Good Shepherd Community Church

In view of Christ's certain coming, three realities stand out for believers. First, they are commanded to abide in Christ, specifically to abide or remain in the true doctrine of Christ and to abide or remain in a Christian lifestyle that reflects the righteousness of Christ. Secondly, they are assured of the certain hope of Christ's return. This will mean their resurrection from the dead and their reception into his bodily presence, as well as the end of sin and evil and death. And thirdly, Christ's appearance confirms our privileged position before him as children of God. He loved us first before we ever loved him, and he sent his Son to die for our sins. He has done all that was necessary to remove our sins and bring us into his everlasting fellowship.

All Episodes Wayne A Conrad The Antichrists Identified Episode Downloads 0 Total 0 Today Description Send us a text Many people throughout Christian history have been fascinated by the identity of the antichrist. The Apostle John is actually the only biblical write to use the term antichrist! He uses it 5 times in his first two letters. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 1 John 2:18 John must have been remembering the words Jesus had spoken ."Be careful that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will lead many astray. Matthew 24:4 John's concern is the theological identity of the antichrist. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now

The Apostle John begins this section with a time reference – the " last hour" had arrived because many antichrists had come on the scene. These antichrists were people who had been associated with the church, but they had departed from the fellowship of believers because they adhered to doctrines that denied the reality of the incarnation. They denied the fact that the eternal Son of God had taken upon himself our human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. These antichrist people denied that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. By denying the truth of who the Son is, they also denied the Father and demonstrated that they did not belong to the body of believers. The indwelling Holy Spirit confirms to the believer the truth of the Lord Jesus' incarnation. Thus the believer should continually abide in Christ.

This week I have had 3 people I know die. I went to one's funeral but the other two were many miles away and 2 were having funerals today at the same time! All this on my birthday. It causes me to remember Psalm 90 verses 3, 9-12 "You return man to dust and say, "Return, O children of man!" ... For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. What does the Bible teach us about the reality of death? The location of the spirits of the dead? And how does Jesus Christ birth, death and resurrection address this issue?

The Apostle John in his first letter writes some intriguing words, "Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you." The old commandment he is referring to is the "Shema," the confession of faith in the one true God to whom we owe full allegiance and devotion. In answer to a scribe's question in Mark 12:28-33 as to what is the greatest commandment, Jesus answers, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. He also relates the second greatest commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (This latter commandment is a phrase attached to a list of various laws in Leviticus 19.) The new component is Jesus' own love for his disciples. He loves us so much that he laid down his life for us on the cross. John 13:1-5, 34f records John's own e

The Apostle John writes a deeply personal pastoral letter to his spiritual children in Ephesus. He is concerned about the spiritual dangers they are facing both from within and without related to false doctrine and ungodly secular antichrist pressure. He wants to protect and enhance their fellowship with the Father through Jesus Christ. His letter points to several signs or markers to distinguish true from false believers. In verses 12-14 of 1 John the apostle inserts a pause to particularly address the little children, the fathers and the young men in 6 parallel statements. The "little children" designation is used throughout his letter to indicate that they are beloved in the Lord by him. But it can also accent the reality of the first great awareness of newborn Christians. They rejoice in the forgiveness of their sins through Jesus' death and their relationship to God as Father. John then addresses two groups he calls fathers and young men. The fathers seem to refer to mature believers who know the true id

Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday in America dates back to 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaim the 4th Thursday in November a yearly day of thanks. "It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens." However the tradition of giving thanks to God for his providential care goes back to the Pilgrims who had come over from Holland on the Mayflower. Governor Bradford reports that Plymouth had been stricken with a severe drought. "Upon which," said William Bradford "they set apart a solemn day of humiliation, to seek the Lord by humble and fervent prayer, in this great distress." That s

Text: 1 John 2:3-11 Title: Keeping God's Old But New Commandment As a pastor to God's people, the Apostle John wrote this letter to strengthen and encourage fellow believers. In this passage he presents three reasons that believers can know that they know God; i.e., know that they are saved from their sins: I. We keep his commandments/Word - v. 3-5 II. We walk in the same way Jesus walked - v. 5-6 III. We love the brothers and sisters in the church - v. 7 -11 True believers in Christ will demonstrate fidelity to God's Word and affection for God's people. Chapters: 0:00 Intro & Scripture Reading (1 John 2:3-11 ESV) 0:43 Opening Prayer 2:55 Context: John as Pastor to Believers 5:07 Real Christianity – Forgiven but Still Sinning 8:30 Jesus Delivers Us from Darkness into Light 11:43 How Do We Know We Truly Know Him? 15:19 1. Keeping His Commandments 23:45 2. Walking as Jesus Walked 29:02 3. Loving the Brothers & Sisters 32:40 Old Commandment Becomes New in Christ 35:36 The Darkness Is Passing – Light I

The main idea that drives the Apostle John's first letter is fellowship with God. He makes this clear when he starts his letter. "What we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3 He then addresses the need for knowing the truth about God as light and the truth about our sin as a necessity for true fellowship to exist. He presents 3 false ideas that some have. If we assert the believes that sin is a non entity or that humans do not have a sinful nature or that we have not actually sinned we are not speaking according to truth. We lie about the reality of sin and human nature and actually call God himself a liar! With repentance that is a change in our mind about our sin and God the holy righteous One who has acted on our behalf we can know fellowship with God through Jesus atoning death. John presents Jesus work as the corrective for these false beliefs. " If we confess our s

