Assured Because of Your Love of the Father

Today on Summit life Judy Greer talks about an important test of our fate. Maybe you will know God is your experience with God is not been genuine, because even if you're very religious. If this has not occurred in your heart this test. This is so foundational you'll pass this test.

It indicates that something in you may have never actually encountered and that God Summit life after author and theologian Jamie Greer.

As always, I'm your host Molly benefits in Matthew chapter 7 Jesus makes it clear that it's possible to call yourself a Christian and believe all the right things and do the right stuff without ever truly being saved.

Jesus even says that it's possible to prophesy and cast out demons and do mighty works in his name without truly recognizing him. So how do we know where we stand with the difference between knowing about Jesus and truly knowing him yesterday he answers that question for us today with a message titled short because of your love of the father we are in week number four of the series that we are calling assured assured knowing for sure that you are saved and how first John speaks to that my purpose in this series has been to help you find the assurance of salvation for at least a couple of reasons. The first is that I am concerned about a lot of people, even people here at our church to tell me that they are assured of their salvation on the basis of a prayer that they prayed that somebody told them they would pray this prayer or go to this ritual that would punch their ticket for heaven and guarantee them that they would go to heaven when they die and so that you know they they asked Jesus to come another Harley got bow ties in with the confirmation. Whatever it was your traditionalism, the Bible, not one time ever says that because your prayer prayer you're guaranteed heaven once.

If there's one thing that lays hold of salvation, and that is a genuine relationship with God that begins with repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ, and so I have wanted to do this series to help you understand exactly what those things are and know for sure if you've done you can express repentance and faith in a prayer that is true, but do not equate a sinner's prayer with repentance and faith because it is possible for you to pray the prayer without actually repenting and believing it's also possible for you to repent and believe about praying the formal prayer.

So that's one reason that I wanted to do this. The other reason is because I know that until you find assurance your spiritual life is never going to take off. I knew that from experience you will never be able to go to Great Lakes for God, you are assured of where you stand with God assurance is the fuel for everything else in the Christian life anything about it.

How will you ever give away your self for the kingdom of God until you know that you possess a God who is worth more than anything else you would give up right you give everything away for Jesus, and you know that the Jesus you give it away for is actually worth, and that he belongs to you.

The established church of Martin Luther, the reformers day believed that the future if you gave people the assurance of their salvation, then that would take away their motivation for obedience. But because because what God did as he dangled heaven on front of us like a carrot you want to go here and avoid hell better outright. If you remove that character you move the threat of helping people get lazy spiritually. Martin Luther labeled this correctly, the damnable doctrine of doubt, the damnable doctrine of doubt. He said it is true that if you coerce someone's behavior by threats of punishment, you can coerce their behavior, but you will never captivate their art and God does not want people who simply obey him because they're afraid of what you will do to them. You want people who will obey him because they love him and the way that you produce love for God and somebody is not by threatening them with punishment. What you produce that is by showing them God's great love for them love for God grows in the assurance of the love of God, by the way we settle that he's according first John we love him because because why first John says why we love him because he threatens us with how if we don't, because he promises to withhold blessing if we don't do it know we love him because he first loved us.

And so I want you to have the assurance of where you stand with God because I know that your spiritual lives will never take off until you are assured of where you stand with God you never to give everything away so you know that you possess the greatest treasure the universe. God loves you. You understand that you love somebody you want them to know where you stand with them throughout this book of first John, you might've noticed this.

John always refers to the believers as little children, you see it again today and attach her to look at little children children the first week that a good father doesn't want his children to be unsure of where they stand with them. The only way that love for me will grow my children is when they are assured of where they stand with me when there are assured of their love for me. You have a heavenly father who feels about you 10,000 times more than I feel about my children.

