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Read 1 John 2:27-29
Are you in a relationship with God?
When someone becomes a Christian, when someone puts their faith, trust, in Jesus Christ and professes Jesus to be the one true God, then Christ is walking with them. How? Jesus is 100% God and 100% Man at the same time all the time. He is perfect, sinless, and true. He actually lived, He was actually born and He actually died on the cross for the sins of those who believe in Him. God has revealed Himself to humanity, His creation, in four distinct ways, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, One God, Three persons. The fourth way of revelation is through His Holy word, the full and complete Holy Bible.
God is living. God is saving. God is real. When you profess your faith in God, He becomes indwelled with you through the person of the Holy Spirit. When you confess His truth you are saved from your sin and from eternal separation/ judgement from God.
“In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.”
--Ephesians 1:12-14
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe in Me.”
--John 14:1
“Jesus said to him [Thomas], ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you have known my Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.’”
--John 14:6-7
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth.”
--John 14:15-17
“’I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.’”
--John 14:18-19
The Point: God Desires a relationship with YOU! Let not your hearts be troubled! Know Jesus, stay with Jesus, remain in Jesus, walk with Jesus—He will make you righteous, those who practice righteousness love Jesus.
1. If you believe in Jesus and have a relationship with Him then you are anointed by God for God’s glory.
Verse 27:
That anointing found within the family of God is that of the person of the Holy Spirit, indwelled within God’s children. The Holy Spirit is our helper, our advocate as we read earlier, the same Holy Spirit promised by Jesus Christ—remember, let not your hearts be troubled for I am with you through the person of the Holy Spirit.
John reminds the church here that all right teaching will come from God Himself and through the righteous person who is close to God. You will know God in a greater way the more time you spend getting to know God.
“…and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in Him.”
--1 John 2:27
John isn’t demeaning the pastor, church or bible teacher rather He is telling God’s people to beware of false teaching, focus on your personal relationship with God Himself! Discern everything that you hear from all those who are sinners—all of us! Including myself!
At Enrich life Church we will always point you to God Himself and His Holy Word. We begin our gatherings with the bible, we learn the bible, we discuss the bible, we worship songs that remind us of the bible, God the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Our authority is God Himself, the three persons of God and His Holy Bible. If I don’t point you to God’s word or improperly handle God’s word you need to correct me. Understand that Jesus wants a relationship with you and He is waiting with you, within you and asking you to be with Him
Are you in a relationship with God?
2. You cannot know God if you don’t spend time with Jesus.
Verse 28:
What does a healthy relationship look like?
Imagine if Jesus walked through the door of this place right now—would you know Jesus? Would you recognize Him? Would he recognize you? Would you run up to Jesus in repentance, bowing at His feet, giving Him a huge hug or would you run away in shame because of unrepentant sin and / or because you have never spent time with Him?
Look what John says here: Abide in Jesus. Stay in Jesus. Remain with Jesus. Walk with Jesus.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him.”
--Colossians 1:15-16
Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. Jesus reigns supreme, He is above everything in this world and we know this because Jesus willingly died on the cross and He didn’t stay dead! He came back to life three days later His own power—We will never find Jesus’ bones in the ground because He is alive—Jesus is God and God reigns supreme.
“And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming.”
--1 John 2:28
3. A Life of Righteousness is a Result from a Life in Relationship with God—God Gives Us His Righteousness.
We need to remember that God calls us to live a righteous life—but we cannot reach the ultimate goal of holiness because of our sinful nature. God knows that we cannot be exactly like Him—God knows that we need His help. God is set a part, He is Holy, He is perfect and sinless remember the beginning of 1 John:
“This is the message we have heard form Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.”
--1 John 1:5
Yet, God brings us into Himself and we get to become more like Him day by day. When we mess up, when we sin, when we fall into temptation Jesus forgives us. When we run back to Him and say sorry He is there to remind us of how much we need His love and grace. We need to remember that God doesn’t leave us as orphans, He doesn’t abandon us, He simply calls us to be in a relationship with Him and to give Him glory with our lives.
How do we love God? How do we give Him glory? We obey His commands. We follow Him. We abide in Him. We stay with Him. We walk with Him.
“If you know that He is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him.”
--1 John 2:29
Are you in a relationship with God?
The Holy, One True God of the Universe is calling out to you, and commanding you to come back to Him. The God who died on the cross---the God who walked out of that grave, is giving you eternal life and the chance to be like Him. The same resurrection power that was in Christ in that moment is living in you when you repent and run back to God. This is why a true Christian will look different than the world—they will live for Christ, they will deny their selfish pleasures and become selfless by picking up their cross.
Jesus washed His disciples feet. Jesus fed 5000 plus people. Jesus has given me eternal life. Jesus loves you, Jesus is waiting for you to talk to Him, to listen to Him, to complain to Him and to obey Him. A Christian looks and acts in a different way than the world—they will stand for truth when nobody else will stand, they will wash their enemies’ feet, they will pray for those who persecute them, they will love those the world spits on, and they will do all of this because Christ has given the greatest gift—the gift of salvation.
Are you content in your relationship with God? Do you know how to interact with God? Do you start your day by asking Him to speak to you? Have you asked Him to reveal to you what your spiritual gifts are? Do you listen for Him? Do you read scripture, study scripture and meditate upon scripture?
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
--Psalm 23:1-4
“Keep your eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession be fresh upon your mind. When you waken in the morning look to Him; when you lie down at night look to Him.”
--Charles H. Spurgeon
Pick God. Step in relationship with God. God doesn’t want your actions, your performance and for you to “look” good. God wants to give you His goodness. God wants to make you like Him, full of gentleness, truth, kindness, self-control—He wants you to stand up for His good news, not our weird, politically charged version of His good news. God wants your heart, He wants to be in a relationship with us.
Are you in a relationship with God?
The Point: God Desires a relationship with YOU! Let not your hearts be troubled! Know Jesus, stay with Jesus, remain in Jesus, walk with Jesus—He will make you righteous, those who practice righteousness love Jesus.