In this epistle the Apostle John's focus is on the strengthening of fellowship of believers with God and with one another. Verse 5 states that "God is light" - this points to his total perfection infinitely. Thus his people must reflect his nature and strive to conform to his image, though the reality is we still sin. Three times, in verses 6,8, and 10, John writes, "if we say," thus pointing to some erroneous concepts regarding sin: 1) Those who walk in darkness are not in fellowship with God or the brethren. On the contrary, we must walk in the Light, which brings us into Christian fellowship, and such walking also brings us cleansing from sin through Jesus' blood. 2) Those who deny that they are sinful are self-deceived. They must instead confess their sin to receive forgiveness. 3) Those who deny they have committed acts of sin make God a liar and do not possess the indwelling of the Word of God. Jesus Christ himself is the standard for Christian living and behavior, and we must strive to be like him.

The Christian message and life begins not with man, humanity, but with the being of God himself. In fact the Apostle John begins with the One who was in the beginning and with whom he had had physical emotional connection. He is writing about the incarnation of the Word in the person of Jesus the Christ. John's letter to the churches begins at the same place as the Gospel of John! Compare 1 John 1:1-5 with John 1:1-4. He writes of the Word, Life and light. In his letter he adds the eternal life and fellowship with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. His climatic statement is- God is Light! At the conclusion of his letter he summarizes in these words, "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true one. We are in the true one—that is, in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." 1 John 5:20 CSV If we are to understand the gospel, and the Christian life correctly then we must begin at the right place. We must begin with God, the God who i

John the Apostle was the youngest of Jesus' apostles and he had a unique relationship with the Lord Jesus. Both his gospel testimony and his letters to the churches convey a warm pastoral heart of loving care for the Lord's people. One thing I value in his writings is his stated purpose for writing. In his gospel he states, " Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." JZohn 20:30f in his letters of 1 John he states several times why his writing and to whom he is writing. "that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. And we write these things to you, that our joy may be fulfilled. JZohn 1:3-4 My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a

The Biblical description of a "saint" is not some super-spiritual Christian but all those people whom God has called out of the world and set apart for himself through their faith in Jesus Christ. These people are expected to live holy lives, separated from the world, and reflecting the character of God. They have spiritual union with contemporary believers around the world, as well as with those who are already in heaven. An example of a fellow believer and martyr from the early centuries of the church would be Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who stood firm in his faith in Christ despite being killed for his belief. The distinguishing and necessary mark of a true believer is personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This faith is marked by ongoing spiritual growth by conforming progressively more into the image of the Savior. Such people are commanded to "run with endurance" the race of life marked out for them, looking to Jesus, "the author and finisher of their faith," as well as to the example of the saints

The various Reformers during the Protestant Reformation restored New Testament worship emphasis especially the centrality of the Bible in the language of the people. Preaching and the public reading of the Scriptures was the focus in the services. They looked to such Bible passages as John 4:24 and Phillippians 3:3; 1 Corinthians 14:16-18,26 and Acts 2:42 for direction. John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." Phil 3:3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them Acts 2:42 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 1 Timothy 2:1-8 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, .. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God

The supreme goal and end of all things is the glory of God. God's glory is seen in the magnificence of his creation but it is even more profoundly seen in the salvation of sinners through the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. That God would send his Son from heaven to take upon himself full humanity and then die on Calvary's cross to pay the sin debt owed to God is grace and mercy beyond comprehension. God created the universe out of nothing but when he saves a sinner he enters into his creation in mortal combat with sin, Satan, and death through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. The Biblical truth of the all-sufficient saving work of Jesus Christ for his people was recovered at the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. In his work God's glory is fully displayed, and that is to be the supreme focus of the Christian life.

There are a number of very important issues that were addressed by the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. Among them is the recovery of biblical spiritual worship offered to God alone. How we worship must be in accordance with God's special revelation first to Israel under Moses and then to the fullness of truth given in the person and actions of Jesus of Nazareth. "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:17 This episode looks at God's first revelation under the Old Covenant through Moses. The first 3 commandments God spoke from Mount Sinai concern his worship. God alone is the object of our worship. His worship is exclusive and tolerates no idols. Under the Old Covenant God's worship involved an elaborate priesthood, sacrifices ,vestments , days, ect. An imitation of these practices rose in the history of the church and is seen in the worship practices of Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The various Protestant Reformers rejected the use of idols in Go

Of all the people groups on the earth, the ancient Hebrew people were the most blessed because God revealed his being and nature to them alone, as well as another vital revelation: they had sinned against him and needed cleansing and forgiveness of their sins. The Law of Moses established the sacrificial system of killing animals whose deaths were a substitute for the deaths that the Israelites deserved for their sin. But the sacrifices of animals was insufficient to cover the peoples' sins. It was a temporary stop-gap measure that would be completed when the Messiah and Savior would come in the future to die for their sins on a cross outside of Jerusalem. The sacrifice of his body was all-sufficient for the complete removal and forgiveness of sin, once for all and eternally.