IDENTITY CRISIS
Pastor Brandon Andrews Sr
The Identity Crisis of the Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 10 viewsThe church is going through an identity crisis and it before we can identify who we are we must properly identify who we are to be aligned with, Who are WE in HIM?
Notes
Transcript
Goal: To establish and/or reestablish the true identify of the church, and it’s relationship with Christ for the purpose of centering our drive to live holy and walk in the full authentic authority given to us by God through Christ.
(3 Minute Introduction to series MAX)
Jesus & the Ecclesia
What did I miss?
LOL (Love Out Loud)
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
What is the purpose of the church? There are so many questions, situations, encounters, or lack thereof, so many different kinds of experiences and large varieties of behaviors, messages, expectations and requirements that it seems that the church itself cannot answer the question.
How can something built for peace cause chaos, and founded upon the premise of humility have pride, and given power seem powerless? An institution of unity, is filled with division, and people set for holiness be complacent with being common. If we are all supposed to be one how is it that we are going to be fully functional operating as multiple.
And anytime that an entity or a person is struggling with it’s purpose, it is engaging along the lines of walking in an identity crisis.
An identity Crisis is defined as a period of uncertainty or confusion in a person’s life. This crisis occurs when a person’s sense of identity becomes insecure & unstable. In most cases, identity crises happen after a major life change.
Moving physical location
The holy commission
The trajectory of God
The establishment of the dispensation of Grace
Marriage or Divorce
Cultures
Ethnicity
Political views/agendas
Child Birth
Leaders
Doctrine (the birth of denominations)
Mantles
Seasons of Grief or Loss
Unexpected or untimely deaths of leaders
Backsliding
Bad breakups amongst the Saints
Another Major issue in allegiance with the rut that the church is in is Misidentification.
This is something is incorrectly or falsely identified. The church through it’s multi-millenia of existence has been thoroughly and repeatedly identified incorrectly.
It has been
A Pillar of Nationalism
used to support the interests of the nation in which it resides (i.e The Queen’s church in England, or the American Church etc)
A Pillar of Politics
A Daycare (natural and spiritual)
Childcare
Babysitting sins and bad attitudes
JESUS & THE ECCLESIA
JESUS & THE ECCLESIA
Refer To Jesus & Peter’s Conversation in (Matthew 16:13–20) “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.”
Who is Jesus?
Only son of God birthed through the Holy Spirit
A Jewish born man who’s talent was in carpentry
Performer of Miracles and a radical preacher of his time
The Conversation
Jesus was sitting down with his disciples after they’ve have had travels and working in ministry. Often times after preaching or finishing his local assignment Christ would go off and rest or pray and isolate himself as he had his virtue restored unto him, so many times the reception of the crowd he was not privy too. So he asked his disciples
“Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?” Their answers were rooted in misidentification.
JTB/Isaiah/Jeremiah/one of the prophets
Many of us wouldn’t be able to recognize Jesus because our relationship is only transactional
Why didn’t the disciples correct the people?
Why is the church so quiet?
“But whom do you say that I am?” The conversation pivots, he now asks the disciples. Of all who were sitting with him only one answered, Simon Peter
Who is Simon
Birth Name Simon (shim’on -one who listens or hears) Barjona (Son of Jona
A fisherman with his brother Andrew
Called to be a disciple (-mathētēs -a student, who seeks to become like their teacher and is prepared to modify their entire lifestyle)
Simon’s answer
You are the Christ (Cristos-anointed one, chosen )
The Son of the Living God ( a direct familial connection to God, which affirms his divine status)
If he is of God then he cannot be of the world. So while Jesus may have been in the world he was not of the world. (John 17:14 “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” )
The Ecclesia
Flesh and blood must give way to the Holy spirit (Matthew 16:17)
Simon (who hears) to Peter (petros-a play of petra {rock})
Upon this rock (revelation) will i build my church (ecclesia)
a chosen or called out -assembly
We are an assembly of believers who walk in the belief and faith that Jesus is the anointed messiah and Son of the Living God