I'd never want my children to feel lonely, I never want them to feel like orphans when they are hurt when they are broken. I want them to know they can count on me and depend on me and that I'm close to them. You heavenly father who is crazy about you and is always watching over you sees everything that you go through and the last thing many with everyone is for you to doubt where you stand with him. So 100,000 times yes God wants you to know because it is the knowledge of your assurance that gives you the capacity to actually go places with him to first John what he does is he gives you a series of ways of knowing that you are safe tests if you will that will prove that your experience with God is genuine and today were to become the one that is so fundamental, so foundational that this test is not true. You will pass this test and there is something seriously wrong down in your heart and it might indicate that though you have been in church for a long time, and though you have considered yourself a very religious person. Maybe you don't know God at all. Maybe your experience with God is not been genuine, because even if you're very religious. If this has not occurred in your heart. If this test. This is so foundational you'll pass this test. It indicates that something in you may have never actually encountered and that God here is first John chapter 2 verse 15 do not love the world or the things in the world I want to choose your statement of diagnosis never ever in the Bible confuse diagnosis with prescription diagnosis.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him.

That's a description. If anyone loves the world that shows the love of the father is not really in him for all that is in the world. The desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life is not from the father but is from the world. Now, first let me note for you and discuss the confusing nature at least of the first part of this verse do not love the world. If you been around here for any length of time you may have noticed that the mission statement of the seven churches love God, love each other.

Love the work will think you're like did you forget first John 215, you said that.

Or how about John 316 for God so loved the world, was God confused.

Was God schizophrenic was he like you I love you that I hate you and any discomfort which really loved the world what is going on with.

By the late veteran of the same altered John 316 and first John 250 is John schizophrenic. Both of them love the world got to love the world so let's first talk about what that statement does not mean right when he says do not love the world, he is not saying that Christians should not love.

First of all, the created order as it is in Christians hate earthly pleasures and the only love spiritual things.

A lot of Christians who thought best thing you think about heaven is sitting on a cloud somewhere in your diaper scrubbing alarm and that the closer you get to God the less you care about things in the world is turning to us and ascetic who doesn't enjoy material blessings like plain food you don't like fashion. You don't like vacations you would just rather sit around in a library and read a checkbooks but God created the world and when God created order. Look at his creation. He know what he said what he say this is a huge distraction know he said this is God created the world to be enjoyed when Jesus was here. Did you know they call Jesus a glutton and a McCormick truck. Now those resource because he was neither of those but it did point to the fact that he enjoyed a good meal if you read the book of Luke, you will find that in Luke, Jesus is always either going to a meal or coming from a meal seriously that the guy could meal so it shows you that that's not what he's talking about. It glorifies God. When you enjoy great music you enjoy a nice vacation glorifies God when you enjoyed Angus barn state.

That's why you created a man you're listening to a message titled because of your love of the father here on Summit life with Judy Greer really doing is teaching in just a moment that I wanted to tell you about a daily email devotional from Pastor Jamie delivered straight to your use encouragement first thing in the morning to remind us of God (many are looking to establish daily routine of spending time with God. We got the perfect free resource for you. These daily devotionals follow along with our current teaching here on the program you can stay plugged in. Regardless of your schedule, make the decision to carve out time with the Lord each day by reading and studying with here at Summit life sign up for this free resource. Right now Judy Greer.com/resources Jane are our.com/resources balance return for the conclusion of today's message. Once again, love not the world.

Secondly, does not mean that you hate the economic or social structures of our society is if you're a Christian, you just hate all government all big business music industry, Hollywood just as a matter of principle. A lot of Christians you thought that it got.

We were taught that because God hated the world like that we should go into Christian versions of those things will go into business or politics, but don't Christian version of that Christian music industry Christian arts Christian businesses because God hates all the succulents that's not what he's talking about the third thing. Love not the world does not mean that you hate culture that you hate culture. When I grew up this verse was often interpreted to mean that you shouldn't listen to rock music because rock music was worldly, even if you put Christian words to it. It was still the devil's music because the devil owns a drum set that is instrument anybody resonate with us anybody else for this when I grew up. That's the guy what I was told that Christian rock music was was like serving a T-bone steak on a plate of manure is what it was like nobody that was only me right, I was told I was told there ought to be a difference in the world's music in the church's music, but that's the devil's music Jesus like southern gospel. That's what he likes, sometimes bluegrass but you really like southern gospel.

