Abiding in God's Love

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Ascension Presbyterian Church - Longwood, Florida Rev. Christopher Brenyo "Abiding in God's Love" 1 John 4:12-16  September 29th, 2024

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Please turn in your Bibles to 1st John and chapter 4. We'll be reading verses 7 and following.
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This is God's holy and infallible Word. Beloved, let us love one another for love is born excuse me for love is of God and Everyone who loves is born of God and knows
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God He who does not love does not know God for God is love and This the love of God was manifested
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Toward us that God has sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him
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And this is love not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins
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Beloved if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another
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This next section is our focus today No one has seen
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God at any time If we love one another God abides in us and his love has been perfected in us
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By this we know that we abide in him and he and us because he has given us of his spirit
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And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world whoever confesses that Jesus is the
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Son of God God abides in him and He and God and we have known and believed the love that God has for us
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God is love and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him
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Love has been perfected among us in this That we may have boldness in the day of judgment because as he is
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So are we in this world? There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment
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The he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love him because he first loved us
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May the Lord be pleased with our Consideration of his word, please pray with me now.
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Oh Lord, you want us to love you and to love one another and I pray that this continual
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Pounding of the hammer against the anvil of our hearts would break through and that we would love you
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And express that love for you by loving the brethren. Oh Lord, I pray that you would lay hold of us and never let us go that we might abide in your love
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Even to eternity we ask all this in Jesus name Amen Please be seated.
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I have a couple
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I forgot to mention before we get started if you have a pen free, please add 353 to the communion hymns 353
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It's the last communion hymn should be 353 and while you have your pen
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Write abiding in God's love as the title abiding in God's love first John chapter 4 verses 12 through 16 abiding in God's love
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The theme of the sermon today is seeing
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God through the lens of his Abiding love
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I have two points of outline for those of you who need that to organize your own thinking
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First an answer to the question. How do we see God? How do we see
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God? and then secondly God's love abiding in Us.
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Let's look at our text again. We're considering Verses 12 Through 16 it says no one has seen
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God at any time And you would say maybe an objection we've seen the
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Lord Jesus Christ the Apostle John could say But here
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John is reminding us that the divine essence cannot be seen with human eyes
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We could not see God's presence in his divine essence and live
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But it begs the question then how can we see God? How can we know that he is real?
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How can we in our context know that God loves us? his people
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The answer is found throughout first John Love is the way that we see
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God It says in verse 12 No one has seen God at any time if we love one another
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God abides in us and his love Has been perfected
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Among us if there is a word that you must know in today's message.
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It is abides It is riddled with the word abide
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And of course this abiding means to we've already covered a few times in first John But it must be drilled down into our understanding to stay to remain to not to depart
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Not to leave to continue to be present the communion and love of God has established itself
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Permanently within the soul of the believer and it exerts his power in you
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We cleave and hold fast to God because he cleaves and holds fast to us
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We see God when we see his love We see God at work when we see his love on display
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God abides in us and we'll stop for a moment at the radical nature of that thought
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The divine is so different than us It's so pure. It's so holy but the
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Father the Son and the Holy Spirit have purpose to take up residence in the heart of you his people and He lives with us and he abides with us.
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He stays with us. He remains with us never to depart It's because of this we could say his love has been perfected
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That word Perfected for us we think of sinless perfection. There's no defect
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That's not what the Hebraic idea or certainly the Greek word means It's actually where we get the idea of teleological or the telos of things
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To bring it to an end to complete to reach the end state to achieve its aim
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God abiding in us is Revealed by his love for us and this love meets its end
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Its purpose its aim not only in our expressions of love toward God But also in our love for one another and in fact the love for one another is the harder test
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God is altogether lovely He's holy. He's majestic.
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He's glorious There's no imperfection in him, whatever beauty is
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God has it Whatever excellence there is God possesses It's a greater test of our commitment to him for us to love one another because we are not that We are actually unlovable in some cases, aren't we?
