string(7) "m-66998" Burnt Hickory Baptist Church

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Oct 10, 2021

Heirs in Christ

Heirs in Christ

Passage: Galatians 2:20

Speaker: Matt Petty

Series: We Are

Category: Sunday Sermons

Keywords: identity, sermon, being a christian, what is church, live for jesus, we are, role of the church, what’s my identity, be in christ, how to be forgiven, acceptable to god, church, worship, faith, christianity, bible study, what is the church, identity in christ, burnt hickory baptist church, burnt hickory worship, personally identity, what is identity, church definition, what is the purpose of life, why do people go to church

We begin a new sermon series called We Are, where we are going to look at our personal and corporate role as the church. We begin by looking at what our identity is, and why it’s a constant fight happening for it. To have a proper view, we must define our identity based on How Christ sees us. We are fully accepted, eternally valuable, totally forgiven, and fully capable. As the church, people should see us as distinct because we are the royal priesthood, set apart, and we are God’s special possession. Christ gave His life as a ransom to save us from the justice due us because of sin, and He is much better that we deserve because He made us acceptable to God. Our life and identity should reflect Him and since we are His chosen people, we are to live for Him. Being a Christian should be an action, not a description of how we live. Stay tuned for next week when we’ll dive deeper into our role as the church. If you want to take the next step and become a part of the church officially, we would love to talk to you about what membership looks like and how to make a commitment. BurntHickory.com/next

Well, good morning, church. It has been an incredible, incredible morning baptisms all morning long. People's lives been changed all morning long. And I am praying that this service is even better than those. One thing I've got to mention is before we jump into the message last week, Eli brought the message last week, our high school pastor and I want to give credit where credit was due, knocked it out of the park last week. Incredible. Incredible. Came in as the closer. Right. That's a hard role sometimes. Close the series out on our big truths in the little books in that series.

And listen, you might not know this, but this is a word of encouragement to you if God can do that with Eli. He can do it with anybody. All right. He could do with anybody. Some of you remember. I don't know. I think he's in here. So, you remember Eli Middle School, right? Amen. Oh, it was a moment for who? It was a moment for us. Look, I know a lot happens in this place and there's a whole lot in the worship guide. There's a whole lot in the what's happening in this church. But there's one thing that happens every now and then that kind of flies under the radar a little bit. And that is the thing that we do here called Discover Burn Hickory. And Discover Burnt Hickory is basically a burnt hickory 101.

You know, back in the day when you joined a church, you knew everything about the church. You knew you knew all the people there; you know everything about it. And you could make your decision to join that church to be a part of that church because you knew it. I mean, you may have moved into town, but you knew it. It's a little bit harder than that here. I mean, we've got five services, whatever, thousands of people around. And we do a thing that we want you to be able to come in, ask your questions, learn about the church. Figure out what's going on and then make your step of commitment to be a part of this place after hearing who we really are. Well, today, one of those happened in the last hour with over twenty-five-ish, maybe a few more people in there that are moving in that next step to making this their church home. Well, last month we had one that there were over thirty-five people that there were really looking at what it looks like to make this their church home. And if you put those two together, I just want you to feel this for a minute over the last two months that 60 people who have moved from the casual dating. Right. And just dating us to being able to say, this is home for me, this is where I want to be, this is where I belong. And look, that doesn't judge you up a lot. All right. I get that.

OK, great, Matt. But for those of us that do this, that's a big deal. Can I tell you why it's a big deal? Because we're in a pandemic. That's why it's a big deal. On top of that, catch this, over 180 people over this last year have joined this church. And once again, that may not be a big deal to you. But do you remember the last 18 months at all? It has been a little bit crazy had it. It really has. But over a hundred and eighty of you over those last months have said this is my home. Well, look, if that doesn't excite you, because look, the 8:15 crowd got a little more excited than y'all did. That's not saying a lot. If that doesn't excite you, catch this. We have had 115 people in the last year like annual year that have walked through those waters of baptism. One hundred. One hundred. Look like that. It sounds like you're bragging. You're dang right I'm bragging because this for Jesus, right? It is because of Jesus. And it's what Jesus has done in this place and for us.

