Jump Start # 1364

1 John 4:4 “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

  This week our Jump Starts are taking us on a little journey through Scriptures looking at “Who we are.” There are many who live with an identity crisis—they simply do not know who they are. If a person doesn’t know who they are, it’s hard for them to know what to expect and how to behave. Atheists would have us believe that we are distantly related to pond scum that crawled out of the water and evolved into an animal. At our best, we are driven by instincts like animals. Others, want to believe that some of us are better than others. A specific race, gender or nationality, makes them different than everyone else. For some, that  becomes the ticket to do whatever they please. The rules do not apply to them because they are different.

When we come to God’s word, we find several passages that tell us who we are from Heaven’s side of things. We need to hear that. We need to know what God thinks of us. We need to understand our roles and responsibilities.

Our first passage in this journey tells us that “You are from God.” I like how that is worded. I’m often asked “where are you from?” That’s sometimes hard to answer. Where I live is not where I preach and it’s not where I was born. I live in Lanesville. My mailing address is Corydon. I preach in New Albany. Any of those answers are always followed with a “where’s that?” So I generally say near Louisville. That’s close enough. Where are you from. Our accents often give us away. There are folks from the south who have lived in my area for a long time, but they still have that wonderful southern drawl. John, in our passage, is not talking about a mailing address or a location of birth, but a spiritual residence.

The context of this chapter deals with some troubling times. Some just could not grasp that God would put on flesh and come to this wicked world. God is too good for that. The conclusion of such thinking meant that Jesus was not God. Multiple times in this section John emphasizes Jesus Christ is from God and Jesus Christ is flesh. The expression, “From God,” is found eight times here. These Gnostics, as they were known as, were confusing God’s people. John was very clear that their message was not from God. They were not from God. Those who denied Jesus were not from God. They listen to the world. They are of the world. In contrast, the brethren, were from God. They listened to those from God, like John. They confessed Jesus as the Son of God.

So we have that little expression, “You are from God.” This is not intended to mean that we existed in Heaven before we were born and God sent us down as little packages to our families. The “You are from God,” is not pointing to past origins, but rather, present relationships. You are from God meant that you accepted the testimony of the apostles that Jesus was God in the flesh. It meant that they were Christians. Christ was their Lord. That is the message from Heaven. You are one of those if you confessed that, lived that way and held to that principle.

You are from God carries a deeper connection for us. This concept brings out a loyalty and a responsibility. We have many loyalties. My dad served as a Marine in WW II. He went straight from high school to the war. He served around three years. All his life, the Marines have been very special to him. The ring tone on his phone is the Marine hymn. Others are like that about the college they went to. I live in the land where there are many die hard Indiana University and University of Kentucky fans. This region is called Blue nation, because of the Kentucky fans. Cars stickers, clothes, banners flying from front porches all identify those who are a part of that big blue nation.

We are from God. That’s our banner that flies from our heart. We are loyal to the end to God. That is our Father. He is dwelling in what will be our home someday. This dedication, loyalty drives us to worship Him, follow Him, obey Him and love Him. When it comes to sports, especially basketball, around here, one can tell the true fan and the guy who just likes the winning team. Kentucky has had some lean years. The true fan still flies his flag and wears his UK blue. The “Johnny-come-lately,” will only get excited when it looks like they may win a tournament. The tough years, he’s not so loyal. The true fan knows the difference.

We are from God, not just sitting in a church building with folks who feel the same, but on a Monday, in the office, when we may be out numbered by those who would rather party on the weekend than worship God. We are from God. That keeps our attitude in check. We are from God, that opens our eyes to serving others. We are from God, that shuts our mouths when we could say something that we shouldn’t. We are from God. It shows. We are from God and we are happy about that. We are from God and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

They became that way by choice. They remained that way by choice. That choice would take them a direction and down a path that the Gnositcs and others were not traveling. We are from God.

Think about that today. We are from God. That thought will help shape your day and especially how you respond to it.

We are from God and wouldn’t have it any other way!

Roger