Identity - Who am I?
Identity • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 5 viewsWho am I - How do I identify my self - I am a part of the body of Jesus.
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GREET EVERYONE-
If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.
MISSIONS MOMENT - ROMANIA
TRUTH
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.
10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,
“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
LETS GRAB OUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE AND
Open it to Hebrews Chapter 10: Vs 23 - as we Continue exposing what Jesus says about who we are in our IDENTITY series - Answering the question - Who am I?
DESIRE FOR THE SERIES
Is two fold - One for those people in listening distance, who claim Christ as Lord that we would know what our Identity is as defined by Jesus - That we would understand that it is to BE a Christian - A Believer - A Part of His Body - A Follower of Jesus- A Servant - A prayer Warrior - and A witness -
In other words My prayer for this message is that we would know who we are in Christ.
Second - For anyone who does not know and claim Jesus as lord - Or for anyone wondering what what claiming Jesus is all about - My prayer is that you will hear the joy f what your identity could be.
DESIRE FOR THE MESSAGE
Is that as Followers of Jesus, Saints, The Bride, Heirs and Co-heirs of the kingdom - Adopted sons and daughters of the King that we would come to know what it is to wear our identity and to walk in those identities - So this morning we will be exposed to one of those ways we walk out our identity - we walk out who we are - is we are a part of The Body of Jesus.
RELATE
Identity is all to often a subject of discussion in our culture today -
The Frameworks of Identity - have some how now become subjective to what ever we think - What ever we feel - and some how not based in rational thought or objective reality
but rather based on a subjective reality -
In other words - Identities have become from inside us and not objectively defined by some authority or something or someone outside of us.
The Problem is that Identity - Objective Identity - in reality has to do with design - function - and potential.
and Absolutely nothing to so with the subjective feelings or opinions of our thoughts -
I tree is identified by its design - Its function and It potential.
if a tree does not match the objective specifics of the objective design - Function - and Potential than it is not a tree - it is something else.
A tree is designed with a single trunk - Branches - Bark - Leaves - and it all has a function -
The Bark takes the water form the roots to the leaves and provides nutrients to and moisture to the leaves and the leaves take carbon monoxide from the atmosphere and turns it in to Oxygen.
It is also a seed bearing plant and trees potential is to Grow - Make ore oxogyn and make more trees - AFTER ITS OWN KIND like God designed it to do.
So a tree, as all of the rest of creation, is identified by its design, its function and its potential.
You see Identity is directly tide to not just design- what some thing is -
But its also defined by Function - What it does -
And its potential - What it will do!
TENSION
Here is the strange thing -
Somehow we have broken that truth - Some how we have gotten to the point that we as human beings have gotten away from the fact that our identity is directly anchored in Design AND Function -
Here is where it gets really strange -
Jesus was sent into this world to give us a new Identity - Give us A new Name - New Creatures - New Wine skins - God’s workmanship Created is Christ Jesus for specific function -
and more importantly Specific Potential.
New design - New Function and New Potential
But some - Have come to the conclusion that we can claim the identity of Jesus and not function according to our new design and we can still make it simply by claiming the identity -
Things like -
Its about who I am not what I do -
its about what i believe not what I do
I don have to go to church - I can just believe in Jesus
i don’t have to pray much less pray with others - becasue I know God loves me.
I don’t have to serve the church - or as the church or others in the church or in the world. I can do what I want to do.
As long as I believe -
and really what we are meaning when we reduce being a christian to that is that as long as I agree to a certain set of facts and claim them to be true for me - I’m good -
Love ones -
The Scriptures say that the demons agree to the facts - and they tremble.
What God calls his people to are so much more and so much more abundant -
SO if we are going to identify ourselves as Jesus Followers, As Christians, As Saints -According to what the Scriptures says - What jesus says - we must allow those Identifiers - to be the motivators to align our function and potential with our design.-
When we do that we discover our Identity in Christ - and the abundance of life that He came to give us.
When we deny this we find our Identity in what we have created and in the Jesus we want and
Loved ones there is nothing more dangerous or damning than following after a god (little g) of our own making.
BACKGROUND -
Some back drop to the Scriptures this morning as we begin to un-pack.
The Word Church - means the assembly of the called out ones - that is what the word in the original language means -
In the Greek language of the new testament - When Jesus said “I will build my church” he was saying “I will build my assembly of the ones called out”
From the very first moments what we see is the people that God has reconciled to Himself - Through Faith - are collected together.
