Spiritual Blessings in Christ pt 2

Summarize the golf story:

Understanding your identity starts with being thankful for the one you put your identity in. And being thankful for the world around you.

Stop searching for weeds and lift up your eyes to see all the beauty that lies around you!

Recognize your identity is Blessed in Christ, your identity is Holy and Blameless, your identity is Chosen by God.

Today, we are remembering:

My identity is Forgiven, my identity is Unified, my identity is Sealed.

My identity is forgiven

Ephesians 1:7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”

What’s the most important part in understanding my identity in Christ?

The gospel message

Charlie Kirk would put the gospel most simply and beautifully:

The gospel in

4 words: Jesus took my place

3 words: Him for me

2 words: Substitutionary Atonement

1 word: Grace

It’s all according to the riches of his grace because without his grace I have nothing

In him we have redemption: Jesus took my place

All have done wrong and fallen short of the standard of perfection. All deserve hell. We have broken the eternal law, the supreme judge is ready to sentence us and the punishment is life in a prison called hell. Just as the judge is about to sentence us and hit the gavel on the stand, someone cries out, WAIT! Take me. I’ll pay the price.

Someone needs to pay the sentence for God, supreme judge, to be a just ruler.

The payment needed was a life for a life. And Jesus took my place. How?

through his blood: Him for me

1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

The blood of Christ that washes all things clean.

There’s a well known story of a king who was the greatest to have ever ruled. He ruled in perfect righteousness and in perfect love. One day, someone began stealing from the king’s treasury. Week after week someone snuck into the king’s treasury, stole bars of gold, and fled into the night. The king made a decree across the land that the one doing this crime must be caught and the punishment was 40 lashings. Now, 40 lashings was a death sentence. So the king’s law was this crime is a death sentence. The following week the man who was sneaking into the treasury was caught! And alas, it was the king’s very own son. The people were baffled. What was the king to do? If he doesn’t administer the death penalty how could he be just? But if he administer’s the death penalty on his son how could he be loving? The day came, the whole town came out to watch what the king would do, and the king’s son was brought out. The king sitting on his throne, watching the scene unfold he watches his son walk to the judgement seat. The king’s soldier rips open the back of the son’s shirt as the onlookers watch in disbelief. And just as the soldier lifts up his arm to give the first lashing, the king yells “WAIT!!!” The crowd watched in silence as the king walks down to his son. The king rips his royal robes exposing his back and lays on top of his son, fully protecting him. Then the king says to his soldier, now administer the judgement. The soldier objects and says, sir I can’t hit him, I’ll hit you! And the king says, administer the judgement. The judgement begins. And lashing after lashing, the back of the king is whipped and the son was fully untouched. The town watched in astonishment as the blood of the king poured out lashing after lashing as the son was fully protected. The 40th lashing came. Silence fell over the crowd as the king’s body went limp, falling to the floor.

What was the king to do? If he doesn’t administer the death penalty how could he be just? But if he administer’s the death penalty on his son how could he be loving?

The king took his son’s place for the judgement he deserved. Perfect justice was administered in perfect love.

We are children of God. And God in flesh came down to receive the death sentence we deserve. Jesus took our place. We just have to let go of our pride thinking we can do this on our own. And let him receive the death sentence for us. How can a perfectly loving and perfectly just God send someone to hell?

3 words: Him for me.

the forgiveness for our sins: Substitutionary atonement

He perfectly forgave my sins by administering justice, or atonement. While lovingly providing a substitute, himself. Substitutionary atonement.

According to the riches of HIs grace: Grace

Grace. Something we don’t deserve. Different than mercy. Mercy is taking the life sentence we deserve and reducing it to the idea of annihilation or a few year sentence before release.

Grace is something totally different. It’s total forgiveness. It’s not just a reduction of the sentence. It is a total release of the entire sentence. Something not deserved.

All deserve an eternal sentence but by God’s grace, he provided substitutionary atonement. How? Him for me. Jesus took my place.

My identity is unified

Ephesians 1:8–10 “which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

Submitting to that gospel message… What does the process of sanctification yield?

The riches in the king’s treasury are lavished upon us. Rather than trying to steal our way into heaven, he lavishly gives us eternal life.

