Source : This video appears on Dan Hait's YouTube channel

Caused some interesting exchanges.... 

On what and who do I rely for my recovery?

1 John 2:18-27  (NRSV)

¹⁸ Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. From this we know that it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But by going out they made it plain that none of them belongs to us. ²⁰ But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and all of you have knowledge.^{[a] 21} I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and you know that no lie comes from the truth. ²² Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?^[b] This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. ²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also. ²⁴ Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ And this is what he has promised us,^[c] eternal life.

²⁶ I write these things to you concerning those who would deceive you. ²⁷ As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.^[d]

Footnotes:

1. 1 John 2:20 Other ancient authorities read you know all things
2. 1 John 2:22 Or the Messiah
3. 1 John 2:25 Other ancient authorities read you
4. 1 John 2:27 Or it

It is essential to understand the Truth in the life of recovery as it is revealed in the bible through the life and teachings of Jesus of the Nazareth sermon (Luke 4: 16-30). There are many recovery programmes available for people. Each attempts the recovery of some specific aspect of human life by addressing human needs from a specific view of the world. Some are political and seek to use power flows within society to change human life experience; other approaches maybe economic, sociological, psychological, and environmental. Some try and use them all at once! Recovery is in these approaches presented as a recovery of power, wealth, relationships, mental health and environmental protection and restoration. Each reduces the person to a singularity or combination these to form recoveries from undesirable life experiences: we become defined and redefined as our nationality, minds, relationships or the depth of our pockets and sadly our addictions. We are presented as free and independent and in a position to choose what is true about ourselves.  

The bible presents a very different story of recovery. The recovery is not of national, political, economic, psychological or relational independence; it presents a story of the recovery of our identity as God always had intended our interdependence on each other and dependence on God. We are not ‘radically free to choose’. We may be situationally free but even then our freedom is defined and activated under the invisible forces at work in our society and relationships.  It’s therefore possible to be wealthy, healthy and all the rest but be addicted to a cycle of life controlling issues that results in the lived experience of alienation. Social scientists call it Hegemony.  We appear free on the surface but we are really acting out our part in a predetermined story.  How many times do we hear of so called successful people, greedily grasping for more or ending their wealthy lives prematurely because in the end analysis they found meaninglessness in the midst of plenty?

Disciples of Jesus at risk of substituting a ‘cultural form’ of recovery for a Christ centred biblical one. Often a change of government, job or life partner is presented as the ‘recovery’ we need.  The ‘if only’ choices are substituted for explaining our deep rooted dilemmas. If only I had a new job, more money, a change in political party; if only I hadn’t got that loan, or husband, things would be different. If only I hadn’t taken that first drink?

Sadly, some people even hear and experience the bible based, Jesus centred Truth of recovery but get overwhelmed with other views of the world and of their lives. They substitute a view of addiction and life controlling issues that continues to meet their needs their own way. These cultural substitutes seem progressive and desirable but they displace the Christ centred view of life controlling issues.   This was John’s experience in the passage we are reflecting on. Recovery is ‘True’ when we recover the identity that God created us for. We don’t recover from alcohol addiction as if it’s a bad head cold; we struggle with addiction.  Addiction is a dangerous living enemy that seeks to destroy us. However, the biblical story reveals that this enemy is defeated already. To access my part in the story of ‘overcoming  life controlling issues’ I have to accept the story of explanation revealed by Jesus of the Nazareth sermon.  He deals with the power, relationships, mental states, economics and environment through His life, substitutionary death and His resurrection.  These are the acts of reconciliation and recovery of who God created us to be. We are identified by our relationship with God as revealed in Jesus of the Nazareth Sermon. God chooses us in His Son Jesus. God in Christ creates the ‘Radical Freedom’ where we situationally appear to choose Him but the story is clear in the bible; God has chosen us in His Son Jesus.  

