Christian Life According to John (Part 1) — Denny Kenaston

Hello, this is Brother Denny. Welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold.

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Seeking God Wholeheartedly at Bible School

It's Bible school time again. Have you looked forward to Bible school as much as I? I'm sure some of you have. I'm not sure why you're here. All of you. Like one young lady said last night, I came last year because my dad made me come.

Well, I won't ask for a raise of hands to see whose dad made you come. But Bible school is one of the sweetest times of the year for me. And I'm very grateful to be here. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to share with you young people.

Kind of shifted on me here. Girls over here, boys over here. So I guess you girls are going to get hit more this week. Because I'm used to hitting this way. So we'll see how that all goes. Praise God for the sweet spirit in this place.

In your hearts. Praise God for your sincere desires to gather together and seek the Lord. I trust that's why you came. To seek God with all of your heart. We have a promise in the Bible. If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me, says God.

I believe that this morning. Well, let's pray and get started. Father in heaven. Hallowed be thy name, Lord. Hallowed be thy name this morning, Father. We acknowledge you. You are the Lord. You are the one who sits on your throne.

You are there this morning. And you are here this morning. And we thank you for that. Oh, rule over this meeting, dear God. Have your will and way in each one of our hearts today. Father, rebuke Satan away from this place.

And every evil spirit, dear God. Who may have found a way to come and try to distract. Oh, God. Rebuke them all away from this place this morning, Lord. In Jesus Christ's holy name. And Father, send your Holy Spirit into our midst.

Let the fire of your Spirit burn in all of our hearts. And Lord, use this Bible school to set aflame in us, Lord. And it will burn all the rest of our day. Oh, Father. We commit this session to you this morning.

And all these young people to you. In Jesus' name. Amen. I'm sure you young people have noticed. Especially if you're here a few times. That we don't find a 20 year old or a 22 year old youth director.

To get up and share with you. Although I'm sure that if we put a 20 year old up here. He might be able to relate to you in some ways. That us older men cannot. But there's a reason why we don't have a youth director up here.

To have youth Bible school. There's a big reason. Why we look for older men. Older men who have walked with God. God for many years. Older men who have discernment. Who understand the things of God. Because that's what we want for you young people.

We want you to tap into the beautiful things. Which we have touched from God. So I'm not a real old man. But I'm an older man. And I'm getting older. And I'm trying as fast as I can. To be an older man.

Trying to learn as fast as I can. So I can share with you. We're going to be learning from an older man this week. Not this one. One in this book. An older man. We've invited you to Bible school. Because we desire that you.

Would touch God in a real way. Not just at the Bible school. But that you would touch God in such a real way. That you will go on with God. And you will continue with God all the days of your life. That's why we've invited you to Bible school.

I'm not sure all the reasons why you may be here. You may have come because it seemed like a fun thing to you. You may have come because you want to see your friends again. And all that isn't wrong. But I just want you to know why we've invited you.

And what we've been praying for for weeks. As we've looked ahead to this Bible school. We've been praying for you. That you would touch God this week in a real way. And that God would touch you. And God would touch your life.

And God would transform your life. And God would do a work in your heart and your life. And you will never be the same. Because you've come to Bible school. That's what we've been praying. Big prayers.

Yes, that's true. But big God. Who answers those prayers. And we're trusting Him to do that throughout this week. We want you to touch the heart of God this week. We want you to be a bunch of radical young people.

Radical for the Lord Jesus. Radical Christians. Christians without a question mark beside you. That's what we want for you. That nobody has to wonder where you are at with God. As you move through life.

As you meet other people. As you move through your communities. We want you to be radical Christians. That nobody has to wonder where you're at with God. They can tell by the glow that is on your face.

They can tell by the demeanor of your very heart. They can tell by the direction of your life. They can tell by the way that you live. That they know these young people love Jesus with all of their heart.

That's what we want. And I believe that most of you young people are here because you want that same thing. Amen? That you love Jesus and everybody knows you love Jesus. And they can tell it. Well, my testimony is that 31 years ago I met God in the front seat of my car and I have never been the same.

Entering Into the Christian Life

I have never been the same. I've never gotten over it, young people. 31 years. Beautiful years. Glorious years. Adventurous years with God. 31 of them. I've never lost the wonder of it all. I find myself in the quiet of my own heart in the early morning hours or in the evening as I have time to sit by myself.

Just to sit and wonder as I realize. God. God saved me. But you know, there's a reason why it's that way with me all these years. There's a reason for that. It's more than just a meeting that I had with God in the front seat of my car 31 years ago.

