We've Got Everything We Need

New Position, New Stuff

I’ve had a number of different jobs and positions since I was old enough to work

The one that was the most out there for me, different from all the others, was when I worked on a cattle ranch one summer in college.

The owner was a CPA, member of the church I attended then, lived on and ranched as well. Near Durant, OK.

More than a side job or tax break. He worked it.

I learned all kinds of new things that went with this job.

I got to drive a tractor. I learned out to drink from a water jug w/out stopping the tractor.

I was pulling a brush hog mower knocking dow the tall grass so the owner could drive up and down the dirt roads and see his cattle in the pastures to check on them.

I learned how to tag calves. Walk around the herd first thing in the morning and find the calf that had been born the night before, check for boy or girl parts, then pierce its ear and tag it on the correct side according to its sex.

Ya it hurt. Calf got over it.

One Tuesday morning one calf got even for all the rest. I didn’t go out on weekends so Monday morning I found a calf that had been born late Friday and had all weekend to gain strength.

I missed him on Monday. I caught him on Tuesday. One of the things that happens quickly for a calf is their hooves harden in the first few days.

They are soft when inside their mother otherwise they’d tear her up as they kicked.

You can imagine, he doesn’t want me sitting on him sticking a big plastic tag thru his ear so he fought like crazy. Bruised my legs up pretty good. But, I got him.

That summer I learned how to bale hay. Pick it up and stack it on the trailer then put it up in the hay barn.

I also learned about spontaneous combustion. Hay barns can explode in flames for no apparent reason w/ all the hay dust.

They guy I was working w/ was a smoker and the ranch lit him up one day when he caught him taking a smoke break right by the hay barn.

It was a new position to me but I was given all the provisions I needed to do the job.

Did you ever have a job where they didn’t give you what you needed to do it?

I was an assoc. pastor in a church in the Dallas area and the sr. pastor, my boss came to me and asked me to develop and start a small group ministry.

I was absolutely on board and eager.

He used the jargon of the day, “We want to be a church of small groups not a church with small groups.”

What he didn’t tell me that I found out the hard way was the elders we not on board w/ this.

Basically, they wanted everyone else to be in a small group. They were a small group unto themselves. A pretty healthy one at that.

But, there is no developing a group ministry like this if the leaders won’t lead by example and help lead the groups.

I brought in successful small group pastors from around Dallas who had written the books about it to talk to them. But, they didn’t buy in.

New position; small group ministry leader, I was given an assignment, but wasn’t given the resources to pull it off. The leaders wouldn’t lead.

Needless to say, whatever I started died on the vine.

When we moved to LR we had to find schools for our boys. There was a public magnate school for music and it was a good fit for Jared. He was in middle school.

He came home one afternoon and said he had failed a quiz in his Arkansas history class.

We asked, did you study? We didn’t see you w/ the textbook studying last night.

He said he couldn’t b/c there are not enough textbooks for every student to get one to bring home to study. There are only enough for each student in the classroom in each period.

That’s b/c the district was still in its legal battle w/ the DOJ over desegregation from the 50s. 50 years later they were still paying the lawyers to represent them against the Fed gov’t. and didn’t have enough money for the kids to get textbooks.

New position, new place, new assignment but not given the stuff he needed to succeed.

Do you know how frustrating that is for a parent?! and a kid!

Good news! God does not do that to us. When we find ourselves in a new place or a new situation and a new position, w/ a new assignment from Him, He gives us all the equipment we need to be successful.

We may question from time to time if we can do it. Did we make a mistake? Has God abandoned us in this virus crisis and presidential race?

Or, has He provided everything we need to succeed?

Because of our position with God, we have been given a possession Who delivers God’s provision and protection until we get everything He has promised.

New believers need t/b reassured of the new position they have and sometimes old believers need t/b reminded.

Our Position

2 John 2:18 starts out, “Dear Children...”

John has used this term before to ensure them of his love for them and recognizing he had something to do w/ them coming to Christ.

