The Family Business: Sermon Summary 11/5/2023

Welcome to My Father's House Fellowship. Today, we embark on a journey back to "The Good News" of John. We'll dive deep into the subject of judgment, let us first head to the book of Acts, specifically Acts 17:30-32.

"In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead. When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” Just as our liver filters more than a liter of blood every minute, let the "Good News" be your filter for understanding the topic of judgment. Applying the "Good News Filter" to the Topic of Judgment When we talk about judgment, it's important to understand the context. In the church, when we hear the word “WORLD”, it usually refers to sinners outside the church. "Love not the world" means not to love what all those sinners love such as drinking, cussing, and wild living. However, the word “WORLD” is translated from three Greek words. Understanding these translations can help us better understand the scripture.

Understanding the Greek Translations The first Greek word is “kosmos”, meaning "The Earth" or "The Whole Earth". For example, in Matthew 16:26, when it says, “What profit... gain the world... lose own soul?”, it means this physical earth. If you gain everything in this world but lack purpose, you gain nothing. Many people have lots of stuff but lack stability and direction in their lives.

The second Greek word is “oikumene”, meaning "inhabited world that matters to the hearers". For instance, in Luke 2:1, “...went out a decree from Caesar that all the world should be taxed.”, it refers to the world as we know it. Caesar, of course, couldn't tax North America.

The third Greek word is “ion”, meaning "a period of time; age". In Matthew 24:3, the disciples are not asking when is the world coming to an end, but when will this period of time end. They were asking Jesus when this period of time that he had been talking about was going to end and a new one was going to start. Romans 12:2 also references this term, urging us not to conform to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The Judgement of God In John 5:19-23, we find an incredible truth: "Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son". According to this verse, Father God judges no one. If the Father isn't in the judgment business, is His Son? If we re-read John 5:19, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” It becomes clear that if Jesus only does what the Father does, then Jesus is also not in the judgment business. We will talk more about this truth. What a relief! With God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, we only have the Good News! Next week, we will continue this exploration into John, specifically John 5:22,23. Stay tuned and remember, let the "Good News" be your filter!