Marked By God For God

Introduction

We all need reminders of who we are, why we’re here, and how we accomplish what we are called to do.

Passage is statement of identity, ability, and purpose grounded in and centered around the gospel.

This has both corporate and individual aspects.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22

21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

We’re going to take a look at the four verbs in these two verses to show us four truths about God’s work in our lives that will ultimately show us:

Because of the gospel we are marked by God for God

21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ

And it is God

God is the active agent for all of these verbs.

establishes us - “makes us stand firm” together in Christ (literally into Christ)

We can’t stand firm on our own!

This is the gospel

This is why:

We are centered on the gospel.

We don’t

The verb is active - God is continually causing the effects of the gospel to be changing us, establishing us, making us stand firm together through the gospel. We call this process sanctification.

establishes us - “makes us stand firm”

Gospel is not only a one-time event. Not a prayer at a campfire, not an emotional raising of your hand when everyone’s head was bowed.

There is a moment when we are saved, we are justified.However, that is not the end of the gospel - it ramifications of the relationship of being “in Christ” - continues to (or at least should) change us.

ILLUST - In a moment I married my wife, but I continue in marriage. The initial moment of marriage continues to have an effect on me and change me.

Sanctification is the process that begins when we trust in Jesus and

Point is if you ain’t growing you ain’t living.

ILLUST - Several years ago, and shortly after becoming Pastor for Discipleship I was a luncheon of some sort for the church and I found myself sitting at a table across from a member of our church who was asking me about my new role. She then told me, “Pastor, I don’t need a Pastor of Discipleship, I’m where you want people to be.” I guess that explained why she was eating angel food cake.

If you think you’re the perfect husband - you should first ask your wife, and if you think you’re the perfect Christian, you should first ask Christ.

We are commissioned for God’s mission.

Truth 2

and has anointed us,

Anointing was a blessing and was mostly used as a ritual in the OT to set something or someone apart for God’s work.

The concept of anointing something or someone in the OT was to set it apart for service for God.

Exodus 30:22-32

22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, 24 and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. 25 And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin and its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy. 30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 31 And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

There was something distinct about the anointed things. You could smell it. Nothing else smelled like it. Different in smell because it was different in service.

Throughout the OT we mainly see the roles of prophets, priests, and kings that were anointed.

Ultimately finding its fulfillment in Jesus, the Christ, the Anointed One who simultaneously held the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King.

And now we, who are called ‘Christians’ or ‘little Christs’ are said to be anointed - set apart for God’s work.

Here’s the main point:

You don’t anoint bystanders. But neither do the anointed simple stand by.

McManus, Erwin Raphael. An Unstoppable Force: Daring to Become the Church God Had in Mind . David C. Cook. Kindle Edition.

On August 20, 1978, I walked to the altar at the First Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida, and gave my life . . .  the pastor of the congregation,. . . “Do you confess Jesus as Lord, and will you obey his Word?” . . . 

After I left Orlando and returned to college, I ran head-on into a layered view of Christianity. I began learning that it was necessary to not only receive Jesus as your Savior but also to accept him as your Lord. . . 

Another misconception I had was that every Christian was called to proclaim the gospel. I remember coming back home from college around Thanksgiving and sitting in a room with a bunch of guys. I pondered aloud about how amazing it would be when all of us ended up all over the world, telling people about Jesus. Everyone else in the room proceeded to tell me that they did not feel called to “preach the gospel.” They explained to me that that required a “unique” calling. 

So now I had discovered that there were at least three callings: a calling to be saved, a calling to Lordship, and a calling to ministry. Again, this concept was confirmed by simple observation. There were all kinds of Christians who were not involved in ministry. In fact, in most places only the pastor seemed to do ministry. Sometimes his wife would, but not always. Ministry was what pastors did in relationship to their congregations. If you were called to the ministry, then your life focus was to care for and nurture the Christians in your congregation. 

Later I discovered there was even a higher level of calling. At a missions conference the speaker began inviting people to give their lives to missions. I was somewhat confused, since I was still a new Christian. I asked the person next to me what the invitation was specifically asking for. She said, “If you feel that God is calling you to missions, to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, then you’re supposed to go forward.” I went forward again. . . 

 But this time I discovered that there were two levels of missionary calling. One was to be a home missionary, and one was to be a foreign missionary. 

So now I had discovered five levels of callings from God—a calling to be saved, a calling for Jesus to be Lord, a calling to ministry, a calling to home missions, and a calling to foreign missions. . . . 

HOW MANY TIMES DOES HE HAVE TO CALL? 