And so, look, when we put all those things together, what we start realizing is that every now and then we need to pull back and we need to look at some ideas of who we are and what is it that makes us up and some foundations of what is this place that we call a church and who are we?

We need to look at some of the major callings of me as a person of Jesus and you as people of Jesus and a church that's being called to do something. We need to pull back and look at this idea of who has God made us together personally, as well as just together and who we can be together. And they also need to look at some things that God is going to do on the horizon and begin to pray and faith that God is going to move in this place regardless of a virus and regardless of the crazy culture out there.

Man, I've got news for you. God is moving. He's going to continually move, and he is going to get the glory from this. Place. So are these next weeks, here's what we're going to do in the next five weeks. Is leading up to Christmas? That's hard to say. By the way, these next five weeks leading up to Christmas, we're going to go into a series that we have creatively named. We are. All right. That's all we got. There's nothing creative about it. I get it. But there's a reason for that, because we want to look at who we are. We want to look at who God has made us. We want to look at some of the ins and outs of this thing that we call the faith.

Now, when we started looking at this, I started looking at this series. God began to put some things in my mind just to begin praying. And I want to put this on the table before we jump into the content, because I think it's important to know that God is going to do some things. Here's some things that I've been praying. Number one, and I want you to join me and pray this. It's not in your notes, by the way, for your type Peyer's. You're like, oh, God, where's it's not there? Number one, God has got has really been just pressing into my life to pray that many of you meet Jesus over these next couple of weeks, that you fall radically in love with the king, the savior of the world, the Lord that wants to bless your life. He's calling us to fall in love with him. He's also really just challenging us to pray that many of you fall back in love with Jesus.

Maybe it's been a rough patch for you over these last 20 months or so. But secondly, God has been really pressing into my heart to just pray that the many of you would just quit seeing the church as some as another extracurricular activity. That you would see it as the bride of Christ, that you would see it as something that God has placed in this world to bless his name. It actually is what Jesus died for. It's what is going to be the foundation of what spurs our faith on him.

Third, I'm praying that many of you would just deepen your desire to be a disciple, making disciple, to be a person that not only just walks with Jesus on the weekend, but begins to follow that through. And what it looks like in my daily devotion with Christ, my daily time with Jesus, and allow that to begin to be pressed into my everyday soul and then forth. I'm praying that many of you would just find a place to begin to serve as a great commission believer, to begin to see that God didn't just save us to leave us, but he saved us as his hands and as his feet. And now he wants us to walk that out in our life. So, listen, if you are a follower of Jesus, would you join me over these next five weeks and just praying these things over your life, over this church's life? And I just want to see where God is going to take us, because I know if we will look at these things, if we pray these things, we will ask God to move in these things in our life that he'll blessed.

He really, really blessed. So, as I prayed to these things, there was one of them on this list that was kind of an obvious starting place for this series, because all of these is going to be the script. That's just to let you know that's going to be the script these next weeks. There was one place in these that that really solidified where we needed to start, and it was an easy place. And it's really and truly this morning's content is going to just answer one question. And it's the question of who am I? It's the question of who am I? Or maybe let me put it like this. What is my identity in Jesus now? To be fair, let me say this this morning.

I am primarily speaking this morning to those of you who know Jesus, to those of you who have surrendered your life to Jesus, who have allowed him to wash your sins and have now entered into a relationship with you. That's who I'm speaking to you this morning, because I want you to feel this morning who you are, because I don't think there's any way for us to look outward before we look inward. It's that that's the thing that gets us in trouble as Christians, is it not, when all we do is focus outward before we focus inward? So, this morning, as we look at who we are in Jesus, I'm hoping today is it's not a rebuke. It's not even a challenge today. When you walk from this place, I want you to be encouraged. I want you to find some satisfaction.

