The Notes

This Wednesday night, February 25, 2026, our message looks at one of the more popular sayings of Jesus and the influence we should have in this world.  Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth."  Come get salty with us this week as we break down what it means to be the salt of the earth.  Join us at 6:00 p.m. for some mid-week encouragement for the soul!  

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That verse assur God knows us.  Intimately.  From before we were born He "knew" us. Loved."  We all share a desire to be fully known & still completely loved.  But we usually settle to be loved even though we aren't fully known.  We hide parts of ourselves.  Keep secrets of our past or certain desires.  We fear that if we were fully known - if someone knew absolutely everything about us - we won’t be fully loved.  So we share just enough so there is little to no risk of rejection  An author and pastor - Tim Keller - once said: "To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God". 

The first point of this message is a reminder - we are fully known by God, our creator and heavenly Father.  Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

That verse assures us that God knows us.  Intimately.  It reminds us that even from a time before we were born, God "knew" us.  That verse speaks to God’s omniscience (all knowing), a confirmation  that He has knowledge of what has yet to be and who we will become.  His knowledge of us is even more than we know ourselves.  We have all said at some point, “I’ll never do that" or "I'll never be like that.”  And yet, we do.  We say the very thing our parent said.  We act in a way we promised ourselves we never would.  But God knew it.  It was no surprise to Him.  Consider that conversation between Jesus and Peter – Jesus told Peter that he would deny Jesus 3 times.  Peter said no, it will never happen.  But it did.  No surprise to Jesus.

Psalm 139:1-4 – “O LORD, You have searched me and known me.  You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.   You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD.”

We truly have no secrets from God.  God knows us completely.  We’re fully known.

Consider 1 Cor. 13:12 - “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

One day in heaven, we will gain this kind of knowledge - to know fully even as we, now, are fully known by God.  Being “fully known” by God signifies a deep, personal relationship with the Creator.  God has an intimate knowledge of us and His desire is for us to know Him and know how much He loves us.  God draws us to Himself by His love.  (Jer. 31:3)  Because God has drawn us to Himself by love, we love Him back.  Our love responds to His love.

Yet here is the problem:  Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15).  And 2 John 1:6 says: “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments.” 

Our hearts are certainly willing to do just that, but the flesh is weak.  We’re human.

We fail.  We sin.  We’re like Adam and Eve – “hiding & ashamed.”  After they ate the forbidden fruit, they tried to hide from God.  But there’s no hiding from God.  Their story is a reminder to us - God knows.  There’s no hiding, but also - no need to fear.  God comes looking for us just like He sought out Adam and Eve.  he does that because He wants a daily relationship with us.  God did not stop loving Adam & Eve because of their sin.  He doesn’t stop loving us either.  And in the story of Adam and Eve, God covered their shame by replacing their pitiful fig leave covering with garments God made from animal skins.   In the story of Jesus and Peter, Jesus didn’t stop loving Peter after he denied Jesus.  Jesus gave Peter an opportunity to affirm - 3 times - that Peter loved him.  And when Peter did, he said to Jesus - “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” 

God knows us, too, and He still loves us.   God replaces our sin with His righteousness.  He replaces our shame with His cross.  The disciples ran from the cross, but Jesus came to them while they were hiding behind closed doors.  The message to them - and to us - is come out.  You are loved, no matter what.

The cross said: “I know you and I still love you.”  It was there Jesus died for all sinners. 

The Gospel is NOT - Jesus’ death persuaded the Father to love us.  

That is not the gospel.  God doesn’t love us because Jesus died for us; Jesus died for us because God loves us! 

So the second part of this message is to hear and know what God says to us – I know everything about you . . . all your sin, your weaknesses, your failures . . .  and I love you fully & completely.  Always and forever!

If you have ever thought that god could not love you anymore - keep Romans 8:35-39 close by.  It says: "Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  . . .  No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.  Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

If we truly understand and trust in God's love, we will live differently.  Truth is, many people try to perform for God.  We want perfect performances, as if God is still deciding what to do with us.  Performing looks for brownie points and tries to avoid penalties.  It's like the Olympics, we are hoping there are no deductions for errors God doesn't see.  Underneath that mindset is fear - fear of failure. Disqualification.  Fear of being judged.  Fear of losing favor . . . losing blessings . . . losing heaven.

That mindset makes God a judge with a clipboard.  But look at Romans 8:33-34 – “Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one - for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”

Understand that neither our salvation or love was earned by our goodness.  We don’t walk in love - or obey God's commandments - keep His commandments - to be accepted by God.  Instead, we are accepted because Jesus obeyed.  Legalism flips that and says: obey so you can belong to God.  But the Gospel says – you belong, so you’ll walk in love . . .  imperfectly.  True, we usually want to be perfect.  To have a perfect score and show no weakness.  So we perform.  But God says to us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” – 2 Cor. 12:9.

Ask yourself – am I driven by fear, or by love?  Do you confess, but not rest?  If so, that’s performing . . . not responding to God’s love.  Jesus didn’t obey the Father and die on cross just for us to try harder.  He died, so we could rest.  He died so we could have peace when we sleep.  He died so that we could know our place at the table is secure.  God’s love isn’t dependent on how good we are. God loves us because we are . . . we are His creation.  His child.  His beloved.  

You don’t earn it to have it . . . and you don’t lose it because you’re imperfect.  God knows you.  Fully knows you . . . and He loves you!