Do You Know Who I Am?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
“Do you know who I am?”
This is a phrase used many times by celebrities.
Some examples…
Miley Cyrus
In 2009, she walked into a fastfood restaurant and balked when a cashier asked her name for her order. She said, "You don't recognize me? I'm Miley Cyrus!"
Reese Witherspoon
America's Sweetheart sounded bitter when her husband got pulled over by a police officer for erratic driving. According to the probably-out-of-touch officer who pulled her over, she shouted, "Do you know my name? You're about to find out who I am."
David Hasselhoff
The Hoff was in a huff when he was denied entry to a private bar at Wimbledon that was reserved for tennis players only. Apparently he said, "All I want is a drink. Do you know who I am?"
Why do you think celebrities or famous people would use the phrase, “Do you know who I am?”
Sense of importance… they should be recognized
Sense of entitlement… they deserve something
Frustrated or angry because people don’t know them
Intimidation to get what they want
The truth is that, in order to get respect, it does matter who you are.
Who would you immediately get your respect and attention if they walked in this room right now?
Transition
Today we are going to see that Jesus is worthy of our worship and obedience…
But its not because He felt self-entitled…
It’s because He got His worth and identity from the Father.
1. Jesus is Worthy of Our Obedience
1. Jesus is Worthy of Our Obedience
1 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,
3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.
4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”
8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
God echoes the words He uttered at Jesus’ baptism…
“This is my beloved Son”
God affirms that Jesus is the promised One… the Messiah.
Therefore… “listen to him.”
Jesus is worthy of our obedience because of who He is
This is the point that the writer of Hebrews makes in chapter 1
All the Scriptures pointed to Jesus, and He is worthy of worship because He is God.
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Jesus came to show us exactly what God is like, in human flesh.
We come to know more of who God is through Him.
Transition to sub-points
So what does it look like to obey Jesus?
What does obedience look like?
As the disciples come down the mountain, Jesus takes time to specifically teach them.
As we look at the rest of chapter 9, we learn from the master teacher what obedience to him looks like.
a. We walk by faith in Jesus’ power
a. We walk by faith in Jesus’ power
14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.
15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him.
16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.
18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”
19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.”
20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.
21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.
22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
Explain
This man had come in faith to Jesus to have his son healed.
He had faith, but he struggles with doubt.
He says in Mark 9:22
Mark 9:22 (ESV)
22 But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Jesus then says in Mark 9:23
23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
Jesus wants the man to know that the problem lies not in His ability.
Jesus is God, and therefore able to do anything
The problem is his lack of faith.
The man immediately admits his lack of faith in Mark 9:24
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
Apply
The problem with us is that we doubt God.
Maybe we doubt that God CAN help us
Maybe we doubt that God WANTS to help us
We need to realize that:
The problem is not Jesus’s ability, but our lack of faith in Him.
Jesus is not saying that He will do ANYTHING for those who believe…
He said that all things are possible.
God may still choose not to answer certain prayers because He is ultimately wise and knows they wouldn’t be good for us.
But we must walk by faith in Jesus’ power.
We should never doubt His ability to do something.
How do we know if we believe something?
It leads to some action or step.
Example:
Tim Hortons offered free coffee for setting up scan and pay. I did it, believing I would get a free coffee.
True faith will result in obedience!
Whereever Scripture commands us to do something…
we do it because we believe Jesus will be faithful to His Word, and
He has the power to do what He says He will do.
Transition
Since Jesus is God,
and worthy of our obedience…
we walk by faith in His power.
Next we see that…
b. We walk by humility in Jesus’ example
b. We walk by humility in Jesus’ example
30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know,
31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”
32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
Explain
Jesus was God, and yet He did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom.
This is the humble example that He has given us to follow.
The next two stories show how that works itself out in the lives of the disciples.
i. We must give our lives for others
i. We must give our lives for others
33 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”
34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”
After Jesus told them that He was going to subject Himself to death…
He shows them what true leadership is.
True leadership is being a servant
This went against the cultural norms of their day, and ours.
A leader is the one who was served, and taken care of, and honoured.
But in Jesus’s kingdom, it is the leaders who live to care for others.
If we want to be great in God’s kingdom…
We must give our lives for others.
ii. We must share Jesus’ authority
ii. We must share Jesus’ authority
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”
39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.
40 For the one who is not against us is for us.
41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
With the traditional leadership structure, authority is limited to those with the authority to make decisions.
This is true in our day as well.
Power is delegated, and not available to just anybody.
In Jesus’ kingdom, anyone who comes to Him in faith has His authority and power.