I want you to find some righteous pride. And I want you to find a way that I truly believe if you can grasp what Peter is about to tell us today. I think it can radically not only change your life but can have some generational change in your family. So, if you got a copy of Scripture today, I want you to go with me to the book of First Peter, to the book of First Peter. And we're going to be in the second chapter of First Peter today. But as you're finding that, I want to talk for a minute. So, for those of you, when you find it, just put it on hold. We're going to get there eventually, I promise. First, Peter, chapter two. But as you're finding it, I want to talk about this issue of identity for a minute, because here's what we know. All right. Let's find some common ground. Here's what we know about identity on one side of identity. On one side, identity is really easy, right? It's really easy. Let me let me say it like this. On one side, when I think about who I am, it's really easy.

I am Matthew Blake Petty, at least when I'm in trouble. I am Matthew Petty. I'm Matt Petty. It's been that way since August the 10th, 1977, when either my mother or father wrote it on a piece of paper, and it entered into the system. That name has been in government form since that time in various offices. For various reasons. It has existed. As Matthew Petti, I am that. That is an easy one for me. I am the husband of Melissa, the happy husband of Melissa, 90 percent of the time she loves me and the 10 percent I deserve it.

All right. That's just what it is. And the husband. That is an easy one. I am the father of Blake and Dalton. We get along most of the time. All right. We're harmonious most of the time. This is who we are. Those are easy. OK, those are easy. But on the other side of identity, it's hard. And this is the hard part of identity. The other side of identity is those things that happen inside of us when things get quiet. The other side of identity are those things that happen when things get into turmoil. Maybe for you, it's when you lay your head down on your pillow or. Maybe for you, it's when you feel like someone has stabbed you in the back or you feel like you've been rejected, or you feel like you have been wronged or you feel like you have been in wrong. What happens in us is the other side of identity is when we had this deep moment of this question of who am I, who am I? That's much harder than looking on my driver's license, is it not?

That's the tension of identity. That's the struggle of identity. And let me just kind of give you a sample of what some of this can mean. It's this, you know, God has created us to have an identity, right? There's nobody that is like you. There's not another person out there that is you. There's not another one out there. You are your own unique person. But on the other side, God has created us, or it is right, or it is normal for us to identify with or to be in relationship with other people.

God has done that in our lives. And God wants us to feel connected. He wants us to feel part of something. He wants us to be inside of a community and to have this sense of belonging. And we show this in our everyday lives. Right? We show this in the fact that we are connected to our family. We're connected to our church family. We're connected to our nationality or our vocation. Well, let me make it even clearer. If I was today to say the words go braves', I thought that was going to be bigger. But it wasn't. A lot of us would feel a lot of us would feel like, oh, yeah, you know what? Go Braves', let's do this. We won last night. Or maybe if I was to say go, Falcons. No, I don't. That's not a great one right there. If I was saying now let's not use that one. Or maybe if I was to say roll. Nope. Not go in there either today or I just lost a third of the church on that one. That was to say roll tide. Sorry. Or how about God dogs or go jackets? There's another one. So, you feel that, right? That's part of it as part of who we are. Sorry, Alabama fans, I'm still apologizing. You see, the struggle that we have is that God has created us as an individual identity. God has created us to be in relationship with other things. But the struggle that we have or the struggle that we fall into, sometimes knowingly, sometimes not, some Alabamians just sometimes not knowing. Is that. Is that we put these temporary identities, are these physical identities before what I'm going to call the primary identity?

Does that make sense? You see. And here's the here's the case that I want to make today. Yes, we are called to be in relationship. We're called to enjoy. We're called to be a part of things. But that's not primary, that's secondary. Primarily, we have a spiritual identity that God has created us for. He has made us perfectly in and he wants us to enjoy and live out. But here is the problem. We've got our order mixed up. We got our order mixed up. And we find so much satisfaction. We've done so much of our identity inside of these temporal things that aren't going to last, that many of us have no room to allow God to step in and spiritually satisfy our soul and tell us who we are. This is what's got us so messed up. And it's been happening ever since Genesis Chapter three. It's been haven't happened ever since the beginning of time. Right. What is the Satan's first thing that he did with Eve? He began to make them question who they were and whose they were. And we've been off ever since there's been a struggle or there's been a let me just call it what it is, an identity crisis that has caused us to identify with so many secondary things before we identify with the primary thing - Jesus, that should listen closely set our identity. And the other things you see when you choose to identify with earthly things before you bring Christ into the relationship. The order never matches. In other words, you don't have a right to say, here is how I feel, God, and I'm inviting you into this conversation.

