How To Have More Confidence In Your Relationship With Jesus

A Letter to the Children (Part 9)

1^st John 3:17-24

Agapé Love is an Action Word

¹⁷But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? ¹⁸My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but [in contrast] in deed and in truth.

The agapé love is a practical matter. It is not a matter of “how we feel” or “what we say,” although those ideas can be involved. It is a matter of what we choose to actually do to benefit another.

God described His own Love, in the Gospel of John 3:16…He said “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” It is interesting to note that the phrase “God so loved…” means “in this manner, God loved…” In the Spanish Bible this is translated, “Por que de tal manera amo Dios al mundo…” in this way, God loved the world… He Gave His own life for ours.

Compare Two Similar Passages

Last week we saw (in 1^st John 3:16) that the Creator God, Himself laid down His life for His Creation. If we fail to understand the Deity of Christ: that He Himself is the Creator, then we have a problem. That verse sounds like a contradiction of the passage in The Gospel of John 3:16. But it is the same writer (The Apostle John) and the same Author (the Holy Spirit.) So, evidently The Lord gave this to us, just to underscore the Unity of the Trinity.

We saw something similar in Acts 20:28. Paul stated that God purchased the Church with His own Blood. (Some translations balk at that idea. They insert the words “the blood of His Son.”)

But Paul called the elders to shepherd “the Church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

God teaches the Deity of Christ throughout the Old and New Testaments. He truly is God in the Flesh!

**So, What Action Did Jesus Take as a Result of Agapé Love?**

He willingly sacrificed Himself to serve as a substitute for us…Jesus became our sin! He took the place of the vile mess of the sins of all humanity. In this way, God the Father could pour out His wrath on our sins without destroying us all.

The Lord gave every believer, a new nature, and He provided us with a guaranteed entry into His eternal presence. He placed His Spirit within us, and promised never to leave us. Jesus pleads continually on our behalf, and He promises He will never lose a single one of His “Born-again” children. He says, “I give unto them Eternal Life and they Shall Never Perish!

And What Does He Require Of Us?

The Bible tells what He asks of us on the basis of the Agapé Love which He implanted in us. Wouldn’t you agree that the things He asks are very fair, and reasonable requests? All He asks us to do is to reflect the light of His Love. We don’t even have to “produce it!”

We reflect His Love by offering it to those around us in practical ways. He says in verse 17, that if we see a need in a brother or sister’s life and if we close our hearts against them, ignoring their need, that is the opposite of Agapé. We are choosing to not meet their need.

John goes on to say, “let us not Love in word or in tongue, but in deed, and in truth!” This is a very practical matter! It is not just Theory!

James Agrees!

James 2:14-18 confirms this concept:

“¹⁴What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? ¹⁵If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? ¹⁷Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

¹⁸Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”

People often quote this passage in James in an attempt to teach that salvation is by works. But notice, in verse 18, that the challenger is a fellow human: “A Man may say ‘Show me your faith without works: I will show you my faith by my works.’” Humans cannot “see faith” without the “object lesson” of works.

Paul Agrees, Too!

God sees the heart. He justifies the sinner By Grace through Faith, alone. But Humans only agree that a person is righteous if they can see the accompanying works that should follow.

God reminds us of that in Ephesians 2:10, saying that as believers (saved by Grace through Faith) God has “Created us in Christ Jesus unto Good Works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.”

So, James and John and Paul all agree that “works should follow faith”…But, if NO change is happening in your life, especially in terms of how you view the brothers and sisters in Christ, and how you reach out to meet their needs, then you do have serious cause to question what sort of relationship you really have with Jesus.

So, How Can I Examine My Own Walk With God?

¹⁹And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. ²⁰For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. ²¹Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

There are two possibilities here: one is that we feel “convicted” about something, and John’s comment would mean, “If you think it is a bad thing, how do you suppose God feels about it?” So, if we are living with Him in such a way that our life is marked by the joy of the Lord, then we have confidence before Him.

