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Evidence of Christ in You · In the Stillness Podcast

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  Hey y'all, it's friendly. Welcome back to In the
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  Stillness. Happy Wednesday.
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  So thankful that y'all are joining me today.
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  We are going to be finishing up First John chapter 3, which has
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  honestly been so refining. I've loved sitting in this
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  chapter together, really just letting it shape how we view our
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  relationship with the Lord. And before I go into everything
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  for the podcast today, little life update that I will be
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  traveling the rest of this week, so recording will be a little
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  bit more tricky. But when I'm back, we'll be
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  jumping right into chapter 4, which I'm super pumped for.
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  So today, as we're closing out chapter 3, these two verses
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  really tie everything together, belief, love, obedience, and
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  what it truly looks like to live in union with Christ.
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  So let's go ahead and read them. We'll be in first John chapter
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  3, verses 23 to 24. So these are His commands that
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  we continually place our trust in the name of His Son Jesus
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  Christ, and that we keep loving one another just as He has
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  commanded us. For all who obey His commands
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  find their lives joined in union with Him, and He lives and
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  flourishes in them. We know and have proof that He
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  constantly lives and flourishes in us by the Spirit that He has
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  given us. OK, right away this lays it out
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  so simply, but still so deeply. We are to believe in Jesus
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  Christ and to love one another. That's the command.
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  And I think sometimes we can overcomplicate what God is
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  asking of us, but here He brings it back to this foundation.
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  But I want us to notice how it says to trust in the name of
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  Jesus Christ, because in the Bible, a name represents
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  character, who the person really is.
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  So this is not just about believing that Jesus existed.
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  It's trusting in who He is, in His authority, in His nature, in
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  His power on heaven and on earth.
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  Philippians 2, verses 9 to 11 tell us that His name is above
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  every name. So when we place our trust in
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  His name, we're placing our trust in His identity that He is
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  fully God and fully man. He is the Savior of the world
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  and He is fully Lord. So I just want to ask you guys,
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  do you just know about Jesus or do you actually trust in who He
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  is, who He claims to be as the Son of God?
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  And real belief, it always produces something.
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  It's not passive. James too tells us that faith
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  without works is dead. So if we really do believe in
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  Jesus, it will show up in how we live.
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  Belief precedes becoming As we follow him, we begin to look
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  like Him. And it's as we live like Jesus,
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  we begin to love like Jesus as he says in John 13 verse 35,
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  that by this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you
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  love one another. So love is the evidence.
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  Our faith expresses itself through love, as it says in
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  Scripture. And this is where the word
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  abiding comes in because living in Him, He also lives in us.
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  In John chapter 15, Jesus says that He is the vine and we are
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  the branches. Y'all apart from Jesus we are
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  useless. We can do nothing, nothing that
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  is beneficial for the Kingdom, but when we remain in Him we
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  bear much fruit. It is a mutual ongoing
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  relationship. So it's not distant, it's not
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  occasional, it's not just a check in, it's constant,
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  continuous. And Scripture shows us what that
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  looks like in real life. It looks like believing in Jesus
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  Christ, loving the family of God, our brothers and sisters in
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  the faith, and pursuing and living in righteousness.
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  So ask yourself, is my life marked by these things?
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  No, it's not going to be perfect, but it should be
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  consistent. And this is also so crucial.
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  Our conduct confirms Christ in US practically.
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  It's not just spiritually, it's not just what we say we believe,
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  it's how we live that reveals what's really rooted within us.
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  Jesus said in Matthew 7, verse 16, You will recognize them by
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  their fruit. Therefore, our lives should bear
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  evidence and proof that He is living in US.
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  Verse 24 ties it directly to obedience.
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  Those who obey, they live in union with Him.
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  So obedience is ongoing and it's daily.
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  It's choosing Him again and again.
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  And I read this in yesterday's podcast, but I really love this
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  verse. Ecclesiastes 2, verse 26.
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  To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and
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  happiness. So there is good fruit that
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  comes from a life that is fully aligned with the Lord.
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  And the part that I love so much from these verses says he lives
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  and flourishes in them. The word flourishes if we break
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  that apart. That means to grow, to thrive,
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  to increase and abound. So God's presence in you is not
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  stagnant. If He is truly in you, there
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  will be growth. It may be slow, it may be unseen
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  at times, but it's real and authentic.
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  Second Corinthians 3 verse 18 says we are being transformed
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  from glory to glory. So this is a process.
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  It's not passive, it's active, and it leads us to this posture.
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  John 3 verse 30 says he must increase, but I must decrease.
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  So we are to pray for less of ourselves, less of our human
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  nature, and more of Jesus within us.
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  That is the evidence of a life that is abiding in Christ when
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  He is constantly increasing in US.
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  And finally, at the end, how do we know that He lives in US?
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  It says it's by His Spirit, because His Spirit is our seal.
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  Romans 8 verse 16 says that the Spirit testifies with our Spirit
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  that we are God's children. So it is not based on feeling,
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  it's not based on performance, but by His Spirit in us which
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  guides, convicts, leads, and also assures us.
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  It's by that same Spirit that we belong to Him.
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  So as we close out this chapter, I believe it really comes down
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  to these things. Believe in Jesus, love like
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  Jesus, obey Jesus, abide in Jesus, and trust that as you do,
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  as you make him Lord of your life, he is actively living and
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  blossoming within you. So let's move into prayer now.
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  Dear God, thank you for the gift of your Son and for the truth of
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  Your word. I pray that we would not just
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  believe in name, but to truly trust in who you are, Your
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  character. Jesus, would you teach us to
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  love like you as we abide in you and you and us, to walk in
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  obedience in step with Your Spirit, to remain in you every
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  single day of our lives. I pray that we would reflect you
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  in all we do and show others that you are in us, that you are
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  growing and increasing in US. I pray over every single person
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  listening right now that they would encounter you in new,
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  fresh ways and have a desire to go deeper in their walk with
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  you. God, we pray for a greater
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  hunger and thirst for righteousness and Your Son's
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  holy name. We pray.
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  Amen. OK y'all.
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  Well that is today's episode that is wrapping up chapter 3 of
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  First John. I hope that y'all have gotten
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  some amazing takeaways as I have studying this chapter and I'm
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  super excited to be back with y'all after my trip.
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  Praying over you guys and hope you have a wonderful rest of
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  your week. I'll see y'all on the next
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  episode.