He considered them his spiritual children.

But, it would also reminded them of what he wrote in his gospel about their rel. w/ God.

John 1:12 NIV

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

We are God’s children. When we receive His offer, believe in His name; we get a new position, a new place w/ God.

What “believe in His name” means is we believe everything about who he is and what He came to do. And, we accept it.

It’s not enough to just know he’s the son of God and Savior. Even the demons know that. But, they don’t receive his offer of salvation.

Children, not new hires. If we were hired, we could be fired. If we were slaves, we could be sold to a new master.

We are children w/ all the rights and privileges of an heir to God’s estate.

1 John 2:18–19 NIV

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

The verses go on to warn us about ppl who are clever and convincing and will confuse us about God and our relationship.

They came from inside the church.

The church in Jerusalem was hot and happening place to be.

Just like a hot fire attracts bugs, a hot church can attract ppl who want t/b in the middle of the commotion w/out the commitment.

Today, there are plenty of ppl who attend a church, they are religious, they know how to look, how to talk, what to do and when to do it.

But, when the fire gets turned up they run out of the kitchen .

My wife will tell you, growing up as a teenager and church goer she thought she was a Christian. She believed that Jesus is the Savior, the Son of God, but she hadn’t rec’d his offer of salvation until listening to a tape of Hal Lindsay’s The Late Great Planet Earth and she realized she wasn’t going to go to heaven.

In the back seat of her parent’s car on their way to Pinetop as junior in college she took the step of believing in His name and receiving his offer salvation.

It didn’t happen in church or at a revival.

During this last period in the history of the world there will be a lot of ppl who will try to convince us that we are wrong about God.

We don’t know how long this period will go, but we will feel more pressure to quit on God as time goes on.

The Q: “How can you believe that Jesus is the only way?!” It’s happening in places we never thought possible.

It’s good t/b reminded that b/c of the position we have w/ God, He has given us everything we need to stand strong and stand up to those who try to confuse us.

In our new position, He has given us a Possession that provides everything we need.

Our Possession

1 John 2:20–21 NIV

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.

“But...” Hard contrast.

There are those there who will try to convince you to give up on God.

But God has provided something Himself to provide what we need to stand up to them.

B/C of the position we are in we have rec’d something special from God. This something, or someone, is reserved only for those who are now children of God.

This would also take them to something John wrote his gospel.

John 15:26 NIV

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.

Jesus planned all along, once He left He would send us help, an advocate, a counselor, a guide.

And w/ Him came the knowledge of the truth t/b able to stand up to those who try to confuse.

You know enough. Trust what you know t/b true. It’s from God and it’s sound.

Sometimes we need to be encouraged that we have what it takes to make it thru tough times.

Insecurity in tough situations can lead us to Q things about more than just tough times.

Is Jesus really the one and only way t/b saved. If this is saved, I’m not sure I want it.

That’s where the confusion comes in. What exactly did God promise His children?

Is Jesus Santa Claus? Does He bring good gifts to good boys and girls?

Is this life supposed t/b easy and comfortable? If it isn’t, then do we want it?

If we have all the knowledge we need then why do we have so many questions?

We know all that we need to know to stand strong in our faith. But, we have to feed it to be able to face life as it comes and answer these tough questions in our tough situations.

So, thru the anointing, we are able to learn more about what to expect from God and what He expects of us.

This possession delivers God’s provision for every situation we will face.

God’s Provision

1 John 2:24 NIV

As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.

1 John 2:26–27 NIV

I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

This is what you heard from the beginning. The truth has not changed. You believed it then, you believe it now.

That faith saved you.

Now, how do we deal w/ a virus crisis? How doe we deal w/ the emotional and social crises?

Once we get the fundamental truth and secure our place in heaven, there is a whole lot more of the Bible about Jesus that we need to learn and the HS is here to help us.

He remains in us. That is, He lives in us. And, b/c He lives in us we live in Christ.

Like anything that is alive, it needs t/b fed.

