are all growing in our capacity love – but if we are not loving others at all, there is reason for deep concern.
The Test of Love
1 John 2:7-11
January 14, 2015 • Jeff Lyle
Retiring From the Game
June 3, 2015 • Jeff Lyle
Many times when a professional athlete holds a press conference to announce his retirement he will give his reason as, "The game just wasn't fun anymore. I don't want to play if I don't enjoy it anymore." After that moment, the athlete moves on to whatever is next for him. In a similar fashion, we should consider the call on our lives as Jesus-followers to exit a different sort of game. The world system is not the reality for which the Christian should live. We have been saved out of one kingdom to live in another Kingdom of a far greater value. As John closes out his letter he calls believers to abandon the world and to flee from its idols. This exhortation must be applied to our lives today as the lure of the temporary world cries loud to us in order to seduce us from investing ourselves in God's everlasting Kingdom.
Spotlighting Jesus
May 27, 2015 • Jeff Lyle
There are so many things which we believers can give our attention to in the Kingdom of God. We can talk about sacrifice, about service and about sanctification. We dwell on mercy, ministry or maturity. Social change, humanitarian projects and influencing the culture are all possibilities which we might invest time and effort. When it comes to the bottom line, however, our inner purpose and outward mission focus on one lone component in the spotlight: Jesus Christ himself. This message follows the counsel of the apostle John concerning the immeasurable benefits of keeping Jesus as the purposed focus of our hearts and lives. Boldness, peace, assurance and power all flow from a concerted commitment to let our eyes rest on the King.
The Benefits of Obedience
May 13, 2015 • Jeff Lyle
When I first started preaching I talked about obedience in every third sentence which proceeded from my mouth. As a former rebel I was convinced that the most important thing for the believer was to obey. While I would never back off my assertion that obedience is a key component of the Christian life, I do not speak of it as often now as I did back then. Why not, you ask? Because obedience apart from trust and love has little to no value in the Kingdom. We can teach dogs, doves and dolphins to obey… but we cannot teach them to love, and Christ has called us to love God with everything that we are and have. This message infuses the call to obey with the power to love. Transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of this is loving obedience unto Christ. Listen and be stretched, empowered and encouraged.