You have a right to say I am yours, Lord, how should I feel? And I know that's heavy. But let me give you the principle that goes behind it to kind of bring it out of the ethereal, put it into the concrete for those of us that like me, that are concrete thinkers. Here's the principle I want you to write down. There is a fight that is happening for your identity. There's a fight you may have never heard anybody say this before out loud, but there is a fight. And you know it because you feel it. It's easy in the cartoons, isn't it, to see when this is happening. There's a good angel on one side. There's a bad angel on the other. And they're saying, go this way and go this way and go this way. It's easy, but in real life, it's a battle of culture, pulling a self-satisfaction, pulling us my heart, telling me where to go in the moment, thinking versus biblical God, honoring eternal reward. Living out who I am in Christ.

This battle, what's it to me? It is not a new battle. It's been going on since the beginning of time. It's just kind of nuanced a little bit. It just barely changes forms a little bit. It's a battle for your soul and your identity. But there's a simple solution to this battle. Let's just get the order right. Just get the equation right, right? It's just to get it right, in fact, I just want you to know this morning when we begin to realize and here's the encouragement in the morning, when we begin to realize who we are in Jesus, it makes the rest of the things that we feel like we're drawn to. We feel like we pushed toward. We feel like should satisfy us. He makes us see them as secondary to the eternal glory, power, encouragement of who Jesus is.

That's the point this morning. That's, in fact, one of the most important revelations that you can ever gain from scripture is to see from the word of God and understand in the word of God who you are in Jesus.

I'm speaking to believers right here is to see who you are and Jesus. Because why? Because when we identify with Christ, it is then and only then that it changes the way we think, changes the way we live. It changed the way we act; changes the way we speak. We don't do it in the opposite direction. It cannot work. Why? What does it do? That is what causes us to rise above the flaming are the flaming darts that Satan throws at us. Is that the causes us to run from the adversary or the temporary offers or the lures of Satan? But the converse is true. Not understanding who we are or not understanding our identity. And Jesus, of course, we're going to be drawn to this other stuff.

Why? Because it looks really, really good. It looks really good. It does, in fact. Do you know why Satan wants to tempt you so much? Do you know why he comes at you so much? It's because that's all they can do. That's all Satan can do. Do you know that Satan cannot create anything? He is not a creator. All Satan is a counterfeiter. And I hope to set some of you free from being able to see some things more clearly today. Do you know that Satan all he can do is take what God has created and he can counterfeit it and make it look really, really like it? You say, Matt, I don't get what you're saying. That's Satan's plan.

That's what he wants to do. You see, God is the creator. Satan is the counterfeiter. God created Satan counterfeits. Have you ever wondered what John 10:10 means? That's exactly what it means. The thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. That's all that he can do. But what does Jesus say? I have come that they may have life. The words I can give them life. I could create life. I can make life and have it more abundantly. Have you ever wondered why it feels like Satan is always trying to destroy my Satan is trying to always make culture looked really, really close to what God wants for us? This is why. Because he knows that if he can get one degree of separation over time, it takes us in a direction that never meets up with who God is.