The question is this, will we exercise the ‘situational choice’ made possible by the radical action of God in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, in order to meet our needs and those of our neighbours God’s way?  The alternative is to substitute the biblical story of promise, hope and recovery for that which will lead us into an ever deepening cycle of addiction and hopelessness. John has some challenging words for us…

‘No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you.’ … ‘I write these things to you concerning those who would deceive you. As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.’

On what and who do I rely for my recovery?   

1 John 2:15-17 (NRSV)

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; ¹⁶ for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ And the world and its desire^[a] are passing away, but those who do the will of God live for ever.

Footnotes:

1. 1 John 2:17 Or the desire for it

Truth in recovery centres round refocussing our love from meeting our needs our own way (the love of the world) to loving God and meeting our needs His way.  Life controlling issues are fed by the love of the ‘secondary means’ that are utilised to inappropriately meet human need. For example, Joan tells her story; ‘We all need to feel safe and secure. However I feel a dread that something terrible is going to happen. I don’t know what is going to happen but I feel it and it’s terrible. In fact, my fear is making me short tempered with people, miss days at work and sometimes I can’t get out of bed in the morning. I’m exhausted. The only time the feeling seems to pass is when I have a bottle of beer (or two!). I do love a beer. I can’t seem to miss a day without it and to be fully honest I am drinking several times a day now. It’s not that I’m drunk; I am dependant, reliant but it’s the only way to control these fearful feelings’. Here we see the life controlling issue of fear being controlled by the use of alcohol. The need for safety and security is a perfectly ordinary and healthy need. It’s how God made us. But in Joan’s example it’s not the human need for safety and security that is being met it’s the ‘cycle of fear’ leading to dependence behaviours and a spiral of addiction. We all know where this leads. We all have this tendency to ‘love the world’ in a useless attempt to meet our needs but instead it fuels our fears and cycle of destructive dependency. We all have our own ways of expressing:  ‘the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches’. These solutions are only temporary they soon fade away and turn into yet another issue that swamps us leading to more anxiety and guilt. Why does God allow it? He doesn’t! God wants us to meet our needs the way He designed us to meet them. God’s will for us has been put together in a step by step programme called Celebrate Recovery (Road to Recovery By Rick Warren, Celebrate Recovery Bible, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2007.).  The promise is that by meeting our needs God’s way our addictive cycle will be replaced by the Celebration of the recovered identity of who God created us to be. The eight principles of recovery come from Matthew Chapter 5: 1-12.

1. Realise I’m not God. I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.

“Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor.” (Matthew 5:3)

2. Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover.

“Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

3. Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. “Happy are the meek.” (Matthew 5:5)

4. Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust. “Happy are the pure in heart.” (Matthew 5:8)

5. Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.

“Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires.” (Matthew 5:6)

         

6.      Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.

“Happy are the merciful.” (Matthew 5:7), “Happy are the peacemakers.” (Matthew 5:9)

        

7. Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.

        

8.      Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words.  

“Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.” (Matthew 5:10)

(Road to Recovery by Rick Warren, Celebrate Recovery Bible, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2007, page xiii).

Last word on the Truth in recovery goes to John…

   ‘the world and its desire^[a]are passing away, but those who do the will of God live for ever.’

I am writing to you...

1 John 2:12-14 (NRSV)

¹² I am writing to you, little children,
    because your sins are forgiven on account of his name. ¹³ I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young people,
    because you have conquered the evil one. ¹⁴ I write to you, children,
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young people,
    because you are strong
    and the word of God abides in you,
        and you have overcome the evil one.

The Truth in the life of recovery is experienced progressively. We don’t arrive all at once in recovery. It’s a road, a journey towards home. At different stages we experience our recovery in different ways. John links these developmental recovery processes to the lived experiences of age groups within a family; little children, young people and fathers. We don’t need to be too hung up on the fact that old people or women are not overtly mentioned. That would be to miss the point. We grow into our identity as disciples as we come to know Jesus of the Nazareth Sermon more. That’s the point. Recovery takes time, learning, experience, persistence and a secure environment to be nurtured within. Our first experience of recovery is the forgiveness of God and is to realise this is the very nature of our God: in Micah 7:18 we read:

 ‘Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.’ (NLT). 

