Finding Our Identity – 4

Finding Our Identity – 4

Subject: Taking Responsibility for your Identity

By Rick Welborne

Joshua 24:15&22-24 (NCV)
¹⁵  But if you don’t want to serve the LORD, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.“
²²  Then Joshua said, “You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the LORD.“ The people said, “Yes, we are.“
²³  Then Joshua said, “Now throw away the gods that you have. Love the LORD, the God of Israel, with all your heart.“
²⁴  Then the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God, and we will obey him.“ 

--As we continue to look at this subject of “Finding Our Identity” I am concerned about how our world will look going forward and what our children and grandchildren will face in the days ahead. 

--Everyday there is at least one story where this issue of gender identity is brought up…a guy who competes as a girl in weight lifting and wins the National Championship in that division.

--Issues in multiple states where men claiming their identity is female going into the women’s restrooms and videoing the ladies in there…of course you do not here this on the national news.

--Don’t misunderstand me, I truly believe these people need our help and our prayers. Most of them have been abused in one form or another and have definitely lost their way.

--It is our responsibility to show them the way not just in words but in how we live. We will more than likely have to do spiritual warfare to see them set free. We must agonize in prayer!

--Just remember, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus has the power to set all of them free just like He did for us. We should never look down our noses at others because we were lost too.

1 Corinthians 6:11 (NKJV) ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

--In our text today Joshua is getting ready to pass from the scene and he is giving some very important great instructions. The more I meditated on these verses the more I saw them in the context of our identity.

Joshua 24:15 (NCV) ¹⁵  But if you don’t want to serve the LORD, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.“

--That last sentence was so magnified by Holy Spirit that I could not get away from it…we must make a choice when it comes to ourselves, our families, and our determination to serve God.

1. I Choose to Find My Identity in Christ.

--It almost sounded like Joshua was trying to talk the people out of serving God…I know how your ancestors lived and how they served the gods of the Amorites. Who were these Amorites?

Amorites – People of the hill country - Bitter; rebels; babblers.

--Joshua was asking…who are you going to identify with…the Lord or your ancestors who were a bitter bunch of rebels who were mostly talk and trouble! Where are the strong?

--Where are the men who will stand up for what is right and not be afraid to be real men…God never intended men to be effeminate and emasculated. 

--I am not saying that all men have to go out and slay a dear for dinner or love sports or be able to bench press 300 pounds but I think it is time for some Joshua’s to come forth!

--Joshua said…as for me…maybe I can’t speak for anyone else but as for me…I will serve God, I will fight for what is right, and I will be a leader, I will attempt to lead my family!

--Before it was politically incorrect, little boys played army and they played cowboys and Indians. We dreamed of being the hero of every fight we were in…we imagined doing great feats! 

--We blew something up, we got rid of the bad guys, and we rescued the damsel in distress. We wanted to be the strongest, the fastest, the best. We wanted to come in on a white horse and rescue everyone.

--Kind of like Jesus when he comes back for the final battle…He is coming on a white horse and we are coming with Him to do battle with the enemies of God and we will win…shout Hallelujah! 

Revelation 19:11-14&16 (NKJV)
¹¹  Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
¹²  His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
¹³  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
¹⁴  And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.                      ¹⁶  And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

--Joshua said…as for me…there is a time to be a suffering servant and a time to be a conquering King. There is a time that a man has to rise up and say I am heading to war!

--Jesus does not sound wimpy to me! He sounds strong, powerful, protective! Listen men, trust me, your wives and ladies, in general, are still looking for their prince coming on a white horse.

--You can be that man. Feel that gap! Take your place and let your family know that as for me…I am going to serve the Lord…no more excuses…no more being weak!

--I wish some men would get on their feet and say…as for me, I will be that man!

2. You Will Help Your Family Find Their Identity in Christ.

--I am well aware of the dynamics or make up of our church when it comes to family and what that looks like for our congregation.

--We have traditional families with mom and dad and the kids. We have husbands and wives and no kids. We have singles and we have single moms. We have widows and widowers.

--Everyone is an integral part of the body of Christ that makes up Life Church A/G. All of you are important to God and to us. Someone in that family has to take the lead…we will serve the Lord. 

