We Don’t Serve An 'It': KNOW Who You Serve

Why Knowing Matters in a Confused World

Charles Redwine greeted us with a simple but pointed challenge: how well do we actually know what we believe? He described the rising confusion around faith, a world that prefers to describe God as an impersonal 'it' or energy, which he contrasted with the biblical claim that God is someone we can truly know.

He recounted a recent encounter with a book rooted in modern spirituality:

"One man's truth is another man's blasphemy. ... God is not a creator nor responsible for the existence of things. We don't know what is. But it's the unseen energy that keeps our hearts beating and our lungs functioning."

Charles Redwine pressed us to name the difference between that kind of vague trust and the personal knowledge described in Scripture, drawing us to the heart of the sermon: "We don't serve an it. We don't serve an energy. We need to know who we serve."

Gnosticism, And the Age-Old Battle Over Who God Is

Drawing from 1 John, Charles Redwine gave us historical context: early Christians faced Gnosticism, a mindset denying that the material world was good and separating spirituality from physical reality. In the Gnostic story, a hidden divine spark might save some but not others. Salvation depended not on a Savior, but special knowledge, and ultimately placed hope in one's own internal light.

He put it in plain terms:

"This is what the disciples were up against, battling Gnosticism, that there is no good God, only an evil God who might bless you with a spark. ... Salvation then is through a secret knowledge."

But where Gnosticism (and, he noted, much of modern skepticism) treats God as distant or irrelevant, Charles Redwine called us back to a radically different claim: God wants to be known by us, and He calls us His children.

Philippians and 1 John: Knowing Christ as the Heart of the Faith

Reading Philippians 3:8-11, Charles Redwine led us through Paul's longing to know Christ, not just know about Him. The whole message turned on that word: know. In 1 John, he pointed out, the word appears thirty-six times:

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. Not little sparks, not little its. And so we are. ... The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him."

He emphasized that our dignity and our future hinge on whether we know Jesus, truly, relationally, deeply.

Trust and Obedience: Living as God’s Children

Charles Redwine offered this contrast: the world doubts, dismisses, or redefines God, but God persists in calling out sons and daughters. That relationship comes with an invitation, not for secret knowledge but for obedience. He said, "We just need to learn to walk like Jesus."

He reminded us:

"Let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and assure our heart before Him. ... If you confess that Jesus has come from God, that is the true Spirit."

Charles Redwine described common ways we weaken our connection to God: neglecting Scripture, skipping prayer, settling for surface-level church involvement. He urged us to examine our own habits:

"If you're not spending time with Him, if you're not spending time in the word, if you're not spending time in prayer, how are you getting to know Him? ... This is to prepare us to go out there."

Jesus as Fully God: The Only One Who Saves and Restores

Turning to the doctrine itself, Charles Redwine outlined why it matters that Jesus is fully God. He gave us three reasons, each one vital:

• Jesus has the authority to forgive sins. Not as a mere human, but as God Himself, He replaces the old system of offerings with forgiveness given by the power of God.
• Jesus has the authority to recreate humanity, restoring the image of God that was marred by sin. Only God can make us genuinely new.
• Jesus restores us relationally with God. We are brought not just to forgiveness but into God’s very presence, counted as sons and daughters through Christ.

He pressed this home: "If He were not fully God, He couldn’t forgive the sins. ... All the songs we have about being washed over by the blood, there’d be no forgiveness because He wasn’t God."

Jesus as Fully Human: The Healing and Example We Need

Why did Jesus have to be fully human? Charles Redwine made clear: only a fully human Savior could heal our corrupt and broken souls from the inside out.

He told us:

"The second Adam who did not fail, but lived a life of perfect faith and obedience to the Father. ... He’s our pathway. He’s to show us what life as a fully human being is supposed to be."

Jesus’ humanity means He can restore our brokenness, demonstrate obedience, and open a way for us to become truly human, the way God intended.

The Call to Live as Redeemed Children

The sermon closed with urgency. Charles Redwine asked our church: are we living any differently because of this knowledge? If we serve a real, knowable Savior, how does that reshape our week, our relationships, and our community?

He asked, with the weight of a pastor who has seen too many drift:

"If we’re not becoming more and more like Christ, then why are we coming to church? We should leave here every Sunday more filled with Jesus, more filled with the Spirit to be able to go out and have an impact."

He offered a personal story from his days as an EMT at age eighteen, when his visible joy, rooted in Jesus, made a co-worker uncomfortable but ultimately led her to faith. The takeaway: when we know Christ, the difference shows.

Living It Out: Taking Home What We Know

As we go, Charles Redwine’s call lingers: Do we know who we serve? Are we hearing Jesus with more than our ears? Open the Word. Spend time in prayer. Allow Christ to reshape not just what we believe but how we live, serve, and love, so that the world sees a light rooted in real, lived-out faith.

Discussion Questions:

1. In what ways have you settled for knowing about God instead of truly knowing Christ as described in Philippians 3:8-11 and 1 John 3:1-3?
2. How could you deepen your daily practices of prayer and Scripture, not out of obligation but for the sake of real relationship with Jesus?
3. Where is your life showing the difference between serving an impersonal 'it' and living as a recognizable child of God?