"Stepping into Reality"

Awakening to Our Union With God

Father God, thank you for your word. Thank you that your presence is here with us. You are good—so gracious, merciful, and kind. Thank you for opening our eyes to see you as you truly are: good to us and good within us.

Amen.

This year we’ve been talking about stepping up, and today I want to talk about something closely related:

stepping into reality.

We Live According to What We Believe Is True

One truth keeps appearing in so many situations in life:

People react to what they believe is true—whether it actually is or not.

The reality we believe in our minds shapes everything:

• how we think

• how we see the world

• how we see other people

• how we respond to situations

Two people can experience the same moment, yet respond completely differently.

One reacts in fear. Another responds with peace.

The difference isn’t the circumstance.

The difference is the reality they believe they are living in.

The Separation Mindset

One place we clearly see this is in humanity’s belief that we are separated from God.

In fact, this mindset played a role in Jesus being crucified.

When Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, the religious leaders believed that was impossible. Their mindset said:

“No human can be that connected to God.”

So they called it blasphemy and condemned him.

Even Peter operated from this separation mindset.

When Jesus was arrested:

• First, Peter reacted with violence and cut off a soldier’s ear.

• Then he reacted with fear, denying Jesus three times.

• Later, after everything happened, he simply returned to fishing, retreating to what he knew.

Fear. Fight. Flight. Shutdown.

All reactions rooted in believing he was on his own.

What Would a Union Mindset Look Like?

I’ve often wondered:

What would it have looked like if someone at the crucifixion fully understood their union with God?

Maybe it would have looked something like this:

Instead of despair at the cross, they might have worshiped, knowing God was still present.

Instead of running away from the tomb, they might have run toward it, expecting resurrection.

Imagine arriving at the empty tomb thinking:

“Okay… he’s gone. But I know God is at work.What’s resurrection going to look like?”

That kind of perspective changes everything.

The Story Many of Us Were Taught

Many believers still live as if they are separated from God.

We live like:

• God is distant

• we must reach him

• the Christian life is about effort and improvement

I remember an illustration from Vacation Bible School when I was younger.

It showed a huge canyon between humanity and God.

We stood on one side. God stood on the other.

Then the cross was drawn as a bridge across the canyon.

That image helped many people understand salvation, and I’m grateful for that foundation.

But over time I realized something important.

God was never standing on the other side of a canyon.

Where Was God at the Height of Sin?

Let me ask a simple question.

At the height of humanity’s sin—where was God?

He was in Jesus.

And where was Jesus?

With us.

Right in the middle of it all.

He entered our brokenness willingly. He stayed on the cross. He endured humanity’s violence and misunderstanding.

And through it all he revealed something powerful:

God is with us.

Emmanuel.

The Gospel Is Bigger Than Going to Heaven

The gospel is not simply about getting people into heaven someday.

It is about revealing God’s heart toward humanity.

It reveals that:

• God is not distant.

• God is not avoiding us.

• God has brought humanity into union with himself.

Christianity is not about reaching God.

It’s about participating in the life he already shares with us.

Jesus came to wake us up to that reality.

“I Will Not Leave You Orphans”

In John 14, Jesus told his disciples:

“I will not leave you orphans…You will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me,and I am in you.”

That is an incredible statement.

Our knowing doesn’t create that reality.

Our knowing simply awakens us to it.

It’s like discovering gold buried in the ground.

The gold didn’t become gold when we found it.

But once we discover it, it suddenly becomes valuable to us.

A Picture of Our Union With God

Imagine four circles.

• The outer circle is God.

• Inside that is Jesus.

• Inside Jesus are you and me.

• And within us is the Holy Spirit.

This picture shows an inseparable union.

Romans 8 says:

Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

When you picture it this way, you can see why.

We are inside the life of God.

The Fish in the Ocean

Here’s another way to think about it.

Imagine a fish swimming in the ocean.

Water surrounds it:

• above

• below

• all around

• even flowing through its gills

Now imagine the fish saying:

“I wish I could find some water.”

We’d laugh.

The fish is already in it.

But many of us live our lives exactly like that fish.

We pray like God is far away.

Yet scripture says:

“In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

Our lives are not merely visited by God.

Our lives exist inside His life.

Clouds and the Sun

Think about flying in an airplane on a cloudy day.

From the ground it looks gloomy.

But when the plane rises above the clouds—there’s the sun, shining brightly.

The sun never disappeared.

The clouds only blocked our view.

The same is true with God.

Fear, shame, anxiety, and distraction can cloud our awareness.

But they never remove God’s presence.

Orphan Mindset vs. Son Mindset

Imagine two children living in the same house.

One believes they are loved and secure.

The other believes they are unwanted.

They live in the same place but experience it very differently.

An orphan mindset says:

• God is disappointed with me

• I must earn his approval

• I might be accepted today but rejected tomorrow

But Jesus said:

“I will not leave you as orphans.”

We are sons and daughters.

The invitation is to leave the orphan story behind and step into the family story.

The Vine and the Branch

Jesus gave another picture in John 15.

A branch does not struggle to produce grapes.

It simply stays connected to the vine.

The fruit appears naturally.

The branch has one job:

Stay connected.

The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—is not something we manufacture.

It is the life of Christ expressing itself through us.

Fruit is not produced by effort.

Fruit is produced by connection.

What the Fruit of the Spirit Looks Like in Real Life

The fruit of the Spirit is simply what the life of Jesus looks like inside a human heart.

For example:

• Love – responding with care instead of reacting in anger

• Joy – an inner gladness not controlled by circumstances

• Peace – calming the room when others are anxious

• Patience – absorbing frustration without exploding

• Kindness – small acts that make people feel valued

• Goodness – doing what’s right even when no one sees

• Faithfulness – steady commitment over time

• Gentleness – strength expressed with tenderness

• Self-control – the freedom to choose your response

These moments often happen when we pause and remember God’s presence.

That’s what Jesus meant by abiding in Him.

The World Needs People Living From Union

The world expects Christians to simply try harder.

But the world doesn’t need more religious effort.

The world needs people who live aware of their union with God.

People who carry:

• peace into chaos

• love into hostility

• joy into heaviness

That is what happens when we step into reality.

The Invitation

Many people still believe a separation story:

God is distant. We are trying to reach Him.The Christian life is striving to measure up.

But Jesus revealed something radically different.

“I am in my Father, and you are in me,and I am in you.”

We are not trying to reach God.

We are awakening to the life we already share with Him.

Like:

• a fish already surrounded by water

• the sun shining above the clouds

• a son already living in the Father’s house

• a branch connected to the vine

The invitation today is simple:

Step into reality.

Not by trying harder.

But by awakening to the truth that God is already with you, in you, and surrounding you.

A Simple Prayer

Lord, awaken us to the reality of your nearness.

Help us live aware that Jesus is in the Father, we are in Christ,and Christ is in us.

Thank you that as we live from that reality, your life flows through us.

Open our eyes again and again to the truth of your presence.

Thank you for peace in our hearts, joy in our souls, and the fruit of your Spirit growing naturally in our lives.

Amen.