That was beautiful and that is glorious, but that was only the beginning. I didn't just meet God in the front seat of my car 31 years ago. I entered into a life, young people. It is a life that I entered into.

And that life, oh my, that glorious life, is what I want to talk about this week as we make our way through the book of John and consider the subject, the Christian life according to John, or how does John, the Apostle John, see the Christian life?

And my theology about the Christian life is this. It doesn't matter if you're one day old or you're ten years old. It's the same Christian life. We should be having the same kind of reality. Yes, we mature.

Yes, we grow. Yes, there are many more things that God wants to teach us, but yet our hearts should be set upon God and our hearts should be aflame for God from the day we met Him in the front seat of our car or in the back seat of the car or out in the woodshed or at Bible school last year as it is 31 years later.

And the reason for that, young people, is because we enter into a life. It's not just a prayer that we pray. It is a life that we enter into. And we all have a responsibility to be living in the reality of that life that we entered into, though it's 31 years later.

Amen? We have that responsibility. When we become a Christian, we enter into life. The Bible calls it eternal life, everlasting life. And that is what makes the Christian life so exciting. You enter into that quality of life which is eternal.

You enter into that quality of life which is heavenly, which is new, which is spiritual, which is, in a nutshell, God Himself. That's the Christian life, young people. The Apostle John said it this way at the conclusion of his gospel in John chapter 20 and verse 31 with these words, These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name.

Hasn't changed, young people. Still the same. So we're going to be looking at the Christian life this week. Oh, many, many different ways. The Christian life, maybe it's good to look just for a moment at what that means.

We know the word Christian means a follower of the Anointed One. If we were to give a literal translation of the word Christian, it is a follower of the Anointed One. So we want to look at the life of a follower of the Anointed One.

What does the life of a follower of the Anointed One look like? Amen? The purpose for these sessions are many-folded, but consider a few of them. Number one, to lift your sights higher. To lift your sights higher.

To bring a bit of a challenge to you that you can sit here this week and examine your own heart and allow the Spirit of God to examine your heart and question your heart. Where am I at with God? We want to lift up the beautiful standard of the Christian life, just so that we all understand what is expected of us as Christians.

And we want to make you thirsty, jealous and unsatisfied. We want more. Don't have the unsatisfied. I will not stop until God meets me. And also, we just want to encourage you along the way. Some of you have been to Bible school a few times.

We just want to encourage you along the way. We want to be helpers of your joy. There is something about God that I cannot explain, young people. He is so satisfying, yet one taste of God makes you never satisfied again.

How can God be so satisfying, yet make us never satisfied again? Only God can do that, but I have learned that about God. So satisfying, yet never satisfied again. He is a God full. It says in the Psalms.

He is a God full. Full of compassion, full of mercy, full of strength. And on and on we could go. So, young people, we want to make sure that you are on the road that is pursuing God, and that you will continue to pursue Him all the days of your life.

And we want to pick up the many-sided diamond of the Christian life, and look at it, just turning it this way, turning it over here, and lifting it up over here, letting the light shine on it from this perspective.

We just want to look at the Christian life. I am not exactly sure how many points we have, but I think we have about 15 of them. And they are all in the book of John. The Christian life according to John.

John’s Perspective on the Christian Life

Now, let's look at John for just a few minutes before we get into the first point. I think it is important that we look at a little bit of the life of the man who wrote these beautiful pictures that we are going to be looking at.

We are going to sit at the feet of a very old man this week. As near as I can tell in my studies, the gospel of John was not written at the same time that the other gospels were written. But it was written at the end of John's life.

And that is quite a bit of a different perspective. The others, it was written not long. They were written not long after the Lord Jesus was on the earth, and He died and rose again and ascended back to the Father.

And those writers of the other gospels, they gave the facts. This happened. This happened. He said this. He said this. This happened. This happened. And that is kind of how they are. But when you get into the book of John, John wrote the book of John at the end of his life.

He is an old man. He is in his nineties. He has proven the whole thing for sixty years. It is more than just a bunch of facts to him as he begins to write there in chapter one. And I believe that is why everyone and every commentator would say that the book of John is the most deeply spiritual of the four gospels, simply because of the depth which John saw Jesus.

He is in his nineties. He has been walking with Jesus for over sixty years. He has been living in the reality of all these descriptions of the Christian life that we are going to look at. He is a dear old man.

John, the apostle of love, they say. The apostle of the deeper life. He says, I am the disciple whom Jesus loved. What a beautiful title. Wouldn't you like to have that title? I am the disciple whom Jesus loved.

Isn't that sweet? You can put your name in there. You can say the same thing. I am the disciple whom Jesus loves. I believe that John knew Jesus as a boy. They were cousins. John's mother, Salome, and Jesus' mother, Mary.

