Remaining Close: Living as God's Children Now

What does it mean to truly remain in Christ, and why does proximity to Jesus matter so deeply? This message takes us into 1 John 2:28-3:2, where we're reminded that staying close to Jesus isn't just spiritual advice—it's our safety, our identity, and our transformation. Just as parents tell their children to 'stay close' not because they're inherently bad but because closeness breeds safety, Jesus calls us to abide in Him for the same reason. When we drift from that closeness, we open ourselves to the enemy and lose sight of who we are as His children. The powerful truth here is that remaining in Christ changes how we see everything: our struggles become opportunities to trust Him, our relationships reflect His love, and our identity shifts from self-made to God-given. We're challenged to examine whether we're truly staying close—can we see Jesus in our business decisions, our interactions with difficult people, our daily routines? The sermon powerfully illustrates this with stories of helping the homeless and remembering that everything we have comes from Jesus, not our own goodness. When we remain in Him, shame loses its grip, righteousness becomes a gift rather than an achievement, and we start developing His mannerisms simply by being near Him. The call is clear: we're God's children now, not someday, and that changes everything about how we live today.