God as revealed in the Old and New Testaments is, always has been and always will be a forgiving, reconciling God. In Jerimiah 29:11 God speaking to Israel says:

‘For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’ (NLT).  This is the character of God.

This Hope is fully revealed in Jesus.  In Hebrews 1: 1-4 we read:

 ‘1.Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. 3. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honour at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 4. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.’ (NLT)

Our experience of success over our life controlling problems is an experience of liberation and an experience of the Divine both in equal measure. The dark powers that caught us in the cycle of addiction are defeated.  This realisation and internalisation of the story of liberation contained in the bible is the food and nurturance that ensures our continued development, strength and growth. In our passage from 1 John, John emphases the importance of a lifelong, developmental, community based approach as central to the continued, ongoing and progressive recovery of the people who God planned and created us to be.   

Whoever loves a brother or sister...

1 John 2:7-11 (NRSV)

⁷ Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. ⁸ Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because^[a] the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. ⁹ Whoever says, ‘I am in the light’, while hating a brother or sister,^[b] is still in the darkness. ¹⁰ Whoever loves a brother or sister^[c] lives in the light, and in such a person^[d] there is no cause for stumbling. ¹¹ But whoever hates another believer^[e] is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness.

The practice of Truth in recovery has one overarching and at the same time underpinning principle; Love. Love is the transformative and recreating power of God in the midst of the destructive and dark powers of hate. Love is the vehicle through which God invites us to participate with Him in the New Creation. God invites us to enter the long journey towards home by participating in the culture of home in the here and now. Love is a practice not a fickle feeling.  So let’s get practical, how can we live lives of Love? There are many places in the story of Jesus we might turn but we can describe some basic practices as a starting point and as a good beginning on our journey of the recovery of our mutual home.  The story of Jesus, His teaching and practice provides us with an example to provide ‘a safe place to be’. Jesus created a community where people belonged before they believed; the disciples were a rag tag bunch of diverse people including: women and men, working people and as time passed, reformed Tax Collectors, Pharisees, Roman soldiers and some rich people (Jesus said the rich found His way of being in the world very difficult to accept). The community of disciples was that safe place to be in a dangerous world. Christian disciples surely will advocate for and as far as is possible, provide for all people, a safe place to be at home. This is the community of disciples; ‘a roof over all our heads’. Jesus was a healer; He treated the sick, the unhealthy, those He knew and those He did not know, those in His community and those from other cultures including the so called ‘untouchables’. Health care for all is the Love principle taught through the life example of Jesus.   Knowledge and learning was a key characteristic of Jesus life. Jesus was a teacher and He provided education for all not just the elite and powerful. This was Jesus life practice. He taught a lifelong learning approach that addressed the real questions affecting the lives of people with authority and with compassion.  As a community of disciples we should support and supply, high quality, inclusive, lifelong education for all people no matter their background. Jesus, in His first sermon, clearly stated that He was the living example of good news for the poor. Now we can get all spiritual and say that there will be ‘no poverty in heaven’ (Yawn!). What a total waste of life and opportunity that would be; postponing till after we are all dead, the life-giving Love of Jesus. A community of disciples will be committed to, as far as it depends on them, economic relationships that are inclusive and that all people have a fair share in the wealth that God has provided humanity in this present world. Surely, our Love should be expressed for each other through contributing to the social, financial and material wellbeing of our community through meaningful occupation and work that pays. Jesus was in the building trade and His close friends were fishermen, homemakers, trades people, professional classes and so we could go on. Unemployment, underemployment and poverty pay are the opposite of Jesus teaching. For those who are not in the position to support themselves? Jesus fed them, treated their illness, provided care and taught His disciples to do the same.  When Jesus fed 5000 He fed them all, not just the believers. Jesus was a peace-maker. The disciples of Jesus make peace because the cause and practice of war are the powers that rage against God’s good creation.   Jesus addressed the real needs of people and described His approach as Love.  Leaving, silencing, and ignoring people in poverty in all its mutations (financial, health, housing, energy, social exclusion, sexism, racism, environment, educational, peace; you can add to the list!) with no security and no hope is the opposite of Christian values, attitudes, beliefs and practices.  These practices of inclusion and interdependence are the expression of the values that people are loved by God and should be loved by those who love God. People, all people matter! The love of Jesus provides the social inclusion of: a safe place to be, the opportunity for education, health care, ongoing security for the vulnerable and work that pays. In the practice of ‘Truth in the life of recovery’ we will see the practical care and support that will ensure our journey towards home is valuing, Christ like and leaves nobody behind.         

