An Acquired Taste
Holy Shift – Week 3 – August 18, 2024
An Acquired Taste
John 8:31-59
Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need first hand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn’t possibly do otherwise. -2 Corinthians 13:5-9
We don’t just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives. -2 Corinthians 13:5-9 (MSG)
• Embracing Jesus’s word is the cornerstone of freedom, freeing us from the bondage of sin and the illusions of this world.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
-John 8:31 NKJV
• Belief is the beginning, but true disciples are marked by a continuous and living relationship with Christ, not just sporadically.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
The truth of Jesus is not merely intellectual but life-transforming because it renews and sanctifies us.
Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!” -John 14:6-7 (MSG)
33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. -John 8:33-36
• We need to shift our need for the truth
• We need to seek the truth
• We need to live the truth in boldness
• Becoming Courageous in Faith
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” -Franklin D. Roosevelt
I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. -Philippians 3:12-14 (MSG)
• Willingness to stand firm in our faith
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. -Ephesians 6:13-18 (MSG)
• Willingness to step out in faith
“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.” -John 8:31 (NKJV)
• Willingness to persevere
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” -James 1:12 (NIV)
• Willingness to surrender
““Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” -Luke 22:42