Where is your Identity...
Acts • Sermon • Submitted
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Where have we been...
Where have we been...
This is going to go pretty deep...
-For as long as there has been a history, the Jews have found their relationship with God in this
6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Faith in God, in Abram’s case brought him a son to be is heir, that would eventually be on the throne in Jerusalem in the person of Jesus Christ.
The power of Faith is inexplicable in the OT and the New Testament.
Righteousness - Literally to be “right with God.” More importantly in the Old Testament it speaks about “justice,” “fairness.
Some 81 times in scripture righteousness and its connection to faith is explored. Throughout the Old Testament
31 This was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.
This passage is interesting. Very different than the Genesis passage.
The people of Israel on one their “wanderings” and distractions from God aligned themselves with Baal of Peor.
They offered sacrifice to an idol and God was ready to destroy them. He sent a plague on them. A righteousness man, Phinehas stood up and intervened.
This act of taking responsibility in this situation was as the verse says, was credited to him as righteousness for generations to come.
Once again and continuing… Faith and faith alone brought righteousness or being right with God to His people...
God was satisfied that … He was satisfied with the declaration from Abram and Phineas. That would have been enough. As New Testament believers we might call it “Grace” sort of.
Lets continue… God designed the law, God established the law, God allowed the law as a vehicle to drive His people into a relationship with Himself. All He ever wanted was for the Righteous to Life by Faith.
They could not… Every time God intervened, beyond measure for His people… The failed!
Notice if you will have have not used the term Jew or Hebrew so much. Like last week, It was God’s plan that Jews and Gentiles both would be His people
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
For the next 4,000 years of history the Jews were constantly in a tug-o-war with God. It was NOT the time of the Gentiles yet. Although there are examples where Gentiles had faith in God.
The Law demanded that His beings obey His will. Which they failed miserably at… But God knew that happen.
Instead of falling back, regrouping and listening to God; returning to as Abram said
6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
They continued with the Law; with there inability to live under the law and with their living contrary to The Law.
All God ever wanted was a relationship with them. A relationship NOT based on the law, but based on an understanding that “Righteous Live by Faith.”
As things progressed that statement became to easy… to simple. Live and be righteous by faith alone.
By the time that Christ was born… the law had increased to 613 commands, at least.
How could any person, any group of people come close to following all of law… They couldn’t.
God did not forget His commitment to Gentiles
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
There was a great equalizing factor that God sent. He sent His only begotten son, one just like Him to reach first for God’s chosen people.
Not chosen in front of everyone else, but the one’s chosen to bring the message of Jesus to the Gentiles.
They failed...
Instead of reaching out to the Gentiles, they began as we saw last week, to worship the law not the lawgiver.
They ignored Jesus for who He was, the Messiah and instead viewed Jesus as someone bent on removing the Jews from power, influence, and wealth.
We know that Jesus was met first scorn then contempt, then with trial, then with death on a tree.
Why did Jesus even come..?
Here is a list of sorts
To do the will of His father
To save sinners
To bring light to a dark world
To bear witness to all people of the truth
To destroy the devil
To Give life eternal
To receive worship
To bring great joy
To preach the Gospel
To give His life as a ransom for many
He came to seek and save the Lost!
This list continues… at least 30 reasons and probably more. Each would be a sermon in itself. Hmmm.... good idea.
Christ’s primary mission was to redeem unto himself, to ransom the Jews, the chosen ones from themselves. But they did not recognize him, they crucified him instead.
Even though they were waiting for him since Genesis 1.1.
Sophia and Annalise Gallo have a garden this summer. Each time I go over, we go and see the crop. They are always pointing me towards the tomatoes, the cucumbers, the watermelons, the pumpkins and the hot peppers as they grow. I think it is amazing to them to watch these vegetables grow and be eaten
But if that were it, that would be of little awe for two little girls.
When the get the most excited is when they find vegetables that they have never seen before. New fruit, new vegetables, new things to watch grow and grow until it is time to eat them.
God provided a huge garden of multiples of many seeds, plants and fruit. Each of those plants represents a people group in desperate need of tending, watering and pruning so they can mature and become “food” for a generation.
Acts Chapter 10, beginning in Verse 9
I’d like you to open your bibles, apps, smart phones to the Book of Acts. In the Book of Acts you will find many people and people groups that God has raised up. They were waiting, usually in ignorance, of a need for a Savior.
We are in Acts 10:9
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.
10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.
12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air.
13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
At first read you might think that Peter is about to take off on a rant about the acceptability of food, all food, any food for the former Jew and new gentile believer.
God is instead stating that anyone he created… including Jews, Gentiles, Pagan’s and any one of a number of others is “clean” and acceptable to him.
9 “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’
Our Identity #1 is that you are “made in His likeness” or image. He made you!
There is no doubt that God made all of us, exactly as we are.
There are no mistakes, there are no missteps, there is no need for any do overs.
There are no “dirty” humans to the creator of humanity, to creator of the universe
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
In our likeness
In our image.
He created all of humanity in His image!
Why create us, why redeem us, why send your son to die for us. Why...
Our Identity #2 is that we are made to worship him and him only.
Why create us, why redeem us, why send your son to die for us. Why...
“To Worship and Glorify the Lord!”
Our sole reason for existence is to Worship and Glorify God!
We are, you are acceptable to Lord! To Worship Him, To Glorify him, in Spirit and Truth!
Our Identity #3 You are a new creation!
Jesus placed a new spirit within you when you began a relationship with Him, so, at your core, you’re a new person.
You’ll keep learning and growing every day for the rest of your life as you gradually become more like Jesus.
Our Identity #4 - You are reconciled
The penalty has been paid in full. We can live the life that God has in store for us by acknowledging that Jesus in fact paid for it all.
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
… Just as “in Christ”God forgave you. Because Christ paid the price, and we accept Christ as payment for our sin, GOD FORGAVE US!!!
Our Identity #5 - You are rewarded
For everything that you have ever you will receive reward. For each sacrifice, for every obedience, for every generous, thoughtful, graceful, merciful thing that you have ever done or will do.... there is a reward awaiting you in Heaven.
9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
This could go on and on and on and on.
Our identity in Christ is vast, is immeasurable, is unquenchable, and is many, many other adjectives I cannot even come up with.
It is impossible to catalog all of the goodness that it is to have your identity in Christ; to be a follower of Jesus!
As your Pastor, I would be remiss to not be completely honest with you. There is a set of consequences for those who do not have their identity in Christ.
This is not a percentage thing! You can’t be a 30% follower or a 70% follower. You are either have 100% of your identity, of who you are in Christ or you have 0% of your identity in Christ.
Judgement awaits you...
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
There is condemnation, for those who are not in Christ Jesus! Condemnation equals among other things… Eternal separation for God. The law of sin and death will be with you in eternity. That awaits those who are not “in Christ”
We have to end in a happier place...
Let’s go back to Gallo garden… were lots of fruit and vegetables are growing.
Each one of those plants is producing exactly what the gardener has sown. They are growing… really fast right now, to be tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, watermelons each of those… with some surprises are known by the gardener, but not necessary by us.
It is our job as Sophia and Annalise do, look under the leaves, look for the hidden. Sometimes they are a little misshapen, but God has made them all.
but they are ALL good to provide nourishment to our souls.
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If you would like to have a further discussion about your identity in Christ. About who you are to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, about how you appear to God of the Universe. Call me, I’d love to have breakfast at Bon Vino’s with you. I’ll even buy!!!