--As I have already stated, there are men in our church who should take the lead and lead their wife and children in the ways of God and His Word.

--Some of you single moms have a great challenge before you, in that you are trying to lead your family. You can be the one saying…as for me and my house we will serve the Lord

Isaiah 54:4-5 (NIV)
⁴  "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
⁵  For your Maker is your husband-- the LORD Almighty is his name-- the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. 

--Get past the fear, the disgrace, the humiliation, the shame, your loneliness and realize that God is your husband now…He is your redeemer so let Him redeem you…As for me and my family!

--Your family is looking to you for leadership…by God’s grace make some declarations and lead. We parent or parents are the greatest hope of our kids salvation and calling. Yes, it is a tough job!

--You may say…My kids are choosing the wrong path…listen, as long as they are in your house you lead them to God, to church, to the Word…you show them the way…As for me and my house!

3. You Will Find Your Identity in Serving the Lord.

Joshua 24:15 (NCV) ¹⁵ But if you don’t want to serve the LORD, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…As for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.

--The Scriptures are clear, in that, we only have two choices in whom we will serve…it is either God or Mammon, money, the Cosmos, the world, the flesh, ourselves, Satan.

Matthew 6:24&31-33 (NLT)
²⁴  “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
³¹  “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’
³²  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
³³  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 

Dave Arnold – Faith is the link that connects our weakness to God’s strength. When we depend on ourselves, people can see what we can do. When we serve and depend on God, people can see what He can do.

--As for you and your family, serve God…be faithful and watch what He will do!

2 Peter 2:9 (NCV) ⁹ So the Lord knows how to save those who serve him when troubles come. He will hold evil people and punish them, while waiting for the Judgment Day.

Listen to what Jesus said when Satan tried to tempt Him to bow down:

Luke 4:5-8 (NIV)
⁵  The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
⁶  And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
⁷  So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
⁸  Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" 

Finding Our Identity - 3

Finding Our Identity - 3

Subject – Know Your Identity by Knowing Your God

By Rick Welborne

Daniel 3:13-18 (NLT)
¹³  Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in,
¹⁴  Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up?
¹⁵  I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
¹⁶  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.
¹⁷  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
¹⁸  But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” 

--Two weeks ago we looked at Identity Theft and how it has infiltrated so many areas of our everyday lives …today we will look at how we must fight against this enemy who is trying to rob from us.

John 10:10 (NKJV) ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--Most everyone in this room would do everything in your power to keep thieves out of your house and away from your possessions but we freely let in the thief into our hearts and minds. Media.

--Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are beautiful examples of how we do not have to let that happen and how we can take a stand against the onslaught of the enemy. How did they do it?

1. They Knew Who Their God Was.

--At this time King Nebuchadnezzar has made a decision that universal idolatry would be carried out by a decree of the king and whoever would not honor it would be judged.

--This sounds so much like what is going on in America…lawmakers can make laws about gender identity and expect everyone to just accept it as law. Bathroom choice. Where’s the compassion?

--We may have a few thousand who are struggling with this…men who want to use the women’s restrooms and we want to change the laws in every state to make them feel comfortable.

--What about the millions of women and young girls who would be terribly uncomfortable with this crazy decision…what about their emotions and what about their rights.

--I can tell you, if I saw a man going in the restroom after my wife and daughter just went in…I would definitely feel that manly protection need kick into gear. Nope!

--What am I saying…I am saying this, we should not and hopefully will not accept everything that this world tells us we have to comply to…Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t feel that way.

--The apostles did not feel that way when they were told to stop speaking and preaching in the Name above every name and that is the Name of Jesus.

Acts 4:17-19 (NLT)
¹⁷  But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.”
¹⁸  So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
¹⁹  But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?

--The three Hebrew young men and the apostles knew who their God was and they were not about to compromise what they knew in their hearts and in the Law.

--We, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego must know Who our God is and we must know our identity is found in Him, not what people try to make Him into.