We must acknowledge that God is not limited to a select few… or a specific church… or to those with a certain level of intellect.
God can work through anybody He chooses
We must share Jesus’ authority with all who are His children through faith in Jesus.
APPLICATION
We
Why do you think we struggle with humility?
Because we are all insecure of our self-worth, so we find areas where we can feel validated in some way.
Why do you think we struggle to share authority?
Because we want to feel in charge/validated/in control/important
If Jesus was willing to humble Himself for us…
and He’s willing to share His authority with us…
then we should be all the more willing to be humble and share authority.
The gap between God and man is far greater than the gap between men could ever be.
Transition
Since Jesus is God,
and worthy of our obedience…
we walk by faith in His power… and
we walk by humility in His example…
Next we see that…
c. We walk by holiness in Jesus’ promise
c. We walk by holiness in Jesus’ promise
42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.
45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.
47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,
48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
49 For everyone will be salted with fire.
50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Explain
Jesus point in this section is that:
Sin is far more serious than we assume
We tend to get comfortable with our sin, and are okay with it.
The problem is, that sin is deceitful.
12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Sin is not some innocent thing…
It seeks to drag us down…
and eventually hardens our hearts.
Then they will seek out teaching that aligns with our sin…
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
It sounds obvious and avoidable now,
but because sin is so deceptive, people are fooled.
This is ultimately because people love sin more than they love God.
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
Apply
But we are children of the light!
Therefore…
We must be ruthless in killing our sin
We have to do the hard work! It’s not going to happen on it’s own.
Jonathan Pokluda, is the lead pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, Texas.
He does Q&A on social media, and this question gets at the heart of why we don’t succeed in killing sin.
The question:
Why can't I get free from my porn addiction - I've tried but lust can't
The answer:
That's why you can't, because you said you can't.
Let me ask a few questions to make sure we've tried everything.
How do you access porn?
When you got rid of your smart phone, how did you access porn?
How did you get around Covenant Eyes?
How often are people praying over you?
What did you pray this morning regarding recovery?
Most people I talk with about this really haven't even begun the fight before they give up.
It’s not just pornography!
It’s every area of sin.
Maybe you struggle with:
pride…
disobeying and disrespecting your parents…
greed…
gossipping…
lying…
jealousy…
anger…
In all of these areas we tend to be way too soft on ourselves, and don’t really make all that much effort to get rid of these sins in our lives.
The reason we don’t kill our sin is because we love it
I’ve heard a pastor say, that when you give in to sin, you love your sin more than you love Jesus.
We need to be honest if we are going to see the need for change.
If we truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then we must trust and obey Him.
How do we kill our sin?
We bring our sin to the light
We bring our sin to the light
Sin wants to hide in the darkness, but we must bring it to the light.
We confess it to God, repent, seek God’s forgiveness in Christ.
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We seek accountability
We seek accountability
It is far easier to give in to sin when nobody is going to know.
This is why we need each other!
Find a brother or sister in Christ you trust that you can talk about it with.
Ask them to hold you accountable.
If your phone is causing you to sin…
Put restrictions on your phone that you don’t know the password to.
Pay for Covenant Eyes, which monitors your phone and sends concerning
Ask yourself the question…
What can I do to cut off this sin from my life… to choke it out so that I’m not feeding it?
We pursue a better love
We pursue a better love
We can’t succeed by simply trying NOT to do something.
We must replace those habits with better ones.
Pursue Jesus…
In His Word.
He will transform you through His Spirit working through His Word.
In prayer
He will give you new desires, and shift your heart and mind toward better things.
In faith
Trust that He will help you overcome sin in your life.
He will not do it without you!
You have to do the hard work!
The reason we are willing to do this is because of the promises Jesus has given us.
It’s going to take hard work…
It’s going to take sacrifice…
It’s going to take resisting pleasure…
But for those who believe Him by faith, we have the hope of eterenal life.
Wouldn’t it be better to enter eternal life even having suffered all the restrictions in this life…
Rather than entering eternal hell having enjoyed our sinful pleasures in this life?
It is through these sacrifices and trials that God is shaping us into the Christians He wants us to be!
This will make heaven all the sweeter, as we enjoy His presence unhindered… free from sin… in complete holiness!
Let’s not wait till then!
We are already holy if we have placed our faith in Jesus as our Saviour, but we need to be striving for holiness in our lives.
As we pursue holiness, with faith in Jesus, He will work in us.
Closing Prompt
What sin is most prominent in my life right now that I have gotten “comfortable” with, that I need to kill?”
Who could I talk to about this who could hold me accountable?