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And so it's a very interesting line of reasoning and first I've been very convicted of this in these recent months
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Our love the love of God love for God our obedience to God his love
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Working in us reaches its end It it comes to its resting place
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When we love one another When it's completed
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This verse in this language. I should say the language of perfected Comes up in places like 2nd
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Corinthians 12, you don't have to look there My power is made perfect and them that are weak
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The efficacy of God's power is shown and displayed in weakness of men
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James 2 by works faith was perfected Faith is made to be what it ought to be when it's accompanied with fruitful works of obedience
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And next week we'll learn in 1st John 4 18 One who is made perfect in love his love lacks nothing
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Maybe most profound Might actually ask you to turn there with me John chapter 17.
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I Have been thinking of John 17 the entire time that we've been
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Studying 1st John. I think it might be helpful for us to see and read this section the high priestly prayer of Jesus is
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Unpalpable You cannot reach the bottom of it in the first section of the prayer.
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We're not going to go over this We're just to give you some context Jesus Opens the window of heaven to us and we hear the intra trinitarian dialogue between him and his father
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It's astounding Next in the largest section from verse 6 down through verse 19
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He prays for the apostles who are taking his word and his gospel
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To the nations and he prays for them Now children, this is the part that's very exciting.
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This prayer was offered about 2 ,000 years ago in Verses 20 and following he's praying for you
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You present It's astounding
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He says in the transition from the disciples to the believers in all ages begins at verse 20
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I'm going to read that starting there. I Do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word
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That's you and I we are given to the Apostles doctrine This is us
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This is the people are going to come to Christ from every trunk tie tongue tribe and nation.
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This this is us and Here it is See if this resonates with the message of first John that they all may be one as You father are in me and I in you
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Well when you get in these studies of the intra trinitarian relationships an orthodox view of the
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Trinity We say whatever is in the father is in the son and in the spirit
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And and all the lines crisscross whatever could be said of one is said the other in reference to their divinity there is a tri unity in the
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Godhead and Jesus is saying I want that unity that we have to be in the world in the church
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You father are in me and I'm in you That they also may be one in us
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If you've ever studied a deep study of the Trinity in the academic sense
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That vert that phraseology is astounding We are being brought into the love that exists in the
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Trinity The unblemished pure holy divine love of God the
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Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit the church by their virtue of their union with Christ is being brought into that love
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They're going to testify that the world may believe that you sent me and The glory which you gave me
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I have given them That they may be one just as we are one
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I and them and you and me that they may be made perfect in One and that's our language from our text that the world may know that you have sent me and Have loved them as you have loved me because the
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Father and the Son have a perfect love and They're perfectly lovable.
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It makes sense But but Jesus says that the father now the love that he has is so great
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It can be applied to all of the followers of Christ That you father have loved them just as you have loved me
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I'll finish the reading here father.
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I desire They also whom you gave me may be with me where I am
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That's abiding eternally What a hope for the Christian upon our death we will have sight
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We will dwell in the presence of God forever He wants us to behold the glory of Christ, which the father has given
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For you love me. He says before the foundation of the world Oh righteous father the world has not known you
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But I have known you and these have known that you sent me all of this
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Material is in the epistle of 1st John and it's in our text
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That they may know that you have sent me
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And I have declared to them your name and will declare it that the love with which you love me may be in them and I in them there is a mutual abiding in John's literature
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God abides in us We abide in him this table Same idea we abide in Christ.
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He abides in us We abide together with all of those who have been united to Christ. It's all
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Wrapped up in this beautiful Picture now, let's turn back to 1st
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John chapter 4. I In them you and me that they may be made perfect In one his own love has been perfected in us
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What brings us to the second point and the really the answer to the question God's love
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Abides in us and how do we know that it does? That's a very legitimate question.
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I think to ask and it says God's love is with us He he abides in us.
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He calls us to abide in his level How do we know that he loves us? How do we know that he abides with us?
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Let's look at verse 13. It says by this we know that we abide in him and he and us
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Because he has given us of his spirit
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It should be noted that this is a very wonderful Trinitarian section all three persons of the
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Godhead are Actors they're movers. They're taking action in this section in the life of the believer
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He's given us of his spirit So the father has loved us
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He has united us to the Son and now he has bestowed his spirit upon the church
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Is there any question about God's love? Well, the first answer is it can't be if we believe that he's given us of his spirit
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The spirit is himself God and he himself has united himself to us
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Therefore we are united and abiding in God So you won't be distracted.
