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Home Page Grace Notes About Us Calendar Day Care Ministries Personal Testimonies How to Get to Grace Baptist Links & Resources	Thoughts from Pastor Dave: January 17, 2005 Is It Possible For Me to Live Like Christ? My current sermon series, How Do I Know What God Wants Me To Do?, has been a catalyst for thought concerning life as a follower of Christ. These thoughts are focused around two questions. First, can I know God’s specific will for a specific situation in my life? Second, do I have the ability to live out God’s direction when I know what that direction is? The first of these questions I hope to answer in the final two installments of this current sermon series. I would encourage you to be in worship on January 30th and February 6th for the conclusion of How Do I Know What God Wants Me To Do? The second of these important questions will be the subject of my next few Grace Notes articles. I have often envied the twelve disciples that Jesus called to follow him while he lived out his earthly ministry. These men received instant feedback as they walked with Christ. If their hearts were not in the right place, Jesus would challenge them and show them the true attitudes that he prized. (See Luke 18.15-17 and Mark 9.33-41.) If the disciples were bewildered by the parables in which Jesus spoke, he later enlightened them to the spiritual insight of his story. (See Mark 4.1-20.) When the disciples were side tracked from the heart of Jesus mission, he would call them back to his purpose. (See Mark 1.32-39, John 6.1-15 and Matthew 16.) In short, Jesus walked alongside these twelve men, helping them. In Greek, there is a word to describe such a person—paraclete. It is used of Jesus in 1 John 2.1. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate (paraclete) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Paraclete is used in just one other place in the New Testament—John chapters 14-16. The setting for these chapters is the upper room shortly before Jesus is to be betrayed by one of his twelve disciples. Aware of the crisis brewing, Jesus takes this last meeting to speak of another paraclete, the Holy Spirit. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate (paraclete), to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.” (John 14.15-18) Can we live like Christ? Not on our own. However, the Holy Spirit is promised to walk alongside of us in the same way that Jesus walked alongside the twelve. In His Service, Pastor Dave To view past issues of the Grace Notes, click HERE.

Thoughts from Pastor Dave: January 17, 2005

Is It Possible For Me to Live Like Christ?

My current sermon series, How Do I Know What God Wants Me To Do?, has been a catalyst for thought concerning life as a follower of Christ. These thoughts are focused around two questions. First, can I know God’s specific will for a specific situation in my life? Second, do I have the ability to live out God’s direction when I know what that direction is? The first of these questions I hope to answer in the final two installments of this current sermon series. I would encourage you to be in worship on January 30th and February 6th for the conclusion of How Do I Know What God Wants Me To Do? The second of these important questions will be the subject of my next few Grace Notes articles.

I have often envied the twelve disciples that Jesus called to follow him while he lived out his earthly ministry. These men received instant feedback as they walked with Christ. If their hearts were not in the right place, Jesus would challenge them and show them the true attitudes that he prized. (See Luke 18.15-17 and Mark 9.33-41.) If the disciples were bewildered by the parables in which Jesus spoke, he later enlightened them to the spiritual insight of his story. (See Mark 4.1-20.) When the disciples were side tracked from the heart of Jesus mission, he would call them back to his purpose. (See Mark 1.32-39, John 6.1-15 and Matthew 16.) In short, Jesus walked alongside these twelve men, helping them.

In Greek, there is a word to describe such a person—paraclete. It is used of Jesus in 1 John 2.1. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate (paraclete) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Paraclete is used in just one other place in the New Testament—John chapters 14-16. The setting for these chapters is the upper room shortly before Jesus is to be betrayed by one of his twelve disciples. Aware of the crisis brewing, Jesus takes this last meeting to speak of another paraclete, the Holy Spirit. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate (paraclete), to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.” (John 14.15-18)

Can we live like Christ? Not on our own. However, the Holy Spirit is promised to walk alongside of us in the same way that Jesus walked alongside the twelve.

In His Service,

Pastor Dave

To view past issues of the Grace Notes, click HERE.