I believe they were sisters. John walked with Jesus for three and a half years during his earthly ministry. And John is the one who said these words, We beheld His glory. That's John. John said these words in I John, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life.

Think about that. John says, We have looked upon the word of life. We have walked with the word of life. We have touched the word of life. He goes on in the next verse to say, For the life was manifested and we have seen it.

John says, And bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us. Now these are deep words, young people. What he is saying is, We saw eternal life walking around in a human body.

We saw eternal life. We saw it. That life was manifested unto us. We saw what it looks like. We listened to it. We saw God in the flesh, is what John is saying. And He has weathered many a storm, yet the fire of God, the fire of God's love, still is burning brightly in His heart as He is an old man.

Now tradition says, and I don't know how much you can go by tradition, but the traditions are all good. They say that this old man John, when he was a very, very old man, they used to carry him to church, because he couldn't walk there very well anymore, and just set him on a little bed over on the side.

That's John. Sometime in the midst of all of that, tradition says, there was heresies slipping into the churches, there was Gnosticism speaking about super special experiences with God, there was all kinds of things like that creeping into the church, and the brethren pled with John to write a record of the Lord Jesus Christ from His old age perspective.

The book of John. I'm sure you've noticed it as you've read the book of John, that it is a very deep book. But you know, while it's deep, it's also very simple, because through my many years, and I'm sure you've noticed it too, if you meet somebody out on the street, and you realize here is a hungry heart, this person is really searching, what book do you tell them to read in the Bible?

You don't tell them to read the book of Genesis. You don't tell them to read the book of Revelation. You tell them, read John. How many of you ever told somebody to read the book of John like that? Read John.

Why? Because he saw Jesus so beautifully. Because he loved Jesus so simply. Because he walked with God so deeply. And many an eye has been opened up as they sat down and just began to read in the book of John.

Well, we're not going to go through the whole book of John. We just want to look at the Christian life as John saw it in this book. So, you can open up your Bibles to John chapter 1, is where we will start.

A Life Full of Grace and Truth

John chapter 1. And look at our first point. I think we'll get two of them done here this morning. First of all, John's first picture of the Christian life is a life full of grace and truth. A life full of grace and truth.

And you may say, no, that was Jesus' life. But you stay with me, and let's look at the text and see if it's just Jesus' life. John chapter 1, reading in verse 14. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Young people, that is God. That is the mystery of godliness. The Word was made flesh. God was made flesh and dwelt among us. That's what John said. And we beheld His glory. We looked at His life. We watched Him.

We saw how He lived. We listened to Him. We sensed this awe about Him. We beheld His glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the Father. Full of grace and truth. Young people, Jesus was full of grace.

And He was full of truth. That's what John is saying. John's description of Jesus is that He was full and running over with grace. And full and running over with truth. And John bear witness of Him, and cried saying, This was He of whom I spake, that He that He cometh after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.

Now listen to what John says next. And remember, he's an old man when he says this. But this is his testimony. And of His fullness have all we received. And grace for grace. For the law came by Moses.

But grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Full of grace and full of truth. You know, when Isaiah saw the Lord, in Isaiah chapter 6, he said, Woe is me! I am undone. When the cherubims saw the Lord, in Isaiah chapter 6, they said, Holy!

Holy! Holy! But when John saw the Lord, in the book of John, and in His life for those three and a half years, he said, Full and running over with grace. And full and running over with truth. That was John's description.

He was full of everything that has to do with grace. He had God's favor all over Him. He was full of the power of God's grace. He was full of the grace of kindness and love and a giving heart. And He was full of the attitudes of graciousness and gracefulness.

He was full of grace. If that isn't enough, He was also full of truth. He was full of everything that has to do with truth, young people. Truth flowed out of His mouth like a torrent, and so deep that nobody could keep up with all the truth coming out of His mouth.

In fact, we're still trying to grasp. Amen? We're still trying to grasp it. Truth flowed out of His mouth like a torrent every day of His ministry. Truthfulness emanated out of His being. He was filled with righteousness in every area of His life.

And He was wisdom walking around in a human body. This was Jesus. Truthfulness emanating out from Him. I believe that's the reason why, when He said those few words to those Pharisees, let Him that hath no sin cast the first stone and didn't say another word.

I believe that's why everybody slithered out of there and found themselves going back to their houses, because truthfulness emanated out from the being of the Lord Jesus. He was full of grace, young people, and He was full of truth.

This is the life that was manifested, that John spoke about. This is the image of the invisible God, Colossians chapter 115. This is the image of the invisible God. What does the image, what does the visible image of the invisible God look like?

