this morning. I want to talk about This one question and that is this. How do you personally view your relationship with God? How do you view your relationship with God? I believe that when we think about our connection with God, it helps to understand that you are not an employee clocking in for work, but you're a child of God playing in his kingdom. The most other religions across the world have some form of process. That's this, God created man, man disappointed God and that God is now looking over your shoulder hoping that you do the right thing or waiting for you to mess up. And so across the world, there are people that are walking in their day to day lives, trying to earn their salvation and earn their identity and earn their favor and they feel like they have to punch in the clock. They have a checklist, they have to follow whether that's service twice a year or every week, or you must do certain things to achieve certain levels to, to move on, whatever that view is. But the truth is that while our work often requires us to clock in. And I understand there's an accountability there is that when it comes to our faith and our relationship with God, God does not view us as an employee waiting for us to clock in, but he views us as his child and it causes to go play and to enjoy his kingdom and have a relationship with him and relationship with each other. So it makes a difference when you believe that is not just a religion, but a relationship with God and that you have this family to belong to. That is not a building or a place you attend, but a family to belong to. Because all of us deep in our hearts, long to please somebody. Maybe you have a great relationship with your parents, maybe you've had a terrible relationship with parents, maybe you've been hurt in your past, maybe you've seen Brokenness, maybe you've been on the receiving end of that Brokenness or maybe you've caused Brokenness that now you're battling guilt and shame over. But whatever your situation is, when you see a perfect gift or a good gift and an encouragement and love and the pride that comes from pleasing your parents, the goodness is a is a small shadow and reflection of the greater relationship and that if you've experienced trauma in your life, if you experienced difficulty and broken relationship that you still have access to family, because Christianity is different because it refers to God as our heavenly father, that you're not an employee clocking into work, but you're a child of God called the play in God's kingdom and that you bear the very name of God and that his first position is not demanding out of you, but rather giving to you and his love comes to you and to me. And so that the first step into receiving relationship is just that it's receiving its opening your heart and it's asking God to come inside so that you have that family name, that family privilege my kids. They come in late at night or early in the morning. I remember Jackson would wake up or then carter and and now even Chloe, all three would wake up and sometimes it be in the middle of the night and they'd be like, hey dad, okay, it's time to play. Okay, you do not have that access. If you came to my house and woke me up at like 3:00 AM, there would be cops involved at this point because you do not have access. We are friends and and we are close, but there's something different, there's something special, there's something unique with a child and we have that access with God because if you're not an employee that's clocking in, okay God, I need to do this. Okay God, I need to do this. I need to follow this rule. I need to go here, I need to check this box. Don't get mad at me God, you're not an employee, you are a child of God who loves you? It is an identity. It's not an activity. It's not something to be earned, but something to be received. And so how do you gain access into this family? Well, it actually says in scripture that you must be born again. If you have your bibles you can open up the first John Chapter five, we're working we're working through this letter that the apostle john wrote to a series of churches centered around Ephesus at the time, john the apostle was the last living disciple of jesus between 80 and 100 years old, he was the disciple whom Jesus loved, he was the son of thunder, turned to the Apostle of Love and some of his last words, he says this, starting here in chapter five verse one, everyone who believes that jesus is the christ has been born of God To be born spiritually means to receive new life, Jesus himself said this in John Chapter three, talking to an educated guy named Nicodemus, We might be familiar with John 316, which is the most commonly quoted verse in all of the Bible for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life now, just a couple of verses before that and verse three, jesus says this, he says truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God peter. In writing another apostle or follower of jesus says this in his letter in chapter one verse three says, blessed be the God and father of our Lord jesus christ according to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of jesus. Now, why do we need to be born again because let's just be real, let's just call it for what it is, If you walk up to someone and you say you need to be born again, That's weird, right? Especially if you're having a conversation with grown ups and you're saying you need to be born again, right? Those are sometimes christian, these phrases that we forget that the average everyday person, that seems weird, right? Like if you go into the workplace and someone who doesn't go to church and you just say how's it