Knowing God Series

Knowing God

Established Series- CCCAG 7-25-21

Scripture: John 17:1-3

Today we are starting a new series today called Established. In this series, we're going to learn how to be rooted and established in the love of God.

If you haven’t been here for the last few weeks, we have spent some time talking about what the immediate future might hold, and that we might be facing some tough times.

While preparation for tough times is important, I want to now circle back and tell you why we can be secure no matter what life throws our way- that we are Established in the Love of God.

Something that I have learned in life is force myself to have the correct focus.

When I went through paramedic school, I committed to a solid year of training. There were no semester breaks, no holidays off- that’s often when you could do your clinical and ride time requirements, but a solid year of learning and training.

I did that when I was 25, and it was a huge grind for me to get through it.

One of the things that I do when I have a ton of work to get through to accomplish something is visualize the prize. If you look at the course calendar, and all of the reading, the papers, the tests, or the over 500 hours of clinical or ride time you will get overwhelmed and be tempted to drop out.

That’s why I learned to focus on the prize. For me in paramedic school, it was holding that paramedic patch with my license number on it for the first time.

(this is that patch)

I’m using that again when I think about nursing school. When I’m facing deadlines, assignments, clinical time and exams, I make sure my whole focus is on December 11th when we receive our nursing pins the day before the official graduation. It’s the day you can actually call yourself a registered nurse. I don’t care about graduation- I probably won’t even go, but I want that pin, and visualizing another RN pinning that on me is getting me through the very long hours of studying and training.

To bring that around to what I want to talk about this morning, the bible tells us the future to prepare us, and to help us focus on the important stuff. However, these events that are coming are not the important stuff.

We shouldn’t be overly concerned about which event in biblical prophecy happens first, or how the antichrist will come to power or how he will institute the Mark of the Beast.

Really, those are small events in history and to focus on them is to miss the point that God wants us to show us this morning.

The point is- it’s not about that.

It’s about HIM. (repeat)

In your Bible, turn to John Chapter 17.

The background of John 17 is that Jesus just had the last supper with his disciples. They are now getting ready to walk over to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. Before they leave, Jesus is giving them final instructions before He goes to the cross.

Now he has begun to pray for his followers, and I want you to really focus this morning on the subject of this prayer-

John 17:1-3 “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and he prayed.”

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your son that your son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

For emphasis, I want to read verse 3 again: “Now this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Prayer

This scripture helps to put our faith into a perspective that we can look forward to.

Let me give you an example-

When you plan a trip, do you start with looking at the of the possible roads you can travel, or do you look first at the destination, and the destination is the primary factor in deciding the route. You may see some cool things along the way, but that isn’t as important as the place you are going to.

That is exactly how we should be living our lives here on earth. We get so focused on our lives here that we lose the vision of where we are heading.

Because we concern ourselves more with the journey that we lose the joy of the destination.

That causes us to lose that focus.

Anyone who has been in the military will tell you that one of the things that gets you through a long deployment is when you are in your down time to focus on who is waiting for you at the end of the deployment. Not just getting back to the world, not just getting out of the area you are deployed in, but back to the person you love.