He is full and running over with the grace of God. And He is full and running over with the truth. He is also the express image of His, God the Father's, person. Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 3. And John said it this way, This is that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us.

That's who Jesus is. And John said, We beheld His glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the Father. But then John moves from giving that testimony about Jesus, then to give his own testimony. Remember, he's speaking out of his life, he's speaking out of these 60 plus years that he's been walking with this Jesus who ascended back to the Father and is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High.

He's been walking with Jesus for over 60 years. And he gives his testimony this way, and uses the word fullness. Of His fullness have we all received. Now that's where we get into the Christian life and the first definition of the Christian life.

The Christian life is full of grace and truth, young people. There are many, many definitions out there today on what a Christian is. But I'm telling you, if you go by the Bible, a Christian life is a life that is full of the grace of God and full of the truth of God.

And we'll give more definition to that as we move along. Jesus was full and running over, and now John says, So are we. Hallelujah! So are we. Full and running over. I believe that's what John means by the words that he said.

You know, he could have said, This fullness. And that would have been a glorious description. But he didn't say, This fullness. Because it's not a this, young people. And it's not a it. And it's not a power, young people.

It's His fullness. There's a big difference between the two of those. His fullness, says John. His fullness. It is important to note this. We are not talking about power. We are not talking about some experience, although God brings experiences into our lives.

We are talking about His fullness. I want to also comment on the phrase here in chapter 1, as he's still giving his testimony. Chapter 1 and 16b. He uses the phrase, And grace for grace. We have received His fullness, and we have received grace for grace.

What does that mean? Well, the Amplified reads it this way. We were all supplied with one grace after another, and spiritual blessing upon more spiritual blessings, and favor upon more favor, and gift heaped upon gift.

Sounds like full and running over to me. What do you think? Of His fullness have we all received, and grace upon grace upon more grace, and blessing upon blessing upon more blessing, and gift upon gift upon more gifts have been bestowed upon us.

Why? Because we have received His fullness. John here is giving an explanation of the difference between the Old Covenant and the New. Notice what he refers to. The law of Moses. And praise God for the law of Moses.

And praise God for the Ten Commandments. But oh, listen young people. He knew that the law which he experienced himself for 30 years could not be compared to this fullness which he had entered into, which was His fullness.

He knew that. And therefore he makes the statement, For the law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Dear young people, that little statement right there is the most sound, powerful, simple theological statement about Jesus and true Christianity that you can get.

And true by Jesus Christ. You say, well, that's simple. I already know that. Oh, I know you know it up here. But do you know it in here? John knew it in here. He knew the law for some 30 years of his life.

And he knew that it had some ability to guide him in righteousness. But something far better has come. Something far more potent, young people. Something far more life-changing has come. And it's called grace and truth.

Grace, that is the power of God, creating the desire of God in our hearts to do the will of God. And truth, that is truth written upon the fleshly tables of our heart. These two work together, young people, to cause us to walk in God's ways.

God's grace, that is God's power, moving upon our hearts, creating in us the desire to do His will and giving us the power to walk in His will. But what is God's will? There comes the truth. The Spirit of God reveals the will of God and writes the principles of God's Word upon our very hearts.

And thus, with the grace and the truth working together in your heart and mine, we are caused to walk in God's ways. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Now, that's very different than, thou shalt, thou shalt not, thou shalt, thou shalt not, do this ceremony, offer this sacrifice.

This is a very different life we're talking about, young people. It is God working in you both the will and the do of His good pleasure, Philippians chapter 2 says. Now, John had 30 years with the law of Moses and he had 60 years with grace and truth.

The one was a life of rules and laws and the other is a life of liberty and freedom to do the will of God from the heart. And young people, that's what we want for you. You know, many of you, you're second generation Christians.

You've grown up in a Christian home. And there is a tendency for those who grow up in a Christian home to think that this whole Christian thing is doing. And yes, there are many things we do. But young people, you don't do until first you be.

And there's a big difference between the two of those. And many times, young people, they will slip into that subtle misdirection and think, OK, now I've got it. Going to church, doing this, reading my Bible, I'm going to go teach a Sunday school class, I'm going to go out and do something for God.

And all of those things are beautiful and right, and I love them and I believe in every one of them. But it's a life, young people. It's a life. And that's what John knew. He knew a life. This is very different than religion.

Just going to church, singing songs, and all the other things that we might do. Something far beyond that. A life full of grace that is the power of God, the desire of God to do the will of God, and truth which is written on the inward parts of our hearts.

That's a big difference. I wonder this morning, young people, where you are at. Is it just a form? Are you just going through the motions of what you think is Christian? I want to encourage you this morning to set your sights higher than that.