going today? Good. You know, I'm feeling really good, I prayed a prayer of hedge of protection around my Children and they're gonna be like, wait, you planted something, what is there like a garden, what's go what's a hedge of protection, what are you doing? And so sometimes we use these words in church, they're like, oh you must be born again, that sounds weird, Okay, but what does, what does it mean to be born again? Well Paul writes in Ephesians chapter two, he says God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our sin, he made us alive together with christ by grace, you have been saved. And so the idea of being born again is not a physical birth, but a spiritual one, just as you were physically born and when you were born, it gives life, we celebrate life, right? That's the whole happy birthday, like you reach an anniversary and you celebrate why? Because it's another year. I always thought it would be weird. Um You know, you don't you don't do the other way. You don't go subtraction, right? You say it's happy birthday, it's not, hey, you're a year closer to dying like that. You're all looking at me weird because that is weird because you don't feel like, oh man, it's one more year until it ends like you don't have a negative subtraction. You don't like saying, man, I just can't wait till I die. Like that just seems weird. You you don't say you talk that way, you don't have. Um That's why you have showers, right? You have baby showers and bridal showers, You do not have that at memorials, right? You do not have the same feeling why? Because when someone dies, when someone loses life, there is a loss, there is grieving. But when someone is born or relationship is renewed or or a marriage is celebrated, it's a celebration because it is new, it is born, it is life, it is given, it is refreshing and in the same way that we are born physically, God says you must be born spiritually because when left to our own devices, we are going to sin, we're gonna make mistakes. But when we are born again and God, it says there in the beginning of Verse one. It says everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. You are called a new creation, a new creature. You have the spirit of God that comes inside of you. And so when you hear the word born of him, what he's saying is you are a child playing in God's kingdom, called to inherit everything that God has for you. That would be weird if you made your kids clock in and out, wouldn't it? Like they wake up and it's like, all right, punch in. No. Like the child has access to you because it's your child. There's a relationship, there is love, there is an identity involved. But that's what it means to be a child of God. Let's keep reading. And everyone who loves the father loves whoever has been born of him. Just basically saying, look, if we are Children of God, then we are brothers and sisters and we should get along parents in the room. You're saying, just get along, Just stop it, stop fighting. That's your brother, that's your sister and we get angry. But then we realized when we were kids, we did the same thing, right? He's saying if you love God, you're born of him. But guess what? So is everybody who loves God. So as a church, we should love each other as brothers and sisters under our heavenly father, Verse two by this, we know that we love the Children of God when we love God and we obey his commands. For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome. We're gonna really dive into that in just a second for everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith, who is it that overcomes the world? Except the one who believes that Jesus is the son of God this morning. We see the connection in this passage between belief and birth. That believing in jesus means you are born again and given new life. The first thing he says and the last thing he says is that life begins when you believe in jesus and if you're taking notes, I want you to write this down. That belief in jesus removes burdens and multiplies blessings, belief in jesus removes burdens and multiplies blessings. In other words, when you were born again, when you become a member of God's family, when you are a child of God, It does these two things. First, let's talk about what are the burdens that God takes away or takes out of your life. The first burden he removes is the burden of rebellion. And this is the concept that ultimately when left to our own nature, we tend to run from God when you've done something wrong, when you've messed up at work or maybe you've said something to a person. What is your first gut reaction? I'm guessing it's to hide and run away. Well that is because we are human. In fact, the very first two humans on this planet Adam and Eve when they sinned, when they made a mistake, they went and they hit. And so that's our natural burden is that when we make a mistake, when there's a broken relationship, we want to run away or we want to blame somebody else. But God removes that burden because he says in first john 19, that would when we confess our sins, that he is faithful and just to forgive them, it says that we can come into the light and come before him. In fact, In Romans eight Paul writes, he says therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, Jesus for the law of the spirit of life has set you free in christ jesus from the law of sin and of death, here's what I mean by freeing you from the burden of rebellion. Do not let what's wrong with you? Stop you from worshiping what's right with God. Do not let what's wrong with you? Stop you from worshiping what's right with God When you think that you're an employee, when you think that you have to do