Not only that, he gives us a depth of wisdom to understand that God’s ultimate design is to unite all things in him. All things in heaven and all things on earth. Eph. 1:10

If it is God’s will to unite all things, who are we to divide things? As part of understanding your identity in Christ, you’ll understand that you are one body with other Christians. What psycho cuts off their arm? Or punches themself in the leg?

Do we cut off Baptists from being in communion with the body of Christ? Why tear down Pentecostals with personal vengeance? Why attack the body of Christ?

Pastors should preach the theology they believe! And they shouldn’t encourage theology they disagree with. And they should call out heretical doctrine that goes against the salvific doctrine of Jesus Christ.

But when we directly say “Pursuit is a jacked up church because they are crazy and they don’t say things how I would. They don’t have class” Not only are you punching yourself in the face. You are judging intentions.

Do you know the intention of Ps. Russell’s heart?

And, how do you know God didn’t tell Ps. Russell Johnson to stand as aggressively and boldly as he does? But maybe God also told Banner to be as loving to the community as they are. 2 different approaches but maybe both are in the will of God.

You can disagree with the methods a church uses or the theology they teach. But Ephesians 4:3 says “Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit. Just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call”

We unite in Spirit, not in doctrine. So as you being to understand your identity in Christ, remember to identify as apart of the WHOLE body of Christ. Not just your church.

Because you never know what God is telling that pastor to do. If it isn’t against the Bible and it’s more a matter of presentation or opinion, keep that junk to yourself. The great pastor Joby Martin always says opinions are like armpits, everyone’s got a couple of them and they usually stink.

So keep those armpits outta my face and let’s maintain unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

That way,

Ephesians 2:16 “He might reconcile us both to God in 1 body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”

We are called to reconcile in the bond of peace. And we are reconciled to GOD in 1 body through 1 cross. KILLING hostility.

We aggressively KILL hostility. If you are hostile toward other Christ-confessing true Bible believing churches, as Christians we are called to boldly hold one another accountable. We are saying, he bro, as Christians we don’t tolerate that garbage. I’m not letting you attack my body like that. I love you, but I identify as apart of the body of Christ and you’re attacking my body. We boldly kill that junk.

There was a study conducted in 2006 called the "bad apple effect". It took 5 high performing individuals and randomly added a single negative team member. When they added that negative team member it decreased group performance by 40% and problem solving abilities by 50%.

Not only is negativity and disunity anti-biblical, it kills those trying to progress and grow. No one wants to be friends with someone who’s always negative because it kills them. No one wants a family member always talking down to them.

God hates division. And division prevents the acceleration of the church.

Everyone wants a positive, excited, goal oriented person around. So be that person! Be a uniter not a divider.

And for clarity, I’m not saying we unite with woke left churches. or those who hold false doctrine of demons. We unite with those who are in the SAME Spirit.

My identity is unified.

My identity is Sealed

Ephesians 1:11–12 “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.”

As part of God’s children who are in the body of Christ we have been given an inheritance.

When do you get an inheritance? When someone dies. After you accept Jesus Christ’s death in your place, you IMMEDIATELY obtain an inheritance.

It’s an inheritance of eternal life and of purpose in him

Ephesians 1:13–14 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

Heard and believed the gospel, you were immediately sealed with the promise Holy Spirit.

That sealing is a guarantee of our inheritance.

If you have the Holy Spirit, it’s a guarantee. That seal isn’t reopening. You have been given an irrevocable IOU letter that claims your inheritance in heaven.

When you pass away, you are walking up to those pearly gates in heaven with a sealed letter. Sealed by the fire of the Holy Spirit. And in it are your adoption papers. Because

Ephesians 1:5 “He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.”

And those adoption papers give you the RIGHT to enter your Father’s house. You don’t let random strangers who knock at your door into your house. But your SON? Your DAUGHTER? Yeah, as a father, you are letting your son and daughter into your house.

That’s a guarantee.

And when you provide those sealed papers to the Son of Man guarding the gates to heaven, he let’s you in and walks you to your newly acquired possession of eternal life with God to the praise of His glory.

Wow, I’m just so thankful. I’m so thankful.

My identity is Forgiven, my identity is Unified, my identity is Sealed.