Think about it like this. God created love. Satan counterfeited it with lust. God created truth. But Satan counterfeited it with lies. God created joy. But Satan counterfeited it with self-fulfillment at all costs to bring satisfaction. God created worship. Right. But what it's saying, do be counterfeited it with false worship of things that do not last. Satan wants to mold you. He wants to sway you. He wants to take you. He wants to make things look like that are not of God. He wants to make them look like their gods. And I guarantee you, Satan does not want you to hear what you're about to hear, because when you realize who God is and who you are in him, you begin to identify the counterfeits. So, let's go to it this morning. First, Peter, chapter two has the power to encourage us to change us. It's the Apostle Peter speaking to the 1st Century Church. He's about to talk them off the ledge. They're in a struggle right now.

They're in a power struggle. They're being reviewed. They're being literally crucified and persecuted for who they are. And G. And Peter speaks this hope into their lives and tells them who they are in Jesus. And listen to me, believers. This is spoken to you because the same was true then is same is true now. First, Peter, chapter two, I'm going to give you four for things that we are in Christ. Here they go. First, Peter, chapter two, verse nine says, but you now stop right there because it's a weird place to start. All right. That is really where she got to know what's going on. Peter has just talked about people who don't know Jesus, who don't walk in Jesus. He's talking about followers versus non followers, everyone. News flash is not born a believer in Jesus. You see this in the rest of the book. Keep going. But you are a chosen generation now. Pause there, because I want to show you what God's view of you is. And this this number one, I need you to fill this.

Number one, you were chosen, and you are fully accepted by God. I'm talking to believers. You were chosen and you are fully accepted. Now, I need you to feel that a minute, because we don't like to talk this mushy gushy stuff a whole lot. But today we are, because I think there needs to be some encouragement in the body. Listen to me real close. Let us just saturate your soul. God chose you. He chose you. God has fully accepted you. What does that mean? That means that you are here's your God. You are fully God. You remember in middle school, our elementary, maybe even middle school for you. One of the biggest fears that there was on the playground when you begin to play something when the captain started picking teams was what, being the last kid?

Right. That was one of the biggest fears that you had. Boy, boy, that be a great day to day, if that was one of our biggest fears. Amen. Can I tell you something? That is not how it is in the kingdom of God, because you are his, you’re Gods. And remember this as a believer in Jesus Christ, you are already fully God. That means this. You no longer work for the acceptance of God. So, have you been trapped in this holy like Pharisaical, righteousness your whole life, or you feel like you are working to gain acceptance to know God?

God accepted you and you cannot work for his acceptance. All you can do is work out of the acceptance. That's all you can do. I want you to see something. Look at these two phrases that Peter uses. The first one we just looked at, right. Verse nine. But you are a chosen generation are chosen people. Fast forward all the way down to verse 10. Watch this. Once you are not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you do not receive mercy, but now you have received mercy. What does this mean? This means that God chose you. Not only did he just choose you and accept you because this when you were at your farthest from him, have you thought about this the moment that God chose you? He chose you when you had nothing to offer him. Why? Because you were a sinner. You had nothing to offer God. You were at the farthest point from him. You were eternally separated from the king. And what did God do?

He opened his love. He opened his acceptance. And he gifted it to you. We see this all through the Bible, right? Especially in the first part of Romans. What Romans five eight. God demonstrated his love in this. The we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. We see this in Romans three. Twenty-three for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That all is you. That all is me. We see it in six twenty-three and Romans. But the wages of that us death. But the gift of God is life. What are we seeing there? What has Jesus done for us? He has accepted us. I am totally acceptable in the eyes of God through Jesus. Do you know that when God sees you, he doesn't see your brokenness, he doesn't see your sin, he doesn't see who you used to be? Do you know what? God sees you as he sees you through the lens of what Jesus has done. He sees you through that. So, what do we do with this? Number one, I mean, I just hope you believe it. I hope you believe this one, because Satan does not want you to believe this. He wants you to always feel halfway in and halfway out.

Second, I just want you to cherish it. Because here's the deal. Do you realize there's nothing else on this planet that can offer you eternal, eternal acceptance? Not even your mama. Number three, I just think it's a great reason for us to live it. It's a great reason, one that we live out of the acceptance that he has already given us will matter if we're fully accepted. Isn't that just going to make us go sin? You're missing the point. The point is, when you realize that he has fully accepted you, the things of this earth begin to grow strangely dim. That's the difference. You are fully accepted. Watch. Peter keeps going, number two. You're eternally valuable. You're eternally valuable. You are valuable. When is the last time? I am just being straight honest here. When's the last time somebody looked at you in the face and said you have eternal value?