this and have this checklist and you think you have to earn the love of God as soon as you don't, it becomes a sin cycle of guilt and shame and retreat and we become more isolated and we pull ourselves away. But Godfrey's is from that because he says, he is faithful and just to forgive you, there is nothing you can do to outzen God's forgiveness. There is nothing you can do that means that you're not loved. There is nothing that you can do that would disappoint God to the impact that he says no more. God loves you right now. I don't care if this is your first time in church and 20 years. If this is you you had a bad day yesterday or you're in an addiction right now or you're battling something or you've doubted God or you ran from him and you're angry at God. Whatever it is, whatever you're facing, I want you to understand this truth that God loves you. That's it. Eugene Peterson is a he would be kind of in the past 100 years, you'd kind of be on the Mount Rushmore of pastors and he's written so many things about God. And when he got to the end of his life, he said, if you could have any message that you could share with others, what would it be? And he just simply replied, jesus loves me. Because when you view yourself as a child of God, you have everything that you need, everything that you need, and so you can try to run, you can try to fulfill life. But that's an empty pursuit. If you can try to run after money. But once you get it and then what you can try to run after popularity, you can try to run after possessions. You know, we read stories in the gospel of guys who were uh possessed by demons. That's kind of crazy, right? And God can remove that demon. And and I have not seen a lot of demonic activity where someone was going crazy and I saw a demon leave outside of someone that, but I'm not saying it doesn't happen because you see too many stories across the world that says it's true and that in scripture, you see demonic activity. And while I've not seen a lot of people possessed by demons, I have seen a lot of people possessed by possessions. I have seen a lot of people possessed by money, I have seen a lot of people possessed by approval. You can take a good thing, but when you put it in the God spot, it becomes sin. God says, do not have any idols, don't put anything in the God spot or it'll disappoint. That means even your kids or your spouse or your job, whatever it is, even if it's a good thing, if you put it in the God spot, it becomes sin, it becomes an idol and it falls short. And so God is with us and God is for us and God frees us from the burden that is rebellion and he says those bad thoughts you had, that's an activity. But being a child of God, that is your identity and I died for that and I love you this idea that rebellion, it freezes and so it we can come before God and just have confidence in the throne. This is different than every other religion out there. Every other religion is somehow man's attempt to God, but Christianity says you're gonna fail at that, but that's okay because God came down to man and we can love others because God first loved us and that there is a freedom that comes from trusting, that jesus loves you to your core. That when you're scared, God is there when you failed, God is there when you've been hurt God is there when you're going after something, God is there and guess what God is proud of you? I was a little bit distracted this morning and worship, but in a good way and that's because um I love just actually um Nick's dad's in town, our drummer and uh right there and I won't, I won't make you stand up or anything, but one of my favorite things I love during this worship set is that while, like it was so cool to see Nick's dad just smiling at his sun worshiping God. And isn't it true that when you see a child when you see a loved one doing something? Well it just brings joy to your heart. Do you understand that's how God views us, he's not view you in anger, he views you as his child and he loves you. So he freezes from the burden of rebellion? But secondly, he actually freezes from the burden of religion, Jesus was talking to Matthew 23 and he's talking to the Pharisees and which were the religious leaders in the time and he says that you have placed a burden on the people that they cannot carry some of you, some of you in your heart right now have so many worries that it looks like a junior hires backpack. You know, I'm talking about, The kid weighs like £60 and the bag weighs 75 and somehow he carries it everywhere right? And just kinda awkward and goofy but you just load it up. That's what we do. Here's what's interesting though, do you realize that you will never worry yourself to peace? Let me say that again. You will never worry yourself to peace. Never in the history of the world. Have you worried about a situation so much? They said, oh now I feel better. You start to worry about a situation and then if you're like me, you get anxious enough to worry now you start to worry about the fact that you're worrying about the situation and then you start going down this line like the hall of mirrors or something where it's like, well I shouldn't be worried about the fact that I'm worried about this situation. Wait now what am I even worried about? I don't know this is stressing me out. Can anybody, can anybody relate to that? You will never worry yourself to peace. But you can worship and find peace. So it's not that you stop thinking about what's going on and the questions you have, it's taking what you have and saying, okay God I don't know. Here you go. There is so much freedom. When you say God, I don't know. But here you go. Turn to your neighbor right