Why are there so many levels of Christian calling in our contemporary Christian community? Where are they found in the biblical text? I have a strange suspicion that the nuances of these “callings” have less to do with theology and more to do with the condition of the church.

Erwin McManus, Unstoppable Force

When Jesus gave the Great Commission he didn’t give it to some of his disciples.

He didn’t expect some of the disciples to while the others came by once a week to see what was happening.

What happens when the anointed become bystanders? Nothing. That’s the problem.

The number one reason why the Church is declining in the West today is because the commissioned have become complacent.>

- Jesus in the Temple, given scroll of Isaiah:

18  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

says we all have gifts needed to equip the saints for ministry.

19  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Stop sitting on the sidelines! Tell someone, Put me in, coach! Not talking about just serving on a Sunday morning in the nursery.

I’m talking about flipping your thinking - instead of spending your week consuming the world for all your wants, needs, and happiness only to come to “church” on Sunday and consume a service, how about if we stand together on a Sunday preparing to enter the week, gather here to say with Jesus that,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Because we are anointed.

We are identified by God for God.

22 and who has also put his seal on us

His seal tells you WHO you are because of WHOSE you are.

Seal:

was a small object such as a stamp, ring, cylinder, that had an image of some sort on it that corresponded to a person used for:

contracts

purchases

securing items from tampering (Daniel, Jesus’ tomb)

Ownership

This is the primary use of the stamp.

Authentication

d

States the items marked are authentic and as intended.

Security

The items bear the power of the person behind them.

God has ‘marked’ believers as HIS property, authenticated their status in Christ, and guaranteed their protection backed by his authority and power.

It doesn’t matter how old or fresh the paper is, it has the King’s seal.

It doesn’t matter how old or fresh the paper is, it has the King’s seal.

It doesn’t matter what color the ink is, it has the King’s seal.

It doesn’t matter how dirty the envelope is, it has the King’s seal.

The weight and worth of the message is in the fact that it is backed by the King.

Your significance and worth is found less in any external label and title than it is in the fact that God backs YOU.

The problem is the world around us attaches identity and worth to titles and achievements, and if we’re honest, we often fall into the world’s way of thinking.

There are two problems in attaching our worth to titles and achievements:

They’re empty - there is always someone who is better than us in whatever achievement we’ve attained or who has a higher title than us.

They’re temporary - achievements don’t last (ILLUST - Guinness Book of World Records is always updated because records are always broken). Your titles and labels change over time.

Hear me, your worth is not measured by:

- job title

- marital status

- net worth / annual salary

- age, color

What would change if you truly accepted your worth in who GOD says you are?

Some need to accept God’s statement of worth - the King has put His seal on you!

We are supernaturally empowered to change the world.

Conclusion

and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

God has given us his Spirit. Do not miss the implications of this!

‘Guarantee’ = down payment - pledge that God will do all that he said he will do.

Don’t think of the Holy Spirit as simply a passive pledge - He’s not a Holy Teddybear that we simply cuddle and soothe ourselves while we wait for heaven

- because all that God promised to do was not only to give you eternal life, but to use believers as witnesses to the gospel:

Acts 1:8

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

given

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

ILLUST - Why is it we have a concept of demon possession, but a very different concept of ‘Holy Spirit’ possession?

Both are meant to change a persons actions and desires to match their master and are given power and strength to accomplish his tasks.

1 Thess 1:4-10

4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

1 Thessalonians 1:4–10 ESV

4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

1 thess

Conclusion

(Quote by McManus about church fulfilling it’s mission?)

“The Thessalonian church had become a model to all the believers in the region. In many ways it was the first church-growth model to be commended. The Thessalonians’ faith in God had become known everywhere, and their growth and impact on the city were not built on letters of transfer but on radical conversions. Paul describes the impact of the church when he says, “They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.””

Could it be that the most powerful ingredients for awakening an apostolic ethos are right before us? Could it be that while we’ve been searching for innovations and new strategies to effectively engage this radically changing world, the secret to seeing first-century results lies in the first-century church?

McManus, Erwin Raphael. An Unstoppable Force: Daring to Become the Church God Had in Mind . David C. Cook. Kindle Edition.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

“The church is not here to meet our needs. We are the church, and we are here to meet the needs of the world.

Do you want to know what happens when the people of God today are centered on the gospel, anointed, sealed, and empowered by the Holy Spirit?

the world notices and, by God’s grace, people are changed. The church doesn’t maintain a ‘holy district’ in a part of the city, it becomes a movement that gains the notice of the outside world and gains the reputation as those in Thessalonica:

Acts 17:6

“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

The same thing as when they first came to the church in Thessalonica -

**Pray**