And if we are to Claim Christ as Savior and Lord - As God and Master than we must also take some of the other definitive of function that He speaks into us through His word.
and As His Church - As His people called out - The Assembly of the called out ones -
AS Followers of Jesus - The Church - The Assembly of the Ones called out
in that We have a an Identifying description of our function that comes from our design.
and so one of the functions that we are defined by our design is to assemble - To attend - to show up -
The Writer of Hebrews starts us off this morning by Telling us that we must Assemble - God’ Through the Powers of His spirit - Speaking directly to us - Through this writer in the Letter to the Hebrews says
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Some of your versions will use the word Assembling together instead of Meet together
So we Assemble - WE Attend - We Show up -
The Whole of the new testament would tell us that these meeting together happened in groups large and small in gigantic halls and in homes -
Don’t neglect meeting together - Some of your version will say - Gathering together - coming together.
Some will say - NEglect - Some Forsake - Some Give up
“Neglect” - Means to desert - To abandon - To cease an activity that has gone on for a long time -
You see back then just like today - You could always find something different to do that to assemble as the church.
How do I know if that is me pastor?
Here is and kinda has been my test before I started Pastoring a Church.
and For me I think this might be a Good way to know if God s calling you to adjust something - Ask yourself this question - In the past three years - How many times have I canceled my going to the worship gathering with my church family, small or large, for something else or some one else?
Then Ask - How many times have I adjusted or canceled something else becasue of my need, desires, want and gather with my church family?
SO the place we can land on is as our design says - The Church is the assembly of the one called out - an un-assembled church is not the church.
AS the Assembled church that is not to neglect or forsake or abandon coming together and actually assembling together -
it is also right tremendously glorious that we are called “The Body of Jesus”
One of the things that We must get back to - that as we look around we can easily see in modern so called christian life is the lost reality of the biblical calling -
You see - The Identifier of being the body of Jesus is not a biblical concept - or theory - Although it may have slid into that position in our thinking -
In the Scriptures and for the first 1900 years of the church - The Identity of being “The Body of jesus” was a reality not a concept -
SO from the Scriptures - From the Word of GOD - Those that are saved by grace through faith - are called Identified as The Assembly of the called out ones - when they are assembled are defined as - Body of Christ.
Whats interesting is that the Scriptures never allow for the church being the church and not be assembled together. Because the Body of the many parts cannot function when the body is not put together for the purpose of the body.
This is what Paul says in 1st Cor chapter 12 - Vs 12
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.
So as the assembly of the called out ones - Body of Christ - our design is to be assembeled together - The many parts - Fit together with Jesus as the Head.
SO as the body of Christ? - That is what we are - That is our design - The question is now How do we function?
In the Corinthian Passage Paul speaks about Gifts -
In this area of the Bible Paul tells us about Gifts - Infact 3 who chapters of the Bible are dedicated to talkling about Gifts -
What are those gifts for?
2 things - In the Corinthian Letters the Gifts are to Build up - add to the church -
But there is another thing that the gifts are for -
10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
Each one of us has recieved a gift - A divine powerful gift - Powered by the Holy Spirit of God himself -
and it is a gift specifically designed for us -
Through what God knows about us and How it can be manifested in our life to bring maximum glory to God.
The Over arching reason we receive this is to bring glory to God
and the under-arching ways that God is glorified is when they are used to Build the Church AND Serve one another.
So - AS Believers - We are to be the assembly of the called out ones - Fit together into the living reality of the Body of Jesus -
Gifted - Using the gifts to Build the Church and Serve each other.
In order to be the Body of Jesus - and assemble and serve one another we must come together -
We must be in unity - We must be unified in Form and Function -
The Scriptures calls us to be UNIFIERS!
The Apostle Paul wrote 13 letters to the churches and in each on of them at some level He spoke to the issue of Unity.
No where was it more evident that unity was needed than in the Corinthian church
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
Paul begged them to be in unity together - That there be total agreement - that there be SOME divisions???
NO divisions -
But that there be unity - “united in the same Mind”
in other words - Unified in our the way we think - In our philosophies of ministry and worship and message and mission
Unified in our heartbeats -
Unified in our world view.
Peter when He writes to the Churches - The assemblies of the called out ones - that are dispersed - Jewish Christians across the region -
He calls them to be unifiers -
8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
So as Believers we assemble - We are identified as those called out ones who assemble - Into the Living reality of the Body of Jesus -
Powerfully gifted to build the assembly of the called out ones - and to serve one another -
In that we are also given the unbelievable opportunity to experience the most financially liberating activity and that is returning to God what God claims for hims self - That part of our financial production that He calls to be returned to him in worship - Joyfully given to practically resource the advance of the gospel - The Tithe - The first fruit tithe -
Paul Speaks once again to the Corinthian Church about their identity as joyful, Generous, Giving people and what a phenomenal financially liberating activity Generous Given Is -
1 COr 9:6-14
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,
“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.