You have eternal value. I can guarantee you that culture doesn't tell you that. I can guarantee you that this role doesn't tell you that I can guarantee you the things that this world is offering you is not going to give you. This is the direct opposite of what you hear. Why? Because what is the world say? The world says, hey, if you will bend to us, if you will do what we need you to do. If you will be what we want you to be. If you will watch our cire beliefs, and if you will walk in them, then you can be accepted. But what if God say to us, God said, hey, before you have ever done anything, what did God do? He fully gave us value. He gave you value. Look back at the text. I'm not making it up. There's nothing no crazy rimy stuff in here. I'm just walking through the verses. What's this? Peter hits us with these three encouragements of who we are, of how we're accepted.

How we’re valuable, watch this first nine. But you. Are chosen people looked at that one. Now watch these next three, you are a royal priesthood. A holy nation. And God's special possession. And you see that I'm just not sure you've heard that this week from anywhere. I'm not sure anybody has looked at you this week and made that clear. Let me walk through. And there's three distinctions that he gives us here. Number one, we're part of the royal priesthood. We're part of the royal priesthood. Slap the collar on when you receive Christ. When he is your king, you are part of the royal priesthood. Now, royal priesthood is a compound word. We don't have a whole lot of time. But this is important. Well, it puts the royal and the priesthood together.

Do you know that before Christ walked on this earth, either you were a royal or you were a priest? A king can be a priest. A priest could be a king. It didn't work out that way. But now, since Christ has made us, we are not only fit for the king, but we are made for the king. We are fit and made. It's the only time in the New Testament that this verse there, this word is used. Here's what it means to us. It means that we are part of the royal family of God. Have you thought about that? I mean, would you wake up in the morning thinking, hey, God, today I'm part of your royal family, I am accepted by you, I am in you. But not only you're part of his royal family. You are a priest. You're a priest. What does that mean? You have full access to God through Jesus. That means you don't need another person to spill your stuff to go to God for you. You have access through Jesus of who God is.

You are part of the royal priesthood. But number two, you holy and set apart. You're wholly and set apart, not from a prideful sense of, well, look at me, I'm above, you know, from a sense in purity. God has made you pure. He has made you whole. He has taken who you were and transformed you in Christ into something else. You know, the difference between an Old Testament believer and a New Testament believer in the Old Testament, when you brought your sacrifice to the altar. Your sacrifice, your blood offering only covered that sin. It was temporary in the New Testament. Your sacrifice through Jesus has been washed. Your sin has been washed. There's a difference of a temporary covering and an eternal washing. That's the point here. You have been made right in front of the king and back. Listen to what Wayne Grudem says. He says it like this. The idea inherent in hagios, that's holy in Greek, by the way, is taking something filthy. Washing it and setting it apart as something brand new, useful for a different purpose, which is a picture of salvation. For we who were filthy and sin, watch this. Were washed in the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God. And now we are set apart to be God's own possession. We're set apart. What is God done for us?

He has set us apart. He's made us whole. We look at this. Number three, we are God's special possession. We're his special position. You are not just any possession of God. You are the special possession of God, man. I don't know if you've heard this lately. But you are the magnum opus of God's creation, what does that mean? You are the apple in God's eye. That's what that means. And you are valuable to him. You are his through, you know, not through you. Let's not get prideful for but through what Christ has done in you as first Corinthians seven, twenty-three, right. For you have been bought with a price and you've been paid for by Christ. So, you belong to him. But what's this? We usually stop right there. Be free now from all these earthly prides and fears. Why? Because we're his. We're eternally his. All this is to say that you are extremely and eternally valuable. Don't stop there, though, because we get to number three, because this one key move in number three. I'm totally forgiven. I'm totally forgiven. One hundred percent. You know, one of the things that I see destroy believers the most is the struggle to believe that God can and does fully redeem and forgive my past. And can I tell you, this is a massive tool of Satan. Why? Because Christ, we alluded to earlier, at the moment of your salvation, forgave you for your past, for your present and for your future. At the moment. What does that mean for us? That means when we sin, that sin through Christ has already been forgiven.

