VBS DAY 4 (2)

Assurance

“You don’t find light by avoiding darkness”

This week during our lesson time we’ve talked about how God created with order.

Then we talked about the trees and how sin made us aware of the tree of Good and Evil.

But God came to redeem us and give us the tree of life. His life in us.

Can we read a few verses for a moment this evening:

Galatians 2:20 “20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Romans 8:1 “1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”

John 3:17–18 “17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Romans 5:10 “10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”

John 1:12 “12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—”

Let’s just sit for a moment and consider these verses.

What are some things God says Jesus has given us through the tree of life?

His life.

No condemnation.

Reconcilled (Romans 5)

Salvation

Rights to His family.

How do we understand this tonight knowing that sin is still in the world?

That we can be fully alive in Christ, not condemned, saved, and part of His family, but we can still sin too?

What are we supposed to do with that?

John 14:1–3 “1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

How can I be assured that God has me even when I sin?

What is God’s attitude towards you when you sin?

Illustration:

I have 3 sons. Roman, Cam, and Dex. If one of them got a horrible disease that could kill them, like cancer, what would my disposition be towards them as their dad?

Would I disown them suddenly now that they are potentially dying?

Why not?

These little guys, are my image bearers. They represent me.

If I could trade places with them, I would quickly.

My attitude towards them as their father is that in their pain and suffering I am drawn to them.

So think about this more simply.

If they are playing outside and get stung. Pain now runs through their body.

Do I run away from them because of the pain and poison in their body?

No… I run to them.

Ok what about if they slam their hand in a door?

I go to them.

Ok what about if they are a teenager and they wreck the car.

I go to them.

Ok but what about when Roman cusses me out when he’s 16 cause he hates that I won’t let him go do something with a friend that’s a bad influence?

I’ll try to get in that trench with him. I will be as available to him as He wants me to be and even more so.

In other words, as a parent that you are always drawn to your kids.

For you as a teenager to your parents, you may not always think this and parents may not always feel this way perfectly.

We aren’t God.

But generally speaking, parents feel drawn to our kids.

Whether it’s getting a splinter out of a 2 year olds hand.

Or an adult parent praying every day that their 22 year old son would stop abusing drugs…

the heart of a parent is drawn to our kids.

Why?

because they are our flesh and blood.

They are made in our image.

They belong to God, but they also belong to us.

In the book, Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortland he says on page 73, “What father could bring himself to put up for adoption his beloved son, just because his son messed up big time?”

Do you see?

There is nothing we can do to push God away from us.

He is drawn to us.

That doesn’t mean that God won’t discipline you.

Every good Father and Every good mother disciplines their kids.

Hebrews 12:10–11 “10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

In other words, life is hard! God will let us endure the hardships of life.

But through those hard times we can have righteousness and peace, not because of where we are, but because of who our Father is.

Even when we mess up...

Romans 5:20 says “20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,”

DO we really believe that?

The same God who showed grace to the first image bearers Adam and Eve,

He still has grace available for you.

And His grace never runs out.

Are you living in the tree of life, or on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.