"Reassurance"

 "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me." (John 14:24 KJV) 

  "Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and things we can't see - such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fulness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross." (Colossians 1:15-20 NLT)

 It might seem as though this is common knowledge, as if there is nothing more to see here; having been down this road before, the same old objects on the side of the road, just a little older and less cared for. I hope you see the connection with this and the verse before us today, because there is more this that just believing in something said; it must be cherished and protected! 

 Suppose you were listening to someone that you did not like or respect, if they might have said something that was very important or vital to you, would you have held unto what you heard, or would you have just ignored it, or forgotten what was said? If it was someone that you hated, then you would have taken what was said and made into something else; much like the Jews did for the things Jesus said. 

 I cannot lie, I did the same things before I knew who Jesus really was! If someone were to tell me something He said, I would change the meaning into something derogatory or meaningless. "In one ear and out the other," as my mother use to say. We only pay attention to things that make us feel better about ourselves, the other stuff gets thrown to the side and forgotten about.

 However, this is not the case for those who love the Lord! Even those things we don't want to hear or pay attention to, they will not leave us! You might know what I am talking about, as you set through a sermon about a certain subject. If the topic is about something you can relate to, your instant thought is to think about someone else that fits that topic, or the discussion. 

 Then, later that night, as you close your eyes to sleep, there you see yourself; realizing that it was you that the Lord was speaking to! They try to say that having Christ in your life is like needing a crutch to lean upon; well, I think it is more like needing a stretcher...

"Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things ungodly people do in secret. But there evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light."" (Ephesians 5:10-14 NLT)