Well, Matt. And why do we pray for forgiveness? Great question. Love it when you ask this. Here's why. When we pray for God to forgive us of our sins, we are praying. And I know is that that sin has been forgiven, but it is that repentance that brings us back into the power and into the physical presence of what God wants to do in us. That's why we pray it. It's a recognition of God. I know. I just did this. And God. I'm recognizing this. And God now I need you to bring me back into your power.

Listen, this is something that we've got to continually get a grasp on, that when you sin, you are not thrown out of the family of God. You are fully forgiven already. Look at the text verse nine. But you are chosen people. Royal priests, holy nation, God's special possession. Watch this. That all right. That you can write the words so or in light of this, that you may declare the praises of him. Watch what Jesus does right here. Who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful life? That's an eternal calling, keep going. Once you are not a people, but now you are people of God. Once you had not received mercy. But watch this now you. This is you. You have received mercy. And I got news for you.

The salvific mercy of God is not a thecal mercy. It's not one that's here one day and not the other. It is an eternal mercy that at the point you give your life to Christ, you are forgiven. God's mercy doesn't rest on you. It rests on the empty tomb. It doesn't rest on your power. It rests on what Christ has done. God's mercy is eternal. So therefore, Romans eight one, right. There should be no condemnation. And those who belong to Jesus, there can't be. Why? Because when I say it's already been covered in my job is just not a good God. I blew it. But I know who you are. And let's turn. See, when we realized this and we realized that they man, it is God's nature to forgive and it's God's promise that he is forgiving.

Our role was just to walk in this, just to walk in, in. So, when you put these first three together and look at this number four, number four, here's who you are in Christ, you're fully capable. You're fully capable. One of the biggest struggles that many believers face is, is they doubt they have anything to contribute. Why? Because they bought into the lie that they're either not good enough on the side or they disqualified themselves on the side. Read it again. But you're a chosen people keep going back to first on a royal priesthood. Holy nation got special possession. Watch this that you may declare the preciseness. What does this mean? This means that declaring the praises is not before what God has already made you in the order matters when you're his. He has made you capable. How do we know that we're capable? We're capable through the presence and the power of Jesus. We're not capable because I got anything to offer, or you got anything to offer. We're capable because God has transformed us.

So, when we begin to doubt ourselves catch this, we begin to doubt Jesus as a believer in Christ. When I begin to say I have nothing to offer. What I'm doing in him is saying you have nothing to offer. And your sovereignty does not matter to me, and your power does not matter to me. This is what Philippians four 13 says, that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It's my Romans three, thirty-one says for God, if God is for us, who can be against us?

It's why Romans eight thirty-seven says in all of these things, we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus, our Lord. And it's why, Matthew, chapter 19, verse twenty-six says, but with man, these things are impossible, but with God, all these things are impossible or possible. Why? Because to me, no, we'd all be in trouble if it was because of the mise. It's because of him, because of who he is. So, what he's done. Let me put all these in a sentence. I could have done this and saved yourself 40 minutes.

You’re chosen. You're valuable. You're forgiven. And you're capable. Because of what Christ has done. What he's done. All because of Christ, because of this illustration. How many of you remember the old TBS show The Antiques Roadshow? Great. Three of you ask your grandparents about Pawn stars.

All right. And yeah, we'll go down. Same thing. I love this show. Here's one. You never know. What have they got? You never know, I mean, they will come up with the biggest piece of looking junk that you've ever seen on the planet and give it to them, it's like you have five million dollars and then they'll come up with something that looks like it is the most pristine thing ever. And it's just a fake knockoff from China and it's worth like three bucks. Do you know what determines worth on both of those shows? No one who made it. Who made it? Right. It's the, I don't know. Tiffany's make it or did the little factory in China make? I don't know which whichever. Right. You get it right. Or number two. Who owned it? Who owned it gives it its worth, right?