Another Way to Understand this Verse

But, the other possibility is that, as Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us, our heart is deceitful, and it may condemn us needlessly. If we are “feeling guilty,” when God’s Word does not condemn us, then the “accuser of the brethren” may be the true source of the self-condemnation.

In that case, John’s comment may be to assure us that God is the final judge of all things. He is the one who, by Grace, has declared you righteous on the basis of faith alone. (See Revelation 12:10, and remember who the accuser of the brethren is!)

Romans 8:31-34 echoes this idea, saying “³¹What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? ³²He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? ³³Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. ³⁴Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

God is Backing His People!

So, following that idea, we can see that from God’s perspective we are already “home free” with Him. Ephesians 2:6 says that we are already seated in the Heavenlies in Christ. This is absolutely beyond my comprehension if I try to “Think in terms of my new location.” All I can do is accept it by faith, and rejoice in humble thanksgiving, that He has declared me to be already Accepted in the Beloved…already Redeemed…already Forgiven!

Are there times when we have sinned, and our heart is condemning the sin? Yes! And, rest assured: God hates sin far more than we ever can. But He has already made you clean, through His Word. So, all He asks now, is that we go back to 1^st John 1:9, and confess: agree with Him concerning that sin. Then He calls us to return to obedience by faith.

What about Answered Prayer?

²²And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Notice, here, that “answered prayer” is a “conditional promise.” If you are walking with Him and doing what He asks, then there is an increased chance that you will also be praying according to His will. Here, too, John reminds us of what the primary commands are: Faith in Christ, and Agapé love for the brethren.

²³And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

If we are ignoring those two conditions, then we have no reason to expect Him to answer our prayers with what we requested. (Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me,”)

The Indwelling Holy Spirit

²⁴And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

According to Ephesians 1:13-14, the Indwelling Holy Spirit is the “Earnest of our inheritance.” In real estate sales, the buyer may make a money deposit to assure the seller that his or her intent is serious, and that he or she fully intends to complete the transaction. This deposit is called the “earnest.” In similar fashion, in traditional American culture a suitor will provide an engagement ring, as a guarantee that he intends to follow through with the pending marriage.

The Engagement Ring of the Bride of Christ

A young fiancée may spend a lot of private moments looking at her engagement ring, and thinking of the changed future she now faces. Her constant assurance is in her future husband, but the ring is the constant reminder that he is hers and she is his. We find that same assurance in the indwelling Holy Spirit. He is the “Engagement Ring” for all members of the Bride of Christ!

In Genesis 24, we see a very tender story of the Servant of the Father, travelling to find a Bride for the Son. After the Servant had presented the offer, and once the Bride had agreed to go, nothing on earth could separate her from that Servant whose only task, from that moment forward, was to Bring Home the Bride! And, when the Servant returned home, He reported to the Son, not the Father. Interesting, isn’t it?

Bringing Home the Bride

The Holy Spirit is not going to allow you to “get lost again” by any means. He will deliver you to the Son, without fail!

So, when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we are “looking at our wedding ring,” and declaring the death and burial and resurrection of Jesus, as well as His Second Coming. By the Holy Spirit, we have been given the confidence to say, “Yes! The Bride-Price has been paid, at the Cross!

Jesus, the Messiah, died, fulfilling the promises of God, and satisfying the Justice of God. He was buried, demonstrating the absolute fact of His death. He was resurrected on the third day, fulfilling the Promises of God, and demonstrating that God was absolutely satisfied with His sacrifice. Finally, the human witnesses all testified to the truth of the resurrection, even though it cost many of them their lives.

The entire concept of the Bride of Christ is founded upon those historical facts, but the facts are continually affirmed by the indwelling Holy Spirit. He seeks to build our confidence in His Grace, and to confirm us in His Love.

Lord Jesus, we pray that Your Love will be continually before our eyes, and that Your Holy Spirit will find freedom to direct our ways, as we look to You in faith.

June 13, 2020June 21, 2020

Celebration of a Life

What little I know of Richard Banham:

It is a little disconcerting to realize just how little I know of a man with whom I have served for nearly a decade: I know his birthdate (September 25^th, 1931) and I know the date of his death (May 29^th, 2020.) He would have been 89 in September.