We need t/b nourished. Sara’s sourdough bread starter needs t/b fed or it dies.

We need t/b nourished on more truth about God so we can stay healthy in the hardest of times.

We’re saved, but peace of mind comes when we can apply more of what God does for us.

One of the first things to get is He is w/ us forever. He will never leave us.

John 14:16 NIV

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—

We can always count on Him being w/ us and available to help us.

Security. No fear of be abandoned by God.

How does He continue to help us?

John 14:25–26 NIV

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

So, we will always have Him to guide us thru life and teach us, Himself.

He reminds us of what we already know t/b true.

There is the fruit of the Spirit.

There are Spiritual gifts. Every believer gets at least one to use to serve in the church to help each other.

But, is there a contradiction here?

If the HS is the teacher and we don’t need anyone to teach us why is there a sp gift of teacher?

Why do I preach?

Why do we study the bible?

Once you’ve accepted the fundamental truth about Jesus as Savior you don’t need anyone to teach you that.

But, there is so much more He offers to help us thru the situations we encounter.

The HS is the ultimate teacher, but gifted ppl will present these truths in ways that we can all understand and apply.

There is so much more good information about Jesus in the bible that just “Jesus saves” that we need to get.

Gifted teachers help us do that.

When we are in tough situations and we feel like we need to cry out to God but we don’t know what to say, the HS says it for us.

Romans 8:26 NIV

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

He is not limited to your imagination. Just cry out and let him speak on your behalf.

The HS is also God’s seal of ownership guaranteeing what He has promised us.

Ephesians 1:13–14 NIV

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

It’s a guarantee. A promise. Just like the down pmt you made on your house is a promise you will pay it off.

You may not pay it off till you sell it, but you will pay off the loan.

We are sealed. That means secure, protected until God fulfills every promise He ever makes to us.

God living inside of us is our defense against deception.

Later, John will write that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. More powerful. More truthful. More dependable.

This truth is you and there is so much more to be developed over your lifetime that will help you from the moment of faith until you reach the end of your days here.

From the beginning to the end.

And, this is the last promise t/b fulfilled.

The Promise

1 John 2:25 NIV

And this is what he promised us—eternal life.

Ultimately, this is what we are after.

God never promised that life here would be as good as life in Heaven.

But, he did promise eternal life begins at the moment we believe and receive.

And the anointing of the HS is the resource that gives us everything we need until we stand in God’s presence when pass from this life to the next.

God would never put us in a round room and command us to sit in the corner.

He would never expect us to do anything he hasn’t equipped us to do.

So, when we are commanded to stand strong, and we so desperately want to, we can be certain that we have whatever we need to do so.

No crisis need cause us to fold up out tent and quit.

The truth is in us and is secure. We know everything we need to know no matter what life throws at us.

We can do this and come out in good shape.

Applications

Pray

When you are in a tough spot and don’t know what to say to God, don’t know what to ask for nor what to expect, don’t not pray.

Trust that the HS is praying the exact right thing for you and let Him.

Let Him do the heavy lifting in prayer.

Study

Let gifted teachers help you learn more about God and what he offers in hard times.

It is so helpful to know what to expect of God and what He expects of you.

Feed you faith by spending more time in God’s word.

Trust

Trust that you have enough truth in you to survive whatever situation you find yourself in.

God can handle your doubts and questions.

Trust the HS to guide you, help you make decisions.

Believe that you know enough to do whatever God is requiring of you.

Act on it. Do it. Trust it’s the right thing to do.

Good news! God does not ever give us an assignment that he hasn’t already equipped us to do.

When we find ourselves in a new situation like a pandemic or needing t/b socially distant while remaining relationally close; God has given us what need to succeed.

We may question from time to time if we can do it. Did we make a mistake? Has God abandoned us in this virus crisis and presidential race?

Or, has He provided everything we need to succeed?

Because of our position with God, we have been given a possession Who delivers God’s provision and protection until we get everything He has promised.