View Video Blog, Right Click Link: I John 4:12-13 (Part 2)
No one has ever seen
God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in
him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
THE STUDY:
John writes
throughout in sharp disagreement with the secessionists’ claim they had a
special, esoteric knowledge. But he insisted that he and all true believers in
his community, possessed a definite knowledge of their own: “We know” (ginÅskomen)! And what do Johannine Christians claim to know That “we live (abide) in him” and that God
lives “in us.”
Throughout,
the text keeps grace clearly in view. God initiates, God abides/lives in, and
God brings believers to completion. Christians are not, however, swept along
irresistibly by his grace. We respond by welcoming his Gift.[1]
WHAT WE CAN WALK
AWAY WITH ….
- We walk away this morning with the understanding that by welcoming this gift that God has for us we can have the confidence of knowing we are in Him and He is in us. This is not a one shot, locked in deal! At any time we can walk away from this gift. By the Love that dwells inside and pours from us we can rest assure we are living in Him and He is us!
CONCLUSION:
A four year old was at the pediatrician for a
check-up. As the doctor looked into her ears with an otoscope, he asked,
"Do you think I'll find Big Bird in here?" The little girl stayed
silent. Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He
asked, "Do you think I'll find the Cookie Monster down there?" Again,
the little girl was silent.
Then the doctor put a stethoscope
to her chest. As he listened to her heart beat, he asked, "Do you think
I'll hear Barney in there?"
"Oh, no!" the little girl replied. "Jesus is in my heart.
Barney's on my underpants."
If a doctor was
to do a CAT scan of your heart today what would they find: Jesus or someone
else? Believe it or not, claiming to be a Christian, people are doing CAT scans
on you every minute of the day. Let them see Jesus today! Show them who you are
made of!
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
[1]
Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3
John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary
(146). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.
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