I know he became a believer in his late teens, and still later (not sure when?) he attended Biola (Bible Institute Of Los Angeles.) I think he graduated from there in 1957. I know he served as a US Marine, and later as a Hillsboro police officer, and a Chaplain while he was on the Hillsboro police force. I know that during one period of his life, he had also served as a missionary, reaching unchurched areas of Oregon and Washington, and possibly other areas, teaching in homes and leading people to Christ.

He served as a Bible Study teacher in a wide variety of care centers, around the Portland area, teaching, preaching, evangelizing, and serving in whatever capacity he could. But we knew him primarily because of his time here at True Hope Christian Fellowship.

At True Hope Christian Fellowship

Richard first appeared at True Hope Christian Fellowship, one Sunday afternoon, in July of 2010, during a downstairs deacon’s and elder’s meeting. I held no office in the church at that time, and I was already done teaching, so I was with Ann, in the car, across the street, getting ready to leave. We saw him walk up the steps and go in, and both of us said, “He needs to talk to someone!” So I got back out of the car, and followed him inside.

We introduced ourselves to one another, and Richard began asking questions about the church, the organizational structure, our doctrinal statement, etc. He first asked mostly general questions, but became more and more specific, as he worked to ascertain just exactly who he was dealing with.

My formal training had familiarized me with all the theological terminology and phrases he was using, as he “grilled” me on what the church really believed, so I was quite comfortable with answering his questions, and I genuinely enjoyed the visit. He was finally satisfied that we were in agreement about everything that was important to him, so he slowed the pace a bit. At that point, I said, “I really think you need to meet Pat James, the pastor, here.” So we walked downstairs and I introduced him to the men gathered there, and I left. Ann and I went on home, but we were both hoping that Richard would be back.

That was the beginning of Richard’s relationship with the church, and he rapidly settled in to serve. I had been teaching both a morning adult Sunday school class and a Wednesday evening Bible study/prayer meeting, but as my vocational work at Gunderson Inc. became more demanding, I asked Richard to take over the Wednesday night meeting. (Pat James was living at the coast by then, and it was getting to be too much for him, to drive back for an evening meeting every week, though he had done so for many years.)

I had also been teaching an afternoon Bible Study at Cornell Estates, every Sunday, for ten years, and I asked him to come there with me, so that, in the event I could not be there, he would already be familiar with the group and could easily step in. We ended up taking turns teaching through books of the Bible, for nearly another ten years, after that. He was absolutely faithful to be prepared, and to teach in great detail any portion of scripture he addressed. He also went there during the weeks and ministered to the believers, which I was unable to do because of my work schedule.

Richard was ordained as an elder after a few years at True Hope, and when Pat and Jan James became sick enough that Pat could not always be at church, Richard and I took turns filling the pulpit, for a year or so, always hoping that Pat’s health would improve.

When Pat finally became too sick to continue serving at all, he asked Richard to take over the shepherding of True Hope Christian Fellowship. Richard agreed to do so, provided I would serve with him, as he and I were both aware of the Biblical standard that there should always be a plurality of leaders—elders—in each church. So I was ordained by the church, as well, and he and I began taking turns preaching every week. If one of us had a message that required more than one week, the other simply backed off and allowed the series of messages to be completed. We had good harmony in our service, though we did not always agree 100% about small points of doctrine. There was never a rift: we were both free to study, learn, and build our personal understanding of God’s Word. He was a blessing to me and to the Church.

In Sickness and in Health

A few years ago, Richard was told he had advanced Prostate Cancer. He subjected himself to all the treatments, and continued to serve faithfully. He very seldom missed a service, though he became increasingly fatigued, and weaker, month by month. A few times he fell, and could not get up, but he always insisted on taking care of his own needs, which caused some distress for his family and friends, but was it was simply part of his character, as one who came to serve, not to be served.