Set them higher. It comes through Him who is full. It comes through Him who is full. He is the fullness. It's the fullness of Him that filleth all in all. Ephesians chapter 1 says, So when the grace of God and the truth of God meet a surrendered heart that is willing to do anything, a holy, righteous life is the result, and it's lived out in freedom and joy.

Amen? Let me say it again. When the grace of God working in my heart, and the truth of God, which is the revealed will of God, comes to a surrendered heart that is willing to do anything, those two coming together with that surrendered heart produces a holy and a righteous life.

The life of Jesus, if I may say that. The life of Jesus. This is the Christian life as John describes it. Then John goes on to describe the Christian life again in John chapter 3. Let's turn over there.

The New Birth and a Totally New Life

And he describes the Christian life in John chapter 3 as a totally new life. A totally new life. Nicodemus was a religious man. He was a very sincere man. And he was wanting what was right. And he wanted all that he could have.

And I believe he got the idea. Oh, I'm a Pharisee. I've got lots of things in order. I'm at the top of this religious class of these Jews. I'm a teacher in Israel. I'm a very wise man. I have many, many things that are right.

But I hear there's a new teacher on the scene named Jesus. And he's doing miracles. And I want to go see what I can learn from him. Maybe he can give me some more insight. Maybe I can get some more understanding.

Maybe I can get some more right things that I can do. And so Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. And he's probably thinking, I have what is right. But I'm going to add to that which I have which is right.

And get what I can get from this new teacher. Jesus really stretched Nicodemus. He stretched his religious heart when he said to him, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now, that must have been a real shock to this religious man.

He probably thought he is seeing the kingdom of God. He probably thought he is part of the kingdom of God. He probably thought, I know exactly what the kingdom of God is. And here is this new teacher working all these miracles.

And he says to me, Except a man be born again, he cannot even see the kingdom of God. Jesus answered and said unto him, chapter 3, verse 3, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

And Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? He is scratching his head. These are new thoughts. He doesn't know what to do with that.

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again, Nicodemus. A teacher with a whole bunch of new things to say, Nicodemus. I come presenting to you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.

What? Nicodemus must have thought, What? What is this? Born again? Yes, Nicodemus. Born again? Born again? Yes, Nicodemus. Born from above. Born again? Yes, Nicodemus. Born by the Spirit of God. Born again?

Yes, Nicodemus. Born of God. Young people, Born alive, Amen? Except you be born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. The Apostle John is describing this Christian life, and he describes it as a totally new life, young people.

A new birth. It is not something that you add on to what you already have. It is a totally new life. It is not some new words that you will get from the latest teacher, that you can tack on to what you already have.

It is a totally new life. It's a transformation from the inside to the outside, Nicodemus. And I say, young people, that is exactly what it is. It is a transformation from the inside to the outside. Except a man be born again.

Born anew by the Spirit of God. Regenerated by the power of God. Given a new heart, like Ezekiel says. He cannot even begin to see the kingdom of God. It is impossible. You need a new heart, young people.

You need a new heart. Which will give you new eyes. Which will let you see a new kingdom that you never saw before. And I don't know where you are at this morning. You know, I don't know. You come here, there are many of you.

You may be wandering around in Christendom, trying to figure out what everybody else is talking about. And be born again. You can't figure this thing out. I'm telling you. You can't. It's impossible. I remember when I got converted 31 years ago.

I mean, God turned the light on. God turned the light on. And all of a sudden, I could see. It was like from one day to the next, you know. University student, trying to figure it all out. Who am I? What is life, you know?

Floating around up here in all kinds of philosophical ideas, which they pump your head full of in the universities today. And all of a sudden, from one day to the next, I got born again by the Spirit of God.

God gave me a new heart. Transformed me completely. And just like that, I could see. Ah! Now I understand what life is all about. Now I know what all them young people are searching for. It's God! Young people, this is the Christian life.

It is a totally new life. But as we will see all the way through the week, it is an ever-expanding life. Being born again is only the beginning. It's an ever-expanding life. And you'll never get done all the days of your life, you know.

I thought about it yesterday and the day before as I was preparing, you know. 31 years I'm on this road and it doesn't change, young people. God just keeps on drawing me onward. God just keeps on dealing with me more deeply.

Making me face radical issues in my own life. It never changes. 31 years. Hallelujah! It's an adventure. I wonder, have you laid the foundation? As you come to Bible school, have you laid the foundation?

Have you been born again? Or did you set out to do better? Did you choose to do what Christians do? And maybe for some of you who feel like you really made a mess of the whole thing, you know, it's a chance to start all over.