We were 2+ we play rock music from flower to flower girls away from it. Glass music grows toward your darling girl. I got it we had to avoid worldly dress styles listen.

Christian guys should look different reward ties we will have short hair, no peers. Never ever ever would. We should we get tattooed or pierced supposed to look completely different. Different anybody. Come on out about this resonate more with you and Robert miss out under many of you did a song for you not if your hair is too long there sin in your hearts anybody you cannot make that stuff out. You cannot make that up, get it cut today make a brand-new start we had the songs girls. Believe it or not have even more so we did had to wear those denim jumpers and culottes which are basically like a bell bottom pants that stopped right below the knees, a friend of mine got expelled from our school because her bathing suit had a hole in the knee.

I that's a joke, but refundable treatment. Christians are supposed to look different.

Just look at us as we have the world styles this not what it means here. It doesn't mean that you hate the people of the world. Sadly, I've known a lot of Christians who felt that they were being godly may express their hatred or their disguised toward non-Christians. But that's not what he means because John 316 God so loved the world that he gave his son. You don't give your most precious thing for something that you hate you John 317, God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world through him might be saved. When you're walking with God you don't have hatred and disgust toward the world around you. You have such an intense love for you would be willing to offer your most precious thing to see it say what God did that what it not means.

What does it mean what does it mean to do not love the world is what he means he means the world as it is already in rebellion against God. That's what he needs do not love the world as it is arrayed in its rebellion against God. He defines his own meeting in the next verse to look at verse 16 for all that is in the world. That is, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the odds and the pride of life is not of the father. It is of the world.

So that's what he means now occurs several times in a little phraseology is the word last word. Last is one that you really need to know because it occurs several times in the New Testament and it is core to understanding what sin actually is. When you see the word last you automatically think sex and it certainly can apply to sex, but it means much more than that. Lust is the Greek word for through media epithelia and what it means is a craving or a desire that is taken on too much weight in your life is a craving that is taken on so much weight that it begins to dominate your emotions and begins to dictate your behavior by that's what it epithelia is applied to a lot more than sex and diagnosis go through that list.

He gave it out help you hopefully see little bit but what it means the lust of the flesh.

That's when some good thing God has created for the flesh become so important to you that you either feel like you could not be happy without it, or it takes on such an important role in your life that you are willing to disobey the laws of God to get it to say for example the example, sex, sex is a good creation of God, and ought to be greatly enjoyed in the way that God designed it to be enjoyed but when you say I am going to have it or I want to have it regardless of whether or not I do it according to God's designs. I want to do it in my way. I want to have it when I once it's that is worldly when you treat sex like it is an ultimate thing that it is something that defines the good life and you have to have it at all costs. At that point it has become what he is talking about the lust of the flesh. Our culture has an obsession with sex. Can we agree on that.

You see it in him and how it advertises everything I for the life of me cannot figure out what sex has to do with the Go Daddy website that I told you before, it seems like every magazine in the supermarket rock is trying to sell itself promising be some way that I can have great sex by by this magazine. Your 10 ways to make your man holler. 30 ways to shake your bed across the floors is on the front of the magazines of told you got nothing to do with relationships, notices no field extreme how to get your woman in a blind person but I got you out of even know what you're talking about you when you say that I was at Walmart in the day and stand in line and a look around the corner my eye and I see one of these magazines and there is just like you know five ways to make your man scream or something and I just might my seven-year-old was one of the most observant people about things that I want her to observe and not observant about things that I do want her to observe and she stated and also in her eyes get really big, and she's looking a direction is to look at what that says. And I was like the look. Just don't look she's gonna ignored and still get distracted by something we can just move on which you would like to check that look as her files and technologists are turned over a look which is that when the magazine she pointed behind the magazine.

It's the Walmart slogan that says save money.

Live better. She's got dad know God better and sink your headthank you Jesus thank you Jesus save for another year there is there is an obsession with sex that is worldly, the way our culture teaches girls to dress so that it highlights their sexuality and flaunts their sexuality is worldly lesson. I got three daughters. They are growing up. I know that I'm going to deal with this a lot in my life and I know what girls tell me now like I was not worldly, fashionable, yeah.