Richard served faithfully until he was physically unable to go on…and then He was simply called home. He came as close to “dying in harness” as almost anyone I have ever known, and he stayed lucid to the very end. I had actually asked him the previous week (Memorial Day weekend) whether he would like to take the Sunday service. He declined, saying he really wasn’t prepared, but thanked me for asking. Neither of us knew that he had only a week left on Earth.

Richard died in his own home (as he had frequently said he desired to do) with many of his family around him. He died in peace, without prolonged suffering, which we count a special blessing and an answer to prayer. He was simply called home: he answered one last call.

It was an honor to have served with Richard, and I wish I could have known him earlier in life. I learned a good deal from him in the years I knew him, and I wish that I could have continued to do so. Richard was a teacher to everyone around him, and a friend to the whole church. He cared deeply about the church and the individuals within it. He became a true pillar in our community of faith, and was universally respected for his deep knowledge of God’s Word.

Already, in the short time he has been gone, there have been questions I wanted to discuss with him, to get his input. But he’s not here for me anymore, and that grieves me, as I am sure it does many of you. We are all going to miss him, but it gives us peace to know that he is with the Lord today.

So… What do we do, Now?

1^st Thessalonians 4:13-18 is a good passage to remember at times like this:

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout; with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words.”

The twin reasons these words can be a comfort to us are both contained in the passage itself:

“If We Believe that Jesus Died and Rose Again”

To an unbeliever, this passage would be no comfort at all: the whole passage is predicated on the assumption that the people to whom Paul was writing were all believers! And these are the core issues of the Gospel: 1^st Corinthians 15:3, 4 spell out that the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, specifically as payment for our sins, are the key message of the Gospel. Paul says “if we believe…” that Gospel, then these words are a comfort to us.

Romans 1:16 says that that Gospel, being believed in, is THE power of God unto salvation. Paul said, “I am not shamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the Power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Richard believed with all his heart that Jesus’s blood at the Cross paid for all his sins, completely and permanently. If we also “believe that Jesus died and rose again,” as the 1^st Thessalonians passage points out, then we can have confidence that not only we will see Richard again, but that we cannot miss the Rapture of the Church. We will be caught up with him!

2^nd Corinthians 5:8 says, “We are confident, I say, and willing, rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” This was another source of confidence for Richard, knowing that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” He did not go into some sort of “limbo,” as some people teach, nor into any sort of “waiting room,” such as a “purgatory,” or any other such thing. His soul did not go into suspended animation or a “soul-sleep!” He left his body, and he was instantly in the presence of his Savior. There is no middle ground. Those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, by believing that His death and burial and resurrection are full payment their sins, personally, will personally step into his presence, just as Richard did.

“Even So, Them also which sleep… in Jesus”

It is important to recognize that our confidence is in God’s Word, and His faithfulness…not our own goodness, nor that of Richard Banham. There may be some who knew Richard long ago, and who have held a grudge against him for some cause, and who may still think, “Well, he was nothing special!” Let me assure you: Richard would have been the first to agree with them! He never considered himself to have “earned merit” with God, but only to have had the unspeakable privilege of serving Him, in whatever capacity he was allowed. His standing with the Holy God he served had nothing to do with his own worthiness, but entirely to do with the Worthiness of Jesus Himself, because God only saw Richard “in Christ!” You see, that phrase, “even so them also that sleep ‘in Jesus’…” addresses position …not condition. Richard never stood before God in his own righteousness, but rather in the Righteousness of Christ, alone. That is his eternal position before God.

If you have received Jesus as your Savior, then the scripture says you also are permanently “in Christ!” Your confidence in Him, because of your position in Him, should move you to find great freedom in living for him. Richard was dedicated to doing just that.

Probably there are some of you who would like to share how Richard has affected your life… how he stirred you to grow in the Lord, or in other ways influenced you. Our sister, Kristen Flemmer, shared her thoughts last week because she knew she would unable to be here today. If you would like to speak, please don’t be shy: If he was a blessing to you, we all would like to share in that blessing. This is how it becomes a blessing to all who hear it.

Time for sharing

Close in more songs and prayer.