now just do me a favor and just say God, I don't know. But here you go go and do it. See when you give something to God there is freedom because it no longer belongs to you. The other thing we do to is that on religion it's not just our worries, it's our works and we take our works and we're saying yeah God I did this, you're welcome. Yeah. Um imagine for a second that you borrowed your friend's car, You borrowed the car and then when you give it back to him to go, here you go, you're welcome. Like wait a second. That was my car. I know you're welcome, brought it back. All the gas tank's on empty but and it's a little messy. I didn't clean it. But you're welcome. There you go. Do you understand? That's the attitude sometimes we have to God. Every gift comes from him. God gives you a dream? God gives you a desire, he gives you a work ethic and he gives it to you so that when you give it back to him, that's worship. But a lot of times we as christians, we go, okay God, here you go, you're welcome. God, I'm awesome. Like no, you're you're returning back to God. What God gave to you. I realized this a few years ago when I was going through a situation and I was having doubts and I was having those uh I want to say a prayer but it's really just an angry conversation with God. Have you ever had those? Okay. And a moment struck me that as I was praying like God, how could you, God, why would you let this happen? God, Do you even are you even in control? Can you even hear me? And in that moment I realized that God was giving me the very breath that I was using to turn around and question God isn't that crazy? You cannot make your heart beat, you cannot breathe on your own strength at least if you do, you don't think about it until I just said that now some of you are thinking about it. But yet we question God and he is so big and it's so incredible and sustains the entire universe. But yeah, he loves you and me so much. He says you are my child. And so he frees us from the burden of religion because we don't have to earn it. God's not sitting up there waiting for us to mess up. It says that he has blessed us with every heavenly blessing. The prophet Isaiah writes this in Isaiah 55 he says for as the heavens are higher than the earth. So my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. God frees us from rebellion. But God also frees us from religion because you don't have to chase something that you already have. There's an interesting thing I want to pull up here. And In Genesis Chapter one, genesis chapter one verse 27 it says. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God, he created him male and female. He created them. Now being in bible class. This is a commonly quoted scripture genesis 1 27 that God made us in his image. But in prepping for this message, I noticed the very next verse, verse 28. And God blessed them. When did sin enter the world for those that know old testament. When did sin actually come into play? When did it enter scripture? Chapter three This is Chapter one, God creates male and female. God creates us. He creates the world. And what is the very first thing he does? He blesses us. God's default mode. Before sin even comes into play. The first thing he wants to do in your life is to bless you not belittle you, He takes joy and his kids. So God not only removes burdens, but he multiplies blessings. God's default mode is blessing. But do we view God that way? What? How does he bless us? Number one? He gives us the blessing of obedience. Now, obedience doesn't seem like a blessing until you understand that it's about relationship. You're not an employee, you're a child. It says, if you love God, you'll obey his commands. In other words, you're going to be aligned with his will until you're gonna love to do what God loves to do. I want you to pause for a moment and I want you to think that if you had a free day, no responsibilities and you just had a couple of hours, what would you do right now? Like would you, would you go out to eat maybe go golfing, watch sports, watch a movie, go hiking, Eat vegetables. And I said no one ever. Um no. If you if you have no consequence anything. If you could, if you could do something, what would it be? I just want to think of that. Okay, now, imagine if you were commanded to do that, right? Imagine if you told your kids, okay, kids you have to go to Disney world. Now notice I said that for the kids because sometimes her parents standing in a theme park in long lines, that's not necessarily your form of blessing. But it's OK. We love our kids. And so, um maybe it's like watching sports and eating chocolate. I don't know. That's just my personal preference. But like, like if someone said, john you have to eat dessert. Okay, right, This is obedience. The obedience is that God gives you something that allows you to thrive in life. God gives you the gift of obedience so that you could strengthen your relationships with him. That when you love people the way that God loved us, your relationships are stronger and you see the spirit and the fruit of the spirit in your life. So while you might not like the term obedience, it's really tied to the fruit of the spirit so that you can experience joy and purpose. And it says in there says when you obey God's commands, they are not burdensome, but ultimately, they lead to joy. And so God gives us the blessing of obedience because he is the author of life. And so he knows how it works. And that when you walk in obedience, when you do the things that God tells you to do, that your life is better and ultimately you are better at life. I'm not saying that your life is easy. I'm not saying that you will have more