It's the difference between a letter written by my great, great, great grandpappy and George Washington writes. Who owned it? I want you to think about something today. That's the same thing for us, is it not? Do you know what determines our worth? It ain't how big we are, how small we are, how young we are, how old we are, what we have to offer. It's who made us. And who owns a. If we can settle those two things. The rest of the stuff thrown at us really doesn't make a difference. It really doesn't. Why? Because if we can realize that we are chosen, that we are valuable. We are forgiven. And we are able in Christ. When all of this counterfeit stuff comes at us and tries to make us feel like we have an identity somewhere else, none of it comes even close.

So, here's the question I got for you this morning. Have you ever walked into this relationship? Has there been a moment in your life where you've invited Christ into your life? To give you this. Or maybe. You are a believer in Jesus, but it's been a minute since you've heard what he has done for you. So, as we have just a couple of minutes of just thinking and worship. Two things. Number one, if you're a believer in Christ, maybe you just need to let this soak for a minute and just saturate your soul to make you run from the things that should be growing strangely dim. But maybe today you need to run to Christ to let him do this.

Lord Jesus, today. God, I'm fully aware that there are people in the sound of my voice that are not sure if they have ever trusted you. They've ever given their life to you. Or Jesus said today is their day, if there's something knocking on their heart, just pressing into them, saying, here I am today, God, maybe their maybe their voice today just needs to say, Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. I know that you did for me. Would you come into my heart? It saved me. You know, with your head bowed and eyes closed today, if that's you and you just prayed that prayer for the first time or maybe for the first time for real, you're now a follower of Jesus.

He just stepped into your heart because he promises us. We call on his name, he is present. He is there. If we confess with our mouth that Jesus, Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, that we will be saved.

Maybe you did that today. If that's you, we'd like to know that if you're online, you can reach out online, just hit the next steps and let us know. Walk through that grid. It'll show you if you're here. One of the rooms today. And just during these next few seconds, we're not going to wait a minute to walk down to the front. Just look me or one of the other counselors in the face and just say, hey, I met Jesus today.

I met Jesus. For the rest of us, maybe today is the day that you finally figured out. That this other stuff is not. Primary. And he can begin to press into the idea that you're accepted, you've chosen valuable and forgiving and able. Thank you, Jesus. Walk of the next couple of minutes it’s in your name. Let’s stand and sing.

Follow Along with the Message

We Are Heirs of Christ: My Identity Is Important

 PRINCIPLE: There is a constant happening for my identity.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
1 Peter 2:9–10
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
God’s view of me:
In Christ…

1. I am chosen and fully .

1 Peter 2:9–10
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Titus 3:7 (CEV)
Jesus treated us much better than we deserve. He made us acceptable to God and gave us the hope of eternal life.
Colossians 3:12–15
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

2. I am eternally .

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
3 Distinctions Christ Followers Carry:

1. Part of the priesthood

2. Holy, set

“The idea inherent in hagios is the taking something filthy, washing it and setting it apart as something brand new, useful for a different purpose, which is a picture of salvation for we who were filthy with sin were washed in the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, and set apart to now be God's own possession.”
— Wayne Grudem

3. God’s possession

Deuteronomy 7:6
For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
Luke 12:24
Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!
1 Corinthians 7:23
You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him — be free now from all these earthly prides and fears.
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.

3. I am totally .

1 Peter 2:9–10
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Romans 8:1
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:38–39
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Isaiah 43:25
And yet, I am the God who forgives your sins, and I do this because of who I am. I will not hold your sins against you.
Ephesians 1:7–8
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us…

4. I am fully .

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Philippians 4:13
For I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.
Romans 8:31
“If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Romans 8:37
…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Matthew 19:26
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Additional Notes

 

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