--Our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our God is the Great I am, our God is consisting of the Trinity…Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. Listen to these Names of God:

Almighty, Alpha, Amen, Angel of the Lord, Anointed One, Author and Perfecter of our Faith, Beginning Branch, Bread of Life, Bridegroom, Carpenter, Chief Shepherd, The Christ Comforter, Consolation of Israel, Cornerstone, Dayspring, Day Star, Deliverer, Desire of Nations, Emmanuel, End, Everlasting Father, Faithful and True Witness, Foundation, Fountain, Friend of Sinners, Gate for the Sheep, Gift of God, Glory of God, Good Shepherd, Great Shepherd, Guide, Head of the Church, High Priest, Holy One of Israel, Horn of Salvation, I Am, Jehovah, Jesus, King of Israel, King of Kings, Lamb of God, Last Adam, Life, Light of the World, Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Lord of Lords, Master, Mediator, Messiah, Mighty God, Morning Star, Nazarene, Omega, Passover Lamb, Physician, Potentate, Priest, Prince of Peace, Prophet, Propitiation, Purifier, Rabbi, Ransom, Redeemer, Refiner, Refuge, Resurrection, Righteousness, Rock, Root of David, Rose of Sharon, Ruler of God's Creation, Sacrifice, Savior, Second Adam, Seed of Abraham, Seed of David, Seed of the Woman, Servant, Shepherd, Son of David, Son of God, Son of Man, Son of Mary, Son of the Most High, Stone, Sun of Righteousness, Teacher, Truth, Way Wonderful Counselor, Word, Vine

--He is the One we better stay connected to. Do you know Who your God is?

Psalm 9:7-10 (NKJV)
⁷  But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment.
⁸  He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
⁹  The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.
¹⁰  And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. 

2. They Knew Who Was not Their God.

--Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that King Nebuchadnezzar was not their god and he was not the one in whom they found their identity. 

--Though they were slaves in a foreign land they knew God’s promises. Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Babylon…though they were in captivity…listen to this promise:

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NIV)
¹¹  For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
¹²  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
¹³  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
¹⁴  I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

--What was this saying to them and what is it saying to us? God will show up in the middle of what this cosmos is trying to force down our throats and we do not have to conform to their demands.

--Keeping your identity may mean a turning up of the heat, it may mean you are singled out to be the one targeted. That’s ok if you understand “If God be for you, who can be against you?”

--These guys knew that serving God may cost them something, in their case it may cost them everything! They knew that whether by life or by death, they were not going to forget who they were in God.

--They knew that ultimately the One to Whom they would bow their knee would not be King Nebuchadnezzar but to the Lord God Almighty…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.

 --The earthly king could only affect their earthly life but many of us are looking for something better…we are looking for a city whose Builder and Maker is God. Jesus said it this way:

Matthew 10:28 (NIV) ²⁸  Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

--Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew their identity was in God and not Nebuchadnezzar. 

3. They Knew They Could Trust God Even in the Fire.

--When you know Who your God is and you know who your god is not…you are in a better place to trust God in the fire. I pray that our faith increases more and more.

--After serving God for such a long time and studying the Word for all those years I have concluded that God does not always answer the way we want Him to or as quickly as we want Him to.

--People tell me that all we have to do is believe and receive. Many today would say these Hebrew young men did not have faith by their response to the king:

Daniel 3:16-18 (NLT) ¹⁶  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.
¹⁷  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
¹⁸  But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” 

--When they said “but even if He doesn’t” they were not speaking faith or were they? These boys just might die…die trusting God.

--Listen to Job and Jesus…they knew their identity in God and knew they could trust Him no matter what.

Job 13:15-16 (NIV) ¹⁵ Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.
¹⁶  Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless man would dare come before him! 

Finding Our Identity - 2

Finding Our Identity - 2

Subject – Find Your Identity in the Death, Burial, and Resurrection

By Rick Welborne

Colossians 1:16-20 (NKJV)
¹⁶  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
¹⁷  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
¹⁸  And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
¹⁹  For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
²⁰  and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

--We obviously celebrate Easter (the Resurrection of Jesus Christ) and we are pray many experience His resurrection power in their lives every service.

--We are talking about Finding our Identity and how the enemy comes to steal our identity or to try to re-identify us contrary to what the Word of God declares us to be.

John 10:10 (NKJV) ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--Satan, our enemy, and his hordes of demons have a mission and that missions is to steal, kill, or destroy from us the identity we have in Christ. 

--If we allow him to define us or to redefine us…we miss out on the abundant life Jesus has promised to each one of us…we allow him to commit identity theft against us.

