CONFIDENT A sermon from St Kentigern’s

St Kentigern’s Church
people together following Jesus
in CHRIST to think about and discuss stkentigern.org.uk
Scottish Charity SC001324

G od means us to have a confident trust in him. That’s word used to describe the Spirit can mean “encourager” or
what faith is all about. That kind of faith will help,
not hinder, our daily living. It will add to our hope,
not diminish it. It is the kind of confident faith we are all
“comforter”: that is, one who increases confidence. Again, in
the first letter John says we know in our experience that God
lives in us, because of the Spirit he gave us. God’s Spirit is
belong to the truth.” That radical way is described like this:
when we who have something see someone in need, we give
what we have to them. Simple, yet life-changing
We’re also people who think and feel. So in all of this
invited to have in Jesus. Trust is a risky thing, but it is also given to all who trust Jesus, however weak that trust might be. business of being confident in Jesus, we need to know in our
rewarding, and applies in our trusting God. It may seem risky, This is God’s gift, to be enjoyed by us in our lives: we can minds what Jesus has done. Faith isn’t just about squidgy
but through Jesus and the Holy Spirit we are given the know for ourselves that God is with us. There is a sadness feelings in our hearts: it is also about knowing the sure
opportunity to trust confidently in God as our Father. Jesus is that such a comforting experience of the love of God is foundation of our faith. Sometimes in government people are
worth trusting completely, for two main reasons. something we are open to receive only at times of real crisis. told things on a ‘need to know’ basis. That is, they’re told
First, there is the fact of the love of Jesus. When you go to Perhaps such comfort is meant to be our experience more something which they require to rely on in their decisions or
the dentist, you want to know for a fact that the dentist has often than that. actions. In the Christian life, this is ‘need to know’ material.
had training- so you look for the brass plaque (though isn’t How then might we trust Jesus? Jesus’ first followers We need to know the lengths God has gone to rescue us in
that a strange thing for a dentist, of all people, to put outside provide some pattern. Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me”, Jesus.
the door?) If it said, for and they must have Yet confidence is also about feeling. In the dentist’s chair, it
example, your dentist This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life trusted him at least to helps if you feel some confidence in the person wielding the
Bible

trained Edinburgh Zoo for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If some extent to do that. tools! We are invited to know in ourselves that we belong to
rather than Edinburgh anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but Yet, all they were God? That is not self-deception, but is the work of God’s
University you might be has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? required to do was to Spirit. So we may short-change ourselves if we leave the Holy
less keen to go in. Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions take the next step. Early Spirit out of things. This encourages us to be more aware of
It’s a historical fact and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the steps were about the Spirit’s presence in our lives.
that Jesus “laid down truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever discovering who Jesus And finally, there are times when we need take action in
his life for us” as John our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and was, about hearing his the hope that our assumptions are not misplaced. We may
says in his first letter. he knows everything. claims and seeing him at have to risk that something’s right in order to prove that it is.
He died and rose again, Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence work in compassionate, There are few guarantees in life, but this is one: God loves
and that’s historically before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we miraculous ways. Later you. This is another: Jesus died for you. Faith encourages us to
true. He did that obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his steps would involve them risk trusting these are true, in order to find out they are. We
because of his love for command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to in sharing their may even need to risk giving things up for God in order to
us. Listen to Jesus love one another as he commanded us. understanding of Jesus and prove that God holds us tightly in his care. And we require to
himself. He says, “I am Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And his mission with others, be ready to risk that God might give us what we ask for: a
the good shepherd. this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit while further steps deeper sense of his presence, that will increase our confidence
The good shepherd lays he gave us. 1 John 3:16-24 required them to risk in him.
down his life for the safety and, at times, even The persecuted church across the world has experienced
sheep” (John 10:11). In their lives to remain God’s faithfulness in profound ways, as we have in times of
our passage, John says Jesus’ death is “for us” and we are faithful to their Master. crisis. In need, God supplies and whilst we do not pray for
meant to take that to heart. The question for each of us is, It seems that Jesus’ first followers were eager to do what persecution so that we may realise more deeply that God
“Do I really believe that?” Jesus wanted. They trusted him as they obeyed him and offer wants us to know he is faithful, it is by faith that we
Jesus has given himself so that we can enjoy a restored us an example of listening to Jesus and doing as he directs. understand he accepts all who turn from themselves and trust
relationship with God. We do not add to what Jesus has done: Following can also mean accepting someone’s advice. So we in Jesus.
we simply trust that what he has done is now accomplished. may ‘follow’ our parents or teachers or doctors when they tell I encourage you, then, to a greater confidence in what
We can trust in this, and such trust is not being arrogant. It is us what to do. In the same way, we can seek and follow Christ has done, that we may accept an altogether deeper
accepting what Jesus has done. Christ’s advice. He speaks much in the Bible of the demands sense of confidence in God the Father given by the Spirit.
Second, there is the experience of God’s Spirit, or the spirit he makes of his followers. For example, he says, “He who
of Jesus, in our lives. Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to his first loses his life for me will find it” (Mt. 16:25). John suggests that
followers to increase their confidence. In John’s gospel, the it’s when we live this radical way that “we know that we