“My sheep hear My voice, and I KNOW them and they FOLLOW Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:27-28
This verse is often used to support the fact that once you are saved, you are always saved. But we need to look carefully at the conditions…. We must hear His voice AND follow Him, and He needs to KNOW us. The key to Heaven and an abundant life is a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ. Over and over again in Scripture, Jesus warns that in that day, at that final hour, many will come to Him, saying Lord, Lord, and He will tell them, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.”
Many claim that those people whom He says it to were never really Christians, but Revelation 3:5 warns us that He can blot them out of the Book of Life if He does not know them. WOW! That is Jesus speaking, not me. This was a direct letter from Jesus, given to John in a vision, while He was on Patmos in prison. Here He is warning the “Dead Church”, Christians who do not know Him. Christians who said a prayer years ago that was void of repentance, or who got sprinkled at birth, and who are living their lives NOT for Jesus, but for themselves. If you have been taught by “success theology” that God’s purpose is to make you happy, then it is likely you are not fully living for the Lord. When we see God as a cosmic Santa Claus and the church as His elves to help us live our best life now, when the focus is us- instead of Jesus, we are in danger of missing the boat.
God’s purpose is our HOLINESS, not our happiness. He wants to grow us to be more like Jesus. He wants us to have a relationship where we are one with God and the body. The image often used in Scripture is of a marriage, with Christ as the groom and us as the bride. So I ask you, how is your relationship with God? Is it full of trust and love and honesty? Or is it more about what is in it for you? Join us THIS Sunday at 10:30 as we explore what a healthy relationship with Jesus looks like. It is going to be awesome! 10:30 AM, Eastern Standard Time at 900 Cripple Creek Drive, Lawrenceville. Or online at our YouTube channel @thegreatawarenesschurch. If you tried to log on last week and it messed up, try again this week! Hopefully, we have worked out the bugs. Don’t miss this week’s message!!
Pastor Brian
P.S. This Sunday, we continue our series on “The Last Instructions of Jesus” with the fifth letter to the Dead Church. Come in and discover how to have a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. It is NOT work, but a relationship. Let’s get YOUR relationship thriving! If Jesus Christ is coming soon…WHY NOT GET READY?! There is NO downside. Please join us this week…We will have coffee and donuts for you! Be there or be square…
900 Cripple Creek Drive, Lawrenceville, GA 30043. See you there!
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