--Today, we want to look at the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ and come to the revelation that our identity is wrapped up in what Jesus has done for us.

1. Our Identity is Found in the Death of Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:22-24 (NLT) ²²  “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know.
²³  But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.
²⁴  But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.

--On the cross, Jesus won the victory and showed the world to be powerless…how awesome is this? The debt you had, the debt I had, and the debt the world has was nailed to the cross.

--When Jesus went to the cross and laid His life down. He was saying: Their identity is found in Me because of My blood. The Romans and religious leaders did not take Jesus’ life…He laid it down freely.

John 10:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

--I want to identify with the One Who willingly laid down His life for me when He died…shedding His blood so I could be free…At the cross, at the cross, were I first saw the light…

--My identity was definitely defined when I gave up my life and died to myself:

Gal. 2:20 (NKJV) ²⁰  I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

--This verse was used by the evangelist who led me to the Lord. I knew I could not live for God as the person I was. The evangelist said, you really want to live for God don’t you? Yes! Stop trying…Great!

--He then quoted the verse above…stop trying to live for God…die to yourself and let Jesus come in and live His life thru you. I finally understood the plan of salvation.

--The enemy came to steal, kill, and destroy my life…my identity was found in drugs, alcohol, and running around doing things that were destructive. My identity was changed immediately. 

--Now I was identified as born again, called by God, youth pastor, lead pastor…don’t tell me God can’t stop the identity thief…my life and my future was changed forever! Still is!

--You really can’t know who you are until you survey His wondrous love for you and realize that He did what He did because He has a plan for your life. 

2. Our Identity is Found in the Burial of Jesus Christ.

--The Bible tells us that Jesus was beaten, tortured, and nailed to a cross. Even a spear pierced His side and He died. Jesus said, “It is finished!” He died on the cross and was buried for the sins of the whole world.

John 19:38-40 (NKJV)
³⁸  After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.
³⁹  And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.
⁴⁰  Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.

--Jesus’ body was prepared for burial…His body was laid in a borrowed tomb because that was all He needed. Three days later he was coming out of that tomb.

--I believe much of our identity has been stolen by those who tell us that Christianity is all about what we get.

Christ said we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. Paul explains it like this:

Colossians 2:12-15 (NCV)
¹²  When you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and you were raised up with him through your faith in God’s power that was shown when he raised Christ from the dead.
¹³  When you were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self, God made you alive with Christ, and he forgave all our sins.
¹⁴  He canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross.
¹⁵  God stripped the spiritual rulers and powers of their authority. With the cross, he won the victory and showed the world that they were powerless.

--You see, before you received Christ you were spiritually dead, and if you were like me, you were close to being physically dead. Doctor said I probably would not live two more months. 

--One of the great reasons you should be water baptized (other than the fact that Jesus said we should be) is what verse 12 said: When you were baptized, you were buried with Christ.

--When you are buried you no longer have life, when you are buried you no longer have rights, when you are buried you no longer have a will, when you are buried you are dead to sin.

--Think about it…when you are buried with Christ you identify with Him in His death…you have died to self, to sin, and to your own will…you are set up for a brand new life.

3. Our Identity is Found in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:12-20 (NIV)
¹²  But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
¹³  If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
¹⁴  And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
¹⁵  More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.
¹⁶  For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.
¹⁷  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
¹⁸  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
¹⁹  If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
²⁰  But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 

--Can we establish here tonight once and for all that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that He is very much alive interceding at the right hand of God.

--He is alive…I said He is alive…How do you know He is alive…He has resurrected me from my dead life of sin and now His resurrection power lives in me.

--Who I am has been identified by the resurrection power of Jesus in me…my parents told me I was hopeless, they told me I was not planned, they told me the evil around me was because of me.

--They labeled me, they identified me as trouble, as evil, as jail bound, as the reason behind all that was happening…all I heard was how I would not amount to anything…

--Jesus had a different plan…His resurrection power has resurrected me…I am a new creation…the old nature (the old Rick) is buried with Christ and the new Rick has been resurrected. My identity now. 

Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV)
¹⁰  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
¹¹  and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

--I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection…that will make me new…that will make me whole.