It's in the fashionable world to follow Jesus you going to be unfashionable to the world to be popular with so I you got to decide at some point whether or not you were going to dress in a worldly way whether you address a way to please God do not love the world will love the lust of the flesh. Don't celebrate them as ultimate faith is like defining things way the world does because if you do the will of the fathers missing from your life.

Decide when the lust of the eyes. Lust of the eye. That's when you see something good in the world become so important that you thought there's no way that your life to be happy without that thing, but I like to present the money, the lust of the IGC's money or something of money could buy you could imagine your life you happy without that level of income or that possession is that lead you to jealousy of those people who have that thing and you don't and resentment that leads you to listen unwise poor decisions in pursuit of that thing to give you an example of you going to credit card debt lust of the eyes is usually what drives credit card debt.

I really want that so I'm going to have to go into debt. Even though I know it's an unwise decision that I can possess that thing that I can imagine a person like me are a family like my living at that level not, Carla and I got a house you get all crazy and that overworking. That's one. That's one that I really struggle with because I'm always like, hey, if I did this I can make a little extra me here to fight you designate as every year the siding God spoke to me this week in my top God. Proverbs 23 four was in my mind my reading do not overwork to acquire wealth. Be wise enough to desist and was I to say someone I gotta turn it off because I'm not be wise enough to know that what is driving me is the lust of the eyes with Mike. I really like to be able to afford that and is making me make unwise decisions about myself might help my family, my job just drives me. Many of you are in the exact same way because you're driven by the lust of the eyes.

You make unwise decisions like not hiding or giving generously. If you put yourself in a financial situation where you cannot give generously, chances are you been driven by the lust of the eyes. That's how you got into that situation you I will be discounting their some of you understand that are very dire straits for there's a lot of us that put ourselves in a position or about to put ourselves in a position making decisions now that Portis and places the cars we drive in the house we live in that that are going to take away our ability to obey God by giving away at least 10% of his work unwise decisions driven by the lust of the eyes when you can sacrifice something God tells you to sacrifice you save so much money is rewarded about a rainy day that you don't give God to give to him has been describing how you can know absolute certainty right now whether or not your saved your listening to Senate life. The Bible teaching ministry of pastor, author and theologian Katie Greer for more resources on this topic of assurance. Be sure to check out Katie Greer.com Pastor Jenny.

Something to think of the gospel as this one time event that occurs at conversion, but what we've been learning about this month is that that's a really shallow view of it. It's so much more right you know all the Bible writers, particularly the New Testament ones show you that the gospel is not just the way that you begin the Christian life.

It's also the way that you grow in the Christian life as a major theme for us here at Summit life is that is that it's by going deeper into the gospel that you grow more alive in Christ. The gospel is the one thing one thing that is directly referred to as the power of God other than Jesus Christ himself.

The gospel is the only thing that's called the power of God more of the gospel. You have deep in your heart the more alive that you become in Christ. And so this month Molly, we are offering a resource of video-based curriculum that I created called gospel that that will will will take you deeper into what that means, like what is it mean to say the gospel. Consider how do you go deeper into the gospel Bible study kit. That's what you'll you'll you'll get.

It has two DVDs five study guides so that you complete that the study with others, and a copy of the book called gospel. So it's like it. Missing is an incredible package and I think it will really help you both felt with yourself, your family and them with other people that that God put you in the last influence really excited recommend this disco JD Greer.com thanks Katie. The main objective of this Bible study help. You simply buy in Jesus when you're captivated by the love of Christ.

The natural results are patient, generosity, self-control, kindness your study guide kit today supports Senate life with generous financial Call 866-335-5220 863-3520 or give online JD Greer.com you can also write to us and request this newest resource are addressed in your ministry. PO Box 12293, Durham Carolina 277 09 I Molly intervention Lincoln you want to join us tomorrow when pastor Katie idolatry trying to get join us Friday on Summit my ministry