Jesus’s Reality, My Reality

Jesus’ Reality, My Reality

For the most part, the Church, the body of Christ, doesn’t understand who it is as it relates to being part of God’s family.

Please turn to 1 John 3.

(1) Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God [that we should be designated, that we should be called out, that people will know - It’s one of those phrases that we say but oftentimes miss the significance of what it is saying.]: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

The word “knoweth” means “to be acquainted with or recognize.” So, listen to what this verse says. “The world does not recognize us or acknowledge us for who we are as sons and daughters of God.” Why? The world did not acknowledge or recognize Jesus as the Son of God.

The Jewish people were expecting a totally different Messiah than what they got. They wanted someone, and this is so “today,” who would be a social justice type leader, someone who would bring back the “glory” associated with being a Jew. They were not expecting someone who was going to die for mankind – someone who was going to die for them and for those swine-eating Gentles.

So, when the Bible says that they don’t know us it’s because we have the same life and nature in us that Jesus has in Him. But one of the problems, ladies and gentlemen is this: we don’t know us!

And that’s why John says in the first verse, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God.” I’ll be 64 this year. I accepted Jesus as my lord and savior when I was 10 years old. My “now” was when I was 10 years old and it is continuing. We can be “now” and not know that we are “now.”

And this is so very important. The sooner we get to the understanding of the “now” of who we are, the sooner we’ll get to doing the things that Jesus says we can do.

(2) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. [We are the sons of God, ladies and gentlemen, just like Jesus is the Son of God but we do not appear as He does. Why? We are still wearing our “earth suits” and Jesus has a glorified body.]

When we see Jesus as He is that’s when we will truly see ourselves. We will operate in this world the same way He did. That’s why we are hear folks – to do the works that He did!

Turn to 1 John 4:4 – Ye are of God…

Say it with me, “I am of God. That means God is my Father. That means Satan has no power over me. None.” That word “of” is the Greek word “ek” and it means “out of, from which your origin begins.” Before I accepted Jesus, I was “ek,” out of John. Now that God is my Father, I have been birthed by Him.

Ye are of God little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Who is the “them?” Lets make it a broad stroke. Everything related to this world we have overcome. Two of the things related to this world that we sometimes forget are our bodies and our minds. But according to what we just read – we have overcome those things when we got born again.

The reason we don’t know who we are is because we have not renewed our minds to that truth. Jesus is telling us that our point of origin is God and because God is our point of origin we are now overcomers when it comes to the things of this world.

Now look at 1 John 5:4, 5, 11-15

(4) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

What overcomes the world ladies and gentlemen? Our faith. Not God’s faith. Not Jesus’ faith. Not our pastor’s faith. Not our mother or father’s faith. OUR FAITH!

As sons and daughters of God, we have the innate nature of being overcomers. But ladies and gentlemen, you can have it but if you don’t exercise it you’re not going to be it. You have to exercise your dominion. You have to exercise your “overcometh-ness.”

(5) Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Now jump to verse 11.

(11) And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.