This is the assurance that we are disciples of Jesus...

1 John 2:3-6 (NRSV)

³ Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. ⁴ Whoever says, ‘I have come to know him’, but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; ⁵ but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: ⁶ whoever says, ‘I abide in him’, ought to walk just as he walked.

The story of Jesus has been told in many ways; His life, death and resurrection have been used by many different interest groups to justify their own values, attitudes, beliefs and actions in the living out of their own world view. These world views are superimposed on the story of Jesus like a type of lens through which a Jesus focussed on meeting the interest groups perceived needs emerges. The disciple of Jesus has a constant struggle to search for the authentic Jesus of the bible and what He taught, practiced and called His disciples to live out in their lives. In our press here in the UK over the past few days there has been a story running about the certain groups holding and promoting Anti-Semitic values and practices. These views and practices are the exact opposite of what Jesus valued, His life practices demonstrated and what He taught. No disciple of Jesus can be faithful to Him while at the same time practice hatred towards the Jewish people (or any other people for that matter). Racism is an addictive, life controlling, life destroying issue and requires repentance, the sincere seeking of forgiveness, the making of amends, a life commitment to the promotion and practice of inclusion and the Christ like valuing of all human life unconditionally.   This Truth is taught by John in today’s readings. The practice of the Truth in the life of recovery is outlined as: we know Jesus and the recovery of who God has created us to be if we ‘keep his commandments’ (see Matthew 22: 34-40). There is no other Truth. Any alternative telling of Jesus values, attitudes, beliefs are described by John as lies. There is no Christian Truth: values, attitudes, beliefs and practices based on anything other than this foundational principle that Jesus taught the love of God and love of our neighbours. ‘…whoever says, ‘I abide in him’, ought to walk just as he walked’ expresses this Truth perfectly.

In John 10: 11-18 we read Jesus words:

¹¹ ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes^[a] it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.’

Here Jesus deploys a well-used metaphor / symbol for God in Hebrew thought that of ‘Shepherd’ and applies it to Himself. In the story, Jesus describes two flocks; His primary audience the Hebrew people (14) and another flock (16) both belong to Jesus and in the end form one flock with one shepherd; Jesus. The second flock is the non-Hebrew people. Both together, all of humanity invited to share in the joy and security of being one people; one humanity. The Truth in the life of the recovery of people who God created us to be is this; we have been created and reconciled into one family in all our rich diversity in and through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. This is the Good News of how Jesus walked this earth.  ‘…whoever says, ‘I abide in him’, ought to walk just as he walked’ this is the assurance that we are disciples of Jesus.

We have an advocate...

