Grant's Dedication...Jesus Loves Me This I Know For The Bible Tells Me So

John 17:3......

Today, we gather to worship our Lord Jesus Christ, we also are gathering to dedicate Grant Baxley to the Lord....Dedication of children is more about vowing to bring up our children up as is says in Ephesians 6:4 “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

It is a vow to the Lord, by the parents, the family, and the church! Jordan was raised here in that way and this is the heart of their dedication now.

This is important for our children, because they are depending on their parents. I am very sure that everyone here that is a parent has committed to making sure that your children have what they need in this life! However, and more importantly the value of being prepared for eternal life is the greatest thing that you can do for your children!

Jesus said in Matthew 16:26 “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Paul also said 1 Corinthians 15:19 “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” or most to be pitied.....

Hank Williams Sr. wrote this song called House of Gold.....

Chorus.........I'd rather be in a deep, dark grave And know that my poor soul was saved Than to live in this world in a house of gold And deny my God and doom my soul

One of the verses reads.......Jesus said, come on to me I'll break sin's chains and set you free I'll carry you to a home on high Where you'll never, never die.

In reality the value of eternal life far out weighs this life, so that is what we are here to do today!

John 17.......I am only going to read one verse from this beautiful prayer of Jesus! This prayer was just hours away from His arrest, trials, a crucifixion. It is the greatest prayer ever, because it was prayed by the greatest ever to the greatest ever! In this prayer Jesus revealed the reality of eternal life, which should be the reality of our eternal life.

Verses 1-3.......God the Father and God the Son are the givers of true life which is eternal life......

Why do we need the Godhead to give us this life?

We have fallen from that life and the life down here is cursed!

Like it or not, that is the truth of the matter and we need saving!

Through the giving of the Son, Jesus, God the Father has made a way for us to be cleansed from our sins and be giving access to the Father!

Through our belief in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ we our saved and given the Hoy Spirit, which is the 3rd Person of the Trinity and is the agent of Jesus Christ that gives eternal life to our souls!

To know the One True God and His Son Jesus Christ is the Only Way.....

To know in knowledge....

Romans 10:14 “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

To know with the mind.........Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:29......When He calls us to “Come Unto Him”.......He also says to “Learn of Him”

Paul quotes Isaiah in the same Romans 10:15 “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

Why are the feet beautiful of those that preach the Gospel?

It has more to do with the message than the messenger!

To know in a relationship.......to love…we are about to go to a place where the apostle John tells us about this relational knowing of God the Father and God the Son Jesus!

Jesus reveals in this prayer what makes up the reality of eternal life.....that is to know God and His Son........This puts the emphasis on what we are to about to witness today.......these parents and their family vowing to make sure this child is brought up in this knowledge!

There is no greater knowledge than this!

1 John 4:7-19.........This is the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ......

It is not because I have done anything or loved, it is because of the love of God.......

Love is not because I have loved but because God has loved and sent His Son to pay the sin debt that we hold and through His finished work on the cross and His resurrection we can live through Jesus!

This love is not based on human effort......It is based on what God has done.....

When we confess that, when we believe that Jesus was His Son and was sent for an offering for our sin, once for all, then that is when God dwells in us and us in God!

This is the consummation of love…that we confess the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts

Confession in The Son Of God in flesh is my only righteous standing before God our Creator

My sinful flesh has no power to pull us out of this condemnation, my life is hid with Christ!

Belief......trusting that through the work of Christ God has given us eternal life and granted us life in His presence!

It is finished!!

Verse 17 tells us that....... “By this, love is perfected with us”.........

Mature love.....love with knowledge.......makes us secure or gives us confidence in the day of judgement!

“As He is, so are we.....” Through our faith in Jesus Christ we become children of God and objects of His gracious goodness!

There is no fear of judgement with the love of God through Christ

Through Christ we do not fear that day but have confidence to stand before God the Father!

Not because of our works but only because of the love of God through Jesus Christ!

This is the verse I wanted to get to......We love Him because He first loved us!!!!

Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so......that is the essence of this....it is what we know........Because God loved us first is the reason why we love Him!

Without that knowledge, there will always be fear of that coming day, when we will be judged by the Creator of all and without that knowledge and belief on that day will come the 2nd death which is eternal life but in torment!

The greatest Truth for us and our children is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.....

Look over at the next chapter 1 John 5:5 “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Now, 1 John 5:10–12 “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”