Paul has just said - Give Cheerfully - Not under compulsion - Which means - Not when necessary - Not under pressure - Not under need -
Paul Says we are to be identified as givers who give cheerfully - Not as givers that give when needed or pressured or compelled or obligated -
and Not Reluctantly - Reluctantly means in the original language - With Pain or Sorrow or grief- Remorse - Feeling sorry we gave -
Paul says we are not to be identified as people who give and regret doing it - Give and experience grief -
You see you only feel grief when you loose something - When it comes to living a generous life - We only feel grief when we are attached to that which we are giving -
If we are giving money and we feel grief or sorrow when we give it - We are attached to it as if it is ours -
Another sermon for another time - But when we belong to Jesus - When we follow Him - Everything belongs to Him -
Paul The Says We are to live a generous life towards the work and co laborers of God in such a way that we would be identified as Hilarious Givers - That when we give - We break out in hilarious Joy -
Here is the funny part - Paul doesn't say that we should live a generous life of cheerful giving just becasue - Now -
Our Hilariousness the reason we should be identified as hilarious givers - should come in understanding the upsidedownness of Gods economy and How God deals with us when we put our trust in Him completely in the area of our finances -
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
So God can give us a Hilarious Giving spirit as He is able to make all grace abound -
Every one say ALL GRACE ABOUND
So God gives us this reaction to be identified with and then Here is the Promise -
God - who supplies seed for the sower and bread for food will supply the giver who is identified as a hilarious giver - God will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase your harvest of righteousness -
God then promises that you and I when we are identify as genuine hilarious givers - will not only see seed provided and multiplied but Here is what else God says - we will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way - You see the financial provision that God provides to us through our work is supposed to be a river that runs through not a lake that is stopped up by a damn.
Paul then take the rest and unpacks the who gets all the glory in all of that and that is God -
So as we identify as The called out ones who assemble together - Our identity is as Parts and members of the Body of Jesus - Each part assembled together - we identify as people attend - we show up -
We also identify as gifted people and we use those gifts to build up the Church and Serve - So we identify as kingdom builders - and people who serve each other -
We identify as a unifying people and persons - walking and talking in unity
We also identify as a people who life a life of hilarious generosity.
Lastly - We identify as a devoted people -
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Devoted to Jesus and Devoted to Each other and Devoted to Prayer -
Devoted -
Devoted - a word in the language of the new testament that means - To stay - To Persist - To Remain with - in the context of how it was used it was used to mean “to continue doing something with intense effort even in the midst of difficulty -
So we continue with intense effort - We continue with Jesus - The teaching of the apostles - We continue with intense effort - Breaking bread together -
and most of all we continue with intense effort in with prayer -
ROB AND MELISSA AND OUR PRAYER TEAM
APPLICATION OR IMAGINE -
What does this change about us? - What we do and how we might find our identity?
IT begins with the questions of self and culminates with the promises of God -
Do we Identify ourselves through Repentance - Turning our life over to Jesus - Living the life He has for us? Remaining in Him - Bearing fruit for His kingdom?
Can we rightfully and accurately Identify as being made new by the power of the Spirit?
Can we rightly Identify AS Being Saved from the Wrath og God?
As such we are to Be then Identified as a called out one- And we are to the Identify as part of the assembly becasue we do not for sake the assembly - Becasue we know that an unassembeled church is not the church -
When Assembeled - DO we identify as part of the Body and have we identified what part we are?
DO we identify as super natural gift recievers? DO we identify as people who use those supernatural gifts to serrve -
DO we Identify as UNifyiers? Binging into the assembly - into the body fof Jesus UNITY -
Do we Identify as Generous Givers - Hilarious in our Generosity becasue we know that God has our economics wired -
and Finally - Do we identify as devoted - Do we continue to hear the teaching of Jesus - Do we continue in fellowship with one another and do we continue in prayer even when it is difficult, inconvenient or were just drained from the world?
Do we?
More Importantly than DO we - The real question is “Does HE”
Does God Identify us a Members of the Living Body of His son who Attend and shew up - Does He identify us as using the Gifts he gave us in Service to one another -
Doe He identify us as people who bring, foster, encourage and walk in Unity together?
Does the Heavenly Father Identify us as Generous givers who are Hilarious about our giving?
Does the father identify us as a people or persons who Perservere - Who continue in Christ - In the Teaching - In the Fellowship - And in Prayer even when it is difficult?
Imagine with me what our life would look like and what Glory God would receive if HE could Identify us as such?
PRAYER TEAM!