1 John 2:1-2(NRSV)

2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; ² and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Looking around our lives, communities, nation and international relationships there is a fair question to be asked: ‘is there a truth that can bring unity and peace?’ From our internal lives to our global relationships conflict of interests seems to undermine our best efforts to live lives honouring each other. Having run out of options and trusted solutions we appear to have retreated behind a barrier of self-survival perhaps hoping that tomorrow or some other time will find people in a better place where we will be able to settle our differences peacefully and in mutual respect. Deep down we look forward to a time when our own short comings and those of others might be dealt with in humility and with understanding.  We have been meeting our needs our own way and we are caught in a compulsive cycle that needs a compassionate understanding and empowerment to change. If we were only given the chance to change we too could perhaps offer the same compassion and empowerment to others without judgement. We could begin to let go of our old values, attitudes and beliefs that drive us towards internal and external conflict and embrace a new identity of peacemaker both within ourselves and between each other.  The good news is this; there is a Truth that we can unite around. This Truth will instantaneously free us from condemnation of self and others. It’s not just mutual forgiveness that’s on offer but a way of life that empowers us to live lives of peace-making.  Peace will take time to grow but peace-making can begin immediately. In the cosmic courtroom the Righteous Judge (Heb 12:23) has two opposing testimonies being presented. On the one hand there is the accuser (Zech 3:1, Job 1:9-11), and the defence Advocate, Jesus in our passage above. Jesus has paid the price at the cross for all of us meeting our needs in a compulsive cycle of self-interest. There was enough blood spilt at the cross; there is no need or justification for spilling anymore.  We all stand accused by the powers that rage against peace but we are being given an opportunity to accept and to offer forgiveness and reconciliation. We have an opportunity we thought we would never have to learn a new way of life of peace-making. The Truth is, we can recover the humanity we were always meant live out but it begins by asking for forgiveness and offering forgiveness on the basis that Jesus has made the way of peace-making open to us all. The word disciple means learner; all of Jesus followers are learners but we are also practitioners. As disciples we must faithfully follow Jesus by learning peace-making and practicing peace-making. We cannot be acquitted from the accusers charge without making peace with God and with each other.   

This is the message we have heard from Him...

1 John 1:5-10 NRSV

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; ⁷ but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

What kind of God allows suffering? Is God loving but powerless or perhaps God is all powerful but also spiteful? Or is there some other story to explain our lived reality of anxiety ridden lives of relativism and rejection of God because of the suffering we experience and witness. John is in no doubt about the nature of God that Jesus revealed in His life and teaching. God is light! In Him there is no darkness… The term ‘God is Light’ is explained by John in the prologue to His gospel.

‘1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴ in him was life,^[a] and the life was the light of all people. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. ⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹ The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.^’

Jesus (The Word) is identified as the Redeeming Creator God. This power to create is ‘life’ and ‘light’. God is light; God is life, the source of all life and the force of all that is good. There appears to be another source and force in the world. This is the source of darkness and misery but this force was not and is not strong enough to overcome the light of Jesus and the life He offers all of us.  The true light, which enlightens everyone, is Jesus, His teaching and the offering of Himself for us.

Darkness and human suffering is revealed by John to be simply meeting our needs our own way. You know what I mean. We have a tendency to go about meeting our physical, social, psychological and environmental needs our own way.  This approach to life is universal; we are all caught up in it; the bible refers to it as Sin; darkness; the force that rages against God. It’s hard to argue against meeting our needs our own way as the source of suffering. It’s all around us. Even our attempts at altruism and attempts to make things better seems like adding an ‘Elastoplast to a running sore’. Darkness needs to be overcome with Light. Death has to be overcome with Life; transformation in our life is the evidence that we are disciples of Jesus; that we accept Him as the Creator, Redeeming God who came into the world to bring us life. John is certain about the proof that Jesus is who He claims to be. The proof is that Jesus can transform our lives from darkness into light. John sums it up perfectly…

 ⁹ If we confess our sins (meeting our needs our own way), he who is faithful and just (Jesus) will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (Darkness). ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned (meeting our needs our own way), we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (Therefore, the life of suspicion, doubt, anxiety and darkness will continue)

In John 1: 10-13 we read:

¹⁰ He(Jesus) was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹² But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

This passage reveals who we are created to be ‘children of God’. Today we have an opportunity to recover our true identity and begin celebrating that God is both ‘All Powerful and All Loving’. For this reason we have hope in the new life that Jesus brings and we can begin living lives full of light that will overcome all our darkness and suffering.