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I'm going to Look at a passage in Romans, but you don't need to turn there. I'm gonna just have you sit here.
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How do I know? That God's love Abides in you
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How do how do I know that God's love abides with his church his people
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When read portions of Romans 8 I just want you to catch the thrust of this and the intertwining of the persons of the
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Trinity in This union and this love and this adoption as sons
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There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus if you be in Christ you have no condemnation
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Those who are in Christ do not walk according to the flesh But according to the
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Spirit why we've just learned it the father has bestowed his spirit upon his people the church
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For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ.
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Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death What the law could not do and that it was weak through the flesh
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God did by sending his son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin
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He condemned sin in the flesh Jesus was sent for this very purpose
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The text again that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh
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But according to the Spirit For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh but those who live
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Those who live according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit now should pause here
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There's an exhortation and admonition to us here that we should not set our minds on fleshy things
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We can be Christians and we can be Filled with the Spirit and we can have this tension of being pulled by the world in her ways and Pulled toward fleshy things, but we're those who are filled with the
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Spirit We're those who are loved by God. We are those who have been adopted as sons
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To be carnally minded is death verse 6, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace
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The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God nor indeed can it be
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So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God stop walking in the flesh walk in the
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Spirit But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit If indeed the
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Spirit of God dwells in you first John 4
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If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ He is not his and if Christ is in you the body is dead because of sin, but the
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Spirit is life because of righteousness The Spirit of him who raised
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Jesus from the dead dwells in you He who raised
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Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit Who dwells in you
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For as many skipping down for as many are led by the
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Spirit of God. These are the sons of God For you did not receive the
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Spirit of bondage again to fear But you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out
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Abba Father The Spirit enables us to cry out to our
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God as a loving father and he bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God and If children then heirs with Christ if we suffer with him
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We shall surely also be glorified together with him
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Skipping down again. We know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs
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Not only that we also have the firstfruits of the Spirit Even we ourselves grown within ourselves eagerly waiting for the adoption the redemption of our body our bodies will be redeemed our bodies will be resurrected and reformed and glorified
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Because God has loved us and he has filled us with his Spirit that same
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Spirit that raises Jesus from the dead will give life to our mortal bodies for we were
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Saved in this hope that hope is see but hope that is seen is not hope
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For why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see maybe that's why we don't see
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God that we filled with this hope The answers are in the scripture.
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It's kind of funny, isn't it? No one's seen God at any time. Why? Well, here's part of the answer
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That we'd be filled with hope trusting the Spirit The Spirit helps in our weaknesses
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We don't know what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit himself groans makes intercession for us with groanings
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Which cannot be uttered? Now he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the
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Spirit is because he makes intercession for the Saints according to the will of God Skipping down again.
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What shall we say to these things? If God is for us who can be
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Against us He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us?
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all things back to our text the first evidence of God's love abiding in us is
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Him giving us a spirit Look at verse 14 the second probably the grandest expression of God's love verse 14 and we have seen and testify that the
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Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world last week we read
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Genesis 22 and Abraham is called to do something very hard.
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He's called to take Isaac up to the mount and Offer him there as a burnt offering
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His arm is raised to plunge the dagger into the heart of his son The Lord cries out from heaven
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Abraham Abraham Says here. I am do not harm the boy now.
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I know that you fear me believe me trust me Behold there's a ram caught in the thicket
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Genesis 22 prepares us with great anticipation That God is going to offer his son on the cross and there's gonna be no ram caught in a thicket
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I would not offer my son. I Don't have the faith of Abraham. I'd say no,
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I can't do it but God himself in the greatest demonstration of love in the universe has
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Offered his son his beloved son whom he loves on the cross for sinners like you
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Back to 17 John 17 the high priestly prayer. It makes sense
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How he could love us in the way that he loves the Trinity because the Trinity has offered the
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Son To be the sacrifice for our sins. Oh How great is the love of God for his people?