money in the bank. I'm not saying that everything will be perfect, but rather you will have purpose in everything that you do. And so it's a blessing to be able to obey God because you have a stronger relationship with him and you will have stronger relationships here in the church and in your family. The second blessing that comes is the blessing of overcoming the blessing of overcoming and this produces victory. Everyone wants to win at something. Mhm No one, no one wakes up, no child says man when I'm older, I really hope I lose a lot. I really, I really hope that I'm overwhelmed and and isolated and defeated and oh man, if I could be bitter, that would be great. No as what do you want to be as a kid? You want to be a superhero, you want to be a princess, you want to be an athlete, You want to be a warrior right like you wanna go, you wanna go after something. Well, it says in the scripture that that those who believe in jesus have overcome the world, that means there is nothing satan can throw at you. There is no difficult situation that can come your way that you cannot overcome. You can have victory in the name of jesus when you believe in him. Pastor Craig, rochelle puts it this way, he says, If God met all your expectations, he would never have the opportunity to exceed them. If God did everything that you wanted, then he couldn't surprise you. But we have a God who does abundantly more than anything you could ever ask think or dream And in fact, it says in Matthew 11 Verse 28, Jesus says, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. How many people do you know? You could use some rest for their soul. That comes in, jesus, my yoke is easy and my burden is light. When you have been blessed, you are freed up to bless others. More of a blessing. Stories are coming in and heard just this week of people who donated down at the phoenix rescue mission or and it's a blessing a homeless guy at the park or bought a thanksgiving meal for a family. And and the truth is is that at the end of the day, when you feel loved by God, love motivates you for mission And it makes all the difference. In fact, in Romans eight, it says this, it says for all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God for you to not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into. But you received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry out, Abba father, we get to call God dat, you're not an employee, you're a child and you gain all the rights that come from being a child of God. And as the band comes up, I just want to end with this first John 1 12 it says, but all who did receive him who believed in his name. He gave right to become Children of God. So I just want to end in this way is that do you believe in the name of jesus? Not that you've tried to work for religion, not that you've tried to go after something, but have you really trusted Jesus as your Lord and savior? Because in doing that, it will remove the burdens the burdens of rebellion, the burdens of religions, the burdens of trying to to achieve something. But then it multiplies blessing because he gives you the ability to obey and to and to fall in love with him and to love others and it gives you the ability to overcome. If everyone could just close their eyes and bow their heads for just a moment. Mhm. I understand that there's nothing that I can say that will change your life. But if you would take a moment to receive the Spirit of God in your life, that will change everything. So trusting that the spirit is in this room right now, no one looking around. But if you're feeling nudged right now to say john I I want to receive God into my life, I want to be a child of God. I want to believe if that's you right now and you've not already made this commitment, would you just put your hand in the air would just make that commitment. Thank you. Thank you jesus. If you're saying I want to receive jesus into my life right now, I want to be a child of God. About you. Just slip your hand up and wait for the rest of us that already claim and believe in our Children. Do we live that way or do we try to carry the burdens in our life on our own? Do we try to worry so much that almost keeps us from making day to day choices? Let us pray right now. Dear God, we are not employees having to clock in and out, but we are Children born to you. God we know that we are sinners, but God you saved us. You died on the cross, paid for our sins. Rose again on the third day. And because of that we can claim you as our own that you have freed us from our sin. You have given us access to heaven and eternal life. God. You have removed the burdens of rebellion, remove the burdens of religion. God, you have multiplied the blessing and allowed us to overcome and to obey your word and to love people because you first loved us. God help us walk in that truth. Help us walk and the love God, We commit our lives to you. God we can overcome because you overcame and you are present in this room right now right here. And so we give our lives to you. Give us a fresh anointing of your spirit. God give us the experience of who you are and help us to overcome that sin, help us to break free of that addiction, help us to overcome that sickness, help us to move past that worry and give it to you as worship help us to find truth and love and purpose and meaning in your name. God we can have victory now because you have victory in us. There is nothing we can do to make you love us more, but God, there is nothing we can do to make you love us any less. And so as Children of God, help us to overcome whatever issue we're facing right now. We love you God, it's in your son's name. We pray Amen.