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He sent the Son he's given us his spirit He sent the Son to the cross if you have these things
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God and his love are abiding in you And they'll never let you go So we in response should cleave to him and abide in him and never let go verse 15 says whoever
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Confesses that Jesus is the Son of God And as we learned in the recent weeks, that's not merely a bare declaration that's all the implications of who
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Jesus is a grand confessional statement about the person and work of Christ If you make that confession
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Confessing is to say the same thing The believer says the same thing about Christ that the
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Father does the Christian declares openly and speaks freely about About Christ.
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This is what it means to confess him whoever confesses the truth about Christ and lives by and according to that truth has confidence that God abides lives in never to depart he abides
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With you whatever our confession is of Christ it needs to be louder
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Needs to be more forceful We believe in you
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Jesus You are the Son of God. Oh father. We believe that you sent the son.
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Oh father We believe that you sent us the Spirit verse 16 says and we have known we've come to have a true knowledge of God's love and We have believed we have put our trust in the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher
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Prerogative and law of his soul. That's the depth of believing This isn't
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I believe in Santa Claus. This is profound We have known we believe
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The love that God has for us so people of God today with these
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Shining examples God himself is love. It's his character It's from his essence.
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It's his person. Do you believe that God has? adequately demonstrated his love
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He's given you his spirit and he's given his son He's given himself really hasn't he to us
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That's why we can say God is love. It's not that God is loving He essentially his character his attributes who he is and his divine essence is love
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And he whoever so ever abides in love abides in God God in him
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God is the definer of love and he's The one who possesses it
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Perfectly and he has drawn the believer the church into it abiding in love is to abide in God's love this mutual abiding is what the redeemed
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Christian life looks like We see
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God through the lens of his love couple words of application
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Here We see
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God through these grand acts of love he's given his spirit he has sent the
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Son as Savior of the world and The evidence of it is he's caused divergent peoples to love one another the church by definition
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Caleb mentioned in Sunday school Everybody's welcome here. Everybody belongs who's in Christ He gave us his spirit well, we have to therefore walk in the spirit
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He has sent his son as Savior. We have to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and we have to live accordingly walking in the spirit walking in faith in Christ We abide in his love by applying the word and doing those things that are pleasing in his sight
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Namely in our section it seems to be love And first John believing in the
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Christ the Son of God has come in the flesh and brings salvation These are the commands the things we ought to believe were to flee from and repent of all worldliness
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And To abide in Christ means abiding in God's love and being loved by God causes us to reflect his love to others those precious promises of Romans 8 and John 17
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Take those for yourself and your family There's no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus Lay hold of it.
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Never let it go Abide there Christ has asked his father because of this great work of redemption that we would be with him that we would be one with him
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And that we would be one with the Father and the Spirit lay hold of that grab it never let us go
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Let it go. God has drawn us in with his love. We abide there.
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We stay there We're never going to leave there And finally our adoption as God's loved sons
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May be the greatest encouragement to our own sanctification and growth and godliness
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You have the security Of being loved by God now go walk in righteousness the freedom of righteousness
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Grow in godliness become more and more like Christ How do we see
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God We see God through the lens of his abiding love he's demonstrated his love and giving us his spirit
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And sending his son to be our Savior Amen Let's pray together now.
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Oh Lord, we sometimes don't feel like you love us because of unbelief.
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I pray that That would never happen again to us because we believe the truth
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You have demonstrated your love for us Giving us your spirit
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Uniting us to the death and burial and resurrection of your son. Oh Lord Truly you have loved us.
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Oh father You know Lord, I pray that Because we have you have initiated this love toward us you have redeemed us with love
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We would reflect your love not only to one another in the church But also in the world that they would see your love and like Christ.
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They would know that you sent him That they would see
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Christ in us and they would know that you sent Christ in the world into the world to save sinners.
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Oh Lord help us to Reflect this love that you've shown us And oh
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Lord I pray that you would knit these people together that they would love each other with a profound love that can only be attributed to a work of the divinity to The work of the triune
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God Oh Holy Spirit fill us with this love for one another That we might testify to the world that Christ has come